ALL OF THE STARS! I loved this so much. It was so funny and the character dynamic was amazing. I loved their banter. I also appreciated the character development that happens. And...Ami is my flipping hero. Read this book. It’s amazing!!!

Thank you to the publishing house for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

There are good summer reads and then there are PERFECT summer reads and I have to say that, The Unhoneymooners, fell into the PERFECT camp.

Twin sisters Ami & Olive couldn't be more different. Ami seems to always have the absolute best luck and Olive is her poor unlucky sister. When the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, at Ami's wedding, Ami decides to forfeit her honeymoon to Olive and Ethan (the brother-of-the-groom) to both go in their place. After all, Ami won the honeymoon free of charge (of course she did!) and this vacation is nonrefundable.

Unfortunately, Olive & Ethan have never gotten along, but decide to form a temporary truce to take advantage of the free vacation. Being together in such close quarters definitely muddies the waters and they begin to uncover hidden layers to each other...and their siblings.

If you have been struggling to get back on the reading bandwagon or if you are just looking for something light and funny for your bag, I can't recommend this one enough. This is my first Christina Lauren novel, but it won't be my last. I was laughing out loud through the entire book and the antics of Olive & Ethan. It is, truly, what summer reading is all about!

Olive and Ami are identical twin sisters, but their personalities are very different. Where Ami is open to life, optimistic and very lucky, Olive is slower to open up, more circumspect, and considers her luck to be anything but good. But when it’s time for Ami to get married to Dane, Olive is behind her one thousand percent. She is willing to wear the hideous green dress that makes her look like a curvy Skittle. She’s willing to check off everything from Ami’s extensive to-do list, including talk to Dane’s brother Ethan about his upcoming toast, putting aside her extreme dislike of the man for the sake of her sister.

But there is one thing Olive is not willing to do, and that’s eat from the copious seafood buffet that Ami scored for free. In fact, almost the entire wedding is free. Ami’s good luck and dedicated searches for wedding swag means that her dress, her bridesmaid dresses, the venue, the food, the flowers, even the honeymoon is all free. But as Olive is allergic to shellfish, Ami arranged for her to have a chicken dinner instead, as well as one for Ethan, who refuses to eat from buffets.

The wedding is beautiful, and the reception rolls along without a hitch. Until Olive is giving her speech. That’s the time that the wedding party and then guests find themselves violently ill from a toxin that has permeated the seafood. At the end of the night, the only two standing are Olive and Ethan. Although Ami and Dane can barely move, they insist that Olive and Ethan take their places on the honeymoon. As it’s an all-inclusive, completely paid-for, non-refundable, non-transferable 10-day trip to Hawaii, Olive and Ethan decide to make the most of it.

Enemies forced to play newly married couple, Olive and Ethan decide to just go their separate ways on the trip, enjoying their own activities and minimizing time together. But fate has other ideas, as Olive’s boss and Ethan’s ex both happen to be staying at the same resort, forcing the uncouple to pretend to be happily married day after day. Is it just Olive’s bad luck that has created this situation, and what can she do to finally turn her bad luck around? As secrets are revealed and truths told, Olive and Ethan find themselves on a trip that will change both families forever.

Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners is a fun read for summer. It’s maybe a little predictable at times, but all the best rom coms have those moments where you just know what’s going to happen. The writing was lovely, the characters sparkled, and there were true moments of honest human understanding, which were genuinely refreshing. If you crave a story featuring the lighter side of relationships and family, this is a captivating way to spend a rainy day indoors or an afternoon on the beach.

Galleys for The Unhoneymooners were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

April started off so amazingly with books and part of that reason is THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren. Very few books make me want to start them back over immediately after finishing them and this book was one of them. I did not want to put this book down! Olive has always been the unlucky twin but when her sister and the entire wedding comes down with food poisoning and her sister’s free honeymoon doesn’t go to waste, she ends up on the trip with the groom’s brother who she hates. Hilarity ensues as they try to pass themselves off as honeymooners when they have never gotten along before.✈️
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This book was so amazing! It was hilarious and heart-warming. The banter between Olive and Ethan was on another level. When that banter turned to real emotions and sweet moments, I was a melted puddle of goo on the floor. Ethan is so sweet and it’s the unexpectedness of it that is so endearing. I also knew I was in for a treat when Hannah read the book first and said the heroine reminded her of me in the most positive way. Olive is curvy, keeps it real, and sometimes gets mistaken for being cynical and bitter...pretty much all self-identifiers where I’m concerned but that’s not all she is and what I loved so much about Olive that I could relate to is she is self-reflective when people point things out to her. She is confident and loves herself but knows she is not infallible. What hurt reading was when people were rude about it to her and boiled her down to one or two negative words...also something I’ve experienced many times. Her POV was just so incredible and I loved every second of being in her head. 🏝
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I flew through this book and cannot wait to read it again, I just want to jump inside this book and live forever. READ THIS IF...you love strong, curvy heroines, snarky and endearing heroes, and tropical, free vacations. ☀️
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Thank you @netgalley for the review copy!

This was such a cute book. Christina Lauren sure knows how to write quick easy cute reads. This was the perfect break I needed from my normal type of reads.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is one of the most hilarious and emotionally entertaining reads, I have read. I was hooked from the beginning. The motivations and emotions of the characters were clear. I wanted to learn as much as possible on the characters. The was a huge family theme. Olive Torres and her family were wonderful to follow. The sisters had a way of creating tensions, conflicts, and emotions. Both good and bad. Olive Torres was was easy to love. She believed she was nothing but bad luck. But in this novel, her bad luck was just starting to fade and good luck was on the horizon. Until she finds out more on her brother-in-law. From there everything stable fell apart. It was up to fate, luck, and the hearts of Olive and Ethan to decide. The final outcome was just as good as the rest of the book. I could not stop reading this story. Christina Lauren is the all time winner in the best contemporary romance genre. I have read many novels like hers but none of the were as good as hers. The writing had a way of pulling me into the characters lives and into the plot. The plot and internal narratives were amazing. I laughed, cried, and fell in love multiple times during this read. Overall, I highly recommended this hot, sexy tale to all.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆
The Unhoneymooners was a cute, funny, and quick read.

Sometimes you just need to read something that is completely different than your usual, and this provided a fresh palate cleanse. Some call this an enemies-to-lovers story, but I wouldn't go that far. I would classify this as unlikely acquaintances finding each other.

When Olive's twin sister, Ami, has a bout of bad luck, it's in the most fantastic way possible. Ami is the lucky twin, she wins giveaways and contests, she's found the love of her life, she's loved by everyone. When Ami gets married (all aspects she WON from various contests, including the catering at her reception), she has a beautiful affair and is excited to enjoy her 10-day honeymoon in Hawaii! Unfortunately, the worst possible situation occurs, and the ENTIRE reception becomes terribly sick, with the exception of Olive and the groom's brother, Ethan.

I really enjoyed this story. Olive is a bit of a Debbie-downer, but she's funny and smart. At times she was just downright stubborn, but I could totally understand why she acted that way. The situations that Olive and Ethan find themselves in were hilarious. Their chemistry was palpable from the get-go and I enjoyed them coming together. This wasn't a wham-bam-thank you ma'am story at all. Olive and Ethan took their time warming up to one another, and honestly that was refreshing. There was a bit of repetitiveness which was a bit off-putting, but it didn't ruin the story.

I loved the "un-honeymoon" but I found that when they returned home, the story really picked up.

This is my first book by Christina Lauren and I will definitely read more by this duo!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a fun novel with an amusing premise. It took me a little while to get into it, as I felt it was a little obvious at the beginning, but it matured very nicely and by the end I was hooked.

Ethan developed into a genuinely good guy, and in fact, as you got to think about his take on the story, it was easy to see where Olive had misread the signals. That said, his loyalty to his brother whilst honourable, was undoubtedly misplaced – something which worked really well at then considering the whole issue of luck, and the lack thereof.

The luck issue worked really well, as it rose and fell through the book, giving the reader plenty of opportunity to consider whether her views were justified. I also loved that Ethan had a lucky penny but eschewed all comments about luck! Of course, the best news was that whatever her luck, she seemed to be catching the guy, the right guy for her.

Well written, set on Maui for the most part, which is a truly heavenly location (I honeymooned there myself!) and full of fun, this is a novel to escape into for sure.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
The Unhoneymooners is told entirely from Olive’s point of view and even though from the start Olive and Ethan hate each other, I suspected that what caused their animosity was just a misunderstanding. Olive and Ethan are great together and their verbal sparring good fun. It was amusing seeing their relationship change while they are in Hawaii pretending to be married so they can take their brother’s and sister’s honeymoon.

This is an entertaining story. It has some good laughs and if I can paraphrase Olive’s cousin Diego, some “second-hand embarrassing” moments too. As the story progressed, I really liked seeing Olive grow up and stand up for herself and stick to her guns.

This is a good, easy to read romcom, set in a beautiful locale with a hero and heroine that are good value. It is also one of those stories that made me want to go on holiday somewhere warm and tropical. This gets four stars from me.

Such a fun book to read, it had me laughing just about the whole time. I love these two authors and the books they write. This one was definitely packed full of laughter and awkward moments. I can't wait for more.

I absolutely loved this book it was so funny I liked the characters lots of twists and turns in this amazing story. I don't want to give to much away but its about two beautiful identical twin sisters and two Brothers ,you'll have to find out the rest by purchasing it.

I don't know how Christina Lauren are able to churn out one entertaining book after another but I, for one, am thankful for it! The Unhoneymooners is about Olive, who feels she is unlucky in life, especially in comparison to her twin sister Ami, who seems to have it all. In fact she's about to get married and was able to fund her huge, lavish wedding by winning online contests. All Olive wants to do is make it through the wedding and her maid-of-honor duties unscathed. And.. without killing Ethan, the best man and someone she detests. (You know I love a good hate-to-love trope.) Of course on the day of the wedding, the entire party – including the bride and groom ‐ get food poisoning and the only two unaffected are Olive and Ethan. Which is how they end up going on the all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii in their stead. The set up is great so I was more than ready for Olive and Ethan hijinks. And they didn't disappoint because soon they're pretending to be newlyweds when they run into Olive's new boss and spending more time together than they expected to. But I don't know, something still felt like it was missing for me? Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining, sweet and sexy (except I'm not a fan of how they're doing all this "fade to black" now). In hindsight, I think it was the eventual conflict and how it played out that rubbed me the wrong way. I've read almost all of Christina Lauren's books and even with all the crazy chemistry and laughs, there's always some sort of heartfelt moment that cuts a bit deeper and gives me feels. I didn't get that here. And maybe it's because the conflict involved secondary characters that were very much in the periphery for most of the story. Not to mention a lot of the situations Olive and Ethan find themselves in on the island and later when they get back felt a bit too convenient and predictable.

Do I recommend? Like I said, Christina Lauren's books are always quick and entertaining and that was very much the case here. But it's not one of my favorites from them.

Olive and Ami are twins, but they couldn't be more different. Ami got all the luck--except for on her wedding day. The entire wedding party falls prey to food poisoning. The entire gathering, except for Olive and Ami's husband's brother Ethan, whose dashing looks don't match his personality.

Olive and Ethan take Ami's nonrefundable honeymoon trip, assuming they can play nice for a trip to Maui. But the trip poses some unexpected challenges, and Olive may have misjudged her brother-in-law.

This is an enjoyable confection, and it goes down easily, but won't make a terribly huge impression. It's an excellent beach book. Or a particularly good choice if you are not on the beach. If you, unlike Olive, haven't lucked into a free trip to Maui.

4 Wine Glass #Review of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
A novel from author duo, Christina Lauren, always guarantees a rollicking good time!

In The Unhoneymooners, we meet Olive Torres and Ethan Thomas, sworn enemies and upcoming in-laws. Olive has always lived in the shadow of her twin sister, Ami who seems to always win at life. With no job, no love life to speak of, and little of a social life to be had, Olive is not looking forward to basking in the glory of all things Ami's with her approaching wedding. Especially if it means having to work alongside the groom's egotistical brother. When the entire wedding party comes down with food poisoning though, and Ethan and Olive are the only two left standing, they're about to get a whole lot closer...

This novel was a delightful rom-com of enemies turned lovers. Olive was a lovely character to get to know. She's down on her luck at the beginning of the tale but never looses her fun spirit. I loved her go get 'em attitude, as well as her ability to laugh at herself and not take life too seriously. She's also a great sister, and goes above and beyond to make sure that Ami's wedding goes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, due to some bad shellfish, the wedding doesn't quite go as planned but thanks to Ami's never-ending good luck, a honeymoon must still be had! Enter our impersonators. Being the bride and groom's twin and sibling, Olive and Ethan can easily masquerade as the ill couple and are soon flying off to Hawaii to enjoy a tropical escape. Too bad these two can't stand each other! At the start, we only have Olive's perception of Ethan, and from first impressions he comes off as a bit of a jerk. However, there are a lot of mistaken assumptions between these two and as they spend more and more time together, they each come to realize that the other is not anything like they first thought. As Ethan and Olive slowly get to know each other through their "newly wed" excursions a friendship begins to bloom.

These two together were entertaining, as well as engaging. Their witty banter kept me turning the pages and helped the story move along at a steady clip. Ethan and Olive's romance is a slow burner which gave it a realistic feel. Their return from Hawaii is the complete opposite of their departure, but they still have a ways to go before they can find their happily-ever-after. Tensions are high, dishonesty in any form has a toll, and betrayals are revealed. Can Ethan and Olive find their way back to the connection they shared in Hawaii? Or will the Torres' and Thomas' be split for good?

I loved every moment of The Unhoneymooners. It had the perfect mix of humor and romance with an endearing couple and fantastic side characters. I adored the Torres' family dynamics, they were such lively and supportive characters. If you enjoy a light, fun read with sweet and sassy characters, then I recommend you grabbing a copy of The Unhoneymooners today!

Christina Lauren’s novels always offer the reader a unique and entertaining experience. Lauren’s exceptional and hilarious voice shines through in all of their novels. This Lauren novel is no exception. This novel offers an interesting premise and plot line. The misadventures and miscommunications between the main characters are well written and perfectly timed throughout the novel. It is a perfect blend of thoughtful conflict and entertaining shenanigans. Another winner for Christina Lauren!

This week’s book is a book that I received as an ARC (advanced review copy) and it was published on May 14th. I like to do the review on the day the book comes out to try and give the author a boost on that day but somehow getting this review out got lost. (This also means that I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. And once again I ask the question, “Can there be an unbiased review?”)

UnhoneymoonersThe Unhoneymooners is a good beach read. It has all the elements that make it a good beach read. The main character is a bit unsure of herself, she must face conflicts and has a man in her life that drives her crazy and makes her feel terrible about herself.

Olive Torres is a twin. Her twin, Ami, does everything right and, in Olive’s eyes, has all the luck. Her sister will work to win contests. As a matter of fact, her sister is about to get married and has financed most of the wedding through her winnings. She even has a fabulous honeymoon trip to Hawaii that she won. The only issue at the wedding for Olive is that the groom’s brother and best man, Ethan, seems to hate her. She isn’t sure what it is that has made him so set against her, but he doesn’t seem to hide it. On top of that, her dress for the wedding is just awful. She trusted her sister’s impeccable taste, but she underestimated the dress her sister would win for the wedding. It is just awful. She compares herself to a 7-up can. Except that a 7 up can doesn’t have boobs that are about to fall out of the dress. So, not exactly feeling her best, she proceeds with her maid of honor duties. One of which seems to be to make sure the best man (her nemesis) is going to get his special meal at the buffet. It seems that he won’t eat buffet food. He finds the concept repulsive. At the same time, it is a seafood buffet and Olive is terribly allergic to seafood, so she also has a special meal. (You guessed it; Ami won the buffet meal.)

Not long after dinner, the guests all start getting sick. The seafood was tainted, and people are terribly sick. Olive and Ethan are the only ones who aren’t sick. The bride and groom are so sick that they cannot possibly go on the honeymoon. Enter Olive and Ethan to take the trip. Olive has no desire to go with Ethan and he isn’t warm to the idea either. But off they go.

Now, since I have said this is a beach read, you might have an idea as to what happens next. But while I’m not going to say you are wrong, I will say that there are some twists that might not be expected in the rest of the book.

So, you can read the book to find out what happens on the trip and beyond.

Thanks for reading!

4.5 Delightful Stars!
I absolutely loved this hilarious, heartfelt enemies-to-lovers romance! This slow burn, rom-com is filled with witty banter, awkward and hilarious situations, and a sweet and sexy storyline with lots of heart. Olive and Ethan meet when Olive's twin sister begins dating Ethan's brother. They have a misunderstanding that leads to several years of them not getting along. Now they are on a free, dream vacation when their sister and brother, along with the rest of the wedding party, falls ill. Their trip starts off rocky, but I loved how Olive and Ethan slowly begin to reconcile their flawed history. When they get home, their close knit and quirky family cause more hilarity, complications, and drama that had me laughing out loud, swooning, and cheering for Olive and Ethan's HEA. I am a huge fan of a great grand gesture and I loved this one so much! This is the first time I've read this duo's work, and I can't wait to read more from them!

Although it does have some more serious moments, much of this book is laugh-out-loud funny.

It opens with a wedding followed by the reception from hell. With a description worthy of a gross-out comedy, everyone at the reception becomes violently ill with food poisoning. Well, everyone except the bride’s sister and maid of honor, Olive, and Ethan, the best man and groom’s brother. As the last two people standing, Olive’s sister insists that they go on her honeymoon—a trip to Hawaii that she won in a contest. Which would be great, if Olive and Ethan didn’t dislike each other. And not just a little bit, either.

Of course, the two of them do still go, and since this is a romantic comedy, they obviously wind up together at the end. Along the way is quite a bit of snark and banter, several hilariously awkward scenes, and a few serious lessons learned on Olive’s part having to do with how her negative expectations color her experience of life.

If you love rom-coms, this is the book for you, so get your hands on a copy and start reading!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Poor Olive. She is the unlucky sister, kind of an Eeyore, so she’s still lovable. I don’t think anyone else thinks she is as unlucky as she herself does. Her twin sister, Ami, is the lucky, fortunate one. And Ami’s the lucky one getting married first in a fairytale wedding paid for with coupons and contest wins.

The book opens with the wedding, and Olive being forced to spend time with someone she despises whom she thinks despises her, too: Ethan, the brother of the groom and best man.

The wedding culminates in everyone getting sick from food poisoning, and Ami asks Olive, and the groom asks Ethan, to take the honeymoon or else it will be lost.

Did I mention the honeymoon is to Hawaii?

The snark and sarcasm between Olive and Ethan are in full swing when they reach Hawaii. They plan to avoid each other once there, but Olive tells a lie about the two of them being newlyweds, and the pair is forced to put on an act. Surprisingly, Olive begins not to mind!

Christina Lauren has/have done it again. They manage to write books I love reading and cannot put down. The laugh-out-loud moments were truly some of the best. I don’t want to go into anything else because you need to read this book- and all their books – to experience the fun and sheer talent of this fabulous writing duo. Please go read The Unhoneymooners, soak it all up, have some laughs, fall for Ethan and Olive as they fall for each other, and come back and tell me you loved it, too! Because I have a strong feeling you will!

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This is the perfect beach read for any romance lover out there. Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have another great novel on their hands. You'll root for Olive and Ethan from start to finish.

SO GOOD! YES! This is Christina Lauren at their best. After discovering this writing duo through Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, and absolutely loving the book, I was slowly making my way through their other books and although mostly enjoying them, I wasn't finding the same spark of love as I had with Josh and Hazel. WELL here is it! I loved Olive and Ethan and their story. I really related to Olive's character - always feeling unlucky and like you are in your sister's shadow so it was great to have her be the object of Ethan's affection. I can't wait for more books like this!

I am a big fan of Christina Lauren’s work. My favorites include LOVE & OTHER WORDS, ROOMIES, and DATING YOU/HATING YOU. I love their witty humor, loveably flawed heroines, and book boyfriend worthy heroes. So, needless to say, I look forward to every new CLo release.

THE UNHONEYMOONERS is such a great summer read. In case you don’t know what this book is about, when Olive’s sister Ami and Ami’s new husband get terribly ill from food at their wedding reception, Ami begs Olive to take her place on the non-refundable, all expenses paid honeymoon that she won. Only catch is, Olive’s nemesis Ethan, who also happens to be the groom’s older brother, will be going along too. Oh, and they have to pretend to be newlyweds and deeply in love. Things get even more complicated when they run into some unexpected (and unwelcome) familiar faces. Will they be able to get it together and act the part or will they be found out and forced to pay for the honeymoon in full?

Ethan is definitely book-boyfriend worthy. Olive is a character who’s easy to relate to and I loved her big family. I know large families can come with complications too, but to have a group of people you know are always there for you has got to be comforting.

I’ve seen some people mention in their reviews that Ethan does something disappointing/questionable in the story. When I first read the book, I didn’t know what people were referring to. I actually had to ask a friend! I don’t want to give too much away, but Olive reveals something to Ethan about his brother (who is Olive’s brother-in-law) and Ethan doesn’t believe Olive. He sides with his brother.  Some people were upset by this. I honestly thought his reaction was realistic. It made sense in the situation and I don’t think it would have been believable had Ethan reacted differently. I was actually more upset by Ami’s reaction to the information Olive tells her than I was by Ethan’s. As someone who has a sister I’m close with, I was upset Ami didn’t have more faith in Olive or trust her more.

While THE UNHONEYMOONERS doesn’t take a coveted spot on my list of favorite CLo novels, it was very enjoyable and fun! I also maybe, probably, definitely looked up flights from LA to Hawaii while reading it!

Overall a fun and enjoyable read that’s perfect whether you’re at the beach, on an airplane, or curled up at home.