DNF at 10%

This one is on me but I still wanted to try. I forgot I didn't enjoy Cleat Cute and ended up DNFing but didn't realize it was the same author until after I grabbed this. I also thought it was going to be more of a "jilted at the altar" type of thing not "I'm a terrible person for wanting someone to break off our engagement when I didn't plan the wedding without talking to them or saying no in the first place."

I tried but I hated both MCs. Not for me.

4.5 stars | My Best Friend's Honeymoon 💫 is a great friends to lovers romance with a lot of 🌶️! Elsie invites her best friend of forever on her honeymoon after she calls off her wedding and they end up hooking up after years of mutual pining.

Here's a bit more about the characters:

Ginny: they/them, fostering dogs, woodworking, love their wholesome grandpa!
Elsie: she/her, has 4 siblings, works at the family store, cries over dog pictures 🥹

Both characters are well developed and have great chemistry together. Meryl Wilsner is one of my favourite sapphic writers and I will read whatever they come up with next, always.

I knocked out half a ⭐ because honestly, the romance formula where a conflict must arise between the two mains really annoys me and I felt that in this case the conflict wasn't that much of a big deal and was blew out out of proportion for the sake of it. That being said, the fight between the two main characters isn't overly long and their time apart is great for their personal development and enjoyable to read about.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC!

“Easier not to risk anything than to lose everything.”

My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner is a sweet contemporary romance following two best friends who have known each other for what feels like forever! When Elsie's fiancé decides to plan their wedding in a week as a surprise, Elsie bulks and finally ends the relationship. The kicker - her fiancé already bought a nonrefundable honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean! Else decides her best friend, Ginny, is just the person to go with her. However, Ginny has been in love with Elsie for over a decade, but was rejected by Elsie once in high school, and feels like she has to stay in the "friends-zone." But on a secluded island, where Ginny has demanded that Elsie can have whatever she wants as long as she specifically asks for it - all is about to change. But can they survive once they are back in reality of their daily lives?

Great premise! I have to say, I go into a lot of the books I read blind, and I'm not sure if I knew this was a contemporary lesbian LGBT book when I started to read it. I truly believe love is love, and enjoy any romance novels that are well written. I enjoyed Elsie and Ginny as separate characters and as they grew together.

Yet, I believe communication was very poor in this book and there were so many trust issues over dumb things (which if you really are best friends, it should be easier to talk to each other). In addition, in the middle there were way too many consecutive sex scenes; now, I like spice but spread it out some... I needed more substance! Elsie getting whatever she wanted got a little old throughout and started to make Ginny look inferior to me in the friendship/relationship.

I absolutely loved the line: “I know intent isn’t as important as impact…” I had to sit back and think about this line for awhile. Wilsner incorporated a lot between these pages and their overall intent and impact was appreciated by this reader!

There was so much right about this book, but overall it feel a little short for me after a strong start. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure I'm jumping up and down to recommend it.

3.4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this sumptuous ARC! All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️

I received an advance copy of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Elsie breaks off her engagement, she’s left with a non-refundable honeymoon and a lot of heartbreak. When her ex-fiancé refuses the trip, she invites her lifelong best friend, Ginny, to come along. During this trip, the two of them begin to realize that their feeling for each other may in fact be mutual.

This book was a cute read! The dynamic between Ginny and Elsie was so wholesome, and I loved the foundation of their relationship being rooted in years of friendship. Watching them grow both emotionally and romantically was really sweet. I also enjoyed seeing them support and uplift each other’s goals and passions.

That said, this story moved a bit too fast for my liking. The transition from friends to romantic partners was extremely quick, and I would’ve loved to see more emotional buildup. It also got a little frustrating at times how often a small miscommunication caused a larger issue. So many of their conflicts could’ve been resolved if they had just had an honest conversation earlier on.

Overall, I did enjoy this book.

Overall, I enjoyed MBFH by Meryl Wilsner. Reading it felt like they had a good time writing this story and, whew, do readers benefit with some raunchy fun! A highlight was that I thought it was handled really well when Ginny and Elsie realized their codependence on one another might be impacting their own individual lives and it felt like a realistic issue. The friends-to-lovers trope was done very well. My one qualm would be that the ending felt rushed. Would recommend!

3.5 because poor Derrick
Ok listen it was good, it was nice even, but a few things really confused me.
They go from “oh no we couldn’t possibly ruin our friendship being romantically involved” to have some seriously kinky sex out of nowhere without a conversation besides the “nothing will ruin us”
Besides that, what I really think would have made anything better was if the characters were 7/10 years older. If they met as teens, had the whole rejection thing in their early twenties, and were now late 20s or early 30s
It would have added so much more pining and pathos.
This two are 23, like, children, really. You haven’t pined enough. You are not in love with the other since the day you met! You were 10.
But yes, ok I hated the third act, which wouldn’t exist if they were older!!! Because it would already have happened I believe!!!!
I needed a TW for the period sex ngl

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

Whew! What a spicy little friends to lovers romance. 🥵

Elsie has finally come to the realization that she cannot marry her fiancé, but even though she broke up with him, he tells her to take their non-refundable honeymoon trip anyway, and to take her best friend with her. (Seriously, I felt kind of a lot bad for him, poor guy. 😂)

I really, really loved the vacation part of this book, with all those romantic tropical getaway vibes. I loved Elsie learning to ask for what she wants, and then getting exactly that. 😘🔥

I will say the back half of the books was definitely a bit weaker for me. While I understand that there was some important character development that needed to happen, it happened in a way I didn’t feel quite worked for me, but that said, that final scene was very cute, and I loved where the characters ended up.

What this book is giving:
✅ Romance
✅ Dual POV
✅ Best Friend’s to Lovers
✅ Nonbinary MC
✅ Non-refundable Honeymoon Trip

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

I’ve enjoyed Wilsner’s novels in the past, but after reading Cleat Cute and now My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, I think it’s time for me to step away from their work. A few years ago, their stories felt right for me, but I’ve come to realize that I’ve outgrown their writing style and the way their romances are constructed.

The biggest issue for me in this story—echoed by many other readers—is the lack of buildup to the romantic and sexual tension. Since the two main characters have been best friends since childhood, we’re dropped into a relationship where the emotional groundwork has already been laid off page. There’s no visible transition from friendship to something more—no shy moments, subtle flirting, or slow realization of deeper feelings. Instead, we’re simply told that they’re meant for each other and expected to go along with it. What follows is mostly sex scenes and a lot of miscommunication, without the emotional payoff that makes a romance satisfying. I missed the heart-fluttering tension, the sense of discovery, and the gradual unfolding of chemistry that makes these stories worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was a short, quick and cute friends to lovers romance. I enjoyed when they were in paradise. Elsie was a frustrating character at times and hard to root for. Overall a cute romance!

This book as everything i needed right now. It was fun, it was spicy, and it was queer af!! i absolutely love Ginny, our non-binary main character and love interest. They were definitely my favorite part of the book, and it’s not just because i am also a plus-sized lesbian with a thing for carpentry and woodwork. the feeling of being so completely in love with your best friend for years is so well written that I felt it in my soul. I know what it feels like and this book perfectly captures that, and the rush of joy when you realize your feelings are reciprocated. The only negative thing I have to say about the book is that at times I found Elsie - our other main character - a little annoying. It felt like some of her reasonings or motivations for actions didn’t make complete sense, although maybe that was the point. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and You Had Me At HEA for giving me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh. My. Gosh. I ATE this book up. I have a headache from looking at my Kindle for 5 hours straight but honestly it was totally worth it to finish it today. I ADORE both Elsie and Ginny, and their journey from best friends to lovers. Their chemistry was undeniable, and GOSH the longing was eating me alive, but thankfully I didn't wait too long 😉. The supporting characters were hilarious while also helping the plot move along. Also the third-act breakup was ACTUALLY believable, which I usually struggle with. All in all, I honestly recommend this book so so much. I feel like I already want to reread it, it just gave me so many feels!

This was the first real miss for me with any of Wilsner's novels, and it's partly due to friends-to-lovers being one of my least enjoyable tropes. My Best Friend's Honeymoon features a F/NB romance between lifelong best friends Ginny and Elsie, and the conflict revolves around miscommunication, which is another device that I don't enjoy. As usual, steamy sex scenes abound, and as usual, I flip through those pages as I'm a closed door kind of gal. In this book, it felt like exploring the changing dynamic between Ginny and Elsie would have been better served by less time spent in detailed sex scenes and more time spent in out-of-bed interactions. Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for a digital review copy.

Ginny and Elsie have been best friends forever. Once Ginny asked Elsie out, but got rebuffed and it’s totally fine, all good, their friendship is the most important thing to both of them. Wilsner uses some flashback scenes from both Ginny and Elsie’s perspective to give us more of a feel for the nature and long-duration of their friendship. There are decades to cover, but they choose vignettes carefully to ensure that we get just what we need when we need it.

When Elsie’s fiancee, Derrick, decides to “help” by completely planning their wedding for NEXT week, without any input from her, that relationship is ushered to a quick resolution. But he says that Elsie should go on the honeymoon to an all inclusive resort in Santa Lupita. So she does, and brings Ginny. Their relationship changes significantly while they are there.

To say that Elsie and Ginny are both stuck might be an understatement. Ginny is stuck in a cube farm doing graphic design, decidedly not her passion, while Elsie is fulfilling everyone’s expectation that she will work in her parent’s hardware store, quietly, without applying her business degree to the business. There is also a lot going on in their relationship under the surface which they are both studiously avoiding.

I tend to really enjoy Meryl Wilsner’s books, so I jumped at the chance to get this on NetGalley. One of the things I love most about their writing is the character development and I really did enjoy getting to know Ginny and Elsie. They are both thoroughly likeable characters and Wilsner gives them both strong character arcs and growth experiences in this book. Each of them spend quite a lot of time in their own heads, which sometimes felt a little repetitive and frankly their thoughts occasionally read as sometimes irrational, but my brain spirals so I appreciate that is very human. For spice level, it’s worth noting that they also spend nearly the middle third of this book in bed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Elsie and Ginny were both totally adorable. And there were numerous—like, so many—very steamy sex scenes. But the plot/drama was just not really there for me! These characters start out in love with each other, realize the love is reciprocated, and then have the most minor disagreement ever imaginable to separate them for like 2 weeks. The only obstacle to their ultimate happiness together seems to be, for all intents and purposes, that they're a little young and their self-confidence is slightly underdeveloped. It's not really an obstacle at all! I'm just going to say it: the character growth for these 2 is just so minor and minuscule compared to whatever is going on with DERRICK. What HAPPENS to Derrick over this month?! Holy cow, dude, let's see a love story for Derrick and Cash or whoever! They deserve it!

So I have finally finished this book. I took a break because I got bored and then I got distracted. But I picked it up last night and couldn’t put it down until the end. There are two reasons why I put it down in the first place.

1. I really struggle with reading books that are in the third person. The first person makes it much easier for me to tell how people are feeling and to get emotionally connected to the story.
2. Both of the characters are incredibly passive, but from what I know that is also incredibly Minnesotan.

I honestly don’t get the hate. It’s like people don’t know that romance books are built on obtuse characters. Is it only OK when there’s a man who is emotionally stunted? Not to mention that this dynamic to me makes perfect sense.

You grew up in a small town and you’re bullied during childhood; so much so, that have to move because you told your friends that you had a crush on a girl. Then your best friend who you’ve had a crush on throughout childhood asks you out to dance, but given that they are the best thing in your life and you ate terrified to lose your friendship, you say no. People are holding this against them as if this doesn’t happen to people in high school.

And finally, even as an adult, it is obvious that this girl grew up in a large family where she was overlooked. You can tell how she felt, so it is bizarre to me that people are holding onto this so tightly when there is obvious character growth. This book has some of the clearest character growth and some of the healthiest encouragement for growth that I have seen, even compared to real life relationships.

I will say I don’t know if or what people said about the intimacy, but I also find that highly realistic. If two people are incredibly close and have liked each other while believing their feelings were unrequited for over a decade, then of course they are going to be freaky as fuck as soon as they’re able to be with each other. It’s also one of the best and maybe most realistic sexual dynamics that I have read in a queer book since the Wattpad days. I get that people have sex differently, but once again I do think that there is less tolerance for types of sexual expression that folks aren’t used to. Which is truly a shame. Because they’re missing out.

So ultimately, I really enjoyed this book. And I don’t think there should be as much hate for it as there is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

Overall, this was a cute queer/lgbtqia+ book. I do agree with some of the other reviews that said this book went too fast at some times. I definitely did not hate this book though. I also enjoyed the audiobook narrators and I found both of their voices to be quite pleasant. Definitely a cute read for the summer for sure!

𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 3/5 ⭐
𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5 🌶️

I loved the idea of this book and I loved Ginny's journey to finding what they really wanted out of life. 10/10 would recommend the Ginny chapters minus the pining for Elsie. Ginny deserves better...

I knew going into it that I'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope, but (𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒊-𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓) I would actually categorize it as more of an extreme overreaction to leads to the two main characters not talking for 40% of the book. I can live with a miscommunication if the characters keep me invested and alas, only Ginny kept me reading.

Overall, I feel like Elsie might benefit from going to therapy and talking through her feelings and conflicts with a professional rather than dialoguing in her head and deciding things are ok when she says they're ok. She was giving off toxic vibes and I wasn't a fan. Justice for Ginny!

But the few chapters of spice were SPICY and kinky, Wilsner did a great job writing Elsie's first experience being with someone with female reproductive parts. Especially the idea of seeing your best friend in that new light for the first time. It was really beautiful!

DNF this one, I really didn’t like this one at all. I really hate the miscommunication trope and everyone was just kind of in love with everyone in this book, it was a bit exhausting to work through this one

Meryl Wilsner is one of my favorite writers of sexy Queer Romances, and this one definitely fits that category. Elsie and Ginny have been best friends since childhood, and Ginny has pined for Elsie for years and years. Elsie once turned them down when she was worried that starting something together would hurt their friendship. Fast forward to the both of them being in their twenties, and Elsie on the verge of marriage to a man, While he’s kind and loving, Elsie realizes that she doesn’t want to marry him. When he encourages her to go on their honeymoon with Ginny, Elsie does. My only criticism of this book is that Elsie goes from not ever speaking her mind and saying what she actually wants to very quickly hopping into bed with Ginny. I’m happy for Ginny to get what they have always wanted, but I just don’t see where Elsie’s feelings suddenly came from. There is lots of steamy sex at a lovely resort, so this is definitely the stuff of vacation Romance. If you’re looking for something hot and fun, this book might be for you.

Every book Meryl Wilsner writes is better than their last, and My Best Friend's Honeymoon is such a sweet and spicy sapphic love story between two lifelong best friends who have always loved each other in every way possible and finally let themselves fall in love.

When Elsie's fiancé decides they've been engaged long enough and unilaterally plans their wedding—only one week in advance!—she realizes that she's been putting everyone else's desires ahead of her own and she needs to end her relationship. The all-inclusive honeymoon in the Caribbean her fiancé had booked for them is non-refundable, and he's too sad to go, so he tells Elsie to bring her best friend, Ginny, along with her.

Ginny has loved Elsie for as long as they can remember, but since they asked Elsie to the high school dance and Elsie rejected them, they have always prioritized their friendship and put their feelings to the side. When Elsie asks Ginny to go with her on her honeymoon, Ginny is committed to making sure that Elsie puts what she wants first for once. In the romantic resort environment, Elsie realizes that what she wants most of all is to be with Ginny.

This novel is a beautifully queer friends-to-lovers love story, with supportive given and chosen family, career growth, and deep, committed love. I loved both Elsie and Ginny and their rich friendship, as well as their chemistry and the many, many spicy scenes. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves women and loves love! My only qualm is that the MCs were way too young (23 years old!) and I wish they had been a bit older given their stage in life.

Overall, this was a great read and I am so glad to have been able to read this one early. Thank you to Griffin and Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.25 stars