I did appreciate how the timelines were in order, but the first part of this story is leagues better than the second part.

I had really high expectations for Twice in a Blue Moon after reading and loving the last few books written by this duo. Unfortunately, the story was mostly disappointing.

My first complaint would be the character's ages. Tate and Sam meet when they are 18 and 21 respectively, and then fourteen years pass before the story picks back up. However, Tate and Sam still act like they did when they were together in London. It was like they never grew up, which was really weird since now they're both in their 30's. Whenever something happened, I had to remind myself that they were waaaay older, because their actions and responses felt immature for their current ages. I wish we'd seen some really obvious character growth, but it just wasn't there.

Additionally, Tate's relationship with her father really bothered me. She claims to be her own person now, but still lets him impact how she feels about herself. The guy has done nothing to earn her respect or her love, yet she freely gives him both. It didn't make sense that she was intimated by him, especially after being very successful herself. I also found it hard to believe that she would let him lie about their past together without calling him on his bullshit (very intricate and excessive lies). I don't know how PR and all that jazz works, but the man was selfish and shouldn't've gotten away with so much.

At the end of the book, I thought there would finally be a confrontation between Tate and her father, or we'd see more confidence and conviction from our leading lady. Sadly, while the ending implies Tate is going to "set the record straight," we don't actually see any of that. A lot of the story was left unresolved, and I wish the authors had written an epilogue or something that addressed all of the loose ends. There were serious issues that needed to be discussed before the book's conclusion.

I felt like the characters in Twice in a Blue Moon lacked authenticity and believability. The book takes place on the set of a movie being filmed, but I never felt like I was fully there for the experience. I was always an outsider looking in, and I want to feel like I'm a part of the story. Honestly, it was a quick read once I sat down and told myself I was going to finish the book, but I didn't feel compelled to pick it up. The before period was probably more interesting than the after, but things progressed slowly throughout the entire book.

The initial friendship and subsequent relationship between Tate and Sam was really sweet. I was completely swept up in their London romance, despite knowing it wasn't going to end well (it's in the synopsis). They were adorable together and so clearly in love, so the lack of communication for fourteen years wasn't entirely believable. I felt like the Sam from before would have reached out, despite the reasons he gives later on for not doing so. It felt out of character for him. “But then I touch you, and it’s like every fantasy I ever had coming true.” Instead of giving Tate the benefit of the doubt, he opted to play the villain in their story.

A bookish pet peeve: miscommunication plays a role in this one. Tate overhears something and makes assumptions, but doesn't think to ask Sam about it.

I did enjoy most of the secondary characters, although I wish they'd had larger roles. It would've been nice to see something happen with Charlie and Nick, or even Trey and someone on set. Maybe if the four of them had spent more time together? I don't know. It was like we were stuck on an endless loop with Tate. The stuff with her father, and then everything with Sam... we just went in circles. I also don't think Tate should have been so blindsided. What she found surprising was ridiculously obvious and sadly predictable. In the end, Twice in a Blue Moon wasn't a terrible read, but I did expect more going into it.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on October 26, 2019.

There are certain authors whose books I read no matter what they're about; I don't even read the blurbs, so I have no idea what I'm getting into. Christina Lauren are on that list for me. So I didn't know I was getting a "famous person" story with Twice in a Blue Moon. I'm not into those, whether they're rock stars or actors or some other sort of well-known person living the celebrity life. It obviously did not make me stop reading it, because Christina Lauren, but I was a little disappointed. This would have had to be a REALLY INCREDIBLE book for it to earn a spot at the top of my favorite CL books like Roomies and Love and Other Words, and it wasn't.

That being said, I did really enjoy this book. I've said it before, but I LOVE a couple with a complicated history and BOY, do Sam and Tate have that. The first section of the book was my favorite, because we're getting to know them as they're getting to know each other. But again, being a CL book, there comes a moment when BAM, your heart is ripped out. There's always a reason, and it usually turns out to be a good reason, but it's rough going until you find out that reason.

One of the things I like best about CL is how good they are at wordcraft. Sometimes a sentence will make me stop and marvel over how beautiful or clever it is. This is where reading on a Kindle comes in handy, since you can highlight the sentence (and share it with your Goodreads friends!) Here are a couple of examples: "I feel like an old toy put on a shelf, waiting to be wanted again" and "He was a life raft in the middle of a green ocean" and "I haven't exactly worked out what I need to tell him, how to take the feelings inside me and turn them into words." Incredible. This is why Christina Lauren will always be on the top of my Favorite Authors list, and I will read every book they put out, no matter what it's about!

Tate goes to London with her Grandma to celebrate high school graduation and meets Sam who is also traveling with his grandfather. First love hits Tate and Sam hard and they’re talking about seeing each other and trying to be more than a vacation fling. Until disaster strikes in the form of tabloids who reveal Tate’s secret past. Fast forward 14 years and two broken hearts later, can Tate and Sam fall in love again or does that only happen Once in. Blue Moon?

I love that the tone of this book is really funny and you get to go through the thrill ride and sweetness of first love with Sam and Tate .it was a lovely second chance at love story with a hunky leading man. A fun read.

This is only my 2nd novel by these talented ladies and i enjoyed it every bit as The Unhoneymooners

in my opinion though it was a bit more...bittersweet maybe...i don't know if that's the right word...i will say that The Unhoneymooners had me laughing whereas this one had me sniffling more than once

simply put it was charming and magical

I’d never read a Christina Lauren book before and I’m not sure how typical this was, but this was a second-chance-at-love romance that felt a bit like a hybrid YA/romance book and was chock full of tropes: love with a celebrity, love on holiday, second chance at love, celebrity in disguise, forbidden love….

The story begins as teenage Tate and Sam meet in London – she’s the daughter of a famous film star, but has a difficult relationship with her father and been living with her mom under a different last name in a small town. Sam is also on holiday and staying at the same London hotel. When these two meet, they fall hard for each other, and Tate decides to trust Sam with her secret. But then he abruptly disappears, breaking her heart, and reporters show up, revealing her identity. Years later, Tate is an actress in her first starring film role when she sees someone on set who looks startlingly familiar. Could it be Sam, was he the one who betrayed her, and can she trust him a second time?

In a way this felt like two separate stories: teenage Sam and Tate and their drama, and adult Sam and Tate. Maybe I’ve been reading YA too long, but I preferred the first half and I’m trying to figure out why.

I liked all the themes and tropes in here – some of my favorites! I love second chance at love stories. And I liked the family aspects of the story – Tate’s relationship with her father, her mother and her grandmother. But I also felt like there was something about the second half of the story that didn’t quite work as well for me as the first half. I felt like Tate always had the stronger half of the power dynamic (in part one, she’s the daughter of the famous actor, and in part two, she’s suddenly the up-and-coming young actress now working with her famous father.) She always felt sort of perfect and untouchable to me. Also, the second pat of the book spent a long time having Tate and Sam avoid each other (and a long time of Sam insisting that he did try to warn Tate that he’d be on set) and I felt the magic of their romance in the first part of the story was never quite reproduced in the second.

But there was also a lot here to like, and I will definitely try more Christina Lauren books!

Ever since I read Love and Other Words I have been a huge fan of books by Christina Lauren. These women know how to develop relatable characters while also introducing a variety of scenarios for their engaging novels to take on. I think because I loved Love and Other Words SO much, the bar has been set high for me. While the premise of Twice in a Blue Moon was promising, and I do enjoy the idea of "second chance romance" this one fell flat.

I really struggled to connect or find any believability with these main characters and their romance. Knowing each other for a couple of weeks as teenagers...becoming lovers and sharing their deepest darkest secrets and then there being a HUGE betrayal just didn't work for me. It was all just too quick and then way too dramatic. I get it, teenager love can work in many storylines (hello Love and Other Words!!), but in this situation, it just didn't.

This lack of believability and connection with Tate and Sam made it hard to really feel engaged with the storyline and felt myself rolling my eyes more than feeling engrossed in the writing. Maybe it's just me, but I just didn't love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Twice In A Blue Moon is the newest hit by dynamic duo Christina Lauren. This one is a second chance love story, rather than one of their RomComs. It’s also not a typical romance as it deals with our heroine’s personal baggage and her journey towards coming to terms with it all. It is written in past/present. It is angsty, sweet, sexy with some unexpected twists. While I must admit I prefer their quirky characters and the hysterical situations they get themselves into all in the name of love, I really enjoyed this one, especially the ending. I love that authors Christina Lauren cannot be put in a box and are versatile in their writing. It’s one of the things I love about them. Their immeasurable talent is another.

Unfortunate this one was a no go for me. The characters lacked chemistry and the story was dull. Which makes me sad cause I really normally enjoy their work!

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren follows Tate at 18 when she's on vacation across the pond in London with her grandmother. There she meet's Sam and the two have a instant connection. They sneak away to spend time together and soon Tate is experiencing many firsts with Sam. She divulges a secret to him in private one night and she feels like she very well may be falling in love. Towards the end of their vacation Sam vanishes and Tate soon learns he betrayed her..

Fourteen years later, Tate is a successful actress and about to embark on a movie role that could change the trajectory of her career. She's been preparing for this and hoping to also use this role to become closer with her estranged father. She's thrown when none other than Sam arrives on set and she's forced to confront their relationship and his betrayal from all those years ago. Could their love story have a second chance or will Sam hurt her all over again?

Okay, I love a second chance romance. It is my favorite trope outside enemies to lovers. However this one wasn't my absolute favorite from them and I think it's because I struggle with insta-love type stories. I was much more invested in Tate, her friends and her story than I was in her and Sam's love story. If you like romance with only a little steam this one may be a good place to start as it doesn't fade to black but it's not too over the top. I'd still encourage giving it a shot because I know some people who are absolutely raving about it and I did like it! I love CLo and will continue to read whatever they write (you bet I'm COUNTING DOWN for The Honey Don't List already!) // ☕☕☕

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy to review! All opinions are my own!

I love second chance romances. They're legitimately my weakness. Twice in a Blue Moon is definitely a sweet read with a cool concept, but it wasn't my favorite. Nonetheless, Sam and Tate were absolutely adorable characters and their story was a sweet one.

This one was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review...
This was the second book I've read by Christina Lauren. My first was The Unhoneymooners, which I enjoyed a lot. I was expecting another book like that one. This book however left me a little disappointed.

The beginning aka the build up, was fantastic. I was hooked quickly and found myself falling for these two characters. The story begins during a vacation abroad when the two main characters are still fairly young. You get to experience their growing attraction and love story. But then...then...... when the story shifts into later years aka when things get sexy but complicated, the story just lost it's sizzle. It felt rushed and lacking in the detail that was JUST there during the build up.
Overall, it was cute but I would probably recommend you read The Unhoneymooners over this one.

Amazing story! I love how diverse these authors are with their stories. It had great pacing. Unique plot. And enough to keep you fully engaged!

<em>Twice in a Blue Moon</em> is such a sweet, engaging love story. We start off fourteen years in the past, as 18-year-old Tate takes a rare vacation with her grandmother to spend two whole weeks in London after Tate's high school graduation. Tate lives in a  small Northern California town with her mother and grandmother, and has never been anywhere! She's thrilled at the idea of the adventure ahead of them, especially knowing that this trip is a total splurge for her grandmother.

And then, they meet Sam, a 21-year-old Vermont farm boy traveling with his grandfather Luther. In a switch worthy of <em>A Room With a View</em>, Tate's grandma is vocally unhappy about their street-view hotel room, so Luther gallantly offers the women a trade. As the four chat, they find lots of common ground, and become travel buddies, enjoying the sights of London together.

And unbeknownst to the grandparents, Sam and Tate have also been sneaking out at night to hang out in the secluded hotel gardens, stargazing and sharing secrets. Tate has a whopper of a secret to share, one that she's never told anyone: She's secretly the daughter of Ian Butler, only THE biggest star in Hollywood (I'm thinking Brad Pitt-level superstar), but ever since her mom left her dad when she was 8 years old, Tate has had no contact with him. And while it's been burned into Tate's every waking moment that this is a secret that can't ever be told, she trusts Sam so deeply that she shares the entire story with him... as the two fall deeply into an all-consuming first love.

Of course, it all comes crashing down when Tate discovers that Sam and Luther have checked out of the hotel early, and she proceeds to go outside only to be mobbed by papparazzi. The quiet, anonymous life Tate has treasured is over, and her heart is shattered by Sam's betrayal.

The story picks up in the present, 14 years later, as 32-year-old Tate, now a successful Hollywood actress, is about to begin filming the movie that may final propel her career from supernatural/action genres into award-level recognition. Plus, the new movie is the first time Tate will be making a movie with her father, and the press is just eating it up. but when she arrives on location, she sees that the screenwriter is none other than Sam, the man who broke her heart so long ago. Tate has to figure out how to pull herself together in her most important career moment without causing a scandal or reverting back into the helpless teenager she left in her past.

Ah, such a terrific story! I think I loved the teen sections even more than the parts about grown-up Tate and Sam. For the first ten chapters, we're living through a story of first love, and it's gorgeous. The authors capture the highs and lows of falling in love for the first time, showing the sparks, the wonder, the uncertainty, and then the joy of realizing that feelings are reciprocated, knowing that a connection exists unlike anything else, and feeling so sure that it's the right time to venture into a physical relationship. All of Tate's emotions felt spot-on, and I really believed her thought processes as well as the chemistry with Sam and her worries about her future.

I enjoyed the adult storyline as well, but connected with it perhaps a little less. After all, it's hard to really understand the pressures of a Hollywood star if you're not actually a part of that world, whereas the ups and downs of first love is pretty universal, I think. Still, the story of the movie-making process, Tate's emotional investment in the role, and the truth about Sam's past and his betrayal are all fascinating. I loved the plot of the movie they were filming, and wish the real-life equivalent existed!

<em>Twice in a Blue Moon</em> is a lovely, funny, emotional read -- and while I'm not typically drawn to Hollywood stories, this one had enough grounding in everyday human experiences and emotions to make it relatable and real. Highly recommended! At this point, I will definitely read whatever these authors write next.

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

This book took a little to get into but once I did I was hooked. I loved Tate's character and could relate so much to her trusting and loving personality. My heart broke for her in London when the reporters swarmed. Part of me was not surprised that Sam never reached out after the scandal. I loved the intricacies behind their reunion and the small details for the movie. I can see myself reading this book again and still loving it!

3.5 stars. A fun romance. I liked Tate and Sam. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the book was devoted to the beginning of the story when the two first meet in London. I expected a chapter of set up and the rest to be the reunion, but the reader really gets to see the relationship develop before the fracture, which was great. I would have liked more information from the 14 year gap, but I enjoyed the story of how they find each other again and try to see if they can overcome the past. (Language, sex)

I love second chance romance and was so excited to read this story! Tate and Sam meet in London while both are on vacation with their grandparents. They are young adults who connect and fall in love while sharing their hopes, dreams, and secrets. But when Sam and his Grandfather disappear without a word, and Tate's most guarded secret is exposed, her whole world comes crashing down along with her heart. But Tate is a survivor who makes a new, successful life for herself at the expense of a closed off heart. Fourteen years later, she is blindsided when she and Sam begin working together. It is hard to forget your first love and overcome so many years of miscommunication, betrayal, and pain. The beginning of their story was sweet but slow for me. I really loved how they reconnect over the screenplay and their work colleagues. I love Tate's strength and resilience and Sam can be so swoony, but I didn't feel their connection as much as I wanted to. This is my first experience with this writing duo and I loved their writing style. They created a touching, sweet and heartfelt romance and I will definitely look for more of their work.

I did not love this book, only liked it. Definitely not my favorite book by this author & I've read a lot of books by CL. It's not bad, just missing something. It seem slow at times and forced at other times. I did like the characters, but wasn't vested in them. If you like second chance love stories this is a sweet & sometimes complex book for you.

Wow. This story was so different from others I've read by this author duo, but it's up there as being one of my favorites. The tone, the writing, the emotion ... at times, it took my breath away.

I don't want to give away anything about the story. I actually read it blind, without reading the blurb or any reviews, and it was so great to experience it all unfolding alongside the protagonist, Tate. The story is told entirely from her first-person POV, and while there definitely is romance, I'd categorize it as women's fiction.

My main quibble is that the ending felt really rushed. I could've used an epilogue, too, to see how everything worked out for them post-Milkweed.

That said, this story gave me so many feels. It had more angst than I'd expected, but that also meant it was more moving. I couldn't put it down, reading until 4 AM this morning to finish it. I think the last time I read into the wee hours of the morning was when I read (and loved) MY FAVORITE HALF-NIGHT STAND.

BOTTOM LINE
If you're expecting another CL snarky romcom, à la JOSH & HAZEL or THE UNHONEYMOONERS, you will be disappointed. This story is very different in tone, but it still showcases their ability to pen a compelling love story, one that I found really unique and moving.

RATING: A-/B+ (4½ stars)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and the writing duo Christina Lauren for the opportunity to read and review their latest novel. I really enjoyed the Unhoneymooners - this latest book wasn't quite the same read for me but still a light, romantic novel with lots of feeling.

Tate Jones meets Sam Brandis while on a vacation in London with her over-protective grandmother and falls madly in love. She put all her trust in Sam, confiding her family secret that she is the daughter of one of the most famous current Hollywood stars. When he breaks that trust, her world is shattered. Fourteen years later, Tate is following in her father's footsteps and is beginning to shoot a film that is destined to make her career. Then she sees that the screenwriter is none other than her first love.

A nice romantic story filled with all those human emotions that go along with family, love, betrayal, forgiveness.