Ugh, this book. I wanted to enjoy a nice, light, chick-lit type book and the description sounded ok. Plus, score, I received an ARC from Netgalley. I somewhat enjoyed Love and Other Words by these authors earlier in the year so I thought this would be pretty good. Only it wasn't.

It started out promising. Millie is best friends with four guys and they are all academia types. Sounds fun. We learn that Millie is better friends with Reid out of all the guys and within the first few pages they start a friends with benefits situation. Ok, fine. But then the whole thing goes off the rails. These people are in their late 20s and early 30s in 2018 and they act like they are still in college, but it's 20 years ago when the internet is new. They decide as a group to try online dating and act like it's something no one does. Then, Millie catfishes Reid with a fake profile. Granted, she starts a new profile because the guys are giving her crap about her real one. Before she can tell them, surprise, she's matched with Reid on the fake account!

Now, here's where I can't relate to Millie. Instead of coming right out and saying - ha! We matched by 98% on this thing, maybe we should try giving a real relationship a try - Millie sends a cute response with a slight inside joke thinking Reid will catch on. He doesn't. Again, at any time she could reveal herself. Instead she continues the charade and continues the FWB situation. Even when Reid figures out the fake account is Millie he doesn't confront her. He just gets mad and leaves. Then the books spends time with him sulking and not speaking to most of his friends and ignoring Millie. While I totally understood his anger, his reaction just seemed childish.

Overall, this would have been fun if it wasn't 2018. I would have loved this book back in the late 90s when I was a young 20something and the internet was still new, along with online dating. But in 2018 this just didn't feel right. Not to mention I just can't relate to the whole game playing dating nonsense. It was never my style. To read characters with professional careers act like immature kids was just too much.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first read by Christina Lauren. My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a friends to lovers romance between Millie and Reid who belong to a group of nerdy colleagues and friends.

None of the friends have had any success at love, so they decide to try online dating. Throughout the process, Millie and Reid realize they have deeper feelings for each other than friendship, but while their feelings for each other continue to grow, Millie struggles to open up and be completely honest and truthful with Reid.

I personally loved the camaraderie and friendship between all the characters. It was fun and witty and snarky. All the good things. The moments between Millie and Reid were both sweet and sexy, and as always, I'm a sucker for friendship that turns into more, so I enjoyed seeing how Millie and Reid's relationship evolved.

I will be on the lookout for more works by Christina Lauren.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

I got hooked from the first part, because in college and many years later, my group of friends were all guys. No matter what we did or where we went me and sometimes my sister were the only girls in the group. Another thing I can relate to her with was not speaking about what was going on at home. Whatever was going on at home or with my family was never spoken about. If they did not need to know they didn’t know and they did not need to know. It’s always been like that all growing up. I didn’t have a tragedy like Millie but all families deal with there own things differently and ours was not spoke about it.

Christina Lauren did an amazing job with all the details, describing people and who they are, the texts, the conversations. It was very well written.

I don’t want to spoil it for you but I would definitely read this book, I have already recommended it to my sister and a couple friends when it releases. When they say that what you’ve been looking for is right in-front if you the whole time, is an understatement. They had to sleep together, date others and online date to figure out that they are meant for each other!

Look around you and make sure you notice everything and everyone, because you might not know that what you want or need is staring right back at you!

** I received this ARC for my honest review. **

My first book by these authors. While it seems chick lit is a dying genre lately with all the new adult books out there, I'm always ecstatic to find a nice read that can still be called chick lit.

3.5.

Millie has been part of a group for a while now, since her breakup with her boyfriend and boss, and it's becoming evident how they've been enabling each other's lack of effort in finding themselves partners. Things go out of control when after too many drinks, she sleeps with her best friend Reid. They need to meet new people and what's better than the internet? The idea seems fun enough until Millie finds out her best match is none other than Reid and starts mailing him under a pseudonym.

This was a fun read but it didn't go by that fast. I'm not sure what the problem was, but I didn't seem to make much progress on the book. I guess the story wasn't enticing enough even if these writers' style is a breathe of fresh air. You basically guess the whole plot from the summary, and I think it lacked cute scenes to compensate for predictability.

On the other hand, we had wonderful characters. I loved that group of friends, and online chat logs are always a good addition. I also appreciated how much we learn about Millie and her flaws, it made the character very real. A good bonus for the end, how she overcomes her issues. It's a pity I can't spoil you, but it was a very realistic solution.

This wasn't the most memorable chick lit I've read but it made me see Christina Lauren isn't/aren't just about the hype. I'll surely watch out for their future releases!


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

This has been the CL year for me, I devoured and loved Love and Other Words as well as Josh and Hazel so I was sorely disappointed that My Favorite Half-Night Stand was just kind of meh for me.

Overall I just didn’t buy into the cliché. Email to lovers is quickly becoming my favorite trope. I’ve actually read quite a few this year and when done well I am ALL IN however with Reid and Millie I didn’t buy Reid’s emails at all. No man writes 6+ paragraphs pouring their heart out to a stranger. In all of my books by CL and I have read MANY this is the first time the male POV did not feel authentic. My husband replies with single, limited characters via text. Getting an entire paragraph would be like pulling teeth but pages, nah not happening.

There were other nuances that weren’t fleshed out, we’re told rather than experienced. And parts seemed far too familiar with other books I have read from their backlog. With that said CL will continue to be an auto buy author for me, you can’t win them all, even if this was a flop for me it will def not deter me from reading future CL books.

Christina Lauren does it again with this friends with benefits to more than friends hit! Millie and Reid are faculty colleague at UCSB who regular hang out with their group of other male friends. When Obama is coming to town for a faculty function they all make a pact to find a date using a dating app. But things start to get confusing when Millie and Reid hook up for a half-night stand! With secrets and mishaps, Millie and Reid must figure out what and who they really want. One of my favorite Christina Lauren books to date! Bravo!

Oh, how I LOVED this book. I completely devoured it in one weekend. I smiled and giggled the entire time. Millie was an amazing and relatable character. Reid was the dream guy. And the other three guys...well, I absolutely can't wait for their stories! (Hint: I'm really hoping they each get their own book!) HIGHLY recommend this title.

I'm really happy to see that chick lit/contemporary romance is returning, and that Christina Lauren is leading the charge. <i>My Favorite Half-Night Stand</i> is their latest offering of a lighthearted romance, and it's a fun, quick, female-centric read. I received the ARC of <i>My Favorite Half-Night Stand</i> right after I had finished <i>Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating</i> so admittedly the two books blended together--after reading a few of their books the characters' voices all tend to sound the same. I hope for their next offering they make the characters a little more distinct from previous ones.

I loved this book so much! The nerdiness of it all was amazing. The chat parts were fun. I really had no issues with the book. The pop culture references were great. All the characters were very lovable. Loved that Reid made Millie work for her forgiveness in a way that made her grow. Perfect, fun read to lose yourself in for an afternoon.

Another friends to lovers hit for Christina Lauren!. Millie and Reid were so relatable. Poor Millie is a bit closed off emotionally (a carryover from her childhood) and has a hard time talking about anything about her past or her feelings. Reid is her best friend and 1 of 4 guys that make up her group of friends. And boy are these guys some characters! Their group chats including the little avatars, were hysterical. Seeing Reid and Millie stumble their way into a relationship, making some pretty big mistakes along the way, was marvelous.

4.5 stars.
Since I began reading Christina Lauren, I have enjoyed every single one of her books. This is no exception. I devour her books, often in one sitting, and then I'm left with a book hangover and wanting more. The stories are so simple. Two characters slowly fall in love, go through some angst, and yet, still end up together in the end. It should be a stale premise but it's not! Christina Lauren finds a way to freshen up the classic tropes and make it seem like it's the first time.
Millie and her 4 guy friends all work at UCSB as professors. There's a big event coming up in a few months and they will all need dates. Instead of resorting to seeing who gets dibs on Millie and having the others scramble for one, they all decide to try online dating. Millie is immediately inundated with guys who want to show off their goods and want to see hers. She starts a new profile without telling the others, uses another name, and a picture that doesn't show her face. What happens when she ends up being matched with one of the guys from the group?
I don't want to give everything away but there's a very big You've Got Mail element that goes on throughout the book. I loved it and was anxious about it the whole time. I kept waiting for her to slip up or for him to figure it out. I loved the dynamic between Millie and Reid as well as the group as a whole. The group chats were funny and there hangouts were really enjoyable. What I also loved was that there were actually consequences to Millie's actions. It added the much needed angst before we got to that happy ending. This is a great book with well-written friendships, relationships, and romance. I would happily read it again and recommend it to everyone who loves Christina Lauren's writing.

Christina Lauren has become my go-to to break a reading slump. I can count on her books to pull me in, keep my attention and make me care about the characters, My Favorite Half-Night Stand is no exception.. I want to be friends with Millie, Reid and the rest of their group. A gala is happening and the group decides to try online dating and for Millie it does not go as planned. Reid is her best friend and Millie wants him to be happy but is not impressed when he starts talking to a woman. Millie finds herself creating a profile that none of the friends know about and becoming competitive when she matches with Reid. But can Millie share herself and her feelings.as herself? A story of friendship and finding the courage to share yourself.

I generally enjoy Christina Lauren's books and this one is no exception. This one was missing..something. I found myself frustrated by the lies that just kept building--It all could have been fixed with the truth. I would have liked to have more about the guys and their frustrations, especially poor Alex who gets ultimately shafted in the end. The ending was rushed and wrapped everything up a little too well..

Millie and her 3 guy friends are all smart, well accomplished faculty at the university. But when Obama is scheduled to speak at a gala, they decide they need a date, hence sign up to a dating website.

From here on out the shenanigans begin. And by shenanigans I mean perfectly normal dating app issues we all experience(d).

Only thing is, Millie and Reid have a special connection, and when the app matches them, a situation manifests where they court each other but one of them isn't aware.

The plot isn't very complex, but the emotional depth of each of the characters, within this setting, it spot on. The characters' arc is natural and simple, but Millie's is absolutely perfect, to the point where in some aspects of her life I felt like we're soul twins.

I absolutely loved each and every character in this story. They are genuine, funny, dramatic and conflicted.

I ADORED Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating and was really looking forward to this one. It seemed to have the same funny, romcom vibe.

I was a little wary of the catfishing set up but decided to request it for review anyway.

I should have went with my gut.

The positives:

I liked the whole gang of friends. They're kind of weird but fun and supportive in their weirdness lol

Both Millie and Reid are good people - until the dating fiasco which I'll get to.

I loved the idea of the dating app and look at online dating. It can lend itself to a lot of hilarious situations (like in Josh & Hazel)

but....

Almost the entire plot of this book is based on lies and miscommunication. One conversation would have resolved things in either direction - staying friends or moving on.

As the story went on and both Millie and Reid did more and more questionable things - I lost interest in their HEA and started disliking them as people. I did get where they were each coming from but all of it went on too long and walked a line that wasn't romantic at all imo.

Lauren's books are always hot or miss for me - Josh & Hazel will be on my Best of 2018 list but this was a miss.

Lots of laughs and a few tears as 5 friends discover on line dating and how friendship sometimes means a lot more! Great weekend book couldn't put it down!

This book is about a group of friends, Millie the token female, Reid, Ed, Alex, and Chris and their quest to find dates for a work function. The story explores what happens when best friends have a half night stand and also when they all decide to join a dating app to find a date. It is sort of a bit of a train wreck at one point you can see it is not going to lead to good things and you want to yell and the heroine to be smart because nothing good is going to happen, but you can't look away while she continues to make a mess of things. Its a good light read and I really enjoyed all the characters!

Well, I'm happy to say Christina Lauren are back with a novel I adored. The premise is fun and realistic, the writing engaging, and the chemistry perfection. Reading this book made me remember what I love about their writing and why I've been a fan of almost all of their books: how they create magic with prose. How they sweep me into the story until I feel like I'm with them the entire story. Like I'm a side character sitting on the side of every scene, observing. Even better, we get inside the heads of our hero and heroine. So even though I'm a side character, I also get the chance to be psychic.

I only hope Christina Lauren make this the first in a series. There's a group of friends and I want them all to have their HEA. The epilogue alludes to some of these HEA's but I want the details with their own stories. Fingers crossed.

Regardless, you can't go wrong with this book, especially if you're a fan of witty contemporary romance, compelling storylines, with kickass chemistry.

The book's beginning premise of why these friends needed dates fell flat for me.. It didn't seem like a necessary thing and to need them to something that is that exceptional of an experience to take someone that they just started dating. BUT and I mean BUT the authors in the end say EXACTLY what I was feeling and its made into a type of joke! AND AND AND I just fell in love with these characters and groups of friends! I especially enjoyed reading the book on my iPad and seeing images of each character and getting an accurate visual picture of each character was a cool tie into the book!

If you enjoy a friends to lovers romance you will fall in love with these nerdy college professors!

Absolutely loved it. Christina Lauren may be my new favorite contemporary romance author. This is the second one I've read, but I'm planning to go back and read any others.

Millie is so relatable. Her mistakes are understandable, and she's really well-drawn. Reid might be essentially perfect. The only thing that bugged me about the book is when, early on, Reid notes that Millie has a great body because she swims and eats right. But then basically every time we see her eating, it's junk food. If she goes swimming at all in the book, I missed it. A female MC doesn't have to be physically perfect to be sexy. It's not a huge deal, but it annoyed me. That line should've been cut. Or Millie needed to be more health conscious throughout the book. It didn't affect the book overall, though, and most readers won't notice.