3.5 After reading their awesome "Josh & Hazel" book, I was really excited to get another Christina Lauren book, but this was a bit different. The lie is my least favorite trope, and while the results of it are dealt with in a really deep way towards the end (the authors are REALLY good at getting into the characters' heads), I wasn't as big of a fan of this one because of it. Other fans of the authors might not have that particular handicap and probably will enjoy it more than I did.

Millie meets her match in this adult contemporary romance.

This book is essentially a cross between <i>Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating</i> and <i>Love and Other Words</i>, which is interesting considering I loved one and disliked the other. <i>My Favorite Half-Night Stand</i> has a very similar premise to the first – two best friends try to find love elsewhere only to discover they love each other. Yet despite the fun premise, this book had the same problematic characters and overly dramatic story line as <i>Love and Other Words</i>. While the main characters, Millie and Reid, obviously connect to one another, I honestly didn’t think their romance was necessarily healthy for either of them. The novel’s last chapters lifts some of my concern over their problematic relationship, but not enough to justify a “happily for now” ending.

This is the second CLo story I’ve read where one of the main characters loses a parent at a young age, stunting their emotional development as an adult. I just don’t connect to these characters. Granted, I’ve never lost a parent. When I do lose a parent (’cause it will happen), I’ll be well past my formative years. Do most adults having lost a parent at a young age struggle with connecting on a deeper level to others as adults? God, I hope not. The story would be more enjoyable to me if it focused more on Millie’s emotional growth not with just Reid, but with her other friends and family. Less romance, more character development please.

<b>tl;dr With a cute friends to lovers premise, I should have loved it; but the emotionally stunted main characters and overly dramatic story line didn’t cut it for me.</b>

This is my first book by Christina Lauren and I will definitely be going back and finding more! Such a delightfully funny read.
Millie is the singular female in a group of friends and is treated just like one of the guys...well, by all but one. An upcoming event will require them to have dates so they decide online profiles are needed to find them. Her profile is a little blah so she creates a second one. What follows: secret relationships, "almost".lies, hookups and good ole life lessons is sure to please.
I think you will fall in love with this book like I did and I'll definitely be recommending it to my book groups!

I received an advanced reader's copy for a fair and honest review.

Whenever I read a CLo book I expect certain things: wit, heart, swoons, and great characters. My Favorite Half Night Stand, an usual take on the friends to lovers trope with an online dating twist did not disappoint.

What I loved most about this book was the importance of openness and being yourself. Millie almost misses out because she's afraid to be opened and to let people in. When she does it's under the guise of someone else -- which only leads to problems.

Finding your people that allows you the opportunity to be yourself and share joy in your triumphs and pain in your sorrows. A great lesson thrown into the middle of contemporary romance novel.

This book was so funny. The cast of characters was fantastic. This group of friends could rival the Beautiful and Wild Seasons gangs.

I wanted a little more from the conclusion -- the ending felt a little rushed and felt like it was missing some details of what happened.

I really liked how Christina Lauren built up the relationship between these characters. It was burning hot!

I really enjoyed this book. I think the authors have really come a long way with their writing and storytelling since their first books. There was humor and romance throughout the book and the constant pull of the "will they/won't they" storyline kept me reading. I would recommend this to fans of the author and anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

I'm just going to need Christina Lauren to keep churning out books because they're total "one-sitting" books and I can't get enough. Their books are just good fun and My Favorite Half Night Stand is no exception. Fans will not be disappointed.

The authors have created an adorably lovable group of friends and quirky side characters and as with all their books, I was hooked right away. Those familiar with the horrors of online dating will find themselves nodding along with Millie as she points out how different the experience is for her than her group of male friends. My only criticism is that there didn't seem to be much standing in the way of Reid and Millie being together and at a certain point the constant mentioning of Millie's inability to open up and be honest just felt redundant. Not enough of a criticism to turn me off of the story though. Another win for Christina Lauren!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary romance. This one has a bit more emotional depth to it.

Overall I enjoyed this book, I read it in an afternoon/evening. I liked the "found family" aspect of the book, and the quirky characters. I wish that Millie and Reid's personalities would have been just a bit more apparent. I loved that she was into True Crime and serial killers, but it seemed like such a small part of her personality, despite it being her profession. This book was a bit more emotional than some of the other CL books that I have read. There is a lot of character growth, struggles, and some tough issues. In addition to it being a bit more emotional, it also wasn't quite as comic as some of their other books. While I did enjoy this one, Josh and Hazel has not been knocked from the top spot for me.

There is a reason that tropes exist and the Hallmark movies are successful. Sometimes you just need to be engrossed in a story where you know exactly what will happen.

There are no surprises in My Favorite Half-Night Stand. But the characters are likable, if a little caricature at times, and you can't help but feel for them. I'd love to see and learn more about Chris and Ed. It's a quick read with lots of letters and chat/text conversations that nicely break up the text but continue to move the story forward. While most of the book is a bit superficial, it does hit you in the heart when Millie finally opens up. I wish there had been more weight to other aspects of the book.

I do have a little bit of a problem with a 29-year-old woman being a professor at UCSB and living in alone in a townhouse in Santa Barbara - that's a little too fantasy for me. Do you know what housing costs are like in Santa Barbara?!? I do (I did my graduate studies at UCSB.) Also, Reid is a little too perfect. A man who is super intuitive and wants all the feelings? Where can I find one of those magical creatures?

I recommend the book for those that want a quick, light-hearted, happily ever after. The book was exactly what I thought it would be, but that's not a bad thing. Sometimes, that is just what we need in this complicated, messy world.

Reid and Millie's relationship frustrating and seemed childish at times.
While I normally love a “friends to lovers” story, this book just didn’t keep me interested and I found myself skimming pages.

I did enjoy the banter between the group of friends Millie has surrounded herself with.

Reid and Millie have been best friends for years along with three other nerds. They are all rather clueless when it comes to dating. When an important event is on the horizon that will require them to each have a plus one, as a group they decide to try a dating app. However, one half night with Reid, a poorly written profile, and a bit of jealousy, pushes Millie into making a decision that may very well cause the downfall of the closest relationships she’s ever had.

I love a story that entails emails or texts. Add in a bit of secrecy over who the other person sending the messages is and I’m totally invested. This was filled with so much goodness. Lots of humor between the characters along with a bit of angst and I was a happy reader.

Millie was closed off and unable to share the things that really mattered. As she realizes she wants Reid in her life in a different way, she also learns she’s going to have to make some changes that will require quite a bit of work on her part. She was fun and witty and knew just how to handle her group of friends but lost when it came time to open up to them.

Reid was smart and dedicated to his job. He didn’t initially desire Millie but when the opportunity to spend the night with her presented itself he took it. He never chased Millie, which was kind of a disappointment to me, but followed her lead. He was definitely a beta hero but I liked him all the same.

The conclusion to this story was perfect for the situation and I loved seeing how Millie faced her issues and dealt with them. This is a fast paced read with a cast of characters that were so much fun. The steam level isn’t really high, in my opinion. The chemistry here seemed to be a bit lacking but the relationship struggle and the hilarity of the group more than made up for it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Pocket Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to netgalley and Gallery Books for the free review copy.
My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren was one of those rare books that I didn’t want to end and I’m already missing. I promptly added it to both my Christmas and Amazon Wish lists 😆 I love when a book can make me laugh out loud and relate to one or more characters.

Friends to lovers with a side of catfishing confusion. This is my first CL read and I enjoyed it! Reid and Millie have a strong friendship where they already respect and enjoy each other and in this story we see how their relationship comes about. Through a series of friends with benefits moments to some group drama (hello catfish and online dating) and some more serious emotional and family concerns this book was a quick and fun read. I appreciate that there were hurdles that they both had to overcome and I couldn't stop smiling at the use of and role of the dating app in this story. The daily letters and the group text messages were fantastic and so relevant to today's reliance on social media/technology! They also highlight the genius of that book cover:)

I don't know if this author duo has series or only standalone, but I would love to return to this group and see how they all are doing! I loved the conclusion in Seattle that showed who Ed was dating, how the group was doing, etc., but I would to see them in a few months and see how everyone is doing as a group, couple, families, etc. as all the characters were extremely charismatic and brought their own humor and concerns to the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Christina Lauren and Gallery Books for the chance to read this book and share my opinions!

This was my first Christina Lauren book. When I told a friend I’d taken it for review she gushed about how much she loved their books. I can now say I agree. My Favorite Half-Night Stand was hysterically funny and yet sweetly touching too. I laughed. I cried.

The group of UC Santa Barbara professor friends is witty, fun and really click. I loved them all.

Millie is smart and fun. She’s the one they kept when she and their friend broke up. It’s obvious to the group that she and Reid are into each other. Apparently, far sooner than it’s obvious to the two of them. Reid may be a science nerd but he’s still hot. Such a genuinely nice guy. He’s as funny and witty as Millie.

One night Millie makes the move on Reid and life as they know it changes though they live in denial for awhile. These two are so made for each other but Millie has to get a whole lot better at being part of a couple. This dynamic adds lots of conflict and stress to their story.

Now Millie has let their online dating pact turn into a huge lie through which she’s finally able to open up to Reid about her life. It’s both the best and worst outcome tied together.

This is the funniest book I’ve read in ages and had the added bonus of a hard earned happily ever after. Perfect entertainment!

3.5 Stars

Five friends who work in the high intelligence but possibly low in social skills field of academia at a California University decide their dating lives have been seriously lacking after they receive an invitation to a major function that includes a plus one. Millie is the only gal among this group. To spice things up in an unintended way, Millie and one of the guys, who happens to be her best friend, hook up after a party celebrating his receiving tenure. Reid and Millie don’t want this lapse in judgement to spoil everything they have; however, while this elaborate set up with the online dating scheme is happening, they both feel a deepening attraction.

Millie wades into murky waters of catfishing by setting up a secret profile as “Catherine” only to be matched with Reid. So they start a relationship online unbeknownst to him that it is Millie. For Millie, she can be her true self opening up in a way she never has with anyone. As Shakespeare said, “the truth will out,” so when that inevitably happens, the results are not surprising. Before the big reveal, the friendship dynamics between Millie and her group of guys plays out in the form of social gatherings and IM chat threads. Each member has relationship issues in part because of their dedication to very demanding jobs so these thirtysomethings have shall we say, some catching up to do in the dating world.

While I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this novel including the humorous, clever writing, and the inside look at the pitfalls of online dating especially for woman, Millie is one of those characters you want to smack with her own book. What she does to Reid in keeping up this subterfuge is quite frustrating. Her lack of sensitivity and major life fumble makes it hard to empathize with Millie although there are some valid reasons why she is so emotionally shut off. In some ways this feels like a role reversal where the female character has issues dealing with feelings while the male is in touch with his “feminine side.” I wonder if readers will fault Millie even more because of expectations of how women generally process and understand emotions making her actions seem so wrong. Fans of this writing duo will have a lot to chew on with this book.

This author duo does it again; they entertain their readers with a romantic comedy that is witty and thought-provoking. Set on a college campus in California, Millie and her four guy friends are all professors. Millie’s specialty is serial killers and criminology, making her that much more interesting to this mystery buff. But what was a mystery to me was that Millie could not seem to have a real romantic relationship. Instead, she settles for a “half-night stand” with Reid, one of her best friends, and their sexual encounter is mind-blowing for both of them. Nevertheless, instead of pursuing a relationship with each other, they make the decision to use online apps to find someone to go to a black tie gala on campus. The four guy friends have no difficulty getting multiple offers from real hotties, but Millie is stuck with creepers. Teased mercilessly by her friends, Millie sets up a second persona named Catherine and lays all of her life truths out there online. Who does she attract? Well, that’s where the fun really comes in, and I don’t want to spoil the whole story. This was a modernized loves story, using online dating in a way that was so humorous. The thought-provoking part was that of the friendships and the relationships that were formed from them. This is a contemporary romance that fans of that genre will definitely want to read!

I’ve been looking forward to reading My Favorite Half-Night Stand for some time now, simply based on the cover. I have a soft spot for books that involve texting, emails, letters, any form of written communication really. Needless to say, I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. I’m a huge Christina Lauren fan to boot, so I couldn’t wait to dive in.

While this book was not exactly what I’d expected, I still really enjoyed it. The messaging aspect of the book didn’t play out quite the way I thought it would, but that’s probably due to the fact that I never read a synopsis. Despite that, it was a very fun and sweet read.

Millie’s character was rather interesting. I enjoyed watching her grow and learn how to open up. I like imperfect characters, but only if they have some real personal growth. She was sweet, smart, kind, funny and from the sounds of it, gorgeous. Reid was also a great character. He was all of those previously listed adjectives and more. I loved him. I especially loved the idea of Millie and Reid together. The journey though was rocky and I enjoyed watching them navigate these very unique and interesting waters.

All of the supporting characters were wonderful as well, as is common with Christina Lauren. Their characters, even peripheral, are always well-developed, interesting, and always have something special to add to the story. Since I’ve read a lot of their books, I have a lot of favorites, and while My Favorite Half-Night Stand isn’t at the top of that list, I still really enjoyed it. I think it’s a great feel-good love story that will make it difficult to keep a smile off of your face.

This is the first book I’ve read by the author duo of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, whose pen name is Christina Lauren. They have fourteen New York Times bestselling novels, and I can see why. This is written in such an easy-breezy style, toss in a little bit of love story with a few twists, and a young woman whose heart has a hard time opening up to being vulnerable.

When she was eleven Millie and her younger sister Elly were told by their mother that she was sick. From that moment on, it seemed as if her world changed, her view of her place in the world changed, and it became imperative not to bother her with their worries, but to ”give her something else to think about.”

”So we didn’t. We told her that everything was great at school. We told her we were happy, that we loved her, that we didn’t need anything. And I kept the things I really wanted to tell her tucked away for when she was better.”

”My quieter truths weren’t bursting to get out of me: I was fine keeping them inside.”

Now Millie is a professor, as are all of her friends. Her closest group of friends consists of only men, Reid, Ed, Chris and Alex, and of those it is Reid that she is closest to. Millie’s specialty is in criminology, specifically serial killers – even more specifically: female serial killers. Reid is a neuroscientist, which may not be Millie’s area of focus, but it doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a drink or two or three together now and then. Usually with their whole group together, but then inevitably there is also time alone. Especially one night when Millie might have had slightly too much to drink and Reid drives her home. The flirty banter that began earlier that evening between Millie and Reid seems like an invitation, a challenge to see if, perhaps, there is something more to their friendship to investigate. A somewhat steamy half-night stand ensues, followed by the internal questioning of what-have-we-done? Not that they regret it, but it is probably best not to share what happened on this night.

And then there is news that the university event is going to be black tie, and they all realize they need to find dates. Eventually online dating becomes the option they decide to try, and things begin to get complicated.

This was sweet and fun, a little predictable, but overall a nice, light romantic comedy.


Pub Date: 04 December 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Gallery Books - Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books

This story about a group of friends who work together was a fun read! When the group of 4 guys and Millie decide to use a dating app to find dates for a social event, Millie finds she matches up with Reid…however, Reid doesn’t know it is Millie. I wasn’t too impressed with Millie and her sneaky ways, but I understand the part she played and how it adds to the story.

The Christina Lauren writing duo has written a very enjoyable book. The characters mesh well and I love the friendship they have and how they can overcome situations. I enjoyed the way the texting was done in this book. It added a different twist to the reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

I just love great characters and Christina Lauren writes some of the best. My Favorite Half-Night Stand had one of those 'misunderstandings' that was easy to believe and an ending that worked. A great read.