Review: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
Thank you Berkley Romance for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
I have a confession. I didn’t love You, with a View. I know, I know. I feel like I am the only person who didn’t connect with that book. So, I wasn’t sure if I would like this author’s next book. But I kept seeing people whose reading tastes typically align with mine hyping it up. So, I took a chance and my goodness am I glad that I did. This book is so richly romantic. It pulls at your heart in a way that is so deep and beautiful it aches.
I have always loved second chance romances. There is something so beautiful about characters who know each other finding each other again, at a time when they are ready to accept each other into their lives in a new and lasting way. It’s a wonderful story that will have you laughing, crying, and swooning.
Synopsis:
“Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.
With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.
What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.
As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Setting—I’ve said this before but for someone who had never been to Northern California or the Pacific Northwest, I am really obsessed with the idea of it. I loved the setting, from the winery to glimpses of their lives in New York to mentions of Seattle. Everything was so rich and fragrant, I felt like I was there.
The Writing—WOW the writing is incredible. The way Joyce weaved together the past and present was masterful.
The Pacing: Without needed “now and then” timelines, this book goes back and forth in time to show the reader how the relationship came to be, fell apart, and came back together. I am rarely on the edge of my seat reading romance but I was with this book.
The Characters—Georgia and Eli were wonderful leads to follow. I loved the magnetic quality but I also loved the side characters of this story so much. It was a group that felt like family and made me miss my college friends.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
I want to say nothing, but I still don’t know if this was a full 5 starts for me. I LOVED it but there was just a piece of magic missing for me to make it 5 stars. Which is picky and annoying of me, I am fully aware.
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 2/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Content Warnings:
panic attacks/anxiety