My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner started off strong with a fun premise, but it quickly lost the plot. What began as an engaging story turned into something messy and unfocused, making it hard to stay invested. The characters had potential, but their development felt inconsistent, and the romance didn’t fully land for me. While Wilsner’s writing is enjoyable, this one didn’t quite come together in a satisfying way. A decent read, but not as memorable as I’d hoped.

2.75⭐️ This wasn’t for me. I didn’t love the writing style and the characters felt a bit too naive. I didn’t believe the friends to lovers which was hard to get past. I loved the setting and the concept was fun.

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

“What. The. Fuck. (Complimentary)”

About sums up my feeling for this! Wilsner knows how to write a spicy scene like no one else.

I think there’s part of this book that could have been more fleshed out or added to the depth, but for a beachside summer read I couldn’t ask for anything more. If you go into this thinking it’s a literary expedition, temper your expectations. This book is a spicy friends to lovers queer sapphic romance with great representation and conflict that doesn’t actually center on an element of queer identity (thank god).

4.5/5

I think this book concept is a bit overdone. I was disappointed that the plot was almost entirely summarized by the synopsis. I also felt like the romance was way too rushed and I did not find myself fighting for them. From the interactions they had on the honeymoon, I just didn’t see a romantic connection. love is about way more than just friendship + sexual intimacy, and the author failed to convince me that they were in love.

I am a firm believer that it’s important to take space for yourself after ending a long-term relationship (or engagement…). so it didn’t sit right for me that they both wanted to immediately jump into a new relationship. I also found it very hard to believe that either of them would decide to have sex without talking about how it would affect their friendship (since that was the entire reason they didn’t want to pursue each other). and I found it even harder to believe that they would stop talking entirely over one fight.

I did like the idea of Ginny teaching Elsie to ask for what she wants, but it bugged me that Ginny hadn’t been implementing that same concept in their life. however, I did appreciate that they eventually recognized they needed space to see who they are without Elsie.

I was very excited for this read, but it fell short for me. I was committed to finishing it so I could write a fair review. however, I fear the longer it took me to read, the more it made me dislike it.

DNF @ 33%

This is on me -- I'm not a huge Meryl Wilsner fan, but after Cleat Cute, I thought maybe I could be. My Best Friend's Honeymoon is unfortunately back to what didn't work for me before: the present and past mixed tense, the setup, the ages of the characters...I digress. I was frustrated with Ginny and how simply/over the top her refusal to acknowledge feelings might be there with Elsie. Frustrated with Elsie too, but I could understand her motivations better. Maybe because I have been in the same situation as Ginny before...at some point it just becomes easier to tell them you have feelings. Anyway.

I think Meryl Wilnser fans will eat this one up. It seems just like their other work and that really seems to work for them.

Two long best friends are forced to go on a trip together which is non refundable. Elsie gets cold feet and decides to call off the wedding but doesn't want the honeymoon to go to waste so she goes with her BFF.

It all began with the excitement of planning a surprise wedding and honeymoon. The elaborate plan was set to unfold perfectly, but when the surprise is finally revealed to Elsie, the bride-to-be, everything changes. She’s hit with a harsh reality: she doesn’t want to get married. This isn’t the life she envisioned for herself, nor is it the person she thought she would spend it with. The dream that was supposed to come true now feels like a trap.

With the wedding called off, Elsie is left staring at a non-refundable, all-inclusive honeymoon to a tropical paradise. Rather than let it go to waste, she turns to her best friend, Ginny, to come along. It’s the perfect escape, but Ginny’s hesitant. Who could possibly say no to a trip like that, especially when you’re secretly in love with the woman who’s asking you to go?

As they embark on this romantic getaway, the lines between friendship and something more begin to blur. What starts as an innocent escape quickly reveals that Ginny isn’t the only one harboring deeper feelings. The tension between them builds, and what was once a carefree vacation begins to unravel truths neither of them expected.


This was my first book by Meryl Wilsner and I can confidently say that I am hooked! I truly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I cannot wait to devour more books by this author.

I would recommend this book if you like the following tropes
- Best Friends to Lovers
- F/NB main characters
- Third Act Break-up
- Vacation Hook-up

Releasing April 29, 2025

Thank you to Meryl Wilsner, NetGalley and St. Martian’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved the concept of this book so much, but I’m not sure I loved the execution.
The setting was spectacular; I loved the tropical, luxurious Caribbean resort, it really had me craving summer. And of course, the concept of going on a romantic, amazing honeymoon with your best friend that you’re in love with is such a sexy and intriguing concept.
I think I was missing some of Ginny and Elsie’s connection. The spice was great and I enjoyed how much of it there was, but I think it would have hit so much better if I understood why Ginny is so enamored with Elsie. I think more backstory and more longing would have really pushed this one into 4-5 star category.
Overall, this isn’t one of my favorites by Meryl Wilsner, but I enjoyed it and will continue picking up everything they write.

So I really do love Meryl’s books, mistakes were made is an all time fav. For some reason I had a hard time following in this book. The spice was great, but something felt a little choppy. I love the representation and the story trope, but missed some of the chemistry for me.

NetGalley ARC Review✨

My Best Friend's Honeymoon
By: Meryl Wilsner
Pub Date: 4/29/25

When her fiance surprises her with a surprise wedding, Elsie calls it off and decides to take her best friend on her would-have-been honeymoon. Elsie and Ginny have been best friends forever. They are inseparable and depend on each other for everything.

Will their vacation activities ruin their friendship? Will they be able to share their feelings and still be friends? Will they both discover what they want for the future?

This book was a cute read about asking for what you want and for what will make you happy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

I enjoyed Wilsner's previous book MISTAKES WERE MADE and was curious about this new book, where Ginny has been in love with their best friend, Elsie, for most of their life. When Elsie cancels her wedding--realizing that she'd become so complacent in the relationship that inertia had pushed her into becoming engaged--Ginny joins her on the nonrefundable honeymoon.

Neither of these characters had a particularly strong personality. Ginny has been quietly sitting on the sidelines for decades and Elsie doesn't ever say what she wants. There was nothing compelling about either character nor the fact that it's simply non-communication that's keeping them apart.

Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me, I just wasn’t a fan of their relationship. I think we’re getting a lot of the love they have for each other off the page and just the spice and lust on the page, so there is not enough build up for when they finally get together and it just feels kind of bland. Mind you the characters are actually very well thought out and enjoyable to read about, but together I just don’t care for them.

Umm this book is spicy!!!!!! It was a really cute book with ALOT of spicy! I loved how the story came together, and you could see it unfold between two best friends. I didn’t think it was going to turn out the way it. If you like spicy book I would most definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost the book is intriguing, it has a different concept and foundational relationship dynamic which I haven't seen to much of on bookstagram. That pulls you in quickly, however the novel than proceeds to fizzle out and never get back on track.

The pacing is off, the flashbacks don't seem clearly oriented in relation to the present day timeline. Furthermore the novel as a whole felt detached, the whole thing had an essence of depersonalization. I would have much rather a standard dual POV first person.
Elsie has no backbone whatsoever which I do not love to see. In addition to that the characters didn't communicate well with each other, We are told they have been friends for as long as they can possibly remember and then we are catapulted to the smut. I wanted more conversation.

Overall, I didn't hate it. But I thought I would enjoy the book more than I did.

Book Review: My Best Friends Honeymoon
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Meryl Wilsenr
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffith.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a fast-paced, steamy, and emotionally charged queer romance that flips the traditional honeymoon trope on its head. When Elsie calls off her engagement a week before her wedding, she decides to take her non-refundable honeymoon to the Caribbean with Ginny, her best friend of over a decade—who also happens to have been in love with her for just as long.

What starts as a fun getaway turns into something much more when Ginny challenges Elsie to ask for what she truly wants—and, to their surprise, what she wants is Ginny. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and their physical connection is next-level intense. However, once the honeymoon ends, reality crashes down. Elsie’s post-trip freakout feels extreme, almost out of character, making the conflict feel abrupt and frustrating. Thankfully, Ginny’s handling of the situation is top-tier, and their separation period allows for real growth and self-discovery beyond just their relationship.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is how authentic and natural it feels. Ginny, a plus-size, nonbinary character, is written with care and respect—without their body being a source of insecurity or a defining characteristic in their relationship with Elsie. Their attraction to each other is presented without justification or hesitation, which is a refreshing departure from many romance novels.

While the book is undeniably steamy, the sheer number of back-to-back intimate scenes made the pacing feel a bit unbalanced. The romance itself is engaging, but the sudden @shift from nonstop passion to major emotional fallout felt jarring. That said, the flashbacks to their long-standing friendship added depth, and Elsie’s journey toward asserting herself within her family was a satisfying subplot.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a fun, sexy, and heartfelt read. It’s not perfect, but a very good read.

#QueerRomance #FriendsToLovers #SteamyReads #MyBestFriendsHoneymoon #LGBTQBooks #SapphicRomance #RomanceBooks #ReadersOfInstagram #Bookstagram #ReadingCommunity

Meryl Wilsner always delivers a sapphic, smutty read that has me googling "things" and My Best Friend's Honeymoon was no different. Elsie (pan) and Ginny (non-binary) have been best friends since childhood who have always been in love with one another. When Elsie dumps her fiancé right before their wedding, she decides to take Ginny on the all-inclusive, non-refundable honeymoon. Of course they hook up and realize that all they have been pining for is all they ever imagined. And of course, they are both in their heads too much and so worried about ruining their friendship that a spat & misunderstanding leads to miscommunication and breakup/separation before the third act even begins.

While separating the MCs does allow them both time to explore their choices and career goals aside from one another (Ginny wants to pursue furniture building full-time after quitting their unfulfilling graphic design 9 to 5; Elsie wants her family's hardware store to listen to her ideas about rebranding), the plot choice does affect the pacing of the story a bit. Like Cleat Cute, this one has some hot scenes (I still think about that locker room scene!) and while I was rooting for both Ginny and Elsie, sometimes their internal monologues just weighed the story down a bit. I understand the miscommunication trope is at times necessary, but putting it so early in the plot just made the story drag at times. But I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, forced proximity, & travel tropes, so all in all, I liked this one despite its plotting flaws.

I did love the representation, and I adored Ginny's character and in particular, their sweet relationship with their grandfather. More accepting, queer grandparent stories, please!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for the e-ARC. This one is out April 29th, 2025.

I was so excited for this book because I love Meryl's other books but it was kind of a letdown! Felt like the romance part of the book progressed way too fast. Generally I wish there was more depth/ a longer book.

Elsie and Ginny are best friends. When Elsie ends her engagement and cancels her wedding, of course her best friend will go with her on her honeymoon. Since Ginny has been in love with Elsie forever, nothing can go wrong? Right?

I liked this book. I didn't enjoy the third act conflict. It felt like too much miscommunication that was trying not to be miscommunication. I think the character's reactions were just too much for the situation.

im debating betweeen 3.5-4 stars.

I enjoyed the character growth a lot. I feel like the pacing was a bit weird, but also like good for the plot & development? I think the characters both extremely needed the growth & I loved watching them change.

Elsie & Ginny had been each others everything (except romantically) for YEARS & yes there was definitely miscommunication, but I also felt it for the plot bc with all the pining, tension & rushing into things they had been holding back, the miscommunication was also a HUGE reason for their development as people on their own without each other.

I definitely liked Ginny more than Elsie tbh, but I did actually enjoy the story in the end.

tropes
mutual pining
secretly in love with my best friend
miscommunication
great character growth
childhood friends to lovers
lgbtq (one of the mcs is non binary, they/them)

My Best Friend's Honeymoon is cute, hot, fun and darn right SPICY. It's a friends to lovers, vacation romance that just may get you hot and bothered.

Ginny has been in love with Elsie basically from day one. They had a great friendship in their teens, but Ginny was attracted to Elsie and didn't care what anyone thought. They thought that Elsie may have felt the same and asked Elsie to go to a high school dance with them. Elsie turned them down because of what happened in the past to her. So, they remained friends. Now, Elsie has been proposed to and said fiance has planned everything. Including the WHOLE WEDDING (dress, invites, everything). But Elsie doesn't know how to say no and is pretty much a people pleaser. Until she decides she can't marry Derrick because she's truly not in love with him and thinks she may never have been. Since the wedding was to take place so soon, he has a honeymoon all planned out and gives that to Elsie. Elsie ends up taking Ginny because they are best friends. Will Ginny be able to hide their feelings on a romantic getaway??

The premise of the story is cute and I love a good unrequited love that may not be so unrequited. And the tropical setting lends a great backdrop to giving into an attraction that's always been there. I don't know how Ginny and Elsie couldn't communicate their feelings for years, but finally give in and bang it out a million times in the span of a week. Maybe it's Ginny's deal with Elsie. They tell Elsie they will do anything they want. They basically force Elsie to make decisions for themselves and learn to get what they want. To be brave.

I liked Ginny's character and how they allowed Elsie to grow and be comfortable in their own skin, but then that also kind of made Ginny's light dim a bit. And the steamy scenes? There are a lot. I mean, after the first day of the "honeymoon" that's basically all they do. It's hot, but I also don't know if it pushed the story forward. And the 3rd act break up? It was kind of silly. But also allowed each of them to learn what they needed in order to be strong on their own.

While I liked the story overall, the abundance of "bedroom shenanigans" was a bit much. It didn't always serve a purpose for me. Maybe to just get off. And the break up was all kinds of immature.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but wanted something a little more to make the relationship more than just physical, which we did get, but it was more in the end. I just needed more of a balance.

If you like:
friends to lovers
a lot of spice
unrequited love
F/NB main characters
..then I think you'll enjoy this one. Meryl Wilsner is great at writing LGBTQ+ love stories that are spicy and fun.