This was my first book that I have read by Christina Lauren and I loved it! This would not normally be a book that I would pick up, hence why I have not read her books before. My Traveling Sisters were going on and on about how excited they were to read this as a group read, so I let Brenda talk me into it...well I did love it. Such a witty and fun read! It may have been a bit predictable but who cares, it was fun!

Millie was just one of the guys until, well she slept with her BFF Reid. Millie and Reid decided to keep it a secret and remain "just friends" but is is really possible to sleep with your BFF and pretend it didn't happen? I am going to go with no, yes that is right my answer would be nope that is not going to work. Except Millie and Reid went with yes. Okay well I will let you all read this and see how that worked out for them.

The whole gang signed up for online dating and that was a whole other adventure. I loved the chapters that were focused around the group texting back and forth to each other. Such a creative and unique idea for this book.

As you can tell, I did love this one! I can't wait to read Josh & Hazel!! Hint, hint Traveling Sisters!

Fans of "She's the Man" will LOVE this book! When 5 best friends agree to sign up on a dating site in order to procure a plus one for a special event at the University they all work at, hilarity, deception and hijinks ensue.

Louisa's 4 Blush Review
Another great and fun friends to lovers story!  Christina Lauren really can do no wrong in my opinion.

Five best friends who embark on the dating app world and it's getting a bit dicey!  They are all a bit quirky, and unique in their own way and have a friendship that many rival. Four guys and Millie.  Reid and Millie have always been close, but one night that all changes.  But it's just a one-time thing right??

I love a romantic comedy and Christina Lauren and the duo to beat right now!  They keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning, under your desk at work and at a stop light (I know it's wrong but damn this book had me hooked).  Sneaking some giggles without others at work seeing me was quite the feat! These two characters are so great together as friends and when they are together it's fantastic!  Two nerdy people but intelligent people navigating the dating scene is just perfection.

I loved that Reid was the one looking for the romance that Millie was unsure.  She was a bit hesitant and Reid takes the reigns in their friendship and relationship.  An absolute must-read for the romance and rom-com reader!



Christina's 4 Blush Review
Adorably witty, entertaining and laugh out loud funny, Christina Lauren's My Favorite Half Night Stand slapped a stupid smile on my face and kept me up reading past my bedtime. Not only did I love Millie and Reid, but the entire cast of supporting characters coupled with the romantic elements just knocked it out of the park for me. The banter and dialogue is so fresh, the storyline is captivating and most of all, the GEEK that exists in one shape or form throughout the entire cast is just so endearing. I have a total weak spot for nerdy heroes and Reid is it for ME. He's a super intelligent college professor (YES please) who is smokin hot and a hopeless romantic. For me, it just doesn't get any better. Millie (how adorable is that name) is equally as intelligent and successful and her quirkiness is a perfect match to Reid's inner nerd. I loved their friendship and watching them become more than friends was completely heartwarming.

If you're looking for a sweet, laugh out loud funny and adorably nerdy tale of the woes of internet dating and are a sucker for a little bit of friends to lovers, then this is the book for you!

Sandy's 4 Blush Review
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes!
In the era of Tinder and Plenty of Fish, why wouldn't five friends use an app to get a date? Or to find love?

Each needing a date for the department gala, that's exactly what these five friends decide to do. All very educated, highly intelligent, college professors who have no idea about current dating practices because they work all the time.

Reid and Millie have always been the closest to each other. One night the lines are crossed and things get hot and heavy.  What's a little one night or half night stand among friends - no biggie right?

Reid would like to explore something more but Millie wants to go back to being friends. It's difficult to go back to being friends when you each know how the other taste. When you know exactly how deep she likes it? When you know just where to lick him? These two are kidding themselves!

IRL (In Real Life) becomes a means to an end. Once the profiles are set up, with a big assist from Millie, they sit back and wait to see who gets the first hit.

AND that's when things start going awry.  Millie feels the need to let loose on her profile after being teased by the guys. She creates a second profile as Cat and Reid responds.  So now Millie is jealous of herself but Reid doesn't know Millie is actually Cat.

There are plenty of laugh out loud moments here. The group text chats are very funny. There are also heartfelt moments too.

I'm My Favorite Half Night Stand Christina Lauren has given us a delightful rom-com with plenty of heart.

I keep hoping that a C-Lo book will click with me. It’s been so long since I loved a book by them. But sadly this one was just okay to me. I found myself skimming quite a bit till the last 30% or so. I think I’m done for a while.

What a fun book this is! Lauren delivers a sassy, sarcastic and sweet journey of Millie and Reid that will have you both laughing aloud and tearing up at times. The chemistry between these friends, and I mean all of them, is such fun banter that I didn’t want it to end. Definitely one for your to-read list, and an author that I will seek out again.

normally read a book start to finish. That being said I read half of this, then set it aside. I've realized that one of the things that will make me put a book aside is prolonged deception, where it would seriously hurt someone. Reid doesn't deserve it at all. But I kept thinking about it and had to finish it. Plus, it was an ARC.

It was really well done. It took some serious time and effort to move on and I love that she showed it that way.

The friendship with the guys was a great aspect of the story. I'd love to read their individual stories.

4 adorable stars
Did you ever have a song flip through your mind as you are reading a book...a song that fit so well to what you were reading, what instances you were reading of, and what lives were being led? Well...that was me reading this adorable light hearted but somewhat sad My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

It's hard these days establishing a relationship. Sure you can have best friends, and sure they can share most things with you. However, what about those times when you need someone to be something special for you, when you need someone's love and affection, when you hunger for tenderness, for understanding, for love?

In the adorable tale, we meet the indomitable Millie Morris, a professor who specializes in the research and teaching about female serial killers. You could say she is different especially given her educational specialty, but Millie does posses wit, intelligence and four best friends all of them male. They all like one another, they get the fact that they are nerds, and yet they find good company in each other's presence. All seems well until a black tie social event is to take place and they all decide to find a date. So, knowing what the social scene is these days, the five of them sign onto a dating site and the hilarity starts. Things turn to the not so funny side when Millie realizes that she is and has fallen for one of her besties, Reid Campbell. Life becomes difficult for Millie as their platonic relationship turns sexual. Reid also recognizes his feelings for Millie and what turns out to be a dating dilemma becomes a backdrop for how difficult it seems for some to relate to another even if that person is one you love.

There is lots to love about this book as the author deftly takes us into the world of online dating and the obstacles that one faces in today's world in finding a soul mate. Will Millie and Reid come to understand that "love"just might conquer all, or are they both destined to give a pass to what could make them ever so happy?

Thank you to Christina Lauren, Gallery Books and NetGalley for making this delightful available to me.
Oh and the song........
"Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"

This was my first read from the author duo that goes by the pen name Christina Lauren and I had a blast reading it. It was the perfect mix of fun and romance. It was exactly what I needed to read as a refresher in between the other books I had been reading.

The writing style of these two authors flows perfectly and you can’t tell that it is not written by one person. The relationships in this story were down to earth and sweet and not over the top cliche. I will definitely pick up another book by them when I need to read a good contemporary.

Millie has the best group of friends she could ever hope to find and a job that she truly loves. As her friend group decides that they want to be able to bring plus ones to a work function, they all agree to sign up for an online dating site. After receiving far too many inappropriate hits, Millie signs up under a false name and within a day she matches with...her very best friend Reid.

This was a fun and highly enjoyable read. I loved the voice and tone and found myself chuckling at the humor. The friend group was great and I think it sets a good example for the kind of friends that push you to be a better person and bring out the best in you.

The only thing I can see people disliking is the catfish scenario, but I have to say it’s done pretty well. It’s never glamorized and it’s unpacked and proven to be a horrible decision by Millie which I believe is the authors way of not only entertaining the reader, but also trying to teach a lesson.

I had a blast with Millie, Reid, Alex, Chris and Ed. Even though they are professors, highly respected in their disciplines, but decidedly dorky. I love their banters and quirkiness. At the onset I love the idea of Reid and Millie together., so I am not thrilled at the shenanigans which followed.. It was juvenile at best. I don’t blame Reid for being mad when he discovered the ‘you know what’ . That is why we have the book anyways, otherwise there won’t be any story. I love the way Christine Lauren made this theme work. Good reading.

I’ve heard great things about Christina Lauren books so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. This is a cute, predictable rom com but it has some depth to it. The characters are extremely likeable and fun, I want to be friends with them in real life! This is a great beach read for rom com fans.

Christina Lauren has this way of creating situations and then bringing a fresh new look to them. Have we read about online dating, sure. Have we read about friends who are afraid to connect after a slip from the friend zone into the sexy zone, definitely. What I love is the ability to take it down a different lane and making it fresh, sassy and fun.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren is a must read book. Every woman out there would enjoy this title. It contains humor, entertainment, and an emotional rollercoaster ride to enjoy. The plot explores the boundaries of friendships. Friends with benefits turns into this side that many don't see. I loved how light hearted the whole journey was. The characters were at this point where their attraction came out and then were not sure where to go from there. New territory with new consequences. The whole best friends to lovers journey was filled with sweet, funny, and bits of sad moments. As the pair worked their way through their emotions and attraction, I found myself loving them. Quirky, clever, and realistic-that's the type characters I met. They blended together well. 

In My Favorite Half-Night Stand, it started out with a group of friends making a pact. To try an online dating app. But at first their profiles suck and their only lady friend of the group rewrites their bios. It showed major improvements. Only when it came to hers, did they not feel too shy about saying it sucked. Feeling determined, Millie created a new profile. She didn't send the new profile to her friends. However, this time, she gets matched to her best guy friend. The good looking, funny, and always there for her guy friend. Millie thinking it was funny, added him to her app profile and she sends him a message that will tell him it's her. Reid gets a message from a mysterious woman who reminds him so much of Millie. Millie is the ideal woman for him. But she closes herself off when it comes to emotions. Reid wants her to be able to share and tell him things...only that's a hard step forward for Millie. She's not used to opening up. This leads to them both doing things neither thought they would. Actions lead to consequences and maybe, a happy ending. If it works out...but both have to be willing to risk their hearts.

"Sometimes, the thing we want is right in front of us and we’re the last ones to see it."

The writing duo notorious for their unique and fun approach is back with yet another zany twist on the dating scene. This time, through the voices of emotional mutant Millie and her best guy friend Reid, Christina Lauren explores the woes of dating in its most modern form—apps. Having zero experience myself with the pitfalls involved with online dating, My Favorite Night Stand gave this wifey—of almost thirteen years—a tiny peek at what color the grass really is on the other side of a long-term, committed relationship.

With an overarching rom-com feel to the pages, an enviable friend group—one this reader hopes will extend from standalone to full-blown series (pretty please, C&L?!)—and the friends to lovers scenario, it’s a wonder this lasted on my nightstand longer than a half-night. Believe me, it was only because there was actual adulting I had to get done that this wasn’t a true binge session. The best descriptor for this collection of words—adjective, thirteen letters, 5 syllables: un·put·down·a·ble.

Millie, lucky enough to win her ex’s friends in their breakup, rounds out the quintet perfectly. Like her four platonic guy friends and university colleagues—Reid, Ed, Chris and Alex—Millie is a workaholic, driven by her passion. It would probably be more accurate to call her interest in female serial killers an obsession and something best kept to herself on a first date. Although, her curiosities have landed her a criminology professorship and a book deal, so there’s that.

The infamous keynote speaker booked for the upcoming Dean’s banquet prompts the friends, who usually go stag, to find dates. The best course of action they figure, creating profiles on a dating app. Initially, sort of shallow and a tad silly, Millie takes each of their write-ups and transforms them into something deep and honest. Surprising, considering her own profile is much less forthcoming. An emotional mutant in all aspects of life, Millie doesn’t do feelings or really share much of herself at all, even with her closest friends. Interestingly enough, and in defiance of most stereotypes, Reid is the complete opposite—ready and willing to share his truth.

The reality check from the guys regarding her self-constructed walls, provokes Millie to create a second profile—different name and an artsy profile pic, accompanied by a much more honest write-up. And wouldn’t you know, the app matches her secondary profile with the perfect specimen of a man, otherwise known as her bestie, Reid. At this point, they’ve shared a few incredibly mind-blowing and unexpected trysts between the sheets—ahem, earning favorite half-night stand status—but still pursued dating other people. All in good fun, Millie throws out some subtle hints via direct message with her new match, figuring Reid will be tipped off. Nope—cue the catfishing scenario, which is equal parts you want Millie to fess up and Reid better figure things out already. You would think that three letter typo would have spelled over for the scenario, but in hindsight, what fun would that be?

For those readers having experienced Christina Lauren’s storytelling, this is everything you’ve come to expect—a vibrant dynamic, loveable characters (main and secondary, per usual) and plenty of comedic relief. The writing duo adds yet another couple with undeniable chemistry to the plethora they’ve already gifted to the contemporary romance genre. For new readers, good luck picking a favorite. *wink*

Smart, snarky, and sexy, this friends to lovers story just furthers my love affair with Christina Lauren. When awkward, nerdy friends become more than just friends, it becomes just that, awkward.

Reid and Millie were so lovable that it was hard not to become fully invested in their relationship. Dating is hard enough but throw in other people’s opinions, dating app drama, and you are destined for disaster. This quick read had a predictable yet solid storyline, great flow, lovable characters and a relatable premise that makes My Favorite One Night Stand a winner. Christina Lauren writes smart romance in-tune with today’s world. They have proven to be here for the long run and as long as they write, I will buy.

I thought this book/premise sounded cute as you know I am a sucker for online dating stories. The online component was great and contained some epistolaryness (is that a word? Who knows, but you should know that the heroine and hero have some back and forth via emails.)
The Millie and Reid were great and I wanted them to work their shit out. I text Smexy Angela my excitement when I knew the black moment was around the corner because I wanted to see how they would work it out. I was heavily invested in Millie and Reid as well as their friend group and their side love stories.
One downside, and this is a big one, the sex scenes are mostly off page or fairly tame. I think CLo have left their roots of having super sexy times behind. But other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

This was adorable. If you are a long time Christina Lauren fan you won’t be disappointed. It is what you expect from them; loveable characters and sexy romance. If you are looking for a fun, light, rom-com you should pick this up.

Millie won the rights to the friends she shared with her ex-boyfriend, who is also a professor at UCSB, and she’s always been happy being one of the guys. When the whole department is required to attend a formal event with dates, the whole group decides to start online dating. Shortly thereafter, Millie has an incredible one-night stand with her best friend Reid, but they decide to keep their relationship platonic. Millie writes beautiful profiles for all her friends, but isn’t comfortable putting her real self out there and ends up making a second profile under her middle name that she doesn’t share with them. She starts communicating with Reid, but will she ever be able to be honest with him – or herself – about her emotions? Women is romance novels sometimes veer towards stereotype, but Millie is a vibrant, believable woman even if she’s not emotionally open or self-aware, and Reid is a great romantic lead.

This is a funny sexy laugh out loud tale that follows Millie and her friends on their on line dating escapade . Millie has always been one of the guys but when her place of work decides that they are having a gala she is now required a plus one. Reid and Millie share quite the half a night and decide that they should still only remain friends but the world has other ideas for them !!!
Funny sexy and so much fun to read!!
~~Michele McMullen ~~

It’s been a while since I laughed so often - or so hard! - reading a book. And as I was in desperate need of a good, amusing story (the last several books haven’t fared well in my critique), I was so happy to be reading My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

Millie has a group of male friends: Chris, Alex, Ed and Reid. They are all professors at a university, and hang out constantly. Lunch on Monday and Wednesday, bar on Friday night, hang out at someone’s house Saturday night, coffee at random times throughout the week...that kind of constantly. They are a small, self-contained, close-knit group.

One night during a Monopoly game, the discussion turns to the formal spring dinner hosted by the dean of the college. They’d had just enough to drink to decide they should have dates for this event, instead of going by themselves - or as a group. When they realize they never meet anyone new, online dating seems like the best option for acquiring a date. After some research, they pick an online dating service and create accounts.

It never goes smoothly, but gets even more awkward when Millie, who has created an alternate account (which she hasn’t shown to the guys), gets matched with Reid.

Hilarity ensues. Then hurt feelings...

The strength of this book was the banter between the friends. In this case, all the guys act like frat boys. But mature frat boys, thankfully. It’s hilarious. Reid, as the hero, was also pretty great. There was a bit of a role-reversal here, with the man being the one who is open and willing to share his feelings. I really liked Reid!

But the weakness of this book...was the heroine. I never did quite feel the sympathy needed to accept (or even understand) the heroine’s behavior. Millie is emotionally closed off. Despite the frequent encouragement of her friends, she still doesn’t share anything about her past, her family, her feelings, choosing instead to hide behind her quick and frequently acerbic wit. By the time we get some understanding of why she is the way she is, it was a case of too little explanation, too late. And when you screw up so colossally, you need a grand gesture. For my two cents, Millie’s gesture wasn’t big enough. If your flaw is that you don’t talk, then you can’t fix things by still not talking.

As far as a friends-to-lovers trope goes (which I rarely enjoy), My Favorite Half-Night Stand was the least annoying one I’ve read in a long time. That aspect of the storyline wasn’t actually annoying at all. Instead of focusing on whether or not the other person feels the same as they do, the issue of how Millie is going to tell Reid who he’s been corresponding with through the dating app is front and center. And again, the story was freakin’ hilarious. But also, when things fell apart, I didn't feel all that upset for the couple...

I’m not sure how it happens, but some authors manage to be effortlessly hilarious. They create banter between characters that is witty and charming. The internal monologues of the hero and heroine is funny. I was in love with this book by the end of chapter one! That I was having issues with the romance part of the story didn’t even bother me. Well, not until I got to the very end and was left feeling a little unsatisfied. But I still highly recommend this book. Just go in knowing the romance part may leave you a little underwhelmed. The comedy part, though, is GOLD!

* thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review