This week saw the release of Meryl Wilsner‘s fourth novel, My Best Friend’s Honeymoon. When Elsie ends her engagement to Derrick, he encourages her to go on the the non-refundable honeymoon to Santa Lupita that he’d booked. Elsie takes her best friend, Ginny, who makes her promise to speak up for what she wants the whole trip. This leads to the two of them hooking up… and considering finally dating after all these years as just friends.

Why I Chose This Book:
I enjoyed Meryl Wilsner’s first book, Something to Talk About, and have been wanting to read more from them. My Best Friend’s Wedding looked like it would be cute, and I also liked that this one features a nonbinary person as one of the two main characters.

The way everything plays out was not quite what I expected, though…

What I Liked:
- Nonbinary representation. Ginny mainly uses they/them pronouns and I really liked their character overall. I enjoyed seeing how they navigate situations when gender assumptions are made vs. how Elsie reacts. Elsie always stands up for her best friend!
- Pansexual representation. Elsie often jokes about being the silent ‘P’ in ‘LGBTQ.’ Though she’s only had relationships with men, largely due to some homophobic bullying she experienced in school, she’s long had a crush on Ginny.
- Flashbacks to earlier times in their relationship. Every so often, we get looks at events in Ginny and Elsie’s adolescence that shaped them and prevented them from pursuing a romantic relationship earlier. They were randomly placed and infrequent, but helped build up a bit more of their relationship.
- Learning to speak up for yourself. Elsie needs to learn how to have an opinion and actually state it. Her character was hard to like sometimes, but I did appreciate the lessons in learning to have a voice and use it. Ginny, too, learns a thing or two about following their own dreams. Good on them!

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Too much sex. I’m used to reading spicy romances, but here it actually started to feel gratuitous. Multiple consecutive chapters were basically just them having sex. For me, this was unfortunately to the detriment of building up the emotional connection between the characters. They’ve been in love with each other for years, but the readers don’t get to see that bond so much. It felt like the sex *was* the connection, but I need more for the relationship to feel believable.
- The breakup seemed like an extreme overreaction? Other characters call Elsie out for it, but still. It seemed forced.
- Not enough Santa Lupita. When I see a Caribbean honeymoon, I want to get to know the island! I want to see them doing fun activities there! Who ignores an entire tropical location to just have sex? Not me!
- Poor Derrick! I hope he finds his happily every after someday. He’s nice and wants to be better, and I support him in that.

Audiobook:
Blair Baker and Emily Shaw narrate as Ginny and Elsie. Both do a wonderful job in their own right… but to be honest, their voices sound similar enough that I had a hard time telling who was who. I wish the voice actors chosen would have had more distinct timbres or speaking styles.

Final Thoughts
While there was a lot I liked about My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, I felt like it needed a lot of work to make it fully enjoyable. The overdone spice and forced third-act breakup just didn’t work for me. It was cute but not my favorite. Still, I would like to try out more of Meryl Wilsner’s books in the future.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon

WOW this is a spicy friend's to lovers meets pringles journey - once they pop, the fun don't stop. I don't usually describe a book as horny but this one certainly was.

Two platonic best friend's go on Elsie's honeymoon when she calls off the wedding right before. When Elsie learns she can have anything she wants as long as she asks for it, Elsie starts asking for whatever Ginny is willing to give her. They happily oblige, having been in love with Elsie for most of their lives. The week in paradise takes a spicy turn, only for reality to hit when they return home.

While I don't love a third act breakup, I do think it was important for Elsie and Ginny to spend that time apart and define themselves outside of their relationship with each other. It worked well in this story, and I was happy to see the growth each character went through.

In general, I wanted a bit more from this book. I felt like too much of their stumbles fell to miscommunication, and I just wanted them to TALK to each other and be honest. It was hard to root for them as a couple when the extent of their relationship felt like just the physical aspect. Their bonds were formed as friends, off page, so it was hard to be bought into them.

The audio was HEATED, but the dual narrators kept it easy to follow along between the two characters. It made me blush to listen to, but brought the two characters thoughts to life.

Check this one out if you're looking for:
A SPICY friend's to lovers ride
Lots of typical honeymoon activities despite the lack of a wedding LOL
Third act breakup
Nonbinary main character
Queer romance

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for the ALC! My opinions are my own.

HOW was this my first Meryl Wilsner book? I have no idea how I missed this author, because they are everything I have been looking for.

The chemistry between Ginny and Elsie was perfect in this book, I loved watching them stumble between best friends to romantic partners. I think what made this romance stand out from others I have read this year was the authenticity shining through as these people found themselves. Friends to lovers is a favourite trope of mine, but this one felt so real because the genuine fear of losing the friendship and the willingness to put the romance aside because you love someone that much was right there. What an amazing book, this author is an instant recommend by me from now on.

I think this also captured friendship dynamics really well, especially for young people today. I just loved how they took time apart (SO REAL) and figured themselves out before figuring out what they needed. Normally this is framed as just a third act break up, but this wasn't as negative because it really captured the growth journey in my opinion.

One of the best books I'll read this year, and there are 8 months left. Total standout.

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

loved this LGBTQ cozy friends to lovers romance. the personal growth our two main characters experience broke my heart just to put it back together.

This was a light and charming read, but I found myself wishing for more emotional substance in the relationship. The title is spot-on—one of the protagonists breaks off their engagement and ends up getting involved with their best friend. Once they arrive at the resort, the story quickly turns into a string of intimate moments without much exploration of their feelings or where they stand emotionally. That part dragged a bit for me, as I was hoping for deeper conversations and growth between them. The emotional payoff doesn't come until everything unravels. Still, I really liked the queer representation and the bond between the two leads was sweet. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy!

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press (St. Martin’s Griffin) and Macmillan Audio!

When Elsie calls off her wedding, she invites her best friend Ginny to go on her non-refundable honeymoon with her.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a stand-alone, contemporary romance. It does contain open-door content.

What I love the most about this book is the balance of romance and personal growth. While the MCs have a fun time on their getaway, they don’t try to dive head first into a relationship. Elsie is obviously just getting out of a long-term relationship and Ginny is trying to start a business. Priorities are all over the place and it was nice to see them take a step back to evaluate in order to not risk hurting one another. There may have been a little self-sabotage but they figured it out.

The audiobook is done as a dual narration with Blair Bake and Emily Shaw. They really bring out the sass in the banter and you can hear the angst.

This is the first book that I have read from author Meryl Wilsner but I look forward to reading much more of their work in the future.

Ginny is the blueprint. This story was so human, I got swept away and fell over and over again. Thank you for the ARC!!!

A woman who's never learned to say what she wants goes on what was supposed to be her surprise honeymoon with her best friend.
When Elsie's fiancé plans their entire wedding without consulting her, she realizes the reason she's been putting it off is because she doesn't actually want to get married. It's the push she needs to finally break things off. The honeymoon was already booked and paid for, though, so she invites the one person she can't imagine spending a week without: her best friend Ginny. Elsie might have a hard time admitting what she wants, but Ginny can't say no to Elsie. When Ginny tells Elsie she can have whatever she wants on this trip as long as she asks for it, Elsie realizes that what she wants is... Ginny. But can several perfect, sex-filled days of vacation lead to a lasting relationship in the real world?

I loved the steamy, friends to lovers storyline. The third act relationship drama was WAY overblown in my opinion, but I really enjoyed the rest of it. Overall, an incredibly sweet and steamy romance.

The audiobook narration, performance, and production quality were wonderful and really added to the quality of the story.

In regards to the book itself, the characters were all very lovable and the story was well written and had wonderful nonbinary representation. I thought the story was very cute and that the character development was well done. This book definitely isn’t for everyone but I enjoyed it though I understand how others may have been bothered by the communication issues in the story. In my experience it felt very realistic and it did not take away from the story in any way.

Some of the conflict felt a little forced at times and as much as I liked the relationship between the two main characters, I was not really invested in their relationship and wasn’t rooting for them as much as I would like for a romance. I think this in part is because at least for me their chemistry felt more told than shown. Additionally Elsie's character was a huge push over which made it less of a fun read but her character arc was good. Also, it was by far the most graphic of all of Meryl Wilsner's books and at times it was a little bit much but it was well written.

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

I loved the concept of the book but I didn't enjoy the results. There should have been more of the relationship building and a lot less sex. There is nothing wrong with hooking up but when there is so much turmoil in the relationship there should have been more discussion about the intimacy of their relationship in a nonsexual way. There wasn't a lot of character building and the first 50 % was hooking up. I almost quit but I pushed on and the second half of the book was much better for character development.

Ginny and their best friend Elsie find themselves on Elsie's honeymoon after calling it off with her fiancé but Elsie doesn't know Ginny has been in love with her since they were kids. Ginny thinks it’s time Elise learned how to speak up for herself. Over the vacation Elsie is suppose to get whatever she wants and to Ginny's surprise that includes them. Now they have to figure out how their relationship will work and what comes after the honeymoon.

I listened to the audiobook and LOVED this book! This is my first book by Meryl Wilsner and it won’t be my last!

Best friends Ginny(They/them) and Elsie (She/her) have been inseparable since Elsie moved next door to Ginny after facing bullying at her previous school due to being pansexual. The only issue is that Ginny has been in love with Elsie for years since high school while Elsie is engaged to her college boyfriend.

Ginny will do anything for Elsie, so when Elsie breaks off her engagement to her boyfriend to figure out what she actually wants, Ginny quits her job to go on Elsie’s nonrefundable honeymoon to support Elsie. However, things take an unexpected twist and the sad honeymoon turns into some of the best sex Elsie has ever had! Will Ginny’s friendship with Elsie ever be the same?
This is an open door romance. Yes, there are pages and pages of “smut” scenes, but if you finally realize you might be in love with your best friend of decades and they are already in love with you, I’m not surprised. I’d go crazy too! Also, as it’s Elsie’s first experience with a woman, clearly she has a lot to explore.

There is a third act “Break up” (which if they aren’t even together yet, is it really a break up?). I feel that in this case, the third act breakup fits because both Elsie and Ginny need time to figure out what they each need. I connected a lot with both of these characters because Ginny reminds me a lot of my own girlfriend and myself in that they are so kind and caring for Elsie. However, when does the act of caring go too far and one loses themselves in the process and what they need and want? Same with Elsie, she is used to being ignored and not taken serious by her family for her ideas for the family owned hardware store despite having gone to school for business. I appreciated that both take a break from their friendship and situationship to focus on themselves and what they need and want.

As a lesbian myself, the conflict isn’t just that they “broke up” but the confusion of knowing if someone is just better off as your friend or as more. Also, the fear is very real of messing up a good friendship just because you might have a crush on someone. I experienced this myself. This scenario is so real for many lesbians.

Body image is another conflict as Ginny sees themself as being “fat” and “big boned” due to their family genetics, while Elsie is the beautiful, skinny blond. This lowers Ginny’s self esteem as they don’t think Elsie would even be with them because they aren’t attracted to them. I love that this story goes to show that all different body types are beautiful in their own way and just because someone doesn’t have the stereotypical body that the male gaze defines as “beautiful” doesn’t mean that they aren’t beautiful. To Elsie, Ginny is beautiful and she is very much attracted to them physically and because of that emotional connection.

I highly recommend this book because it is such a raw and relatable story for so many fellow queers. Beautifully written!

Thank you Netgalley and Meryl Wilsner for my audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
Pub Date: 4/29/25
Format: audio
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Meryl Wilsner book and I was excited to jump in because I have heard such great things about Mistakes Were Made which has been on my tbr forever! Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me.

Riddled with miscommunication tropes and a really frustrating third act breakup, I never quite felt connected to either characters or their struggles. I wanted to root for them, but their behavior with each other felt very emotionally stilted. They’re supposed to be best friends and I didn’t really feel their friendship was even strongly portrayed.

It does have its good moments and a lot of great representation, but unfortunately this one was not for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book and audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: F/NB romance, friends to lovers, spicy 🔥

I liked this. I wanted a bit more substance. There was so much sex that it lacked the relationship building I was hoping for. It pretty much just banked on how built their friendship was. I enjoyed it.

While I didn't hate this book, I didn't love it. I would almost call it erotica instead of romance. There is SO-MUCH-SEX and not much romance! And when I say sex, I mean pretty much anything goes...on the table, or the bed, or the counter top...you get the picture. The book centers around the "honeymoon/vacation", after Elsie (bi) dumps her male fiance and takes Ginny (lesbian), her childhood friend on the trip instead. Of course, we get a change of venue and a change of feelings. If you enjoy a lot (I mean a LOT) of steam and not much substance, you'll enjoy this one.

I read and loved Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute last year. So when I saw they were releasing a childhood friends-to-lovers (my favorite trope!) with a nonbinary main character, I was so excited! At the beginning of the book, I LOVED it! Ginny and Elsie have been best friends since elementary school, but Elsie doesn’t know that Ginny has been in love with her the whole time. Ginny’s experience of longing for Elsie in high school was so well written, it made my stomach hurt!

Elsie is about to be married, after a proposal that she did not want and her fiancé planning a wedding that she VERY MUCH did not want. Elsie will stand up for everyone but herself, she won’t ask for what SHE wants. Elsie finally takes the first step to getting a life that she actually wants, and she breaks off the engagement. The honeymoon is non-refundable, so it makes sense that Elsie asks Ginny to go with her instead.

The book up to this point was great! But then I felt like it skipped ahead without actually skipping ahead. I wanted all of the in-between from friends to lovers. At the resort, Elsie and Ginny didn’t waste much time before hooking up the first time (and this book is SPICY!). I wanted build up, subtle flirting to see how the other reacts, discussion about feelings, and worry about losing their friendship if it doesn’t work out. Their friendship felt too important to risk it like that without talking about it.

The audiobook is narrated by Blair Baler and Emily Shaw. I thought both narrators did an excellent job, and their voices were distinct for the characters. The audio was well produced and engaging. Overall, I liked the book but it left me wanting more.

Thank you to Meryl Wilsner, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted ALC; all opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
💕 F/NB romance
💕 Childhood friends to lovers
💕 Vacation romance
💕 Lots of spice

2.75⭐, 3.25🌶️

Mmmmm... this book had a lot going for it at first but by the mid-way point I was ready for the book to be over, then the third act breakup occurred, made me sooooo angry, and then thankfully it was done. My biggest issue with this book was while it was friends to lovers, I really felt like the whole relationship was ALL about Elsie and it drove. me. crazy. Ginny was a simp and that felt like their own personality trait, other than liking to do wood working, and I just ended up resenting Elsie for it. The Honeymon vacation was just s-eggs scene after scene and it just felt excessive. There was no "relationship" formed, just friends with benefits, then they come home and the couple unneccesarily breaks up.

Overall, this book made me angry. I didnt realize til I was done that this is the same author as one iof my fave LGBTQIA+ romances, Mistakes Were Made, so Im gonna just keep loving that and pretend like this book doesnt exist so I dont keep having negative thoughts.

🩷Friends to Lovers
💛Secret Pining
🌴Tropical Vacation
💛Pansexual & Non-Binary

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
*Release Date: 4/29/2025*

I enjoyed this book immensely. It had just the right amount of spice and the narrator was perfectly suited to the material

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

DNF at 65%. I had a hard time connecting to the story and to the characters and their supposed connection to each other, There was a lot of smut but no romance which is not something that I'm into. Also the third act break up was silly and contrived.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I have been meaning to read Meryl Wilsner's work for a long time, and this seemed like the perfect audiobook to jump in with. Elise breaks up with her fiancé because he planned an entire wedding and honeymoon for her without her knowledge or consent. So she takes her best friend Ginny along to the all-inclusive resort.

The story moves incredibly quickly. I did appreciate that Elise and Ginny were long time friends. That friends-to-lovers trope made it somewhat less instalove. But as a reader, the switch from friends to lovers seemed fairly abrupt. And much of the book focused on their chemistry and steamy scenes.

As a result, my favorite aspects of the book were the later scenes away from the resort. I especially appreciated Ginny's character arc.

I appreciated the two narrators: Blair Baker and Emily Shaw. The book was fast paced and short at under 8 hours.

Rounded up to 4 stars

The audio of this with the dual narrators is very well done and such an easy, enjoyable listen, I highly recommend consuming this book in audio if you pick it up. I appreciated having this copy to read alongside the e-arc.

I’m a big fan of Meryl Wilsner and love their unique writing style, especially how they explore gender identity within their romances. This newest addition to their oeuvre fits well alongside their other works, this time pairing two best friends, Elsie and Ginny, who have each been pining for the other for years. They finally get the chance to redefine what their relationship could be—if they’re willing to face their fears and be completely honest about their feelings.

The premise was fun! Elsie has just broken off her engagement and takes Ginny with her on what would have been her honeymoon. Their friendship quickly turns physical—and it was HOT. Wilsner really turns up the heat in this one. In fact, it was almost jarring how quickly they moved from friendship to physical intimacy, with little lead-up or discussion of feelings. As a reader, you can immediately sense the potential pitfalls. The main conflict, which is clearly foreshadowed early on, ends up being exactly what drives them apart, and I found myself frustrated by the lack of communication between two characters who have supposedly been best friends their entire lives. How could they not be honest about their feelings? How could this one event be what drove them apart?

And the way Elsie ultimately treats Ginny felt nearly unforgivable to me. Ginny was so deeply in love, and my heart broke for her—especially after she was finally brave enough to risk it all.

Ultimately, this is my least favorite Wilsner novel, which honestly pains me to say. It has excellent queer representation and strong spice, but the friends-to-lovers arc just didn’t come together in a believable way for me.