I chose this book based on the cover and title on NetGalley, and was provided with a copy of the ARC so I found myself in a category of reads that was a little bit of a departure from my typically chick lit. Aside from realizing that this is queer fiction, I found the story falling into a predictable pattern of the friends to lovers trope. There is some character growth and development from Ginny and Elsie - and some of the secondary characters were quite lovable- but it felt predictable and inevitable. It’s a spicy read for those who are looking for that, but there must be books that take you on a more satisfying journey than this one did.

In this fun and spicy new sapphic romance novel from Meryl Wilsner, readers follow Elsie Hoffman and Ginny Holtz, best friends on different life paths. Elsie has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half, and Ginny has been in love with Elsie for a decade and a half. Surprised with completed wedding plans and a wedding in the next week, Elsie realizes that she has been too comfortable with her relationship and never wanted the marriage or the fiance after all, so she brings Ginny on her non-refundable honeymoon instead. Ginny, on the other hand, thinks Elsie needs to speak up for herself, so they make a deal for the duration of the vacation, but the result is not what they expected. Entertaining, spicy, and heartwarming, readers will love Ginny and Elsie’s friendship turned romance and their great chemistry. The location is fun and tropical, and the tropes really turn their relationship around. The characters are definitely the stars of the book, but the details really bring the story together and to life. Funny, steamy, and enjoyable, romance readers and fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will absolutely devour this entertaining new romance book from Meryl Wilsner.

There were a few things I really liked about this book. I really liked the friends to lovers aspect of this book. I also really enjoyed the forced proximity and chemistry between the two main characters. That said, I unfortunately had to DNF this at 74%. I really struggled with the fact that if Ginny had simply told Elsie that their quit her job, most of the conflict could be resolved. There were so many other conflicts that could have been used that didn't have to do with a miscommunication trope. I really struggled to not DNF earlier, thinking Ginny would tell Elsie, and it didn't happen that way. I really wanted to like this and finish it but I just couldn't. By the time they get back home, I wasn't interested in where their story was going. I felt like Ginny had not only broken Elsie's trust, but also mine as the reader.

As I have DNFed, I will not be posting my review to socials or review sites.

When Elsie makes a bold move by ditching her surprise wedding planned by her fiancé, she decides to take her best friend, Ginny, on a nonrefundable honeymoon instead. This trip isn’t just a getaway; it’s Elsie’s chance to live life on her own terms. Meanwhile, Ginny, who has secretly harbored feelings for Elsie for years, challenges her to truly ask for what she wants. Little do they know, Elsie’s desires might include a whole lot more than just fun in the sun and sand!

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Elsie and Ginny. Their friendship was beautifully portrayed, showcasing how childhood friends can become each other’s everything.

What really intrigued me was the complexity of Ginny and Elsie’s relationship. It felt like they were moving at two different speeds, slow with all the pining and fast when it came to their sizzling chemistry. Their transition from best friends to lovers happened almost instantaneously, yet it lacked some of those crucial conversations that could have clarified their feelings and the future of their relationship. This tension around communication was a recurring theme that added obstacles to their journey.

While I’m usually not a fan of third-act breakups, I appreciated how this couple needed some time apart to grow individually. The focus on personal development so they could become better partners was refreshing. By the end, after all the hard work, I found myself rooting for their love story!

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon explores friendship, love, and self-discovery. While there are elements that could have been improved, the heartfelt connection between Elsie and Ginny makes this book a worthwhile escape.

I really enjoyed Cleat Cute and Mistakes Were Made and I could NOT wait to read this but I was highly disappointed. Them getting back together with 4 mins left in the audiobook KILLED ME. The character growth was almost no existent simply because it happened so late in the book.

I was disappointed by this book. The idea of this book was good, but the execution was not. What do you mean that our main character confesses their feelings to their best friend, gets turned down, and then later in the future, that same best friend is engaged to be married for a year and a half, doesn't want to get married, breaks the engagement, then we find out she has feelings for her best friend that she had turned down before. The miscommunication trope was SO overdone and the rest of the book was not enough to make up for how poorly it was written.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Meryl Wilsner, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I found this book to be enjoyable albeit disjointed at times--I think the main relationship could have been a bit more fleshed out and I struggled some with the character motivations seeming to come out of thin air, but I loved the positive nonbinary and fat representation and I enjoyed the pacing a lot.

LOVED IT. The vibes are immaculate. I love a good summer romp and this delivered. It's not a serious book that's going to engage all cylinders but I think if you're looking for a good brain off just having fun read this is a good pick up. The romance and spice was good.

If Meryl Wilsner writes it, I will read it. They always deliver! I loved the chemistry between the characters, the spice was spicing. I could not put this book down. Definitely would recommend.

I never thought I'd complain about "smut," but i feel like the balance to the story wasn't there, and it just missed the mark for me.

The scenes themselves were good - but between the miscommunication and half break up (when it wasn't really a break up?), it just didn't do it for me.

Fantastic friends to lovers vacation romance! This is possibly Meryl’s spiciest book yet… but what are two friends who are secretly (to each other but def not to everyone who knows them) into each other to do when they go on a honeymoon for a wedding that didn’t happen? Especially when there’s only one bed.

And strangely for me…I liked the third act breakup. Not the breakup itself, but the personal growth that Elsie and Ginny both explored while taking some time apart. It made their relationship when they came back together so much stronger.

Also this book is so delightfully swoony.

This is another book that I read in all three formats because my brain is a goof. The narration by Blair Baker and Emily Shaw is fantastic.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC 🤍

Didn’t realize this we LGBT+ going in but that’s rad! Life long best friends have feelings for each other but have never truly admitted it until this ~honeymoon~

Gonna be honest they really didn’t need to compare eating them out to a pie eating contest 😅 lots of spicy scenes but they weren’t great. I can’t get onboard with the word “boobs” being used repeatedly over other options. I just don’t feel like you can be vulgar enough to want to taking about licking someone’s assh*le and using the C word to boobs ???

Miscommunication was really stupid; she mad because they didn’t tell her they quit their job like she hadn’t just ended an engagement. That seems more important to work through than quitting a shitty job but whatever I guess 🙄

The romance felt forced. The ending was rushed.

This was a disappointment as I'd really enjoyed Wilsner's previous romance novels. This one felt forced, I didn't really believe the relationship as there was so much telling and not enough to SHOW me how these two women had been in love with each other forever and ever. The fight felt dumb and unrealistic. I'm sad this one didn't work for me.

An excellent best friends to lovers romance, filled with lots of pining and perfectly spicy. More NB MCs please!

"My Best Friend's Honeymoon" is very appropriately titled as one character calls of their engagement and takes their best friend on the honeymoon instead.

The friends to lovers trope is alive and well in this book but it felt as though the story lacked substance. It was cute but it felt more about the smut than the love between the two.

All in all, the representation is great and I am sure there will be plenty of readers that love this one.

Thank you St. Martin's for selecting me for this ARC.

3⭐️ – Sweet concept, but didn’t fully land for me

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon had a promising setup with fun, queer romcom energy and a friends-to-lovers storyline, but overall, it felt a bit uneven. I liked the premise…jilted bride takes her best friend on the honeymoon instead but, I struggled with pacing and emotional depth. Elsie's growth and the central message of learning to ask for what you want were heartwarming, and Ginny was a solid love interest, but their chemistry didn’t always feel convincing. Some moments were sweet and spicy, but others dragged. I wanted to love it more than I did, but it was just okay.

This book while arguably being up my alley it ended up not being for me.

The pace was... Strange, during the first part and the last it felt too slow, during the middle part it was too fast, it was a little disorienting.

I didn't particularly like the characters, most of them were mostly frustrating, but some others had some excellent moments (I'm looking at you Sue)

But then, the third act breakup

this will be a weird con ection but walk with me: there's a song by Ben platt called "Grow as we go" where he says that although everyone believes that the only way to grow is apart from your romantic partner maybe there's a chance they could grow together (as they go) and based on what I know about the characters in this book, they should be able to do that. They have been friends for a long time, and they have been in love for a long time, you could say that having each other is one of the most stable things in their lives and I don't believe that taking away that stability is what gets them to—in a way—reach their ultimate form.

But that's mostly psychoanalysis no-one asked me for, and it's my opinion, but within the book it left me frustrated to see these two characters who clearly loved each other complaining and whining for so many pages about something that was easily solved and that should not have happened in the first place.

All in all while this book was absolutely not for me I know it can be enjoyable and I found some moments really entertaining, but that's about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

This one didn’t work for me as well as some of Meryl’s others. Even though it’s friends to lovers the jump to lovers felt abrupt and not earned so ultimately not satisfying

In My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner, childhood best friends Elsie Hoffman and Ginny Holtz go on Elsie’s honeymoon together when she breaks off her engagement. Elsie finally admits that she doesn’t want to marry her fiancé after he plans their wedding and honeymoon without her input. He encourages her to go on the honeymoon, anyway. Ginny tells Elsie to think about what she really wants, and she can have it during the honeymoon. To Ginny’s surprise, it leads to them becoming intimate, something she's never believed possible but has wanted for so long.

Wilsner’s active, detailed, and down-to-earth writing, paired with alternating flashbacks from the past and present, vividly explores and develops Ginny and Elsie’s characters and relationship, transitioning their relationship and highlighting the intimacy between them. I love how emotional, intimate, and intensely sexy and steamy Elsie and Ginny’s love scenes are, and how Wilsner uses the characters’ senses to add emotional depth and intensity to their chemistry, interactions, emotional reactions, and inner dialogues/thoughts. Their relationship is filled with longing, nostalgia, steam, heat, humor, friendship, and love.

Intelligent, sweet, caring, and loyal, Eloise stands up for her sister, best friend Ginny, and anyone else who needs help, but never for herself and what she wants or needs. She’s not good with change and doesn’t like surprises. Past traumatic experiences keep Elsie from taking chances and being her authentic self. She defines herself by those around her, especially her family, who don’t listen to or respect her attempts to contribute to the family store with suggestions for branding improvements.

A plus-sized nonbinary lesbian, Ginny has been in love with Elsie since before she understood what love was throughout their friendship. She loves woodworking, making furniture in her spare time, and fostering dogs, but works a nine-to-five job she hates. After asking Elsie to their sophomore dance and being gently turned down, she’s longed for more. Ginny’s life essentially revolves around Elsie. She’s happy going along with whatever makes Elsie happy. Truthfully, Ginny doesn’t know what her life is without Elsie.

I love Ginny and Elsie’s closeness and comfort/ease with one another and how they support, defend, and protect each other. They put each other’s needs above their own. Ginny and Elsie are opposites who balance and help one another feel comfortable being themselves, at peace with their self-identity, and happy. For Ginny, it is easy being with Elsie. Ginny makes Elsie feel more self-assured because she’s Elsie’s safe space.

While I didn’t love the reason for the third-act breakup, I could understand that Ginny and Elsie needed to do some self-reflection and growth before they could have a healthy romantic relationship that would last. They especially needed to learn who they are without each other. Still, I would have liked to spend at least a little more time with them growing as a romantic couple.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a funny, steamy, introspective, sexy, emotional, and fast-paced romance with a lot of heart recommended for fans of bisexual heroines, pan heroines, lesbian nonbinary characters, pining, honeymoon with for one/with best friend, friends-to-lovers, unrequited crushes, one-bed, LGBTQ, and queer romances. It explores self-discovery, sexual discovery, self-esteem, self-love, friendship, falling in love, learning to ask for what you want, finding happiness, and self-reliance.

CN: Misgendering, past bullying, and past forced coming out

3.5 stars

St. Martin’s Griffin provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

Meryl Wilsner has set the standard for spicy sapphic books!!! I was a huge fan of Mistakes Were Made and this is rivaling that top spot. I loved the character of Ginny and found myself reflected back in her. While I'm not always a fan of "I just came out but I'm great at queer sex" but the relationship between Ginny and Elsie made me forget about those details. Chapters 14-21 are saphhic lesbian GOLD