Meryl Wilsner is a master at longing in queer romance. This is my third novel by them, and I have eaten each one up. I loved the friends to lovers trope in this novel - I sometimes feel like it's too forced or too boring, but Meryl knows exactly where to focus their points. The only thing I wish this had more of was intimacy that isn't just hooking up.

Not for me personally, I liked the characters and the concept, but felt like the way the plot was written ended up being very toxic and that the two FMC were not very compatible outside of the bedroom. In the end, it just felt like one character would have to bend or give up parts of themselves to make the relationship work. Narration was good.

If you are on the hunt for a queer, childhood best friends to lovers romance with SPICE - look no further! My Best Friend's Honeymoon was a cute and quick queer love story for the ages that I devoured in a day!
The story follows Elsie, a sweet femme engaged to her long-term fiance, until he decides to plan a surprise wedding without her knowledge. This gives her the opportunity to finally come to terms with the fact that she does not want to marry him, and she breaks it off with him, seeking solace in her childhood best friend, Ginny. Gin is a crafty and curvy nonbinary person who is and has always been utterly obsessed with Elsie. When Elsie's parting gift from her ex fiance is a romantic honeymoon getaway with one-bed, will their friendship finally turn into more?
This book surprised me in more ways than one. The pacing was quite different from the formula I am used to, which made it more interesting. It was also far smuttier than I was anticipating, but I was definitely not complaining (HOT)!!! However, I did feel that because the pacing was so unique, the end was a bit slow.
Overall, I recommend this to anyone looking for their next queer romance book.
4/5 stars

This was not for me. I was excited to give it a try as there are so few good sapphic stories but this one was a huge let down for me. I hated Elsie. I thought she was selfish and a terrible friend. Ginny, while more likeable was also terrible. They had no back bone and when they finally stood up to Elsie and said what they needed it was like the worst thing in the world. They both sucked and should have stayed separate.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon got put onto my TBR immediately after hearing about it back in June of 2024! Between this steamy cover and absolutely adoring Meryl Wilsner's Mistakes Were Made, I simply had to read their next release!

Let's start here:
The third-person perspective made it so hard to truly feel the romance and chemistry between Elsie and Ginny. This friends to lovers trope didn't help either, as I just didn't feel much buildup and pining between the two main characters. Elsie's feelings really needed to be processed more - her whole life changed in such a monumental way, and there just wasn't enough (any) conversation about it between herself and Ginny. I'm honestly still trying to decide if I liked Elsie or not, and both main characters often felt immature. At one point, I was shocked to realize just how much more I had left to read, making this book seem slightly too long overall. The two audiobook narrators sounded so similar to one another, which caused confusion at which POV each chapter was from. I truly disliked the voice used for Elsie's dialogue when either narrator was speaking.

And finish on a positive note:
I loved and adored the huge amount of representation!

Finally:
Although it wasn't one of my favourite reads, I enjoyed being whisked away to a tropical destination, and I'm still blushing over this cover!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a warm and charming contemporary romance about friendship turning into love. Wilsner delivers genuine chemistry, relatable emotions, and a satisfying slow burn. Though it leans on familiar tropes, the story feels fresh and heartfelt. Perfect for fans of sweet, heartfelt wedding-day romances.

4.5 stars

This was really cute and fun and steamy. I would definitely categorize it as New Adult and not adult.

My only wish is that this author would write characters that are older.

I also wanted this to have an epilogue, just because I feel like both characters did a lot of work on themselves after they got back from the honeymoon so I kind of wanted to see how that panned out in the future and what they ended up doing.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

Great narration!

Thank you to the publisher for an ALC and an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner 3/5 ⭐️

Book Description:
This book follows lifelong best friends Elsie and Ginny who decide to enjoy a non-refundable honeymoon in the Caribbean, as Elsie recently realized she was unfulfilled and ended things with her fiancé. For Elsie, this trip is the perfect opportunity to figure out what she wants, but what if what she really wants is Ginny?

Review:
I am a lover of all things sapphic and queer, so naturally, I decided to read this book. (I also really enjoyed Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner!)

Overall, this book is fast-paced and fun. It also has great summery vibes that would be perfect for the beach! I really appreciated the care and affection between Ginny and Elsie. They read as real, genuine friends. 🫶🏻

Admittedly, I felt a bit frustrated by the main conflict in the book and Elsie’s reaction. There was a bit too much miscommunication for my taste. However, I did appreciate that both characters grow and change by the end of the book.

I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys (extremely) spicy, sapphic romance.
🌈👙🤍✨

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.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
Well, the synopsis of this book sounded so good! Unfortunately, the story fell a little short for me. It seemed a little predictable and that there could have been more to it. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t wow me either.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon tells the story of Elsie, who is engaged to her college boyfriend, Derrick. When he surprises her with a wedding and a pre-planned honeymoon just a week away, Elsie has a moment of clarity—realizing she hasn’t been living authentically—and decides to call off the wedding. Left with a nonrefundable trip, she invites her best friend Ginny to join her instead.

What follows is a week-long tropical escape where old bonds are tested and deepened. Ginny, who has secretly been in love with Elsie for years, finally gets a chance to be close to her in a new, more vulnerable way. As the days pass, their friendship gradually blossoms into something more—ultimately turning into a passionate romance.

This isn’t the kind of book I typically gravitate toward, and to be honest, I’m still unsure how I feel about it. It was unlike anything I’ve read before. While I found the writing style strong and engaging, the story itself just didn’t quite align with my personal reading tastes.

I never thought I could dislike a Meryl Wilsner book but here we are. I did not believe any connection between our FMCs, even though they were supposed to be best friends their whole life? The beginning premise of holding out on making wedding plans as a way to (sub)consciously avoid the actual marriage?? You lost me there but there was no redemption. Our narrators did fine with what they were given.

Meryl's books are always a hit for me. I greatly enjoyed this friends-to-lovers story. The narrators did a phenomenal job!

This book didn't exactly follow the path of a traditional romance, with the conflict happening before the halfway point. Ginny and Elsie had to work on themselves in order to be the right romantic partner for each other, rather than everything magically being okay after their trip together. The chemistry between them, and the amount of love right from the start was so good. I loved their love.

And whew! Did Meryl ever turn up the heat with this book. It was face-melting hot. And so very queer. One of the things that I appreciated the most about this book was the queer community that Ginny immersed themselves in during the time apart from Elsie. That friend group was exactly what they needed.

This had so much going for it, especially a Minnesota setting, but, unfortunately, I didn't love this. While I appreciated the thoughtful portrait of tricky friendship dynamics and a well-drawn non-binary main character, the plotting, pacing, and character growth fell short for me. Many of the moments of personal growth and revelation felt sudden and unearned within the narrative. The stakes of the central conflict ultimately felt small and somewhat arbitrary. This had all the right ingredients, but it just didn't hit for me.

A tropical setting, a faux honeymoon, and a best-friends-to-lovers twist? Sign me up! Meryl Wilsner’s latest delivers on the escapist vibes, with sun-soaked romance and just enough emotional depth to keep things interesting.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the leads and the playful premise of one friend stepping in as the “honeymoon plus-one” after a called-off wedding. There were some truly cute and steamy moments that felt like pure rom-com gold.

That said, the pacing dragged in a few spots and some of the emotional beats didn’t land as hard as I’d hoped. I found myself wishing for a bit more character development and fewer drawn-out misunderstandings.

🎧 The audio was HEATED, but the dual narrators kept it easy to follow along between the two characters. It definitely made me blush at times, but it also brought the characters’ inner thoughts to life in such a vivid way.

Still, this was a fun, feel-good read with sapphic romance, beachside kisses, and a dose of heart. A great pick for fans of slow burns, vacation flings, and best-friend tension. 🌺💕

Read If You Like:
• Sapphic friends-to-lovers romances
• Tropical vacation settings with emotional depth
• Explorations of personal growth and self-discovery
• Stories featuring nonbinary protagonists
• Spicy Reads  

Elsie Hoffman has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half. Ginny Holtz has been in love with Elsie for almost a decade and a half. When Elsie discovers her fiancé already planned their wedding and honeymoon as a surprise and she’s expected to be in a white dress in seven days, she swiftly realizes she’s let herself become too comfortable with a future she never wanted. She breaks things off, and a week later is on a plane to the Caribbean for her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend Ginny instead.    

Ginny thinks it’s high time Elsie learned how to speak up for herself. So, they make a deal with her: for the next week, Elsie can have whatever she wants, wherever, however, and whenever she wants it, as long as she asks. They never expected Elsie to want them. What starts as choosing activities and taking selfies soon turns to toe-curling kisses and much, much more. But what happens when the honeymoon is over?  

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ALC and ARC!

[It was okay]

Overall, this book was just okay for me. It had fun parts to it but fell flat most of the time. However, the narration of this audiobook was really great and made me want to continue listening to it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Lots of spicy scenes in this book, and while I loved their friendship, I would have loved for us to get more about how their relationship would evolve as they went from best friends to a couple. I am glad that they were both able to take steps to accomplish some of their personal goals finally. Ginny was really passionate about their woodworking and fostering animals—two things which brought them so much joy. Elsie, on the other hand, had to work on being ok asking for what she wanted without giving in to things so easily just because she wanted to be accommodating to others. Narrator did a great job!

Thanks to Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

This is a hard book for me to review because my attitude towards it kept changing. I liked the beginning, the middle fell flat and the end had some redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the beginning where we learn about their friendship and their history together. Once they go on the honeymoon it started to fall apart for me. The honeymoon was sex scene after sex scene (and those scenes were 🫣). Personally I needed some more plot mixed in. While I hate a third act breakup I did enjoy them finding themselves as individuals. It was a nice change from the honeymoon portion. Ultimately it was a quick listen but not my favorite. I preferred her book Cleat Cute.

I just didn't like one of the lead characters at all and taht unfortunatley impacted my enjoyment of this book. it was all about their learning to figure themselves out, but it wasn't for me, her lack of awareness and how that hurt other people