I really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren! I've read a number of their books and this one didn't disappoint.

The story follows Olive (the unlucky twin) going on her twin sister's all-expenses paid honeymoon with sworn enemy, best man Ethan. The couple have to pretend to be together and in love, resulting in a number of situations and lies.

I enjoyed this and found it to be a light read. I would have liked more of Olive and Ethan together and I didn't think the book was as good as a couple of the others by the duo, but it was still fun and enjoyable.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Piatkus for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren @christinalauren
4.5 stars

This was one of the cutest, sexiest and most hilarious contemporary books that I've ever read. I absolutely loved it!! Let's talk about the characters. Olive is so endearing. The fact that she thinks she is walking bad luck made me love her from the word go. She is an overthinker but smart, quirky, funny and the kind of person you want to be friends with. I wanted only the best for her.
Ethan was attractive in all the ways a fictional character can be! Sweet and caring but also willing to stand up for what he believed in AND also say sorry when he was in the wrong. Their personalities gelled so well and they felt like the perfect couple that you wanted to work out.
I adore the enemies to lovers trope and this is the perfect book for it!
The storyline was pretty different to most rom coms and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you love romantic books with a little bit of sexy thrown in, then definitely read this book!

Perfect, just absolutely perfect. I put this down and I was sad it was over, bit of a book hangover as I wanted to return back to Olive and Ethan. This is the perfect romcom to me and I just loved the ending. I loved Christina’s writing style, it just draws you in and you don’t want to stop reading. Perfect summer reading, guaranteed to bring many giggles and a definite feel good read.

The perfect weekend read. The Unhoneymooners was hilarious from start to finish and I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the characters and their families (well Olive’s anyway) and it made me desperate for a second honeymoon with my husband.
Couldn’t help but love this book and looking forward to reading more from writing duo Christina Lauren.

Olive is the unlucky twin, always has been. Ami gets all the luck, so when all the guests at Ami's wedding all get food poisoning, along with the Bride and Groom, yet some how Olive manages to avoid the sickness, is her luck about to change?

Ami can't go on her honeymoon, resulting in Olive bagging a free holiday to Hawaii, the only catch? She has to take her new brother in law's judgemental brother, Ethan with her. Ethan is Olive's nemesis!

The pair find themselves in an awkward postion having to pretend to be newly weds and their relationship progresses from a general dislike to playful as they squirm their way out of each new predicament they find themselves in.

This book generally had me belly laughing (the bathroom scene on the boat, anyone else?!) and I found myself rooting for Olive and Ethan as their relationship turned from banter to outrageously flirty!

I struggled to put this book down and was gutted when it came to the end - which may I add was the perfect ending for their playful relationship.

I'd definitely recommend picking this as your next read, if you like rom-coms - you don't get much better than this!

✨The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren ✨⁣
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I think most of us in the bookstagram world are Christina Lauren fan girls. Their books are always such a great blend of romance and fun! But I have to say I think The Unhoneymooners has went straight on my CL favourites list, it was so, so good!⁣
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I think for me this was the most straight up traditional romcom of theirs that I’ve read. It felt like their writing (which I always love) had somehow got better, there was a flow that felt like you didn’t want to stop reading and also this book made me laugh, a lot. I sometimes think so many romantic comedies that I read lack the comedy part but this one definitely brought it!⁣
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I felt such a connection to both Olive (Olivia 😂) and Ethan, they were just the perfect characters and I wished I could have read another handful of books with them in it!⁣
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Here is THE BLURB…⁣
“Olive is always unlucky; her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. While she's about to marry her dream man, Olive is forced to play nice with her nemesis: the best man, Ethan.⁣
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Yet Olive's luck may be on the turn . . . When the entire wedding - except for Olive and Ethan - gets food poisoning, there's an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside, Olive and Ethan head for paradise. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him spirals out of control.⁣
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Forced to play loving newlyweds, she and Ethan find themselves in closer proximity than they ever expected. Soon, Olive finds that maybe she doesn't mind pretending. In fact, she's beginning to feel kind of . . . lucky.” ⁣
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Every time I finish a CL book I just want to go read another, so if you have any recommendations of which of theirs was your fave then let me know. ⁣
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If you love a funny and oh so sweet enemies to lovers romance then this one is for you!⁣
⁣ ✨ ✨Copy from Netgalley✨

I’ve been a fan of this duo for a long time now and since this book was recommended so much everywhere I had to read it as well.
I enjoyed the family interactions and connections along with all the drama that comes along especially when a wedding is happening very soon and everyone wants to be perfect. What should be the most unforgettable day in one's life it turns out to be quite a tragicomedy and the maid of honour with the best man have to take on a fake honeymoon because you know, everything is paid and can be wasted. From now on, we get to spend a lot of time with these two characters that are like enemies at all times but secretly lust for each other.
I can’t say I loved any of them but I grow fond of their support for the family and friends.
There’s chemistry but, for me, I couldn’t seem to get that they are meant to be vibe.
It’s a must-read that many people will enjoy

Olive Torres has always been the unlucky twin. So why is she one of the only two people who did not get food poisoning at her sister's wedding? Maybe her luck is changing? The other unaffected person is her brother in-law and the best man, Ethan Thomas. Now they are going to replace the bride and groom at the all inclusive-no cancellations-or-changes-honeymoon trip to Maui. The problem is, they hate each other. It cannot end well, right? Well, you just wait...

I admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was a perfect pick me up, a funny romance with likeable characters and a good plot. It was also hilarious and made me snort in places. Enemies to lovers might be one the most popular romance tropes but it was done really well here, and I had very little issue with believing main characters' change of hearts. Plus, there was much more going on in this book then just a romance - not only you could really see Olive's character changing and growing, but there were also other things in the book that characters had to deal with, including deal with, including families relationships and work/career issues. On a whole, "The Unhoneymooners" gets big thumbs up from me and I will be checking other books by the author too.

Loved this book so much! I absolutely adored the dynamic between main characters and how their relationship developed. It was super enjoyable to read and had so much fun to read, I even laughed out loud at certain scenes. I loved how realistically the ending was and the characters really thinking about their choices and what was good for them.

It was a lot of strength in this book and I recommend it if you like some Rom with a bit of con! Perfect summer read.

This was my first book by Christina Lauren and I really enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and the romance so much. All in all it was just a very cute story and I will definitely recommend it as it is a perfect summer read.

Thank you for Net Galley and Little Brown Group for providing an arc of The Unhoneymooners.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren follows Olive who's twin sister, Ami, is marrying Ethan's younger brother Dane. Right from the beginning of this story Ethan and Olive resent each other and barely tolerate one another's company. At the wedding everyone gets sick from the sea food buffet expect Olive and Ethan and are made to use the married couple's honeymoon to Hawaii (which won't them refund and reschedule) as they are the only one's who are able to go.

This leaves our two main characters to an unlimited supply of cocktails and a honeymoon suite with a dozen different rooms but not a lot of space between them.

I loved the detail put into the feelings of Olive and how she seems to fight an internal battle inside her head for the majority of the book as she comes to terms with the fact that Ethan might not be the worst person on the entire planet.

The sexual tension mixed with the hilarious scenes between these two, that made me burst out laughing, made this such a gripping read and has made me count down the days to when this book is available on amazon!

The writing is descriptive yet easy to read and I would recommended this to anyone who wants to sit out in the sun for a few hours with a turn paging and amazing read.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Not sure what I thought of this book - it passed a few hours and I didn’t mind finishing it, but would I buy or recommend it? Probably not

This book has been on my TBR for a while now as well as other books written by Christina Lauren. The only books by this author duo that I’ve read before is the ‘Beautiful Bastard’.

This book follows Olive and Ethan. Olive considers herself to be unlucky, while her twin sister Ami seems to get all the luck. Ami is getting married to the man of her dreams, but during the wedding reception everyone ends up with food poisoning except Olive and Ethan (the groom, Dane’s, big brother) where then Ami and Dane suggest that Olive and Ethan take there place on the honeymoon. The only problem they don’t get along.

While on this honeymoon they have to pretend to be married, while they decide to stay far away from one another and enjoy their time in Hawaii, but that could be thrown into jeopardy when a new boss and ex is also on holiday at the same resort.

I loved Olive and Ethan their chemistry was off the charts. I wasn’t to keen on Ami at the start but she grew on me throughout the book. I also loved Olive and Ami’s family, how they’re always there if you need them.

Hilarious read that had me laughing out loud. I had only sat down to read a couple of chapters and before I knew it I had finished the whole book. It was definitely what I needed to cheer me up (during this current situation). I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good romance novel, that is quick, fun and easy read.

Olive Torres thinks she has the worst luck of all. Her twin sister, Amy, on the other side, wins every contest she enters and has even won herself a free wedding and a honeymoon in Hawaii. Olive's eternal nemesis Ethan Thomas is present there as the brother of the groom. When everyone but them catches a bad bug at the wedding reception, they venture out on a two-week all-inclusive holiday to Maui. With one catch - they have to pretend they're newlyweds.

I didn't hate the book, it was actually quite enjoyable (and the audio was really good!). There were all the tropes that usually make a great romance novel - haters to lovers, forced proximity, fake relationship/marriage. But there was also another aspect which I wasn't a fan of - the insight into Amy's marriage and how much the last part of the book was focused on that. I would have probably enjoyed it more if it were just about Olive and Ethan's relationship and how it developed on their pretend honeymoon and after. Obviously, there's also the aspect of Olive losing her job because she lied to her boss, whom she met in the resort in Hawaii. I liked that she did not immediately get her job back when her boss showed up in the restaurant she worked at.

And, in the end, I kind of didn't want Olive and Ethan to get together. What really upset me was how he never believed her when she was concerned about his brother. In the end, Amy got divorced and exposed him, but Olive's relationship with Ethan meant that constant proximity to the person who hurt them the most - I didn't quite like that, but I guess the authors tried to explore the complexity of adultery in marriage and its effects on the people around them. Did it work? Not for me - what we got was a story of a cheater who got exposed. I also would have appreciated a heads up about this aspect of the plot - I assumed this would be very cheerful and breezy, but when Olive and Ethan got back, things got really heavy really fast, which was the reason I ended up giving the book a lower rating.

Here are some other things I enjoyed: Olive and Amy's support network and their family always being there for them; their friendship; the endless banter between Olive and Ethan, but also how their relationship progressed.

More things I didn't like: that we didn't get parts told from Ethan's POV (aside from epilogue). It would have been so much better to read his side of the story too and his thoughts on Olive, but in the book we were only privy to her thoughts and opinions. I'd prefer a dual POV story.

Eternally lucky Amy wins everything in life, so much so she has managed to win every part of her wedding and honeymoon. Twin sister Olive doesn’t fare as well, she believes herself to be eternally unlucky. However, Olives luck changes at the expense of her sister when the whole wedding party is struck down with food poisoning. Determined her honeymoon should not go to waste Amy implores Olive to take her place as she is one of only two who didn’t eat the buffet. Unfortunately for Olive the only other person not affected is groom Dane’s brother Ethan who Olive cannot stand. However, she decides to suck it up and go on the holiday anyway because who can refuse 10 days in Hawaii, even if it is with her nemesis. Things get a little more complicated though when Olive and Ethan realise, they are going to have to play the part of a married couple.
I absolutely loved this book; it gave me the book tingles from the first few pages and I just knew I would love it. I did the classic book lover thing of wanting to gobble it up but also wanting savour it, so it doesn’t finish too quickly. I managed a few days of slow pacing and indulged in the rest of it in one day.

The first thing that made this book a winner for me was the fact it’s a destination book. I simple love books where people are holidaying, whether this is in the UK or abroad, but books set aboard are always a preference. It has a plane scene, not a hugely long one but it’s there and I do love a plane scene. They just seem to set the mood well for a book set in an exotic location. Of course, a huge part of this book is set in Maui and you get to see the characters out and about enjoying the location. I always like books with rich descriptions of the locations and activities they characters do, and this book offers just that.

This is a hate to lover’s romance, and I loved seeing the change in the relationship between Olive and Ethan. I liked the conflict between them, but I also love how quickly they acknowledged their feelings and acted on them rather they are denying them throughout most of the book. I like books where we actually see the characters enjoying their relationship and each other rather than having conflict the whole time. I thought Ethan and Olive were so sweet together and I admired their honest relationship where they told each other how they felt rather than hiding it. They also had some awesome sexual chemistry and tension bubbling away which was enjoyable to read.

I found it interesting that around half the book was set once Olive and Ethan come home. I thought the whole book would be set on holiday. I really enjoyed that we got to see them at home as their relationship developed. I was really surprised with the turn this story took in its inclusion of Dane and Amy’s relationship. I couldn’t predict how that would play out and I was pleasantly surprised how it did. The scene where this comes to a head was magic and I was cheering Amy on all the way. The same applying to the end of this book with Olive and Ethan’s relationship I was swooning so hard.

Overall, I thoroughly recommend this box, in case you were in any doubt! Its been out in the US since last year and everyone has been raving about it and I can now see why. I planned to buy this book in America whilst on holiday and use it as a holiday read before it came out in the UK. However, some slightly crazy events in the world stopped that! However, it is the perfect beach read. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy and re-reading it hopefully on holiday in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This was a pretty entertaining read with a good and captivating premise and well rounded characters. It had just the right amount of suspense and twists to keep my attention on it at all times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Unhooneymooners follows Olive and Ethan - enemies from the first time they saw each other - on their journey through a honeymoon that was handed to them. After Ami's (Olive's twin sister) whole wedding party comes down with a pretty nasty bacteria from the buffet at the wedding and Olive and Ethan are the only ones unaffected, it became clear that they should both take over Ami's honeymoon trip to Maui so they wouldn't miss out on the nonrefundable tickets.

Enemies to lovers stories are one of my favourites to get lost in and I feel Christina Lauren did a great job at creating enough enemy friction that eventually develops into an overwhelming heartwarming love.

Olive and Ethan are both really strong characters who, despite having very different personalities, find a comment ground in their sense of humour and in how much they secretly care for each other. Side characters such as Ami and the rest of Olive's family were all also incredibly well developed and unique.

Overall The Unhoneymooners was a fantastic read, with just the right amount of heartbreak to make the ending all the more exciting and emotional.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this arc. I've heard so many good things about this so was excited to stuck. This follows Olive, whose twin sister is getting married. Olive can't stand her sister's brother-in-law, Ethan. The two have been off the wrong foot since they first met. Olive has been unlucky in life, love and work whereas her sister has always been lucky, things always go well for her. Well on her wedding day their lucks change when everyone ends up with food poisoning except for Olive and Ethan. As the honeymoon can't be postponed as it was discounted and practically free her sister decides that Olive should use so it doesn't go to waste and Ethan goes along with her. The duo spend much of their time bickering until they bump into Ethan's ex and Olive's boss and pretend to be a couple...
This had potential. I loved the premise and the writing was fast with witty dialogues. However I felt the plot was too easy and convenient (you have to really suspend your disbelief) and the main couple lacked chemistry. Half the time the writing talks about how great their bodies are, and for people who claim to be enemies they don't hesitate getting it on. I wish there had been more friction and depth to these characters who like felt romantic cliches. On the whole if you want something light, fluffy and easy to read you'll enjoy this. Its 3/5.

I really enjoyed this book! I have read quite a lot of chick-flick romances, but I feel that this book was able to set apart from the others.
The relationship and banter between the two main characters was fresh and page turning. I also like that there was not any additional background sap story for the main characters, but it was written realistically. Plus, Olive is hilarious, so it was an easy read - I did so in one sitting.
One negative, in my opinion, was that I felt like Ethan was so negatively portrayed in the beginning that once the story was unravelled and the reasons were given, it felt forced and didn't fully justify his behaviour.
Overall, this book was enjoyable, if you want to read something light and comical give it a try. <3

I was given a copy by Netgalley for an HONEST review. Thank you very much!

You know those books that feel like a delight from beginning to end? and you find yourself turning the page effortlessly? The Unhoneymooners was one of those books for me. Prior to reading it for myself, I heard so much hype about it and a lot of my friends and people I follow on Book Twitter and Goodreads were raving about this book so I had high expectations. And they were totally met! This is exactly the type of light and fun read I needed and I think many readers will enjoy Christina Lauren’s addictive and humorous writing style.

The romance or ‘enemies to lovers’ trope takes centre stage here and I think this is so fun to read and the development of Olive and Ethan’s relationship was enjoyable. While the reason why they are ‘enemies’ is based on a classic rom com misunderstanding – as you can kind of expect – this again just adds to the whole deal. They have such funny banter and the humour in the book overall was great, I always appreciate some pop culture references which feel natural and this delivered. The romance itself has it’s swoon-worthy moments and is built up slowly and had the perfect balance of sweet and sexy for me. There are quite a few lines where I was just giggling to myself because of what was happening, the hot massage scene in particular…for reasons.

While it is on the lighter side of the romance genre, the novel also portrays some real life issues and I especially liked how this was done through Olive’s journey and growth as a character. At the beginning of the book Olive is sort of lost – she has just lost her job which has defined her life for so long, and she’s at a loose end. Plus her whole life she’s had ‘bad luck’ seriously think superstitious Friday the 13th type stories, and that’s Olives whole life. However, as the story progresses and she falls for Ethan and experiences more, she has an epiphany and realises what she really wants out of life and that she can make her own luck. I think this storyline will be relatable to many readers who may currently be in the same situation or have been in the past. There is so much importance placed on jobs and working in society but I think it’s also okay to acknowledge that there’s other ways for someone to be successful and have a fulfilling life. And that life doesn’t just happen to us, we’re in control and can seek what we want too.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Unhoneymooners and while this was my first Christina Lauren book, I’m sure it won’t be my last. If you’re looking for a light hearted read and just want to escape into an entertaining story, then I’d definitely recommend this book.

3.5 stars. This was exactly what I needed right now.

Following a mass outbreak of food poisoning at her twin sister Ami’s wedding reception, the only ones who aren’t affected are our protagonist Olive and the grooms brother (and Olive’s nemesis) Ethan. Due to Ami winning the honeymoon to Maui in a sweepstake, and it being non-refundable, she offers up the trip to Olive and Ethan. Prepare for sun, sea and shouting. And a lot of sexual tension. Olive has always thought that Ethan has hated her since their very first meeting, but could pessimistic Olive have got him all wrong? Add in an ex-girlfriend and a new boss (who think the pair are married) to this seemingly idyllic landscape, and you have a recipe for lies and disaster.

The strongest element to this is definitely the two main characters. There’s a lot of bickering and bantering between the two which adds to the tension between them. They bounce off each other well, and their personalities gel well together. Olive in particular is a great protagonist. She’s a bit clumsy, internally very self-deprecating and seems to think she runs on bad luck. She’s got a sarcastic quip for anything Ethan has to say, and she’s never afraid to say it. Ethan seems to take all of this in his stride, enjoying the push and pull between them while Olive slowly works down this icy exterior he has. Neither are particularly original characters, but together I thought they created enough of an interesting pairing and had enough funny interactions for me to enjoy the story and the developing feelings between them. I liked the slow build of a friendship developing into fun and more besides. I will say that this doesn’t really feel like a true ‘enemies to lovers’. It’s more a story of miscommunication when the pair first meet, with Olive believing something of Ethan that turns out to not be true. All of their interactions up until their trip to Hawaii have been icy because of this, but neither has been willing to talk about why they seemingly don’t like each other.

I also did think that at times you really have to suspend your belief in terms of the plot. Again, it’s not particularly original and a bit ‘trope’, with Olive and Ethan both running into people they’ve known from home (making the story feel very much like a ‘small world’) forcing them into pretending to be a couple. At times I did feel let down by these plot devices, as it felt as though the writers didn’t really put any effort into making the plot believable or giving any real thought into something more credible and original. It’s very ‘rom com’, light and fluffy. Which is fine – but I felt this could have been so much more. Also, there was no smut. At all.

That said, I really enjoyed the latter half of this more than I thought I would. Following their return from vacation, the pair must face some difficult life decisions and a harsh brush with reality. We see more of Olive and Ami’s large extended family (who I love), and the warmth and character they bring to the story really helped propel this beyond just a simple ‘beach read’ romance. They add another dimension, and bring a bit of life into a second half that could have otherwise become very stale and predictable very quickly. There was one questionable scene between Olive and her older relatives relating to lesbians that I thought missed the mark and made me feel a little ‘off’, but otherwise I think this was well paced and well developed. The ending is also super cheesy, but you know what? I actually thought it was done perfectly.

A super-fast read, with a colourful cast of likeable characters. This is escapism at its best, and will not fail to bring a smile to your face. One of the better romances I’ve read in a long while.