Ugh, I am so conflicted with this book.

I mean, the first 1/3 of the book was a case of what in the misogynistic BS is this Rip guy. Heck no I say to you sir.

He did get better the last half of the book, but his words and actions tainted him for me for the rest of the story - sorry RVD.

I liked Colby from the start. Both Colby and Rip are thrown into an unthinkable situation, but the way they dealt with it at the start told me a lot about their characters. One all sunshine and grieving out in the open, one a grump holding it all in, and pushing his way on to her (he really was very douchey to her).

I liked that he did change his ways (and if he hadn't I really was considering DNFing because of him)

The light of this story was the children they became guardians of. They light up the page every time they are on it, even as they are going through the worst time of their little lives.

I wanted to love this story, but unfortunately this was a very rare RVD miss for me.

2 out of 5 stars

thank you netgalley for the digital review copy.

unfortunately i didn’t vibe with this book. like at all.

the premise was good, however there were multiple things that made me at points not want to continue and even at one point want to dnf. i pushed through (why did i do that?) and there were seldom redeeming qualities. first of all, the intro was confusing—why was it necessary to jump around in time like that? it could have been completely discarded and would not have taken away anything from the story. second of all, the two main characters had no chemistry whatsoever and i found the author had to tell us about their feelings rather than show it. at some points, as well, there were contradicting sentences, and though i’m aware of the hate to love trope, yoyoing back and forth between feelings with no purpose, no explanation, and no chemistry or depth of character made me even more confused. and last but not least, rip. he was just… not a nice human. colby deserved better than someone who belittled and berated her for the way she was grieving and mocking her for not being able to function properly.

just not a great read overall. not sure if it’s just me but regardless, didn’t love it.

Wow! Super cute story laced with sadness, love, crazy kids and an adorable love/hate relationship. I laughed out loud and said “aww” a ton. Get a copy as soon as it comes out! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Colby & Rip have just been handed joint custody of their best friends’ kids after a tragic accident. That right there packs a powerful emotional punch. Even though the subject matter sounds heavy, the book still read soft & light in most moments. And if I’m being honest, I think that’s exactly what my brain needed right now— a book with substance, yet delivered in a soothing dose.

Immediately I hated Rip’s character. His meanness towards Colby, especially during a time of grief, rubbed me the wrong way. But I also knew there was a lot of hurt buried under his words. It took some time for me to feel it, but when I eventually did, the emotions felt raw & genuine. He was able to redeem himself, in my eyes.

There is no “happy ever after” when you’re dealing with a profound loss as they are. However, they leaned on one another & learned how to navigate their new lives together. The messy moments began to become beautiful moments.

The writing felt impactful, yet easy-going. I found myself turning pages & before I knew it, the story’s end had come full circle. Definitely add this one to your summer reading list!

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this, but I absolutely loved it. The banter between these two was so funny I laughed out loud many times. I loved the kids and also Banks, they were so funny. The emotional turmoil in this book will break your heart and make you cry several times. This one is one I would highly recommend, this was amazing.

Tragedy - the death of Monica and Brooks- means that Colby and Rip must pull together to raise their two young children, Ben and Viera. These two didn't like each other before because they're just so different but now they've go to put all that aside. Moving into Monica and Brooks' house is an adjustment but that's nothing compared to being co-parents, especially to two kids that just want their mom and dad. Colby finds her lifestyle changed drastically and Rip finds himself turning into a growling man who wants his dinner on time. Luckily,. his friend Banks is there to lighten things. And you know what's going to happen- don't you? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a deceptively light read that deals with tough issues.

I absolutely loved this book. I laughed I got teary eyed. The new parenthood banter was just perfect. The romance was so sweet and the ending was precious.

I love rom-com movies! One of my all time favorites is Life As We Know It. I probably watch it at least once a month. If you like that movie you won't want to miss The Godparent Trap! It's similar but also very much different.

Colby's sorta had a crush on her best friend's brother, Rip for years. However, they're complete opposites. He's a wound tight, tidy, accountant while she's a carefree, messy, food/restaurant blogger. When they're both suddenly hit with co-parenting they're going to have to learn to accept each other's differences.

The Godparent Trap is heart breaking, funny, sweet, and encouraging all in one. I absolutely adored this one! I didn't necessarily love how Rip always treated or talked to Colby but by the end of the story we kind of understood why which redeemed him for me. Bonus, the kids are adorable! Highly recommend getting this one on your tbr!

This story was really sweet but emotional.

The story of Rip and Colby dealing with what life hands them. They go through tough moments having lost their family/best friends in a car crash and gaining custody of their two kids, especially because they don’t see eye to eye…

Will this unlikely pair be able to come together in this new life?

Thank goodness for Banks! Brought the comic relief needed to this story 🤣

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for a review!

I’m so in love with these two! They are so opposite and so perfect together! I’ve been dying to read this story since I heard about it months ago and it was definitely worth the wait!

This was a tear jerker, but also super witty and a wonderful representation of parenthood at its grittiest. I adored Rip and Colby and really admired how hard they worked to give the kids a great life. Not only was the chemistry between Rip and Colby excellent, but this book also had so many laugh out loud moments. Loved how sweet and down to earth Colby was and how she brought out Rip’s fun side. So good! *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heartfelt, witty and sweet, The Godparent Trap is a great read.

With wonderfully written characters, great banter and a plot that's bound to hit your heart, this book is bound to give you all the feels. Filled with so much raw emotion, the highlight of this book is how real it is. You can feel the characters grief and confusion, relate to the sense of being overwhelmed and floundering and go through the journey of learning, growing and healing with them. Get ready for a complete emotional rollercoaster, and come join Rip and Colby on this unexpected and heartbreaking journey.

4 stars and a blue butterfly

A story that will make you laugh and cry.
Colby and Rip must take care of two little kids after their parents die in a car accident. This is a big challenge for both of them, especially beacuse they are polar opposite, Colby - the clumsy, sunshine girl and Rip - the typical grumpy man. Because now they need to live under the same roof, grieve their friends death and take care of two little kids, they need to put their hate aside. And at the same time something else starts to evolve between them.
This story brought tears to my eyes so many times. Colby and Rip had hard time dealing not only with the kids but also with their grief. This was a very emotional read. But their story didn’t lack funny, hilarious scenes, especially with the presence of the kids. Colby and Rip’s relationship evolved slowly and you know that I love slow-burns and this one I liked a lot.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Godparent T by RvDyken, pzblished by Forever Grand Central Publishing, is a touching read.
Colby is a traveller, food blogger with a big following. Rip is an accountant, every cliché fits him perfectly. And they dislike each other with passion. But then karma makes both guardians of the children of her best friends and his sister. Plus griving the loss they had, settling in a new strange life for all of them, accepting the changes, it doesn't comes easy for them. And the children are just adoarble, they're the real stars in this story.
A heart-warming and - wrenching story that gives all the feels, suspenseful, unputdownable.

The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken was a wonderful read! I absolutely adored this book! It was a super fast read and I really loved the main characters. It was so heartfelt and dealt with grief in such an interesting way. I really liked all the contrasting energies. This author never disappoints and always brings a great story!

Man was this one such a fun, deep, sweet read. Pretty sure I was smiling, chuckling, or tearing up throughout the book (sometimes at the same time). I literally binged this one in about 24 hours and I’m so glad I did!

I loved Colby and Rip together - Colby pushed Rip outside of his comfort zone and made him realize that everything didn’t have to be perfect at all times. Ugh they were just so good together. And the kids. The kids. They killed me! Also, the burn box 👀 dead

All the little moments between Colby, Rip, Ben, and Viera felt so real and raw. There were no grand gestures, just people being there for each other in all the quiet, sometimes chaotic, moments throughout the day.

There are some heavy parts of the book as the characters navigate their grief while becoming parents overnight, but the lightheartedness injected at every turn made the book really wholesome and sweet (with a touch of steam).

You’ll want to bump this one up on your summer TBR! Thanks to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the ARC.

Pub date: 7/19/22

Read if you like:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found family
✨ Enemies to Lovers
🌤 Grumpy x Sunshine
💗 Best friends brother
🎥 Life As We Know It
🌪 Hot messes
👨🏻 Protective dads
🛒 Grocery store games
🫙 Swear jars
🦋 Butterflies

If you want to know TW feel free to dm me!

I absolutely loved this book!! It was such a quick fun read and I loved every second of it. It was hilarious and had such cute, heartwarming moments and equally sad moments that tugged on the heartstrings too. I just adored this so much.

In The Godparent Trap we follow Colby and Rip, they have always been at each other throats and haven’t gotten along but they are thrust together after an accident that took their best friend/sister and Colby & Rip are granted guardianship of both their children. They are forced to co-exist in the same proximity now and learn how to parent together, navigating this new life that has been given to them.

Both Colby & Rip are the complete opposites but this is why they worked so well together, they balanced each other out perfectly. Rip is super grumpy and a type A person whereas Colby is more chaotic and free spirited. It was hilarious watching them both try to live together with their differences and also deal with the unpredictability of the children.
The parenting aspect of this book was super realistic and didn’t skimp on any of the hardships and crazy moments which I loved to see. The kids were super cute and funny too and was a nice edition to the story.

I also loved how grief was dealt with in this story. It also felt very realistic and showed how people deal with grief differently, and how people heal from it. I definitely got teary eyed a few times in this book when we were hit with those harder moments!

The relationship progressed at a nice pace for me, I liked the aspect of them having a past together and seeing how they got over that and their differences to become a couple. Also when the spicy scenes kicked in, damnnnnn, they were well written!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and will definitely check out more of this authors work, highly recommend this one!

I absolutely adored this book! It was a super fast read and I really loved the main characters. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that I wish it had more depth and more emotion. I feel like it glossed over the big emotional moments a bit too much.

This was my first book by Rachel and it was a fun and sweet read. There were times where it was sad, but I loved seeing how this unlikely pair came together to raise the sweetest kids. It was heartfelt while not being too heavy and a quick read. My first book by Rachel, but definitely not my last!

I love books with cute kids and romance, so this was an obvious choice for me. While the story is mostly focused on Colby and Rip adjusting to parenthood after the untimely death of Monica and Brooks, there's still quite a bit of longing and romance thrown in. We get tropes like forced proximity, fake dating, and grumpy/sunshine, though all combine in ways I've never seen before. Plus STU!! Who knew that cat poop could bring people together?

I'd recommend this book to fans of The Parent Trap and anyone who just wants to get in their feels a bit.

*Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*