Darn... I really wish I hadn't chomped at the bit soo hard for this one, but I did. Hehe
I was honestly REALLY hung up on the whole step-brother/sister dynamic, but it is kind of like Catelynn and Tyler from Teen Mom and was able to blow past it pretty easily. I mean, Julia and Carson DID come first historically after all. I loved the setting of Belize, and will be backtracking in this series to get Bo + Alex's story. I'm very excited :)

I think I’ve heard this song before. I think I’ve seen this film.

Gotta be honest here, it feels so overdone. This puts me in a weird place with M. C. Vaughan’s Destination Weddings and Other Disasters, because I can’t tell if my overall very MEH feelings about the book are due to the comparison to other media of a similar plot point—which I hated, by the way (cue massive side eye—looking at you, Anyone But You)—or because the book was simply…very MEH.

And perhaps it’s worth commenting on the fact that I seem to have a much harder time loving your typical, bad rom com in book format than I do loving bad rom coms in film; I still hate Anyone But You and I do not ironically find it amusing, by the way, but I do genuinely unironically adore Love Hard. But I just couldn’t help being incredibly bored through near every page of this book.

Destination Weddings and Other Disasters feels like a fill in the template book for rom com with love interests who hurt each other by being stupid as teenagers and are now meeting each other again via a wedding connection. The blanks are the names, the jobs, the original fight, and—kill me—the miscommunication in the third act that will ultimately cause unnecessary drama and conflict that we didn’t need. Now, don’t get me wrong: sometimes the manufactured conflict can work well in a novel and I think there’s something to be said for the fact that this can sometimes be a “pick your poison” kind of situation. However, we should also look at the fact that there’s a reason why this sort of thing has started to annoy a ton of readers.

Anyway, point being—I found this book dull, extremely predictable, and too comparable to contrived plots that I’ve both read and watched in the past. But does that make it bad?

Honestly, I just think it depends on who you ask.

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶🌶🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʜᴛᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!

𝒟𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒲𝑒𝒹𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒪𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒟𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ—ғᴜɴ, ғʟɪʀᴛʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʟʟ ᴏғ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs-ᴛᴏ-ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs ʜᴇᴀᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀ ᴛʀᴏᴘɪᴄᴀʟ sᴜɴ. ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴍᴇɢ sʏʟᴠᴀɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙʀɪɴɢs ᴊᴜʟɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀʀsᴏɴ’s sɪᴢᴢʟɪɴɢ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄ ᴛᴏ ʟɪғᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴠɪʙʀᴀɴᴛ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ—ʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍ, ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴇᴀᴍʏ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪsᴛʀʏ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟʟʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴢᴇ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇs ғᴜʟʟʏ ɪᴍᴍᴇʀsɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜᴇʀ ᴇxᴘʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ᴠᴏᴄᴀʟ ᴍɪsғɪʀᴇs (ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴜsᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴊᴜʟɪᴀ’s ᴍᴏᴍ) ᴛʜʀᴇᴡ ᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝐸𝓁𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈:

✨ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs-ᴛᴏ-ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
✨ ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏxɪᴍɪᴛʏ (ᴛʀᴏᴘɪᴄᴀʟ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ!)
✨ ᴛᴀʙᴏᴏ (sᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ)
✨ ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ sʜᴇɴᴀɴɪɢᴀɴs & ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ
✨ ᴠᴀᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴠɪʙᴇs
✨ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ-ᴛᴏ-ʜᴇᴀᴛ sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉: ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ, ᴀ ʙʀᴇᴇᴢʏ, ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏsᴛʟʏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴏʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ
ᴡᴡᴡ.ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ.ᴄᴏᴍ

Type-A personality, Julia Stone’s mother is getting married… To her high school nemesis’s father! Now she’s paired up with Carson to organize a last-minute destination wedding in Belize.

All the while Carson has had a major crush on Julia since high school and this is his time to finally let her see that he’s not the stupid jock he was back then… as long as she’ll give him the time of day to let him prove it!

Julia Stone is your classic character who pushes back on everyone and has to prove herself at every turn. She refuses to take assistance when offered or give people a second chance until it’s forced upon her. I found it hard feeling for her when she sets up her own heartache and distress by being a prickly bear at every moment.

Person on the other hand is loveable try hard who really wants to prove he’s changed and goes above and beyond at all times. He does go a little hard and also Mrs. in some spots, but you can tell his heart is in it.

I listened to the audio narrated by Meg Sylvan and thought she did a good job voicing Julia‘s character. She got all the facets right and brought her to life. I would’ve enjoyed a dual narration with a male counterpart for Carson, but Meg did a good job with her voice differentiation on Carson along with the other characters as well.

If you’re looking for a hard to like heroin, who finally puts down her armour and enjoy tropical locations, this book is for you!

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this enemies to lovers story! It was so well written and I fell for Belize too. The MC's we're likable and their struggle to get over the past was believable. As was there should we not since our parents are getting married to each other pain. I can't wait to read the 1st one in this series!

A blast from start to finish! I am a little late with this one but it really was a perfect summer rom com. Loved this couple. Really believed in their chemistry and their HEA. The narration was really strong as well. I’m still relatively new to audio but I did really enjoy how this was read.

A charming, feel-good read!
I really enjoyed Destination Weddings and Other Disasters. It was sweet, fun, and I loved the narration—easy to follow and full of personality. I didn’t realize it was part of an interconnected series, and now I’m excited to go back and read the first one. Highly recommend!

Funny and witty! I enjoyed this second chance, enemies to lovers romcom. The family dynamics were also well developed and thoughtful, making this easy to connect to.

This is your classic "parents of adult children are getting married and oh no your new step brother was your high school bully". I really enjoy this trope, its perfect for summer i love a destination wedding and them being forced to work together to plan the wedding for their parents. The banter was great, my only issue lies with the audiobook. Since the story is in 3rd person pov it was confusing for me to hear both of the characters inner monologues in the females voice and it did become very frustrating. Overall the plot and spice was great but i think i would have enjoyed it more if i read it rather than listened.

Thank you @NetGalley and @Harlequin Audio for the ALC. I enjoyed this audio, the narrators were really good. I did not read the first book in the series, but it read like a stand alone. I enjoyed the book. Carson and Julia's parents are getting married and they have to plan the wedding abroad. Yet they can not stand each other. Disaster and love await.

This book seemed to have potential, but it missed the mark for me.

Do they care that they're going to be step siblings or not? It seems like sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

Is she really okay with being with him after his bullying that seems to have lead to anxiety and panic attacks? He seems very apologetic and genuinely upset with himself, which I appreciated, and we see him apologize to her directly. Still, it seems like it was pretty rough.

What's the deal with her mom and sister? Things seem strange, and I feel like I am missing something. I saw that this is book 2 in a series, so maybe I am missing some details that came in the first book.

This is a dual POV told in third person. Sometimes it took me a minute to tell whose POV we were in on the audio.

The audio itself was well done and was easy to understand even if sped up.

This book is the second in a series and I am happy to report that I did not know this until I was adding my review to GoodReads! That's how good of a job it does as a standalone (or interconnected standalone as it is).

I thought the story was a bit silly, but that's exactly what I was looking for in a summer romance and this delivered! In fact, I read the audiobook in less than 24 hrs. It also really made me want to go to Belize! Speaking of the audio, I found that the narrator did a good job with this one.

My favourite parts of this story was the connection and banter between the two main characters, Julia and Carson. This is a sort of second chance trope although the characters never actually dated in high school (but both were crushing on the other). I also appreciated that it was pretty low angst because that is my preferred vibe when reading a summer romance.

My least favourite part of this story was the step-siblings aspect of the plot... It's not as bad as some other books I've seen out there considering they're adults and not raised together and I understand why it was necessary to get them working together on this assignment (planning their parents' wedding), but it still gave me a bit of the ick.

I would say this was a 3.5 stars read for me (rounded up to 4). Did I like this enough to read the first book in the series? I'm not sure, though I read the blurb and I am somewhat intrigued by the premise. I might go back to it if I'm in a lull or looking for another light summer romance to read... or if I ever find myself in Belize!

Destination Weddings and Other Disasters by M.C. Vaughan

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2🌶🌶

Julia Stone is an accomplished event planner. Who suddenly finds herself planning her mother's wedding to the father of her high school nemesis, Carson. Traving to Belize for the destination wedding, both Julia and Carson have to learn to coexist and support their parents without entering into all out war. The more time they spend together though, the more they realize they aren't the same people they were in high school, and maybe, just maybe they can find happiness together while organizing happiness for others.

Definitely a cute fast read, with a lot of moment that made me laugh and swoon. I definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From the very first chapter, I was hooked on the witty writing, the quirky cast of characters, and the chaotic charm of a wedding gone wrong. The humor had me laughing out loud, and the heartfelt moments gave the story so much warmth. I loved how unpredictable it was while still keeping that cozy, feel-good vibe. If you enjoy lighthearted romance mixed with family drama and plenty of laughable mishaps, this book is a must-read! I can’t wait to see what M.C. Vaughan writes next.

I love the island setting and, as a former event planner, I enjoyed following along as Julia and Carson planned wedding events for their parents. The romance itself was cute, though Julia’s attitude did seem much too uptight for such a young woman; I am glad she was called out for it later in the story. The third act breakup reason was a little silly but overall, this was an entertaining story, perfect for a beach read.

What a fun audio book! I loved the destination (Belize) and I loved the disasters that befell our lovely couple. The sex scenes were pretty hot and I loved hearing about all those secret spots that only locals know!

A fabulous follow up to the first book, Romancing Miss Stone, I really enjoyed the way this book took the complicated family dynamics touched on in the first book and said, "let's dive into that." Destination Weddings examines motherhood and sisterhood with a breadth that I don't think I've seen very often in recent contemporary romances. These relationships are allowed to be explored without ultimately taking over the relationship because it's Julia's mom's wedding taking place on Belize that puts all of our characters into the same place again.

Meanwhile the romance between Julia and Carson was so interesting. Julia tutored Carson in high school and he randomly started being really awful to her and made her life rather awful. When they're reintroduced because he's the son of the man her mom's about to marry, Carson immediately seeks to make amends. I really liked the way that he handled himself and the way that Julia would check him when he would almost over-compensate for being an ass in the past and think he could fix things for her in the future without asking.

I listened to this on audio and I would definitely recommend! I had a great time listening to this one.

I loved book one but I just can’t do the step brother/sister trope. It’s just too weird for me. I tried to read this one, and see if I could get past the weirdness of the trope, but I couldn't. I'm sure others will love it, I just can't do this trope.

I did not realize this was a second in a series. I think the first book would have been helpful for establishing the roles of the characters. Overall it was an OK read, but not engaging enough to make me want to read book 1.

3.5

This was fairly cute but I was definitely a little more frustrated with these characters than book 1's.

Our MMC had previously bullied our FMC when they were in high school and ultimately was part of the reasoning our FMC has anxiety and used to have anxiety attacks. I think that it was really difficult for me to get past that to really get into their relationship. The MMC POV definitely did showcase his regret and dislike over his past actions and did apologize on multiple ocassions to our FMC and proved he had changed but again, that is just a major point of her traumatic past. For our FMC, I was frustrated with how she couldn't seem to talk to her sister but from the outside looking in, and knowing the sister's story, that was kinda annoying. Not a major annoyance but was just a little ugh!

I loved being back in Belize though and did enjoy MC Vaughan's writing as a whole so I will look forward to what comes next. I just don't think this couple worked for me.

The narrator was good here! I did a mixture of ebook and audiobook so I can't comment if there was something in particular I missed.