The charming premise drew me to this book and it definitely delivered. A canceled wedding, a luxurious honeymoon, and two best friends navigating unexpected feelings. Wilsner's signature wit and honest dialogue kept the chemistry believable and the relationship engaging. My only drawback was the miscommunication did not feel significant enough to cause the severity of relationship fall out. Otherwise, I appreciated the gender diversity and queer representation.

The narrators were incredible and really brought the characters to life! I found them engaging and natural.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

Meryl Wilsner’s My Best Friend’s Honeymoon shines even brighter in its audiobook format, with narrators Blair Baker and Emily Shaw adding a rich, emotional texture to an already sun-drenched, spice-laden sapphic escape. Their performances elevate the story’s simmering tension and playful beats, making this a truly immersive listen. From the very first chapter, Baker and Shaw breathe life into Elsie and Ginny’s dynamic—capturing years of friendship, unspoken desire, and emotional longing with nuance and charm. Each voice is distinct yet complementary, helping to deepen the emotional resonance in ways the text alone didn’t always achieve.

The premise still hooks like a charm: a canceled wedding, a tropical honeymoon up for grabs, and a challenge to ask for what you really want—cue the slow burn and emotional combustion. As the characters dance around their feelings amidst turquoise waters and island breezes, the narration makes the Caribbean setting feel vivid and alive. You can practically hear the rustle of palm fronds and the crash of waves in the background of every conversation.

What stands out most in audio is how well the narration underscores Elsie’s quiet growth and Ginny’s vulnerability. Shaw’s portrayal of Ginny as both confident and tentative is particularly affecting, while Baker gives Elsie the kind of soft strength that makes her journey feel earned. Their chemistry feels tangible through tone and pacing, amplifying even the quietest moments of intimacy or hesitation.

That said, the story still stumbles a bit in its emotional pacing. The miscommunications linger longer than necessary, and the third-act breakup—though grounded in years of emotional backlog—still feels more frustrating than cathartic. I found myself wanting more honest dialogue sooner, especially given how powerful some of their quieter moments were when the narrators let those feelings breathe.

Still, as an audiobook, My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a highly enjoyable, spicy sapphic romcom with heart. Baker and Shaw’s narration makes it easy to get swept up in the tension, the heat, and the charm of it all. If you’re in the mood for tropes like “there’s only one bed,” “friends to lovers,” and “just ask for it,” this is an easy pick for your next audio escape. A solid vacation read that’s even better when listened to.

***4.5 Stars***

Overall,
This is the third book I have read from this author and it hits every single time. This is a spicy sapphic romance, best friends to lovers fantastic book. I have found that it can be difficult for authors to really give a good sense arc sometimes when the characters have none each other for years. That is not the case in this book. The pineing is fantastic! The spicy scenes were steamy. The only reason im not giving it 5 stars is that I wanted a little more for/from Jenny. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good steamy queer romance story.

I listened to an Audio Arc of this book. The narrator did a great job.

***I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my free and honest review***

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

3.5 stars rounded up - this book really delivered what I was looking for; a fun queer romance with some really good spice and characters that I cared about! It did feel like there was more focus on their physical connection with less depth created for their romantic one which I didn't mind too much but is worth noting. Also, the pacing of this book felt a little off. When our first spicy scene started, I quite literally thought they were going to wake up from a dream but nope, we were just jumping into it without much warning!

And OMG can we PLEASE get rid of the 3rd act miscommunication trope?! I never like this trope, but the "conflict" within this one felt a little forced.

TLDR; if you want something queer and hot without having to focus too much on the rest of it? Pick this one up :)

Wow, this book was a rollercoaster, in the best way. The f/nb, pan, sapphic rep in this one everything I hoped for however the spice exceeded expectations and I gotta say I didn’t hate it. Lol. Another thing I didn’t hate was our third act breakup, admittedly this trope often makes me anxious cause I’m impatient and just want them to be together lmao, but Meryl does it so subtly in all the right ways where we really start to root for them independently, just as friends, but *hopefully* as a couple. Again, this one is packed with spice but I think the story of Ginny and Elsie weaves well throughout making it feel fast paced but full of heart. I hope it’s added to your TBR cause it’s going to be the perfect addition to heat up your summer reading list.

3.5 rounded up.

Fast-paced, sexy, and fun! The pacing was a bit weird because we got a lot of plot and character development, a long period of basically only sex, and then more plot and character arcs being wrapped up. But I enjoyed both characters and was rooting for them!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a 3.5 rounded down. I really wanted to love it. I was confused about why Elsie would ever be with Derek in the first place. Even though Elsie did the dumping, she was surprisingly okay afterward. Also, there wasn’t enough to keep Elsie and Ginny apart once they started catching feelings for each other. The third act break up felt like of thrown together. I did like the body positivity, queer joy, and humor throughout the book. I will definitely read what Wilsner writes next even though this one didn’t quite hit for me.

Wilsner did it again. I love this book and this is the first time I heard an audiobook of their book. I was hooked. The voices were perfect for the characters. I really think Ginny was speak in my head!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC via NetGalley! These are my honest thoughts.

This was a quick, spicy read between two best friends. Ginny is queer and has always known it. Elsie is... confused? She's pan, but she's only ever been with her fiancé, and when he takes it a step too far by planning a surprise wedding for Elsie and sending out invitations for one week from the day, Elsie finally breaks. Selfishly, Ginny is SO happy, because they have been in love with Elsie since they were nothing more than pre-teens. When Elsie asks Ginny to go on the honeymoon with her, Ginny immediately agrees. And they help Elsie learn to ask for what she wants. It's horny. It's spicy. It's very inclusive and informative about the LGBTQIAP+ community.

It was just a little *too* much for me? If all you're wanting is a smutty little sapphic romance, read this one vacation and it will be so easy to get through.

The audio was... decent. Not my favorite. Not terrible. I got through it with ease, I was just... very distracted.

This is my first from Meryl Wilsner, and this review and book leads me to maybe pick up a book of theirs in the future... just not, with a dying need to read it. 3 stars.

what fun, spicy, tender, sweet romance 🥹 this audiobook was perfect to read this story! the narration and production let me fall right into this romantic story 🥰

Ginny and Elsie are the most adorable, dedicated, horny for each other friends to lovers!!! they have so much history, interweaving their scars and dreams. watching them overcome years of pent up fears and longings to finally fall into what makes them happy was so beautiful to read. the yearning and the friendship make this such a romantic story, as well as the beautiful tropic setting of their finally getting together, then that of real life where they can finally start their lives together as the horniest love bugs 🥰🫶

just a beautiful, romantic, tender love story. thank you for the ALC!!!

I did not like this book at all. I have read other lesbian romances, but this one was way over the top. The premise didn't really make sense to me. The pronoun usage of "they" made it very confusing to know if the author was meaning one of the characters or multiple characters. I just hated it.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon may now be my new favorite Meryl Wilsner book. It's such a heartfelt and horny best friends-to-lovers romance. I loved every moment, and I think the pacing was so perfect. There wasn't a single minute where I was bored or wished it was moving a little faster. The only time I wished something had been a little different was when Ginny and Elsie finally get together - it did feel a little too soon. I wish it had been a little more drawn out, but it still worked out well - it just comes down to personal preference.

I loved that Ginny is a nonbinary person who uses they/she pronouns. I thought the discussions around their identity were perfect. I especially love the scene where they are greeted as "ladies," and Elsie comes to their defense.

The spice was also phenomenal. It's something that Meryl Wilsner always does well, but it was especially phenomenal in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for my ALC.

80% sex, 20% two adults who call themselves best friends but are unable to have a conversation. I would have DNFed if not for my current participation in a read-a-thon (shoutout to my fellow lions) and my commitment to finishing my arcs.

As a big fan of Mistakes Were Made, I was excited for the author’s newest release. Unfortunately, it was a massive let down. The main characters live in their heads and cannot speak to each other to save their own lives (or relationship). I was never shown that the characters had chemistry or belonged together. I was just told that they were both into each other and that was supposed to be enough to convince me to ship them. The main conflict was miscommunication that was blown out of proportion and was simply not believable. Reminded me a lot of the episode of New Girl where Cece and Jess just need to punch each other (S4 E10).

The best part of this book was when these two took a break from each other and were not codependent. I do not think they should have ended up together, and I am not convinced that their relationship will last.

I am thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I do not think I will request from this author going forward.

Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)

This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. The premise had potential, but the execution felt messy, and I kept feeling like something was missing. The characters and their relationship development didn’t feel fully fleshed out, making it hard to connect with them. The story had some cute moments, but overall, it lacked the depth and cohesion I was hoping for. If you love friends-to-lovers romances, you might enjoy it more than I did, but personally, it didn’t work for me.

Agh! I want to like this one because I love the author and liked the book… but the narrator doing the male voice like that jus killed the vibe for me 😅 with all due respect

ALC Review: My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
Pub Date: April 29, 2025

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Meryl's books are always so horny and my god did this not disappoint in that realm! It's real horny, quite spicy, and definitely kinky. I loved seeing Elsie really explore her sexuality and realize so much more about herself through her relationship and experience with Ginny. I loved them both as characters but there was something about Ginny in particular that really got me - I think it was how well they understand Elsie and what she needs. There's something so intimate about knowing a friend that well - that platonic love (though of course here it was more) is so wonderful to see reflected in a book.

I don't always love friends to lovers for a variety of reasons but I do think it worked pretty well here and the ending especially worked for me since they took time to themselves to really grow and figure out what they both wanted. They both really do the work to figure themselves out before committing to a relationship

This is a super short audio and I enjoyed the narration by Blair Baker and Emily Shaw - I never had a hard time distinguishing which character's POV I was in due to their narration.

Meryl Wilsner has created such a sweet and fun besties to lovers romance in My Best Friend's Honeymoon.

Wilsner captures all the history between these two, and I was plugging for them from the start. (Though I did feel a little bad for Elsie's fiancé.)

I also enjoyed the scenes from the Twin Cities! I went to college there, so hearing about landmarks and the folks there is always fun for me.

The audio version of My Best Friend's Honeymoon is nicely performed by Blair Baker; Emily Shaw.

The narrators captured Elsie and Ginny's voices completely and breathed life into this fun romp!
I can best characterize My Best Friend's Honeymoon as FUN. It's not groundbreaking. It's not the Next Great American Novel. BUT, it is a joyful romp through the figuring out your identity in-and-outside of relationships. And a book like that doesn't need to be anything pretentious. Meryl Wilsner explores LGBTQIA+ identity with the care and joy and sass that can only come from an "elder" of the community.
As a sapphic in a sapphic-presenting relationship, this book ticked boxes and tickled me in all the right ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Meryl Wilsner book and I thought it was good, but that it could have been better.

I was left wanting more from Ginny and Elsie’s relationship. The lust was definitely there no doubt about that - with a lot of spice to go with it. I wanted more romance between the two. I wanted to see why they loved each other and not just “you’re my best friend I love you now let’s bang.”

I think this had so much potential, but just fell flat for me. I would consider reading more of their work in the future since my friend’s speak so highly of their other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio 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!!