Christina Lauren the two woman writing team responsible for the smash hit, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, has hit another homer. Twin sisters who are very different, one wedding and two brothers, one a douche and one so misunderstood and clueless are thrown together along with a free seafood tower that goes as well as you think free seafood would go.

Olive's twin sister and the groom are down for the count and a free honeymoon to Maui is going unclaimed. After a rash of bad luck Olive thinks things are changing, but she has to go with her nemesis, the brother of the groom, Ethan. The two do not like each other and keep misunderstanding everything each other says. A run in with a future boss, a white lie and a run in with an ex and more lies, sets up a comedy of errors worthy of Shakespeare. A tentative romance blooms but is this only a vacation fling or could it be more.

Once back from the honeymoon the lies catch up with them and their siblings. Can the new couple stick together and form lasting bonds? If you like rom coms like You've got mail, this is a winner. I have recommended it to all my co-workers and the wait list is not long for my library.

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Unhoneymooners. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Being unlucky compared to her twin sister Ami is nothing new to Olive Torres. When her sister's almost totally free wedding turns into a disaster, is Olive's luck about to change? Going anywhere with Ethan, the brother of her sister's new husband, is not what Olive had in mind, but will a change of scenery be exactly what she needs?

Having read other novels by the team known as Christina Lauren, I expected that The Unhoneymooners would be the perfect beach read. To that end, I was not disappointed. Readers who like romance novels with characters that find themselves in unexpected and sometimes compromising positions will probably enjoy The Unhoneymooners. I really did like Olive, especially the fact that the dark cloud that follows her everywhere does not deter the woman from trying. The story itself was too easy and the romance expected. I was not really all that surprised regarding any of the plot twists and I did not really buy the connection between some of the characters. The Unhoneymooners was a quick read, one that I devoured in an afternoon, so those looking for a fast paced romance may find the novel to their liking.

This is my first book by the writing duo, Christina Lauren! The Unhoneymooners is a fun enemies to lovers story and I read it in one setting!! The writing was fantastic and I absolutely loved Ethan and Olive. Their chemistry was awesome and I LOVED their love-hate relationship. Its the perfect summer read with a good mixture of romance, comedy, angst, and emotion! Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Source: NetGalley and Gallery Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

Olive and Ami are the most nonidentical, identical twins in the history of ever! While they may look startingly alike, that is where the similarities end. Ami is calm, cool, collected, poised, elegant, confident, organized, and utterly prepared while Olive is most decidedly, none of those things. While Olive has generally accepted her role as the other twin, there are times when the differences between she and Ami are achingly obvious. Ami’s wedding would be one of those times.

As the wedding day wears on, Olive manages to put out all fires, except three: 1) the best man is an ass and she can’t completely avoid him as maid of honor; 2) the groom is a complete idiot, but the heart wants what the heart wants and; 3) the bad shellfish that causes everyone except Olive and the best man (UGH!) to become gravely ill. Thinking she’ll spend the next week or so caring for her twin and their extended family, Olive shocked to find her twin has other plans. With an all-inclusive and totally non-refundable honeymoon in Hawaii waiting to be claimed, Ami convinces Olive that not only will she go on Ami’s honeymoon, but she’ll do so with the (UGH!) best man, Ethan.

One lousy plane ride later . . . .

Hawaii sure has a way of softening a person’s heart and as soon as Olive gets a good look at her surroundings, she begins to soften towards Ethan. Softening means talking and talking could just lead to liking if Olive isn’t careful. What’s more, if she and Ethan begin to like each other, they may really like each other and that always leads to sexy times and possible complications. But, sexy times with Ethan could be delightful so Olive begins talking and liking 😊

Ten days in paradise do wonders for Ethan and Olive and what they each discover is a grave miscommunication early in their relationship, an ongoing miscommunication between Olive’s sister and her new husband, and a rock and a hard place. Both Olive and Ethan must decide what to do about Ami and her husband and what each feel’s is right may cause a crashing and burning of their burgeoning relationship. To bad what happens and is discovered in paradise can’t simply stay in paradise.

The Bottom Line: This is a great little rom-com that is fairly predictable, but entertaining enough that you won’t care. Olive is feisty and fiery and her bantering and bickering with Ethan is often quite funny. As Olive and Ethan begin to work out their issues (in bed!) the story takes a sweeter turn that is tinged with foreboding. Olive and Ethan have not had an easy relationship from the very beginning so when their respective worlds blow up thanks to other people’s issues, it is quite a sad turn of events. However, as this is a stand-alone read, there is an HEA and getting to that happy ending is well worth all the drama and nonsense.

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests. Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man. Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive & Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. After much convincing from her sister, Olive decides to put on a happy face for the sake of a free vacation, even if she does have to spend it with Ethan. Will this week make them change their minds about each other? review: Well, Christina Lauren has done it again! If you're looking for a cute book to read this summer be sure to pick this one up! It's filled with witty commentary, enjoyable characters, and hilarious escapades along their journey in Hawaii! I am always a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers kind of romance, so naturally I loved the dynamic between Ethan and Olive. Their relationship was a slow burn, but I really enjoyed getting to know them as individuals and as their friendship blossomed into something more. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

I started THE UNHONEYMOONERS over a month after it was released because I just kept getting nervous?? I requested this book initially because I've been wanting to try Christina Lauren but wasn't sure where to begin. Why not request this as motivation to read them? I ended up deciding to blaze through the egalley one day during Summerathon because I just wanted something quick. A lot of people felt a little meh on this one (like there were 50 pages too many) while others said they read it in one sitting and it was LOL-funny.

I found both of the latter things to be 100% true. I could not put this book down and did not stop laughing for the VAST majority of it. Ethan and Olive were hilarious main characters and this is easily some of the best banter in a hate-to-love romance that I've ever read. I read the book in "one sitting" which was only broken up by me having to get ready for the work day in between.

I liked that they communicated with each other and apologized for things; I've said recently how much I appreciate authors making the "black moment" one that isn't just about stubbornness and miscommunication. If I could complain about something though, it'd be the fact that the romance/sex scenes were fade-to-black? I know this is my first book by them, but I thought their books were quite steamy? I think I saw some reviews where people complained that their books are moving into the less-steamy area so maybe that's why.

Overall, this book was a slam dunk for me. I can't lie that I'm possibly even more nervous to read their other books now because this one sounds different than them, but I will definitely be bumping them up on my TBR regardless.

In need of a good laugh and romance? This novel is 100 percent for you. Unhoneymooners is laugh out loud funny—Olive’s observations, history, and experiences are so funny that I’d just burst out laughing and I think what I especially loved was that for as many times as I anticipated the funny there were even more where it snuck up on me and I’d just find a laugh just bubbling right out of me (and isn’t that the best?!).

In addition to the funny, there’s a really great enemies to lovers romance. Olive and Ethan being thrown together in small, romantic experiences and having to get past their reflexive hatred and work together to pull off their ruse was fun to watch and made their falling in love that much more interesting.

Amidst all of this was an interesting take on perception and influence and how some people’s manipulation and influence can really impact how people see each other and themselves. I enjoyed this more serious aspect of Olive’s character arc and loved how Christina Lauren worked it out.

The Unhoneymooners is fun, clean romance —a delightful summer, beach, or poolside read.

I never thought a book by this duo, would be able to beat out My Favorite Half-Night Stand as my favorite. But they managed it. This book had me cracking up, crying, and never wanting it to end. The banter between the characters, every single dang character.. was perfect. The storyline some how managed to be ridiculous and yet completely relatable and had you invested the second you picked it up. I found myself wanting to punch people in the face, hug them on another, and rooting for them the whole way through. It was perfect.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

CLo does it again, delivering a fun and flirty story! The Unhoneymooners is the perfect vacation read!

Christina Lauren is always an auto-buy for me. I love this duo’s writing style, and The Unhoneymooners is one of my favorites by them to-date! This enemies to lovers contemporary romance standalone, told from our heroine’s point of view, is hilarious and charming.

As is evidenced by the synopsis, the premise for The Unhoneymooners is befitting of a rom com flick! I really enjoyed the plot. It’s completely ridiculous which might be why I loved it so much! Seriously though, can this be made into a movie!?!

As with most of my favorite reads, I thought the characters made this story. Olive and Ethan are everything! Olive’s life is a general mess, but I liked seeing her work through her problems. She felt super relatable! Ethan won me over early. For fear of spoiling a plotline, I’ll simply say I did find him to be naive in one regard and would have liked to shake some sense into him, but I still adored the guy!

Overall, I loved The Unhoneymooners — the setting and quick pacing makes this the perfect beach read! I highly recommend it!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

Enemies to lovers fans, The Unhoneymooners is for you. Olive and Ethan hated each other at first sight, or so they think. Their siblings Amy and Dane have just married but they get horribly sick at the wedding. Amy is insistent that the honeymoon trip (she won in a contest) not go to waste. Ethan’s brother Dane insists he take the trip. Despite Olive and Ethan hating each other they decide to take the trip but stay away from each other.

This was a classic Rom Com. Hilary ensues and Olive and Ethan’s plans to avoid each other are derailed. Of course, these two soon discover that they kind of like each other. Will they make a go of a real relationship once they get home or was it just a fling?

If you are Christina Lauren fan you will definitely enjoy this. I thought it was cute and it is great for a summer beach read.

There is a special sort of magic that happens in a Christina Lauren book when the pair are firing on all cylinders. The dialogue sparkles, the characters settle into themselves quickly, and hundreds of pages fly by while you are contentedly spending time in their world. I am deeply pleased to report that The Unhoneymooners is one of the books that contains the magic.

This enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity tale has the added bonus of taking place in Hawaii -  which is really not the worst place to locate a book that I read (and many others I will read) on holiday - and kicks off at a wedding.

Olive is the unlucky twin. While her sister wins everything from radio competitions to an all-expenses paid wedding to the perfect fiancé, Olive fumbles her way through life with slight tragedy as her constant companion. Latest example? Her sisters’ wedding, where she will be forced to be in close proximity to her sworn enemy, Ethan.

But the hits keep on coming, because the entire wedding party comes down with insane food poisoning over some bad (won in a contest) shellfish. Except, of course, for Olive and Ethan. Olive’s sister begs Olive to take her place on the all-expenses paid honeymoon to Hawaii - if someone doesn’t go, they’ll have to pay for it - and Olive is fairly gung-ho until she realizes she’ll be going with Ethan.

Okay, fine, she tells herself, they just need to get there and then she can enjoy a free vacation in Hawaii by avoiding him completely. Then she runs into her new boss, because she is the unluckiest person alive, and a small white lie snowballs into a big lie and she ends up fake married to Ethan and the Ethan-free vacation turns into their fake honeymoon.

Of course, as the days go by and she spends more and more time with the man himself, she discovers that maybe she’s, in fact, the luckiest woman.

I know there are folks for whom the patter of Lauren’s writing simply doesn’t work, and if you are in that category, this book will be no different. If, however, you are like me and count them among your favorite contemporary writers then you are in for a treat. There were a few bumps - I hate lying in a book, so there was a bit of an eyebrow raise at the continued deception practiced against the boss - but the overall charm of Ethan and the way Olive allowed herself to grow was too scrumptious to not want to read this again.

All in all, throw The Unhoneymooners into the beach bag for the summer vacation and thank me later.

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When I started The Unhoneymooners. I expected the best, and I ended up feeling fulfilled. I needed the light contemporary romance, and I knew going in I could trust Christina Lauren to give it to me. They have such an ability to create two characters, never exactly the same, and take me on a wild hilarious ride resulting in a serious romance.

Once the story started rolling, I couldn’t put it down. I kept reading even when I was on a work trip and knew I needed to get my bum to sleep. It’s what these books do to me.

I really liked both characters, Oliver and Ethan. I liked them individually, and I liked them as a couple. That’s another thing this duo always does well. They make their couples interesting, but they also keep me invested in them individually. They were great characters.

Unfortunately I felt like the secondary issues that developed were serious. I’m not sure their redemption and subsequent forgiveness measured up to the crime. The book ended and I was left still feeling disappointed in the what the character had done.

Really good book, but lukewarm ending.

Do you believe in luck? Well with the Torres family the Torres twins seem to be polar opposites when it comes to luck. Olive Torres seems to have nothing but bad luck since the time she got stuck in a claw machine and lost her pants in the process of getting freed on the news when she was six to fast-forward to the present where her roommate moves out of the apartment she can barely afford then the next day gets laid off. While as her sister Ami seems to have nothing but good luck from winning books, a car, and even an all expense paid honeymoon in Maui at least until everyone except Olive and the groom's brother (Ethan) end up with food poisoning from the seafood buffet at the reception. Which was how Olive and Ethan sworn enemies end up on a romantic honeymoon together. While on the island they end up running into her new boss (as she received a call at the airport with a job offer) and his ex which changes their plans slightly, and they end up spending more time together then they had intended to, and they discovered that maybe they don't hate each other as much as they initially thought and that maybe there was a third party back at home trying to make sure that didn't happen.

Although parts of this felt pretty predictable and was pretty clear early on I didn't feel that was a deterrent to enjoying this wonderful story. Also, not all things that are predictable are bad and I found to be something I really enjoy about knowing when I pick up my next Christina Lauren the protagonist will almost always be quirky and confident. I continue to look forward to reading more Christina Lauren in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren was a fun and hilarious story that kept me entertained from beginning to end. The bantering between Olive and Ethan was something I couldn't get enough of. They were too funny and completely adorable. Their story completely swept me away from the real world, which is something I really needed. I haven't read anything by these authors before, but I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more of their work.

3.5 stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

This book was so fun! A quick read, I read it in about a day. I would call this brain candy - it's pretty easy to figure out what happens based on the publisher's description alone. That being said, I enjoyed the characters and the romance. Perfect as a palette cleanser book or a beach read.

I loved everything about this book.

For starters, Christina Lauren create two unforgettable characters and make them feel so real, so tangible that your heart hurts when theirs does, just as it feels their joy and euphoria.

Olive is glorious. She is feisty and determined, someone for whom family is all-important. She is so devoted to her twin sister that when Ami and her new husband (and all but one other person at the wedding) come down with a raging case of food poisoning, Olive agrees to go on Ami’s honeymoon trip with her sworn enemy–and Ami’s new brother-in-law–Ethan. Olive is convinced that Ethan hates her, so she reacts accordingly.

A free luxury vacation in Hawaii sounds divine, until you’re sharing it with someone you can’t stand. But you know what they say about love and hate and the whole “two sides of the same coin” thing, right?

The way Christina Lauren show you the growing feelings between Olive and Ethan is nothing but pure fun. Their verbal sparring will make you laugh, and that sexual tension is GLORIOUS. The closer they get, though, the more relaxed Ethan becomes until he divulges something that possibly reflects badly on his brother.

If this were just an enemies-to-lovers romance, it would be fine. But Christina Lauren add depth to that. Olive, as much as you love her, needs to face some hard truths about herself. She needs to decide for herself what defines her and what brings her happiness. Those are not easy lessons to learn, and I found myself tearing up over some of the pains she suffers. It adds poignancy to the romance.

Let me know what you think of this wonderful book. I do hope you read it.

I have heard tons about Christina Lauren books so I decided I wanted to give it a try on this one. I have to admit I was surprised at how well the comedy fits in with the story line of this one. There were parts of the book that I was literally laughing out loud on! I love when you get a good dose of comedy with a good romance.

What is your worst nightmare that you could imagine about your wedding day? Well, we get to experience one of the worst things you could imagine happening at a wedding in this story. When everyone but two people get food poisoning at the wedding, those two are forced to take the Honeymoon for the couple so that it does not go to waste. The two lucky people are the bride's twin sister, Ollie, and the groom’s brother, Ethan.

Ollie and Ethan of course can't stand each other or so they act like. When they are stuck together for 10 days, we get to see the true feelings come out with these two. Do they really hate each other or was that just a front? If Ollie and Ethan do really like each other, could it ever work out for these two with their families? You will have to read this one to find out what happens to the only two guests at the wedding that don't end up sick.

I really enjoyed reading this one and hope that you would give it a chance as well. Christina Lauren is a hoot and I look forward to what is in store for readers in the future!

All opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

Shel: In need of a good laugh and romance? This novel is 100 percent for you. Unhoneymooners is laugh out loud funny—Olive’s observations, history, and experiences are so funny that I’d just burst out laughing and I think what I especially loved was that for as many times as I anticipated the funny there were even more where it snuck up on me and I’d just find a laugh just bubbling right out of me (and isn’t that the best?!). Court: Absolutely...add in a pretty hilarious family that I would love to be a part of and this story is pretty dang great.

Shel: In addition to the funny, there’s a really great enemies to lovers romance. Olive and Ethan being thrown together in small, romantic experiences and having to get past their reflexive hatred and work together to pull off their ruse was fun to watch and made their falling in love that much more interesting.

Court: Exactly...I love that there is so much more to this story than even the premise promises, and little by little and chapter by chapter we get a little bit more of who Olive is. I loved her character, and she may not always get it right she definitely has a huge heart that is underappreciated by just about everyone she knows!

Shel: Amidst all of this was an interesting take on perception and influence and how some people’s manipulation and influence can really impact how people see each other and themselves. I enjoyed this more serious aspect of Olive’s character arc and loved how Christina Lauren worked it out.

Court: I 1000% agree. I enjoyed that from both mc's perspective, and loved the backdrop of Hawaii for them to learn more about themselves in...and then, I also loved that we got to go with them back home and let real life trickle in too...I am glad that it isn't just a fade to normal happily ever after...we had to work for it!

Shel: The Unhoneymooners is fun, clean romance —a delightful summer, beach, or poolside read. Court: Get it! Christina Lauren's writing is ah-mazing, and you will not regret picking up this book!

Christina Lauren is back with an enemies-to-lovers romance. Bridesmaid Olive steels herself to get through her twin sister's wedding, which forces her to spend the day with her sworn enemy best man Ethan. But when the rest of the party falls prey to food poisoning, Olive and Ethan find themselves on an all-expenses-paid honeymoon trip to Hawaii, determined to leave each other alone. Until they wind up pretending to be newlyweds to save Olive's job. Sometimes pretending can be a whole lot of fun. (Fun and funny, this one had me fondly reminiscing my own tropical honeymoon.)

A really fun romance, the characters were very relatable and one could definitely sympathize with Olive. Will be a good book club selection.