Coming out of Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, one of my favorite books of the year, I was convinced Christina Lauren could do no wrong. So this book was a healthy slap in the face. I really, really, really was not a fan. In fact, I think it's the first Christina Lauren book I've encountered where I didn't like the main character, and I hoped she wouldn't end up together with the love interest.

This started out so promising. I LOVED the best friends to lovers trope in the beginning. I would give this book 5 stars for the first 10 percent if it were a novella on its own. But I was quickly disappointed.

I usually applaud Christina Lauren novels for having characters that are so communicative, but this was the opposite. I hate how Millie misled Reid and tried to catfish him rather than being open and honest about her feelings. This is probably my personal preference, but it’s annoying and unrelatable to me when main characters don’t like opening up about themselves, so all the drama that occurred because of that felt very preventable and exhausting. I really hated Millie for misleading Reid and causing so much drama in their friend group and making Reid look like an idiot rather than simply being honest. It was frustratingly immature, especially because Millie is 30 years old with a doctorate degree and yet couldn't even communicate the littlest details of her life.

And that's another thing: this book is definitely not written for someone my age (early 20s). I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re a millennial or younger. It’s about older people with careers trying to navigate online dating apps, and it’s just SO cringy. I’m usually down for how “modern” Christina Lauren romances are, but this one is just downright embarrassing because the characters are writing bios for dating profiles to try and make themselves seem appealing and dateable, but the ones they agree on are so cringy. If I were reading those profiles, I would definitely pass on all of them. I’m sad because usually Christina Lauren books are funny and just the right about of pop culture references, but this one was just… bad. Often.

And beside the tech part of the story, a lot of the dialogue was uncharacteristically cheesy in this. Again, I usually like when Christina Lauren pokes at modern references, but more often than not, I feel like they were used clunkily in this story, probably because the characters themselves were weirdly awkward. For example, at one point Reid said something like, "You should download this app" and Millie's immediate response was "I know, you mansplainer!!" and I get she was poking fun at that word and how it's come into popularity recently but it was so forced and gimmicky. And I felt like this, often.

This particular comment didn’t take away from my rating of the book but still was something I got stuck on a time or two—the cast of 5 main characters in this book was diverse racially, but every single one of those people was heterosexual and looking for a partner of the opposite sex. A bit heteronormative.

So I don't know if it's because Christina Lauren is publishing two books in 6 months, but this one was so much weaker than Josh & Hazel. I skim read a lot of the confrontation and drama scenes because I was so over Millie being non-confrontational and lying because she was afraid of her feelings. By the end, I understood why she behaved that way, but I much prefer seeing characters who are open and communicative instead of slogging through 200 pages of conflict that is completely preventable if characters just opened their mouths and were honest.

Funny, light-hearted, completely enjoyable! A group of friends have to find a date for an event so they turn to the dating app. Their experiences are hilarious!

I cannot tell a lie...I almost didn't finish this book. That is hard for me to say because I LOVE Christina Lauren. But this one...this one almost got a DNF. But it didn't.
What I loved: After I finished the book, I looked at it deeper. This book isn't just a "romance" it goes deeper than that. We learn A LOT about the Millie right from the start, but we forget that. We are given a statistic about women serial killers and I think that stat is telling us more than just about Millie's job. I loved that this book actually made me think (how many romance books really do that?). You may think that Millie is the MC, but I think the MC is really Reid.
What I liked: This wasn't just a "romance" in the true sense of the book. There was some deviation from the typical roles in a romance novel.
What I hated: I was trying to pigeon hole this book into a category that it didn't belong in...I tried to make it "just a romance" and it's not.

In the beginning this book seemed WAY to similar to Josh and Hazel, but keep going. It's a very different book.

This follows Christina Lauren's usual style of alternating narrators. Which is great, but I think their writing is getting deeper and deeper and I love it. Excited for what comes next from these two.

I absolutely loved this book. This is the first book by this author I have read and I'm so glad I took a chance. This book was funny, charming, sexy, and has great friendships.

Millie and Reid are friends. They hang out with a couple of other guys but the two of them are the closest. However it wasn't until one night that Millie has a little bit too much to drink that her eyes are opened to just how HOT Reid is. After a night together they try and go back to being friends.

I really liked these two as a couple. From the very first moment these two are introduced, you know they are meant to be together. They already act like they are together except for the physical intimacy. Their friendship was just more..that was why it didn't seem weird when people found out.

One aspect of this book I really liked was that Reid was the one pushing for more of a emotional connection. He was the one asking for Millie to open up more. This is rare in a book and I loved seeing it from the male perspective.

I wish I knew how Christina Lauren comes out with multiple books a year and they are all this good! I love how they take such a fresh perspective on relationships and totally suck me in every time. The premise of this one involves dating apps (which is allllll too real for me) and best friends Millie and Reid. Be sure to catch this one in December!

Thank you to Gallery books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I adore these authors, but somehow it missed the mark. The characters didn’t grab me as I’d expected. Millie wasn’t all that likable, she was too insecure for the woman she was supposed to be. I also thought her reaction to things Reid would say or do were a bit childish and didn’t exactly fit her character. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this story I did not. It just didn’t work for me.

Hey, CLo-- y'all available for writing an online dating bio? Asking for a friend.

But seriously, the world nowadays is a crazy, beautiful, messed-up place, and to throw dating in the mix-- are you kidding me? I couldn't have related to these thirty-somethings more if I tried. Their friend group is total goals and I was living for their group chats. Online dating and text features are not new additions to books, but CLo kept it fresh, y'all! Each character was so unique and had captivating personalities. And props to whoever decided to add the avatars/pictures to the group chat scenes-- so dang accurate!

Also, I loved the role reversal in My Favorite-Half Night Stand-- not all men are emotionally unavailable and not all woman want to find the closest man and tie the knot, and it was fun to watch these two fall. I was so invested in this fictional friendship/relationship that there were parts where my heart felt like it was in a meat grinder. I was like, "No, Millie! Say it! JUST SAY IT!" And, "OMG Reid open your eyes! I feel you buddy, but look right in front of you!"

Basically what I'm saying is that you all need to read this book. My Favorite Half-Night Stand is for all of us out there living life and slayin' our goals... but would like to find the one person that just gets you and wants to slay away right alongside you.

I wished I could have loved this book as much as I have loved other Christina Lauren books. This one was just ok for me.

This dynamic writing duo Christina Lauren is phenomenal and only seems to get better with each published book. Their recent books themes are all about dating, Roomies, Hazels and Josh's Guide to Not Dating and My Favorite Half-Night Stand, is by far the funniest of the three.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand has all the feels, hilarious, emotional, sad, angry, and a comedy of errors which entail catfishing. Maybe this story hits home for me since I met my now husband online during a time when internet dating was evolving and you weren't sure what was really happening and taking a risk was scary as hell. Christina Lauren has a way of writing that brings the reader into the story, sucks you into the drama and before you know it the book is completed and your like smiling and thinking about all the scenarios that are like your own life, only deeper with real-life issues at the forefront. Plus they introduce you to new words and phrases like half -night stand, who knew! If your looking for a great hilarious story, look no further!

Such a funny, romantic, sexy story! I will read ANYTHING these authors write! I would recommend this title to customers that read 50 Shades. This is soo much better!

What a fun reid! (See what I did there?) I enjoyed this quirky and witty novel so much. It made me laugh out loud when I was least expecting it with the comedic relief of Ed, Chris and Alex. Millie's wit, humor and intelligence made me love her so much as the lead protagonist, and Reid was, well....Reid. I loved and admired him for his candor, kind heart and emotional vulnerability. Although I am one of those fortunate Millenials who never had to deal with this absurd whirlwind we call online dating, I have plenty of friends deal with it and vent to me their frustrations, so seeing some similarities in how distressed these all felt about their online profiles and potentially dating and meeting up with their dates resonated with me because I've literally heard it all. Although catfishing is about one of the worst things anyone could possibly do, I understood Millie's intentions and didn't hold it against her. I admired her for opening up in the end and trying to better herself. And I'm so happy they got their happy ending! Mills and Reid forever! Thank you for this sweet and refreshing reid! (Okay, I'll stop now.)

This is my first Christina Lauren book, but it most likely won’t be my last. This was utterly adorable, funny, and just fulfilling in the best way.

I’ve been on a contemporary kick, and it’s sometimes hard to find a really good one. Most are moderately enjoyable, but I rarely find those that I’d love to read again and again. I can happily say that THIS is one of reread. Many times.

Millie is a great female lead. She’s actually funny, intelligent, AND BONUS: is into serial killers! Oh, hello book me! I could really relate to her on that level alone, but even how she acts, speaks, etc were all things I identified with.

And Reid. He was just adorable. Such a GOOD guy! Not the playboy/male whore that so many romances feature. No. He was smart, hot, AND a really great person. It was refreshing to find THAT in a male lead.

As for the story, again, really enjoyable! It did surprise me that their hookup came so early on in the story. However, as things progressed and the “catfishing” began, it really worked well. And for me, the catfishing was the hardest part to overlook. It really bothered me that Millie did what she did. Don’t get me wrong, I understood her reasons. But, once the opportunity to be honest presented itself, she bailed on it. Considering her personality, I did (kind of) see why...but then I’d see the other side of that argument. You should be able to open up and be honest with your best friend. And for whatever reason, she never could. I think that was actually handled really well. It wasn’t just a flick of a light switch, or a man changing who she was. Millie herself wanted to change. And she made the correct decisions to do so...and the ones that were logical.

I was also happy that this wasn’t a sex-filled tale either. That is too often the plot device used to fill spaces where emotional development should be. Not here. I got to know both characters quite well. I got to witness their connection, their relationship...all without graphic and explicit sex! What a novel idea! Sometimes it seems authors forget that the building of a relationship needs more than just explosive lust.

This book made me laugh a lot too. Which is actually pretty hard to do in rom-coms. Often I feel an author will go too far or use shock value or even nonsensical happenings in order to find comedy. Most times that fails. But this was done oh so right. A lot came at the expense of Ed. And also in their group chat threads. Because somehow, even though the focus was mainly on two characters, I felt as though I knew enough about the entire group that I “got” their jokes.

I highly recommend this for people who like funny in their romance. For those who like friends to lovers. Christina Lauren wrote a book that’s not to be missed by anyone who loves rom-coms and has been afraid of—or has been scarred by—online dating.

I was really hoping for Millie and Reid to end up together in My Favorite Half-Night Stand, by Christina Lauren. ( no spoilers, I’m not telling) I received an arc of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review. Millie and Reid are part of a group of friends that work in academia and need dates for a school function. It is a funny, but so often true, commentary on how dating has changed for young adults. I laughed out loud at much of this book, but cared what happened to these likeable characters.

It's crazy...less than a year ago, I had never heard of Christina Lauren or read any of their books. Last November I read Autoboyography and fell madly in love with it. Earlier this year I read Love and Other Words, just to see if my infatuation with them was a fluke. (Spoiler alert: it wasn't.)

About two weeks ago I read their latest book, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, and had visions of pacing myself until December, when their newest book was due to be released. But when I saw My Favorite Half-Night Stand available on NetGalley, you bet I pounced, and I was thrilled to be approved nearly instantaneously. And wouldn't you know it? Once again, the duo has struck gold, capturing my heart with another book...and I guess lengthening my wait for the next one. Damn.

The only woman in her group of best friends, Millie Morris is truly one of the guys. She and all of her friends are super-smart professors; her specialty just happens to be serial killers—female serial killers, in fact. Millie can drink her guy friends under the table, throw multiple double entendres into a sentence without blinking, and is more than happy to play video games and stuff her face alongside her friends any night of the week.

Of all of her guy friends, Millie is probably closest to neuroscientist Reid Campbell. They've always had that half-flirty, half-brother-and-sister thing down pat, and they both feel happiest in each other's company. So it's almost no surprise when a night of celebratory drinking ends up with the two of them in bed, enjoying a few hot rounds of sex before agreeing they're better off keeping their relationship platonic—and keeping their wild half-night stand a secret from the rest of the guys.

When a university event becomes a black-tie gala, all five of them are determined to find dates. Millie and the guys agree to try an online dating site, but as is typical with their friendship, Millie winds up creating all of her friends' profiles, yet draws a blank when she goes to write her own. Opening up has never been easy for her, so while her friends start to find potential matches, she mostly hears from creeps sending dick pics or inquiring about her bra size.

After getting ribbed by the guys for her failure, she decides to create a second profile, yet for this one she calls herself "Catherine." The very act of creating a fictional persona is freeing for Millie, she can suddenly be more playful, more emotionally open, more honest than she can be in real life. When she and Reid "match" online, she tries to provide enough clues so he will realize it's her, but at the same time, she encourages their online conversations until they grow deeper.

The more Millie (as Catherine) corresponds with Reid, the more interested he becomes, yet at the same time, Reid is trying to figure out what Millie wants from their real-life relationship. But for some reason, Millie can't open up and be vulnerable with Reid the way she can as Catherine. She wants Reid for real but she can't give him everything he wants, yet she knows there's only a matter of time before her dishonesty destroys their friendship for good.

"Does it matter if you do the wrong thing for the right reason?"

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a fun, sexy, emotional, thought-provoking look at male-female friendships and how hard it can be to allow yourself to be totally vulnerable with someone you care about. I loved the way Lauren twisted the gender roles in this book, yet the characters' actions and emotions seemed totally true to who they are. I was totally invested in this story from start to finish, and I wished I could hang out with this group of friends, because they seemed like a lot of fun!

As with most of the other books of theirs I've read so far, there's nothing particularly surprising or earth-shattering in this book, but I loved it all the same. I wanted to know what was going to happen to these characters. I wanted to root for them and sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into them. There are some big issues at play here, as well as some genuinely loving friendships and some hot sex to boot.

The more I read of Lauren's books, the more I love them. They're just tremendously enjoyable reads that hit all of my emotions but don't manipulate them too badly. Pick one up and hopefully you'll become a fan, too! (Oh, and please don't make me wait too long for your next book?)

NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Another charming, engaging book from Christina Lauren! I breezed through this in a day or two. Mille and Reid just moved up into my top 5 favorite couples.

This book was great because it felt so real. I could picture this friend group, brought together by their life in academia, and how a relationship within that group felt so big that it could tear the whole thing apart. It was easy to see from the beginning that Millie and Reid were so much more than just buds. And I'm sure the rest of the group could see that too, they just needed a little time to catch up.

And what a way to do it. I loved the online dating scenario. As someone who's partaken in a buttload of online dating (yes, that is the technical term for it), I could very much relate. There's only so much of yourself you want to give away when all you get back for it is dick pics and not so clever opening lines soliciting sex. So I felt for Millie, and I felt for her hurt feelings and competitiveness as time went on. It's so easy to get lost in the easiness of writing to someone, and how open it can make you.

That's not to say I didn't feel Reid's betrayal as well. It's a sticky situation. And it made for a great read. So much so that I ignored my own boyfriend to read it...that's saying something.

I loved this book! The author(s) has an awesome way with words. I love how the characters. I especially loved the concept of a "half-night stand" - it reminded me of the phrase "quarter-life crisis." One of the other things that I really enjoy about this author is their research. There were enough technical details in this book to make me think the author(s) knew everything about research in academia, and yet I know from their other books that they have focused on other professions just as deeply. The concept that Millie has only guy friends, which she got to keep after her breakup with her boss, is a little different as well. But when the reasons are explained as to why she shied away from female friends, it all adds up. Millie, Reid, and their friends are fun and interesting, and everyone is different enough to stand out as their own character. I look forward to reading more of Christina Lauren's books!

I was so happy to receive an advanced copy of this via Netgalley after discovering Christina Lauren earlier this year.. I've devoured and loved Roomies and Love and Other Words, and Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is on my TBR list. I loved diving into the delightful world of My Favorite Half-Night Stand, and while it wasn't my favorite Christina Lauren, reading it definitely solidified my belief that these two women's books will always be those type of reads that you just can't help but feel fondly toward.

Millie is the only woman in a friend group of five academics. Realizing that none of their dating lives are as great as they could be, they concoct the idea to try out online dating and all find dates for to the end-of-the-year commencement gala at which Obama is speaking. However, Millie and her best friend in the group, Reid, have hooked up, and things become even more complicated between them when Millie's fake dating profile catches Reid's attention. Posing as this other girl, she continues messaging him throughout the book as her actual relationship with Reid has other romantic and sexy turns.

The writing style and the strong, non-romantic relationships the narrators have are always my favorite elements of a Christina Lauren story. The writing in this book was fun and quick, but it steered away from some of the beauty and relatability I noticed in Roomies and LAOW. The book is also written with a dual perspective, which definitely helps the reader understand both Reid and Millie's sometimes frustrating and stubborn actions. Although I did love the scenes of all five friends together or texting in a group chat, I did have trouble believing that Millie's only friends were four other men, all of whom she worked with. Her reasoning was explained by the end of the book, but it still felt a little too contrived for me. Plus, while three of the men all seemed to have their own backstories and subplots throughout the book, the character of Alex didn't have much to do and just felt a little unnecessary. The fact that Millie and Reid were totally oblivious to their romantic connection before the story's events was also a little unrealistic. Ultimately, while I didn't love it as much as other Christina Lauren books, this read gets four stars from me because their worlds are always just a joy to be in.

*A link to a more condensed blog review will be added shortly.

OMG, this book is hilarious!! Such a fun read. I couldn’t get enough!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Christina Lauren's book, my favorite being Love and Other Words. I had a harder time connecting with the story and the the main characters for this one. It just was a little underwhelming and although the premise was good, it just didn't work for me. I love how she goes out of the box with her books and I can really appreciate that in a world of predictable romance novels. I appreciate being given the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley and I look forward to reading another one of hers soon.

Millie and her gang of friends Reid, Ed, Alex and Chris are all working as professors or research assistants at UCSB and being very dedicated to their work isn't conducive for their love lives. While Millie is able to create fun and interesting online dating profiles for her friends, she is not comfortable talking about herself, online or in real life. The death of her mother in her childhood and subsequent mourning by her father left her as an emotionally closed off person, who is very good at listening to others but keeps things very close to her chest. She knows so much about her close friends but their knowledge about her is quite superficial. Being a criminology professor with a fascination for female serial characters and very much in love with her work, leaves her with little time for dating and her aversion to being emotionally open lets her live in her bubble of work and friends.

I really loved the friend group. They are quite frank with each other, are very funny and I loved their interactions. Their group chats and texts are very entertaining and I was really looking forward to more of them. Reid and Millie are best friends and I really liked the comfort they shared in each other's company; it felt very realistic and natural. The emails that Reid shared with her online alter-ego Cat were very honest and heartwarming and just like Reid, I kept hoping that Millie could be that open in real life. It's also quite easy to relate to both Reid's loneliness and wanting more from a partner; and Millie's unwillingness to be more vulnerable and open herself up to a world of hurt if she loses her best friend in the process.

The humor in this book is on point, very similar to other Christina Lauren books. It was also very interesting to get to know about the modern online dating landscape, and how the reality is so different for women as compared to men - the guys get matched to girls who want to chat with them and get to know them better, Millie gets asked for full body shots or sent dick pics. I also liked that all the characters were in their late 20s, early 30s because it is possible that not everyone has their love life sorted just because they are settled in a career. I absolutely loved the fact that they were all in academia but none of their work, especially Millie's as a criminologist is developed upon, and that disappointed me. It would have been great to know more about their interactions at work or why they chose their respective fields. I also totally felt the amazing friendship between Reid and Millie and will completely believe that they make a great couple, but there was not much chemistry between them - atleast not the sexy swoon worthy kind; they are more respectful and understanding of each other. And despite this, she remains dishonest with him for a long part of the book and that angered me a little. It makes for a good conflict and angst in the story, but it didn't endear me to her. 

Overall, this book was fun and entertaining in Christina Lauren signature style. But it had it's problems and even though I loved the friendship dynamic and wanted to be a part of their group, the romance left me slightly unsatisfactory.