Almost a 4...

Believe it or not, I have not read a book by this duo before.

I STARTED one, earlier this summer at the urging of friends, but found the dialogue of the characters to be crude and immature. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I know!! The “humor” is what most readers like about these romances! Which is why, several devoted fans have been disappointed with this book.

Since the publisher said that this book would have a “different feel” from the others...I decided to give this one a try. It is a more serious romance. Not humorous at all, in fact.

And, I liked it!!

Tate and Sam meet while vacationing with their respective grandparents in Europe. He is her “first love” and the first person she reveals her true identity to. But her trust was misplaced.

Fourteen years later, she is an up and coming actress, and is shocked when she walks onto the set, of the film, “Milkweed” and Sam is there. She has not seen or spoken to him since Europe. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, she must ask herself the question:

“ IS IT POSSIBLE TO DO THE WRONG THING FOR THE RIGHT REASON?”

YOUR answer to this question may determine if you root for them in this story.

I enjoyed the “movie set” and getting to know all of the characters.
But, I cannot say that I was really rooting for Tate and Sam to reunite.

It was a wonderful story of forgiveness, more so than a “once in a blue moon” romance to me.
I am okay with the ending , but would’ve been just as fine with another outcome...

What is important though is that I was was fully engaged with the story and have no hesitation in recommending this book!

Just go into it expecting something a bit different from their earlier work.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Gallery, Pocket Books, and Christina Lauren for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! This title will be released on Oct. 22, 2019!

Tate Jones lived most of her young life ‘hiding in plain sight’, but never sharing the secret of who her father is except with her best friend, Charlie. Living with her grandmother and mother, working in their little café just north of Los Angeles, and never being allowed to just be a kid without secrets, her first trip away from home in over a decade is to London with her grandmother, leaving her mother in charge of the café. From the start, Tate and her grandmother have adjustments to make – it’s the biggest place Tate has ever been, her grandmother is unhappy with the room, and she’s planned every second of the trip for and with Tate. But, they also encounter another pair of Americans in a small café – Sam and his ‘pseudo-grandfather’ Luther. Instant sparks flash between Tate and Sam, and while he’s a bit older, the attraction is not one-sided and her grandmother and Luther seem to have things to discuss as well.

But, trust and Luther’s failing health have Tate in a tight spot – especially when partway into their vacation Tate shares her secret and the feelings she has for Sam, and just a bit later he and Luther are gone, checked out of the hotel, and the paparazzi are hounding Tate. Having lost her first love and her trust betrayed in such a callous manner has Tate closing down on the ‘personal’ side of her life, although she’s been offered the chance to act, and been very successful. Fast forward a decade and Tate has been chosen for a script that seems to be tailor made for her – one that will bring critical acclaim as well as stretch her skills. There’s just one problem – the story, and person, she is to play is Sam’s grandmother – the screenwriter is Sam, and he’s there – at the first table read – without her having any warning at all. Of course there is plenty of back and forth, and more than a bit of interference from Tate’s father- always to place himself in the best light, but things do come to a head with decisions to be made by both of them.

While this started out as a very YA read, the growth in both Sam and Tate when we rejoin them years later, as well as the revelations and self-awareness that is sparked during their reunion and information (or confirmation) about Tate’s father all seem to bring the story into a solid late-20’s sort of story – both characters have a fairly solid sense of who they are and who they are meant to be, and with the input from secondary characters that help to fix Tate’s challenges and worries into a more ‘familiar’ framework for her to sort through – the story is engaging, hopeful and full of the heart that one expects from a second chance at romance story.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Tate and Sam met when they were on a vacation in London with their grandparents (Tate with her grandmother and Sam with his grandfather). Tate was just 18 years old and Sam was a college student. They spent many nights under the stars and fell deeply in love. Tate is a daughter of a famous movie star, but no one knows that little secret though … until the end of the trip when her secret life was sold to paparazzi. Tate left London brokenhearted and she never seen or heard from Sam again. Over a decade passed Tate is an actress as well recently being casted a lead role in a love story. What she did not expect when she showed up on set was coming face to face with her first love again. Sam is a screenwriter for the movie. How is Tate going to work side by side with the man who betrayed her years ago? What’s worst? She is still in love with him. Does Sam feel the same way? Will Tate get the closure she desperately needs?
Okay so, I love the first part of the book – the light-hearted innocent romance, all the exploring and the nights under the stars. As adults, I did not feel the connection between Tate and Sam as I would have like at least not until Sam’s letters at the end. I wish there were more Sam’s POV. There was so much focus on the relationship between Tate and her father as well I felt like it takes away from the main love story. Movie star characters are not particular my favorite either so I did not care for the movie set scenes but that is just my personal taste. Don’t let it deter you from reading the author beautiful words. I feel Once in a blue moon is more of the heroine’s journey from a young lady to adulthood and less of a romance. So, if you are in to the glitz and glam and drama of Hollywood, this book is for you.

I was really really looking forward to getting sucked into a nice easy breezy romance. But it fell flat.
I know this is a highly HIGHLY anticipated book but it was just meh for me. I loved the fact that it followed actors and all that behind the scenes stuff, and I liked the beginning which felt a lot like a YA novel (could be because the characters are still teenagers). It was your typical, fall in love super fast stuff and then they meet years later. So your basic first loves reconnect many years later after building a life together. I usually like those stories, but I couldn't find my groove with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Having read the Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and thoroughly enjoying the humorous banter between the characters I hoped for the same chemistry in TWICE IN A BLUE MOON.
The chemistry was not the same but I enjoyed TWICE IN A BLUE moon nonetheless.

TWICE IN A BLUE MOON is a second chance love story; a story of forgiveness.

It was an enjoyable quick read and I did feel invested in the characters and their friendships and their loves.

I do feel this book lacked some of the magic I was anticipating, I will definitely read the next novel these ladies write and surely recommend this one.

This was such a great book! It was definitely a second chance romance book and I loved it. I'm a sucker for this plot. Tate and Sam's story was cute and what I expected. Meet young, fall in love, betrayal, lose touch, reconnect and will they fall in love again? Although I liked the main characters, I didn't love them. Not like other CL books that I've read and the characters stick with me for a while. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait for this duo's next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

I thought this book was a disappointment for Christina Lauren. I know that books require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but I thought it was far-fetched that Sam would have been able to make a lot of money for giving info about Tate. There wasn't a lot of chemistry between Sam and Tate. I really hated Ian and not in a fun to hate way. To me, this didn't measure up to her previous books.

As a huge Christina Lauren fangirl every time I read a book of theirs that I don't absolutely love it feels as if someone canceled Christmas. This was not a bad book but I knew almost instaneously that this one was not going to end up on any of my favorites lists. From the opening that is straight out of A Room With a View to the lackluster connection between Tate and Sam, I was left wishing for more. For a second chance story like this one to really work, there has to be enough depth to the relationship initially to sustain those feelings into the future. Nothing about Sam and Tate's meeting in London gave me any of that. They were attracted to each other but had no connection. It didn't help that they both seemed so much younger than they were supposed to be and without fully formed personalities. When they meet again a decade later none of that really changes. They rarely talk to each other and never about anything that doesn't involve their past. They didn't know each other then so how can they possibly know each other now? As I reader I never felt as if I knew them either. I never fully understood how they got from London to that movie set together. I was much more interested in the characters surrounding them and trying to figure out everything outside of the romance. Tate's relationship, or lack there of, with her father added some appreciated tension. This was a fast read but not one that will stick with me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm convinced that the amazing duo known as Christina Lauren can't write a bad book. I've fallen in love with the characters in every single book I've read of theirs, and I have a hard time distancing myself from the story once the book is over. This one was just as wonderful as the others! We meet Tate, an up and coming actress who is going to be working on a movie with her Oscar winning (and kind of sketchy) dad. 14 years prior, Tate had met Sam, a boy from the other side of the country, on a 2 week vacation in Europe. They quickly fell head over heels in love, but he broke her heart and shattered her trust. When Tate steps onto the set of her new (and very anticipated) movie, Sam is the last person she expects to see … but he's there. She still thinks about him, and doesn't understand what happened and why he did what he did. The only problem is that he's even more attractive and alluring now, and she can't justify him with the image that she has created in her head (of a man who hurt and abandoned her). Will she be able to confront him & talk about what happened? Will their "once in blue moon" type of love be able to happen again?
This was such a sweet story, and I absolutely would recommend it to any romance lovers. Second chance romance books may be a new favorite trope of mine, and I need to find tons more of these types of books!

The book started out so good, with a love-at-first-sight kind of romance between young adults that have such an innocent and pure love, it was beautiful to see. It is ruined by sacrifice and impossible choices. Enter a nefarious father in the background trying to get more clout off the back of his up and coming actress daughter in a Hollywood that is moving one without him. Again, the beginning was very good and pure with the beginning of sweet relationship and then the story lags a lot in the middle and especially in the end it was very anti-climactic.

This is only my second Christina Lauren book and I officially need them all. Who knew I would love second chance romances so much! Sam and Tate were adorable and this book was just fun! I am such a fan of this duo and cannot wait to read more. Fully review on the blog next month!

*This title was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

This has to be one of my favorite Christina Lauren novel's ever and I've read almost all of them! Sam and Tate are so freaking cute together! I loved watching their romance start up in London and then skip to the now and see them reconnect again. The writing is fun and witty like usual, characters are so cute, real and flawed just like us.

As always with these authors this is a feminist, progressive book. Very PC, so if that bothers you, be warned you won't like this. If you like that or can look over then you need to give this book a chance because it's so dang cute!

My only issue was the marriage thing... no spoilers but it just seemed thrown in for more drama and made no sense to me personally but this is just opinion.

Will go live on my blog 09/25/2019

OMG that was so so so so good and quite surprising.

While I haven’t read every Christina Lauren book, included any of the Beautiful Bastard books, I’m mostly used to the duo writing fun, sexy humor mixed into the drama of their romances.

TiaBM is quite the opposite. It’s a drama novel with a hefty (though not unmanageable) dose of angst. And it’s superb.

Beautifully balanced and mixed with all the right components of a romance, the story tells the story of Sam Brandis and Tate Jones, across two periods of their lives.

Tate lives in hiding, but doesn’t have the entire picture of her childhood. She secretly dreams of becoming an actress, however being the daughter of the most successful Hollywood actor, and realizing the pressure she’d put on her mother and grandmother, she avoids mentioning it.

Sam lives with his grandparent and grateful to them for everything he has in life. He is intended to inherit their farm, but also dreams of becoming a writer.

When the two meet in London, the attraction is instantaneous, and love comes right on its heels, but when Sam’s betrayal tears them apart, it takes years for Tate to recover.

When Tate sees Sam on set 14 years later, her world as she built is almost crumbles down around her, but holding her own and supported by her closest friend and family, she pulls through and finding her way back to Sam again.

I loved the reasoning for Sam’s betrayal. I must admit I didn’t think of it at first, and I held hope and believed he was the one to actually do it. But the way CL unfolded everything was spot on beautiful, reaching straight through to the heart.

It’s been a while since I read a full novel in one sitting, but hey, who needs sleep when you come across such a great story.

This book was super sweet, especially if you are a fan of second chance tropes! It was a quick, light read that was very enjoyable. If you are looking for something to dive into to get away this is a great choice, as are ALL Christina Lauren novels.

When Sam and Tate meet in London their romance is quick, over 2 weeks, as most young loves are. This romance is written at a very believable pace. It reads like a true coming of age in the first part of this book, with a little bit of mystery even. Then when Sam breaks Tate's heart by selling her out to the press and telling them she is the long lost daughter of an UBER famous actor, you really feel that heart break for her.

Fast forward to the future 14 years - the entire story is written extremely picturesque and the relationships and characters are built fairly strong....ASIDE from Sam and Tate reconnecting, this is where the pace of the relationship throws me.

I felt their connection was rushed. It was cute and it was sweet, but we did not get to witness them getting to know each other as adults. There was only a little tension when I felt like there should have been a lot more. I felt like the end of the book was a little rushed, and I could have used more of Sam and Tate as adults building on their childhood love, instead of picking up where they left off.

Overall very enjoyable - just not my favorite CLo - 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 because it was quick and fun to read!

A precious romance story with a happily ever after ending (of course!)! Sometimes this is just the kind of book that you need, and I always seem to enjoy Christina Lauren’s writing! Thanks so very much to NetGalley for providing this ARC! Reading it made me happy!

This was more emotional than I thought it would be. It will pull at your heartstrings and barely let go. You feel so bad for Tate and Sam, I really liked this book and the whole story line. I look forward to more from this author.

I just read The Unhoneymooners a couple months ago, so when I saw that Twice in a Blue Moon was available to request on NetGalley, I immediately had to get it. Christina Lauren has a knack for writing the perfect love story, full of humor and great characters, and this book was no different.

Twice in a Blue Moon tells the story of Tate and Sam, who meet when they are both on vacation in England and have a holiday fling. They reunite years later after parting under hostile circumstances. It’s basically lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-again story. But speaking of that crazy relationship, that’s basically what this whole book is about: relationships.

And not just the new-romance relationship. A lot of this book deals with Tate’s relationship with her father. I think this book is really more about trust in relationships — romantic or otherwise — and what it means to gain and lose that trust. It’s different than anything Christina Lauren has written before, in good and bad ways.

It’s so good because it shows major development in their writing. The setting is extremely engaging and the characters are all amazing. The backstory, which is actually a lot of the main plot, is incredible. Like, by far, the backstory of Tate and Sam and of Sam’s grandparents, is the best part of the novel. The development is just so good.

But the bad part comes in with what readers typically expect from Christina Lauren. This is new for them. If you are expecting something similar to The Unhoneymooners, you will probably be disappointed. It’s just not the easy romance plot; it’s more about the development of a real relationship after being betrayed.

I still think long-time readers of Christina Lauren should get this book because it is great. I also think new readers would love it. Just know that it isn’t overly spicy or romance-y. The characters are vibrant and the story is unique. It is definitely a story of trust worth reading.

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a miss for me. The intense miscommunication between the main characters, as well as numerous other issues with parental figures, was more uncomfortable than it was compelling or romantic. It felt like everyone was second-guessing their own motivations, and the stakes felt a little flat. I've enjoyed other Christina Lauren titles, but the intense miscommunication and shady manipulation left me cold. Everyone was sort of hot and unlikeable.

I'd recommend other CL titles, like "Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not-Dating" in lieu of this title.

Wonderful! Really enjoyed this story of a young woman’s first love and how life turned out for her years later. Both settings (London and a movie set) were lot of fun and the characters were quite memorable.

4.5 <b> We will always have Paris </b> Stars
Yes yes yes
Second Christina lauren book that I have just lllluuuvvveedd!!!!
This book is adorable! This book is about Sam and Tate. Tate fell in love with Sam while on vacation in Paris and gave Sam her first everything and all of a sudden Tate has no secrets and her entire life is now in the limelight and Sam is no where to be found. What happens next is 14 years of a broken hearted Tate and a guilty Sam both trying to exist in a world knowing full wel they left their heart in Paris. This book is a quick read and really would be enhanced with an epilogue instead of such an abrupt end. You eat every bite of this story and you also want to punch both of them in their stupid faces. I am so glad I got to read this!