I will read anything Meryl Wilsner writes! They could write me a cease and desist letter for this review and I’d swoon, because I love them and their books so much.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a Friends to Lovers, but with a lil miscommunication and a whole bunch of smut that will melt your heart and overheat the sheets. Cuz the sexy time is 🔥🥵🔥!

When Elsie’s boyfriend springs an entire planned wedding and honeymoon getaway only a week away… before she even hears a peep about it. It makes her realize that she isn’t ready at all. For any of it. He wants to get married and have kids… NOWWWWW!!! And she isn’t sure. Even before the invitations he sent out have been delivered, she has to break the news to her family and friends. The wedding is off… well it was on, but it’s not anymore. It never really was?

Ginny has been in love with their best friend as long as they have known her. They would do anything to be there for her. Even quit the job they hate to go on a fully booked and paid honeymoon to the Caribbean. They know that Elsie would be upset that they are doing so much for her, so they keep that part a secret. 🤫

But it’s on this non-refundable trip that their friendship takes a different turn. One with irreversible side effects and a whole lot of 💃🏻🛌💋!!!

In signature fashion, I immediately fell in love with their love. Honestly, from the start I was rooting for Ginny to get the girl! I felt like they were dealing with a horrible job, miserable life choices, and they just needed a break… maybe not a 3rd act break up, but they needed a leg up. Especially if it was 2 legs up… if you get what I’m saying! 😝

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the ALC from Macmillan Audio and I’m so incredibly thankful to them. Blair Baker and Emily Shaw made this the perfect summer romance. I lost myself in the book and forgot I was reading at times. It was almost like I was listening to a couple friends who were telling me their relationship stories. So freaking good!

4.5 ⭐️

This was a great audiobook production, but unfortunately I did not like this story. Both Ginny and Elsie were irredeemably insufferable. My breaking point was when Elsie wanted to cuddle Derek after returning from the trip with Ginny. That was outrageous, and the miscommunication was too much

Ever since picking up their first book, I've been a fan of Meryl Wilsner's writing. They balance lighthearted rom-com moments, hot and heavy romance scenes, and themes regarding queer identity very well. And while I still love Meryl Wilsner's writing style after finishing this novel, unfortunately, My Best Friend's Honeymoon just didn't do it for me. I liked the characters and the emotional arcs they went on. My problems mostly fell with the plot.

For one, this novel made me realize I'm not actually a big fan of childhood friends-to-lovers romances. I like when two characters form a friendship before falling in love. But often, with childhood friends-to-lovers stories, the audience doesn't get to see the main characters fall in love. Instead, we just are told that they already love each other from the start of the book. I really wanted to see more scenes of Elsie and Ginny falling in love, even if they were in flashback.

My other issue with this book was, as much as I loved the tropical, summer-y setting, the set up of this book had me feeling bad for the main character's ex. This book's premise is that our main character, Elsie, dumps her fiancée and goes on her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend. And weirdly enough, I think that this premise would have worked better if Elsie's ex was some cartoonish, over-the-top villain. Instead, he's just a really kind guy. When Elsie cashes in on the vacation you feel genuinely bad for him, or at least I did. It almost distracted me from the plot, as throughout the book I had a nagging reminder that some heartbroken fool is paying for this trip.

Overall, there was a lot I did like about this novel. As I stated, I really liked Meryl Wilsner's writing, particularly of their themes and characters. I just think there were some hiccups in developing the plot.

• when elsie calls off her wedding last minute after realizing she doesn’t love her fiancé, she takes her best friend ginny on what would have been her honeymoon. little does she know that ginny has been in love with elsie for years. when ginny suggests that the trip be about elsie using her voice to speak up & say what she wants, resort activities quickly turn to the two of them sleeping together. a lot. what happens when the honeymoon is over though?
• my main gripe with this book was how heavily it relied on the miscommunication trope. the reason it takes so long for ginny & elsie to get together is from not talking about their respective feelings for one another, but it drags to the point of frustration.
• the spicy scenes were fine, but their relationship stays in the “hooking up” space for so long, that the plot doesn’t progress much. it’s not really adding to the development of their romantic relationship, which made the HEA feel rushed at the end.

I liked this for what it was, which is basically two friends having lots of sex on what was supposed to be the honeymoon one of them. I’m also happy with the separation that occurred before the reconciliation. However, I just found this to be fairly repetitive and I wish I had more of the friendship prior to them adding in the benefits.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for the ARC for my honest review.

This review contains mild spoilers.

This book didn't do it for me. I have previously loved Meryl Wilsner's other books and felt their writing was strong and stories captivating. When reading the synopsis of this book I assumed I would devour it and love every second. I was disappointed.

I couldn't relate to the characters or their relationship with each other. If they were lifelong best friends why didn't Ginny feel as though they could at least tell Elise that she appeared unhappy in her current engagement?

Elise is a whole other story. Elise never stands up for herself and stayed in a relationship with someone who doesn't even care to get to know her (the engagement) entirely too long for a reason I still don't know.

For the smut lovers- there is a lot of it. I enjoy when smut is placed well in a story and helps build the characters and their relationship with each other, but this book feels like it should've been an island fantasy vacation erotica and just scrapped the "story." Almost as if it was a fantasy written out and not necessarily a novel if that makes any sense.

I think there is an audience that would appreciate and enjoy this book, but I am not it.

This book glowed. It gave me all the warm fuzzies, made my heart ache (in the best way), and left me genuinely emotional in the end. 🥹💕

Elsie is freshly single and suddenly on her would-have-been honeymoon with her best friend Ginny, who’s secretly been in love with her for years. What starts as a much-needed getaway turns into something softer, deeper, and beautifully messy. Ginny challenges Elsie to ask for what she really wants and watching Elsie step into that truth? Ugh. So good. 😭✨

What I really loved was the thoughtful, affirming representation of Ginny as a non-binary main character. Their dynamic with Elsie felt so palpable, tender, and full of respect. Wilsner balances romantic heat with emotional depth in a way that made the story feel like a warm hug, with a few toe-curling scenes to spice it up. 😉. You know steam isn't my thing, so I had to hit the jump ahead 30 seconds button quite a bit!

If you love:
• Friends-to-lovers arcs done right
• Queer joy and identity-affirming love
• Island romance with emotional growth
• Characters learning they deserve so much more than “fine”

Then you need this one in your beach bag (or just your heart) 💌

This was such a fun, fast-paced read!
It starts off with Elsie finding out her fiancé planned their whole wedding and honeymoon as a surprise, and she realizes she’s just not that into him.
So, she breaks it off and takes her best friend since childhood, Ginny, on the honeymoon instead since it’s nonrefundable. (Per the exes request so don’t think Elsie is a B here) Ginny has been in love with Elsie for too long so we already know it’s about to get spicy.
The spice is next-level, and I loved how we didn’t have to wait long for Elsie to finally take the leap. I’m talking some of the best sapphic scenes I’ve read.
Sadly, there is a third-act breakup fueled by miscommunication, which honestly, kind of felt so unnecessary at first but then panned out.
Elsie’s freakout was kind of over the top but Ginny handled it all so well, and stood their ground. I loved seeing their growth during that time apart.

This has all the best-friends-to-lovers vibes, lots of spice, and great representation.



Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ALC!

Ahem. I loved this book.

It did get a little bogged down in the post-vacation third-act conflict business, which wasn't my favorite part of the plot. But everything else here was the exact spicy, romantic, trope-y, queer fun that I was expecting from a Meryl Wilsner book. The audiobook was excellent -- no particular raves, but also no complaints! I was able to easily get lost in the story without distraction.

It made me desperately want to go stay in one of those little bungelows over the ocean with my partner and just get away from everything.

I still think I liked Cleat Cute the most out of the Wilsner books I've read, but they are now cemented as an auto-buy author for me! I will be singing the praises of this one on social media.

Love anything Meryl Wilsner writes, and this is no exception. One of my most anticipated 202 novels, this lived up to all my expectations, a perfect summer read, and even better as an audiobook. Highly recommend.

Did not finish. I’m sorry I just couldn’t connect to this story or the characters. It was cringy more than it wasn’t and I couldn’t stand the narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

This looks like such a cute story where two lifelong best friends find out that they both feel the same way about each other after one calls off her engagement. I think the premise was really great and I was excited about the representation in the book. However, I feel that the communication was lacking, some of the conversations that really should have been had before this discovery would have made for a better connection between the characters, that really just depended on spice. If you are looking for a deep and meaningful romance, this is probably not this, but if you're looking for a fun and cute spicy romance then this is the book for you.

This was a no from me. I don’t mind spice/smut - many of the books I read include that and I enjoy reading it. Something about a book that is nothing but smut and imo masquerades as a romance is bothersome. This book felt like a thin plot to write out a personal fantasy. I felt nothing from the characters and some of the dialogue was off-putting. All of the characters were insufferable.

This story was amazing, and the narration was even better! I loved the story the first time that I read it, and the narration added d so much to the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really liked the representation in this book!! Each character felt really thought out and really well rounded. The only thing I didn’t like was the whole 3rd act break down. Not that there was anything wrong with it I just don’t think it was necessary lol.

I sometimes struggled to understand Elsie. He character could be a little obtuse but I loved Ginny. I loved the plus-sized masculine representation. They were such a great character!!

Overall this was an enjoyable listen!! Blair Barker and Emily Shaw are great narrators!!

“My Best Friend’s Honeymoon” was another fantastic book from Meryl Wilsner. The pace was perfect- the audiobook the perfect companion for a ride into work or listening to around the house.

The story itself was a brilliant take on a friends to lovers trope without feeling tired or overdone, and the use of language, respect for pronouns (as commonplace and not something to be othered), and general exploration of queer culture helped uplift this book and create dynamic worlds for main characters Elsie and Ginny. There are definitely spicy scenes as well- also well written and real, that speak to real, queer, and fat experiences. Overall a great read! Thank you for the opportunity to read/ listen early!

Great love story and I loved the narrator. I also felt like I was at the all-inclusive with them, great description and detail!

I really enjoyed this queer romance read - perfect for the start of Spring weather! These best friends turn into lovers and live out their "honeymoon-phase" quite literally on a honeymoon. The erotic scenes were primarily in the middle of the book - creating a good pacing in the book overall. I genuinely liked Elsie and Ginny as characters. As for their dynamic in a caring, careful, connected sapphic relationship - couldn't have been written better. The narrators were good - I preferred the "Ginny" narrator more than the "Elsie" narrator, who could sound a little too .... simple (?), passive (?) - not sure how to describe exactly what was off but it wasn't anything too distracting. Overall 3.75/5!

Thanks to #NetGalley and to the publisher for access to the audiobook ARC!

I went into My Best Friend's Honeymoon expecting a light, romantic comedy with some heart, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver. The premise was promising—an accidental honeymoon with a best friend has so much potential for charm and chemistry—but the execution fell flat.

The characters felt one-dimensional, and their dialogue often came across as forced or clichéd. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of little happening, followed by rushed emotional developments that didn’t feel earned. I found it hard to root for the romance when the connection between the leads felt more like a plot device than genuine chemistry.

There were a few funny or sweet moments, and the setting was nice, but overall, the story lacked depth and originality. I really wanted to like this more than I did.

I loved Meryl Wilsner’s “Mistakes Were Made” so I was so excited to see this new book coming out with more queer representation!

Elsie and Ginny have been best friends forever and when Elsie’s wedding is called off, they decide to go on the non refundable honeymoon together. One thing leads to another and pretty soon they’re both confessing their mutual attraction and feelings. And it gets SPICY. Very, very spicy. I love how Ginny helps Elsie feel more confident in her wants and desires. The romance moves really quickly-understandably since they have been best friends and have been attracted to each other for awhile.

Both of these characters are messy, with their own faults. I can definitely see some readers might feel frustrated with their actions but remember…real people miscommunicate and make mistakes all the time so it’s normal that fictional characters do too.

Overall, it was a cute, cozy and spicy story. The narration by both Blair Baker and Emily Shaw was wonderful. Their voices really fit the characters.

Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for early access!

Read if you like:
🏖️Friends to Lovers
🏖️Queer representation (nonbinary & pansexual)
🏖️Miscommunication
🏖️Self discovery & growth
🏖️Hot & Spicy