DNFing at 55% after 3 straight chapters have been just sex. I don’t mind spice but I like some story too. This one really lacked the plot and story element. Once the characters got together there wasn’t anything else to the plot.

This book was soft in the way that sneaks up on you. I went in expecting steam and mutual pining, which it delivers, but I didn’t expect to feel so seen in the quiet moments between longing and letting go.

Elsie’s life has just fallen apart in a very public, very awkward way. She was surprised with a proposal and wedding all at once, and she walked away. She ends up going on what was supposed to be her honeymoon with her best friend Ginny...who just so happens to have been in love with her for years. And I mean years.

The setup is perfect, but what really worked for me was the emotional vulnerability between them. There’s this softness to their dynamic that made me ache. Ginny is thoughtful, steady, nonbinary, and unapologetically fat, represented with so much care. Their love for Elsie is deep and patient and hopeful, and wow...the yearning was real.

I resonated a lot with where Elsie was, trying to figure out who she is when the plan falls apart, learning to listen to herself instead of all the noise around her. There’s something really beautiful in the way this book honors the idea that love can be chosen, reclaimed, and shaped in a way that finally fits.

My only wish? A little more emotional unpacking. The intimacy was there (and, yes, it was hot), but I wanted more conversation—more of the mess and the healing. Some of the shifts felt a little quick, and I just wanted to linger in those moments where everything was beginning to click.

Now for the part I struggled with. I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrators were fine, the structure threw me off. The book is written in a single POV but has two narrators, which made it feel a little awkward and disconnected. It pulled me out of the story more than once, and I think I would have enjoyed it more in print or ebook format.

That said, this is a love story that feels like a warm hug and a soft nudge toward self-trust. If you’re in the mood for queer tenderness, pining with payoff, and a vacation setting that makes space for both pleasure and clarity, give this one a shot.

This book was a bit of a struggle for me, although, a week after finishing it, I am still struggling to articulate it. The spice in this book was my favorite part. The lack of communication, for so many years, was frustrating. The third act break up is one of my least favorite tropes…which I think this still falls under. Good, just not my favorite.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon
By @merylwilsner
Narrated By Blair Baker and Emily Shaw

Releases April 29th, 2025

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this audio arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book is HOT!
Go read it!

I’m so glad I got this and was able to listen for the @transrightsreadathon !

This book follows Elsie and Ginny, two best friends who finally give into their urges for more than friendship.

Elsie is used to being talked over and ignored in her life. When she discovers her fiance has planned their ENTIRE wedding without asking her at all…it’s the last straw.
Newly single, she takes the supposed to be honeymoon with her best friend Ginny.

Ginny has been in love with Elsie for years. During the honeymoon Ginny decides to help Elsie find her voice by telling Elsie she gets ANYTHING she wants but she has to ask.

What ensues is HOT! And funny and emotional and messy.

This book felt realistic and relatable and also really well done in the steamy scenes.

I have a long commute to/from work and I devoured this audio book!

It doesn’t hurt that Ginny reminds me of my own partner (non-binary, adorable, hot and overall amazing).

Go read or listen to this book, you won’t be disappointed!

#netgalley #netgalleyarc #audiobookreview #merylwilsner #bookarc #macmillianaudio #emilyshaw #blairbaker #sapphicbooks #queerbooks #queerbookstagrammer #steamy #🌶

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I wanted to like this one more because I've enjoyed other Meryl Wilsner books but this one was only okay. Best friends to lovers isn't supposed to have a lack of communication trope too, I thought they were such great friends! I loved the enby rep but unfortunately the characters were too flat.

a fun and fast paced book! i loved the narrators and hearing the emotion in their voice. if youre looking for a more fast paced read this is the one for you!
i gave 3 stars because the conflict was a little long in my opinion and it felt like the smut sort of overtook the plot sometimes but overall was still a great listen!!

thank you netgalley for the audiobook !

If you're looking for a very spicy best-friends-to-lovers story, Meryl Wilsner has got you covered with MY BEST FRIEND'S HONEYMOON! Bonus points for a gorgeous setting and sexy woodworking. The audiobook was well-produced!

My best friend's honeymoon was a very fun fast listen. I enjoyed the character development of the 2 main characters. Their love story was well written and the pace of the book was perfect.

Not sure what it was, but I just couldn't get into this one.
May have been more of my mood than the actual book itself. I am a huge mood reader. Going to set this one aside and see if I can get into it at a later date.
I can see this one being a good one for some. So as always give it a go.

I wanted to love this one, but alas.
You know from the title/description that the FMC calls of her wedding and brings her nonbinary bestie along on the nonrefundable honeymoon.
30% of the book is time spent on the honeymoon and the only content is them having sex. No development of their romantic connection; very little other content. Then at the end of the honeymoon, we hit the third act conflict and then the rest of the book is that conflict. The two main characters do not spend any time together on page until the last 5% of the book. Yes we see some individual growth and development which is nice, but I just was not buying the transition from lifelong best friends to soul mates. I also did not love the ex-fiancé being the villian of the story when his actions are really not all that offensive given the actions and general door mat-ness of Elsie.

The audio narration by Blair Baker and Emily Shaw was well done. Both are new to me narrators. They sound pretty similar to each other which made it hard to distinguish the POVs/dialogue, but overall enjoyable and a quick read.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

MORE QUEER BOOKS IN 2025!!!! What I love about this author is the representation that is etched into every page of this book. Could not recommend more. Especially for my enby friends.

Due out April 29

Elsie and Ginny grew up besties. They shared a first kiss once in their tweens. In high school, Ginny asked Elsie to a dance and Elsie turned them down. They put the work in to save their relationship after that and now are the closest of friends, seeing each other every day, and firmly platonic.

When Elsie's long-time fiancee decides to press fast-forward on their wedding plans, things fall apart. And when Elsie takes her bestie Ginny to the super sexy non-refundable honeymoon, things get super duper sexytimes (yep, there's a whole feast of sex in here). They obviously mean the world to each other, but they will each have to ask what they were and are willing to do to make their relationship work, because neither can come to terms with losing one another in their lives.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner is a cute friends to lovers romance. It was light and breezy without too much drama. The main characters were interesting and of course frustrating at times (but who isn’t) ;) that’s life.

I’m not typically a spicy romance fan, usually because it feels cringey or an odd word gets overused. However, I didn’t find that this time. The words flowed nicely and it was way more heat than cringe (although I did find a couple words that I was like “huh?!”.) It did end up feeling like a large segment of the book though. So if super spicy at length isn’t your jam, you might find this one difficult.

🎧 My brain consumed this book via my ears… so audiobook!

The narration was great - no issues at all. Good pace, I listed at around 1.75 speed

Note:
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

3.25/5.00 (for those that love spice, likely a 4.5/5.0) ;)

Whew. This one? Deliciously queer, wildly sexy, and emotionally satisfying in all the right ways. Meryl Wilsner absolutely delivered with My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, giving us a sapphic friends-to-lovers romance that’s as tender as it is steamy.

The fact that one of the MCs, Ginny, is nonbinary? My heart! It's giving main character energy to all the “theys” out there, and I am so here for it. Representation like this matters, and Wilsner handled it with care, charm, and zero tokenizing.

The concept alone is hilariously romantic: Elsie ditches her surprise wedding (yes, surprise), cancels the man, and takes her gay resort honeymoon with her queer bestie Ginny instead. One week. All-inclusive. No ex-fiancé, just sunshine, vibes, and a whole lot of heat. And when Ginny tells Elsie she can have whatever she wants, as long as she asks? Let’s just say… things escalate beautifully.

The chemistry between Elsie and Ginny is off the charts. Like, 5/5 spice and then some. Honestly, I listen to audiobooks at work. I couldn't with this one, and not to brag but I've got a dam good poker face. Their emotional connection is just as strong—years of friendship, quiet longing(except on Ginny's end, the entire town knew they were in love with Elsie), and that slow, glorious realization that they’ve always been it for each other.

Also? Shoutout to the narrator because—please! That voice?! 8/5. No notes.

My Ratings:
🧍🏽‍♀️ 4/5 Characters
🌶️ 5/5 Spice
🎬 5/5 Ending
🧩 4/5 Plot
🎧 8/5 Narrator (iconic, honestly)
💫 5/5 Overall

If you’re into emotionally rich, unapologetically queer romance with sizzling tension and a soft landing? Pack your bags—this honeymoon is worth the trip.

ARC review for the ebook and audiobook! I loved this book SO MUCH!
I love Meryl Wilsner books so much and this one did not disappoint! I loved the audiobook and the narrators did an amazing job with this story.
I love a queer friends to lovers story and the ONLY thing I did not love was the third act breakup but that’s typical.

If you’re in love with your best friend, go for it. It could end like this 💕

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Two best friends of over a decade finally give a romantic relationship a shot and strive to pursue their dream occupations. Can they pull it off or will it all go up in smoke?

As a first work I have read by Meryl Wilsner, I was not only surprised by the plotline but also engaged with the characters, Elsie and Ginny.

Seeing the portrayal of a nonbinary character in a romantic piece not only was enjoyable but made me a Meryl Wilsner fan. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Ginny’s journey is one people need to read. Their expression of being nonbinary and a supportive friend to Elsie are the centerpiece (s) to the novel. While a budding, steamy romance does ensue between Ginny and Elsie, it is important to note the romance is built on a history of friendship between both of the lovers. The interwoven pieces of both characters’ pasts both pertaining to their lives together and their identities were CRUCIAL to the story and meant a lot to me as a reader, especially as an LGBTQIA+/Queer reader.

While I loved the plot-line, I did struggle to follow the plot-line after the relationship between both main characters began. This period in the novel led to many passionate scenes between characters; however, the plot after felt rushed and disconnected, which was unexpected. I would have enjoyed a longer resolve after both characters returned from the honeymoon, especially since both characters were built up to be strong characters who I had fallen in love with throughout the reading of the novel.

I would recommend this novel to other readers who would enjoy LGBTQIA+ romance!

A special thank to Netgalley, Griffin Publishing, and Meryl Wilsner for the ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a relatively short audiobook which I enjoyed, and the narrators fit perfectly with the characters in my opinion. But it was difficult to care about the two main characters, Ginny and Elsie. It made me honestly angry that Elsie ended up not only having lots of sex with Ginny but also DATING them like what, two weeks after dumping her fiancé? I get she wasn’t very happy but damn. I wouldn’t be as upset if he like cheated or was mean to her or something, but he was honestly just kinda oblivious and trying to help. Some of the sex scenes made me CRINGE (aka the fisting scene). The third act breakup was extremely unnecessary and avoidable.
The redeeming qualities of this audiobook were the narrators and the fact that it was a quick listen.

Judging by the way I finished this book in one day, it’s safe to say that I loved it. It’s a fast-paced friends to lovers tale with funny and heartfelt moments. It was so sweet to see the way Ginny cared for Elsie and although I typically don’t enjoy a third act breakup, I didn’t mind this because it felt important to the storyline that the two figured out what they wanted for themselves. I do wish there was a bit more yearning (duh, I want this in every book) but I was definitely rooting for them the entire way through. I’ve read a few of Meryl’s books and this one has become my favorite so far!

The thing I most enjoyed about this book was the audiobook performance. I'm glad the ARC I received was an audiobook because it softened much of the content that didn't appeal to me, which is why this is a tough one for me to review. There were some things I liked about the book but more than a few things that were strong dislikes for me. That said, when I review books I try to put myself in a different POV because there are clearly people that do enjoy this content or the book wouldn't exist.

What the book is:
🔘 Two 25 year old best friends that have been in love with each other since they were at least 15. Ginny is aware of that fact and has suppressed their feelings for their entire friendship. Elsie doesn't want to lose the comfort of their friendship, so she ignores any stronger feelings. After ending her relationship, Elsie and Ginny end up sharing more than a bed when they end up on Elsie's honeymoon together.
🔘 Stays true to the Wilsner brand (lots of sex), though this one also has repeated use of the word c*nt with some degradation sprinkled in.
🔘 A 3rd act breakup so silly (not in a good way) that I actually didn't see it coming. It absolutely didn't make sense for two people that supposedly had such a strong emotional bond, especially when the miscommunication happens after sharing so much physical intimacy.
🔘 Characters with accepting families.

If like me, you loved Mistakes Were Made and long anticipated Cleat Cute only to be unsatisfied, this book will probably not satisfy either. The author's choice to emphasize sexual intimacy over emotional intimacy was a big miss. It reduces queer relationships stereotypes and it made it feel so heteronormative. One of the reasons why I loved the relationship in Mistakes Were Made so much was because there was so much emotional intimacy shared which made the physical so much more meaningful.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.