I think I'm officially a loyal Christina Lauren fan. "Twice in a Blue Moon" is the second book I've read by them, and it was even better than the last. They're expert at giving real tension between two people in their romances, and still managing to pull you back so you can really root for their relationship. Also, I've often found romances about the Hollywood scene to be very cheesy and near unrelatable, but Lauren's version felt so down-to-earth and real. It was so easy to connect to Tate and her movie star life felt like her job not this flashy, royal, beyond belief lifestyle. Just like last time I read a Christina Lauren book, I had a hard time putting this one down and it kept me up late at night, which is bad for my health but good for my happiness. It's always great to be that hooked by a novel. The writing is crisp, beautiful, and sucks you right in. I definitely recommend giving this author duo a try.

Wonderful book with well developed characters. I loved the way the author takes you back to when the characters first met when they were young and on vacation is London. Circumstances cause them to part with a huge misunderstanding and they come back together years later. This is a slow burn romance with a secondary romance told through the characters in the movie that is being filmed throughout most of the book. I really enjoyed the story-line and how the characters grow and change throughout the story. A sweet and romantic story with lots of plot twists.

I consider myself to be a big fan of Christian Lauren. The Beautiful Bastard series Is like my Kryptonite as well as their Wild Seasons series. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating was five star read for me! So naturally with such winners under their belt, I thought CL could do no wrong.

That’s how I felt anyway, before I read The Unhoneymooners, which fell short for me. So after having been disappointed, I went into Twice in a Blue Moon with my guards up. And I was right to do so.

Blue Moon is story about first love and second chances. A very romantic concept. I’m on board for that. The trouble is we know the entire first half of the plot in the book description. Our female protagonist, Tate Jones is 18 and taking a trip to Paris with her grandmother, where she meets 21 year old Sam Brandis, a fellow American who just happens to be on a trip with his grandfather. The two hit it off right away in a quick budding romance where she reveals herself to be the daughter of a famous movie star. She’s been living a quiet life away from the media. This is supposed to be a close guarded secret but Tate decides to trust Sam with the info. Unfortunately that’ll prove to me a mistake when the press finds her and it’s no mystery that Sam tipped them off. He is also now MIA. Suddenly Tate has no choice but to come out of hiding and is rightfully heartbroken.

Jump ahead 14 years. Tate has a thriving career. She’s just landed lead role in a big budget film that’s about to go into production. It’s on set of said film that she once again runs into Sam, whom she hasn’t seen or heard from since Paris, and apparently is the writer of the film she is about to star in.

What follows next is forced proximity, interaction, angst and miraculous forgiveness that I can’t even begin to comprehend. There are so many problems I have with this...

Problems with Sam. Yes, he did in fact tip off the press of Tate’s whereabouts. In fact he SOLD HER OUT. And here’s the kicker...as “sorry” as he is, he says that given the chance. He would DO IT AGAIN. Now I get that apparently he and his grandparents were hurting for money and his grandfather was ill, but that doesn’t excuse his actions. What he did was take a life changing choice out of a teenage girl’s hands and disappeared without a trace. No word, no explanation. Just 14 years of nothing. And as the story progresses, Sam doesn’t get nearly enough grief for his actions. He got what he wanted out of selling out Tate, and he got to live his life and have his career. There is just so much wrong with him.

Problems with logistics. The fact that Tate had no idea that Sam was a creator of the film until she came on set is absolutely ludicrous. It’s evident that CL doesn’t have a grasp on the process of film making. There would have been script auditions and screen tests where she either would have met him, or been told his name. Sam apparently tried to contact Tate personally to give her a heads up, but the moron only thought to email her. Um...dude, how many emails do you think a movie star gets daily? CALL HER AGENT!!! CALL HER MANAGER!!! (Where are Tate’s representatives? She doesn’t even have a PA on set!! It’s like CL couldn’t be bothered to include them). He obviously didn’t want to contact her that badly, or he was just stupid.

Problems with Plot. I think it’s enough said that the fact that Tate finds it in her heart to forgive Sam at all is a plot hole. Some might say that Tate owes Sam her career but I strongly disagree .What happened in Paris caused earth shattering life changes .She wasn’t even given the choice. To me, that betrayal of trust is far beyond forgiveness and ultimately, he does nothing to redeem himself. He’s just there and still defending his choices and he has the nerve to be jealous of Tate’s male costar. He (for some reason) had to sit in on the movie’s sex scene shoot...Something that would NOT have happened. There’s this weird sense of entitlement Sam has to her, that seems to permeate that entire part of the story. He seems to think that this is all about HIM and how miserable the Paris incident made HIM, and how HE missed out on Tate for the last 14 years despite the fact that he never tried to reach out to her. He was actually dumb enough to think that her life wouldn’t be changed by his decision to sell her out.
Needless to say, it leaves such a terrible taste in your mouth.

So Tate decides to forgive him when I really don’t get why, but even the happily ever after doesn’t come for free because she gets screwed over (again) by someone else she thought was supposed to care about her and Sam has managed to disappear (again). And then we get a rushed ending with no real conclusion.

I thought the Unhoneymooners was some sort of lull or fluke. I hadn’t realized how bad it could get. I don’t know if Christina Lauren are cranking out too many books in a year, if it’s a quality control problem, or what, but this story took a huge dive for me. The problems with it were too essential to the story to ever get pass them. In the end I was left feeling upset and disappointed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a lovely story. It's very emotional and sweet. I enjoyed the chick-lit aspects.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A sweet then-and now-story about the man who changed the course of one young woman's life, and whether or not he's able to rectify his decision fourteen years later. A rom-com of a book that satisfied my curiosity about the real lives of celebrities, and scratched the itch for a quick escape read.

After reading The Unhoneymooners earlier this year, I was absolutely thrilled to get approved for an eARC of Twice in a Blue Moon!🌙

This book was completely different than previous work from Christina Lauren. It didn’t have the fun, lighthearted banter or chemistry between characters like their other books do and maybe that’s why I didn’t love it. My expectations were high and I assumed this book would be an automatic 5 star read for me. Maybe reading this book right after Fix Her Up and The Friend Zone was a bad idea too. I loved both of those books so much and was expecting this one to be very similar

• Title: Twice In A Blue Moon
• Author: Christina Lauren
• Series: Stand Alone
• Pages: 368
• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Rating Out of 5 Stars: 3.75


My Thoughts:

The perfect love is never what you expect it to be. The ones that impact us the most are messy. They’re a wild ride that brings out the most of everything in us even when they sometimes tear us apart. Tate finds that out the hard way when on a vacation to London she meets Sam. The first love that changes everything. When he betrays her and she returns home she figures she” ll never see him again. Fourteen years and a whole new life later he comes back into her life. Suddenly she’s eighteen years and laying beside him in the grass looking up at the stars again, wondering if maybe there’s a second chance for them at love or a second chance at breaking her heart.
I have to confess it has not been as strong of a story as the last couple releases. The first 40 percent of the story is the meeting and subsequent whirlwind romance in London of our young couple. The following 40 percent is a slow but steady reaquaintment as they decide how to navigate around what happened and where they stand.
The last 20 percent of the book is where everything finally comes to head and you get to see that magic that our duo of authors have become so well known for. The ending for me is what really saved this book from falling into the mediocre bin.
Most of our cast was decently developed save for Tate’s father. He felt very one dimensional but that may have been the intent given his role in the story. Tate played the role of frustrated but stoic heroine. Charlie, everyone needs a best mate like her. I really like the way older Sam’s character was used. You don’t get to see a believable version of men that are just as confused and hopeful as women are so often portrayed. That was a nice touch.
This may be a hit or miss title for some. It’s not as romantically driven but still a raw and moving look at just how much goes into making a relationship work. The writing felt a little off kilter and choppy here and there but I still really enjoyed my time reading this book. If your looking for a more laid back romance without all the steam and pearl grabbing check this title out.

**E-Arc kindly provided by Authors, Gallery Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing duo behind Christina Lauren has quickly become one of my favorites as I make my way through all of their books. The Unhoneymooners is one of my favorite books, so I was so excited to get to read an advance copy of Twice in a Blue Moon.

I was glad to see that it was different from The Unhoneymooners, a more serious take on life and love. I did find the beginning to be a little slow, it took me a little bit to get into the story, but once it did, like all Christina Lauren books, I was hooked! You feel like you are feeling all of Tate's feelings alongside her, love to hurt to a chance to love again maybe if she is lucky. And Sam, you want to hate him at the same time that you want to love him. I was rooting for these characters to both find what they needed in the end.

I usually love Christina Lauren books. I just read The Unhoneymooners and loved it. Twice in a Blue Moon starts out great. A great meet-cute for Tate and Sam, but it all gets a little complicated with the subsequent plot points. I got lost a few times and I couldn't figure out if the story was supposed to be about Tate's relationship with Ian or perhaps she was going to fall for Nick.

Readers always know that Christina Lauren write solid enjoyable romantic books with humor. As far as I'm concerned, they are the current reigning queens of the rom-com.

This book shows another deeper emotional side of their writing with this second chance romance. A whirlwind vacation romance that ends in a betrayal comes back to haunt the heroine when the hero shows up for work at her new job.

Unfortunately, there isn't much a plot besides that and I was left wanting more - either more plot or character development. Still, it was a lovely tender read that I'll be happy to recommend.

I hadn't read Christina Lauren previously, so I didn't know I was in for a treat. I really enjoyed the story and found it compelling, even though romances are necessarily my "thing." I was pleasantly surprised at the story and I know my patrons will really enjoy it. Thank you!

Thank you Gallery Books, Leo PR, and Christina Lauren for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Twice in a Blue Moon. This story was a delightful take on second chance romance with healing and familial ties. I absolutely adored this story!

Twice in a Blue Moon is a contemporary romance novel written by Christina Lauren. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I absolutely loved Autoboyography, which is one of their other books.

The story begins fourteen years ago with a trip of a lifetime to London for Tate and her Nana Jude. While in London, they meet fellow Americans Sam and Luther. They end up spending a lot of time together sightseeing. Tate and Sam hit it off right away, and she trusts him with her biggest secret- that she’s the estranged daughter of one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men. Trusting Sam turns out to be a huge mistake, and Tate’s world is changed forever.

Flash-forward to the present day, and Tate is preparing for the film role that she hopes will take her career to the next level. Everything is going well, and then she finds out that Sam is the screenwriter. Meeting Sam again forces Tate to confront the feelings that she’s suppressed for almost half a lifetime. As Tate gets to know adult Sam, she finds that her feelings haven’t changed- despite everything that happened between them.

I read most of this book in one sitting when I was at the town beach with my kids one day. The book raises some interesting points; I don’t want to give too much away, but Sam’s motivation for his past actions was more complicated than it initially appears to be. Also, would Tate be in her current position if not for Sam’s actions in the past. These are hardly deep philosophical thoughts, but it was interesting to see how their respective decisions as young adults shaped their current future.

That might sound more somber than I intended; for the most part, this book is on the lighter side. It’s sweet and tender, and there were several times where I laughed at loud. This is a book about second chances and missed opportunities.

I would recommend Twice in a Blue Moon. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Christina Lauren in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love anything that Christina Lauren writes, and this is no exception. I enjoyed the deeper character development, and loved the Hollywood setting. I would definitely recommend.

I love anything this duo writes. This one is a tad more on the serious side then their last few releases. I loved the background story of the two characters in the first part of the book. The second half was really interesting being on a movie set and wondering why things happened in the past the way they did. So engaging. I loved it!

I’ve been a big fan of the dynamic writing duo of Christina Lauren for years now. Whatever cosmic synergy they have going on definitely works for them, and Twice in a Blue Moon is no exception to their already stellar lineup of novels.

Twice in a Blue Moon centers on Tate Jones in two pivotal moments in her life. First, meeting Sam Brandis for the first time on a trip to London with her Grandmother. The second, when she’s further into adulthood. At that point, she’s a Hollywood darling, and yet still has something to prove.

I enjoyed how vividly tangible the emotions, and descriptions of young Tate were to me. For the first part of the story, I was instantly transported back to 18 years old (don’t ask how long ago that was), and was wrapped up in the magic of finding the sweetness of first real love. The way Sam and Tate interact had me cheering. All men need to read whatever manual Sam Brandis has that details how to treat a woman perfectly. I also instantly loved the brazen hopefulness that Tate displays as a new adult. I found adult Tate completely relatable too. The other characters that surround Tate are just as full as life. Everything works together to make such a vibrant world to get lost in.

Even though I knew it was inevitable Tate and Sam would find each other again, I was totally gripped by this story. It was thrilling not having to wonder if they will see each other again, but instead thinking “when is it going to happen?” and “how will they react?”

I’ll admit, I did actually gasp loudly at one point, which is a testament to how deep I sank into this story. I loved how both authors worked the duality of the past and present into the second, and what I feel is the most poignant part of the story. I hope readers will also agree with how seamlessly it all works together to create a riveting story.

I’m nearly positive that while writing this, Christina Lauren were both smirking with their shared knowledge of what was to come.They were probably both delighted at the delicious torture this story will no doubt bring to their readers, which is exactly why readers love them.

The writing style of Christina Lauren is that their stories are never just romance. They always sprinkle the perfect amount of sexiness, humor, drama, and in this case suspense, throughout the story to make their books incredibly hard for me to put down in order to actually function in my daily life.

Available this October, Twice in a Blue Moon is not one to miss!
4.5*

I put off writing this review which I try not to do with ARCs because I just don't have much to say about it. I've generally liked Christina Lauren's books more than those of pretty much any other writers of contemporary romance I've encountered, but this just didn't do it for me. I guess I understand why Sam did what he did but I just didn't like it and I didn't forgive him and I found the relationship between Tate and her father to work out both predictably but not in a way I wanted. This was fine.

This book was amazing. I knew I would love it based off the summary. The characters and romance were amazing.

Christina Lauren delivers another excellent contemporary romance! This one tells the tale of a young woman, the daughter of a top movie star, who spent much of her childhood hiding from the public in a small California town. On a trip to London when she is 18, she meets her first love, Sam, and confronts her first major betrayal. She becomes a successful actress in her own right and, 14 years later, lands a movie role with her father. Most of the book takes place on the rural movie set where she once again encounters Sam. This story checked all the boxes for me: wonderful characters that include a relatable protagonist, a man we all could love, a great set of friends; a bit of depth as we explore the complexities of understanding parents as adults; a setting that reveals some of the realities of movie production; and, of course, love in its various forms. I’d recommend this book to more than hardcore romance readers— it’s an all around fine novel for those looking for a fast but quality read.

I enjoyed the beginning of Tate and Sam's story, when they meet in London. It made me remember what first love felt like. As the book progressed into her acting career, however, I found it difficult to relate to and felt like it dragged on in parts. I did not feel invested in their story the way I usually do with Christina Lauren's books.