Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - The Ex Vows

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

manda_reads's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

In this book, we meet Georgia and Eli who met at fifteen and subsequently dated. They broke up five years ago but have kept in touch due to a mutual friend group. Fast forward thirteen years later Georgia and Eli reconnect for their friend Adam's wedding. Georgia and Eli are forced to confront the complexities of their shaky relationship to save Adam's wedding from devolving into shambles. Reliving their messy breakup grants Georgia and Eli the opportunity to open their hearts to loving each other again.
I loved this author's first book, so I assumed I would enjoy this book the same amount. I did not love this book though. I just liked it. I found myself struggling to become immersed in the story. Around the 55% mark of the book, the sexual content becomes excessive. I eventually connected with the characters though it took me a while.

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mayareads4fun's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a good read to end off the summer with (even though it took me longer than I thought to read).
Had me LAUGHING but also staring at my ceiling at midnight.

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adamagoesit_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Sometimes I swear adulthood is staring at your phone and wondering which of your friends has enough time to deal with your latest emotional breakdown, then realizing none of them do.”

The Ex-Vows has brought an emotion out of me that I was unable to decipher until I read this book. Jessica Joyce has a gift and her words are intricately placed in a way where you feel the emotions through that are coming off the pages. I know everyone would relate to Georgia and Eli, but I feel like they are relatable, despite certain differences that they have for each other. This is a story of love and realization for people who are just trying to figure out their way in without knowing all answers. Especially for people that have to leave their hometown or leave their safe space and jump into something entirely new for them, but they are not sure how to navigate that.

Georgia is the best woman for her best friend’s wedding but the wedding keeps going awry and is quite literally a mess from starts to finish. However, her ex five years Eli Mora has comes town to attend the wedding as well by offering his helping services to make sure everything goes as planned. I find the story well flowed and touches on a lot of topics within Georgia’s POV. I do wish that we got to experience Eli’s head and where during this entire process of like a week and a half. However, I enjoyed the story all the same. I felt like the built up for Eli and Georgia was put together very well and did not really feel rushed. I also loved the side characters and how everyone had a piece involved in the wedding process. I liked that we saw the inner grips of how Georgia felt about herself and how there were bases on her family, her friends and the personal struggle she dealt with (while being bc a list girlie through and through). It will not always be felt by most, but I feel like there is a piece of Georgia everyone. This story also reminds me of Happy Place by Emily Henry, but done a bit cleaner and more realistic. So if you liked Happy Place, you will absolutely love this book.

This is a five star for me and this has become one of my favorite books. Now, go read the book.

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oxfordcommas91's review

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Ex Vows isn't my typical type of romcom. I am not a big childhood friendship/second chance romance fan, but this book embraced the tropes in a creative way with a lot of depth. I really liked and related to both of the main characters in a way that made this a good and fun read. It wasn't a super unique premise - Eli and Georgia come together to try to save the wedding of their best friend whose big day has been sabotaged by a series of unfortunate events. I really like the way that Jessica Joyce writes dialogue - it feels real, honest, and vulnerable. She tackles a tough issue (panic attacks and anxiety) with sensitivity and it was done in such a way that helps to educate others about people living with panic disorders. This was a nice palette cleanser - a great beach/pool/vacation read.

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

WOW, another great novel from Jessica Joyce!! I utterly ADORED her first novel, and while this one didn’t quite measure up to her debut for me, I still loved it. Her writing style is so natural and fun but full of honesty and meaning. It’s such a perfect fit for the contemporary romance genre and I hope she knows that. The dialogue, the characters, the humor, the plot—fantastic and original.

Eli and Georgia are the starring exes of this story, brought back together five years after their breakup for the wedding of their longtime mutual best friend. Georgia’s been back in the Bay Area for a while; Eli’s still in NYC where things fell apart after their many years of friendship and then love. They’re each big players in their respective jobs, but one of their jobs was part of the reason they drifted apart. They obviously still love each other, but neither wants to acknowledge it when there is so much pain there, too. Enter their duties of being Adam’s Best Man and Best Woman, back home where they all met. They must work together to make a wedding happen that seems cursed to fail.

Even all the things that go wrong for the wedding feel realistic because I myself could see all of those things happening to me or one of my friends. I love Georgia’s, Eli’s, and Adam’s reactions to each new problem, earnest and funny. But I also love the hard moments in between, the way Eli tries to hold himself together despite his constant anxiety, and the way he finally lets Georgia in like he never did before. How Georgia starts to work through saying the scary things out loud, the moment she’s feeling them. They each have their own faults, but ultimately bring out the best in each other, too.

I related to both Georgia and Eli’s insecurities and especially how each manifested within them. But I was happy to see how they grew from them as well, and how they knew what each other needed. I think I would’ve liked a little more of Eli’s side of things and maybe more in-depth scenes of years past in their relationship, but that’s okay.

Second chance romance is everything to me, not to mention friends to lovers to exes to lovers once again. It represents the idea that people can and do change, that love and trust can be rebuilt, that happiness can be renewed. And Jessica Joyce writes it so effectively here, a tender ode to “what’s meant to be, will be”.

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leighlo_'s review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Spice: 🌶️/5

The paper rings 🥺🥺.

Georgia and Eli’s romance was sweet. There was familiarity between them that just felt easy and relaxing. The intimate scenes were more steamy than actual spice.

This is my second Jessica Joyce book and I guess she doesn’t believe in dual POV but that would make her stories perfect for me! I need the man’s POV, at least one chapter. Give me something, anything. I need to know what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling.

Also the amount of times the word “messy” was used. It was 48 times. Yes I looked it up. Anywayyys those are my main two complaints. Otherwise loved!

What to expect:

- second chance romance
- forced proximity
- one bed trope
- witty banter
- single POV
- anxiety rep
- low spice

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lindsaymck's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a perfect book. Jessica Joyce is a magical writer. It is my first book of hers and it’s difficult to put into words just how much of a masterpiece it is. She writes lyrically with beautiful, complex descriptions of thoughts and emotions that you find yourself rereading again and again rather than turning the page because they just demand for you to PAUSE and appreciate the beauty of them. The language she uses is sophisticated, but so easy to connect with that you truly feel what you’re reading and connect deeply to both the characters and your own life.

Georgia and Eli had me hooked at “Peach.” I’m still thinking about how much I love his nickname for her - and every moment they shared after that first meet-cute. To quote a sweet snippet of B.K. Borison’s review of this book, “Georgia and Eli happily occupy a corner of my heart” and I know they will forever. Georgia is remarkably profound and open-hearted as she reconnects with Eli, exploring her abandonment issues and fears that she will never be enough. It was healing to see her stop suppressing her own needs and love to lean on Eli. It was equally healing to see the vulnerability Eli showed in return with his anxiety and swoon-inducing honesty. The. Paper. Rings. 🥹 I was crying and kicking my feet at the tangible evidence of their love “when” and “even though” I knew it would set a bar that couldn’t be matched in reality!

The friends to lovers with a second chance romance trope is not simply done well, it is done *flawlessly.* Jessica Joyce exquisitely weaves the struggles that come with the madness of the ‘cursed wedding’ of Georgia and Eli’s best friend with the tension of forced proximity with the love of your life… 5 years post-breakup. An ever-present theme, and one that is always handled with such delicate intention, is time - Georgia’s POV allows us to reminisce and appreciate the (pleasant and painful) past, capture the magic of present moments, and think about - and use your voice to shape - the future you want to have. I’d say I have a book hangover from this one, but the aftertaste is nothing but happiness and hope.

P.S. mirrorball, You’re Losing Me, and Paper Rings all have new layers to listen with now!

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