The Unhoneymooners

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF @ 25%

Look, I have loved more Christina Lauren books than I have disliked them. I'm super sad by my decision to drop this one, but after not liking My Favorite Half-Night Stand I'm not going to push myself through this one too.

It all comes down to not being a fan of the characters. I don't quite understand their dynamic or even what type of person Ethan is. One second she's calling him charming and smooth then he is robotic and doesn't understand anything she is talking about. Olive was rubbing me the wrong way as well. I don't mind a rambling character– I even find them cute and funny on occasion, but Olive will ramble when all she had to do was stay quiet. There is also the thing about her weight. She and her sister look identical, so why is she only calling herself bigger or even mentioning her weight and food. The few times these things have come up have felt awkward and forced.

I need to like characters, or at least find them interesting, in order to like a book. This time around I'm just not connecting with them and it really sucks. I'm to the point where she's met her boss and they are going to go to dinner and cringed even thinking about the four of them at dinner. It will be awkward, she will ramble, perhaps there will be a cute moment, but just thinking about the whole affair had me putting the book down. Perhaps we can chalk this one up to me not being a huge fan of secondhand embarrassment. Part of the reason, why I don't like The Office.

In the end, this is an easy to read book that felt fun and I'm sure many people will like to read this over Summer– I'll even recommend it to people. It just wasn't working for me and I had to put it down before I ended up disliking it even more.

Cute little rom-com and a pretty good bet for an in-between book.

Also it was a whole different experience seeing the mmc being kind of a dick but in a believable, real world way? While also still being redeemable (obviously)

Olive was a mess altogether but so relatable, especially the need to disagree with everything and the bickering.

Very fun story.

It pains me how little I liked this novel. While I enjoy Christina and Lauren's writing style and am not opposed to reading more of their books, The Unhoneymooners is one of the least romantic romances I've ever read. Most of the blame falls on how every single main character is kind of the worst. This felt like watching an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia where The Gang Gets In A RomCom. 

I loved this beautiful book! I also needed something cozy, and that didn't require a lot of thought on my part, and this was perfect! I finished it basically the same day I started.

Now I hear some people didn't get the chemistry between Ollie and Ethan and guys, let me explain the process: she spends 24/7 with the person she thought as Satan's child (because of a misunderstanding that I get through later on), but then she even states how she realizes he is not the daredevil she thought he was, and starts to find he's actually a nice dude playing tough after he was told to not try any moves on her (shitty but how many times have we ourselves listened to the wrong voice?) And I think his vulnerability the night of the mai tais was it for her, to see him under a different light altogether.

Also, the book is hilarious, I had so much fun reading it. I agree it may not be everybody's cup of tea, but to me it was just right. It reflects Latin families correctly (metiches, we love chisme, and also oversharing, comforting, and proud) and the dynamic between Ami and Ollie after the news is great, Ami got into a denial phase bc her life was falling apart and chose not to believe it at first. It is real!

The firing may or may not be as accurate, I worked at a beer company and if you were involved in any kind of incident/or car crash due to inebriation you were fired because you were not practicing responsible drinking... so a choice you made in your personal life does affect your professional life as well, it reflects your work ethic for sure so I can understand the situation with Mr. Hamilton, I would have liked a stronger argument, though.

Only thing I would say that didn't make sense to me was why Ollie took so personally and so deep how Ethan supposedly saw her with disgust that first day they met and then she decided to make him an enemy.... I get she tends to see everything pessimisticly, but that detail for me was over the top, like we don't know each other, I don't care tf you think of me... especially if I love my body as Ollie states a number of times. The rest I think, is cute and something I would watch in a romcom movie.

So try and don't take a romcom that seriously peeps, it is not meant for that, it is entertainment and this book was very entertaining to me, at least.

It was fun and lighthearted.

Not my fave, but it was cute and funny.

This was cute, funny, romantic and swoon worthy. I was so hesitant on reading this as it's not my normal genre, but I guess stepping out of your comfort zone can be rewarding. I loved Olivia and Ezra (IYKYK LOL) falling in love. I absolutely crushed this book in a few hours. I hated Dane from the very beginning, I almost hated Ami too but she grew on me. I'd definitely recommend reading this if you need a lighthearted funny enemies to lovers romance!

4.75 I devoured this. SO CUTE

I just finished The Honeymooners by Christina Lauren and here are my thoughts.


Olive is a twin, the unlucky twin in her opinion and Ami has the luck of both of them. She is just about to marry her meet-cute and she won most of the wedding out of internet contests. On Ami's wedding day, she is made to spend the day with the groom's brother... Her nemesis, Ethan.

During the wedding everyone starts to get sick.. Everyone except herself and Ethan. Ami, not wanting her free honeymoon to not get used, gives it to Olive as her now husband gives it to his brother. The two of them end up taking a lovers honeymoon together in Hawaii.

They decide they can spend the time avoiding each other but when Olive bumps into her new boss and she doesn't know what comes over her when she says she's on her honeymoon and starts a snowball of encounters with Ethan that is more fun than she realized.

This is my first book by the author and it definitely will not be my last. I laughed so much I had tears in my eyes. I thought Olive was brilliant! Watching her rise above every single bad thing that happens just to find something better on the other side was magical.

The character development was quite excellent and I loved all the adventures Olive and Ethan had in Hawaii. I don't normally enjoy enemies to lovers but this one was pretty well done in my opinion.

The banter was witty and I loved all the cheesiness. I am a sucker for a good chick lit book and this one was epic. I am so glad there is a sequel

I listened to this one and I think it added to the fun!

4.5 stars!

Definitely worth the read

.

I truly thought the current state of romance novels was just not for me. I haven't enjoyed one so much since I was a teenager reading YA romance. This had me giggling and kicking my feet, and of course crying, which is the true sign of a 5 star read for me. 10/10 would recommend and will spend the next decade looking for a romance as perfect as this one.

Rating:
2.5/5 stars
Rounded down to 2 stars

Summary:
After her sister's wedding ends in a horrible bout of food poisoning for almost everyone, Olive Torres goes on an all-expense paid honeymoon vacation. Too bad she has to spend it with Ethan, her now brother-in-law, who she hates. It doesn't take long into the 10-day dream vacation that things change between the two.

Review:
Just a quick read, nothing too special. The first part was much like The Proposal, but set in Hawaii. I enjoyed the banter between Olive and Ethan. Part two was weak and seemed super unrealistic. “You're fired because you lied during your own vacation before we employed you.” Just seems strange and really silly.
Cute, quick, funny banter. Little to no spice. Could have used some spice.

Super divertido, hace rato no leía algo que me tuviera enganchada y que me sacara tantas risas, me encanto la dinámica de los personajes, es super livianito y la historia es bonita.

Me gusto muchísimo también como muestran a la familia de la prota, que tiene ascendencia latina, me recordó bastante a mi familia, siempre preparando comidas y apoyandonos entre todos, me hizo sentir en casa.

»Books are life, they are brain food, they bring joy, and relief, and connection.«(From the ackowledgements)Finally, a good one again! This novel was much more fun than I had expected and it had two brilliant protagonists.Olive and Ethan hate each other - until they don't. (Or maybe they never hated each other but who wants to be a spoil-sport?). On the tropical island of Maui they try hard not to fall for each other but fail miserably. The good thing is: They do so by actually communicating (mostly) intelligently and honestly with each other. They start to trust each other. They support and encourage each other. They grow with each other. Before that happens, though, I really enjoyed their banter:»“I am totally out of my depth here.”“That's been my general impression so far. Be more specific.”«(Is that great art? No, but it's highly entertaining.)Trust needs a deeper level, though, than just amusing, silly banter. Don't get me wrong: The “tropical island”, “holiday”, “summer beach read” vibes are strong in this one and that's wonderful and hilarious. That Christina Lauren is able to deliver on more serious aspects, surprised and delighted me:»Soon, Ethan and I are swimming completely in sync, our feet kicking lazily behind us. He points to things he sees; I do the same. There are no words, no verbal jabs. There is no desire to smack him or poke his eyes out—there is only the confusing truth that holding his hand down here isn't just tolerable, it's nice.«There's an amazing and refreshing balance between the humour and the emotion in the book. There were moments of laughter and fun, but also moments of vulnerability and honesty. The tropical island setting was also a nice backdrop for Olive and Ethan romance, as it gave them a chance to relax and explore.It's nice and, yes, romantic; wholesome even. Maybe I've become soft but I like that and I like it when our heroine simply decides to go for honesty “under duress”... »Honesty has always seemed to work best for us: “I'm freaking out a little that you suggested we spend the day together, just us, and it doesn't make me want to rappel down the balcony.”«There are still a few scenes during which I would have liked to grab them and force them to talk straight but mostly they simply do just that and it's so satisfying! I think they both showed a lot of maturity and respect for each other, which made me root for them even more.When at home, Olive and Ethan even get their priorities right:»“Garlic chicken first, sex second.”«(Speaking of that second “course”: It could have been a bit more spicy and detailed. The sex scenes were a bit too vague and fade-to-black for my taste. I would have liked to see more of their passion and intimacy, especially after all the build-up and tension. It's a funny, clever, warm, nice novel with a brilliant Olive and Ethan so I'd argue we deserve better!)As mentioned, Olive and Ethan are wisely using their time to build trust... Until they don't; in the third-act breakup - but even that feels plausible: Thomas believes his brother and not his partner. Olive is understandably extremely annoyed and disappointed by that and pretty much walks out on Ethan whereas he formally ends their relationship. And, at the time, it made a whole lot of sense. »I know now that it's a waste of my time looking for reasons, or fate, or luck. But I've definitely come to embrace choices in the past month or so, and I'm going to have to figure out which one I'll make where Ethan is concerned—do I forgive him, or do I walk away?«It even helps Olive along because she fully recognises her feelings for Ethan - and for herself:»I feel more myself with him than without, and that happened so fast, it's dizzying.«Even while pining for Ethan, Olive remains strong and self-reliant:»“I don't have to do anything where Ethan Thomas is concerned.”«And, ultimately, Olive's final conflict - trust him again or leave him for good? - also plays out plausibly: She knows very well her trust might be misplaced and that it might be a good idea to leave him - but she doesn't want to leave and trusts herself (and partly him). She prioritises love while seeing its risks and it is entirely her clear-headed decision. That is courageous and, in my book, admirable.I liked how Olive didn't let Ethan or anyone else define her or make decisions for her. She had her own goals and dreams, and she pursued them with determination and confidence. She also had a lot of self-awareness and self-respect, and she didn't settle for less than she deserved. I applaud that.For this much mutual honesty and fun, courage and thoughtfulness; for this fresh breeze of self-reliance and respect - how could I award anything less than five out of five stars?»“Ethan,” I whisper, and dart my eyes around, feeling the pressure of everyone's attention on us, still. This moment is starting to feel like a reconciliation, and as much as my heart and lungs and lady parts are on board for that, I don't want to roll over the deeper issue here, which is that what he did by ignoring my truth wasn't okay. “You really hurt me. We had this rare, awesome honesty, and so when you thought I was lying, it was really hard.”«Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Well, that ending was a real letdown. I can't help but wonder why I enjoyed the first 75% of the book when the atmosphere was so well-described and believable. I mean, the author really nailed it there. And let's not forget the amusing banter between Olive and Ethan, which had me laughing out loud at times.

But seriously, I just can't believe Olive made the choice she did. After all her thoughtfulness for her sister, I wish she had shown some independent thinking for herself. It's a shame because the story was actually pretty good, but I can't help feeling sad about the ending.

I've decided to give this book a three-star rating now. I'm just tired of reading about female characters who make dumb and desperate decisions when it comes to their own well-being. It's disappointing to see this recurring theme. While the book has its good points, this aspect has left me feeling frustrated and less satisfied with the overall reading experience.

There are definitely some parts that I enjoyed, but overall, this book wasn't for me. Part of my problem is that this felt like two different books. I enjoyed the first (romcom) half better.

Achei ridículo como Ami e Ethan trataram Olive nas discussões com ela perto do final do livro, como se ela fosse super negativa e egoísta (??) o tempo todo, nada a ver demais, super exagero. Fora que achei podre o pedido de desculpas do Ethan no final, francamente, foi muito pouco pro jeito babaca que ele agiu com ela por causa do irmão nojento dele.

O que tirei desse livro é que: odeio homens.

4.5

Mix of audiobook and e-book. Cute enemies-to-lovers storyline. Nothing over-the-top, just a feel-good romance.

3.5⭐
While reading more books of Christina & Lauren, the cowriting becomes more obvious.
The first half of the book, is a happy relaxed and even a bit funny rom com that could easy see becoming a netflix movie.
And then the chaos comes, like reading a totally different book, with a bit of a stupid plot, just to fill pages and pages. It ruined my feeling good time, it made no sense and was even considering just leaving it unfinished.
Why oh why, didn't they just continue with a few more cheesy scenes and happy tones?

3,75✨

Bien para pasar un rato entretenido pero sin más.

El libro iba con menos nota hasta que llegaron las últimas 100 páginas. No me lo esperaba, me ha gustado. El resto ha sido un poco meh. Podría haber tenido 4, pero el epílogo también ha sido meh

I did not expect to like this so much

Loved the first 3/4 of the book and the chemistry between the characters. After that the book went downhill, in my opinion. The last 5 days of the trip weren't talked about and it skipped to afterwards. I would've loved to hear more about the trip itself than the outcomes from after.

I LOVE a hate to love relationship.

The buildup, slowburn and passion simmering just under the surface is one of my favorite romcoms to read, and this one was well done.

I found the characters likable, the story fun, and the drama not too over the top.

3 maybe 3.5 stars.

Men are the wooooooorst