ARC Review: "The Ex Vows" by Jessica Joyce ★★★★★
ARC Review: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
This second-chance rom-com amidst a wedding backdrop is the perfect thing for this upcoming summer! With a mixture of hilarious and heartwarming moments, it tugged at my heartstrings and pulled them back together all at once. This story is a great reminder that nothing has to be perfect, it is more realistic because it is messy.“I’m in love with you.”
I get out a strangled, “Again?”
He’s not smiling, but his mouth is soft, his eyes are soft, this word is soft: “Still.”
[Contains some spoilers]
PLOT SUMMARY
Senior manager Georgia Woodward and TMT (Tech, Media & Telecom) associate Eli Mora have been friends since they were 15. They eventually dated at 20 and after a messy breakup 5 years ago (where they have not been on speaking terms), Georgia and Eli, now aged 28, are suddenly thrown together again as their mutual friend Adam Kim, is getting married and wants them to be his best man and woman.
Adam believes he is cursed as everything he has planned for the wedding goes wrong: from the DJ unable to perform to no bakery available to make the cake to the venue itself going up in flames, along with many and – and I really mean many! – more problems. Georgia and Eli are his only hope to save the week, and the wedding day itself.
As they are forced to work together with errands, Georgia and Eli’s feelings for each other resurface but old fears hold Georgia back. But being friends again is not enough. With a love of lists to keep her life in control, she has a list of all things not to do when she is with Eli which she is finding difficult to not break. On top of this, her job has been dissolved in San Francisco, and she is being promoted to manager in Seattle at the beginning of September, after the wedding. She is torn about what to do both with matters of work and the heart.
This is told from the present-tense first-person perspective of Georgia.
OVERALL OPINIONS
This is the first book I have read by Jessica Joyce and I need to now read “You, With a View”. Technically, this is Jessica’s first book but she set it aside for ages dissatisfied with it until inspiration struck some time after she released “You, With a View”.
<< Vibes >>
I was not expecting such depth and growth, inner healing and forgiveness being key themes throughout – I thought it would just be the exes and the romance.
🠚 In that regard, this is reminiscent of Abbey Jimenez’s works as she is known for having romance as a secondary aspect to bigger themes or issues. I found this to be the case for her book “Just For the Summer”
🠚 I am also reminded of Emily Henry, because it follows a similar storyline to her “Happy Place”:
• the main character Harriet has also broke up with her significant other, in this case Wyn her fiance (interestingly the exact same number of letters are used for Georgia and Eli’s names)
• he also shows up at the airport
• they also want to have fun for a week except they do the opposite of Georgia and Eli and instead of pretending they are good friends because their friends don’t know they haven’t been on speaking terms, Harriet and Wyn pretend they are still together as nobody knows they ever split.
• the story shifts between the past and present
🠚 I got major vibes of the film “About Time” (2013) reading this – of course, without the time-traveling. Tim and Mary’s wedding day, like Adam and Grace in this book, was also a mess and was raining too, but they made the most of it. I love when Tim asks Mary if she would have wanted a different day (with the secret intention of going back in time and changing it), Mary says no, it is perfect as it is.
 |
| About Time (2013) |
<< Writing >>
🠚 The writing style itself is in many ways alike to Emily Henry as well. Both authors use quirky and hilarious descriptions and you will know exactly what they mean. For example, in this book:
• A gold star materializes on my mental chart; somewhere, an HR angel gets its wings.
• I struggle to find a word that isn’t too big or small for what this is, the Goldilocks of It’s Complicated.
• It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people who use the phrase “no offense, but” are the most offensive people on the planet.
🠚 I love all references from other media/stories. From the examples above, we have references to It’s a Wonderful Life, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (one of my favourites here) respectively. There were also references to the three musketeers due to the tight friendship between Eli, Georgia and Adam.
Of course, my own personal favourite, being the Tolkien fan that I am, has to be the “Lord of the Rings” reference: “You have our wedding bands, right? They haven’t been snatched by some Gollum-looking dude?” That’s the second contemporary romance ARC I have received to have a Gollum reference, the other being “Savor It” by Tarah DeWitt.
🠚 There are other great descriptions in general. Jessica Joyce is incredibly poetic and her way with words made me want to read on. There are far too many examples of great quotes (which I will leave further down) but this was one of them:
🠚 When I tell you this book made me laugh and at times get emotional, I mean it. I genuinely laughed out loud when Georgia and Eli were in that first bakery doing the cake tasting, it is just so funny! But then the moments where Georgia has her mental breakdown in the bathroom, and the confession moment in Chapter 31, the paper rings reveal – oh my goodness, I was a mess and in the best possible way. Of course, I was thinking of Taylor Swift’s song “Paper Rings” the whole time.
I think it would have been nice for this story to have been a dual POV so we could have heard Eli’s point of view too but, all around, it was a great book. The pacing was decent, some aspects typical and predictable but did not detract from the story. The plot was good, the spice was good, the angst was good. I myself am a huge sucker for second-chance romance if it is done well, and it was done very well here!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 I felt like their sudden morning making-out moment came rather out of nowhere? Like I expected a proper kiss turned makeout like something out of “The Notebook” be it an argument turned kiss or a romantic moment – potentially even from the night before. Not Georgia waking up to an entaglement and dry-humping. At first I genuinely thought he was doing it in his sleep? Helppp! I don’t know, it just really felt quite off.
🠚 I loved the communication between Georgia and Eli, and of course it takes a while for Georgia herself to open up to him. I feel like they were not acting their own age though. I expected a little more maturity.
🠚 The writing style itself is in many ways alike to Emily Henry as well. Both authors use quirky and hilarious descriptions and you will know exactly what they mean. For example, in this book:
• A gold star materializes on my mental chart; somewhere, an HR angel gets its wings.
• I struggle to find a word that isn’t too big or small for what this is, the Goldilocks of It’s Complicated.
• It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people who use the phrase “no offense, but” are the most offensive people on the planet.
🠚 I love all references from other media/stories. From the examples above, we have references to It’s a Wonderful Life, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (one of my favourites here) respectively. There were also references to the three musketeers due to the tight friendship between Eli, Georgia and Adam.
Of course, my own personal favourite, being the Tolkien fan that I am, has to be the “Lord of the Rings” reference: “You have our wedding bands, right? They haven’t been snatched by some Gollum-looking dude?” That’s the second contemporary romance ARC I have received to have a Gollum reference, the other being “Savor It” by Tarah DeWitt.
🠚 There are other great descriptions in general. Jessica Joyce is incredibly poetic and her way with words made me want to read on. There are far too many examples of great quotes (which I will leave further down) but this was one of them:
He’s the same and totally different. The fifteen-year-old boy I liked and the twenty-year-old man I loved, and the twenty-eight-year-old I have to keep right here, because at one point he was the twenty-three-year-old man who broke my heart.
🠚 When I tell you this book made me laugh and at times get emotional, I mean it. I genuinely laughed out loud when Georgia and Eli were in that first bakery doing the cake tasting, it is just so funny! But then the moments where Georgia has her mental breakdown in the bathroom, and the confession moment in Chapter 31, the paper rings reveal – oh my goodness, I was a mess and in the best possible way. Of course, I was thinking of Taylor Swift’s song “Paper Rings” the whole time.
I think it would have been nice for this story to have been a dual POV so we could have heard Eli’s point of view too but, all around, it was a great book. The pacing was decent, some aspects typical and predictable but did not detract from the story. The plot was good, the spice was good, the angst was good. I myself am a huge sucker for second-chance romance if it is done well, and it was done very well here!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 I felt like their sudden morning making-out moment came rather out of nowhere? Like I expected a proper kiss turned makeout like something out of “The Notebook” be it an argument turned kiss or a romantic moment – potentially even from the night before. Not Georgia waking up to an entaglement and dry-humping. At first I genuinely thought he was doing it in his sleep? Helppp! I don’t know, it just really felt quite off.
🠚 I loved the communication between Georgia and Eli, and of course it takes a while for Georgia herself to open up to him. I feel like they were not acting their own age though. I expected a little more maturity.
 |
| Georgia and Eli by @adagetsliterary |
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Georgia꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I relate so, so much to Georgia! She has her lists to keep herself organised, just like me! Right now, I have a list of books I want to read and ARC books I have completed.
🠚 She thrives on company and attention but also wants to give people their space, again literally me. She arrives back to her hometown of San Francisco after being away at work only to find all her friends are now in relationships, and this is essentially how I feel too! My best friend is married, and my other close friend is in a relationship so I do not have the same people to vent to. See this:
🠚 I have also been in relationships where my boyfriend prioritised their work over me Am I Georgia? Apparently.
🠚 Also when Eli says to Georgia “You’re always taking care of other people. Who’s taking care of you?”– THIS ONE HIT ME HARD! Because this is literally me too! I feel seen – but also how dare you Jessica, I feel called out!
🠚 What I like is that by the end of the story, she has gotten rid of the need for them and lives spontaneously. AND she lives for herself and her own happiness not for the sake of others. This is something I have begun to do myself, and am much happier for it.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Eli꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Eli is so sweet! I was not sure about him at first, but as the story went on I really liked him. I love that he has worked on himself, gone to therapy and become a better version of himself. I like that we get to understand why he behaves the way he was in their relationship through Georgia explaining to us. I feel sorry for his insomnia. I love that he comes to her rescue and of course more than once.
🠚 His paper rings are adorable, too! Listen, if I had a man half as dedicated as Eli is to Georgia I would marry him tomorrow, paper rings ‘n’ all.
*⁀➷ Favourite quote
-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
🠚 Adam is the best wingman and guy friend ever! Pity the poor man is so worried about his so-called curse the whole time but it is always amusing how everyone tells him to shut up! He has an amazing description of “For Adam whose natural temperament hovers somewhere near live wire, it’s been a constant test of his sanity.”
🠚 Jamie, Georgia’s best friend, she is so lovely. I love the description of her voice being “full of amusement, but also care and empathy. Her classic trifecta.” I think Jamie is also me.
🠚 Grace, Adam’s bride-to-be, is so sweet! True to her name, she is always calm and the voice of reason to Adam.
FAV QUOTES
• He’ll hold on to it for years, but eventually that spark will become a wildfire. And then we’ll burn it all down.
• Here’s the thing: I’m a list girl. I learned the magic of them long ago—the way they can streamline tasks and expectations. Needs and emotions. How they can take a messy, chaotic thing and make it manageable.
• There’s so much we need to say to each other, which means there’s nothing we *can* say to each other.
• I’m wearing a cropped black linen tank top and matching shorts, but clearly I should’ve shown up wrapped in tin foil, because I’m getting grilled.
• “You overestimate me.” “You underestimate yourself.”
• You can be messy. The people who love you will accept every single piece of it.
• Eli can’t see my heart, and it’s for better because he’d see his name everywhere in it. But it’s for worse because he doesn’t see that his name is everywhere in it
• home. It’s strange that the same word can mean different places, and yet the feeling exists when we’re together, too, no matter where we are geographically. What a comforting thought.
• 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.
• There’s thirteen years’ worth of love here. I can see it even in the five years of absence.
PLAYLIST
Taylor Swift “Fortnight”, “imgonnagetyouback”, “Say Don't Go”, “Enchanted”, “Maroon”, “Labyrinth”, “This Love”, “Paper Rings”, and “You're Losing Me”
Ariana Grande “we can't be friends (wait for your love)”
Gracie Abrams “I miss you, I'm sorry”
Lizzie McAlpine “ceilings”
Genevieve Stokes “Habits”
Halsey “So Good”
Hozier “Work Song”
Ali Gate“It's You”
Troy Cartwright “Over You By Now” and “Unlove You”
Noah Kahan “Your Needs, My Needs”
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Jessica Joyce, NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Georgia꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I relate so, so much to Georgia! She has her lists to keep herself organised, just like me! Right now, I have a list of books I want to read and ARC books I have completed.
🠚 She thrives on company and attention but also wants to give people their space, again literally me. She arrives back to her hometown of San Francisco after being away at work only to find all her friends are now in relationships, and this is essentially how I feel too! My best friend is married, and my other close friend is in a relationship so I do not have the same people to vent to. See this:
“adulthood is staring at your phone and wondering which of your friends has enough time to deal with your latest emotional meltdown, then realizing none of them do.”I literally felt this in my soul!
🠚 I have also been in relationships where my boyfriend prioritised their work over me Am I Georgia? Apparently.
🠚 Also when Eli says to Georgia “You’re always taking care of other people. Who’s taking care of you?”– THIS ONE HIT ME HARD! Because this is literally me too! I feel seen – but also how dare you Jessica, I feel called out!
🠚 What I like is that by the end of the story, she has gotten rid of the need for them and lives spontaneously. AND she lives for herself and her own happiness not for the sake of others. This is something I have begun to do myself, and am much happier for it.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Eli꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Eli is so sweet! I was not sure about him at first, but as the story went on I really liked him. I love that he has worked on himself, gone to therapy and become a better version of himself. I like that we get to understand why he behaves the way he was in their relationship through Georgia explaining to us. I feel sorry for his insomnia. I love that he comes to her rescue and of course more than once.
🠚 His paper rings are adorable, too! Listen, if I had a man half as dedicated as Eli is to Georgia I would marry him tomorrow, paper rings ‘n’ all.
*⁀➷ Favourite quote
“I’m so in love with you that I feel like I can’t breathe. I think it every time I look at you, every time you let me in or you laugh or you look at me like I mean something to you. I know it’s fucking messy, and I know you hate that, but it’s also true.”
-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
🠚 Adam is the best wingman and guy friend ever! Pity the poor man is so worried about his so-called curse the whole time but it is always amusing how everyone tells him to shut up! He has an amazing description of “For Adam whose natural temperament hovers somewhere near live wire, it’s been a constant test of his sanity.”
🠚 Jamie, Georgia’s best friend, she is so lovely. I love the description of her voice being “full of amusement, but also care and empathy. Her classic trifecta.” I think Jamie is also me.
🠚 Grace, Adam’s bride-to-be, is so sweet! True to her name, she is always calm and the voice of reason to Adam.
FAV QUOTES
• He’ll hold on to it for years, but eventually that spark will become a wildfire. And then we’ll burn it all down.
• Here’s the thing: I’m a list girl. I learned the magic of them long ago—the way they can streamline tasks and expectations. Needs and emotions. How they can take a messy, chaotic thing and make it manageable.
• There’s so much we need to say to each other, which means there’s nothing we *can* say to each other.
• I’m wearing a cropped black linen tank top and matching shorts, but clearly I should’ve shown up wrapped in tin foil, because I’m getting grilled.
• “You overestimate me.” “You underestimate yourself.”
• You can be messy. The people who love you will accept every single piece of it.
• Eli can’t see my heart, and it’s for better because he’d see his name everywhere in it. But it’s for worse because he doesn’t see that his name is everywhere in it
• home. It’s strange that the same word can mean different places, and yet the feeling exists when we’re together, too, no matter where we are geographically. What a comforting thought.
• 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.
• There’s thirteen years’ worth of love here. I can see it even in the five years of absence.
PLAYLIST
Taylor Swift “Fortnight”, “imgonnagetyouback”, “Say Don't Go”, “Enchanted”, “Maroon”, “Labyrinth”, “This Love”, “Paper Rings”, and “You're Losing Me”
Ariana Grande “we can't be friends (wait for your love)”
Gracie Abrams “I miss you, I'm sorry”
Lizzie McAlpine “ceilings”
Genevieve Stokes “Habits”
Halsey “So Good”
Hozier “Work Song”
Ali Gate“It's You”
Troy Cartwright “Over You By Now” and “Unlove You”
Noah Kahan “Your Needs, My Needs”
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I am honoured to have been selected as an ARC reader for this book, and I’d like to thank Jessica Joyce, NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
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