Member Reviews
I expected this book to be a fun filled enemies to lovers story, and it completely met my expectations. This was a blast to read. I love the way Christina Lauren writes their stories, and this one had me smiling from ear to ear. Olive Torres is an identical twin. Although they look just alike, her sister Ami is her opposite in so many ways. Ami is the lucky one. And Olive, well she has no luck at all. Whereas Ami is a four-leaf clover, I have always been unlucky. Ami is getting married and being the overachiever that she is, she’s devised a plan (along with a lot of luck) to get her wedding paid for. And it works out for her. So here is Olive, in a hideous bridesmaid dress having to tolerate her sworn enemy, the grooms brother, Ethan. It’s not her best day. But maybe her luck is beginning to change… I mean, her allergy to shellfish saves her from the serious food poising almost every person at the wedding gets. Ami is so ill she can’t go on her own honeymoon. And since it’s a non-refundable free trip, she insists Olive pretends to be her and goes in her place. Ethan, who also missed the food poising due to his aversion to buffets is invited to go as well. So here Olive is. With Ethan. On an romantic, exclusive get away. You can tell where this is going, right? Yes. And it’s going to be so much fun! I loved watching Ethan and Olive together. They seriously cracked me up. Olive is an endearing main character. Her luck was awful, but maybe at the end she really did end up being the lucky one. And Ethan. Ethan is hilarious, sweet, and completely misunderstood. Olive realizes that soon enough. I find myself smiling in the direction of the living room, and realize that staying firmly on Team I Hate Ethan Thomas is going to be more work than it may be worth. Where this was a fun rom-com, there were also a lot of obstacles this couple faced. It wasn’t all laughs and smiles. There was a bit of drama, a bit of angst, but overall it was hilarious, sweet, had the best banter, and I adored it! For all my friends that love a good enemies to lovers story and a book that will make you laugh out loud, pick this one up!! |
I really enjoyed Unhoneymooners. As a lover of Pride and Prejudice, I really enjoy a hate turns to love romance. The fact that this book was set in Hawaii and during what sounds like a truly magical vacation doesn't hurt either. I will say only the two main characters really feel like well rounded characters and everyone is a bit flat, but this did not hurt my enjoyment. I also think the author relied to much on the reader to guess about the family dynamics and Olive's real personality, but for the most part this did not stop the book from being enjoyable. Overall I recommend this for readers looking for chick-lit and dreaming of the beach. |
I knew what was going to happen in this book from Chapter one. I DIDN'T know how much I would absolutely adore this book. Was a lot of it predictable? Sure. Was a lot of it cliche? Sure. What it wasn't, was typical. The way the authors took each situation and made it specific to Ollie and Ethan, was absolute perfection. Such great chemistry between the ENTIRE ensemble of characters and just a great, feel good story. |
Some stories are just flat out fun to read, and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is one of those! An entertaining romance for fans of enemies to lovers! |
ACK, y’all! This book just left me in a state of “Squee! Squee! Triple Squee!” I’ll try to coherently share what that actually means, but suffice to say that my heart is so happy right now after all the fluttering and swooning and double time racing it’s been doing. I went into this book a little apprehensive because enemies-to-lovers is a trope that doesn’t always work for me. There was no need to worry, though. While I definitely think it’s a true enemies-to-lovers tale, the antagonism is doled out in equal measure and it’s smart, witty, and biting in a way that doesn’t quite make it mean and, indeed, sometimes feels a little bit like foreplay. And it’s funny. Funny in a smart way, which is my exact favorite kind of funny. The chemistry between Olive and Ethan was sparky in an almost palpable way. But it was the banter that stole the show. It was impossible for my heart not to attach itself to them, even as they engaged in verbal sparring matches. They were adorable, unexpectedly sweet, and so much fun to read! I also loved the added layer of the family dynamic(s) here. I adored Olive’s overwhelming and often overbearing family, and found her relationship with her sister to be authentic and touching – even as it occasionally frustrated me (as is the way of sibling relationships). I also loved how they supported each other, lifted each other up, and cheered each other on. It was just an extra special layer in this already special story and I loved it so much. I loved everything, really. I had so much fun reading this book. I fell crazy in love with Olive and Ethan’s love story, and I didn’t want to put it down. I laughed with them, I ached for them, and was ultimately rewarded with one very happy heart and a giant lovesick grin. An easy five stars. |
Susan L, Reviewer
5 hug-my-kindle worthy stars!!!! I loved The Unhoneymooners so much. It took everything that I love about reading romance books and executed it with such perfection and then some. A good enemies-to-lovers trope is my jam, and Olive & Ethan’s relationship had me so giddy. From their purposeful play on each other’s names to their I hate you (but I want you), and all the frowns and eye-rolls in between, I was so hooked! Ethan Thomas may just be my number one book fella now. He is...so yummy and hilarious. But, you know what? Olive may just be my ride-or-die book heroine now too. I love a great growth, self-reflection, and self-discovery story. Olive’s just felt especially real and inspirational. Christina Lauren are my auto-buy authors. But this one is right up there among my favorites! |
Apparently I have this weird pattern with Christina Lauren's books, where I'll like one release and then completely adore their next one. The Unhoneymooners continued this tradition, and fortunately, it landed on adore. Also, similarly, I love their books that have hate-to-love/general dislike/enemies-to-lovers (The Unhoneymooners, Wicked Sexy Liar, and Dating You / Hating You, respectively). If you love a good hate-to-love romance, you'll definitely love this one! I adored Olive! She really is the best, and I loved following her point of view. (Side note: I think I liked this book even more because it only had one POV. Personally, I just like a singular narrative.) She's judgmental and pessimistic as hell, which I highly relate to, honestly. I liked how the authors went into how people sometimes ignore what she says because they just think she's being negative. This happens to me all the time! One of the points of contention with her family is her feud with her sister's fiance's brother, Ethan, who, incidentally is the love interest. He apparently disapproved of her food choice at the fair when they first met, and she's disliked him ever since. Despite this, they have so much chemistry together. The banter! The inability to act like they like each other (until they really do)! Wits collide as they try to mask their hate for each other, and it's hilarious to read. The plot is so fun! There's all sorts of antics as Olive and Ethan struggle to pretend they're together, if not just so they won't get kicked out of the resort, but also to save face as they continually run into people they know. Thus, we get the "fake married" trope in the middle of the "hate-to-love," which, if you truly know me, are two of my favorite tropes. Olive is Mexican-American, and although I am not, as a PoC, I very much related in all her family's antics. Her cousins are some of her closest friends, and they're all so there for her, supportive through and through. I will say though, and I'm not sure if I am the one to say it, that there was, at least very borderline, presence of the "fiesty Latina" trope. I'd invite you to look for some #ownvoices reviews on this. It was nice to see that the deal breaker towards the end of the book was something that wasn't between them; it was more how they reacted to issues having to do with two of the people they're closest to. This goes back to people dismissing Olive's opinions because of how pessimistic she is, but I lowkey hated that Ethan refused to even entertain the notion that she was right. There was a lot of character development in Olive during this, but less so on Ethan's part, in my opinion. Overall, The Unhoneymooners is one of my favorite of Christina Lauren's books. It's hilarious and fun, and it made me miss Hawaii so much. If you like the fake dating/married or the hate-to-love trope, I definitely recommend this book! Pick it up on May 14 for witty banter, fun antics, and a wild ride from start to finish. **This review will be posted on my blog, Magical Reads, on May 11th.** |
I haven't read too many Christina Lauren books, but I know they can sure write a good romance. When I read the synopsis for this one and heard some good things from early reviews, I couldn't resist picking it up! Olive and Ami are twins and are opposites when it comes to luck; Ami has it all and Olive has none. When Ami's wedding comes up, Ami is determined to win everything in her wedding, from the dress to the honeymoon. When the buffet goes awry, though, and everyone but Olive and Ami's husband's infuriating brother, Ethan, get food poisoning, the newlyweds send their siblings on their honeymoon in their place. Attempting to get along for a sun-filled vacation, Olive and Ethan find themselves running into people from their lives back home and have to pretend to be a newly-wed couple who are head over heels for one another. While the two can't help but bicker, they slowly learn more about each other and realize they may have made some pretty big misconceptions about one another... I really love hate-to-love romances, so I was ALL OVER Olive and Ethan's romance. I literally laughed out loud during this book and was obsessed with the banter between the two characters. There were such little details about what they would do to push each other and I was smiling throughout most of this book. I also think the fake marriage aspect of this book made things that much more entertaining because they got to see another side of each other and realize that maybe they didn't really hate each other that much. Since this book did take place in Maui, away from the characters' real world, Olive and Ethan could forget everything and focus on their confusing feelings for one another. This book definitely made me crave summertime and a few hours on the beach. Since they were on vacation, there weren't too many slow moments because there as always something new for Olive and Ethan to do and argue over. Overall, this was such a fun hate-to-love romance that also dealt with familial relationships. I do wish we got a little more steam since most scenes ended up being fade to black. I would have also loved this book even more if we had some of Ethan's POV. He was just so sweet and I would have loved to see his perspective on things that happened. As it is, though, The Unhoneymooners is a fun romance that will have you laughing out loud! |
this was an ok book not the most bestest i have ever read but just ok. I probable woult go out of my way to read anything else by this author |
4.5 stars! Olive's identical twin sister, Ami, is getting married to Dane. Ami is the type that seems to have all the good luck and Olive?.... well, she has no luck at all. Here is the twist... everyone who attends the wedding ends up with food poisoning, except for Olive and Dane's brother Ethan. Because the trip was free, Ami implore Olive to use it but to remember that she has to pretend to married to Ethan. Here is the thing... since the day they met, Ethan and Olive can't stand each other. As they spend more time in Hawaii on the honeymoon, they discover that they've both been misguided in their perceptions of the other. Olive always though Ethan was attractive but his arrogance out weighed that for her, until she realized it was a shield in a way. They decide to see if this relationship can work once they are back home. This is where it gets interesting. So can they last or was it just a vacation fling? Definitely one click this hilarious, swoon-worthy read. |
Despite being a fan of their books earlier in their career, this is probably only my 2nd CL book in the past several years and both have been terrific. I read this book during a trip and despite not having much time downtime, The Unhoneymooners still managed to keep me captivated and amused. It had an awesome heroine (pessimistic nature notwithstanding), a huge, nosy and loving family, a disaster of a wedding and an unexpectedly sweet enemies to lover romance. I highly recommend. |
I have been such a huge fan of Christina Lauren and their brand of funny, swoony romance. The Unhoneymooners is just another 5 star example of their absolutely amazing novels. I completely fell in love with Olive and Ethan's hysterical banter and funny antics. This story made me laugh out loud as only this dynamic duo can do. When frenemies and co-bridal party members Olive Torres and Ethan Thomas decide to go on their respective siblings honeymoon they could never have expected the commotion that a trip to Hawaii would cause. I enjoyed this story immensely as I felt both Ethan and Olive were endearing and just laugh out loud funny. They were so different but there differences were where they shined. Ethan, a germaphobe and shy numbers guy was so funny in his adorkable awkwardness. Likewise, Olive was just as enchanting as her bluntness and inner sarcastic diva paired with her chemistry with Ethan was an altogether plus. Overall this was another win for this author duo and I look forward to more from them in the future! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula |
I love Christina Lauren's books! They are not only well-written but laugh out loud funny too. Olive's identical twin sister is getting married and Olive is happy but a bit sad to be "losing" her. When everyone gets terrible food poisoning from the reception buffet - except for Olive (allergic to shellfish) and the groom's brother, Ethan (thinks buffets are germ infested) - things become complicated. Olive and Ethan decide to go on the honeymoon since it's prepaid and it's hard to resist Maui. Although they've despised each other since their siblings began dating, they decide that they can avoid each other to enjoy several days in paradise. Unfortunately, a hilarious chain of events has them interacting with each other more than they planned. Lots of humor, an underlying issue with the groom, and slow burning romance make this a great read. |
I was sent an eARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not change my view in any shape or form. Witty, sexy and completely irresistible, The Unhoneymooners is Christina Lauren's best release yet. As always, the duo are on fire with their positively indulgent romance and prove they are one of the leaders of the pack when it comes to the genre. I. AM. OBSESSED. The Unhoneymooners is the sort of book that you will NEED to devote your entire day to. Once you settle in with it, you're not going anywhere because it deserves your full attention. It demands it. Or, I demand it, I'm not really sure which it is yet. The lines have kind of blurred. It's just... I--seriously adored this and like, serious question here, can I just have the entire book tattooed on my forehead? No, Jessica, that's weird. Back on track: If you love enemies-to-lovers tropes with a few delicious sprinkles of body positivity, empowering women, humorous leads and general unexpectedness: this is the book for you. Christina Lauren get sharper with every title they publish and this is proof of it. When I say that my focus was solely on The Unhoneymooners today, I mean it--the rest of the world was out of focus and all I could feel was what the story reflected back at me. When I read the synopsis for this novel, I knew I had to read it. It had all the qualities that I look for in a good romance novel: Characters that feel real enough to touch and relatable to the point of seeing bites of yourself in them. Lively, sexy tension. Highly entertaining dialogue. Engrossing romance. Potential for banter. Oh! And food poisoning that knocks out virtually an entire wedding party--and, sure, fine, okay, I am making up that part, but in the case of The Unhoneymooners, I was just ALL OVER THIS PLOT. Because it sets things up beautifully and awkwardly and humorously and, ugh, it is just gold. GOLD. PURE. ROMANTIC. GOLD. Walking away from this novel felt like so many things. A lot of them were indescribable. Mostly, I felt the rush of warm and fuzz emotions hit me. I really genuinely loved Olive and felt for her and many of her insecurities. I think a lot of people will appreciate her. There are a lot of occurrences throughout my life that feel unlucky, so I definitely felt connected with her string of bad luck. This, of course, makes you want only the best for her. As for Ethan, I really liked him as well. He was a tougher character to like, but that doesn't make him inherently unlikable. You just have to work a little harder to understand and connect with him. I will say that, of the two mains, I don't like him nearly as much as Olive. But, I did grow to like him more than I expected. Naturally, their chemistry is off the charts. I loved the entire premise of the novel and loved it even more as I saw where the story was going. Ultimately, The Unhoneymooners is one of my favourites of the year so far. The story was fun and a little familiar, which led to the general warmth and fun I had while reading it. It truly was impossible to put down and just had that extra spark that not every romance has for me. From characters you love, to characters you grow to love, to an unforgettable story--this is definitely can't-miss for Christina Lauren fans. |
I have been a HUGE fan of Christina Lauren since the BEAUTIFUL BASTARD series started. Unhoneymooners is an enemies to lovers - rom-com that had me spitting out my drink multiple times. While I love the fact that this isn't a heavy book, I was a bit disappointed in the plot, for the simple reason being that it should have had more to do with the main characters Olive and Ethan. Their chemistry was just okay to me. It wasn't over the top or explosive, and that could be because of what I am used to. With that said, I am happy with how this author choose to forgo the sexy times that were descriptive. To me, it just made more room for Olive and Ethan's story. I will say that Olive and Ethan's banter is some of the wittiest I have ever come by. It was fluffing fantastic. It made the story that much more intriguing. Add in the family dynamic, and it will easily sweep you away, Being 32 years old, Olive thought she would have her life together. Olive " Ollie " is pretty much the unluckiest person known to mankind, from her career, to her not so love life. The one thing she does have, is a one of a kind personality. She has belief in herself and is not ashamed of who she is. She is witty, and clever, and the best dang sister known to man kind. Ethan is quite the opposite of Olive. He has a thing for numbers, honestly anything to do with math, and a career he enjoys. He is germophobe, and likes to keep disinfectant with him almost every where he goes. He comes off as shy, and is not very talkative. He seems to embarrass pretty easily, and it's quite hilarious when it happens. When Olive and Ethan get the chance to take a free 10 day vacation, they agree to put aside their mutual hatred. But to be able to keep up lies that are told, they have to do more than put the mutual hatred aside. Can Olive and Ethan move on from the past? *I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK |
Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin. Wherever she goes, mayhem seems to follow. By contrast, her sister Ami like a lucky penny. She even got her entire wedding planned by winning free stuff! Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man aka her nemesis soon to be brother-in-law, Ethan Thomas. Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo. I adored this book! The premise is hilarious and makes for fun reading. This writing due excels at characterization and humorous banter. The developing romance is realistic and heartfelt. Perfect for readers of contemporary romance and those who enjoy the writing of Molly Harper and Sophie Kinsella. |
Melissa S, Librarian
Loved the premise of this book. Ethan and Olive are mortal enemies yet their siblings are getting married and they are the best people. When everyone gets sick at the wedding and they are each offered the honeymoon they decide to take it. Sparks fly and assumptions are put to rest. But when secrets are shared about their siblings marriage, do they have what it it takes to make their new relationship last? This was a fun, sexy rom-com that I've come to expect from the uber talented duo of Christina Lauren. Sure I may have had to suspend some disbelief a few times throughout the book but it didn't deter from my enjoyment of it or my love for the couple, especially Olive. |
Librarian 450665
Yet another escapist delight from Christina Lauren! This sort of felt like they read The Hating Game and thought, "we can do better." They did - this was a great reworking of the enemies-to-lovers trope. |
julia a, Reviewer
This was SUCH a fun read! totally loved it, and can't wait to read more from CLo. One hope for the future is that they will elevate writers of color instead of just writing from the POV of a writer of color. |
People claim that love to hate relationships in books are overdone and overrated. I, on the other hand, love them and this book is the reason why I do so much. Christina Lauren is two authors that get things right in romance novels. The witty banter, the seduction, and everything in between are just perfect when they come together. They make it so easy for you to instantly fall in love with their characters. The thing that shocked me was that there wasn't much sex in this one. Usually, they go into detail and this one didn't which was surprising. But it didn't take away from the love/hate story between Olive and Ethan. |








