We Are Never Getting Together / Janette Rallison / Book Review

WE ARE NEVER GETTING TOGETHER

There's nothing but bad blood between Madeline and Cooper. Ever since she made that video. Or he spread those rumors. Or, well, it isn't really clear how it started, just that the pranks and sabotage have only escalated over the years.

But when their latest round of pranks lands them both in the principal's office, their single parents are dragged into the mix. With their kids in deep trouble, Cooper's mom and Madeline's dad decide they need to work out a fitting punishment over dinner. And maybe go out for dinner the day after that. And maybe next week, too.

Horrified by the prospect of their parents dating, Cooper and Madeline call a temporary truce. There's really only one way to stop this thing in its tracks: dating themselves. They can't stand each other, but they'll have to put on the show of a lifetime to get their parents to back down. If they fail, well, they'll be faced with the most awkward family holidays ever for the rest of their lives...


WE ARE NEVER GETTING TOGETHER


THOUGHTS

This book is didn't wow me, but it did what it promised. Is it amazing? No. But I don't have any major complaints about it. It does what it need to do, and sometimes that's fine enough.


PROS

Quick Read This is the kind of book that promises to be a quick read, and it absolutely lives up to that promise. It isn't the type of book that you need to dig into. You can escape into this cutesy romance for an hour or two, and the pages fly right on by.

Little Sister Rep Biological family plays such a small role in YA books (for good reason; YA is all about branching out and discovering yourself, after all). With this in mind, it is rather nice to see family playing such a big role in the cast of characters here, especially Cooper's little sister. She's a star in this book, a comedic relief when necessary and a solid sounding board for the main characters. And I appreciate that she plays such a strong part in this story. It's refreshing.

Opposites Attract Rivals-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers are rather in vogue at the moment, so there really is no shortage of "opposites" attracting each other in the YA market. But it is nice to see characters who are so radically different learning how they fit in together. Cooper is a football star, and Madeline knows nothing about football. Like, absolutely nothing at all. But she studies up to play into their ruse, and while she doesn't end up a fan, she does end up a great supporter of Cooper. Seeing this reconciling happen is nice not just because it fulfills the trope requirements (and with a blurb like this book carries, it had better live up to the promised tropes!) but because these characters really are opposite poles to each other, which feels so... unique. Love interests, even "enemy" ones, aren't usually so different from each other, so that's refreshing.


CONS

Minor spoiler here, but the fake dating that Madeline and Cooper undertake just... doesn't work? Like, the whole point is to get their parents to stop seeing each other, romantically, and their parents find absolutely no issue with simultaneously dating. So the fact that Cooper and Madeline keep up the charade makes no sense to me. No Use

Honestly, there wasn't enough time in this book spent in that "enemies" phase. These characters are prank professionals with years of experience under their belts, and I would have liked to see more of that on the page. We just got the last pranks, and the resulting visit to the school office. Other pranks are just thrown into conversation here or there, and readers don't get to be part of the moment. And that's a missed opportunity. Prank Professionals

I don't want to spoil more than I already have, but the ending here? It just didn't work for me. It felt like weird wish fulfillment but wish fulfillment without even the groundwork to make it cathartic. It... wasn't great. It wasn't satisfying. Deus Ex Dad


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Fans of Elle Gonzalez Rose's Caught in a Bad Fauxmance will like this new fake-dating romance. Those who liked the opposites-attract tension of Marissa Meyer's Instant Karma will like these rivals-turned-lovers.

CAUGHT IN A BAD FAUXMANCE INSTANT KARMA

Details
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Date: April 7, 2026
Series: N/A
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Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

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