This was a cute, fast read. It did cover heavy topics like death of a parent/sister/best friend and hospitalization, but the book handled it well and with respect. Rip and Colby had great chemistry and I did root for them, and I loved Banks as someone trying to push them together. I thought the end could have had a touch more drama, but I also didn’t want the characters to go through much more trauma.

Great story! Love opposites attract! Great story read in one sitting! Love this author and how she can write great stories!

Tags: Opposites Attract - Sunshine Grump - Found Family - Guardian Romance
Enemies to Lovers - Forced Proximity - Best Friend’s Brother

The Godparent Trap was such a wonderful and emotional read for me – I sped through this one in a day without even meaning too. Having read some Rachel Van Dyken books before and seeing that this one was being released by one of my favorite publishers (Read Forever Pub) – I was so excited to get my hands on a copy.

I was intrigued to see how the book would pan out, as I have read RVD books before but they’ve all been romcoms. This one too gave the impression of a romcom, but knowing the premise and seeing the authors Content Guidance note at the beginning (can I give extra love for including that?? Amazing!), I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Luckily the book really surpassed my expectations, delivering a heartfelt romantic dramedy – with a nice balance (that felt true to life) of loss, grief, the craziness of life, and that tug back and forth as time moves forward. I laughed, I cried and I was rooting for this new and fragile family unit the whole time.

Highlights:
💫Ben and Viera – I loved these two kiddos and I was so glad that they remained central to the story throughout!
💫 Dual POV – I love, love, love getting some insight behind both Rip and Colby’s views and that it alternates throughout.
💫 The great banter (Rip and Colby, Colby and Banks, Banks and Rip – just lots of fun banter)
💫 All the great romance tropes (see my tags above)
💫 The laugh out loud moments that balanced out the tears (Burn Box, Viera’s family picture…)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend for Rachel fans (obviously) and also for fans of Abby Jimenez and the like.

Thank you to Forever for another fantastic read and the chance to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

CW: Grief, Death of Parents

CW: Parental Deaths

The Godparent Trap is both heartbreaking and healing. Rip and Colby are forced into a situation neither is prepared for but they must lay their differences aside to move forward. As the Godparents to their best friends' children, when tragedy strikes. Colby and Rip find themselves thrust into an insta-family. They are like oil and water. night and day. fire and ice. But the one thing they CAN see eye to eye on is how much they love their Godchildren (and how much they miss their friends).

The Godparent Trap is a forced proximity, frenemies to lovers, standalone novel.
I loved:
The children
Rip and Colby's willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure the kids' were taken care of
The will they/won't they... almost but not quite tension
Banks :)
Colby and Rip's text exchanges

I didn't love:
The way Rip spoke to Colby. I get that he was grieving and emotional, but he said some really hateful and hurtful things to her. Personal attacks. And it didn't feel like he ever gave an authentic apology or recognized how demeaning his words were.
The ending. (No spoilers!) But while most of the book felt very well=paced and well-developed, I felt the last two chapters (and the epilogue) were rushed and almost too full of information, events, and happenings. I think I would have been just fine with the ending even if everything wasn't wrapped up with a neat little bow. I didn't need explanations for every character and every scenario.

Overall The Godparent Trap is a tender, but funny story of love in the midst of pain. Opposites attract. I didn't think the perspective of grief was too detailed or focused on, but it was enough to understand the sadness of the situation while still keeping the overall feel of the book lighthearted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really great. I enjoyed reading it and plan to recommend it to my friends.Another Outstanding job by Rachel

This book is a slow burn with decent banter between Rip and Coby. They have to navigate a tragedy as well as each other, and they present an almost enemies to lovers type of balance. RVD isn’t always a hit for me, but this is a decent book and definitely has that RomCom feel.

Such a charmingly written grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy. RVD brings you something that will lift your soul and put a permanent smile on your face. If you liked the movie Life As We Know It, it’s a very similar premise, than you will love this book. I absolutely adore this troupe and fell immediately in love with the story. From start to finish you will be engrossed with Rip and Colby. They couldn’t be more opposite or more perfect for each other.

After a tragic accident occurs Rip and Colby’s lives are thrown upside down and thrust together irrevocably. These two must navigate an entirely different way of living not only with each other but with the circumstances at hand. These two are literal opposites they’ve known each other since they were kids and had one epically disastrous date that they both agreed should not happen again. But underneath all the animosity and angry banter, there was passion and tension that bled from the pages. You could feel the sexual tension between them every time they were in the same room. It was a living breathing entity in the book that could not be overlooked. They are a wonderful balance to each other, each bringing something to their relationship that the other desperately needs. Watching them fight their attraction and then ultimately giving in to the desperation they both feel was completely satisfying.

RVD writes their story with such realism that you can’t help but feel every emotion pouring from the pages. The pain, the aching, the pure sadness, and chaos releases from the pages unfiltered and tangible. The layers throughout blending all the differing aspects of the story are done flawlessly and in ways only RVD can accomplish. Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationship, Opposites Attract, Grumpy Sunshine, blend and meld into a delightful mix and unforgettable storyline that will leave you utterly satisfied.

5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
romance
Rated R steam - open door scenes

Have you seen the movie Life As We Know It? Did you enjoy it?
Would you have liked it even more with a couple of school age children?
What about a fun, fake dating side plot with our MC and the stereotypical best friend?
How about if the parents of said children had been plotting for the MCs to get together for YEARS before the beginning of the book?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, do yourself a favor and add THE GODPARENT TRAP to your TBR. Or, better yet, just preorder it and thank me later.

Things I Loved:
✨ The Burn Box (iykyk)
✨ Ben & Viera are such a delight! They have some of the best lines in the book honestly. The whole scene about cuddling hard enough to make babies is hilarious.
✨ The banter! Colby & Rip do an absolutely amazing job of balancing snark & love in their banter. The text message exchanges are especially ah-mazing.
✨ Dual POV - because every romance should have both perspectives.
✨ The shoutout to how difficult it is to be a stay-at-home mom. It is not just "hanging out," it's a lot work to keep a home functioning (read; clean) & children entertained (read: alive) all day, every day! I loved that Van Dyken made Rip experience what he thought was the "cushy" household role.

Things I Didn't Like:
✨ NOT MUCH.
✨ Maybe that Banks was given a love conclusion in the epilogue - I would have liked to see another book focusing on him because he was truly hilarious.

This was a sweet, fast-paced read. I think it dealt with the topics of grief and loss well. I'm not sure the romance aspect was 100% there — the book just moved too quickly and I feel like the chemistry needed a little more time to develop before it was believable. But for what it was, I think it was a nice, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title.

Are you a fan of the movie Life As We Know It? Then this is the book for you!

This story follows Rip and Colby, who are forced together to take care of two children after their best friends die. I really loved these characters the story was just all around easy to read. The dialogue was cute and flirty and the story flowed really nicely.

One thing I wish the book did better was explore the heaviness of losing their best friends. The deaths were simply a plot point early on to explain why the characters were taking care of these kids, but it was never fully explored. Sure, there were parts where each character dealt with grief in their own way, but those parts were very small in the overall scheme of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! It was a super cute, fun, quick read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light-angst romance.

This book has all the feels! It’s funny, heartwarming, cute and sad. You will be laughing out loud one moment, turn the page and you will be crying tears of sadness. RVD pulls off a balance with this and it was an enjoyable book. Rip is a huge butthole in the beginning of the book. He wasn’t the only one dealing with a loss and the way he treated Colby really irked me. Colby could hold her own though but he still would have had a lot of groveling to do for me. I enjoyed the kids and Banks was hilarious. The epilogue was really cute and funny as well. It was all wrapped up nice and neat in a little bow!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Colby and Rip once went on a date and it was disastrous. But a tragedy forces them to become instant co-parents to their god children. This book reminded me of that movie with Katherine Hiegl and Josh Dhumal. I usually love enemies to lovers tropes, but I felt like the male character Rip was too mean to Colby. Otherwise it’s a quick, cute read in the rom com genre.

3.5 ⭐️

The Godparent Trap was a cute quick read that had me rolling one minute and tearing up the next. Colby & Rip’s story instantly sucked me in and had me hooked the entire time, I just wish Rip’s character had been a bit more likable.

I did not finish this book. I found it too slow moving in the first couple of chapters and the characters just did not interest me. My apologies to the author.

This is a very heartwarming story reminiscent of of "Life as we Know It." Although the first overall tone of the story is sad; the developing relationship and the amount of growth that both Colby and Rip experience between themselves while navigating parenthood at the same time is both uplifting and inspiring. Not to mention that there is just enough heat at the end to add the final cherry on top:). I'm so glad I received an early review from the publisher and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of Rachel Van Dyken's stories.

I loved this book so much! Great characters, lots of emotion. What more could you want?
This book was great and I'd love to read a book about Banks!

This is the story about Rip and Colby. They are total opposites but they both love Monica, who is Rip's sister and Colby's bestie. When she marries, Rip becomes besties with her new husband Brooks. They then have two children and both become godparents to the children.

Rip is a very hot accountant and Colby is a traveling photographer with a very successful blog. Colby has crushed on Rip for years but they had one very awful date and since then hate each other.

But they love Monica and Brooks and their kids and so when Monica and Brooks die they become responsible for their kids. At times it brings them closer but also bring them further away from each other. They both have to really grow up in this story and change their lives and what they imagine for their future as they have to do whats best for the kids.

This was a tear jerker but also one that gave me the giggles as Rip experiences the joy of raising kids and Colby falls hard for a life she never thought she wanted.

Its an awesome second chance romance but also a great hate turns to friendship and love while navigating life and kids together.

Nothing explicitly bad, but wouldn’t say nothing explicitly great for me either.

I hated, and I mean hated, Rip’s character for the first third of the book. Even after he softened up a bit, still not incredibly redeeming.

I liked Colby alright, but my favorite was Banks. Can we get a Banks spin off please?

Just so so for me.

Sweet and heartfelt slow burn. A bit of an opposites attract with a crazy family dynamic. I really enjoyed the personalities of Colby and Rip and might have shed a tear or two. I wish I had been more invested in the romance between the two characters, but the kid and adult element helped to tie this one together. The ending felt a little rushed and Heather was a character I could have done without. However, Banks was awesome!

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

The 52 Book Club 2022 Challenge Prompt: 6. Household object on the cover (pillow, houseplant, picture frames)

Other Possible Prompts: 11. A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings, 15. A five-syllable title, 23. Author with an X, Y, or Z in their name, 41. Involves a second chance, 45. A book with illustrated people on the cover, 52. Published in 2022

Utterly shocked by just how many prompts this one fits. Anyways, like I wrote on Goodreads, I’m giving the story of this one four stars and the writing two stars – so I’ll meet in the middle at three. Objectively, this is not a great book, but if I’m being honest with myself, I also couldn’t put it down? So that’s still worth mentioning.

After a fatal accident leaves their best friend and sister dead, Colby and Rip become the guardians of their godchildren, Ben and Veira. They move into their friends’ house and attempt to keep some semblance of normalcy for the kids – even though Colby and Rip hate each other’s guts.

The pair had a failed date years before that left a bad taste in their mouths, and their lifestyles couldn’t be more opposite one another – Colby is flighty and carefree, where Rip is strict and rigid. The two are like oil and water, but it seems their friends knew more than they did about themselves when they left their children to both Colby and Rip. The two battle their grief and battle parenthood, as best they can, together.

First off, I just need to clear the air and say that Rip is literally the dumbest name I can think of. Rip (*shudders*). Rest in peace. Which honestly makes this story SO MUCH WORSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. One time I literally read it that way in my head and I outwardly cringed. Who in the hell came up with “Rip”?

Additionally, this book totally reminds me of Life as We Know It, that Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel movie. I do enjoy that movie, because Katherine Heigl rocks, obviously, but this book feels like *literally the exact same plot* and it would be unfair not to acknowledge that fact when talking about the merits of the story. Did I like it? Sure. Was it original? Yea, nope.

Which leaves me to the writing. Which, also, not stellar. There’s a lot of inconsistencies and a lot of implied time gaps that need to be filled differently. I have to note that I’m reading the advance readers copy, so hopefully some of that will work its way out before final publication, but there’s something about the entire tone and flow of the novel that feels disjointed and amateur-ish. Apparently Van Dyken’s written ninety books, so I’m not sure why I’m getting the amateur vibe…but it’s there. Trust me, it’s there. It feels a bit like some moments you’re on the floor with our characters, participating in the action and watching a scene unfold, and then at some points I am a figure just hovering above it all, not even quite able to hear the characters’ voices clearly enough.

I have to give credit regarding the characters, however. Both Colby and Rip (*shudders again*) are well fleshed out and are both likeable in their own ways. They’re certainly the most round and most understandable, whereas some of the supporting characters make odd choices or don’t feel real. But, I suppose, it’s best that our main characters feel the most relatable to the reader.

I just have to say, especially if you’ve gotten this far down into my review, this is objectively not a good book. Like I can’t recommend this to you on it being good literature. It’s fine entertainment for a few hours, but no, it is not a good book.

I hope all that is helpful! Thanks to NetGalley for the advance readers copy of The Godparent Trap, in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to release July 19, 2022.

Have a most fantastic week! 🙂