Twice in a Blue Moon was an enchanting second-chance love story between a couple brought back together again years after their whirlwind romance ended. The ease with which Christina Lauren captures the essence of a young couple falling so quickly and has their connection feeling believable was again present, making for a wonderful foundation to carry the rest of the story on. The romanticism of a foreign city and the heartbreaking reason for their split only added to their beginning and fueled their conflicting emotions upon their sudden and unexpected reconnection—all of which made this story what it was.

I loved Sam and Tate’s sweet and quick fall into each other, and how that was shown simply by the subtleties of their mannerisms and their stolen conversations. It was reminiscent of that rare breed of first love; a type of love that can be so difficult to convey, but it was easy to see here. Sam’s tenderness and heart brought the soul to this story while Tate’s emotional fire brought the heat, and together they had this instinctual brand of love. Every emotion of their reunion was spot-on: the anger, the guilt, the still-present lust, the never-lost love. It was delicious in so many ways. But, it was missing that extra Christina Lauren element that I have come to expect and crave from their stories. Judging it against my basic standards, it’s a great book, but this duo has a higher by bar to meet and it fell a bit short.

This was a quick and enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the next love story these two writers tell.

Not my favorite Christina Lauren book to date. The story just seemed very predictable but I still enjoyed it. Was an easy read. I'll definitely read their next book.

Second-chance romances are tricky, and this one didn't win me over. The couple's initial relationship occurred on a very short timeline and was followed by such a long separation that I felt critical of everything about it. They meet as teenagers and are in their 30s before reconnecting, but it was as if they'd been frozen in time until that moment. Real people change! The book spent longer in the past timeline than I would have preferred, and then the romance didn't get a lot of attention in the present until the very end. The characters were pretty forgettable and needed more development because I wasn't invested in them at all. I was So Okay With It, I think. I just expected something funnier or more romantic from this duo!

After a bit of a rough start where I came to the sudden realization that this was not the romantic comedy I’d been expecting, I started to appreciate this book on its own merits. Unfortunately, the pacing didn’t work out for me and I never connected to the main characters, which made everything feel flat. Christina Lauren are an auto-buy author for me so I’m not quite sure what happened with this one. I know a ton of readers who have loved this one though! I’ll still definitely be reading their next book though!

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I generally love Christina Lauren, but this one didn’t work for me. There’s a HUGE trust issue that gets solved in like,,,two scenes...and the pacing seemed really weird.

This was an ok read for me. Tate and Sam were each others first love. Te first 9-10 chapters revolved around their past history. Fast forward the two meet again on a movie set. Tate is set to star in movie based on a book written by Sam. There is a great deal of attention regarding the movie and not enough interactions between the two hero and heroine. The ending is more of a HFN.

This book grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go till the last page. Tate’s journey is a tough one but very believable. Her dad is such a dick! Several times I wanted to punch him. I appreciate that she wasn’t a whiny character like so many other books like this. The relationship with Sam is so hot both times in her life. I can really see this one as a movie! First book I’ve read by this author and will definitely look for more.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

So normally I love Christina Lauren's writing so much that I devour their books within a day but that wasn't the case with this one. That's not to say it wasn't good, it was such a slow burn romance and different from their other works that it took a little more to get me fully invested in the plot. Tate is the daughter of a famous actor and has been living out of the spotlight with little contact with her dad since she was 8. For a graduation gift her Nana takes her to London. It's the first time she has been given any kind of freedom because the secret of her parentage cannot get out. While in London she meets Sam and after a few nights together she divulges her huge secret, which inevitably gets leaked to the press. We join Tate 14 years later as she is about to start filming a big movie with her dad and little does Tate know she's about to be pushed together again with her first love and the person who shared her secret with the world, Sam.

I had a few problems with the story, but overall it was a fairly sweet romance.

It is quite astounding how Christina Lauren’s writing keeps getting better; you would think they would reach a peak with their creativity but that just doesn’t happen. Going from strength to strength with character development and richness of emotion alongside a compelling plot allows their talent to shine through the narrative.

I have to say I wasn’t quite prepared for the emotional rollercoaster I experienced within Twice in a Blue Moon.

The story starts with Tate and Sam as young adults on a trip to London with their respective grandparents and staying at the same hotel. There is an instant connection beyond being the same nationality. They both fall fast and hard, opening up to each other in a way they never have before. Unfortunately, Tate’s secrets were worth a lot of money which is the pivotal part of the plot.

It was obvious as to the reason behind Sam’s decision even if Tate wasn’t able to learn the truth about it until over a decade later. However, it is the fall-out and consequences of the decision Sam made that really shaped their adult lives and their identities.

Reunited on a movie set with Tate as the lead and Sam as the screen-writer, their connection is still a tangible presence between them. Although they have a lot of negativity to work through before they can not only bridge the gap between them but also to unburden themselves of all the baggage they have carried with them since that fateful summer in London.

All of Sam and Tate’s reflections and development are intertwined with the movie they are making together. The movie centres around an inter-racial relationship at a time when segregation was still in full effect. I loved the depth of the plot and the way in which the movie enabled the characters to understand themselves better.

Sam and Tate’s love is a once-in-a-lifetime kind which they are extremely blessed to have a second chance at making work.

The only criticism I have of Twice in a Blue Moon is the ending was a little abrupt for my personal tastes – I desperately wanted to know what happened next, where the future would lead Sam and Tate – I need an epilogue.

I loved this so much I gave it its own bonus episode of One Great Book! Here's the episode transcript:

One sentence description: A nod to a favorite classic romantic comedy secured Anne’s love for this contemporary romance about finding a once-in-a-lifetime love … twice.

Hey readers, it’s Anne, and I’m here with One Great Bonus, your patron-only bonus episode of One Great Book Volume II. In these episodes, I get to tell you about one forthcoming release that I’ve read but hasn’t been published yet. Today’s bonus book won’t be published for a while—it comes out in October—but there are two big reasons I’m sharing it with you today.

1. A little bookish anticipation never hurt anyone, and
2. This author—or really, these authors—are very free with their advance review copies, especially on Netgalley, so your odds of being able to read it early—even if you’ve never requested an ARC before—are way better than with most books. More about that in a sec.

The book is Twice in a Blue Moon, by Christina Lauren. That’s the pen name for besties Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs, who’ve been writing books together for a good long time. They met writing fan fiction have been writing together since 2009, and published their first novel in 2010. Their range is impressive—you may know them from their Beautiful Bastard romance series, which, quite honestly, I’m too squeamish to read, women’s fiction like Love and Other Words, or rom coms like Dating You, Hating You.

Their forthcoming fall release is a contemporary romance called Twice in a Blue Moon, and it begins in a way I 100% did NOT expect but completely adored—seriously, I read this in a public place, and when I figured out what was going on I’m sure I had a big embarrassing grin on my face, you know, just me and my book at the pool. This happens to you too, right? And hey, it’s better than weeping over my book in public.

Here’s what happens. Tate Jones is in London with her grandmother; it’s her very first time abroad. It’s her very first time going anywhere outside California, really—she’s spent most of her life in a tiny town, hiding from the world. Truly hiding. But now they’re in London, and they check in to their fancy hotel, and go to their room, and look at how the window—and discover their view is of the street. And if Tate’s grandma had wanted to stare at a street, she could have stayed in Guerneville. Tate tries to reassure her, saying, it IS a pretty great street, though, but her grandma will have none of it. She paid for a view of the Thames. And Big Ben! But there’s nothing to be done about it, because the hotel is sold out.

Readers, I know some of you are tracking with me.

Then in the hotel lobby, Tate and her grandma meet another grandparent/grandchild traveling pair. There’s a gorgeous 21-year-old guy from Vermont named Sam, traveling with his grandpa. Or, grandpa figure, really, but that’s fine. When they hear that Tate and her grandma may be checking out of the hotel in order to gain a better view, they are aghast. There’s no need to do that, Sam says, because they have a wonderful view—they can see the river, the London Eye, and Big Ben—and they really don’t care. They should trade rooms. It will be the work of an hour, and everyone will be happy.

Tate’s grandma doesn’t want to do it, because even with nice men, you don’t want to be obligated. And besides, what if they find out who Tate really is? (DUM DUM DUM.) Tate rolls her eyes hard at both suggestions, wins over her grandma, and they get their view.

The setup is not the point of story, but it sets the tone, and I loved it. Now the point: Sam turns out to be the love of Tate’s life. She tells him all her secrets, including who she really is, and then he horribly betrays her, and she never sees him again.

Or at least Tate assumes she’ll never see him again, because fourteen years have gone by. She wouldn’t know how to find him if she wanted to. Fourteen years later, Tate is now a famous actress. She’s gotten the life she always wanted, though she didn’t get it on her terms. That’s Sam’s fault, and it’s something she still thinks about all the time. But she’s not going to let that distract her anymore, because she’s about to begin the best role of her career.

And then Tate bumps into Sam. On set. And she falls apart. But as she pulls herself together again, it’s obvious to her—and to everyone who sees her, really—that she’s not over him. And she’s not sure how she feels about. She thought she’d already had her “once in a lifetime” love. Can it really happen twice?

Readers, I haven’t read all of Christina Lauren’s work—which is no wonder, because they are prolific—yet this one is my favorite so far. It’s fast and fun, the characters totally suck you in, they’re believable and you care about what happens to them. I will say this is definitely open door-ish, I’m sure many seasoned romance readers won’t consider this to be terribly steamy but it certainly was for me, so know that going in.

And readers, if you don’t know about Aunt Charlotte and Lucy and their own room with a view, go watch the Merchant Ivory film A Room with a View and thank me later. This is one of those rare films that is better than the book it’s based on. (Although heads-up on a not-at-all steamy but totally nude bathing scene by the lake, to give you some idea of the innocent factor here, we watched this as a family movie at my house.)

The publication date for Twice in a Blue Moon is a few months away but Harper is generous with review copies for Christina Lauren titles, so if you’re a reader who likes to request those, or a reader who would like to start, this would be a good one to ask for. If you’re not familiar with Netgalley, google is your friend. OR for Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club members: we covered this topic in a recent session for our Summer of Experts; go back and watch that video at any time, it’s called “Getting Your Hands on Advanced Review Copies.”

Twice in a Blue Moon is out October 22 from Gallery, so get your ARC requests, library requests, or pre-orders in right now. Just a reminder: you can order this and any other title we’ve featured on One Great Book from Page 1 Books, who will ship your order right to your door, beautifully wrapped with a fun little bookish extra. Go to page1books.com (that’s the numeral one, page1books.com) and look for the one great book tab at the top.

Readers, I hope you enjoyed this One Great Bonus episode. Happy reading!

I wasn't able to finish the book. I liked the premise of the book but I just couldn't get into the storyline or the characters. I was very disappointed because I'd heard nothing but great things about the story. This one wasn't for me but that won't stop me from reading more from the author.

I really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners, so I was eager to read another one of Christina Lauren’s books. I also enjoy books about Hollywood so this seemed like the perfect combination.

Tate Butler is the daughter of Ian Butler, a famous movie star. She also hasn’t seen him in years and lives in anonymity. On a trip to London, she has a whirlwind romance with a fellow American tourist, Sam, who she tells her secrets to. When the paparazzi find her outside her hotel, and Sam is nowhere to be found, she knows it was he who betrayed her.

14 years later, she is a famous actress and Sam suddenly reappears in her life.

I enjoyed this book, it had romance but was not just gratuitous sex scenes. The characters were interesting, although not really all that dimensional. It unfortunately didn’t have the banter of The Unhoneymooners (one of reasons I loved it so much), but was still a good, quick read.

Book is a bit of a slow starter, but I found the book as enjoyable as any other Christina Lauren book.

Christina Lauren never fails to bring on all the feels and swoons with their writing. I always end up consumed by their story and with the biggest book hangover and this book is no exception. For fans of this duo it is a must and for those seeking to delve into their writing....what are you waiting for?

I really enjoyed this book. While I don't think I love it as much as their other books I still found myself invested. There were times where I did find it difficult to connect to the main character. This was a quick and very cute read. I feel like it could've had more of an emotional punch however, despite that I still recommend this book.

While this had a very different vibe from past CL books, I was still invested in the characters and their "life" choices. The beginning felt a bit like YA to me with the coming of age "love" connection of Sam and Tate. They meet while vacationing with family in London. We get to know them and their backgrounds.

Will Sam break her heart? Did she share too much with him?

Fourteen years later, Sam and Tate meet in an unexpected reunion. I had mixed feelings about one of them and was hoping for more of a connection.

I missed the lighthearted, LOL humor that I was expecting from a CL novel, but I enjoyed the characters and the second chance theme!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am going to preface this review by saying that I absolutely adore Christina Lauren. This book makes my fourth one by them, and I’m still going to continue reading them. They’re always fun and fast-paced books!

Story | I absolutely loved the beginning of this one. You find out how Tate meets Sam, and you learn about her family’s background. The reader witnesses Tate’s struggle to open up due to the pressure from her Nana, Judith Houriet. You see this young love blossom over the course of a few weeks, just to watch him drop her after telling her to jump.

The story isn’t super exciting after that. She is filming a movie, Milkweed, with her father, which is odd and Sam just so happens to be the screenwriter of said movie. It shakes up her world after she meets Nick Tyler, another actor who shows an interest in Tate. Nick is the other main role in the movie.

This is where I start to have some thoughts about this book. I’m sure everyone knows how this book ends, but for those who don’t, I’m not going to spoil anything. All I will say is: what’s the point of Nick?

I had to snag the audio for this one to read along with because I was just bored. I didn’t have an interest in any of the characters after chapter 10. It’s unfortunate, but I’m looking forward to their next one, The Honey-Don’t List.

I will also say that there isn’t much smut in this, not that there is with Christina Lauren. If you’re going into this expecting that, then I would walk away. Or go into it with different expectations.

Writing | The writing isn’t really any different from the rest of their books. It’s really easy to fly through. I don’t find it super cheesy like I do most romance novels. It’s cheesy, but it’s more of a provolone rather than Swiss. I love cheese so whenever I can pop those references in there the better my life is.

Characters | This is a book where I don’t have a favorite character. I was honestly more interested in Charlie, Tate’s best friend/makeup artist. I found her more interesting than Tate. I also wanted more of my boo, Marco Offredi, Tate’s PR manager.

Overall | I didn’t enjoy this one very much. It was slow, and I didn’t like the celebrity trope. Those are usually hit or miss for me, anyway. I just think it focused too hard on the exploitation of her history. I wanted more romance! *pounds my fist on the table*

I’m still going to continue on with Christina Lauren’s books. This does not change my mind about the authors. It just didn’t work for me, but I’m sure it’ll work for others.

I usually stay away from novels about movie stars but I had to give this one a chance. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren had so many ups and downs. The novel was broken up by spaces of time. From Tate and Sam’s vacation when they are young to reuniting later in life.

Of course, I wasn’t disappointed in reading this novel. There is a bit of mystery, humor and spice. I love how Sam and Tate’s chemistry build when they met and how the authors brought them back together after so much heartbreak. There is the typical banter and humor that is expected of Christina Lauren, which I love. The ever-present supporting characters are great as well

I did feel like the novel dragged to get to the resolution but that’s just my preference. I recommend it to fans of romance who are looking for something different.

An advance complimentary copy of this book was supplied by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Loved this take on the second chance romance, the fact that Christina Lauren made me laugh out loud while reading is what made this book so enjoyable.
Sam & Tate meet as teenagers, and it's love at first sight...then it all blows up.
Years later, they find themselves back together again, and the sparks fly. I enjoyed watching this tumultuous couple find their way back to each other.

Christina Lauren writes a fun story of Tate Jones and the life she is thrown into when her first love exposes her greatest secret.