Sam and Tate meet during a trip to London and quickly fall in love. Then he disappears, and she finds her identity has been revealed to the press. Fast forward 14 years. Tate turned that reveal into a very successful acting career, and she's landed a huge movie role as the lead with her famous father in a supporting role. And on the first night on set, she sees Sam again. Even with the strength of their feelings, neither tried to contact the other. Then they have to figure out how to work together on set.
It was a good story, most of the time spent either in London or on the movie set. I had trouble with some of the actions/reactions of some of the characters to certain situations.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twice in a Blue Moon captured my heart the minute I recognized the homage to A Room with a View in the first chapter. The book opens with two young people, each on a vacation in London with their grandparent. Tate and Sam are attracted immediately and become first friends and then quickly fall in love. But they are separated by scandal as Tate's identity as the estranged daughter of a famous Hollywood actor is leaked to the press, probably by Sam. Sam and Tate meet again 14 years later as Sam has become a successful writer whose book is sold as a movie and Tate is now an actress cast as the lead in Sam's movie.

I loved this story, which was more than just a romance. Tate's estranged father is also cast in the movie, so there is a lot of pressure for Tate to try to deal with her father as well. Tate has not spent much time with her father, since her mother left him when Tate was 8. Tate's grandmother was also involved in a difficult marriage, so Tate really comes from a family of women who doesn't trust men much. Tate has to figure out how she can deal with her father and Sam on the most challenging film in her career.

I think Christina Lauren is my new favorite author, this story was so good! I wish I could say more, but spoilers!

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

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones' first everything: her first love, her first sexual experience, and her first betrayal. She never expected him to come back into her life.

Tate met Sam in London fourteen years ago on a trip to London with her grandmother, and the two bonded fiercely. Until Sam discovered Tate's secret and betrayed her to the world, summoning a plague of paparazzi (this is the accurate collective noun btw) and heralding her entrance into stardom.

I did enjoy this book. Up to the 92ish percent mark. Then I just...I dunno. I just kinda didn't?

I was intrigued and enthralled by the world of movie stars—the spinning of narratives, the on-set antics and behavioral norms, Tate's relationship with her very famous father who was kinda but not really Tom Cruise—but wasn't so intrigued by Tate and Sam themselves.

The first part is slow, with lots of lying on the grass staring up at the sky and just being and talking and blah blah and aching betrayal, and the second catapults straight into present day.

I honestly couldn't believe for a second that some level of familiarity didn't jiggle into Tate's mind when she read Milkweed's screenplay. Because Sam was at the corner of her mind, always present even when she wasn't thinking about him, because his betrayal was what made her what she was—literally and figuratively. And because the story of his grandparents was just so amazing and resonated so much.

And she never tried to stalk the dude who exposed her to the world? She just moved on and went on with her life?

Puh-leaze.

So Sam and Tate themselves were annoying. I won't go further because ~spoilers~, but lemme just say that if a dude screwed me over that badly, I would never forgive him. Nope, nope, nope. And I have felt that strongly for a person before (happily I am married to someone who is much more amazing). Okay, the emails did make me cry but c'mon that's such a cop out because I wasn't feeling so great that day (also: Tate, be more proactive in the mundanities of your life).

However, I did enjoy the book.

Mostly because I loved the supporting cast.

Not Ian Butler, because he's a dick, but the others: Nick and Marco, and Charlie and Trey. I wish that Gwen and Devon had had more screen time and time to be developed as people too, because what parts of them that were on page were delightful and so good for Tate and her ability to deal with her father and Sam. Nick especially I wanted more of—I really, really liked him and wish the best of everything for that sweet little bean.

Anywho, this was a far different kind of book than My Favorite Half-Night Stand or My Favorite Half-Night Stand, mostly because it's not filled with laugh-out-loud humor but an anticipatory tension that slowly winds its way into your heart.

Against the odds.

Against your expectations.

Against societal norms.

Kinda like Milkweed itself.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Twice in a Blue Moon is a first love/second chance romance filled with passion and scandal. It was a great read from beginning to end that lets us experience the characters as they grow up.

The story follows Tate and Sam as they travel abroad with their grandparents. They meet and have an instant connection and start to reveal their hopes and dreams for their future.

Tate has a secret that only her family knows about and feels comfortable enough to tell Sam. They love each other and she has faith and trust in him that he won't tell a soul.

Something surprising happens and changes their whole relationship and Tate has to figure out where to go from here.

The story picks up about a decade later and Tate and Sam find each other working on the same project. Tate is the lead actress and Sam is the writer. Tate has so many feelings towards Sam that she is having a hard time working through. As they begin to talk things out, they find the connection they once had.

Overall, I thought it was a beautiful story about experiencing love and experiencing a connection that is unexplainable yet all-consuming. Christina Lauren once again created a story that has the ups and downs of a real relationship and created a set of characters that did the story justice!

I really enjoyed this book! I love any romance book that has a hate to love trope. The romance between Tate and Sam was so cute and sweet. The pacing was well done and the book read very quickly. I enjoyed that we got to see Tate and Sam when they were younger and the sweet romance they had. It was also fun to read when they met again 14 years later and there was tons of tension and sass. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy adult contemporary romance. I will definitely be reading more of Christina Lauren's books.

This was a sweet first love, enemies to lovers, and a second chance romance all in one! I liked following an older Tate as an actress and getting behind the scenes of that. She was down to earth and a sweet person. Tate and Charlie’s friendship is goals. Sam is a sweet, sensitive, tall, burly man.....who is also a writer. Swoon! I enjoyed the focus on family relationships and discussion of toxic fathers/ father abandonment. Reading vlog where I read this book is linked below.

Christina Lauren’s books have become this thing in my life where I’m always excited to read their next book irrespective of what I felt about the previous one. And I frankly have no idea why that is. I can’t say I had a lot of expectations this time but I still ended up a bit disappointed, which is just ughhhh.

This book has the second chance romance trope which is not always my favorite, but can be done really well with a lot of angst. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me well at all in this instance. I’ve had a similar experience with the authors’ previous book with the same trope, Love and Other Words and I just couldn’t connect with the love story at all. Thankfully, the writing is fast paced as always and I breezed through it in just a few hours but I also wanted to skim read it a bit because I wanted to be done. The present timeline of the story is set during a film shoot on a rural farm set and I thought that was quite unique and interesting. There was some fascinating insight into how shoots and table reads work, which I really enjoyed and kept wishing that we had more of those scenes. I think there were many such small moments throughout the book which were lovely and what helped me finish the book, but they all felt disjointed and didn’t work well together as a whole. I think I’ve also come to expect the authors’ books to be a lot of fun and bantery, which was definitely missing here and that may have impacted my reading experience too.

I’m usually okay when the plot doesn’t work if I can connect to the characters and that was my biggest gripe here. Unlike many of my fellow reviewers, I actually liked the flashback storyline. I know it was instalove but I still could believe those moments of instant attraction, the possibility of a romance on a vacation, the fluttery feelings - the newness of it all was captured very beautifully and that’s why the heartbreak felt realistic too.

However, I literally felt nothing in the fourteen years later present timeline. While I could understand how Tate’s life may have been affected drastically due to being in constant spotlight and also being very sheltered while young, but the idea that a one week long fling affected her ability to have healthy relationships for more than a decade just felt so unrealistic. I liked Sam in the past timeline because he was sweet and considerate until everything blew up, but I really didn’t feel much of anything about him in the current timeline because he was such a background presence with not much of a personality. I can give points for nostalgic feelings when you meet your first love after ages, but there was really no buildup to why they were still in love or what they even knew about each other to fall in such a deep relationship so fast.

There were some cool side characters who brought laughs and good feelings to the proceedings but they didn’t leave enough of an impact on me. The only side character I even have an opinion on is Tate’s father who was a douche and I just wish there was some resolution to Tate’s relationship with him. I could totally relate to her desire to have a relationship with him despite his passive aggressive nature, but after giving this subplot so much importance through the end, it’s just left hanging towards the end and I hated it.

At the end, I just want to say that this ended up being a bit boring and not a very enjoyable read. However, I think it’s a very personal thing and you might still like it. If you enjoyed the authors’ Love and Other Words and you are a fan of the second chance romance trope, then this book might be a good choice for you. But if you want to deeply connect to the main characters, it might leave you disappointed. And as usual, I’m already looking forward to the next book by the authors and hoping it’ll be more fun.

I am a sucker for Second Chance romances & Author Christina Lauren delivered it.

I liked the unusual story of Sam & Tate.
There is a good combination of love, heartache, sexy times and a very good mystery of why these two did not work out the first time.

This book brought me back to my days living in Hollywood and the people that I was surround by like Tate. It is a world that was brought to life in this story and made it feel so real to be in Tate and Sam's world. Many emotions flowed reading this book.

Sam was frustrating to like in the beginning but he grew into me and I totally understood why he was soo guarded just like Tate was with their feelings towards one another.

Tons of angst so be warned that you will want to smack these two around and yell at your book in frustration but when that frustration is finally popped, be ready to explode in excitement with Tate and Sam getting that second chance in love,

Very well developed plot and storyline. Many of the background characters I want to know more about and hope to see in future books of their stories.

5 🍒🍒🍒🍒🍒popped!

I loved this book SO much, not only for the amazing second chance love story but also because it was set in my hometown. Reading about Guerneville, the Russian River, Lark's Drugs...I could not contain the perma-grin that was attached to my face whilst reading this one. This dynamic duo always delivers for me. I have yet to read a book of theirs that doesn't keep me connected and smiling the entire time. I highly recommend not only this one but ALL of their stories.

I loved the newest Christina Lauren book, which is no surprise! I will say this one had a slightly different, tamer feel to it. Not a bad thing, just different. Didn't make me enjoy it any less! I loved to see the character growth from their teenage years to adulthood. It was the perfect blend of humor and seriousness. Loved!

Tate Jones has a secret. Her name is not actually Tate Jones; it’s Tate Butler and she is the long-lost daughter of legendary actor, Ian Butler. After she got tired of Ian’s cheating ways, Tate’s mother filed for divorce, changed hers and Tate’s last names, and relocated to a remote community. From those moments up until her eighteenth birthday, Tate has lived a completely sheltered life and, for her mother’s sake, has done her best to keep her true identity hidden. When her Nana takes her on a two-week trip to London, it’s a much-needed taste of freedom for Tate and she decides to make the most of it. She meets a handsome young man named Sam Brandis and over the course of those two weeks, she falls hard for him, so hard in fact that she confesses to Sam who she really is. Imagine her surprise when Sam and his family abruptly checks out of the hotel without saying goodbye. Then imagine her even bigger surprise when the paparazzi unexpectedly descends on her. Tate unfortunately learns the hard way that her trust in Sam was misplaced. Her world is irrevocably turned upside down.

Fast forward nearly fifteen years and Tate has followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming a successful actress in her own right. She has signed on to play the lead role in a film that is so incredible on paper that she’s sure it will land her an Oscar nomination if she does her best work. When she arrives on set, however, who does she come face to face with? Sam Brandis, the young man who broke her heart and her trust all those years ago. And even worse, he’s the writer who penned the script for her movie. How does Tate confront Sam after all of these years? Can she forgive him? Does he even deserve to be forgiven? And how is all of this awkwardness going to impact her work on this potentially career-making film?

*****
Christina Lauren’s latest novel Twice in a Blue Moon is a slight departure from the other books I’ve read from this amazing writing duo. My prior experiences have been of the lively rom-com variety, filled with laugh-out-loud funny moments, while Twice in a Blue Moon comes across as a much more serious story.

While it wasn’t the light and funny story that I was expecting going in, Twice was still an entertaining and engaging read that features one of my favorite romantic tropes, the second chance romance. After reading about Tate and Sam’s adventures in London as young adults and watching Tate fall in love for the first time only to have her heart broken, I was fully invested in seeing what happened when Tate and Sam met again and whether or not Sam could do anything to redeem himself and get Tate to forgive his betrayal.

I also just really liked Tate and felt tremendous sympathy for her. I can’t even imagine living a childhood where I had to hide who I was from everyone. And then to finally confess your secret to someone, only to have them sell you out to the highest bidder? All of that has got to take a psychological and emotional toll on a person and I thought Christina Lauren did a fantastic job of letting us into Tate’s headspace to experience all of her conflicting emotions, both of the moment of Sam’s initial betrayal and then again when they come face to face after so many years. Sam was a great character too and so complex. I loved that he was so genuinely likeable in those early London scenes that his betrayal came out of left field and had me anxiously flipping pages waiting for him to turn back up and give me a darn good reason for why he did what he did.

The one area of the book that didn’t work quite as well for me as I would have hoped was the filming of the movie. Acting doesn’t really interest me so I got a little bored reading those scenes and the pages of script that were included. The high point of the movie scenes were actually the secondary characters who were working on the film. They were a lot of fun and I would have loved more time with them. I’m sure the issue with the acting scenes is just a me thing though and even with that issue, I still really enjoyed the story overall.

While not my favorite book from Christina Lauren (that honor still goes to Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating), Twice in a Blue Moon is still a lovely read that fans of second chance romance are sure to enjoy.

Twice in a Blue Moon is the second book written by Christina Lauren that I read. Having read My Favorite Half-Night Stand, a story that I enjoyed a lot and that surprised me, I had good expectations about this book. Perhaps I was expecting too much from it, but I have to say, and I hate to say it, I felt a little disappointed by the story.
I liked the characters. Tate was an interesting character but there was just something that did not let me connect with her completely. Maybe it was because the context of the character and the story, I have never felt quite into the Hollywood thing, but I just could not feel a connection with her. I liked Sam, although I think more Sam was necessary and I liked Charlie and Nick as well. I hated Ian, of course.
The story is interesting and enjoyable. It is fast-paced and easy to read. However, there was something missing. Something to make it awesome.
I did like it and I enjoyed reading the book, it is a sweet love story and I liked reading about the before and the present. I liked the idea of Milkweed as well. I finish reading it quite fast, but I guess I just needed a little bit more.
I will definitely keep an eye on the upcoming books by the authors, though. In addition, I will try to read a couple of the other available books that are on my pile, because I know they will be good stories.

I enjoyed this book. I actually really liked how much time was spent on the backstory. Most times books just do flashbacks or shirt snippets. However, I felt the current day story was much more rushed. Especially the ending. It seemed too abrupt to just be back in love. It seemed like the heroine reverted back to her 18 year old self. Overall I enjoyed the sweetness of this story and the unique setting

When I finished The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, I honestly couldn’t wait to dive into another delicious novel by this dynamic duo. That being said, my expectations for Twice in a Blue Moon were really high….and you know what they say about high expectations.

The beginning of this story makes you think you’re reading a YA/NA novel. The story opens with 18 year old Tate vacationing in London with her grandmother. While out dining one day in London, they meet 21 year old Sam and his grandfather, Luther. In a span of a week and a half, Tate and Sam embark on a whirlwind romance, and Sam is Tate’s first. They quickly fall in love. Tate confides her deepest secret to Sam only for Sam to betray her.

Jump ahead 14 years, and now Tate is a famous actress who has moved on her with her life. Everything comes to a crashing halt when Tate has to face Sam after all these years. There’s still so much pent up hurt and anger, but after talking to Sam, she realizes that she may have judged him to harshly for his betrayal considering he had a good reason to do so. Can these to find a way to get bury the hatchet and give their love a second chance?

Okay, as I am sitting here writing this, I am actually getting more and more frustrated with how this book turned out because I wanted to love it so much! Tate and Sam’s instant love was not for me. I get that they were young, but they went from being complete strangers to bearing they’re secrets and lovers in the span of days. I get that it does happen, but I just couldn’t connect with them or that plot line. I definitely found myself rolling my eyes more often that I should’ve.

When we see Tate and Sam 14 years later, I became more invested in the story. While I wasn’t so keen on the pining after all those years, I really enjoyed watching the two of break through the mounds of assumptions they’ve built up and actually start communicating. I also enjoyed that Tate goes through a metamorphosis where she’s able to resolve her issues when it comes to love as well as her father.

Overall, this definitely didn’t read like a typical Christina Lauren book, which I was a bit disappointed by, but I will continue to read books by the authors in search of the next one that I love by them.

Thank you to Gallery Book and NetGalley for the eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I just love Christina Lauren and their novels. There are a number of them that I was absolutely crazy for, including Love and Other Words and Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. They write so seamlessly together that it's hard to tell that it is two authors composing a novel together. While this novel was still a great read, it was not my favorite of their novels. I just didn't get as emotionally attached to these characters as I usually do. I think part of my problem was that the whole book was in Tate's point of view. And while that was relevant to many pieces of the book, it didn't really allow us to see enough of Sam's inner thoughts and how wrecked (I'm hoping) he was when he saw her again as an adult. I can understand why he ended up making the decision he did in London but it still was just awful. Only hearing her point of view made it a little harder to forgive Sam later on. And I also had a little trouble with their later life romance since it wasn't as well developed as their first relationship. I didn't feel like I knew Sam enough as an adult. When they did come together the chemistry exploded off the page and just set everything on fire but there wasn't as much of an emotionally connection. I still really enjoyed it and I didn't want to put it down, it just wasn't one of my favorites of theirs. I'd still definitely recommend it!

I'm still trying to progress what I've read and try to form the words to adequately express my feelings for this book. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren has been my first book by the writing duo in a while. To say I was elated to have been accepted for an early e-ARC by the publisher is an understatement (just haven't been lucky previously). I have nothing bad to say about this duo's writing. As always their writing is phenomenal and cohesive, feeling as if one person were writing the story. But this story was not what I had been hoping for.

I have to agree with many, the first part of the story is truly captivating. Tate Archer is 18 and young. Spending her summer in London with her Nana before she heads to college. On this trip she meets Sam Brandis. The two fall and embark in a sweet, angsty summer love until heartbreak occurs and the person Tate trusted the most betrays her. Fast forward 14 years and this is when the story started declining for me. Just when I thought Tate and Sam's reconnection would be filled with passion, and angst it never came. There is barely any romance between them and their moments together aren't as thrilling. Overall, I just needed more, especially from Sam. Those rare and small moments from him left me feeling resigned. And the ending, well the ending felt rushed. Sigh. That being said, I ask you to go completely blind into this story and experience it on your own. You may just end up loving it!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren, is a beautiful love story, that I just loved. Sam Brandis and Tate Jones feel in love one summer, and spent two wonderful weeks together. Tate told Sam that she was the long lost daughter of a famous movie star who abandoned her and her mother. Sam betrays her by the end of the two weeks, and her heart is broken. What happens fourteen years later when they meet again? You will have to read the book and find out. I have enjoyed several books by this author, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite. I strongly recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Cute, funny, smart romance. Love these two authors and will read anything they write! I recommend this.

Thank you so much to Gallery Books and NetGalley for letting me read an early copy of Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren! I’ve been on a HUGE Christina Lauren kick recently (I read 6 of their books in less the two weeks), so being able to read this one right now was so great!

Twice in a Blue Moon 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:
Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

I loved this book- from the characters to the premise to the way it was executed, I loved every part! It’s different from some of their other books- it’s told 100% from Tate’s point of view and there’s less chemistry between Tate and Sam- but somehow, it still worked.

Overall, I loved this book and I can’t wait to read more Christina Lauren books when they come out! Twice in a Blue Moon comes out on October 22, so be sure to pre-order it now so you get it on the 22nd!

I liked the original romance between Tate and Sam, but as much as I enjoyed this book and found myself unable to put it down, the present day part of the story really dragged for me.

Same betrays Tate in the worst way and getting to the explanations and rekindled romance took way too long. The new romance almost felt forced because their was too much focus on the scenes in the movie being filmed. I would have loved to have gotten an epilogue to really see how it all truly turned out.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.