*I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. *
I'm back! Hope everyone had great holidays, and hope the extended exposure to family didn't drive you too crazy!
Let's start the new year off with a fun romance!
Normally, I'm not that into romance as a genre. But the title of this one, "My Favorite Half Night Stand", was too cute for me to not grab it! (having had my own half night stands, I figured I'd relate to it.)
For me this sort of felt like a slightly raunchier than normal episode of "The Big Bang Theory." The main character, an attractive woman, spends most of her time hanging out with her incredibly intelligent male friends, with whom she works at a university. But then, one day (of course), she realizes that one of them is hot. Like, really hot. And after a few too many drinks she acts on that opinion.
As if that wasn't enough of a complication, they all decide to try online dating (and she and her now bootycall friend haven't told anyone else about their half night together),so now she's not only confronting her feelings about wanting him, but also about NOT wanting to see him with someone else.
AND THEN, because that's just not enough to keep up with, she decides to make a fake profile and let this friend "really get to know her"... So of course he falls for her fake profile.
Sure, the basic plot was predictable, but the writing was good and I actually laughed out loud quite a bit. The supporting characters were fleshed out and likeable, and the banter between friends made for a fun read. Definitely a good choice if you're looking for something light, fun, and a little sexy. (it was not as sexy as I thought it would be, but, having not read much romance that may have been me being confused.)
The final verdict :

The Book
As someone who's not super into romance, or overly predictable tropes, I still enjoyed reading this one.
🌹🌹

The Writing
Characterizations were great, I felt like there was a good balance of the whole group of friends versus just the two who were involved. The banter is hilarious.
🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

Readability
I read this in one day, it was easy to get through and I found myself almost finished with it before I realized it had happened!
🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️

So... I read this basically in one sitting. That's unheard of for me.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is classic friends to lovers with a misunderstanding that snowballs. It's reminiscent of You've Got Mail only fresher and with humorous side characters that added positively to the story.

I suspect that this book is, for a lot of readers, going to hinge on whether or not they can empathize with Millie. I did. I'm not going to go into all the reasons why I liked her but the long and short of it is, I understood her. I don't condone what she did but I understand how it could happen and how it could keep happening.

What I appreciate about Clo's writing is their thoughtfulness when it comes to depicting redemption and making amends. Sometimes it works really well for me and sometimes not but in this instance it worked. I liked that Millie wasn't let off the hook easily and had to earn Reid's forgiveness.

Reid is a little bit nerdtastic, considerate, charming and Millie's best friend, the person she relies on more than she even realizes. CLo did a great job of differentiating his voice from Millie's and I so appreciated being inside his head especially when things started to get dicey.

They clearly have chemistry but are too dense to notice it even though everyone else does. Moving into a friends with bennies situation only complicates matters which get further complicated when they all collectively decide to join a dating site to avoid going with each other (again) to a university function headlined by Barack Obama.

All the friends Ed, Alex and Chris (but mostly Ed), I liked and even found myself somewhere around the middle hoping that this was the start of a new series. All of them had their moments but when I found myself snorting coffee through my nose (don't try that at home), I knew it was a winner. Books that make me laugh always hold a special place.

There was a time when I, along with my best friend, endeavored to decipher the "dating" portion of Craigslist. I'm fairly certain I lost IQ points from a brain bleed. Thankfully, My Favorite Half-Night Stand didn't get too acronym-y. It provided more of a backdrop than being the focus and what I liked most about it was their conversations.

Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed how all the online interactions were formatted from IMs to texts to emails.

So, if you're in the mood for a best friends to lovers story, this is a fast read, humorous and feel good, give this one a chance.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

I have come to realize that any book I pick up by Christina Lauren I will thoroughly enjoy. This one was terrific and I loved the quirkiness of both hero and heroine. I will have a more detailed review to come.

3.25 stars

First book of 2019 and it wasn't a total dud! This book was fantastic and a 4 star read for about 70% or so and then when the big reveal happened it fell totally flat for me. Something was missing and I cannot place my finger on it.

And for some odd reason, I loved that the heroine was a professor of criminology and obsessed with serial killers. You don't get women like that in romance every day and I loved that we got something different.

Ya'll... I keep thinking that one day I'm going to be totally let down by one of Christina Lauren's books, BUT TODAY WAS NOT THAT DAY! My Favorite Half-Night Stand was laugh out loud funny and had me turning pages late into the night. I absolutely loved the characters and felt like they were a mix between Friends and The Big Bang Theory. I looooooved his novel!

From the very first page, I knew I was going to love Millie. What I didn't realize was how much I was going to love every single freaking character. They were all loveable and so entertaining. I enjoyed the chat convos between the group and I felt like that mixed media added a little extra something to the novel. This was hands down my favorite Christina Lauren novel and I would highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 5/5

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of My Favorite Half-Night Stand. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Professor Millie Morris has always four perfect male best friends, ones that she can laugh with, but always keeps at an arm's length. When a gala event for the university, by which they are all employed, gives the five single friends all reasons to join a dating app, will the dynamics of the group change? By scrutinizing her personal life under the guise of marketing herself for available single men, will Millie realize that her lack of ability to get truly close needs to change? Will she realize that the key to her happiness may be closer to home than Millie thought?

The authors give a humorous look into modern day dating, as the story involves five single people all joining the same singles site. It was refreshing to have the female character be emotionally stunted and closed off, as it is often the men that are portrayed that way. I did like the chemistry between Reid and Millie, although I did find his reaction to Millie's missteps to be a little unrealistic for the character. Reid and Millie are close friends, so her actions would have been completely recognized by him. My Favorite Half-Night Stand was a good book, but it really did not stand out in a sea of familiar novels. Readers who are looking for a quick, romantic read will probably enjoy My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

Fun story of on-line dating by a group of friends. I enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be real - at times, I liked them and at other points in the story, not so much. It was a fun look into a new world of online dating. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

After having read two of Christina Lauren's books, I was excited to see a new one from this dynamic duo. In reading the description, I was intrigued. It sounded cute and quirky and like a great exploration into adult friendships. My expectations for this book were pretty high and I was not disappointed in the least. 

My Favorite Half-Night Stand follows Millie and Reid, best friends and colleagues. After a drunken night, Millie and Reid hook up, but vow never to let that happen again for the sake of their friendship. They, along with their other friends, set out to find dates for a gala hosted by the university where they all work. Millie, using a pseudonym, matches with Reid on the dating app and decides to see how long it takes him to figure out that it's really her. Things snowball from there and bring about moments of worry and hope, anger and softness. 

While reading this, I was actually just starting out in the dating-app world myself, so I was really able to relate to many of Millie's laments of what it's like to be a woman on those apps. I really felt like I was going through Millie's frustrations and concerns in this endeavor because I was experiencing the same types of men she encountered on her "real" profile. 

I had expected enjoyment and hilarity from this novel, as well as passion and steaminess, all of which I got. This story gave me so much more than that, though. There were bits that described me and my feelings so precisely when I didn't even realize that was how I felt. I remember reading one passage and just being struck by how much I related to it. It actually hurt to read because it was so true about me, though I had never thought about myself in those exact terms. 

I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who wants a fun read that also has a lot of heart to it.

This book just stole my heart. Lauren's has a way with romance and creating relatable characters. This book just makes you truly LOL and feel all the feels.

Christina Lauren never disappoints when it comes to a good romance novel. I swear, every single one of her books I am able to devour in 24 hours, yet I never want them to end! I loved the down to earth and real take on the dating scene! Every character was so well developed and likable. Once again - I wasn't ready for the end! I need to know more about Reid and Millie!

I found this delightful and funny and found myself giggling frequently while reading. I loved the description of the friend group of Millie, Reid, Ed, Alex, and Chris. Their dynamics added depth to the simple rom com storyline. I relate quite a bit to Millie as I struggle to share my emotions also. I feel that Ed stole the show from Reid a bit as I adored him, but that was okay for me too. It was nice to see Millie’s character development.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina LaurenMillie and Reid are part of a group of friends who mostly hang out and play board games. But they're also invited to a fancy soiree where Barack Obama will be showing up so they've all got to find dates. One of the friends suggests online dating. Millie ends up making a second profile and matching with Reid without him realizing it's her. Then the two end up in a physical relationship, all while talking to other people online. At least Reid is.

A pretty good book. The hidden aspect of the relationship went on a bit too long but overall very readable.

Four stars
This book came out December 4th
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley

Title: my favorite half-night stand
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: December 2018

Book blurb: "Millie grins. 'It's the morning after cupcake.' When I don't figure out a response fast enough, she adds in a whisper, " It's a good job with the orgasms cupcake. (italics) Pausing, she looks down at my hands. 'And its an Are we okay? cupcake." Location 456.

Work friends, we all have them. Millie is no different. A single, young woman who works on a college campus along with her friends, Reid, Chris, Ed, and Alex. A party for the campus on which they work requires a plus one.= a date. So as none of them are involved they join Tinder to get a date and possibly a relationship. However, the spanner in the works is that Millie and Reid had a half-night of wild sex. How will they now react to each other at work and with their friends?
Millie decides she likes Reid and thinks he feels the same way. But she is unsure about it. The book follows their journey into discovering their relationship and feelings.
You will laugh throughout the reading of this novel. Short and a fast read. The language makes it more of an adult novel that for children under 14 years of age. It will entertain you with how the insecurity of one shows up in her actions despite her and him knowing they like and love each other.
I recommend you read this novel with your favorite beverage glass. It's a quick read. Maybe even one weekend. Its a 5 out of 5 stars read.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand centers on Millie and Reid, two UC Santa Barbara Professors and their small group of close-knit friends, Alex, Chris, and Ed. Even though they are all pretty tight with each other, Mille and Reid’s relationship has always been…different. They understand each other better and there is a subtle flirting that goes on between them. Their friendship is tested however when one night after a little liquid courage, Millie and Reid sleep together. Is it easy going back to being just friends? Or do they want more from each other?

Millie, a criminologist, is smart, pretty, and successful. Though she has great friends, she never likes to share much about herself or her past. She’s pretty closed off and being her friend, you understand that dealing with emotions isn’t really her strong suit. She oftentimes frustrated me, but I still liked her character.

Reid, a scientist, is successful and easy on the eyes. He works a lot, but always makes times for the people he cares about. Unlike Millie, Reid loves to communicate and open up about himself. He oftentimes tries to get Millie to tell him more, but he is rarely successful.

Wanting to make a good impression at a very important school banquet, they decide to join a dating app. Hoping to not only find a date to the banquet, but possibly someone they want to pursue an actual relationship with.

When it’s time for everyone to create their dating profiles, they all suck according to Millie. So she reluctantly agrees to re-write the dating profiles for them. When she is finished, she has made the guys sound very appealing. Well everyone except for herself. Her profile is found to be a little lacking. Even though Millie doesn’t divulge much in her profile, that doesn’t stop her from getting lame messages and inappropriate pics from weirdos. In an attempt to start fresh, she creates a secondary profile under her middle name with a somewhat blurry profile pic. With the new profile ready to go she unexpectedly discovers that she matches with Reid. They begin talking to each other through the app, but Reid doesn’t know that it’s Millie he is opening up to. After some time, Millie finds herself being more open about her life and past experiences as she talks with Reid through the app. And it feels good to finally be able to talk to someone about what she is going through. But how open is Millie being with Reid if he doesn’t even know it’s her? And what happens if he wants to meet her?

Told in dual POV’s, My Favorite Half-Night Stands is a sweet contemporary romance that goes into the world of modern day online dating and the adventures that can come from that. I loved the dynamic between all five friends. They are different, but their friendship works. Being able to see their online chats was a nice addition also. The story was very easy to get into and the writing was solid. Not to mention the characters were likable. I couldn’t help but root for Reid and Millie through the whole book.


RATING: 3½ out of 5.

Cute, fun, and sweet. A little less my style but I really enjoyed it overall. Christina Lauren is a great team with really great writing skill. This one kept me entertained without being overwhelming.

Ahhhh another winner from Christina Lauren! This book had me laughing out loud and squealing at super fun delicious points! The dynamic between the group of friends was such a pleasure to read and the online dating aspect was way too relatable (lol). While I enjoyed the little text/chat bubbles, I wasn't a huge fan of the images that showed what each character looked like. I like making up my own version, haha! Overall, still loved this book and can't wait to read whatever these gals come out with next!

My Favorite Half-Night Stand is Christina Lauren's newest friends to lovers romance. I love this writing duo and this book gave me all the feels! I laughed, cried, snorted, snickered, wanted to throw my kindle, sighed and laughed some more. It's about a group of five friends, one of them a woman. All of them smart, witty and funny. They are all single and need a date for a work function. They decide to all use an online dating service. Millie and Reid are best friends. They have a fun, casual relationship which includes lunches, dinners and just hanging out. Until one night, they get closer than friends. It's mind blowing but can't happen again. They are both trying to find dates. Millie creates a different profile and gets matched with Reid! She gives him hints and thinks he's going to figure it out, but he doesn't. She finds herself opening up about her life and sharing her heart to Reid. As a stranger. But she knows it's him. He's in the dark. What happens when they become close in real life, but he finds out it's really her in fake life? Will Reid forgive her for the deception? Will their friendship and new love be able to save them? I loved this story! I was invested in all the character and I really loved Millie and Reid! Their group text messages were the highlight of the book for me! I would love to see these characters again. Please!!

Christina Lauren has become an auto-buy author duo for me. Their recent romcoms have been fun and fresh, and the last one, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, was a 2018 favorite. So I had high expectations for My Favorite Half-Night Stand, and while it didn’t live up to Josh and Hazel, I am happy to say I still enjoyed every word. It took me just two half-nights to read this unputdownable, unique and fun read.

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“Is it possible to be a highly functioning adult with a successful career, awesome friends and a lovely family, and still be a Level Five Hot Mess? I may be living proof.”

Millie is the only female in her group with 4 male co-workers. All university professors, this group of good-looking nerds are a little like “Friends”, all single, but they hang out together all the time. Millie is quirky. Obsessed with serial killers from a young age, she is now a Criminology professor. Talking about serial killers might be a bit of a turn-off for most guys, plus they are all workaholics with no time for dating. While they are all close friends, Mille and Reid are the closest, and after one night of hanging out and drinking with the group, Reid and Millie hook up. It was a great night, but neither wants to mess with their friendship.

“Trying to be cool about banging your best friend is a lot harder than I would have anticipated.”

When they have a formal event to attend at the University, the 5 of them agree to try to get dates via an online dating app. They guys all wrote such bad profiles that Millie re-wrote them all, making them seem way more appealing. But Millie, who is by far the most closed-off of the group, had an awful profile. After some teasing by the guys, she decided to make a fake profile with an artsy photo. On this one, she was actually more open and honest about herself than she ever is in real life. Imagine her surprise when she is matched up with Reid, her best friend and favorite half-night stand. While she drops some hints about who she is, Reid doesn’t catch on, and so begins a catfishing relationship with her best friend and half-night stand.

“I’m lonely. I’m lonely because I don’t tell people what I need or what I want, and then get hurt when they don’t figure it out on their own.”

I usually have some difficulties with people who deliberately lie, and the lie goes on too long, and this was no exception. I loved Reid, and I really liked Millie. It was understandable at the beginning, but it went on too long for my liking. I didn’t lose interest or anything, but it went from an enjoyable book to waiting for shit to hit the fan.

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Likes:
•Another fun read with great characters.
•I absolutely love texting and online messaging in books.
•A great group of quirky and intelligent friends.
•Lots of modern online lingo (though I think it was still a bit lame for the younger set).
•Kept me completely engaged and I never wanted to put it down.

Dislikes:
•The deception went on too long.
•I can’t put my finger on it, but something was missing compared to Josh & Hazel.

Liked and Disliked:
I had a paperback ARC and an e-ARC. I loved the formatting of the paperback. I even liked the formatting on my kindle. But on my phone it was a mess. Hopefully only because it was an ARC. But even if it was fixed in the final version to look like the book, if you are like me and read white on black in the dark in bed at night, those heads are too bright because they are white.

Paperback
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Kindle
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The Down & Dirty:
I really loved My Favorite Half-Night Stand. It kept me engaged, smiling, and turning pages from start to finish. It didn’t quite live up to Josh & Hazel, but I still enjoyed the whole thing. I am not a fan of lying though, and a big lie went on a bit too long for me. There was something else I can’t put my finger on kept this from being a 5-star read for me, but I still wholeheartedly recommend it.

Rating: 4.25 Stars, 3.5 Heat

My Favorite Half-Night Stand was seriously so cute, I didn’t want to stop reading. As someone who has tried online dating (it’s actually how I met my boyfriend!), I couldn’t stop laughing over how accurate some of the observations were. Millie and Reid were both great narrators, I liked seeing their different perspectives on the situation. This book was very much a comedy of errors and I loved seeing how everything played out. However, this book was also so much more than that. Both Millie and Reid has some great character development throughout the novel. I can’t say too much without spoilers but I think the message that came through is an incredibly valuable one. I loved this one and can’t wait to reread it in the future.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Once again Christina Lauren has blown me away. I barely picked it up and could hardly put it down, not to mention laughing so hard! So many times that I feel Millie should have come clean about being Cat, and I still feel that Reid maybe overreacted a bit when he found out it was her, but still, the hilariousness of the friends, the texting, instant messaging, all of it, make up for that. The fact that there was a reference to the movie Caddyshack in this made it even more a book that I adored, since that is a movie I have memorized and quote almost weekly if not daily. Love, loved this, funny, sexy, wonderful characters, a definite must read!