Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Clearly, I’m not a young in-the-know person because I didn’t know what a half-night stand was, but I do now. I loved this group of 30ish friends and their quest to find dates for an upcoming college dinner. They are an interesting, entertaining bunch. The kind of people you’d want as mates. Their group chats are a blast and I love the way they were set out in a clear, easy to read manner.

This story really centres around Millie, the only female in the group, and her best friend, Reid. During their humorous attempts and meeting people online, Reid and Millie have a tumble in the sheets. When it happens more than once their feelings start to change. If things couldn’t get more complicated, Millie and Reid are matched online but he does not know it is her he is talking to and romancing on the internet.

As the story progresses, the tone of this initially light-hearted book starts to become more serious and I started to stress. How on earth was this ever going to be anything but a train wreck for Mille and Reid? I wasn’t prepared for how devastated I was when things inevitably went pear shaped. I didn’t realise how much I loved these characters and how much I’d hurt when they hurt. I was a bawling mess. And not just for a little bit. Every time I thought the tears had stopped something would happen and the tears would start again. But the story does come to a really great ending and it was well worth all the tears.

This is the first book I’ve read by Christina Lauren and it was absolutely fantastic. My Favorite Half-Night Stand is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

*I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. *
I'm back! Hope everyone had great holidays, and hope the extended exposure to family didn't drive you too crazy!
Let's start the new year off with a fun romance!
Normally, I'm not that into romance as a genre. But the title of this one, "My Favorite Half Night Stand", was too cute for me to not grab it! (having had my own half night stands, I figured I'd relate to it.)
For me this sort of felt like a slightly raunchier than normal episode of "The Big Bang Theory." The main character, an attractive woman, spends most of her time hanging out with her incredibly intelligent male friends, with whom she works at a university. But then, one day (of course), she realizes that one of them is hot. Like, really hot. And after a few too many drinks she acts on that opinion.
As if that wasn't enough of a complication, they all decide to try online dating (and she and her now bootycall friend haven't told anyone else about their half night together),so now she's not only confronting her feelings about wanting him, but also about NOT wanting to see him with someone else.
AND THEN, because that's just not enough to keep up with, she decides to make a fake profile and let this friend "really get to know her"... So of course he falls for her fake profile.
Sure, the basic plot was predictable, but the writing was good and I actually laughed out loud quite a bit. The supporting characters were fleshed out and likeable, and the banter between friends made for a fun read. Definitely a good choice if you're looking for something light, fun, and a little sexy. (it was not as sexy as I thought it would be, but, having not read much romance that may have been me being confused.)
The final verdict :

The Book
As someone who's not super into romance, or overly predictable tropes, I still enjoyed reading this one.
🌹🌹

The Writing
Characterizations were great, I felt like there was a good balance of the whole group of friends versus just the two who were involved. The banter is hilarious.
🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

Readability
I read this in one day, it was easy to get through and I found myself almost finished with it before I realized it had happened!
🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️

So... I read this basically in one sitting. That's unheard of for me.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is classic friends to lovers with a misunderstanding that snowballs. It's reminiscent of You've Got Mail only fresher and with humorous side characters that added positively to the story.

I suspect that this book is, for a lot of readers, going to hinge on whether or not they can empathize with Millie. I did. I'm not going to go into all the reasons why I liked her but the long and short of it is, I understood her. I don't condone what she did but I understand how it could happen and how it could keep happening.

What I appreciate about Clo's writing is their thoughtfulness when it comes to depicting redemption and making amends. Sometimes it works really well for me and sometimes not but in this instance it worked. I liked that Millie wasn't let off the hook easily and had to earn Reid's forgiveness.

Reid is a little bit nerdtastic, considerate, charming and Millie's best friend, the person she relies on more than she even realizes. CLo did a great job of differentiating his voice from Millie's and I so appreciated being inside his head especially when things started to get dicey.

They clearly have chemistry but are too dense to notice it even though everyone else does. Moving into a friends with bennies situation only complicates matters which get further complicated when they all collectively decide to join a dating site to avoid going with each other (again) to a university function headlined by Barack Obama.

All the friends Ed, Alex and Chris (but mostly Ed), I liked and even found myself somewhere around the middle hoping that this was the start of a new series. All of them had their moments but when I found myself snorting coffee through my nose (don't try that at home), I knew it was a winner. Books that make me laugh always hold a special place.

There was a time when I, along with my best friend, endeavored to decipher the "dating" portion of Craigslist. I'm fairly certain I lost IQ points from a brain bleed. Thankfully, My Favorite Half-Night Stand didn't get too acronym-y. It provided more of a backdrop than being the focus and what I liked most about it was their conversations.

Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed how all the online interactions were formatted from IMs to texts to emails.

So, if you're in the mood for a best friends to lovers story, this is a fast read, humorous and feel good, give this one a chance.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

I have come to realize that any book I pick up by Christina Lauren I will thoroughly enjoy. This one was terrific and I loved the quirkiness of both hero and heroine. I will have a more detailed review to come.

3.25 stars

First book of 2019 and it wasn't a total dud! This book was fantastic and a 4 star read for about 70% or so and then when the big reveal happened it fell totally flat for me. Something was missing and I cannot place my finger on it.

And for some odd reason, I loved that the heroine was a professor of criminology and obsessed with serial killers. You don't get women like that in romance every day and I loved that we got something different.

Ya'll... I keep thinking that one day I'm going to be totally let down by one of Christina Lauren's books, BUT TODAY WAS NOT THAT DAY! My Favorite Half-Night Stand was laugh out loud funny and had me turning pages late into the night. I absolutely loved the characters and felt like they were a mix between Friends and The Big Bang Theory. I looooooved his novel!

From the very first page, I knew I was going to love Millie. What I didn't realize was how much I was going to love every single freaking character. They were all loveable and so entertaining. I enjoyed the chat convos between the group and I felt like that mixed media added a little extra something to the novel. This was hands down my favorite Christina Lauren novel and I would highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 5/5

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of My Favorite Half-Night Stand. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Professor Millie Morris has always four perfect male best friends, ones that she can laugh with, but always keeps at an arm's length. When a gala event for the university, by which they are all employed, gives the five single friends all reasons to join a dating app, will the dynamics of the group change? By scrutinizing her personal life under the guise of marketing herself for available single men, will Millie realize that her lack of ability to get truly close needs to change? Will she realize that the key to her happiness may be closer to home than Millie thought?

The authors give a humorous look into modern day dating, as the story involves five single people all joining the same singles site. It was refreshing to have the female character be emotionally stunted and closed off, as it is often the men that are portrayed that way. I did like the chemistry between Reid and Millie, although I did find his reaction to Millie's missteps to be a little unrealistic for the character. Reid and Millie are close friends, so her actions would have been completely recognized by him. My Favorite Half-Night Stand was a good book, but it really did not stand out in a sea of familiar novels. Readers who are looking for a quick, romantic read will probably enjoy My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

Fun story of on-line dating by a group of friends. I enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be real - at times, I liked them and at other points in the story, not so much. It was a fun look into a new world of online dating. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

After having read two of Christina Lauren's books, I was excited to see a new one from this dynamic duo. In reading the description, I was intrigued. It sounded cute and quirky and like a great exploration into adult friendships. My expectations for this book were pretty high and I was not disappointed in the least. 

My Favorite Half-Night Stand follows Millie and Reid, best friends and colleagues. After a drunken night, Millie and Reid hook up, but vow never to let that happen again for the sake of their friendship. They, along with their other friends, set out to find dates for a gala hosted by the university where they all work. Millie, using a pseudonym, matches with Reid on the dating app and decides to see how long it takes him to figure out that it's really her. Things snowball from there and bring about moments of worry and hope, anger and softness. 

While reading this, I was actually just starting out in the dating-app world myself, so I was really able to relate to many of Millie's laments of what it's like to be a woman on those apps. I really felt like I was going through Millie's frustrations and concerns in this endeavor because I was experiencing the same types of men she encountered on her "real" profile. 

I had expected enjoyment and hilarity from this novel, as well as passion and steaminess, all of which I got. This story gave me so much more than that, though. There were bits that described me and my feelings so precisely when I didn't even realize that was how I felt. I remember reading one passage and just being struck by how much I related to it. It actually hurt to read because it was so true about me, though I had never thought about myself in those exact terms. 

I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who wants a fun read that also has a lot of heart to it.

This book just stole my heart. Lauren's has a way with romance and creating relatable characters. This book just makes you truly LOL and feel all the feels.

Christina Lauren never disappoints when it comes to a good romance novel. I swear, every single one of her books I am able to devour in 24 hours, yet I never want them to end! I loved the down to earth and real take on the dating scene! Every character was so well developed and likable. Once again - I wasn't ready for the end! I need to know more about Reid and Millie!

I found this delightful and funny and found myself giggling frequently while reading. I loved the description of the friend group of Millie, Reid, Ed, Alex, and Chris. Their dynamics added depth to the simple rom com storyline. I relate quite a bit to Millie as I struggle to share my emotions also. I feel that Ed stole the show from Reid a bit as I adored him, but that was okay for me too. It was nice to see Millie’s character development.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina LaurenMillie and Reid are part of a group of friends who mostly hang out and play board games. But they're also invited to a fancy soiree where Barack Obama will be showing up so they've all got to find dates. One of the friends suggests online dating. Millie ends up making a second profile and matching with Reid without him realizing it's her. Then the two end up in a physical relationship, all while talking to other people online. At least Reid is.

A pretty good book. The hidden aspect of the relationship went on a bit too long but overall very readable.

Four stars
This book came out December 4th
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley

Title: my favorite half-night stand
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: December 2018

Book blurb: "Millie grins. 'It's the morning after cupcake.' When I don't figure out a response fast enough, she adds in a whisper, " It's a good job with the orgasms cupcake. (italics) Pausing, she looks down at my hands. 'And its an Are we okay? cupcake." Location 456.

Work friends, we all have them. Millie is no different. A single, young woman who works on a college campus along with her friends, Reid, Chris, Ed, and Alex. A party for the campus on which they work requires a plus one.= a date. So as none of them are involved they join Tinder to get a date and possibly a relationship. However, the spanner in the works is that Millie and Reid had a half-night of wild sex. How will they now react to each other at work and with their friends?
Millie decides she likes Reid and thinks he feels the same way. But she is unsure about it. The book follows their journey into discovering their relationship and feelings.
You will laugh throughout the reading of this novel. Short and a fast read. The language makes it more of an adult novel that for children under 14 years of age. It will entertain you with how the insecurity of one shows up in her actions despite her and him knowing they like and love each other.
I recommend you read this novel with your favorite beverage glass. It's a quick read. Maybe even one weekend. Its a 5 out of 5 stars read.

Milly Morris is a criminology professor at UC Santa Barbara. She is much better at researching serial killers than sharing her own emotions. Although she has a fantastic group of male friends, other UCSB professors, she has minimal contact with her family and no female friends to speak of. Millie is only able to go so deep in her relationships. Her lack of vulnerability has historically frustrated both friends and lovers to the point that they choose to drift away.

Millie and her friends are cruising through their semester until a normally mundane university event becomes a full blown gala that may be attended by Barack Obama. Milly and her male buds decide they should have dates for the black tie event. The friends make a pact to post profiles on the same dating app to find dates for the event. Although the men seem to have some early success, Millie is getting contacted by weirdos and men who want to send her dick pics (more weirdos).

Complications

As in any modern romance involving technology, you can expect some chaos to arise. My Favorite Half-Night Stand explores the line between putting your best face forward online and catfishing. What starts out as an attempt to feel more free and emotionally expressive becomes a deception that Millie doesn't know how to end. Thank God I met my husband before most people were even texting. The world of online dating is a bit of a mystery to me. I found My Favorite Half-Night Stand to be educational, as I don't know anyone who actually uses Tinder and I didn't know Grindr was for LGBTQ+ people. I'm sort of in my own married person bubble at this point in life. Is the traditional "meet cute" dead in 2018?

Your friends are better than my friends.

I read so many books that sometimes I forget how great it is to read a really well written story. The repartee between Millie and her friend group, especially via text, is one of my favorite aspects of the book. The group's text sessions are displayed with cute contact pictures that help you feel even more connected to the characters. I really want to hang out with these fictional people and now feel something is lacking in my life. Where are my cool work friends? Wait I work from home, my dog is my cool work friend.

There's a reason Christina Lauren books are Bestsellers

The easy, teasing interactions among the group feel authentic and make My Favorite Half-Night Stand a fun read. The quick-witted conversations propelled me into the story and I finished the book in three days, never once having to stop to groan or roll my eyes at the dialogue. The team behind Christina Lauren (they are two authors, for those who didn't know) realize romance doesn't need to be smarmy.

More than just a sweet, light-hearted love story, My Favorite Half-Night Stand  goes deeper. Real emotions are examined as Millie is forced to take a look at her long standing practice of keeping people at arms length. We see how a person's childhood, parental role models and past relationships affect their choices and willingness to take risks in relationships.

Oh, and then there's the sex. Descriptive enough to increase your heart rate but no throbbing and thrusting here. Hot yet classy. I appreciated that the intimacy was more than a "fade to black" but written with restraint.

I would recommend Christina Lauren's My Favorite Half-Night Stand to anyone who needs a laugh, is discouraged about their dating life or is comfortably and gratefully in a committed relationship.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand centers on Millie and Reid, two UC Santa Barbara Professors and their small group of close-knit friends, Alex, Chris, and Ed. Even though they are all pretty tight with each other, Mille and Reid’s relationship has always been…different. They understand each other better and there is a subtle flirting that goes on between them. Their friendship is tested however when one night after a little liquid courage, Millie and Reid sleep together. Is it easy going back to being just friends? Or do they want more from each other?

Millie, a criminologist, is smart, pretty, and successful. Though she has great friends, she never likes to share much about herself or her past. She’s pretty closed off and being her friend, you understand that dealing with emotions isn’t really her strong suit. She oftentimes frustrated me, but I still liked her character.

Reid, a scientist, is successful and easy on the eyes. He works a lot, but always makes times for the people he cares about. Unlike Millie, Reid loves to communicate and open up about himself. He oftentimes tries to get Millie to tell him more, but he is rarely successful.

Wanting to make a good impression at a very important school banquet, they decide to join a dating app. Hoping to not only find a date to the banquet, but possibly someone they want to pursue an actual relationship with.

When it’s time for everyone to create their dating profiles, they all suck according to Millie. So she reluctantly agrees to re-write the dating profiles for them. When she is finished, she has made the guys sound very appealing. Well everyone except for herself. Her profile is found to be a little lacking. Even though Millie doesn’t divulge much in her profile, that doesn’t stop her from getting lame messages and inappropriate pics from weirdos. In an attempt to start fresh, she creates a secondary profile under her middle name with a somewhat blurry profile pic. With the new profile ready to go she unexpectedly discovers that she matches with Reid. They begin talking to each other through the app, but Reid doesn’t know that it’s Millie he is opening up to. After some time, Millie finds herself being more open about her life and past experiences as she talks with Reid through the app. And it feels good to finally be able to talk to someone about what she is going through. But how open is Millie being with Reid if he doesn’t even know it’s her? And what happens if he wants to meet her?

Told in dual POV’s, My Favorite Half-Night Stands is a sweet contemporary romance that goes into the world of modern day online dating and the adventures that can come from that. I loved the dynamic between all five friends. They are different, but their friendship works. Being able to see their online chats was a nice addition also. The story was very easy to get into and the writing was solid. Not to mention the characters were likable. I couldn’t help but root for Reid and Millie through the whole book.


RATING: 3½ out of 5.

Cute, fun, and sweet. A little less my style but I really enjoyed it overall. Christina Lauren is a great team with really great writing skill. This one kept me entertained without being overwhelming.

Ahhhh another winner from Christina Lauren! This book had me laughing out loud and squealing at super fun delicious points! The dynamic between the group of friends was such a pleasure to read and the online dating aspect was way too relatable (lol). While I enjoyed the little text/chat bubbles, I wasn't a huge fan of the images that showed what each character looked like. I like making up my own version, haha! Overall, still loved this book and can't wait to read whatever these gals come out with next!

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is Christina Lauren's newest friends to lovers romance. I love this writing duo and this book gave me all the feels! I laughed, cried, snorted, snickered, wanted to throw my kindle, sighed and laughed some more. It's about a group of five friends, one of them a woman. All of them smart, witty and funny. They are all single and need a date for a work function. They decide to all use an online dating service. Millie and Reid are best friends. They have a fun, casual relationship which includes lunches, dinners and just hanging out. Until one night, they get closer than friends. It's mind blowing but can't happen again. They are both trying to find dates. Millie creates a different profile and gets matched with Reid! She gives him hints and thinks he's going to figure it out, but he doesn't. She finds herself opening up about her life and sharing her heart to Reid. As a stranger. But she knows it's him. He's in the dark. What happens when they become close in real life, but he finds out it's really her in fake life? Will Reid forgive her for the deception? Will their friendship and new love be able to save them? I loved this story! I was invested in all the character and I really loved Millie and Reid! Their group text messages were the highlight of the book for me! I would love to see these characters again. Please!!

A really wonderful story set on and around a college campus, U.C. Santa Barbara. Millie is the only female of the group that she hangs out with. Which are other young professors at the university. They are told by the one who is really the leader of the group that the upcoming black tie event is important this year and that they should all bring dates. Since none of them are dating they decide to use an online dating app to help the cause. Millie gets somehow talked into writing the four guy’s profile, but when it comes to her it is lacking all around. Being called on the carpet she tries to write a better one. She also creates a profile that fits perfect for the one guy of the group that she has always liked but has not done anything about. The next day both profiles are on the site and now thinking that she will delete the fake account it gets a hit by Reid. What to do? She goes along with it until it starts to take over and somehow she must end without him finding out. That, of course, does not happen and now she believes that she has lost a friend, and probably the group. A very good story with excellent characters, and it shows you that even though your age, or where you are everyone has a past, a childhood or something that they are overcoming. Fear of wanting to belong even if you are a professor. Millie had much on her plate and the guilt form her childhood and leaving her sister to deal with their father in Washington and not telling any of the four guys about was going on in her life made everything easy until it wasn’t, so she left thinking of being away was what Reid wanted and now it was up to him to figure himself out and what he really wanted? A really good story, with good characters.