Read This Book If…you’re looking for a spicy Queer romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner

Genre: Queer romance
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: Minnesota and Caribbean island
POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: best friends to lovers, longtime crushes

My Thoughts:
I find there is a fine line with best-friends-to-lovers and longtime-crushes where they can dip into possessiveness and not in a cute way. I felt like there wasn’t enough time for these two to pine on the page before they jumped into bed together.

While I appreciated Elsie exploring her sexuality with Ginny, the breakdown of this book felt a little lopsided to me. I just wanted more relationship development!

I did appreciate Elsie’s growth in standing up for herself, but it came at the detriment of them spending a significant portion of the book apart. Ginny also had a bit of growing up to do and I appreciated how they handled the situation.

Overall, this book was more spice over substance, which is not what I was expecting. I did really enjoy the plus-size and nonbinary rep!

Memorable Quote: “Maybe you don’t even realize what you’re doing, you’re so caught up in my happiness you have no idea what you actually want.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

Meryl Wilsner’s My Best Friend’s Honeymoon delivers a spicy, sun-drenched escape into sapphic longing and delayed desire, wrapped in a friends-to-lovers bow with a Caribbean breeze. Elsie and Ginny’s story brims with tension built over years of friendship and unspoken feelings, and Wilsner doesn’t shy away from heat—this book is steamy, babes. Don’t let the adorable cover fool you; beneath the cute visuals and the much-needed butch/nonbinary rep (seriously, it’s such a joy to see a plus-size masc-presenting love interest get their moment!), there’s a whole lot of spice happening in paradise.

The premise alone is an easy hook: a canceled wedding, a nonrefundable honeymoon, and a "you can have anything you want, just ask" challenge that snowballs into full-blown romantic combustion. The setting is lush and vivid—you can practically feel the sun on your skin and taste the salt in the air. Ginny and Elsie are soft in their own ways, and watching Elsie begin to claim her voice and desires was one of the stronger emotional threads in the book.

That said, the emotional payoff didn’t quite match the simmering potential. While the chemistry is palpable, the constant miscommunication between the two leads became more frustrating than romantic, especially when it carried into the third-act breakup. It’s a trope that can work wonders when done with care, but here it felt like an avoidable loop—like we were watching two people circle each other in sand instead of stepping forward. The resolution came a bit too slow for the depth their years-long friendship warranted, leaving me wishing for more vulnerability, more open-hearted dialogue, and more grounding in their love beyond the week-long heat.

Still, for those who love a quick, sexy getaway read with tropes like “there’s only one bed,” “friends to lovers,” and “just ask for it,” this delivers on its promise. It’s a feel-good romp with bite, and while it didn’t fully sweep me off my feet, it left me smiling by the end.

This is a satisfying sapphic romcom with undeniable steam and heart, even if it missed a few emotional beats along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley, Meryl Wilsner, and SMP for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy.! You can pick up My Best Friend's Honeymoon on April 29, 2025.

Meryl Wilsner once again delivers the perfect combo of spicy and sweet queer romance. I love a good friends to lovers story, but pining best friends who've loved each other like nobody else and are scared to take the dive into a romantic relationship despite sizzling tension? Chef's kiss.

Ginny and Elsie were not only great together, but I loved their individual perspectives and growths throughout the story too! Elsie definitely needed to learn to stand up for herself and ask for what she wants. And Ginny deserved a chance to pursue their dreams without worrying about what Elsie needed. Their third act breakup actually felt kind of justified in that sense, because we see them grow into themselves without the other person present.

And the spicy scenes... phew! Definitely hot, but also very clumped together in the middle of the book. It would've been nice to have a little more plot interspersed throughout, but otherwise I have no complaints.

Definitely pick this up if you want a spicy friends to lovers story with some great pansexual and non-binary rep!!

This novel is a dual-narrative, LGBTQIA+ friendly, friends-to-lovers trope romance in which Ginny and Elsie finally come together during Elsie's would-be honeymoon. The book started out pretty strong for me, and I was interested in the plot and characters. We learn that Ginny has been pining for Elsie throughout their entire friendship, but has settled for friendship with Elsie because Elsie has never felt the same. When Elsie finally realizes that she cannot follow through with her engagement to her college boyfriend, she and Ginny set out for an all-inclusive romantic getaway to take advantage of the honeymoon that has already been paid for.

The plot of the book truly falters about half-way through, and it made me come close to making this a DNF - however, I did want to give it a complete chance as it was an ARC. Almost the entirety of the vacation/"honeymoon" portion (the middle) consisted of sex scenes that overwhelm other plot points of the story that could have been more extensively elaborated upon - e.g., Elsie's (much needed) character development, or her family's maladaptive patterns, Ginny's attachment style or abrupt career change, etc. The points in which Elsie and Ginny come together romantically felt very hurried, such as the very end of the book. I also felt a lot of frustration towards some the characters, and towards Elsie in particular. Ginny was overall pretty likeable, although the book makes me wonder why she has chosen to be side character in her own story. Again, there was a lot of room for more character development!

Overall, my official rating falls closer to 2.5 stars. While this book wasn't for me, it might appeal more to those looking for an LGBTQIA+ friendly friends-to-lovers romance that is a spicy and easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the advance digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

i don't have the words to express how much i loved this. it was fun, it was frustrating, it was sexy, it was REAL. i can't recommend it enough.

Ehh... unfortunately this was a def flop for me.

I found both characters to be extremely annoying! I really wanted to dnf this one and sadly I did a lot of skimming eeep!

It lacked depth for me and just steamy sex scenes. I'm not a fan of books like this at all. Sadly, not a fan.

2/5 stars

This was enjoyable and well written, just a tad on the spicy side for my liking. However, I did think it was well written.

I’m so sorry, but this book is not for me. Probably my own fault for not fully reading the blurb. The pronouns kept getting super confusing for me and it was just…a lot. DNF at 15%

Very hot and steamy, the cover doesn't lie. I loved that not only was Ginny nonbinary but also plus-sized, either on their own in a queer romance I've seen very little but this is the first time I've seen both in a single character.

The initial third was incredibly slow. It had a lot of build up which was necesary for when they get together but I was not invested in the characters. They are going through some rough times when we meet them like losing a job and ending a relationship. We hardly get to see them have chemistry and actual fun until they go on vacation and that takes a bit. Once they get together it's satisfying, for us and them.

A fun beach read!

What a fun story! I’m always a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers, so this was a fun way to see this in a queer space.

Ginny and Elsie have been best of friends for ages, and have loved each other for so long. Elise’s fiancé plans their entire wedding, only for Elsie to realize that she doesn’t want to get married to him. However, he purchased a non-refundable honeymoon which he gifts to Elsie, and changes his ticket to her best friend, Ginny.

They go on this honeymoon together, and start to break down the “just friends,” but as always, the real world comes back.

While most of the “why they love each other” isn’t on page, it’s more about the exploration of each of the characters: Ginny and their job and Elsie and her place in the family business. It’s well crafted in their self explorations of who they are.

Meryl, this was fun to see how they grew together and apart!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This friends to lovers romance is well written, there is tension and dual POV with dual narrators. However, I disliked Elsie's characters so much and her behavior continued to get worse as the novel went on. She is the most selfish and manipulative character I have read about in a long time and her gaslighting Ginny upset me to my core. I ended up DNF at 70% because of her behavior and how ridiculous the third act break up fight was 🤦‍♀️ It was so immature

I really wanted to like this novel more because friends to lovers is a trope I adore but I just found the characters flat the immature for my taste.

This is the perfect STEAMY summer beach read! If you are looking for something to read by the pool or at the beach, then this is the book for you. I love watching the friendship between Elsie and Ginny evolve into love, this was such a fun read!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc of this book! All opinions are my own. I was very excited to read this as I love queer romances, but unfortunately this one wasn’t my favorite. The book started off strong and I enjoyed everything pre-vacation and even the first bit of their trip. Once Ginny and Elsie got together, I felt like there wasn’t much plot anymore and it was just sex scene after sex scene. I also personally didn’t like the argument and everything post-vacation. I will continue to read books by this author because I understand that each book is different.

Honestly, not my favorite by this author, but not bad. Very spicy just like other things they have written. The miscommunication trope popping its ugly head up in here really ruined it for me, but overall, not a bad read!

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon had such a fun, flirty premise and I was so ready to fall head over heels for it, but the vibes just didn’t fully click for me. I adored seeing a nonbinary love interest in the spotlight (Ginny = swoon), and the friends-to-lovers tension was definitely there, but the pacing felt a bit uneven and some of the emotional development didn’t hit as hard as I wanted. Like, the spice? Great. The setup? Rom-com gold. But I never got fully invested in the stakes beyond the bedroom. Still, if you're into soft queers, tropical romance, and a slow unraveling of long-held feelings, it’s a solid vacation read with heart. Just not a forever fave for me.

Like a good vacation, this book has it all. There’s a deep friendship between Ginny and Elsie that reminds you of close friends and chosen family, there’s brief tension and misunderstanding that’s relatable, and so much more.

It was a delightful read and if you’re a fan of Meryl Wilsner’s other books, this one doesn’t disappoint!

The spice was good in this but I really think the writing is not for me which makes me sad cause I adore Meryl Wilsner. They are so funny and smart, but I can’t finish this :(

ARC review | 3.5 ⭐️ | adult sapphic romance

Release date: April 29, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Elsie Hoffman tends to be a person who sticks up for others, but never herself. So: breaking off her engagement to her college boyfriend, after he plans their entire wedding without consulting her, is a big step for her- but there's the all-inclusive, already booked and paid for honeymoon to think about, which he insists she take. Enter Ginny: Elsie's best friend, who's been in love with her for nearly their entire friendship. Ginny's ecstatic to have the time with their friend, and is determined to help her learn to advocate for herself, so they enact a rule: Elsie gets whatever she wants, for the entire vacation. The twist? Turns out Elsie wants Ginny, just as badly as they want her.

This was a sweet romance- friends to lovers, LGBTQIA+ representation, and I thought the Caribbean setting was fun! This is a VERY spicy read- I don't generally mind spice, but once or twice it overshadowed a moment of character development that happened just before. I enjoyed the flashbacks to earlier in Ginny's and Elsie's lives and seeing their friendship at different ages, and I liked the way Elsie became bolder as her character developed. The side characters were good; they added some depth to the novel and allowed us to see how Elsie and Ginny interact with others- although it is just the two of them for a large portion of the book, and I loved seeing their friendship/relationship as well. Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of sapphic romance, a spice rating of 5 🌶️, and readers who love some humor in their books!

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Meryl Wilsner, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book!

This was a super SPICY friends to lovers romance that sees Ginny, a nonbinary Butch lesbian going on her recently single pansexual Jewish bestie Elsie's Caribbean honeymoon where the two acknowledge they've always had more than platonic feelings for each other and they decide to go for it - HARD!

Things get HEATED fast but cool off just as quickly once the two return home. I wasn't a fan of the mid-plot break up but I did think there was a lot of great character growth and fantastic queer rep. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Tried digital first, then tried audio and unfortunately i just wasn’t invested at all. I didn’t like the FMC and i think that ultimately led to me deciding this one just isn’t for me. I got to 35% in the book when i decided to DNF. sorry!