The Godparent Trap combines a couple of familiar tropes, grumpy vs. sunshines and forced proximity. Rip and Colby’s lives are totally changed when they are left custody of two small children after a tragic accident. Both quickly move into her best friend and his sister’s home to begin their new normal.

I was a little taken back to begin the story by getting to meet the parents before the accident. I thought from the blurb it would start afterwards and it quickly gets there. This is a fast paced quick read covering several weeks. It starts off with the fairly obvious she’s out of her depth and everything is chaos. He of course wants neatness and order. I was glad it moved from the sexism that she should be in charge of the household fairly quickly. They are able to put the kids needs first.

The fun in the story is the interaction between Rip and Colby. They had one disastrous date years ago but Colby secretly crushes on Rip. He of course finds her attractive but his past but his past makes him want to have control over his world. I like that they do talk and can communicate. There aren’t big misunderstandings between them. The children are realistic and cute. Because they’ve know each other for years it makes it reasonable to believe they can become involved so quickly. I rate this moderately spicy, with two intimate scenes that aren't overly descriptive.

One of the strangest negatives for me is his name, Rip. I don’t think it ever said what it was short for and I continually thought Rest In Peace every time I saw it. Not the best thought in a book that begins with death. Also I thought having a second car accident was a bit much. But over all an easy read with genuine funny moments. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and very fast read that I read in less than 24 hours, I love single parent romances and this had an element I've never seen before: both of the main characters become the guardians of the kids, so it was forced proximity at its finest.

My main problem with this book is that everything happens too fast. At first, I was convinced I had missed something, because the book starts very abruptly. I even thought this was a second installment in a series and I should have read the first one. I don't know if this was an editing problem, but I truly felt like I should know a lot of information before going into this book because most of the time, the book assumes you perfectly know the characters and their past.

Something else that threw me off was the ending. When a book starts with a fatal accident in which someone dies, I think it's highly inappropiate to create a third act conflict that involves an accident that threatens the life of one of the main characters (who is now a guardian of two kids that just lost their parents). It's kinda cruel and well, repetitive. And once again, it happened too fast and it wasn't solved properly? It was just swept under the rug and then we jumped to the one year later epilogue.

The kids were adorable, though. I loved Viera and Ben. I wished the book was a bit longer so things had developed in a deeper way.

TW: Death of a loved one, grief

Rating: 2/5
Steam level: 1/5

‘The Godparent Trap’ is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching as its two protagonists grapple with loss and are thrust into sudden parenthood.

Colby and Rip couldn’t be more different. But when Colby’s best happens to also be Rip’s sister, they constantly find themselves in each other’s orbit. After an unimaginable loss, they find themselves thrust into the role of co-guardians and have to figure out how to make it all work. And maybe, they’ll both realize that there’s a reason they are in this situation together.

Despite its delightful, illustrated cover, this novel packs quite an emotional punch. Even though the very premise ensures that the reader is unsurprised by the tragic event at the beginning of the novel, it is still deeply emotional and tracks the way that grief affects each character. I thought it was a beautiful story with a lot of humor and heart, but there are definitely sad moments.

Colby and Rip have great chemistry, and the way that the frenemies-to-lovers and close proximity tropes are used feel fresh and exciting. Bonus points for the beautiful ways that the book addresses loss and heartache.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was quirky and fun. If you didn't pick up on this from the witty title, it definitely features a mischievous little child.

Most of the time adding children characters into romances ruins the vibe for me. They mostly seem in the way. But in this book's case, it was extremely well done.

I recommend!

This book had me on a roller coaster of emotions. The sadness in the book was evident due to the trauma the characters had gone through. Even in the happy moments, there was sadness. Which I understand the accident had just happened and their lives were turned upside down. The characters were amazing and from the first moment I knew that Rip was pushing Colby away so he doesn’t get hurt again, like he did when his parents died and now his best friend and sister.

Rip and Colby was everything I wanted. Rip has always been in control. With control he can his feelings and his life. Well that what he thought until he met Colby. Colby shook his world. She was happiness, love and a mess. He had to stay away, her mess was something he didn’t need. He thought he wanted perfect and clean, until he had to live with Colby and saw another side to her mess.

Colby has had a crush on Rip since they were young. His sister was all she had and she was gone. She was losing her mind, she knew it. There was no way the guy that made her cry, hated her and didn’t ever want to look at her has come close to kissing her a hand full of times. She needed sleep that what she told herself. But her heart knew better. Rip was it for her, she went on date after date for many years and she always compared them to Rip.

Something changed in Rip and he finally realized what he has had in front of him for many years. He regrets having a stick up his ass and not seeing it earlier. They would have had many many many years together to be free to feel and love each other. He would do anything to make her happy not that he found her, he would keep her forever. But will tragedy strike again? Will they lose each other now that they finally found one another? Could they survive if they lost each other?

What a story. I received this ARC for my honest review and opinion.

If you enjoyed the movie Life As We Know It, highly recommend picking up The Godparent Trap. This was a funny book, great enemies to lovers banter and tension, and I always love a good grump and sunshine set of characters.

I really enjoyed this book! You know going in that there will be lots of grief talked about. I love how it was handled… it was there, but it wasn’t soul crushing… it added depth.

Rip and Colby are adorable. Rip was giving me Adam Carlsen vibes and I was not sad about it. I loved reading from the dual POV. Great pacing and tension.

There were a few moments that went a bit too quickly for me… moments that felt glanced over. But on the whole I enjoyed this story.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy.

The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken follows Colby Summers and Rip Edison who are left as co-gaurdians of their best friend/sister's two kids after a tragic accident. Before I start my review, let me say that if you enjoyed the film Life As We Know It, you'll enjoy this book as well because it's premise, while slightly different from the movie's, bears striking similarities.

I haven't given a book 5 stars in a while, so you can tell I really enjoyed this one. The enemies to lovers, sunshine meets grump trope—were skillfully handled and woven into the narrative.

What do a grumpy tax accountant and a well-known travel food blogger have in common? Unless you count the fact that they detest one another, nothing at all. But now that they are parents to a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, Colby and Rip, whose name I’m not so keen on (I may adore this book, but it doesn't mean I have to love the MMC's name), must live under the same roof. Due to their conflicted and unresolved emotions, which we see from the perspectives of both MCs, the relationship between Colby and Rip felt incredibly realistic. I believe that the love of the children played a crucial role in the unfolding of their relationship, which was the best way possible.

Overall, despite the heavy topics surrounding the book for the plot, it was a super cute and filled with lots of heartfelt bits. This was my first read by the author, but it won't definitely be my last.

This book is very emotional and heartwarming at the same time.

It begins at sort of a middle point between the relationship of Rip and Colby, seeing how they just don't get along. Until a tragedy strikes and they have to overcome this hurdle that life threw at them as well as grieving and taking care of two children together.

This read was a quick one and definitely has some TWs so be aware!

Thank you to NetGalley and Read Forever for the earc in return for an honest review.

DNF at chapter 10. I just wasn't clicking with the writing. Rip is really selfish with his grief; it was so unreasonable, in fact, that it felt forced to fan the enemies to lovers flame. Unfortunately, I think it went a little too far given the situation. Which is another thing: I thought this would have more depth in light of Rip and Colby's mutual loss, but I could tell pretty quickly that the tone was only going to stay at the surface. Neither of them felt particularly believable and their early disagreements are, again, just super shallow. More fitting for film than a novel and I hear tell there IS a movie with this same storyline so. There ya go.

I really enjoyed this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for my advanced copy of The Godparent Trap.

What I Enjoyed-

✨ The Romance- The Godparent Trap is a enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract romance. I enjoyed Colby and Rip's story.

✨ Dual POV- I love romance's with a Dual POV. Its fun to get inside both characters heads.

✨ The Writing- I've read Rachel Van Dyken once before. A long long time ago. This book was so easy to read. It will easily get you out of a book slump.

Why This Book Lost A Star-

The Ending- I felt like the ending came out of nowhere. It was very dramatic. It felt out of place.

Overall- Recommend. I will be reading more by this author for sure.

This was soooo cute. It does deal with a rather sudden and horrible death however, the circumstances force two frenemies together. This has been done in the movies but as a book I loved it. Two opposites Colby and Rip (not sure about these names but here we go) are the godparents of their best friend's children and are actually called upon to guardian. As they navigate these new waters, there's plenty of action as they figure out how to deal with it. Viera and Ben are so funny and cute and add some levity to a sad situation. Colby and Rip must put their differences aside for the kids but can they? It's a fun summer read that has plenty of hilarious antics to get you through.

Complete opposites who make each other absolutely crazy are now roommates and taking care of two precocious kids.

Colby and Rip have been at odds for years with an undercurrent of repressed sexual tension, but when they are forced to function as a family unit, the differences become even more apparent.

Colby has always been a free spirit and her job of travel blogging allowed her to be nomadic and enjoy life. Rip is a perfectionist accountant who likes order and control. He is a fixer and his lack of ability to fix the situation they are in just makes him angry and more judgmental. While the disorder at home just makes her feel like a hot mess and failure. Each thinks the other has it easier so that just adds to the resentment.

It all seems like too much...and then it is. These two are overwhelmed, out of their element, at each other's throats while also not-so-secretly crushing on each other but hiding it the best they can. Sharp tongues. Heated looks. Unresolved emotions. Forced proximity. Sexual tension. A house in chaos and disarray. Grumpy vs. sunshine on a domestic battleground with little training and uncontrollable recruits.

What else can possibly go wrong... or maybe right?

This is a realistic portrayal of parenthood while trying to also have a career and dealing with interpersonal relationships. It's messy, chaotic, stressful, but it can also be life-changing and rewarding. Life is not perfect and sometimes the unexpected can change everything in bad and in good ways.

"One thing I had already learned was that you had to hold on to the moments-- even the ones that drove you crazy. Because you never knew how long you had to enjoy them."

I loved seeing deeper into Rip and Colby's issues and true feelings, and was rooting for them to figure out what side of the love or hate line they really land on. I enjoyed his co-worker, Banks, and how he inserted himself in trying to lead them in the right direction. This book balanced out the sad parts with sarcasm, fun, passion, and real emotion.

**thank you to netgalley for my copy of this novel**

I really enjoyed this emotional love story as two individuals have their fates tied together when their married best friends/family die in a car accident.

I felt like their relationship was slowly built up throughout the first 50~60% of the book, but once they were together it was really sweet. The two kids that were left in their care were the sweetest ever, and also were navigating mourning their parents at their young ages as well, which was interesting to see.

I think RVD did a really good job of handling all the fragile topics of death, mourning, learning to raise kids, and bullying (trigger warning for these).

Even though Monica and Brooks passed away before the frame of the story, I also felt like I got to know the wonderful people they were as well throughout the book.

Things I need more of ________ in my life:
🦋 Butterflies...not limited to blue ones
Banks
Demon family pictures
Bank's mugs
Viera and Stu's war
Cuddling
Messy chaos. Wait, nope! That I have!

Rachel Van Dyken gives us a beautiful and soul warming (trust me on this) story of love, loss, and real life. The Godparent Trap is everything longtime readers expect from RVD. It's moving, sexy, fun with heartbreak and a happily ever after. Trap or not, these godparents are living the dream after experiencing a nightmare.

If you love the rom-com Life as We Know It, you’ll love this book. Rip and Colby are thrust into parenthood after their best friends die in a car accident. Their biggest issue? They hate each other. Well… maybe. They had a failed date a few years ago and haven’t gotten along since. I was obsessed with their banter and how they navigated taking care of two kids and each other.

This book hit very close to home for me. In May 2020, my cousin passed away unexpectedly and my husband and I (closest kin) took in her teenage daughter who was 13 at the time. We went from just being a married couple with a cat to parenting a teen overnight. Time has helped give perspective, but in the immediate aftermath I don’t know how we got through each day. Unlike Rip & Colby, Brian and I were already together and we took in one teen instead of two small children after the loss of their parents in a tragic accident, but the way Rachel Van Dyken captured the grief, confusion, anger, the “keep it together for the kids” mentality felt very authentic. Even when Rip admits that “If I start [crying/grieving], I won’t stop Colby. That’s not strength, that’s more like weakness and avoidance,” I could relate to the avoidance that comes with dealing with such a difficult loss. And the butterflies… (sobs)

The romance comes second in this book, but the arc of enemies-to-lovers is definitely developed with lots of tension-filled (almost) moments. I didn’t totally love the whole “let’s make Rip jealous” angle that Banks and Colby played – it felt childish especially given the circumstances that Rip and Colby were in. The kid were hilariously sweet (Swear Jar!) and you just wanted to give them big hugs at different moments in the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had some great laugh out loud moments. It was sad in the beginning but it was a beautiful story that ended well. This was the best book I have read all year. I love how these characters were so opposite but so perfect for each other. The kids in this book were adorable and funny.

4.5 stars. So cute. Loved it and read in less than 24 hours. Sweet story, predictable but not sappy sweet. Think it could have a better cover bc better than the cover implies.

Definitely giving Life as We Know It vibes but it was enjoyable. This was a quick and easy read that was entertaining and fun. Great pacing and characters!