Thank you @readforever @netgalley for a copy of The Godparent Trap. This story has so much grief and Van Dyken brought happiness and hope to it. The story starts out with losing Monica and Brett and Colby and Rip go care for the 2 kids.

Colby, Rip and the kids grief together and there are so many tender moments. I enjoyed the tension between Rip and Colby but just felt it was way too soon for their romance to develop after losing someone so close to them.

The supporting characters was great including the kids and Brett, Rip's coworker. I wanted a book on Brett's story and not sure I wanted the epilogue to include who ends up with.

This one dives in of how Colby and Rip have sole custody of the 2 kids and learning to get along with each other and learning on being parents for the kids. The text messages were funny and the last few chapters were bittersweet. I think though if you love family dynamic heart wrenching stories, parents and rambunctious kids, then this is for you.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rip is the disorganized sunshine heroine and Colby is the tight as a pin grumpy hero. They’re both the Godparents to Brooks and Monica ( Colby’s sister and Rip’s best friend) unexpectedly pass, leaving them to co-parent and raise their children.

They have the typical dynamic in a heteronormative society where the woman stays home and the man works and they both grow resentful of the other until they decide to swap places for a week, and ultimately learn the stay at home parents job is even harder than going to work.

Honestly, there’s not much I didn’t like about the story, knowing what it was about. It handled the material well and was a cute, palette cleansing well. I think my one Croatian is when they’re very clearly together the characters seem to still be confused and it honestly confused me as the reader because I was like, “y’all are obviously a thing???” I had to scratch my head a little bit and just stay in suspended disbelief .

The ending was very spiritual and full circle and I think would bring comfort to someone going through a loss. I’ve unexpectedly read quite a few books that deal with grief lately and this was a fresh take, mourning a sibling and a friend and I felt for them.

A well earned 4 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank You to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While the premise of The Godparent Trap is undoubtedly a sad one, this book managed to be very fun, with plenty of funny moments. Colby and Rip have completely opposite personalities and it was great to watch them learn to slowly appreciate the other through their shared parenting of Ben and Viera; even though, at first, they found it impossible to agree on anything, the one thing that they had in common was their love of the kids (who, side-note, were very adorable). Rip's friend, Banks, was a fun addition as well, bringing levity and humour where it was needed. The book doesn't stray from tackling the difficult topics of grief and death either, and I think these were handled in a way that was appropriate and through a positive lens. If you're looking for your next grumpy x sunshine read, this is the book for you!

A fun, heartwarming read!

Colby is an adventurous food blogger living a care-free life, traveling from country to country. However, her world comes crashing down when her best friend and her husband die in a tragic accident and leaves her co-guardian of their kids. Rip is a rigid accountant, who's idea of fun consists of organizing his socks. But after his sister's and best friend's death, he finds himself the other co-guardian. Colby and Rip are total opposites; Colby is messy and emotional, and Rip is orderly and keeps his emotions close to his chest. Oh and after a disastrous first date a couple of years ago, they absolutely hate each other. Now these two have to deal with their grief while raising their friend's kids in the house they left behind. Can they work together instead of against each other to make this work?

This book was so sweet and I loved the fact that it was a nod to the movie Life As We Know It. The enemies to lovers plot was perfect as well! I loved the banter, and the fact that it was dual pov, you really got to know what each character was thinking. I felt like Rachel Van Dyken addressed grief really well in this book. The fact that people grieve differently was demonstrated through Colby and Rip. It was refreshing to see that emotion being handled with care and not just used as a plot device. The kids were adorable! I found myself laughing quite a bit at their antics and Colby/Rip's interactions with them. I also enjoyed the Taylor Swift and Friends references. It always makes me happy when I spot those :)

My only complaint was that the last couple of chapters felt unconnected and out of place to the main story. The ending conflict felt unnecessary and got resolved way too quickly. I also wanted to know more about Banks's character. He was one of my favorite characters and I felt like we didn't get enough about him.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read several of Ms. Van Dyken’s books and I have always enjoyed them, probably because she doesn’t stay in just one genre or trope – she covers them all, but I have to say that The Godparent Trap has become one of my favorites of hers. What a charming, emotional read this was for me. Let me say that you should grab a box of tissues before you sit down to read it though because you’ll need them for the tears of laughter (and there’s quite a few of those!) as well as the emotional tears of loss. This read really gave me the “feels” in every way. Colby and Rip may be opposite in so many ways, but they are the perfect Godparents to Ben and Viera. These kids wrapped me around their little fingers and had me cheering them on throughout the book - what delightful, fun characters they are! Yes, this book touches on loss and grief, but it’s so much more than that. Sometimes when life changes course, it also changes your outlook and your entire demeanor. Ultimately, life is messy and chaotic, but that’s what makes life perfect for Colby and Rip. 5-Star read all the way. I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an early copy of this book for NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. I love a grumpy hero. Add in the name Rip and all I could do was picture Rip from Yellowstone. I smiled and laughed all throughout this book. The book definitely has some tough situations dealing with a tragedy and loss. I enjoyed reading how Rip, Colby and the kiddos worked through their grief. I loved all the chaos of learning how to parent. How to be a family. For Colby how to cook. This book had sad moments, serious moments, funny moments, proud moments. All the emotions. It was also a quick read.

Colby is living her best life as a food blogger, traveling the world. Rip is a by the book account who has to follow plans and schedules. Their lives are turned upside down when they suddenly become the guardians of her best friend/his sister’s two adorable kids. Rip thinks Colby is irresponsible and Colby thinks Rip needs to loosen up. Soon enough, Rip and Colby realize it might be better if they start to lean on one another for help instead of trying to go at this new parenting thing alone, and possibly find something more along the way.
I thought this was such a cute romcom! This definitely reminded me of the Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel romcom “Life as We Know It” and had quite a bit of similarities but brought its own differences to the table. I loved that this was enemies to lovers/grumpy-sunshine tropes mixed together. I also liked that it was refreshing that the woman was the sunshine/easy-going personality, and the man was the grumpy/strict personality. The relationship between Colby and Rip is filled with unrequited feelings and miscommunication between one another. Their relationship unfolded in the best way possible and the building of their new family was so sweet. I loved the witty banter and the build up to when they finally got together.
On a side note, Banks was such a loveable character! He was supposed to be considered a “player” but I loved that he schemed with Colby to get Rip to realize his feelings for her. I also love how to said that he basically forced his friendship onto Rip. If I could get a book on Banks, I would definitely read it.

I love the trope where someone now has to care for a child that isn’t their own and mix that with childhood rivals to lovers? I knew I was going to enjoy this! I did forget how sad it would be though since this does feature the death of the kids parents for these characters to become their godparents.

There’s a lot of grief attached to this book despite it definitely having a ton of lighter moments that made me laugh so do be aware of that going in! There is a great blend of both but if you’re just looking for a romcom type of book, this isn’t that.

I loved the chemistry between Colby and Rip. They are such polar opposites but they need each other and seeing that come together was so sweet. Also, absolutely hilarious. These two brought out such fun sides to each other. Mixed in with some crazy kids and it was a perfect disaster!

I had a great time reading this and if you love a book with harder topics like grief and sadness mixed in with dirty jokes, hilarious best friends who do whatever they can to help their bestie get the woman of his dreams and utter family bonding chaos, check this one out this summer!

4/5⭐️

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced edition of this book.

Super cute rom com very similar in some ways to like as we know it.

If you like happy and sad at same time this is the book for you.

This was a cute enemies to lovers story. I appreciate the author covering some heavy topics in a lighter way, that still made this book a fun and easy read.

In Rachel Van Dyken’s latest romantic comedy, The Godparent Trap, Life As We Know It meets Life’s Too Short as two godparents are unexpectedly saddled with a pair of toddlers who turn their lives upside down. This book was so much fun that I read the entire thing in one sitting. I absolutely flew through this since I was so eager to find out what Colby and Rip were up to next. The antics of the kids are painfully real and absolutely hilarious. Travel blogging Colby is the absolute opposite of stuffy accountant Rip but they fill in each other’s gaps perfectly. I really enjoyed how Colby and Rip had a past history, since otherwise I think I would’ve found the storyline a bit more difficult to believe. Overall, this was a super fun read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams or Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle. Thanks to Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I started this last night, stayed up until midnight, woke up this morning and finished it.
I loved this.
I cried throughout the whole thing, but it hurt so good!
So many funny parts!! Little bit of spice- explicit, but scenes aren’t long (can’t read this for the spice).

I do wish Rip would have elaborated on how hard Colby worked in the home when he had to do it himself- I wanted more groveling (stupid men).

Check content warnings- some heavy stuff here (loss of parents, grieving).

Standalone, no cliffhanger, HEA

I would buy this book so I can have it on my shelf.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this digital ARC.

3.75 stars!
The Godparent Trap Review


If you liked Life As We Know It this book is for you. With a very similar premise of two people who kind of hate each other after a failed date becoming guardian’s to their friends’ kids and having to live together, it’s a fun read! Rip is a person who needs control, and Colby who is a bit more of a go-with-the-flow type of person. The contrasting energy is definitely interesting when locked in a house together.

The plot was good, the character development was good. I did love seeing the way they fell into a routine and began to adjust to living together.

My complaints are this:
- We start off with an event that takes place later then jump back in time to see how it pans out (which is great) BUT when we get back to that same chapter/moment later its written different? But only slightly— which just didnt sit right with a part of me (but it is me being a little knitpicky LOL)
- Also there is a reference of a side character getting with someone in the future, in the first few chapters, which I thought was a bit of foreshadowing, only for them to end up with someone else entirely??
I would like to stress that these are me and my little nitpicks because overall this book was a good read and I would definitely recommend it!!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to review! All thoughts are my own.

TW: death of parents (off page), death of friend (off page), death of sibling (off page), mourning, car accidents

Let's get one thing out of the way first. This book has a bit of a ridiculous premise. It's a bit like The Unhoneymooners if, instead of ending up on a honeymoon trip together, the two protagonists were suddenly forced to raised two kids together. The characters seemed a bit like caricatures. Colby is just soo messy and all over the place! Rip is so uptight! But they are both just so hot! I did enjoy watching them interact with the kids, and it was pleasantly steamy.

This was more or less the movie "Life As We Know It" in book form. As a mother, my worst fear in the entire world is my kids losing me, so I found myself getting really emotional during parts of this story. I think the author did a good job of tackling some really hard topics while also adding the right balance of sweet and funny moments as well. One of my biggest pet peeve in books is perfectly well-behaved kids but in this case they were hilariously real.

That being said, I felt like certain details were overlooked (maybe I missed it early on, but I didn't actually know how old the kids were?) and the timeline seemed kind of jumbled and hard to follow at times.

This is a cute rom com that shows the craziness of parenthood, loss of loved ones, and the warmness of family love all with witty banter in this light-hearted story. I love a good haters-to-enemies story, which is exactly what Rip's and Colby's is. They are suddenly parents when their loved ones unexpectedly die of two children. Initially, they have very different ways of parenting, which cause conflict between the two. As the book goes on, they not only realize they have feeling for each other but that their parenting styles are just part of the charm.

This story is a fun ride.! The characters are relatable with realistic characteristics and issues. Banks is woot and hopefully gets his own book. I have so many questions after the epilogue.

This book hit me in all the feels! It tugged at my heartstrings so much I almost believed that I’m the one who lost my sister/best friend! This author did an amazing job writing this!! She also did a fantastic job writing the kids and the “single people turned unexpected parents part”. The expectations of Colby and Ben were so perfect. Plus, I fell so hard for those kids! This book was well written with lots of wonderful emotional conflict. I loved seeing them slowly and unexpectedly falling in love with each other. Great summer read!

Life is often messy and unpredictable, but it is also a beautiful journey, a lesson the main characters discover in The Godparent Trap. Though Colby and Rip have known each other for years, they've never quite managed to get along due to their differing personalities. While Rip thrives on structure and rules, Colby is a faithful user of food delivery apps. But after a tragic accident leaves them responsible for two children, they must rely on one another to survive their new normal.

From start to finish, this was a lovely read, striking a wonderful balance between sweetness, humor, heartbreak and romance. There were moments that made me giggle (look out for a particularly silly conversation about chicken nuggets) and others that had tears threatening to fall.

Also, while the romance between Colby and Rip is the main focus of the novel, it's doesn't overshadow the larger conversation happening about grief and family. The teamwork they ended up developing felt incredibly satisfying to witness given how much they struggled in the beginning.

In addition, I ADORED Ben and Viera! Their sweet little personalities added so much heart to this story. I couldn't get enough of them which was a great surprise because children characters in books are often hit or miss for me.

You're not going to want to miss this one!

→ Thank you to NetGalley, Forever and Rachel Van Dyken for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Oh what a delight!!!!

This book reminded me a lot of that movie with Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl and I was HERE FOR IT!

We had Colby and Rip, enemies to lovers in a vague way that were forced into close proximity and then some when their best friends and sister die unexpectedly and they, as Godparents, are forced into parenting. Together. But they hate each other.

This book. Oh it captured not only my attention, but my heart. I loved that we got both of their POVs throughout the chapters. Banks was the perfect comedic break this book needed. I loved him. Absolutely loved his charm, wit and coffee cups!

I have nothing but great things to say! Great pacing, Lovely characters. Incredibly hard subject that was handled beautifully. Thank you so much NetGalley and Forever for this advance copy.