4.5 stars.
Since I began reading Christina Lauren, I have enjoyed every single one of her books. This is no exception. I devour her books, often in one sitting, and then I'm left with a book hangover and wanting more. The stories are so simple. Two characters slowly fall in love, go through some angst, and yet, still end up together in the end. It should be a stale premise but it's not! Christina Lauren finds a way to freshen up the classic tropes and make it seem like it's the first time.
Millie and her 4 guy friends all work at UCSB as professors. There's a big event coming up in a few months and they will all need dates. Instead of resorting to seeing who gets dibs on Millie and having the others scramble for one, they all decide to try online dating. Millie is immediately inundated with guys who want to show off their goods and want to see hers. She starts a new profile without telling the others, uses another name, and a picture that doesn't show her face. What happens when she ends up being matched with one of the guys from the group?
I don't want to give everything away but there's a very big You've Got Mail element that goes on throughout the book. I loved it and was anxious about it the whole time. I kept waiting for her to slip up or for him to figure it out. I loved the dynamic between Millie and Reid as well as the group as a whole. The group chats were funny and there hangouts were really enjoyable. What I also loved was that there were actually consequences to Millie's actions. It added the much needed angst before we got to that happy ending. This is a great book with well-written friendships, relationships, and romance. I would happily read it again and recommend it to everyone who loves Christina Lauren's writing.

Christina Lauren has become my go-to to break a reading slump. I can count on her books to pull me in, keep my attention and make me care about the characters, My Favorite Half-Night Stand is no exception.. I want to be friends with Millie, Reid and the rest of their group. A gala is happening and the group decides to try online dating and for Millie it does not go as planned. Reid is her best friend and Millie wants him to be happy but is not impressed when he starts talking to a woman. Millie finds herself creating a profile that none of the friends know about and becoming competitive when she matches with Reid. But can Millie share herself and her feelings.as herself? A story of friendship and finding the courage to share yourself.

I generally enjoy Christina Lauren's books and this one is no exception. This one was missing..something. I found myself frustrated by the lies that just kept building--It all could have been fixed with the truth. I would have liked to have more about the guys and their frustrations, especially poor Alex who gets ultimately shafted in the end. The ending was rushed and wrapped everything up a little too well..

Millie and her 3 guy friends are all smart, well accomplished faculty at the university. But when Obama is scheduled to speak at a gala, they decide they need a date, hence sign up to a dating website.

From here on out the shenanigans begin. And by shenanigans I mean perfectly normal dating app issues we all experience(d).

Only thing is, Millie and Reid have a special connection, and when the app matches them, a situation manifests where they court each other but one of them isn't aware.

The plot isn't very complex, but the emotional depth of each of the characters, within this setting, it spot on. The characters' arc is natural and simple, but Millie's is absolutely perfect, to the point where in some aspects of her life I felt like we're soul twins.

I absolutely loved each and every character in this story. They are genuine, funny, dramatic and conflicted.

I ADORED Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating and was really looking forward to this one. It seemed to have the same funny, romcom vibe.

I was a little wary of the catfishing set up but decided to request it for review anyway.

I should have went with my gut.

The positives:

I liked the whole gang of friends. They're kind of weird but fun and supportive in their weirdness lol

Both Millie and Reid are good people - until the dating fiasco which I'll get to.

I loved the idea of the dating app and look at online dating. It can lend itself to a lot of hilarious situations (like in Josh & Hazel)

but....

Almost the entire plot of this book is based on lies and miscommunication. One conversation would have resolved things in either direction - staying friends or moving on.

As the story went on and both Millie and Reid did more and more questionable things - I lost interest in their HEA and started disliking them as people. I did get where they were each coming from but all of it went on too long and walked a line that wasn't romantic at all imo.

Lauren's books are always hot or miss for me - Josh & Hazel will be on my Best of 2018 list but this was a miss.

Lots of laughs and a few tears as 5 friends discover on line dating and how friendship sometimes means a lot more! Great weekend book couldn't put it down!

This book is about a group of friends, Millie the token female, Reid, Ed, Alex, and Chris and their quest to find dates for a work function. The story explores what happens when best friends have a half night stand and also when they all decide to join a dating app to find a date. It is sort of a bit of a train wreck at one point you can see it is not going to lead to good things and you want to yell and the heroine to be smart because nothing good is going to happen, but you can't look away while she continues to make a mess of things. Its a good light read and I really enjoyed all the characters!

Well, I'm happy to say Christina Lauren are back with a novel I adored. The premise is fun and realistic, the writing engaging, and the chemistry perfection. Reading this book made me remember what I love about their writing and why I've been a fan of almost all of their books: how they create magic with prose. How they sweep me into the story until I feel like I'm with them the entire story. Like I'm a side character sitting on the side of every scene, observing. Even better, we get inside the heads of our hero and heroine. So even though I'm a side character, I also get the chance to be psychic.

I only hope Christina Lauren make this the first in a series. There's a group of friends and I want them all to have their HEA. The epilogue alludes to some of these HEA's but I want the details with their own stories. Fingers crossed.

Regardless, you can't go wrong with this book, especially if you're a fan of witty contemporary romance, compelling storylines, with kickass chemistry.

The book's beginning premise of why these friends needed dates fell flat for me.. It didn't seem like a necessary thing and to need them to something that is that exceptional of an experience to take someone that they just started dating. BUT and I mean BUT the authors in the end say EXACTLY what I was feeling and its made into a type of joke! AND AND AND I just fell in love with these characters and groups of friends! I especially enjoyed reading the book on my iPad and seeing images of each character and getting an accurate visual picture of each character was a cool tie into the book!

If you enjoy a friends to lovers romance you will fall in love with these nerdy college professors!

Absolutely loved it. Christina Lauren may be my new favorite contemporary romance author. This is the second one I've read, but I'm planning to go back and read any others.

Millie is so relatable. Her mistakes are understandable, and she's really well-drawn. Reid might be essentially perfect. The only thing that bugged me about the book is when, early on, Reid notes that Millie has a great body because she swims and eats right. But then basically every time we see her eating, it's junk food. If she goes swimming at all in the book, I missed it. A female MC doesn't have to be physically perfect to be sexy. It's not a huge deal, but it annoyed me. That line should've been cut. Or Millie needed to be more health conscious throughout the book. It didn't affect the book overall, though, and most readers won't notice.

This book started a little slow for me and I had some trouble getting into it, but about a quarter of the way through, that changed for me. I thought this was such a cute book, and I really felt like Millie was my spirit animal! I loved the parts that showed the text exchanges with her friends. I found myself pulling for her and Reid, and cringing for her at some parts, and feeling happy for her in others. Online dating is such a horror show for some women, and she experienced what we all experience, and just made it funny! This is a cute escape!

Utterly delightful! I normally rate romances by whether I'll remember who the characters are after two weeks. I hate to say it, but normally I can't. However, Lauren draws her characters so well that the book is compelling. I couldn't put it down!

Loved this one so much! Another witty, romantic, HONEST feel-good story from Christina Lauren.Full review on the blog closer to pub date.

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My favorite Half-Night Stand is funny, sweet and a whole lot of nerdy fun. You think you know a thing or two about online dating but wait until Millie and her band of nerds show you a thing or two. This is such a fun read and full of heart and friendship. I love the tight knit group of Millie, Reid, Ed Chris and Alex. Each brings a different thing to the table and all will have you giggling as they navigate the online dating scene and well changes in the group dynamic somewhat. Reid and Millie are the mainly spotlighted in this one and you wont be disappointed. Millie is very closed off and doesn't put herself out there. Reid has been burned in love and a workaholic. As you peal apart the layers you see how good Reid and Millie are for each other. This witty comedy draws you in from the beginning.

Four friends, 3 guys and a woman are looking for a relationship. Millie and Reid are particularly close. They have an event at their work that they need dates for. All 4 decide to explore the world of online dating with entertaining and unexpected results.

This is a cute read. It has a good cast of characters, humor, and romance all rolled into one. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is a hilarious read. Four male and one female friend decide to go in a dating app to find dates. The woman and her best Male friend are found to be compatible. She tries to make a game of it by not telling her friend it's actually her. And then the games start! The description and personality the Author gives her characters is phenomenal. It just works! Works to make it humorous, loving, tender. Terrific read! Strongly recommended!

Such a freaking cute book!
I loved the characters in this story. The friendships in here were amazing to read because they were about adults and how friendships should be at a certain age. Things just click.
Reid and Millie, I wanted to smack them lol. I wanted them together right from the start but I loved reading about their friendship and how it was all their right in front of them the whole time.
The other guys were so good. Poor Ed! I’m so happy he got his HEA.

Was this friends to lovers to friends to catfish back to lovers story great? Yes

Does it have all of the humor and sexual tension you'd expect from a CLo book? Yes

Will you like it? Yes

Did it completely freak me out that the main character is named Reid just like my six year-old son? Yes

This book reads like a memoir, although it's fiction. I really felt connected to the characters Christina Lauren portrayed in this book. I would recommend it.

Another excellent novel by the dynamic duo, Christina Lauren! I felt a connection to this story, the characters, and just about everything else in between. I hope that everyone gets a chance to pick up this novel because it's not one to be missed! I am eagerly awaiting more books from the authors in the NEAR future!