This book basically has everything I want all wrapped up in a nice, neat bow.
Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, tropical locales, curvy heroines.
I don't know how Christina Lauren (a.k.a Christina and Lauren, two sisters who co-author romances together) put out so many books so fast but I'm damn glad they do because this one was DELIGHTFUL.
The premise: Our heroine, Olive, is maid of honor at her twin sister Ami's wedding. She hates the best man, Ethan, who is brother to the groom, Dane. Semantics. Nearly everyone at the wedding gets food poisoning from a bad seafood buffet, and Ami begs her sister to go on her non-refundable Hawaiian honeymoon. The only problem? Dane offered the other ticked to Ethan.
Ten days in a tropical paradise with the man she hates?
Yes, it's just as delicious as it sounds.
Olive was such a fun main character! And she was described as "curvy", which could mean anything really, but I chose to believe she was legitimately plus size. She was the perfect blend of sassy and insecure that made her seem real. Ethan was dreamy, and witty, and their banter was just perfect.

I was a bit surprised that the story went beyond just their love story and dealt with side characters' issues, but it was a pleasant surprise.



Also I know there's been some hate on the cover, since it's bright yellow, but I rather like it.

Full review will publish May 14th at Caffeinated Reviewer. Easily one of my top romantic reads for 2019!

A feel good "haters to lovers" romance that will have you laughing, swooning and falling in love. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is the perfect summer romance to pack in your tote.

Fans of enemies to lovers, delightful banter, snark and swoons will love Olive and Ethan's story.

link valid May 14th, 2019 Review will be shared on all social media, Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you!

Another great one from Christina Lauren. Enjoyed the enemies to love story. This one did not disappoint me, although this duo rarely does.

I was so excited that I was able to read another Christina Lauren book! The more book I read by them, the more I become a fan. This book follows the story of Olive Torres who is a very unlucky woman. After everyone gets sick at her twin sister wedding, due to food poisoning, she is offered the chance to take a honeymoon trip to Maui. The catch? Going with the best man Ethan Thomas and having to pretend to be a married couple. Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse after winning a dream vacation, crazy situations are thrown their way. Can they keep this act up?

Olive is so unlucky that it makes the reader want to root for her, because I feel like all of us in life have felt super unlucky at one point. Ethan, on the other hand, is smug but calm and collected. He seems mean-spirited, but he’s actually caring. So far this Rom-com has had me cracking up! Romance books that make me laugh out loud are the best.

This book follows an enemies to lovers trope. The fake honeymoon actually becomes fun when they realize they don’t hate each other after all. I like how their personalities are different, but that they mesh well with one another. Their witty dialogues and comedic situations they get in kept me laughing out loud. Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, something else happens which makes it entertaining. I loved the overall setting in scenic Maui. The warm weather, Mai-Tais, and sandy beaches made me want to go on a vacation. Plus I enjoyed the adventurous excursions they get to go on.

The romance aspect is great and I liked how Olive and Ethan’s relationship. They are too sweet together and the romance is pretty heated at time. But after the honeymoon ends and they go back to daily life as with real couple is when their relationship is truly tested.

What I love the most about Christina Lauren books is that they are fun and light-hearted with relatable characters. This book was so much fun!I It was hilariously funny, full of Rom-com antics and I loved the characters. I think this book makes such a great summer read!

In comparison, I enjoyed Lauren's previous novel Josh and Hazel's Guide to Dating more than this one, but it doesn't mean that The Unhoneymooners doesn't have plenty of merit. On the contrary, the premise although not original, is appealing and filled with both nail-biting angst and funny moments as Olivia Torres is forced to spend a honeymoon weekend with her future brother in law's best man, Ethan who Olivia very much happens to hate after the whole wedding party is obliterated by food poisoning.
If the trope of enemies-to-friends-to lovers doesn't inspire you, I should tell you to reconsider. This novel has the markings of a light read, but it also teaches an important lesson: the line between love and hate is a fine one indeed.

This book could have been a trite disaster with two people who don't like each other going on a honeymoon in lieu of their siblings. However, the complexities involved with work, family and friends make the book deeper than you would think by skimming the description. I actually loved it.

What a fun book to read!

It had a hate-to-love relationship, twins sisters and Hawaii. What’s not to like?

When the book begins, we meet Olive Torres. A young woman who believes she’s unlucky in everything. She has so many stories where she has had bad luck and she has convinced herself that she's the complete opposite of her twin sister Ami.

Ami is lucky in everything. She wins contest after contest. When her boyfriend proposed, Ami made sure she applied to as many contests as she could to be able to win an almost free wedding. On the other hand, Olive has recently lost her job and she’s attending her twin sister’s wedding wearing the ugly green bridesmaid's dress and worse, she has to be civil to the groom’s brother, Ethan.

A couple of years ago when Ami introduced her to Ethan, she thought he was a good looking guy but then he acted mean when he saw her eating cheese curds and since then, animosity is their only line of communication.

After the wedding and due to a strong case of food poisoning, the newlyweds are unable to attend their honeymoon in Hawaii. Ami offers her non-refundable honeymoon trip to Olive and Ami's fiancee, Dane offers his to Ethan.

A paid vacation to Hawaii, who wouldn't want to go there? But what could go wrong with this plan?

Well maybe encountering her new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend was not part of their plan. Now in order to survive these meetings, they will need to call a truce and work together.

Christina Lauren is an unstoppable duo. Their romcoms are one of my favorites. Their main characters are so memorable and fun to read.

Gosh, it was so easy to fall in love with Olive and Ethan. Together, they were gold! They had a fantastic banter but also an insane chemistry. I was rooting for them to open up and reveal their true feelings.

I'm a sucker for a hate-to-love novel and The Unhoneymooners is the epitome of one.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fun premise: two people that hate each other get stuck together and fall in love! At some point the banter seemed a bit forced and unnecessary, but I liked the progression of the story. Throw in a couple messy coincidences (new boss! ex-girlfriend shows up!), it makes for a good cinema-rom-com that I'd like to see with Zac Efron and Selena Gomez.

"The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren
A fun contemporary romance. It is a entertaining story. There were times that it seemed a little long in places but that was probably because I was tired but didn't want to stop reading... curious as to what was just around the corner.. I was gifted an ARC copy by the publisher via NetGalley and this is my opinion of this story.

Okay, okay, I might be officially obsessed with Christina Lauren. This, Roomies, and Hating You/ Dating You are some of my favorite romances EVER. There’s something about this book in particular that really caught my attention when I read the synopsis that made me both “wish” for it on netgalley and request it (idk why there were both options but I was desperate!!!!). It sounded like the perfect book for me, hate-to-Love (a trope I’ve recently discovered I l o v e in books), beautiful setting, banter and shenanigans/fake dating(kind of, read the book) and overall just the delightful experience I get reading almost any Christina Lauren book. I have to say that I think some of my favorite books from Christina Lauren is when they kind of think outside of the box for book ideas or mix tropes! Especially with Roomies and this book I felt that! There’s just something in both that I haven’t seen before and I love it!

Anyways, onto why I ended up loving this book! First off, the. Banter. It’s of course better because it’s hate-to-love, but I’ve noticed that the authors are so good at writing it!! I constantly felt entertained by this book, and if not entertained mad (when I was meant to be mad, don’t fear!) or just.... swooning. I really loved the love interest and their relationship, and even though it was kinda predictable especially since I’ve read my fair share of hate-to-love I still got excited seeing them FINALLY realizing they don’t really hate each other. I did get really annoyed at a certain part however once it was all sorted out it totally made up for it. The ending made me feel all sorts of emotions and I just... really, really, loved this book.:))

The Unhoneymooners is a fun read. Olive and Ethan go on a honeymoon since her sister and his brother got sick at their wedding reception. It's a comedy of errors, such as running into her new boss and his old girlfriend and pretending they're married in order to fulfill the guidelines of the free honeymoon. Once enemies, Olive and Ethan discover they're both attracted to each other and have been since meeting. However, Olive learns a disturbing fact about her sister's husband that's is unsettling. When they return she substantiates that Dane is a dirtbag, but the two people she needs to believe her don't. Eventually all works out and the ending is very sweet.

Ethan and Olive are an adorable couple. So much fun to see these enemies fall in love.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Another winner for this writing duo. They had me full of anxiety and waiting what was to come of these enemies. I loved every minute of it!

The irony that my very first Christina Lauren book was an e arc from Netgalley lol

I enjoyed this so so so much. This is hilarious, with tons of adventures but also feelings and a little drama.

I related to Olive so so so much and her anxiety, I constantly feel like nobody is on my side and that I just have the worst luck.

The relationship between Ethan and Olive in this is so good! The hate-to-love is amazingly done and I freaking adore them together! I had so much fun reading this book, and really liked all the adventures they went on or had.

The ending was sooo cute too. I’m not a contemporary person like at all but this changed my perspective on rom-coms for sure!

The fantastic duo of Christina Lauren have done it again! The Unhoneymooners is a perfectly fun and sexy contemporary romance.

Olive and Ethan have developed a years long loathing for each other, even as their respective siblings have fallen in love and celebrated a marriage. When they are the last two standing, following a disastrous wedding buffet incident, Olive and Ethan bugrudgingly take the unfortunate couple’s places on the luxury Hawaiian honeymoon, lest it go to waste. They have ten days to hate each other in paradise. Or, maybe it isn’t hate after all?

I loved both characters for their sarcasm, wit, strong personalities and family loyalty. The tension is perfectly written, as is the building attraction and steam. A new favorite rom com!

A pretty conventional enemies to lovers story, with the lovers in question the sister and brother of a couple who come down with food poisoning after their wedding reception and can't go on their Hawaiian honeymoon as planned. So in step sister of the bride thirty-two-year-old Olive Torres (Latina) and brother of the groom, thirty-four-year-old Ethan Thomas (white), who must pretend to be married to get the all-expenses-paid free vacation that Olive's sister Ami won.

Should be simple for the two to go their own ways while on vaca, right? But when the highly improbable happens—Olive's new boss and his wife just happen to be staying at the same resort, as well as Ethan's ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend—the deceptions get a little more complicated, and the two enemies are forced to spend some quality time together. And discover that their animosity was based largely on a misunderstanding, exacerbated by the interference of the groom/brother. Can Olive keep their new romance flaming, without interfering her sister's marriage to what increasingly appears to be a less-than-standup guy?

Lots of laughs, but not too much in the way of character development or insights into gender politics which have made many previous CL books so enjoyable.

Did enjoy the proposal scene, though, one that was very much like my own...

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

The Unhoneymooners written by the awesome writing duo Christina Lauren was an entertaining, fun, flirty read! It also had its emotional, both good and bad, and heartwarming moments as well.

Olive Torres is an identical twin and while she and her sister look exactly alike, that is where their similarities end. Olive has always felt like she was unlucky. It always seems that when something negative happens she is the common denominator, whereas her twin, Ami, has luck to spare. Ami was able to win nearly everything, including the honeymoon, for her wedding.

When Olive learns she's going to have to deal with her nemesis, Ethan Thomas, the best man and brother of the groom, she's not thrilled. She's known Ethan for years, but she won't ever forget one of the first times they met and how he's brushed her off since that time. On the day of Ami and Dane's wedding, everyone in attendance at the reception, with the exception of Olive and Ethan, end up with food positioning, meaning the bride and groom can't take the all inclusive honeymoon they had won. When Ami suggests that Olive and Ethan take the honeymoon in she and Dane's place, they originally think it's a crazy idea, but knowing what it would mean to the couple, they suck it up and decide to go.

While the trip to Maui starts off with a boatload of tension, as Ethan and Olive begin to get to know one another they realize that the original idea they had about one another was actually one big misunderstanding. As they grow closer, Ethan shares information with Olive that makes her mind race and leaves her extremely conflicted. Olive is forced to examine many of the relationships in her life, not to mention the very new one she is forming with Ethan.

As we move through the book, Olive is challenged and is given the opportunity to really take a look at her life and the things she has always thought were important. She is able to grow from the things she has to face and the tough decisions she has to make. In the end she is happy with the person she becomes, which is awesome to see.

As I said at the outset, this was a fun, flirty and entertaining romance. Christina Lauren did a great job with it and I enjoyed it very much.

Olive Torres is a bad luck magnet... unlike her twin sister who wins every contest she has ever entered and seems to have her life completely figured out. So when said sister's perfect wedding reception gives everyone food poisoning... Olive finds her luck might finally be changing after all, when she gets to go in her sisters place on her all-inclusive Hawaii honeymoon.

Ethan Thomas is the brother of the groom and also avoided the wedding buffet from hell. With his own promised seat on the unusable honeymoon trip, there is no way that Ethan is letting Olive take this trip out from under him... even if they have to go together...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Unhoneymooners was a highly entertaining read that had me laughing out loud one moment and my heart clenching the next. Olive and Ethan's friction-fueled relationship had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me enthralled long after the book was over. 

Olive embraces her pessimism and has come to terms with the fact that life is never going to go her way. But, with the opportunity for the (free) trip of a lifetime, she feels like maybe her luck is finally changing. Until she finds out that she has to share her trip with her nemesis, Ethan. Sure, he's nice to look at... but that's about where her acceptance of him ends...

Ethan has made no secret of his dislike for Olive. From their heated debates to their unconcealed disdain, this trip should be a fun one. But, something unbelievable happens when they decide to set aside their animosity and learn a little bit about each other... in and out of the bedroom...

I loved Olive and Ethan's adorable repartee filled relationship and the completely unconventional way that they come together. Olive was hilariously awkward at lying, which was a definite problem while she was pretending to be her sister on her honeymoon. I couldn't get enough of Olive and Ethan's brand of banter (ahem: foreplay) and I really enjoyed all the added quirks and substance to their personalities. There was also just enough drama to make the storyline interesting and engaging... without bringing the overall mood of the story too far down. 

Funny, sexy and comprised of a fantastic plot and the always incredible writing of Christian Lauren, The Unhoneymooners is the next must read book you have been waiting for. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

Olive and her twin sister Ami could not be more different. Whereas Olive has had a lifelong streak of bad luck, Ami has won every contest she's ever entered from coloring competitions to a free wedding buffet and honeymoon for her upcoming nuptials. Olive loves her twin more than anything, but she's dreading spending the entire day with her enemy, Ethan, who just so happens to be the groom's brother and best man.

The wedding goes off without a hitch, that is until the reception when every person, except for Olive and Ethan, get horribly sick off the tainted free seafood buffet. With a free all-included Hawaiian honeymoon up for grabs, Olive and Ethan put their hatred of each other aside and agree to go together posing as the happily married couple. While the two are determined to spend the entire vacation avoiding one another, Olive's little white lie after a run in with her future boss threatens to change everything. The pair have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, but what happens when they stop pretending?

This was the first book I've read by Christina Lauren and I loved it. It was so charming and adorable, and I found myself smiling throughout the whole thing. Doesn't hurt that I do love me a hate-to-love trope, and this one was just too good to put down. I also really loved the writing style of this book. It was chock full of one liners and so many pop culture references (there was even a Clue reference!) and I was so here for it. My favorite part was all the banter between Olive and Ethan, especially their running bit of addressing one another by the wrong names. The two of them together were so fun to read and you could really feel the chemistry building between them.

I also liked the character development in this. Olive starts out a bit downtrodden, quick to blame everything on bad luck and a bit pessimistic, but by the end she really blossoms into her own. I also loved how she wasn't afraid to stick to her convictions when a certain drama goes down even though every person doubted her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was full of cute moments, funny interactions, and a relatable main character. Does it have a few predictable moments? Yes, but that's the case for most in this genre, but I don't necessarily mind so much. I'll definitely be checking out more from Christina Lauren because I just couldn't put this one down.

Rating: 3.75

Cover

This cover is definitely not my favorite but I understand where the inspiration came from. They could have gotten away with having this cover match their other books like Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.

Plot

The plot is what really made me interested in picking up this book. Olive Torres and her arch nemesis end up going on a honeymoon together after her twin sister and his brother get ill and can't go. But Olive and Ethan absolutely hate each other and have done nothing but fight the three years they've known each other.

I really loved watching Olive and Ethan fall for each other on this vacation. It definitely helped that they knew each other for three years previously and it didn't read like insta-love, which is something I was worried about. Even throughout this honeymoon they gradually fall for each other through many many mishaps and running into people they never wanted to run into. 

But, the only reason I didn't give this book a full five stars is because the last few chapters seemed unnecessary and were there just to create conflict for Olive and Ethan. It didn't add anything to the story other than a change in relationships in the epilogue. I thought it was a bit ridiculous to break up a couple after 10 days of marriage...Ami could've been left at the alter or discovered Dane's girls before the wedding. Either way, she would still have the honeymoon that needed to be taken and she could've been too distraught to do it. 

I did laugh out loud many times while reading this book though, it was a lot of fun!

Characters

Olive Torres is a bi-racial (white and Mexican) woman in her early thirties who is always unlucky. But, while everyone at her sister's wedding got sick, she got lucky and was one of two people who didn't. I think the authors focused too much on how unlucky Olive has always been. The mishaps would've been funny even without the authors explaining she was unlucky every 50 pages. 

She was also described as a curvy girl, but only because she went on a baking spree before the wedding -.- I don't understand why a girl can't just be curvy because that's the way she is. They tried making her proud about her body which I appreciated and her body was appreciated by others but why does she make excused as to why she's a bit thicker? It's unnecessary and it's what makes girls think curvy is bad. She also got compared to Selena Gomez as if the reader needed validation that yes, in fact Olive is really hot as if being curvy isn't. 

Ethan is definitely my newest book boyfriend. He's such a tough guy on the outside but once you get to know him, he's really sweet and caring. I also liked that the authors made him vulnerable and we got to see his more sensitive side along side Olive but we also get to see him be adventurous. 

I think Olive and Ethan are very cute as a couple and like that they got together. However, the last conflict of the book was really unnecessary and seemed out of the blue. It could have gone in a different direction and still have the same epilogue.