Author's note: Never Got Over You was pulled from publication so that the ebook version will match the audiobook version. The updated version of this novel--with expanded scenes, will return soon.
Nine and a half years ago, you married a man who wasn't me. He wasn't even half of me...
Nine and a half hours ago, you walked through the doors of my billion-dollar boardroom for a job interview.
Although every person at the table fell for your charm and applauded, I didn't dare. I couldn't help but notice your bare ring finger. Couldn't help but notice that you were even sexier now than you were on the night we first met.
I honestly didn't want to hire you, but I had no choice. (I was outvoted 16-1, but trust me, you got this job by default.)
When you signed the papers and we shook hands, I didn't bring up the fact that you didn't "wait for me" like you promised to years ago, or that you just moved on with your life like what we had meant nothing. Instead, I insisted that we keep things one-hundred percent professional.
So, for the record: I've long forgotten about you and all the times we shared. (This includes the way your body feels under mine, the way your laughter used to make me smile, and the way you used to breathlessly say my name for hours at a time.)
I'm definitely not in denial, this is all one hundred percent true. You'll never hear me say that you still have an effect on me, that you're still the best I've ever had, or worse, that I never got over you...
This was just bad. Incredibly rushed. Zero relationship building. The characters all felt like cliched caricatures. And the hero wasn’t like-able on any level - not even as an alpha hole. Didn’t feel like Whitney G at all.
To begin with NGOY did not feel like a Whitney G novel. Her signature wit and overall sexy storytelling was missing. I actually felt like I was missing half of the story, and the overall execution left a lot to be desired.
Some of the story made no sense at all. Including James/Sean. Neither his characterization nor how he acted felt logical to me. And he was one of the worst alpha/hole/jerks ever. NO charisma. NO personality.
The office romance part was a flop too. I didn't feel it. No chemistry, no sizzle.
On top of that I had a hard time with the author's description of Lake Tahoe and surrounding area. I'm from Northern California, and have been to LT multiple times. I get it that most readers won't care because they don't know better, but it spoiled my entire reading experience.
All in all, I didn't fell like I was reading a WG novel.
Let's hope that her new release scheduled for 2019 is not going to be a case of quantity over quality.
Yippee!!!........I have missed you.....Whitney!!! Looking forward to this!!!.....but also a little scared.....this has been the year of great disappointment for me from almost all of my favorite authors. ***************************** 10/26/2019 2 stars.⭐⭐ OMG!!!! What is happening here, yet another crash and burn!! There were flashes of the Whitney G that I truly adore but this was honestly a bit of a trainwreck. It started out a little outrageous and OTT but definitely enjoyable.....but then.... The writing became so scattered, which continued throughout, that's even ignoring the flashbacks to 9 years ago, though I do have to say most of those were better than the present day storyline IMO. In the end I had to abandon pretty much all logic and reasoning to finish this crazy-ass story . All the nonsense towards the end with Grant pretty much had my eyeballs rolling back into my head and I also really detested the abruptness of the ending.
SO VERY DISAPPOINTED. 😓😫😔 It just all felt very uneven and slightly disconnected. This was not one of Whitney's best efforts IMO and sadly it mostly didn't work for me.
2 STARS So...I....what? I don't even know hot to feel right now.
It physically hurt me to rate a Whitney G book this low. Like I actually cringed when I had to select the start on this one. I didn't want to do it. I've been looking forward to this book for what feels like forever. I've been salivating over the blurb since the second I read it.
Unfortunately the reality of the story simply didn't live up to what I've come to expect from Whitney. I was hoping this would be a full length, but coming in at 208 pages, I'd hoped that it would at least feel satisfying. It didn't. It was incredibly rushed. So much so, that I felt like integral parts of the story were outright missing.
It went from bang-my-head-against-the-wall frustrating to cringingly-cheesy and I'm still scratching my head to be honest.
I love Whitney's alphahole heroes, but this one was just plain unlikeable. I couldn't believe just how unlikeable he was. At one point I flipped back to make sure I was really reading a book by Whitney, because I swear, it just had a whole different vibe. Everything was lacking for me; chemistry, wit, Whit's signature snarky banter. It all was just...off. I kept reading with the hopes that it will pick up but was ultimately sadly disappointed. The entire premise of what happened between the H/h those years ago turned out to be...ridiculous. Like I wanted to chuck my kindle at the wall. It made no sense whatsoever. Just felt like a twist was slapped on there for grins and giggles but it did nothing for me.
It really kills me to rate this book two stars, but man, it just didn't feel like a Whitney G book for me. I'm so bummed but hopefully the next release will be better.
Sean Holmes aka James Garrett is a billionaire living in Seattle who is the CEO of Pier Autumn Coffee. He’s gorgeous, cocky, and a bit jaded, and doesn’t get along great with the other employees at his company. Especially when they are in the process of hiring an all new executive team, and this includes a woman he thought he’d never see again. Kate Kennedy aka Kate Kensington married someone else nine and a half years ago, and broke his heart. She’d ruined everything with her broken promises and betrayal. He’d once asked her to wait for him, but clearly she didn’t. He still couldn’t comprehend how she could walk away from everything they’d built together. Now she walks through the doors of his boardroom for a job interview. He didn’t want to hire her, but his board votes her in anyway. After all these years he couldn’t believe she still had a hold on him. He was hurt, and the sight of her cut him deeply. If they were going to work together, he has to keep things professional, and leave the past in the past. This was easier said than done when old wounds are opened, and passion ignites.
Kate grew up in a mansion in Edgewood, Nevada where her elite family was like royalty on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. Now she’s trying to get by on her own, and is excited for an amazing job opportunity. Then she realizes her new sexy boss is her first love. The man that’s dominated her dreams for nearly a decade. She’s tried to move on, but despite her best efforts has never gotten over him. Nobody else could compare. Would they finally let each other go, or try and build a future together?
-He looked like every fantasy I’d ever had come to life.
-In his eyes, I saw that there was still love there. Still burning as bright and hot as it did nine and a half years ago.
-All of the reasons why I fell for him came back in full force.
Never Got Over You by Whitney G. is a standalone contemporary, enemies to lovers, second chance romance. It’s a terrific story that goes from past to present with an alpha male, and the one that got away. It has emotion, angst, sizzling chemistry, and fabulous banter. I really enjoyed this one, and love this authors writing!
If you're looking for a review that will help you decide whether you want to read this book or not, this isn't it.
This is my official disclaimer that I'm a lot biased when it comes to Whitney G's books. There are few books of hers that I haven't given 4 or more stars because they just WORK for me, even her novellas and I hate novellas. I don't know what it is, but Whitney G. is probably my unicorn author. She has a way with words that make me mindlessly enjoy things I normally wouldn't. I'm not entirely blind to possible faults but things that would usually annoy me, have no or nearly/no weight on my rating when I read her books.
Let me give you some examples. ➞ This is a second-chance romance. I don't willingly seek them out. ➞ There are flashbacks. And not just a few. I LOATHE flashback. ➞ They had an instant connection. Yeah, another thing I'm not particularly a fan of. ➞ I wasn't even annoyed at the (tbh) quite unoriginal storyline because this is yet another boss-employee romance just like the 2 novellas she already published. The characters even had the same antagonistic relationship in the office. Nothing new there but I had absolutely no problem with it. The office-trope and "hate" dynamic is actually one of my favorites. ➞ The Hero was petty as fuck but so damn entertaining I loved it.
Maybe I'm manipulating myself but I'll take it. 🤷♀
Then why not 5 stars? ➞ Unfortunately, their 9 1/2 years of misunderstanding/miscommunication got resolved a little too fast for my liking. ➞ The HFN ending. There were a few unresolved things imo. Also, I wanted to see more of the hero's sweet side after they got together again, instead of just seeing it in flashbacks.
➤ Part II: Book talk, best to be read after finishing the book (SPOILERS!)
Ok Whitney. Don’t let us down now. Cause you know we love ya and get all excited but then nothing. Like I’m still waiting on that bonus scene from Rachel and Ethan🥴
It’s October 24 and nothing so far. But of course it’s amazon fault. 😝
😳 I waited too long for this book and that’s what we got. This was so not worth the wait. I feel duped, and that ending what the hell was that. Like why not him going after her.
I could not connect to the MC, the plot was boring and rushed - I didn’t even realize the book had ended.
Update: I was too bored and disappointed to elaborate last night. The MC’s meet when they are 20ish, James has these superpowers, he can get Kate wet just by a glance, and he can tell (despite his super ability) because she has to keep opening and closing her legs, and adjusting herself in the seat. So obviously they fall in love, h is rich, under her parents thumb, James is poor and has to leave her to go and make money so they can get married. Pretty boring standard stuff so far.
9 1/2 years, Kate is broke, but James is a billionaire (shocker!); Kate has not moved on from James (shocker again!), the (obviously) James is angry and a manwhore (shocks keep on coming, don’t they?). OK, so Kate gets hired by the James company, and of course instead of discussing why the other moved on, they keep throwing random remarks at each other. Until, just a few days later, James tells Kate to bend over the desk, and she does (with so many shocks, this book should be shelved under ‘Thriller’).
This was all uptil 14 chapters (300 pages) - the next 200 pages, I assume they went back and forth with sarcastic remarks to each and having sex - forget skimming, I was glancing at the pages now. At the end Kate quits, writes a James a letter to explaining what happened to her when he left. James also writes a letter, of which all that is shared with us is: “I’m willing to make this up to you physically and emotionally—but especially physically since I think I’ve stressed you out more often lately,” (if that isn’t a heartfelt apology I don’t know what is) So while drafting his masterpiece, Kate walks into his office and they talk for like 5 minutes and James pulls down her zipper. The End.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A middle of the road rushed and frustrating reading experience. After seeing the gorgeous cover, the book blurb and all the excitement and hype, I had hoped for so much more.
Instead, the lead characters were lacking in any spark and development (although they were both described as beautiful and gorgeous physically). Kate, and James/Sean were both immature -- even after ten years apart in their early thirties. Here you'll find a classic case of a communication crisis. This couple needed a whole lot more talking and less of the wham bam sexy stuff.
There was also way too much time devoted to flashbacks of their past and not enough time spent in the present on the second chance to get it right -- ending with a less than satisfying conclusion.
3.5-4 'James' Number Lists' Stars! ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
A second chance romance from Whitney G.? Of course, I am here and oh-so-ready for it! Never Got Over You was another sexy, entertaining and angsty novel that I quite enjoyed. I loved the chemistry between James and Kate, the back and forth from the past to the present, the sexual tension and the emotional moments between this couple too.
I loved seeing how these two, who have pined for each other for more than nine years, finally getting their reunion. Was it everything I expected? No, not 100%. I do wish the present relationship between James and Kate was a bit more developed. And I also wish the ending wasn't that short and rushed. Still, it was a pretty good read for me, I really enjoyed this couple and their second chance romance. If you are a fan of Whitney G. do check it out!
2 Stars! I was so excited for this book! But then I read it. lol I’m seriously sad that not even my favorite authors hold my attention any more. This book was not good. I kept reading and thinking 🤔 it’s going to get better and it never did. I didn’t like Kate at all. You’re 20 years old and all you’re worried about is your inheritance?? Get a job! James/Sean whatever his name is was just as bad.
I felt zero love for either of them. Note to self! Never get hyped up for any books any longer because apparently most of the new releases are all shit:((
I love a great alpha hole and James/Sean was perfect! He was so self-indulged, obnoxious and over the top I couldn’t help but laugh each time he blandly, casually fired another, or forty executives. His past left him a bit of an iron man when it came to emotions, until Kate walked back into his life.
Kate once lived a life filled with every luxury and a career as a professional cellist. But behind closed doors her life was anything but perfect, despite the smile she wore for the public. Meeting and falling in love with James gave her hope until that hope was gone.
While this has a lighthearted feel to it, it carries some deep angst between Kate and James. Their banter was fun - in a dry wit sort of way, which I really enjoyed, and the sizzling chemistry between them still raging after nine and a half years separation. As far as the plotline goes, there isn’t a lot of drama because this is all about these characters, their past and how they are handling being back in each other’s lives. It was perfect in every way.
There were some wonderful twists, some I foresaw and others that were a great surprise. The secondary characters, especially the employees, added to my overall enjoyment. I read this in one sitting and despite not having an epilogue, loved it all.
Holy angst and swoonnn. I have missed your words. Only took me a few hours to devour this beautiful story. Cute, sexy, second chance. Now I can’t get a bunch of numbers out of my head 😂😝 I really enjoy that this story is easy and lighthearted.
Let me explain this book in numbers. Just for the reason that I'm better with numbers than with words.
50, 4 , 1, 9.5, 94 and 3.5
I basically read everything Whitney G. writes. Even though second-chance is not my favourite trope, I knew I would read whatever Whitney would write. The first fifty percent of this book were great. I loved Kate and James. Lol James Garrett is probably the pettiest guy I've ever read about. It was as entertaining as it was irritating. Entertaining cause James/Sean however you want to call him was rude af and it made me laugh a lot. Irritating cause didn't let Kate explain herself. He clung to her betrayal and wouldn't let go of it. If the book for whatever reason ended at the fifty percent mark I would have gladly give it four stars. But it didn't.
Now, if you've read some of my other reviews, there is one trope besides cheating that I absolutely can't stand. And that's the miscommunication trope. It was frustrating as hell in the second half of the book to wait for Kate and James to talk to each other! It took them nine and a half year to finally reunite. Kate and James are now working with each other, Kate as the new Marketing Chief Officer and James is the CEO of the company, therefore they have A LOT of chances to get it over with, but instead they act like children and chose to ignore the big elephant. Especially James acts really immature and petty (again it's funny but annoying at the same time).
It really took until the //spoiler alert//ninety-four percent mark to reach until they finally talked about what happened almost ten years ago. For that reason the ending felt very rushed and unsatisfying. I would have wanted a couple more chapters of them being a couple and what happened after they got back together. Like is Kate working for James again or is she working for Spotify? What happened to her trash of a father? Did Grant die in the hospital? Questions over questions. Overall I still enjoyed Whitney's writing very much, so three and a half is the numbers of stars I'm giving this book. It's not anywhere near her best work, but it's a quick and easy read.
Whitney G is awesome at writing books with a fun edge but oh so steamy and thoroughly entertaining. I did enjoy this book but I didn’t live it as I had as the other ones I have read.
This is a second chance romance with a heroine that is controlled by her parents and a hero that is the perfect alphahole that you expect when reading one of Whitney’s books.
Kate does pretty much anything she can to keep her parents happy even to the point that they control her love life, married to a man she never wanted an losing the man she truly loved. But now she’s back in his life at his mercy, will she get the chance to explain to Sean/James why she turned away from him or is he just determined to make her suffer?
Sean/James is now a success and although she he is at the top of his career when Kate reenters his life he is determined to make her heart break as much as she broke his years ago. But as time goes on he realises that everything was never what it seemed, will he let Kate explain and give their love another chance or will he let love get escape him again?
There was an enemies to lovers vibe about this book but mainly miscommunication my main issues which stopped me finding it five stars were I think her parents needed to suffer and that Kate forgave way too easily, it would have been better if he worked for it but still I loved their chemistry and story. I am very luckily voluntarily reviewing an ARC copy of this book.
It was hard to rate this one. It was so entertaining, that I continued turning the pages until finish, no matter how late it got. But on the other hand, I wasn’t satisfied with the H’s reasoning, actions or grovelling. Hell, the conflict resolution and supposed HEA at the end was unsatisfying! I can’t provide more concise dissections on the unsatisfying elements of this story, but I can say that even if the author rushes through a story, she can still write so entertainingly. AND on the plus side; this h didn’t aggravate me as much as her other previous h’s, so that’s a win for me.
Secondo me non è la Whitney G al massimo della sua forma. I suoi uomini sono un po’ tutti con lo stampino. Si amano, ma dopo un po’ sai già cosa diranno e cosa faranno. Questa storia parte con tutti i buoni presupposti, ma poi la storia non viene approfondita, a mio avviso non decolla. Scene nel presente (ci saranno pov del passato) fondamentali tra i due protagonisti non vengono sviluppate e si fa a fatica a innamorarsi di loro come coppia. Il mio voto è un 3,4/4 perché si legge comunque bene. Fra poco uscirà il secondo volume di questo “album”, come lo chiama Whitney G. Spero di innamorarmi di nuovo dei suoi libri!
I have read a couple of Whiteny G.'s books... I have enjoyed said books. This did not feel at all like I was reading Whitney G. book.
if you have to force yourself to finish a book, you know you don't like it one bit. I think what felt off for me was that I felt the charm that I am normally use to when it comes to her book was missing.
I liked the characters, their chemistry, and genuinely enjoyed the first half to an extent. But the plot was ridiculous and incomplete. Like, what? All that drama about trust and loyalty and the story ends with that hole unfilled. Who edited this?
Sadly this comeback from Whitney G fell short in so many ways. I really liked the two main characters in James/Sean and Kate. The boy seemingly from the wrong side of the tracks with the rich girl had all kinds of potential. The way they simply fit together, I was sure that glimpse into their past would've ended well. But as we are now 9 1/2 years in the future, Kate is down on her luck and James is now Sean and is a ruthless moneymaker. And they are not together as fate decides to put them back in each other's paths once more.
My real issue with this book is not the way the characters acted per se, it's the excuse they had for wasting all of these years and not finding the other when they should have. None of it made sense to me with James going off to school and not communicating enough with Kate and then him jumping to conclusions about why she didn't wait for him.
As they 'reunite', they never had the conversation one would have expected when they spend a good day and half together. I get when authors want to drag out the story a bit before the ultimate reveal but it was simple ridiculous that they didn't clear the air sooner. You can still have angst even when things are somewhat settled.
I'm disappointed in this latest from Whitney G and at this point, I'm not sure where I'll go with respect to any of her future work. This book needed to be fleshed out with more in terms of real talks between James/Sean and Kate and less brooding stupidity.
This story should have been longer. Really. It started good, it was predictable ok but I wanted to read it more. I constantly remember Andrew (reasonable doubt) while I'm reading one of her stories -Andrew is my fav character from her - I think I got Andrew vibe from this book and wanted more. I've been giving max 3 stars to her books for a long time...
I was missing that "hello, is it me you were looking for" vibe I usually get from the Whitney G.'s book. Not that the story was boring per se, it just left many things unsaid and unresolved (at least from my perspective).
Well, what can i say, I'm a sucker for Whitney G's books...
Yes, they are all somewhat similar - it's a well known equation and a tested recipe for a pent up banter, intensified bickering leading towards a blast, in either this or that way...
it makes no difference to me, cause well, I'm a sucker for exactly that kind of equation.
And even though, this story wasn't exactly the absolute winner, it's still Whitney, for me...and I enjoyed the story *wink*
I was definitely over them... I started really excited about it and only a few chapters made me feel like I wanted both characters to find love with someone else. I continued reading with some lack of enthusiasm, wanting to know how they would lead me, and a few chapters later, I did skip to the last ones but it was already too late. The angst was here trust me, the hero was just... despicable and it would have been a challenge to finally like him. I was hoping to. He sounded like a broken record, struggling with his feelings about that woman who "crushed" his heart without giving her a chance to explain. I've just wanted to heroine to give a piece of his own medicine, I meant more and getting him into a corner. How would you feel if the person you loved couldn't believe you or at least hear the full story? Not the ones created by your own mind? Just to give the benefit of the doubt? I am not against this kind of storyline but it was the way things were told. I'm in the minority I know. For all the reasons mentioned before, it didn't work for me. I will read more books by Whitney G. but this one wasn't for me. At. All!
Never Got Over You is an awesome read. It's funny, angsty, sexy and has the signature cocky, asshole hero that you shouldn't love but do. I enjoyed this story except for the miscommunication trope which has never really worked for me especially when it's drawn out. That said it's a cute, second chance story with an enemies to lovers vibe.
I know what I’m getting into when I read a Whitney G book and the reality is I get a steamy story with an arrogant hero and usually a strong woman. I am content in this knowledge and it usually suits my mood when I’ve chosen to read.
NEVER GOT OVER YOU was a second chance romance (a trope I love) with hurt brimming over in both directions. Told mostly in the present and occasionally with a flashback, the story of Kate and James/Sean was slightly different to my expectations in some ways. James was a loyal type in his younger self and actually this did come through in the present. He was less asshole-ish than some of Whitney G’s heroes and I appreciated this.
Kate was a likeable if a somewhat chaotic character. She was multi-talented in a way you might have to suspend a wee bit of reality and I felt her backstory had some gaps which I just wanted a bit more detail of. I did enjoy her tenacity but I hated her parents and didn’t understand that part of the story either.
Kate and James together were fun to read and the steam was reliable and provided good in-the-moment narrative. The emotional connection needed a little more depth for me to truly buy into them as a couple past and present. As well as a couple, they were boss and employee, I found the emails completely unrealistic in their lack of professionalism, this could have been conveyed more convincingly.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, it was easy to read with a little rushing towards completion. It is a great choice for a day’s read, a weekend or vacation.
Many thanks to the author for the early review copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities here.
Not gonna lie, I was SO excited about this book (because second chance romances are my thing), so the prologue and the first chapters were good; the flashbacks about how they fell in love, a sweet and passionate romance, the rich girl and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks trope, etc.
But... towards the middle and in the end this crashed quickly. It was angst just because (I say this as a person who loves angsty books) and they literally never spoke clearly about what happened between them and why it all ended.
Also, the end was too rushed and the lack of epilogue obviously didn't help.