carolina's Reviews > The Ex Vows

Maybe it's just like going back to visit a home that isn't yours anymore. Maybe you don't have the key, but someone lets you in anyway, and you stay awhile, and it feels so good just to be somewhere you once belonged.

1st reread [08/24]: I love this book so much! 😭 this reread was everything, made me fall in love with it even more. Georgia and Eli have my heart.

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I'm a big fan of second chance romances, but the truth is that most of the time they're not well done. It feels like something is missing, sometimes the current relationship isn't as believable as the past one, or vice versa, other times you realise that the couple shouldn't have got back together. But fear not, because The Ex Vows is second chance perfection.

How strange it is to have a first for the second time. How lucky and messy and perfect.

In this story, estranged exes, Georgia and Eli, are forced to work together to save their best friend's wedding. And let me tell you, the plot is amazing! It's not often that a romance novel has an actually engaging and enjoyable plot that's not connected to the love story. Following Gergia and Eli as they ran errands and tried to make sure their friend had the best day ever was so entertaining. Some scenes were hilarious because it really did seem like this wedding was cursed 🤭 Everything was going sideways and these light-hearted, funny moments helped to break the tension and heartbreak that lingered throughout the story.

The romance was so beautifully executed. The way Jessica writes made me feel like I was experiencing every single thing the characters were feeling. The nostalgia attached to past memories was almost tangible, I felt like I was the one reminiscing about the past and everything that had been good and everything that hadn’t ❤️‍🩹 The love, heartache, agonising tension and longing between Georgia and Eli felt so real 😭 The reason why they broke up was also very realistic, and although there was some miscommunication between them, I still think they would have broken up at that point even if they had talked about everything. Because it was clear that they both had to grow apart from each other in order to find themselves.

"We're not strangers. We’re …"
"Us."
That single word fuses me to him. A tiny voice whispers, oh hell, but I push it away. "We're us."
He lets out a soft, slow breath. And then he says, "Then that's enough."

I saw parts of myself in both characters, from Georgia's people-pleasing tendencies and her fear of asking for help, to Eli's anxiety. The mental health rep was so beautifully done - there's something so incredibly sexy about an MMC seeking therapy. They're both complex characters, so raw and so real. I strongly connected with both of them, especially when they were being their most vulnerable and messy selves 🥺 At times it felt like looking at myself in the mirror.

Isn't that the way I deserve to be loved —completely, messily, imperfectly? Isn't that the way I deserve to love myself?
And isn't it what Eli deserves, too?

It was comforting and reassuring to watch these characters struggle, to see them afraid and uncertain about the future, but not letting fear dictate their lives. Both Georgia and Eli were working to better themselves, and it was obvious how much they'd grown once they were back together. Their love was so believable, and even if we only had the current timeline, I'd still believe they were soulmates 💘

Because when he's messiest, that's when I see myself reflected in him.
It's a privilege to have someone trust you enough to show you those pieces of themselves, the most vulnerable and tender, the least polished. It's a show of trust to let you see them first thing in the morning, in the middle of a panic attack, right after they've cried. To give you a shaky smile after a messy fight. To come back to you again and again with their heart in their hands.

There were so many things I loved about Georgia and Eli's romance, it had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air 😍🥰🦋💖 The banter between them was so good and the spicy moments were amazing and very intimate. I bow down to Jessica, I can't get over how she can make me feel every single touch and kiss the characters share, I had chills running up and down my body! Other details I have to mention are the gold chain, the peach nickname, the cupcake and the paper rings. I will not elaborate on any of these, but just know that I will never stop thinking about the paper rings 😭

"When I say I'm still in love with you, I mean the first time I saw you and right now. I mean every second in between."

This book touches on so many issues that I think everyone in their 20s can relate to, especially when it comes to navigating adulthood and adjusting to big life changes, as well as growing apart from people you love because you're all at different stages of life. In many ways, it made me think of books like Happy Place and The Seven Year Slip, so if you love those books, I'm sure you'll love this one.

I was crying so hard at the end, some of the things that Georgia and Eli talked about really resonated with me and the life stage I'm in, so I was a mess of emotions 😭

Sometimes happiness is loud and messy.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint. This is now one of my favourite romances, I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can reread and annotate this book. This is the second chance romance of my dreams and I'd recommend it to anyone.

╰┈➤thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the e-arc