The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is the second chance romance of the century. It’s a bold statement, perhaps, but it comes with a lot of thought and unwavering emotions attached to the certainty of the fact. Like her debut, You, With a View, it’s a gorgeously well-written story that tugs on your heartstrings and touches the parts of your soul that need a little extra attention.
It’s a story tailor-made for fans of Taylor Swift’s “This Love” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” executed with such immense heart and attention to detail that it feels like the entire narrative flashes in front of your face like a movie. It’s the kind of story you devour in one sitting because you can’t seem to put it down and leave these characters behind without knowing they’ll be okay. With her second story, the short Christmas novella, Joyce proved she’s the kind of writer who could seamlessly draw our attention like gravity onto the page. She doesn’t need too many details to show us everything we need to know, but with The Ex Vows, she does something else entirely—she marries the past and present in such a way that it’s likely to heal those who have lingering heartaches from their own loneliness.
The past is challenging to think about when there are people and events left behind that still make us ache. Sometimes, the answer is to walk away without looking back, whereas, other times, it’s to sit with those emotions and watch them bleed into the present to allow the two versions to carry forward toward the future. That’s precisely what Joyce presents with Eli Mora and Georgia Woodward’s romance. She allows the characters to hurt a little, to feel the stings of all the unsaid words, and then she brings them together through a transparency that’s so raw I commend anyone who could get through the last twenty percent of the book without resorting to a blubbering wreck drowning in their tears.
Further, The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce does something exceptional with the second chance trope. She doesn’t taint it with any sort of infidelity or crudeness to cause the breakup. Instead, Joyce digs into something that we don’t often talk about in romance novels, which is how a terrible, toxic job could puncture a person so profoundly that it’ll make them unrecognizable to their loved ones.
It’s easy to tell someone to quit something draining them from the inside and making every day of their lives the epitome of hell. It’s easy to examine from the outside and believe that you’d handle it differently when it’s near impossible to deconstruct how tumultuous of a journey that could be until you are ripped apart so horrifically that you’re forced to do something about it. This detail alone is something we could talk about for pages and pages, but instead, I’ll throw my hat to Joyce for nailing the harrowing loneliness, sheer heartbreak, and pain that comes from experiencing what was once amazing falling apart in drastic measures.
Additionally, the best kind of romance novels feature the most astute characterizations that are honest and relatable. In the case of The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce, we see this not only through Georgia and Eli but also with all their friends. The story is as much about a found family as it is about a gorgeous relationship, and more than anything, it’s a comforting showcase of what it feels like to love deeply. With that said Georgia’s characterization broke me and put me back together in a way I’m not sure I’ll ever find the right words for.
To hurt so deeply and to love so openly. To do everything in her power to care for those around her because she chooses to soften her heart instead of hardening it in the face of her afflictions exhibits a kind of bravery we don’t talk about often. We don’t commend the people who could (and have every right to) be unkind because the world has been cruel to them. It takes far more courage to be brave and continue believing when your heart only knows pain and loss. But that’s exactly who Georgia is, and Joyce crafts her with an authenticity that touches all of our inherent needs to be seen.
It’s a story representing the unspoken fear many of us have about being burdensome when we’re hurting. It’s about all the words people struggle to say aloud, so they write them down in various forms just to free themselves even a little bit from the gnawing emotions inside. It’s about the kind of love that endures despite how many years have passed, and it’s about the people who look out for others through good times and bad. It’s the kind of romance novel that feels like home—the one I imagine many readers will ceaselessly turn to when they’re itching for a sense of belonging and warmth.
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce is a tremendous achievement in storytelling in every sense of the word. (I could sit here for hours and deconstruct every page just to uncover the magic sprinkled into every word.) It’s rare to call something perfect, to close a book and genuinely not have even the tiniest critique, but that’s what this book is—it’s perfect. Between the breathtaking prose, thoughtful characterizations, tender beats of profound longing, and everything in between, it’s sheer magic in the form of a novel.
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce will be available wherever books are sold on July 16.
First Featured Image | Official Cover Credit: ©Jessica Joyce | Berkley