The heart, the humor and the heat in this book are so genuine, that this book is an absolute delight. The way that Ginny and Elsie wake up to the possibility that their friendship can be more was beautifully depicted. This book is really something special, and I could not stop thinking about it, with a huge smile on my face, after I read it.

2.5 rounded up! Shout out to netgalley and Saint Martins Press for the e-arc of this book. Here’s my truth, I loved that one of the main characters was non binary. That’s s POV that I wish there was more of in romance so that was a sweet treat.
However, this book was unfortunately not my favorite. The best thing about the friends to lovers trope, is the YEARNING. And there was basically none:( This book was very insta-lovey. Also there were so many spicy scenes that they lost meaning. The third act break up, I thought was unrealistic and Elsie’s reaction made me want to throw my kindle. I was excited about this book, but it felt very one note to me. I think it would be a great option for those that are looking for spice and don’t really care how they get there. But unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me

I enjoyed this book! It’s smuttier than some of this author’s other books, but I loved the nonbinary representation as a featuring main character and I’m always a sucker for friends-to-lovers.

Rating: 3/5

God, this was just so GAY.

Ginny and Elsie do everything together. They are best friends. So what could go wrong when Elsie’s engagement falls apart and Ginny and Elsie go on the non-refundable honeymoon together? This book was super spicy, queer, and relatable. The queer struggle of identity is real. As per the other Meryl Wilsner’s I’ve read, the third person monologuing is always interesting to get used to. My one gripe with this book was that the secondary characters were shoved at the end and that felt rushed. For most of the book, the “problem” was tunnel-visioned and solely focused on Elsie and Ginny, so the secondary characters felt awkwardly introduced. Maybe that was intentional, and if so, brava. Regardless, this was a good read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-arc!*

I liked this one! I’ve read a couple other of their books and I enjoyed them. I liked the dynamic between the 2 characters. Fun plot line!

Why was this so cute???? It follows the typical formula of a romance with lots of smut followed by a third act breakup then a happily ever after. But it did something different that I really enjoyed. Most romances there’s a third act breakup, then the two MCs spend time thinking about their relationship and inevitably determine they love each other and want to be together. In this, it was less about examining the relationship and more about examining themselves and who they are outside of the relationship. Both of them learned and grew from the difficult conversation and fight in order to become stronger separately and stronger together. I throughly enjoyed this book and intend to read the other books by this author!

Trigger warning for explicit sexual scenes, mention of “water sports”, and period sex (yes I know, that might not be a squick for everyone, but it is for me and I wish I had been forewarned!)

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to net galley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.


interesting concept. i liked it.
but the book? i didn’t.
nbmc (non binary main character) ginny, has been in love with their best friend for as long as they can remember. actually says something about it, best friend turns them down. but they lust over said best friend for the longest time.
elsie, fmc, has no back bone whatsoever. never wanted to marry her fiancé, towards the beginning of the book she can’t even have a conversation with her dad about a job they both know she’s too good for. doesn’t sit right with me.
oh the kicker? she’s in love with them too and doesn’t say anything about it (tw/ flashback bullying) because of an incident that she had when she was in the third grade.
i mean come on. there are TOO many books out there with the miscommunication trope. we HAVE to let it go.
also something else that bothered me was the pacing of the book, the flashbacks weren’t clearly set, and the chapter POV’s either. also the sex. the amount of pages about sex outweighed the amount of pages were they could have solidified a solid romantic connection with each other.

overall, i liked the book. but i thought i would like it a lot more.

ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ (best) friends turned lovers
ꕥ miscommunication
ꕥ third act break up
ꕥ queer romance


ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes as this was an ARC and they are always subject to change!

The book follows the journey of Elsie, who breaks off her engagement just before her wedding, only to discover that the honeymoon is already booked. Instead of letting it go to waste, she invites her lifelong best friend, Ginny, to join her on the trip. This story was an easy read for me. I felt that the pacing of the book was a little off. I really wanted there to be more substance to the relationship, I felt a lot of the story dragged on with sex scene after scene. Overall I think the story as a whole was really cute, I would have really just liked to see a stronger connection built between the MC

My Best Friend's Honeymoon follows Elsie, whose upcoming wedding sends her into a tailspin. When her fiancé, Derrick, unilaterally plans their wedding and honeymoon, Elsie realizes she's been avoiding the planning process for a reason: she's not sure Derrick is the right person for her. This realization throws Elsie's life into disarray, forcing her to confront her doubts and question the very foundation of her relationship, including her long-standing friendship with Ginny.

The problems presented in My Best Friend's Honeymoon are compelling and will instantly capture your attention. If you're looking for a fast-paced and steamy read with a strong friends-to-lovers element, this book might be for you.

However, while the premise is intriguing and the romance has a certain spark, the plot felt somewhat rushed. Some character developments felt a sudden, and the resolution might have benefited from a bit more depth.

Overall, My Best Friend's Honeymoon is a decent read with a captivating premise, but it might leave some readers wanting more in terms of character depth and plot development.

I am sad to say this was not my fav book. the idea was good but elsie truly grounded my gears. from ending her engagement quickly to getting with her best friend to getting home and then there was like no chemistry. she also kept talking about her ex fiancé right to ginny. I will give this author another try but this was not for me.

I typically enjoy Meryl Wilsner’s novels, but this one wasn’t my favorite. The characters, Ginny and Elsie, are certainly charming and well thought out. I loved hearing about their friendship and the challenges they’ve had within that friendship. However, the will-they-won’t-they that persisted was repetitive. And there was too much smut for me - usually that is not the case! Not a prude - but there was so. much. sex.

Overall I enjoyed the characters’ lives outside of their relationship a bit more than I enjoyed the times they were together.

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

I really hate how much I disliked this book, because I adored Cleat Cute. The story started off relatively promising, but it stagnated a bit with almost all of the sex scenes crammed into the book from about 30%-60% through. That being said, they were enjoyable, but felt repetitive or gratuitous at times.

And then the conflict between the characters at around 65% of the way through!!! I generally can tolerate a bit of miscommunication in my romance, because it normally pays off. But I truly could not understand why Elsie got so mad at Ginny, and it drove me up the wall! When she started going off about not knowing if Ginny actually wanted her because they didn't tell her about quitting their job?? WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN? She was simultaneously mad that Ginny was doing too much for her and not enough? And given that the resolution between the two happens at about 93% finished, I mostly had no confidence these two had any capacity to actually communicate enough to be any type of meaningful partners to each other.

I wanted to love this so much, because I've enjoyed Meryl's other writing. But this did not work for me at all.

In My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, I ran into the same criticisms of the last 2 MW books I’ve read. There is too much happening inside the character’s heads and not enough actually talking between the characters. There’s no growth, no matter how much they try and tell us that these characters are different by the end of the book. We don’t actually see any of that growth occurring, we’re just told that it does. The relationship moves entirely too quickly, I don’t even quite believe these two as best friends. I was happy with the spice but that was about it. There was some lovely language it was very well written but the plot and character development was lacking.

Meryl Wilsner is one of the best voices in queer romance, and it was such a privilege to read this newest one.

Ginny and Elsie are so easy to love. 23 year olds who have no clue what to do with their life, other than spend time with their best friend? Hell yeah. Casual realism like stale breath during morning kisses? Absolutely, my favorite kind of thing ever. The third act break-up actually having a purpose, where the characters learn who they are outside of each other? Sign me UP. (Actually I was thrown back by the fast burn, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of this novel took place outside of the honeymoon where the characters could be themselves outside of the fantasy-esque setting in a way many vacation romances neglect).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

PS: I am reviewing this the day after the US President signed an executive order claiming there are only two genders. Fuck THAT. Queer and NB people have always existed and will continue to exist, and this book is pure NB joy.

3/5 ⭐️
This was a very cute read. I was expecting a bit more essence on the MC but overall a very fast read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for this gifted ARC.

Once I saw another book by this author I was very excited! I have enjoyed all of her other books. this book did not disappoint. I always enjoy reading a slow burn and two friends realizing they are in love with each other. At first, I didn't like the character Elsie. Mostly because she couldn't seem to make up her mind or think for herself. This was definitely dealt with throughout the book though and by the end of the book both main characters were very relatable. There was also great banter between the two characters that made this an enjoyable read. I'm already wishing I hadn't read this book so fast.

I've had hits and misses with Meryl Wilsner, and this was a huge miss. The miscommunication trope is the sole driver of the plot, the pacing is jerky, and the spicier scenes are interspersed with uncomfortable metaphors and flashbacks to previous partners that seem completely irrelevant.

For queer romance readers who love 5/5 pepper books with more spice than plot, this is for them. There's lots of exploration of queer intimacy here, which I think will be great for some readers, but without more emotional heft and character development outside of the obvious of learning how to ask for what she wants, I personally found it hard to keep reading and eventually DNF'd.

I was so excited for this book after reading Cleat Cute and Mistakes were made.
I don’t know if my biggest issue was the 3rd person writing which did bother me to no end especially being paired with Ginny being they/them so it was confusing at times. Or if I just expected more from Meryl’s previous writing?

The lack of truthful communication being our two main characters drove me insane. We have people pleaser Ginny and then we have Indecisive Elsie. And these 2 gave me so much anxiety. Did I still enjoy the story line? Yes we love friends to lovers. Especially when it’s been decades of keeping it a secret so they don’t ruin their friendship.
But it just lacked that spark I just wanted more from them. And it was just missing that connection there.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought the cover of this book was so cute and based off of friends reviews of previous books by this author I was sure I would love it! However, I found the entire story lacking substance. I was really hoping for more information and growth from the main characters, rather than so much focus going into the characters hooking up. The last third of the book seemed expected and forced. The characters were likable though and the story premise was cute and fun!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin & Netgalley for this eARC. This is my honest review.

This was a complicated book for me to read. In the past I've really loved Meryl Wilsner's books, seemingly with increasing furvor. I enjoyed Something to Talk About, loved Mistakes Were Made and flipped for Cleat Cute, but this one...it feels misbalanced.

I really wanted to love it, and certainly loved aspects of it, like the NB/F pairing of the leads, showing that a fat MC could be sexual and hot. And as usual with Meryl, the sex scenes were hot...except...they are all clumped basically in the second quarter of the book. Ginny and Elsie spend basically 50-60ish pages fucking and then...most of the rest of the book they spend apart. And I get, they needed to deal with their shit, but it makes for difficult to feel for romance if the people we're supposed to love together aren't really together for most of it. It was hard top read, and made getting through this a slog.

One aspect I found interesting...both this and the next Ashley Herring Blake Dream On, Ramona Riley, which I also read the ARC for, both features the stoplight model of consent. I know Ashley and Meryl are friends, so I'm sure that came up in conversation between the two, but I can't help but wonder which one talked to the other about it first. Just a ponder.

I'm sure there will be some people who really loved this book, and I hope nothing for the best for them. It wasn't bad per se, but I think this time around it's a miss from me.