This best-friends-to-lovers romance is VERY spicy, and the representation (f/nb) is great to see. It's a quick read, but maybe a little too quick. I didn't feel all that connected to the characters or their story or their motivations. It's hard to put my finger on why, but I think part of it was 1/4-1/3 of the book was sex scenes. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But it kind of got in the way of getting to know the characters. Towards the end of the book, I realized I didn't even like Elsie (again, not that there's anything wrong with that, but she felt underdeveloped to me). Ginny was easier to understand, though I would have liked to get to know them better, too. The resolution at the end happened so quickly (like in the last few pages), and I wanted more. One thing I really loved was the dialogue -- Meryl Wilsner writes dialogue so well. Overall, it was a decent book and we need more books with representation like this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC! This is my first Meryl Wilsner book, but it won't be my last. My Best Friends Honeymoon is exactly what you would expect from a sapphic, friends to lovers book. The spice was amazing, if a little excessive at times. Elsie and Ginny are at a queer resort in the Caribbean, and I couldn't help but be frustrated with them for not going out more, even if that might have been a boring read.

The queer representation in this book is great. Elsie is a pansexual woman, and Ginny is a nonbinary lesbian. Ginny used they/she pronouns, but they are the only ones who use she/her. There was a great discussion that even though they are fine with she/her pronouns, people shouldn't rely on looks when greeting guests because not everyone is fine with it.

There was a lot of growth for both characters. They both needed to learn about who they wanted to be, and Meryl Wilsner did a good job exploring that.

From the first pages, this book made me wish I was sitting in a hammock with a smoothie or frothy drink while I got lost in the drama of someone else’s life. I loved the idea of the plot, but struggled to connect with the characters on a level that would truly pull me out of my own reality. However, I would still recommend this to someone looking for an easy, relatively low stakes read.

This book starts off amazing, I was sure it would be a five star read, and then it just died out and plot was lost and it was just spice. It’s an easy read, and overall it was decent, I think the romance just progressed too quickly for there to feel much chemistry.

It is better than Cleat Cute but that's not too hard. As opposed to Cleat Cute where the characters shouldn't have ended up together, I believe that Ginny and Elsie may have gotten at a point where they should have at the end. A lot of needed character development happens either off screen or very quickly so it's hard to evaluate how much the characters have changed.

If I start with the positive: the beginning is strong and convinced me I could enjoy this one. I do love a good friends to lovers and I was served good pining, bad decisions made out of hiding your love, and a past rejection in high school which has changed the friendship. Very good.

But then it turns in a sex montage and I must say I hate how Wilsner writes smut. It's too fast-paced and not descriptive enough to be really spicy so they overcompensate with quantity that is just so repetitive. Like Cleat Cute we don't get an emotional build up arc but instead just a lot of sex for the characters to be like okay I'm into you let's date. This is not characterization that's just horny.

Of course Elsie realises that Ginny is a fucking pushover of a character and rejects them again and that's when Ginny decides to find some time to find themselves (where most is off screen).

None of the pacing is satisfying. Everything is frustrating especially given the strong beginning. I'm reading a romance I'm here for feelings not badly written sex.

I do say I really liked the woodworking part it rounded Ginny up because they suffer from being less developed to make up more time for Elsie a common trope for masc character.

A big part of Elsie's part at the beginning is being young and not knowing what she wants. Is this addressed? Not really no.

Also this book fascinatingly doesn't recognise the unwanted manipulation of Elsie's boyfriend. The combo of public proposal and inviting everyone to the wedding he planned without telling her js a common technique to trap women into marriage whether he is fully aware that this is what he is doing or not. But you know whatever at this point.

Also i refuse to believe that queer American millennial really speak in this cringy way. However I would like to ask for the end of that trope where the nonbinary mc must have a paragraph dedicated to them explaining their identity to the audience

I’ve never read a Meryl Wilsner book I haven’t loved, and this one was no exception. This was my first book of 2025, and it was such a fun way to kick things off!

This has everything you could wish for in a romance - queer joy, a friends to lovers ARC, size rep, gender rep, and is half set in a beautiful tropical location.

Like all of WIlsner’s books, there’s a few good spicy scenes, enough to get a feel of the character’s dynamics, but not so much that it feels like it takes away from the plot.

If you’re looking for a feel-good heartfelt romance, definitely pick this one up!

I enjoyed My Best Friend’s Honeymoon. I love an idiots to lovers story. I liked the central relationship a lot, I just didn’t totally buy the third act breakup conflict. But overall enjoyed it as I do with all of Wilsner’s books.

In all honesty, it was really difficult for me to get into this boom! I love a spicy book and especially one that has representation and isn’t your washed up heterosexual repeat, but for some reason I felt so disconnected to these characters and felt that their chemistry wasn’t there! I did enjoy most of the book and found parts funny and enjoyed the overall premise, but it wasn’t necessarily for me and that’s okay! I know so many other friends and readers who will love it!!

Meryl Wilsner has done it again. Again an amazing, entertaining read with an extremely open door. I have and will read anything they write.

A strong, fast-paced romance featuring a nonbinary lead and their long-time best friend. Though I’m not usually a friends to lovers fan, this book handled the trope carefully and used backstory to create stakes that made the jump from one form of relationship to another believable and interesting. Super happy to have had an ARC via NetGalley and St Martin’s Press; it would otherwise have definitely have found a place on my TBR for 2025!

I'm on the fence about how much I enjoyed this one! I definitely liked aspects of it - the self-discovery journey that both Elsie and Ginny went on in their professional lives was very relatable as a twenty something year old, and I liked the second half of the book more where this was a focus. I also love Meryl Wilsner's spicy scenes. I don't find them to be cringe like some romance authors, and I like that they really go for it with some different kinks.

However, I didn't feel fully invested in the romance between Elsie and Ginny. Part of it was that I didn't quite understand the flashbacks to their high school relationship and why they didn't just get together then? I also didn't love the scale to which the post honeymoon conflict rose to, because it didn't seem logical.

Overall though, I did enjoy this book even if parts of it didn't quite click for me. Definitely give it a try if you enjoy sapphic romances and childhood best friends to lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC!

It was a cute concept and loved the beginning but unfortunately wasn’t able to fully connect to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the early read opportunity!

I totally get why Wilsner has a cult following, their writing rocks. The chemistry and setting in this book had me sold, and the representation was an added plus!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was difficult to really feel connected to the characters and yet I really enjoyed them and wished to know them better. There were times in the beginning where it was difficult to understand whose POV we were reading. Over all I thought it was a really cute, spicy, fun and easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner is a friends-to-lovers romance with sizzling chemistry and emotional depth. Elsie and Ginny’s unconventional Caribbean honeymoon-turned-love-story is brimming with heartfelt moments, humor, and both personal and relationship growth that leaps off the page.

The friends-to-lovers trope is executed beautifully here, with Ginny’s long-standing love for Elsie creating a tender foundation for their evolving relationship. Elsie’s later-in-life queer awakening felt authentic and deeply moving.

I particularly appreciated how this story addressed unhealthy relationship dynamics, especially codependency. The novel doesn’t just focus on the growth of their relationship but also highlights their individual journeys of self-discovery and empowerment. Watching Ginny develop their sense of self and watching Elsie take action to get what she wanted was as empowering as it was romantic.

This book was spicy af! The steamy moments are perfectly balanced with emotional depth, making their connection feel both passionate and genuine. The novel’s theme of self-discovery and choosing happiness resonates long after the last page.

If you’re a fan of swoon-worthy queer romance with a touch of heat and heart, this one’s not to be missed. My Best Friend’s Honeymoon releases on 04/29/2025!

My Best Friend's Honeymoon is a spicy friends to lovers book. It follows Elsie and Ginny who go on Elsie's week-long honeymoon together after Elsie ends her engagement.

Elsie and Ginny had strong chemistry from the start but their transition from friends to lovers felt extremely abrupt. Each of them had spent years fearing that their friendship might be ruined if they acted on their romantic feelings and after holding off for such a long time it felt unnatural for them to just fall into bed together like they did.

In a similar vein, this book contains a lot of sex that's described in vivid detail. In fact, the sex scenes overpowered any emotional connection the characters might've had, leaving their romance lacking.

That said, the romance did still have some cute moments and the story was atmospheric, making the reader feel like they were on a tropical vacation along with the characters.

If you're looking for a spicy, easy to read, summer romance without much substance you might enjoy this, but otherwise it may not be the book for you.

A delightful story full of heart and spice. Ginny and Elsie were wonderfully relatable characters and I loved the time spent with them. Meryl is quickly becoming a must read for me.

We dive right into the plot in the book and I love that. We have best friend Ginny and Elsie. Ginny has been in love with Elsie since high school and Elsie has just called off her wedding but her ex-fiancé let her keep the inclusive honeymoon trip. Therefore Elsie takes Ginny along. Elsie doesn’t ask for what she wants, heck she almost married a man because “he was nice.” Therefore Ginny demands Elsie can have whatever she wants on this trip— so long as she asks for it. I was nervous in the beginning that Ginny was going to give and give and get nothing in return. While I understand what they were doing in trying to encourage Elsie to take what she want, it shouldn’t come at their expense.

I just don’t feeel the chemistry like i did with other Meryl books, I kept waiting for it. And I didn’t feel it and I was really looking forward to this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun and romantic story! Elsie's fiancé Derrick has a surprise for her. After nearly 2 years of an engagement in which Elsie hated doing any wedding planning, he has a wedding and honeymoon completely planned- he already sent out the invitations. Elsie's best friend Ginny has carried a torch for Elsie since sophomore year. They asked her to the dance, and Elsie declined, because she just couldn't lose them as a friend. And since the honeymoon was completely paid for and all inclusive, Derrick suggests that Elsie ask Ginny to come on the honeymoon with her. And sparks fly! But what will happen when the honeymoon is over?

Ginny hates their job but they love woodworking and remodeling. Elsie loves working at her family's hardware store, but she wants her family to listen to her ideas about rebranding.

This book is pretty delightful and really nails the experience, the pressure and uncertainty about being 23. Your parents have expectations of you and you want a different life. I love that Derrick isn't a one-dimensional villain- the jilted fiancé actually seems like a pretty good guy. Not the smartest guy, but he just wants something different than Elsie does. I appreciate how much the author invests time in minor characters, this really pays off in understanding Elsie and Ginny. The way that the best-friend-shared-language continues after coupling makes the reader really root for Elsie and Ginny to admit their feelings and become official.

If you have been following my reviews for awhile, you know that I am not a fan of the super spicy/steamy scenes- that just isn't for me. And this book - while it includes all of the romance- it also includes a lot of the SPICE- so there were a few scenes that I skipped past ... but you may really enjoy them!

~best friends-to-lovers
~one bed
~forced proximity
~third act breakup
~multi-dimensional minor characters

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published April 29, 2025.

I think this book just missed the mark for me. I liked the concept and I really wanted to like the characters and the book, but I just didn't really connect with them. Usually I'm all about mutual-secret-pining and friends-to-lovers tropes, but I felt like the book was missing the Romance. It felt like the actual relationship was kind of just glossed over with the condensed timeline of the book and that it was overshadowed by the abundance of sex scenes.

I've read other books by Meryl Wilsner (Cleat Cute) that I really enjoyed! But I think the style of writing for My Best Friend's Honeymoon was just not for me. I found the 3rd person POV to be a little jarring and it felt like some of the sentences were a little choppy and that there was a lot of telling, not showing when it came to descriptions. I even went back to look at my copy of Cleat Cute to see if it was also written in 3rd person (it is) because I didn't remember feeling this way when reading Cleat Cute. Additionally, the pie-eating contest metaphor was just not it, in my opinion. It just felt kind of gross to me and I didn't enjoy that scene because of it.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the last 10-15% a LOT, which helped keep this at a 3-star rating. I liked the side characters and I liked seeing the growth that Ginny and Elsie had separately, and I thought the writing was better in these parts of the book. But the majority of the book while they were on the trip was disappointing to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.