It's hard to believe that earlier this year, I had never read a Christina Lauren novel. Now I am on love. These two authors do such an incredible job of sucking me in to the characters and their love story. I loved Tate and Sam and seeing their relationship grow. I hated what Sam did to her and I was fully prepared to hate him. Even though I had a feeling about what his reason was, I still didn't want Tate to forgive him so easily. I thought they had amazing chemistry and I liked the idea of a second chance at love, at forgiveness of a horrible betrayal. This was another great read.

Yet another fantastic contemporary story from Christina Lauren! This amazing duo writes the greatest stories and I am so excited for whatever is next. I cannot get enough! Highly recommend!

Yet another fantastic contemporary story from Christina Lauren! I cannot get enough of their work and cannot wait for what’s next! Highly recommend.

I'm convinced that the writing duo of Christina Lauren can do it all. They can write the best smut, the funniest romcoms, and heartfelt contemporary romance--which is what I would consider Twice in a Blue Moon.



As noted in the synopsis Sam and Tate meet on a vacation overseas, fall in love, suffer through a betrayal, and reunite 14 years later. About a third of this novel is dedicated to really getting you in the headspace of Tate when she first meets Sam, which is really helpful. You get to know her and her hesitancy about revealing the backstory of her life and then you get to really understand why in the world she would trust a virtual stranger with her secrets. (I mean wtf, right?! but then you totally get it because SAM. Sam the man). And then you really understand why the betrayal of trust cuts so deep.



Fast forward 14 years and many successes later and Sam and Tate find themselves in the same location again. And it's nuts. The hurt. The shock. The curiosity. The hurt!!! Poor Tate tried so hard to harden her heart against Sam but the universe said nope...and thank god it did because Sam and Tate really needed to be together. Her resistance was futile, I mean she's only human, but I loved her resistance (totally justified) and yet I appreciated her decision to hear him out. Upon hearing him out, things change, I swoon, and more nefarious things happen...and then we get the HEA and then I, of course, kept hitting the swipe to read more and it was over and I was totally ready for at least 2 more chapters of HEA and fun-ness with Charlie and Nick and Marco (btw, the secondary characters were A+/100).



So here I am now, totally happy with how the story of Sam and Tate unfolded and somehow still wanting more, go figure. Twice in a Blue Moon is a great addition to your Christina Lauren library--go grab it!

Three and a half out of five stars.

“Twice in a Blue Moon” is the latest novel by authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write under the pen name. Christina Lauren.

Eighteen-year-old Tate Jones travels with her grandmother to London where she meets handsome Sam, who is traveling with his grandfather. The two fall for each other hard, but that is not where this story ends. Tate and Sam do not stay together because when Tate confides to Sam who her father is and about her estranged relationship with him that information is linked to the press. As a result, Tate has to quickly flee London and face the public eye as the daughter of a popular actor. Fourteen years later, the Tate and Sam meet again; Tate, now an actress, who is has the role of a lifetime and Sam is the writer of the script that could make Tate a star.

While parts of the plot are formulaic, it’s the authors’ ability to bring the characters to life that makes this story so enjoyable. Tate is immediately likable and as a reader, you feel for her when she believes Sam intentionally leaked the information and broke her heart. I do think more could have been done to develop the why of Tate and Sam’s connection. While the novel’s primary focus is on whether Tate will forgive Sam and allow him back into her life, the reader is just as invested in Tate’s relationships with other characters. You also sympathize with her struggles to build a relationship with her father who is much more interested in producing the proper public image at all times. Charlie, Tate’s closest friend and make up artist, is a hoot, and Nick, Tate’s love interest in the movie, is much more than eye candy. I only wish the author spent more time developing the father-daughter angle.

Fans of Christina Lauren’s past novels will not be disappointed. This is a quick and easy read and is enjoyable as a day soaking up in the sun while enjoying one’s beverage of choice.

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon Schuster and the authors for providing me an advanced copy of this novel.

Twice in a Blue Moon starts off with promise, as the story of two star crossed lovers begins years before in London. However, the writing is unpolished and hysterically inefficient at times, the plot is saccharine and predictable, and the characterization is shallow and uninspired.

Christina Lauren has always been one of my go-to authors for a great read. She has never let me down and she continues to deliver with Twice in a Blue Moon. This is a story of second chances and of forgiveness. It is a novel of learning to accept flawed people and learning that some people will never change. I enjoyed how the book began in the past before bringing up the conflict of the present. It allows the reader to have a sense of the emotions that played out in the past that made the characters who they were in the present story line. Lauren did a great job of building the characters personalities and made the reader invest in them. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes contemporary romance and chick lit.

A cute little fluffy book about love and how it can come back around. A second chance love story about two people who belong together

I don’t know how many Stars I would give this book. I might go back and change my rating and add more thoughts later.

I had mixed feelings reading this book. It would suck me in then spit me out then suck me in again. I won’t say that Twice in a Blue Moon is a romance. I would say that there is only one main character in this book and everyone else has a supporting role. Once I accepted that, I enjoyed the book more. I think this book really highlights all kinds of relationships, both the good and the bad.

I think they should have decided what they want this book to be. It has potential. It misses the mark on both a romance novel and a women’s fiction novel. The book started as a romance then became women’s fiction then tried to end as a romance. It just missed both marks.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

I'm really not sure what's going on with Christina Lauren books lately. Until recently, I've loved all of their books, but the last couple standalone books have left me disappointed. Most will probably still enjoy this, but it certainly wasn't what I expected.

For starters, the first 30% of this book is essentially a young adult novel. Sam is 21, Tate is 18. They meet in London while both on vacation and have a fling. Don't get me wrong, the romance was cute, even if they seemed like young teens instead of their legal adult ages. But I don't really like YA novels given I'm in my late 30's and had to force myself to continue reading about such a high-school-ish romance. Had I known that the young romance would have been the best part of the book, I probably wouldn't have been so quick to judge the book during that part. Typically when there's a backstory involving two teenage lovers, it doesn't consume 30% of a book, so for this one to occupy so much of the storyline, it threw me off and seemed a bit too much. It was well-written and believable, that much is true and I felt their love and emotions,

Things go downhill when we meet the 30-something year old Sam & Tate. Tate is now an actress and Sam is the screenwriter for a movie she's starring in. Sam betrayed Tate at the end of those 2 weeks in London and so things are a bit rocky when they meet again. But there is basically NO ROMANCE for the rest of the book! I don't get how you can have a romance novel with no romance. Sure, they will confess their love in the end, but there were no dates, no long days spent together learning one another again, nothing! Just a few brief moments on set after 14 years apart. That doesn't make love or a relationship.

And to make matters worse, the book just ends at that. There's no resolution to any other thing that happens before the ending. We don't know what happens with the movie, her jerk of a dad, the media or even where they live IF they decide to move forward in their relationship. I was pretty livid upon discovering the book just ends with no resolution or even an epilogue. It made a 'just okay' book into a disappointment (I'm almost tempted to give it 2 stars simply because of this).

Honestly, this book was more of a drama with some puppy love thrown in at the beginning, not the typical Christina Lauren romance. I really hope they get back to their old style of writing. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reinventing oneself or branching out and doing something different. I'm willing to go along that journey with an author. But the quality has to be maintained and the writing on this one wasn't up to their usual standards.

I thought this was a Rom- com, this was not funny.
It was however what I seem a " regular" romance novel.
This was a story about first love gone terribly wrong, they meet many years later and get the chance to right the wrongs and have a real future together.

What's not to like about a Christina Lauren book? First love leads to betrayal when Tate falls for Sam on a vacation in London. Tate shares her secret with Sam - that her father is one of the biggest stars on the planet. When the secret is revealed to the press, Tate's life is upended and she believes she was betrayed by Sam. Flash forward 14 years and Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, is working on a film that should make her career, not knowing it was written by Sam, who she has not seen since London. They reconnect on location but can she trust that he has her best interests at heart? The lead characters are very engaging and the moviemaking location is a fun behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood. The secondary characters are also well written and overall I loved the book. I'm a fan of Christina Lauren books and this one was no exception.

I really had trouble deciding my final rating of this book because while it's one of my favorite Christina Lauren books it still had certain aspects of it that let me down. I've read a few of Christina Lauren's books already and I can safely say that I can rely on them to write great romances! The synopsis of this book intrigued me from the start because it seemed very different from anything I'd seen before. It's like hate-to-love but with previous heartbreak to really justify those feelings, and that dynamic was very interesting to read about. One of my favorite things about this book was how much time and detail was put into the "background" of the story, the main character's fling many years before the story starts. I was only expecting a few chapters to show what went down to make Tate distrust and resent Sam so strongly, but around a quarter of the book was solely dedicated to the details of their few weeks together and I think that really benefited the book as a whole. By spending that much time exploring their past relationship- and Tate's first love- it really made us readers feel heartbroken and raging with Tate and made all her feelings feel more validated. It made everything more believable and real and I loved that about this book. As the book progressed I will admit it slowed down. There were many times I felt like the conflict would be resolved if they just stopped avoiding each other which irritated me a bit. I also felt like while the story did end on a happy note I wanted it to continue for a bit longer to see how their relationship could've progressed and I just felt a tiny bit dissatisfied. While these seem like fairly major issues the book as a whole left me very happy and I seriously enjoyed the quarter of the book dedicated to their fling and how emotional this book made me. The unique synopsis and emotional arc made this book so much better for me and I'm very excited to read whatever Christina Lauren come out with next!

Tate Jones goes on a trip of a lifetime with her grandmother to London. After meeting Sam Brandis, they embark on a whirlwind two week fling. Tate knows it’s a cliché, but love at first site happens; she gives Sam all of herself including a secret of her true identity. Tate’s father, Ian Butler, is a Hollywood superstar who had been out of her life for ten years. Sam breaks Tate’s heart by selling her out to the media which changes Tate’s whole life in a blink.

Fourteen years later she is embarking on the role of a lifetime and for the first time, acting with her narcissistic father. Tate has never gotten over her first love and being blindsided by Sam on set who happens to be the screenwriter throws her for a major loop. Although they are both in their thirties, seeing Sam and being around him awakens all the old feelings and develops some new ones; to say that Tate is conflicted is an understatement.

The movie script displays pages taken from Sam’s own life so that as Tate gets into character, she comes to understand some of the reasons he betrayed her so long ago. After having led part of her life in the fish bowl world as a child of a famous actor and then living that role as an adult, Tate knows a relationship with Sam could be explosive if the press finds out their history.

The first third or so of the story is Tate and Sam in their youthful relationship followed by their meeting again on the set where Tate is less than pleased to see him at such a pivotal point in her life. She does a lot of soul searching and dealing with all the old feelings that abound while trying to deal with the odd dynamic for a famous father and daughter. This book is a bit of a mixed genres including New Adult, Romance, and Women’s Fiction. It is slated under humorous fiction; however, this is not a Rom-Com. I don’t see humor playing a big role; there is definitely much more in the way of angst and drama. As always with this team, the writing is quite good so fans will be pleased with that aspect.

Twice in a Blue Moon is an emotional story of first love, first heartbreak, and second chances. Tate and Sam have an adorable beginning to their love story in London, full of sweet, funny, and swoon-worthy moments. Despite Sam’s betrayal, Tate may never have gone after her real dream of being an actress if she wasn’t pushed back into the spotlight. And Sam may not have followed his dream of being a writer. Tate has been let down in the past by Sam and her father and the fact that she is guarded when she encounters Sam again fourteen years later is understandable. This is definitely a couple you want to root for and I kept holding out hope that Sam could make up for his past decisions. Loved the more minor characters too--especially Charlie, Nana, Marco, and Nick. Tate’s relationship with her father was frustrating at times—I really wanted her to stand up to him and not just smile for the cameras. She deserved better. I also wish the story went on a little bit longer, would have loved to see an epilogue to see where the characters ended up a bit down the road, but still a great read. Highly enjoyable. Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for granting my request to read this novel.

“It’s so crazy to think that things that I thought only lived in my imagination can be real.”

There is an indescribable feeling you get when you are lost in the pages written be these authors. It still amazes me how their books are seamless and you feel like it’s just one author writing these words that capture your soul. Very few authors can do this for me. I treasure the gift.

“But then I touch you, and it’s like every fantasy I ever had coming true.”

This book is filled with the excitement of many milestones, I love the wisdom sprinkled throughout, friendship, betrayal, loyalty, compassion, growth, second chances, misunderstandings, humor and life experiences.

“...the worst thing I ever did was for the best reason I ever had?”

You will be take back in time and shown how some of the hardest times in life were also simplistic and authentic times as well. Sometimes walking in another’s shoes is difficult~yet you learn to appreciate moments from another perspective.

“I finally did something right in his eyes, and he only had to sell me out to get it.”

I pray somewhere down the line we get more of these characters. I feel in love with them and don’t want their story to end.

“...he’s always shown me exactly who he is, and I just never want to believe it.”

So much to love about this story: young love, scenes and lines that were obvious nods to “A Room With a View,” betrayal, living big dreams, second chances...but I wanted more from the Tate & Sam relationship as adults — and less of the father/daughter story. When the movie wrapped and Sam & Tate looked like they were on the road to their happily-ever-after, Ian’s betrayal seemed an unnecessary contrivance that just prolonged finding a resolution. And yet, the writing team of Christina Lauren remain a favorite and an automatic download for me (since “Beautiful Bastard”) and I admit I liked this more serious relationship and story arc, though it needed more romance and less drama. Good read!

Thanks for the advanced copy.

OBSESSED with this new and upcoming release from my favorite author duo Christina Lauren! I DEVOURED Twice in a Blue Moon in a day and just could not put it down. Maybe I have a major weakness for Hollywood and Second Chance Romances; but this book was so good I had to reread it because I was just not ready to say goodbye to these characters!

Thank you Gallery Books for the advanced copy via NetGalley.

Thanks for granting my request to read Christina Lauren’s upcoming novel. What I typically love about their novels is the way characters and relationships are built up so much that I feel the heartache when something goes wrong. I want that heart in your throat moment where you ache for the characters going through something, even if you as the reader saw it coming. Twice in a Blue Moon was entertaining but I felt the emotional buy-in fell short. Maybe it was the break up of the years, the different characters involved, or the movie script going along in the book but I didn’t feel the emotional investment that I typically do in their books. That being said, I’ve read and loved enough of their books that I’ll always be on the lookout for what comes next.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I happen to really love this author and have enjoyed many of her books. Tate and Sam's story has many of those elements the author is famous for: heart wrenching lines and an interesting plot. Although this wasn't my favorite, the characters felt real and their emotions intense. Tate experiences her first love and her first heartbreak with Sam but the heart never forgets. Touching novel.