THE UNHONEYMOONERS

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is a perfect, light romance read coming out just in time for
summertime reading and beach days.

It focuses on Olive, who has self proclaimed bad luck her entire life; and her nemesis, good looking Ethan (who just so happens to be her twin sister's husband's brother.) When Olive's twin sister and her husband get taken down by a nasty virus at their wedding reception, they talk their siblings into going on their nonrefundable honey moon in their place. A free honeymoon in Hawaii is tempting enough that Olive agrees, despite the fact that Ethan will also be attending in his brother's place. But Hawaii is a big enough place, she figures they will be able to mostly avoid each other and spend time in their own separate spaces, drinking their own drinks on the beach.

Luck, however, doesn't have it that way. From running into Olive's new boss to Ethan's ex-girlfriend, somehow these two find themselves pushed together and forced to not only hang out, but pretend they like each other. At some point along the way, they realize that they aren't actually pretending so much anymore.

The Unhoneymooners is perfect for a light, fun, romantic read - it definitely has a romcom feel to it! It's full of
laughs, antics (so many antics!), witty one liners, quirky main characters, beautiful Maui scenery, romantic tension, and a loving but at times overbearing family. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic comedy,
and it's especially perfect for a vacation read.

This was exactly the book I needed to read yesterday. It was such a fantastic read. I loved the characters and I loved the storyline. There was romance and so much humor and quick wit. I could somewhat predict a lot of the story, but I laughed so hard and even shed some tears over this book. It's an easy read, but you really feel so into these characters and the storyline. I highly recommend this book. Probably my favorite from the author so far!

I don't love an enemies to lovers romance and this was exactly what this was. If that is your thing, however, I think you would love it!

I spent one day reading this book - I devoured it and couldn't put it down!! Christina Lauren has surely become one of my favorite author duos and they did not disappoint with this book! I laughed my way through this entire story and I thought it was the perfect rom com! When Olive's sister and new brother-in-law get sick (along with almost every other wedding guest) on their wedding day, their honeymoon is officially ruined, unless someone else is able to take the trip. Luckily Olive and her sister are twins, so she gets to spend an amazing week in Hawaii in her sister's place, along with the only other wedding guest that did not get sick - the guy Olive hates! Can Olive and Ethan put aside their hateful feelings for each other in order to have a beautiful free trip in paradise? This book is filled with family drama, so many secrets and lies, as well as some pretty steamy and sweet scenes.
This book fully transported me to beautiful Hawaii and I think this will be the perfect beach read this summer!! I loved the banter back and forth between Olive and Ethan, and I also loved the mushy sweet parts when their relationship was beginning to bloom. Towards the end I became a little frustrated and annoyed with the characters and was ready for everything to wrap up, but I was very happy with the way the story ended! I also personally loved the beginning of this story where everyone became sick! The scenes were hysterical, especially since 12 members of my family went through a similar situation a few years ago. I was able to relive the hilarious moments as I read! This is a story I will be recommending to ALL my friends and family! I cannot wait to read the next book Christina Lauren write - I will always be a HUGE fan!!

4-5 stars! This is one of the types of books I love reading in between all my dark reads! Has enough romance, drama, and comedy to keep me interested until the end, but also is a much needed relief from the dark times. Second book I’ve read by this author, and definitely will be reading more. As it’s done in a fun manner that makes you fall in love with the characters and all their hilarious or ridiculous antics. A must for those who love the romcoms!
Will be using in a challenge and recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub.

A misunderstanding, wrapped in a lie, and covered with Christina Lauren magic is The Unhoneymooners in a nutshell.

From the start I was invested in these characters. The fun and quirky relationship that Olive and Ethan have is rooted by deep attraction and was romance perfection. Throughout their “unhoneymoon” I loved seeing their growth individually and as a couple. They kept falling into situations that seemed so over the top crazy, but truly I believed each and every one. That’s because both authors have an undeniable ability to write not only well, but with heart and feeling. This story adds to an already impressive collection of novels. A great vacation read, a great anytime read, The Unhoneymooners is a must read for 2019.

A 3.5 I guess. I definitely don’t feel like rounding it up to a 4.

I’m always very excited to read a book by CLo and this was no different. I had already read a bunch of mixed reviews, but I knew to expect quite a bit of fun and I’m glad I did.

Olive is an interesting character. Bad luck seems to follow her always and her messy stories were too much fun. But she also has a happy go lucky vibe to her which I really enjoyed. Despite the antics of her various family members, she is super close to them, especially her twin Ami and I loved how they all really have each other’s backs regardless of the issue. I just had a slight problem with her feelings around her weight - she seems to try to be body positive sometimes, but is also very conscious of what Ethan thinks of her curves. While I don’t think it’s bad to want her love interest’s approval, I just didn’t like that she seems to lose all her negative feelings about her weight as soon as Ethan mentions he likes her body. Ethan comes across as grumpy initially, but I liked the way their friendship develops and their banter is really hilarious and so much entertaining to read. He’s also quite nerdy which endeared me to him a lot. But his blindness to his brother’s douchey attitude wasn’t a good look.

As I mentioned before, Christina Lauren are wonderful at writing banter and making the readers laugh and that’s still the case in this book. Even the situations that Olive and Ethan get themselves into are so convoluted, they were just downright silly but fun to read and I’m quite amused at the author duo for coming up with these ideas. The pacing is also very quick and easy to get through, that I almost raced through the book. The setting of Maui and the various activities make for a nice backdrop for the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. However, I didn’t like the way the conflict happened. There are some very harsh words thrown at Olive, by both her sister and Ethan, and I hated that no one even wanted to understand her perspective. And I thought she was too forgiving while I would have liked some more groveling. It’s ends with a very cool epilogue though, so that makes up for some of the issues.

While I always seem to be nitpicky with this author duo’s books, I am happy that The Unhoneymooners ended up being more on the fun side. It has a wonderful couple, a beautiful love story and a huge dramatic family. If you like snarky banter in an exotic vacation setting, then this is a fun book to read. If you like books where silly antics ensue and there’s some family drama going on, then this one is perfect. Just trust me and pick this one up when you are in need of an entertaining romcom or a beach read.

What do you do when everyone at your twin sister's wedding (including your sister and her new husband) gets physically sick at the reception except for you and the best man? The answer is simple. You go on their honeymoon trip instead and you let the best man come along too. Oh, did I mention that you and the best man can't stand each other? That is the premise of The Unhoneymooners. Olive goes on her twin sister's (Ami) honeymoon with the groom's brother and best man, Ethan.

For the most part, this book went exactly how I expected it to (although, unfortunately no forced bed-sharing. COME ON! give me what I crave lol). But that's not a negative. I read this because I wanted some enemies to lovers goodness and that is certainly what this is. Olive and Ethan begin the trip thinking they are going to have a good time but...separately.

But when Olive sees her future boss at the spa and tells him she is on her own honeymoon, things get tricky. She has to run back to their hotel room and tell Ethan that they now must pretend to be married. Ethan agrees but only if he can sleep in the big bed.

It goes great and then they go back to being on their own until Ethan sees his ex-girlfriend at the resort. Cue Olive and Ethan pretending to be newlyweds again!

After that, they keep spending time together. They go diving, get drunk, and eventually express their feelings for one another. It turns out their dislike for each other was a big misunderstanding from the start.

But that doesn't mean there isn't any conflict. As they spend time together, it slowly starts to seem like the man (Dane) her twin sister just married is not who he says he is. This makes it very awkward for Olive once they return to their normal lives. Does she tell her sister what she suspects?

For the most part, this was a fun romance. Olive and Ethan definitely have chemistry. Olive was more interesting/compelling to me than Ethan but that might just be because she is the narrator of the book. I loved reading about the adventures they went on during their vacation. It almost felt like I was in Hawaii with them (I wish).

Ok, time for the parts I wasn't so happy with. Once Olive begins suspecting Dane of being unfaithful to her sister, she goes to both Ethan and Ami with her evidence. But instead of  considering her evidence and taking her seriously, they completely dismiss her.

Look. I get it. Dane is Ethan's brother and Ami's new husband. Neither of them want to believe that he is a bad guy. But the way they push Olive out of their lives felt wrong. They should trust that Olive is smart enough to know when something is up but instead, they blame her suspicions on her tendency towards negative thinking. It felt like borderline gaslighting.

Can't I just have a fluffy romance where the main character doesn't have to prove herself to the people she loves??

Overall, I enjoyed The Unhoneyhooners. It was fun to see how the relationship between Olive and Ethan developed. And I *might* have cackled during the scene where all of Dane's secrets come out. I am giving The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren 3 out of 5 stars. If you're looking for a fun summer romance, this might be one you want to check out.

The Unhoneymooners comes out May 14, 2019.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Christina Lauren are on my short list of auto-buy authors and I especially love their romcoms. Add in an enemies to lovers trope and I'm done for. The Unhoneymooners lived up to my (high) expectations for the most part.

Olive and Ethan have great tension and the set up for their not so nice relationship is spot on from the beginning. Olive's twin is marrying Ethan's brother so the two are forced together quite often and their general disdain for other is pretty funny. The first chapter hooked me with Olive's charming personality, good banter and the promise of what would become fun side characters in the form of Olive's large family.

Like most books in this trope, their hate falls way to like and then love quickly due to misunderstandings in the past. The interactions between Olive and Ethan remain engaging and there's a little spice (nothing over the top but enough to keep it interesting) to liven things up. I won't spoil any storylines but yes, Ethan does get frustrating later in the book as does Olive. She has a bit of a pessimistic attitude which she does work on and overcome.

I think the biggest miss with this book was the attempt to bring hispanic culture into it. It seems like a total afterthought. Olive could easily be any other white woman when she is not intended to be that way. It's almost like the authors just threw in a few random things related to another culture to try and be more inclusive. I feel like that is something that could have easily been researched a little more and more effort could have been applied. It's not 'bad', it's just not quite enough if that makes sense. My hispanic friends who have read the book wish they'd make her a white woman and the book would have been more enjoyable. So while the authors, I suppose, should get a little credit for trying, they need to do better next time.

I really did enjoy The Unhoneymooners though and highly recommend it. The writing is excellent and generally fast paced although it does slow a bit towards the end. It's not quite as good as some of their other work but if you're a CL fan then you shouldn't have any problems with this!

When I saw the cover and read the synopsis for The Unhoneymooners I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Not only was it a funny and entertaining enemies to lovers romance, but it also had so much heart. I loved how important the bonds of family (for better and for worse) were in this story. Olive's family especially was such a treat and I really enjoyed this glimpse into the Mexican-American family.

Ethan and Olive did some serious verbal sparring through this book and they really lived up to the "enemies" portion of the trope. They each gave as good as they got and I loved their banter and back and forth. The forced proximity trope is always a fun one and seeing Ethan and Olive's impression of the other evolve and change as they spend more time together was wonderful. It's amazing how one look or moment can change the course of an entire relationship.

As much as I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners, I can't say that I completely loved it. I think a lot of that has to do with Ethan. He certainly had some swoony moments, but honestly I'm still a little unsure how I feel about him. I don't want to be too spoilery, but mistakes are definitely made by both Ethan and Olive and a decision late in the book had me wanting to throw my kindle across the room. I understand family loyalty, but it still hurt my heart so much. I think it really colored my opinion of Ethan and Olive's relationship and caused me to not feel the "to lovers" part of the trope one hundred percent. I think having Ethan's POV sprinkled into the story would have been really helpful in understanding his character better. The epilogue left me smiling though and really brought the book full circle. Overall, this was a great read and I'm already looking forward to the next Christina Lauren adventure!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

The Unhoneymooner’s by Christina Lauren is standalone.
The Unhoneymooner’s is a great read for those readers who need a good laugh. Olive’s identical twin sister is getting married, and her nemesis not only happens to be the groom’s brother but best man. As the wedding is in full swing, everyone starts to become sick with food poisoning. Unfortunately, the groom and bride caught the bug too which means there’s an already fully paid honeymoon trip that won’t be used… That is until the groom and bride convince their siblings to go in their place. What turned into a disastrous idea becomes a game of pretending.

But what happens when one player’s fake feelings become real? Can reality be better than fantasy?

For me, I really enjoyed the story not only for the witty responses but for the character development. Christina Lauren has a knack for showcasing a good certain projection of the characters throughout the story. In this case, you see Olive’s backbone when it comes to Evan trying to ‘fat shame’ her. Also, I appreciate the fact you don’t instantly like both characters. You have to build your own opinion of them along with understanding why they do certain things.

Overall, it was a refreshing read and the banter was spot on. Highly recommend for those who are looking for a good laugh.

So. Much. Fun.
This is a classic Christina Lauren about two people who can't stand each other. Until they can. Oh boy.

It's a quick read and fully engaging. Olive and Ethan wind up on their sibling's honeymoon to enjoy the very free trip to Maui after an unfortunate seafood buffet food poisoning. They think they're going to stay away from each other...

I really really like Olive. She is very realistic, a bit of a downer and cautious. She thinks she has bad luck (like real bad luck) and it's made her prickly and negative. I liked that about her. She wasn't bubbly. She has an edge and her comments towards Ethan are hilarious and sharp. Ethan can be pretty clueless sometimes, but overall he is a typical misunderstood hero. That's not a bad thing given some of the drama that is happening around these two characters.


This is also a book that is only told from Olive's perspective, which was fun. Usually, this writing duo writes from both characters's perspectives, but I really enjoyed only having Olive. Her quirks and missteps and insecurities were stronger than Ethan's and I was able to really bond with her as a character.

I really like the secondary storyline between Ami and her husband Dane. It provided a lot of drama and really brought out Olive and Ethan's characters. There's some heartbreak and misunderstandings and some steamy fun.
This was a hit for me and most of the book was set in Maui, which just added to my love.

Overall, this is a great addition to my Christina Lauren collection. I recommend this book to many of my friends.

This book was confusing for me. For one the writing was excellent.
I was so sucked into the writing that I was mad I had to put it down and excited when I picked it back up. I enjoyed all the characters, however I just didn't like Olive and Ethan together. I thought their communication and interaction was juvenile. I just felt like there was so much avoidable misunderstanding and very little trust. I just can't get into a couple like that. Now as individual Characters, they were well rounded and entertaining with a lot of depth. I loved the interaction between Olive and pretty much everyone else. I enjoyed her self reflection and growth. It was an wonderful read and I really enjoyed the story as a whole.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for a honest review.
3.5 stars

I was definitely charmed by this book. The tropical setting, the enemies to lovers scenario on the horizon, and the humor. I was definitely turning pages one after the other, diving deep into the story. This is only the second book I’ve read by Christina Lauren, so I was super hopeful about my enjoyment of the book. And for the most part, I really did enjoy it!

However, I found myself not as engaged by the characters in this book. Olive and Ethan are okay, but neither of them really charmed me or had me really invested in their relationship. I suppose it’s due mostly to their overall lack of substance? Olive was mostly a generic girl with generic feelings about everything. I didn’t know too much about her, aside from the fact that she felt very unlucky, loved her sister, and hated Ethan. I can’t even describe what she looks like, other than that she’s curvy from stress baking/eating.

I also didn’t care too much for the lack of support shown to Olive when things “go down” at the end of the book. I was disappointed that everything resolved so easily when I was still feeling mad on Olive’s behalf. It made most of the ending just a bit dissatisfying to me and so I overall felt a bit let down by the book as a whole. Otherwise, it was a great beachy read and had me giggling and swooning the appropriate amount for a light, breezy romance novel.

I thought about calling in sick to work to stay home and finish this book. Yes, it's that good. Also, this book has ALL THE TROPES - enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity... The Unhoneymooners is told in the first person present tense entirely from Olive's POV, and I got major The Hating Game vibes reading it right from the get go - and like THG I get WHY having the book told from just Olive's POV is so powerful (as opposed to a dual POV of both leads, which is my preferred format for romances), but it didn't stop me from wishing we got Ethan's POV all along the way. (Though the epilogue is told from Ethan's POV, and it's DELIGHTFUL!)

I really like Olive, and appreciate the amount of self-realization and growth that happens for her in the second half of this book. And I love that the reader gets to slowly learn about Ethan (and fall crazy in love with him) right along with her. I found myself grinning like an idiot through most of the first part of this book, and likewise making some pretty severe anguished frowny-face in some parts. (My husband actually asked me "What's wrong?" at once point while I was reading this book!) At one point where Olive is really at her lowest point, I realized I was actually pressing a hand to my chest over my heart to try to make it stop hurting. That, friends, is an excellent book. Also, GO OLIVE for still getting her life in order and staying so strong despite being in tremendous amounts of pain. (I really can't say more than that because I don't want to spoil anything, which is so haaaaarrrrrd!)

The Unhoneymooners definitely requires a certain willingness to suspend disbelief, because the entire situation is bizarre, and Olive gets herself into some pretty unbelievable (but hilarious) scrapes. I am of the opinion that all the best rom-coms require some suspension of disbelief - it lends greatly to the humor! - and this book doesn't take it too far to completely break that ability to suspend disbelief. Christina Lauren really hits the sweet spot between humor and believably.

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about this book on social media lately, and I was excited to dive right in. It definitely didn’t disappoint! The Unhoneymooners is the perfect summer poolside read, with relatable characters and some fun plot twists. I personally really liked reading Olive’s perspective; while there were times where she seemed like a little too much of a downer, I thought her thoughts were real, raw and hysterical. To me, this is the best kind of chick lit - with a strong and independent main character who stands up for herself and what she believes in, I didn’t want the story to end! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

The Unhoneymooners is the absolute best summer/vacation/staycation book I have read yet. It is funny, ironic, engaging, and just plan terrific. The push and pull of the main characters, Olive and Ethan, is so well written and so well played by the authors. Everything you think can go wrong does go wrong and just when you think it is all solved, more disaster happens to Olive and Ethan. At many points, I could not stop laughing (or crying a little.)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Olive feels like she is the unluckiest person in the world. Her twin sister Amy, on the other hand, is as lucky as one gets. She has scored pretty much her whole wedding and honeymoon for free by winning giveaways (girl after my own heart!). Unfortunately, due to food poisoning, she and everyone else at the wedding end up terribly sick. As luck would have it, there are two people who had special dietary needs and didn't have what everyone else was having (sorry, Meg Ryan)- Olive and the groom's brother, Ethan. Naturally, Amy and her new husband Dane insist that Olive and Ethan take their honeymoon. An all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii- who could say no? But there's one small problem...Olive and Ethan cannot stand each other. And to really spice things up, Olive has to pretend to be Amy because of giveaway rules. Needless to say, this "unhoneymoon" turns out to be quite the adventure.

This was a funny book that gave me lots of Josh and Hazel vibes. I found Ethan to be a major jerk at times, but by the end of the book, I didn't hate him so much. Just like Olive. She found herself not hating him so much. :)

If you need a light, rom-com book, check this one out. It was a fun quick read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Christina Lauren for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

From start to finish I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or punch someone! The banter between olive and Ethan was hilarious and made this book amazing! At times I was furious with both and at others I wanted them to just kiss already! I definitely didn’t see the book going where it did and I love the real life scenarios here about finding our own identity and being true to oneself!

amazing read and can’t wait to see what comes from this duo next

Although I did enjoy The Unhoneymooners, of the Christina Lauren titles I've read, it was my least favorite. I think I prefer a little less up-and-down with my romantic pairings, and there was something weird about the timing in the last 25% or so. Still, their writing is fun and current and I'm absolutely going to continue reading them.