This is a story of Colby, a free spirited easy going blogger and Rip, a tight laced accountant have their lives up ended when they suddenly find themselves coparenting and cohabitating. This books has grumping/sunshine, enemies/lovers, forced proximity, found family, hurt/comfort feel to it. It was a quick read, however I felt the story lacked depth. The interactions between Colby and Rip often felt rushed with little substance. I got more out of Colby and Rip's interactions with Banks than with each other. I really like Colby's character, the depth of her emotion felt real, you felt her loss. I didn't really like Rip. I get everyone grieves differently, but he never grieved ever, he was just mean and it didn't make him a likable character.

**received an ARC for an honest review**

This was such a beautiful and heartbreaking story, so be prepared for a whirlwind of emotions. It had me laughing one minute and crying the next.

Colby and Rip were living their best lives, away from one another. Being a food blogger and an accountant, they didn't have much in common. Neither did they get along well. Until a tragedy forces them into becoming co-parents to their godchildren. Colby thinks Rip is too uptight, and Rip thinks Colby is irresponsible, but with the two people they love the most involved, they try and find balance and find love along the way.

If you've ever watched the movie "Life as we know it," and enjoyed it, you'd love this book too, as they have the same theme. I even pictured Colby and Rip as Katherine and Josh. The character development in this book was done very well. It was really beautiful watching these people learn and grow. The banter was fun to read and there were as many comedic moments as there were emotional. The kids were so cute, the side characters were entertaining, and the book was a lovely quick read.

ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Godparent Trap follows Colby and Rip as they become Guardians to two children. They can't stand each other, with Colby's constant mess and Rip's need for perfection. Yet, the attraction for the other is real, especially after their one date years prior. Together they discover how hard it is losing those closets to them, raising their children, and finding someone to help you along the way.
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I honestly could not get over the idea that this was slightly different than Life As We Know It, the 2010 film. The parents leave their children with their best friends that hate each other, that once went on a date together, they must live with each other for the child. They end up working around each other's schedule to make things work. One works with food, one is more business like.
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In this one, the kids are toddler/kindergarten ages. It was great seeing the utter chaos of raising small children. In a lot of books I read with children the kids or life with kids is picture perfect. This, I laughed and thought "this is my life", random stain on myself, and probably the couch too. I loved the mention of Bluey, I've put it on sometimes to make dinner, just like Colby.
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I also thought, of course Rip and Monica don't have parents, because then it wouldn't work for the story. I thought maybe traumatizing Rip with his parents' death, then his sister's and best friend's, then why not make it so the woman he loves has a near death experience, was a but much. What did Rip do, besides be grumpy?
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I think I'd read this again just for the laugh of the chaos of toddler hood, but not the overly done death. It got me to laugh and talk to my husband about our favorite moments with our kids.

The Godparent Trap pulled me in by the cover. It looked like it was going to be a cute, light and fun beach read. But that's the thing about illustrated covers. Sometimes they can be misleading. And honestly, this was only partially misleading because the beginning had my heart breaking for what happened. After that, the story seemed eerily familiar. And after reading a few reviews it was the fact that it had the same beginning of a movie called Life As We Know It.

Although the storyline started out familiar, it did offer some differences and some fun and cute interactions between the kids' godparents and the kids. Colby was the sunshine and a total mess, but the kids absolutely adored her. She was the fun, yet emotional one. Then there was Rip. He was the grumpy, yet steady one. Very precise. Very neat. Very "by the book". But what these two both offered was so much love and the combination of the pair of them was exactly what the kids needed after suffering a huge loss.

Once we got into the plot, the cover made more sense. It was romantic comedy that started out a bit serious, but turned into opposites attract with a side of Enemies to lovers and then hit you with the kids and the feels. I liked seeing Colby and Rip try to balance their new lives and learn what they really wanted out of life. Rip thought he wanted perfection, but sometimes you just need someone to balance you out. But my favorite character may have been an annoyingly fun side character that I would love to read more about. Banks! He was Hilarious. He offered up some legit advice and even got someone to admit their feelings by using a fun tactic. Just trust me. He's the highlight.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable story with some great characters that were developed well throughout. I liked seeing Rip grow from his grumpy self into a parent with his "messy" counterpart. I also liked seeing Colby settle down and not need to travel to have fun. An entertaining spin on a familiar story. 3.5 stars

i really liked this book! It was fun and a really quick read. It was so reminiscent of the movie Life as we knew it and that is one of my favorite movies. I loved that we got dual pov and were able to really see into both characters brains. it was a really fun read that also made me laugh and tear up only pages apart. I cant wait for everyone to get their hands on this book.

Easy read with a grumpy/sunshine trope. The story reminded me a lot of the movie, Life as We Know It. I felt as though the main characters, Colby and Rip, went from hating each other to being in love too quick. Once this happened, the story didn't seem to develop from there.

This was a super quick read that reminded me of the movie #LifeAsWeKnowit
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Colby and Rip both have their life flipped upside down when they become co-parents after a sudden loss. Equally heartbreaking and comedic I flew through this one. I just wish Rip was a little more likable.
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Thank you @grandcentral and @netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute story. At the beginning of the book we meet total opposites Rip and Colby. Colby is the creative, chaotic best friend of Monica, and Rip is Monica’s uptight big brother. Rip and Colby coordinate to plan a surprise party and then babysit for a getaway for Monica and her husband Brook’s 10 year anniversary despite their dislike of each other. When the couple goes on their trip the unthinkable happens and Rip and Colby are left to try to coparent the two young children left behind. This story was really well written with great dialogue, and lots of emotion. I was really invested in Rip and Colby and was routing for both of them, even though Rip was supposed to be the grumpy uptight character, he had a lot of redeemable qualities. I loved Banks as a side character and was kind of hoping he’d get a book of his own. This was a really enjoyable read that had me laughing and crying. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes rom coms. I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

This book gave classic romcom vibes in the best way! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine? What's not to love?! A really sweet read with emotional depth, and main characters I loved rooting for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this so much! It was hilarious, adorable, romantic, heart breaking, and heart-warming.

Van Dyken writes with humor but doesn’t skimp on the emotion. The way she can simultaneously blend heartbreak and laugh-out-loud funny in the same scene is impressive. The book is stuffed with emotional content and she always manages to strike just the right balance with the sadness and the humor. She also manages to write little kids as accurately and compellingly as she does adults. They were adorable, hilarious little weirdos. It all felt so realistic and believable.

I have a soft spot for stories where parenting gets thrust upon someone with no previous parenting experience (or desire for it) and this is that x2. I especially love that neither Rip nor Colby ever question for a second whether they want to raise the kids themselves. They’re in. Period. It’s just a matter of figuring out how.

I love that this is a book that has “scenes.” You know, those moments that stick with you, ones you refer to with a phrase and people instantly know what you’re talking about. This book has many: the closet scene, the spider scene, the movie theater scene, the grocery store scene. So many fun, memorable moments.

It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel things. And I loved the way the book circled back around to the prologue at around the 75% mark. I enjoyed the book very much!

Grumpy sunshine! I will read any book with this trope. I also love sibling guardianship trope so much. I really did love this book. She managed to make difficult topics seem lighthearted. Very enjoyable.

Sweet book about two opposites thrown together by tragic circumstances. Ben and Viera were cuties. I liked Rip and Colby’s chemistry and how they found their way through to a new kind of normal that was mix of perfect and messy. Banks was a fun side kick though was not a fan of his ending. Some fun tropes here with sort of enemies to lovers, best friends brother/little sister’s best friend and forced proximity. Overall cute read. (3 ⭐️ )

A cute, easy read that’s too similar to the movie Life As We Know It to leave its own impression. There was some fun banter and comedic situations, and I enjoyed the kids (although their ages never seemed to track with the way they talked), but I wish the evolution of Colby and Rip’s relationship flowed better and had more emotional depth. Everything felt a little too surface level.

A huge thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I was in a real reading slump when I started this one, and it was like finding water in the desert! Started and finished in less than two days, and I wanted it to go on and on. If you have ever seen the movie Life As We Know It, then you are already familiar with the plot. The alternating perspectives of Colby and Rip works really well, and I loved the prologue being a complete chapter that is nearly repeated later in the book. I started with no idea where we were, and my heart squeezed when I discovered that I knew this words already many pages later.
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The author includes a trigger warning page at the start of the novel, so definitely check this out as death and grief factor heavily into the plotline. That said, this book didn't feel sad to me. The characters allow light into their lives, and Banks provides some much needed comic relief throughout. Not entirely sure why one of the central characters is named RIP in a book about death, but there you have it. I think this one has just shot up my list of favorite reads so far this year!

absolutely loved every second of this book. Rachel has quickly become a once click author for me. I find the pacing always excellent and overall feel good vibes.

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

This was a cute, quick read for me. It scratches the rom-com itch! Colby and Rip have great banter together and the circumstances that throw them together are pretty unusual, so it’s fun to watch them navigate their new life. I did find the overall book a bit lackluster though, which I don’t think is necessarily the fault of the author. The Godparent Trap has a very similar storyline to one of my favorite rom-com movies, Life As We Know It. The parents die, two people who “hate” each other are forced to co-parent and grieve their best friends together, then end up bonding, and you know the rest, haha! I think because I’ve seen that movie so many times, the plot of The Godparent Trap was a bit too predictable/similar to blow me out of the water. Overall, a solid 3.75/5 stars. I’d recommend this to people but probably wouldn’t reread it again myself!

Okay, so... I did not like the characters just because they were too much. I also usually don't like having both points of view, but I actually think it worked in this book. I want to explain why I didn't like the characters because I feel that is the most important thing about my review. I don't like Colby letting Rip's dislike for her affect her so much. She was degrading herself and her work for a dude who's an accountant. I don't hate accountants, but c'mon, judging a blogger is insane when that's your job. Plus, it isn't like this is set in the early 2010s when the questioning of influencers and bloggers was a thing. It's just really crazy.
At the beginning of the story, I was also mad at Colby, but I actually got to like her. Rip wasn't as appealing to me, and while the broken boi trope may appeal to some, I'm no longer one of them.
Who would I recommend this book to? If you like Enemies to Lovers—Stuck Together—Broken Boi—sunny/grumpy tropes, this is for you.

Overall I really liked this book, it had the perfect blend of sweet and emotional. and I liked all the characters in the book. I liked Colby and Rip, and watching their relationship change over time. I really love the movie "Life as we know it" and this book reminded me of it a lot.

this was cute and had its fun moments, but overall I just couldn't get over how it was basically "life as we know it". yes, I know you get that right away from the synopsis anyway, but it didn't escape me as I was reading so it just continued to bother me.

Words aren’t coming to me. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I’ve read books like this before. This one feels a little different, but I’m not sure why. The main characters were intriguing and complete opposites. The kids were cute and felt kind of realistic. The hero’s best friend was the shining star, scene stealer. This book was a good mix of heavy and light.


I voluntarily read an early copy.