The Ex Vows

By: Jessica Joyce

Narrated by: Kyla Garcia

An Instant USA Today Bestseller!

An Indie Next Pick

A Library Reads Pick

Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View.

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.

©2024 Jessica Joyce (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Jessica Joyce is THE voice to watch in romance. Her sophomore novel is tender, emotional, and deeply romantic. I consumed this book with my heart in my throat. The banter, the setting, the achingly messy but wonderfully true characters—I could feel Jessica’s heartbeat on every page. It is absolutely one of my top reads of the year, if not my lifetime. Georgia and Eli happily occupy a corner of my heart.” —B.K. Borison, author of Lovelight Farms

“Depth, emotional angst balanced with perfectly sharp humor, and writing that will make your chest ache, The Ex Vows is a sweeping romance that I could not put down.”—Tarah DeWitt, author of The Co-op

“The Ex Vows is a tangible reminder of the power of love and second chances. I laughed, I swooned, I cried—and I was grateful for every second of it. Jessica Joyce is a force to be reckoned with.”—Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate

MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK!!!

book review📖: the ex vows by jessica joyce

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
Audio narrator: Kyla Garcia
• Kyla’s performance in this book is outstanding. I was captivated every moment, and she deserves ALL of the awards.🏆🏆🏆

• Summary:
Eli Mora is Georgia’s ex boyfriend, ex best friend, ex everything, and five years apart hasn’t dulled the ache of their cataclysmic split. But for the sake of their mutual best friend Adam and his upcoming wedding, Georgia is determined lock those feelings away, and be the best best woman her friend deserves. Even if it means teaming up with the one man who has always been the key to her broken heart.

• My thoughts:
This book broke me and then put me back together❤️ It is so beautifully written, and perfectly weaves together the crush of heart break, the comfort of friendship, and a love so deep you can’t help but follow the tether leading you back to your other half you once thought was lost. Our FMC Georgia struggles with fear of abandonment left over from childhood trauma. This fear leads her to smother her own desires and prioritize the wants and needs of those she’s desperate to hold on to. Our MMC Eli arrives at the wedding week as a new man, so different than the workaholic Georgia once knew and lost. The connection between Georgia and Eli is palpable, and I loved the magnetic draw the two had for each other. They had such a beautiful blend of friendship, comfort, and passion. Eli has exceeded ANY AND ALL expectations for any book boyfriend in history. Straight to Mt Rushmore with him. Then there is the spice. The spice in this book is POETIC. It is gorgeously romantic with an edge of “make it messy.”

Truthfully I CANNOT say enough good things about this book, and it will be a story I will come back to many times. There are a few books I cherish (ACOMAF and the Seven Year Slip come to mind) and this book is now very much one of my all time favorites.

Lovely

The paper rings! Eli my heart! Finally they talked and happily ever after is alive

Dreamy & Real

I want a love like this in real life, this story was so sweet and soft but also real and raw but most importantly relatable. The Ex Vows is the only way a second chance romance works. I will forever be a Jessica Joyce fan.

sweet and spicy

loved the characters… it was real… messy … romantic… sweet and spicy… narrator was great … worth the listen

A beautifully done second chance romance!

4.5 Stars (Rounded to 5)

I love a second chance romance, and this one was beautifully done! Two perfectly imperfect people try to navigate saving their best friend’s wedding while breaking down what’s changed in the 5 years since they’ve been apart. A cute story with Valentine’s Day around the corner!

Tropes:
- Second Chance Romance
- Childhood Besties
- Forced Proximity
- Mental Health Rep

Heartfelt

Loved this book! So relatable and tugs at your heartstrings. Great story & great narration as well!

Sobbing in the best way

We do not deserve Jessica Joyce. This story truly tore my heart out and put it back together again. The emotional range of this book is so well done. I also absolutely loved how this book really focuses on how two people can both be at fault for a relationship ending, and how important communication is. I loved that this book touched on mental health & work life balance. I also just loved the cozy winery setting & now I need a getaway to an adorable winery after this. The thing I loved most about this book though is the emotional growth you see from both characters. Eli and Georgia should both get major props for all the growing and self work they did, and it was so refreshing to watch them work on their own mental health and not have it be that they somehow “fixed” each other which I sometimes see in love stories. Jessica we do not deserve you. This book is magic.

Angsty and swoony

One of my top romances of the year. The perfect angst, tension and swoon. So so so cute.

Jessica Joyce, you’re a genius. So are you Kyla Garcia

Absolute perfection.

When I am able to form coherent thoughts, I’ll be back with a review but in the meantime it’s a yes. A big messy yes.

ALL THE STARS.

Enjoyable!

Loved everything about this book- start to finish! Character development and cadence of story building is perfection.