Well if you watch “Life as we know it” (2010) the romcom which has Katherine Heigl ( not a big fan), Josh Duhamel ( same as for him) the plot of this book has a huge similarities with the synopsis of the movie with slightest differences: at the movie: the heroine is strict , annoying, bossy one as the hero is partying, irresponsible, immature one and both of the characters are best friends of dead parents. They are not relatives.
Let’s take a closer look to the plot of the book:
This book is interesting, sad, heartwarming enemies to lovers story!

Monica and Brooks; sweet, lovely couple with lovely two kids ( one boy-5 and one girl at age 3). Monica’s brooding, workaholic brother Rip and her best friend Colby who is also lifetime nemesis of her brother are other two members of the family they’ve created ( both of them lost their parents) They had a car accident when they head out for a trip to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary as Colby and Rib were taking care of their children. They died and now Rib and Colby who barely resist to urge for ripping each other’s throats are the legal guardians of the children who are forced to share the same house and learn how to be parents.

I think VanDyken’s plot is more realistic because at least: one of the parties: Rip: ( his name made me confused because there’s already enough dead in this book) stuck up, control freak, annoying hero who loves discipline, safety, order is real relative of the kids. The reason behind his perfectionism and over controlling manners were realistically told. You can easily empathize with him.

And food blogger, easy going, vivid, entertaining, cute Colby was so much lovable from the beginning even though she is messy and chaotic!

I loved the witty banters and sexual tension between the couple! The opposites attract, enemies to lovers, sunshine meets the grump and a little pretending relationship ( between Banks and Colby) tropes were well blended into the story.

I was so close to give five stars because I had amazing time. I laughed so hard and the emotional parts truly wrecked my heart but the last minute angst the author threw at us was a little unnecessary ( some parts are sweet but it is still a little far fetched with those too spiritual parts) and I have to admit I loved Banks! He’s my man! He reminded me of Bruce Willis’ David Addison character from Moonlighting with his pure charm, long, sarcastic talks, flirty looks, entertaining vibes ! But I hated to see how his storyline inappropriately unfolded. He even deserved his own book!

I’m still giving four I truly had so much and I love this author’s witty dialogues stars!
It’s easy to read and it guarantees so much laughs!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This is a very sweet book about finding love as two people are recovering from the grief of losing their loved ones while also attempting to parent the two kids that were left behind. Colby and Rip have been enemies for most of the time they've known each other, but they are bonded together through Rip's sister and Colby's best friend, Monica. When Monica and her husband, Brooks, die in a car crash, Rip and Colby have to work and live together as they parent Monica's children.

The most moving parts of the novel were the memories of Monica that each of the characters have. Rip especially has a lovely recurring motif of butterflies and what they meant to Monica (each time these were brought up, I got teary eyed). I wasn't as big of a fan of the subplot where Rip's best friend attempts to bring the two together by making Rip jealous because it felt more like it came from another book. Likewise with everything involving Heather - it wasn't bad, but tonally it felt a little out of place.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Godparent Trap was such an emotional and enjoyable read! I couldn’t help myself and read it in one sitting.

When tragedy strikes, Colby finds herself in charge of raising her best friend’s children - along with Monica’s brother Rip, whom Colby has always carried a torch for. He’s the type A to her hot mess and they don’t always see eye to eye on things. As their lives change and they adapt to life in the suburb (with children!), the pair realize forever was there all along.

This book was sad, sweet and everything in between. I loved the flashbacks with Monica and Brooks. I thought they really helped show the backstory between Rip and Colby. The passion and chemistry between the two was palpable and I was rooting for them to make a life together.

The only thing I didn’t love was the inclusion of Heather. It just seemed like unnecessary drama that didn’t really go anywhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advance copy.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster that I would gladly ride over and over again. I laughed, cried sad and happy tears, and smiled so hard my cheeks started to hurt. It's the perfect romance novel that included so many important themes. It had it's own unique twists to it that kept me guessing every step of the way.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this book!

An easy enjoyable read with great characters. The children were so good! I really liked this one. However, I would have liked the conflict re: Heather to be more fleshed out.

Such a roller coaster of emotions. You get the romcom feel along with the grief of loss. Beautifully written in a dual POV, you see how Rip and Colby (and the kids) come to terms with their new normal.

This book was absolutely precious. If you've ever seen the move "Life As We Know It" with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, then you know exactly what this storyline is. Colby and Rip are left to care for the two children of Rip's sister/Colby's best friend Monica and her husband, Rip's best friend, Brooks. Colby and Rip are about as opposite as any two people could be - Colby being an adventurous food blogger who travelled the world and Rip being a bit of a stuck-up accountant. Throughout the novel, Colby and Rip have to find a way to make their new life work for them while also figuring out what it means to be a family.

Add this to the list of lovely advanced reader copies I've been reading from NetGalley recently!

I absolutely loved this book. I could NOT put it down. I loved having chapters in Colby and Rip's separate perspectives. I found that I felt connected to both of the characters because of that. I also LOVED the kids. I work with children and seeing how the kids interacted with Colby and Rip and with each other reminded me so much of my work that I found myself laughing out loud wholeheartedly on more than one occasion.

The relationship between Colby and Rip was complicated and full of unresolved feelings and miscommunications. I found that I wasn't frustrated with their miscommunications because they were about things that would genuinely happen in real life, rather than the mundane and silly types of miscommunications that can be found in a lot of rom-coms. I think that the unfolding of their relationship happened in the best way possible - through the mutual love of the kids and the best friends that they lost. Through the love they felt for the kids and the dedication they both had to caring for them, they found love and respect for each other. I think it was actually really quite beautiful.

Banks was SUCH a joyful side character. His scheming to get Colby and Rip together was so kind and lighthearted that I couldn't help but absolutely adore him. And his mug collection?! I need it.

Overall, this book gave me a lot of joy. So much, in fact, that I was sad to finish it and not be able to read more about these characters. I felt like I watched them grow up in a way, and I really enjoyed that.

Essentially the book version of the movie “Life As We Know It” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, The Godfather Trap is a quick read with lighthearted moments despite the tragic plot. There is chemistry between the lead characters.

Colby and Rip find themselves is an unexpected situation, sharing a home and serving as guardians to two young children (the children of Rip’s sister/Colby’s best friend). How will they navigate all of this in spite of their complicated relationship?

Without going in to too much detail to avoid spoilers, I felt like there was a bizarre plot point that was wholly unnecessary to the development and conclusion of the story.

I would recommend this to readers looking for a breezy, summer read (this will be published in July) who are also fond of enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes and fans of the movie “Life As We Know It”.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to review this ARC.

*3.5/5
this book is perfect for fans of the movie "life as we know" as it revolves around colby and rip taking care of little ben and viera after their parents died unexpectedly. they were named godparents as colby was monica's best friend since childhood and rip was both monica's brother, who had taken care of her since the loss of their parents, and brook's best friend, and naturally they do not get along as they are two different people with completely different lifestyles, colby works for a blog and travels a lot, while rip is an accountant, they also do not get along because of a disastrous date, but even after that they both kept pining after each other thinking that they had no chance of ever getting together. it was a really enjoyable, cute, and quick read that also had some emotional moment as the characters, both the adults and the kids, are dealing with the grief of losing monica and brooks. i also really loved banks as a side character, his mugs were hilarious. overall, i really liked this book, even though the ending felt a little too rushed, and i would have liked to read a little more about them.

arc provided by netgalley and forever (grand central publishing) in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing. I loved seeing a little family heal together and figure out ways they can balance each other out. It was heartwarming and the banter and love between Rip and Colby were so entertaining to read. I wish we got to see a flashback of their date but regardless I loved the way their story was written.

I know I already said this in the title, but wow does this book feel like a nice hug. The Godparent Trap follows our two nemeses Colby and Rip as they navigate becoming parents overnight as their mutual friends (/Rip's family member) are killed in a car crash on their way to vacation. Despite this book being full of raw grief and sadness, there's so much light and joy in watching Colby and Rip navigate their new roles as co-guardians.

I'm not sure if enemies-to-lovers is quite the right tag, but Colby and Rip definitely start out at odds in this romance novel. Their journey to work together in order to make life easier for the two children is engaging and a total page-turner. The dialogue is great, and I loved the witty banter between the two. They really strive to figure out ways to work together and have intentional communication, so this novel does a great job at avoiding some common miscommunication tropes that are popular in the genre. I felt like the pacing was perfect, the structure was spot on, and the characters were well developed. This is totally a book you pick up and don't put down until it's finished (and that's certainly what I did).

My overall rating is probably closer to a 4.5 out a 5 stars. I did find the third act conflict to be a bit late, and I would've liked to see a couple more additional chapters between that point and the epilogue. I was excited to see the ending didn't follow one of my least favorite tropes in this genre, but it still felt a bit too quick to resolve. Maybe I just like to see the characters sweat a little bit more before things wrap up.

This book's premise isn't anything new, but it sure was well written. This is the first novel I've read by Rachel Van Dyken, but I'm looking to pick more up after having finished this one. If you're looking for a quick pick, I would totally recommend reading The Godparent Trap or adding it to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It was super cute, and romantic. It was the perfect romcom! I can’t wait to add it to my collection!