Picking up a Christian Lauren book is like chatting with an old friend. I know what to expect, and I know that they will make me smile and feel good. I also know that I will be able to devour the book in nearly one sitting, because their books are always highly readable and enjoyable.

Twice in a Blue Moon begins with Sam and Tate, two young adults on vacation in London with their grandparents. These two immediately hit it off and a whirlwind, once in a lifetime kind of romance begins. But they are torn apart by an act of betrayal, cutting their budding romance short and going their separate ways. But obviously the story doesn't end there! Sam and Tate are reunited years later, faced with questions about past betrayal and if there could be a future for their relationship.

Romance novels like this are always a bit predictable, but this one felt more predictable than most. And the characters/story/romance just was not as compelling as previous books by Christina Lauren. In some ways, this story line reminded me of Love and Other Words. But I just didn't feel like Sam and Tate had quite as much chemistry as the couple in that story.

However, I did sit down and read this whole book in 24 hours. Even if it may not be my favorite Christian Lauren book, it was still highly readable and a good book if you just want to escape the real world for a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available on October 22!

A whirlwind vacation, a chance meeting, a first love, a first time trusting a stranger, a first heartbreak....

During a trip to London with her grandmother, Tate meets Sam, a farm boy from Vermont who she falls for, he is the first person she confides her true identity - she is the long-lost daughter of a famous Hollywood actor. As their love/romance blooms, their vacations come to an end, but little did Tate know it would end with heartbreak.

Fourteen years later, Tate is a Hollywood actor herself and has the shock of her life when she runs into a blast from her past on set. Sam is just as handsome as she remembered, and she can't shake him. What happens when you make a decision for all the right reasons but still cause harm?

I usually fall head over heels for Christina Lauren novels. They are fabulous ROM-com's that pack a punch and deliver on the feels. This one didn't grab me as much as their other books have. I still enjoyed this book and appreciate how the writing duo examined relationships - healthy ones, unhealthy ones, relationships between friends, between family members and the pain that comes when someone does not like up to your expectations. What happens when someone we love hurts us? What happens when someone who is supposed to love us doesn’t love us in a way we want, need or expect them to love us? How does one cope with betrayal, with heartache and forgiveness. Even with this book’s positive elements, I still did not go all in with this one.

This was a well written book that had me wanting more.

Thank you to Gallery Pocket books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book. I was a nice formulaic romance. That being said the story was almost too predictable even for an easy read. Usually, the romances I enjoy the most have at least one surprising event or character. I think the author tried to do that with reasoning behind the betrayal and the twist with the script, but it just seem to fall a little flat. Christina Lauren is a good author, but this one wasn’t as good as some of her others.

A sweet, formulaic romance that follows eighteen year old Tate from her first encounter with Sam to fourteen years later when they meet again. One betrayal and many years later, will their love reignite? A fun look at the movie industry. A look at father daughter relationships. This book is a quick and satisfying read.

Wow hi new favorite book of this year! I loved it so much! It was such a fun ride!! I loved the romance! and the actress setting! that was so fun! Christina Lauren did it again! I am honestly so happy after reading this book! Highly recommend you check them out and check this novel out when it comes out! I loved it!

I absolutely love Christina Lauren! This book did not disappoint. I could not put it down! The daughter of a movie star, Tate, meets Sam while vacationing in England. She has been sheltered and kept from the media her whole life. Suddenly, she is thrust back into the limelight when she is outed by Sam. Years later, she is a successful actress when she and Sam meet again. Sparks fly!

Christina Lauren is my go-to for just about any mood. Feeling happy? Pick up a Christina Lauren book. Sad? Christina Lauren has a book to help with that. Restless? Go ahead, get lost in a Christina Lauren series again.

I loved Twice in a Blue Moon, I really did. I read it all in a single night. Second chance stories aren't always my favorite, but I love how it played out here. The fast whirlwind of the early romance is sweet and believable. I just wanted the making-up part to be a little longer!

Really enjoyed this book with a few good twists along the way! Interesting characters that are well written and easy to empathize with. Well worth a read!

So as ever I find Christina and Lauren's writing utterly charming. Their dialogue is delightful and grounded in a world I very much recognize (thought its perhaps a bit wittier than mine). I was absolutely enjoying the hell out of this when it very abruptly ended.

This is HALF of a really terrific book.

I can't figure out why in the world this book ended the way it did. Continuing a pattern that I'm finding very troubling the author's once again introduce us to a woman and her would be love who acts like an utter monster to her and yet of course she still loves him. And this guy is straight up contemptible. I mean c'mon ladies what gives? But rather than explore the actual fallout of his actions and how he might somehow begin to regain our heroines trust again our authors are much more concerned with sexual tension and mutual sexual desire overcoming silly things like life destroying actions that utterly devastate someone and wreck their entire life as they know it.

The resolution of tricky familial relationships, the success or failure of a film the characters spend the whole novel shooting, and whether our hero and heroine actually make it in a relationship that lasts longer than the two weeks they initially knew each other as children are simply left up in the air. But its all okay because kissing and sex.

I mean really?

Twice in a Blue Moon is a second chance love story that reminded me of Love and Other Words, but with less developed characters.

I really enjoyed reading about Tate and Sam during their early years, but it definitely reads like YA at first. Fast forward to their second chance and there's a lot of missing chemistry because it never fully developed when they were young. By the end I just didn't feel like I got to experience enough of the romance — the story focused on the problems and didn't fully embrace the "second chance" until the very end.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, it just wasn't my favorite Christina Lauren novel because I struggled to connect with the characters and never fully bought into the story

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery for the free review copy #partner

I adore writing duo Christina Lauren's books! The Unhoneymooners and Josh and Hazel's Guide To Not Dating are among my favorite contemporary romance reads. But this book was a big miss for me. The cute teenagers in Europe instalove story at the beginning of the book read very YA (which isn't necessarily bad, I just didn't care for it). And while I typically love a second chance romance, I couldn't really get invested in adult Tate and Sam's story. It was a fine book - just not up to par with what I've come to expect from a CL book.

Oh, Friends! Have I got a second-chance-romance for you!

Sweet teenage love that is tarnished by betrayal forms one hell of a trust issue when it comes to men. Throw in some highly publicized daddy issues and you've got one hell of an emotional mess with Tate Jones.

And as for our "hero" Sam Brandis, he's got some explaining to do (said in my horrible Desi Arnaz voice). Will he be able to make the love of his life listen?

Oh, it's the best kind of angsty second-chance-romantic-goodness. The writing duo of Christina Lauren brings together an amazing ensemble of characters. From the witty best friend... "Why are we staring at Satan?" To the crabby grandmother and the delicious co-star. I find myself wanting each and everyone one of them to get their own HEA. Yes, even grandma.

Twice in a Blue Moon is currently a standalone read, but I do hope it becomes the catalyst of an amazing series. Grab a blanket, sit under the stars and indulge in all that is Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren You can thank me later.
~Tanja

I just reviewed Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren. #NetGalley
I received an ARC of this book and was excited to read it because so many people have enjoyed previous books by these two authors. I wanted to really like it, but it fell flat for me. The potential was there but it just didn’t work. It wasn’t bad but it was great, hence the 3stars.

I loved this so much! Blue moons and first loves are the best. Romance writing at its finest, I was rooting for them the entire time.

Sam and Tate will make you wish that you could have a do over for every bad relationship you’ve ever had. That’s what this book is about: a passport into an innocent past and a shuttle to the promise of a bright future. It’s easy to fall in love with Sam and Tate. They just take you with them through their highs and lows, all while holding your hands and promising to make everything better.

I know that I’m a broken record, but the same thing happens every time I open and start reading a Christina Lauren: whoosh! I’m transported to another world, and I instantly miss the characters I’ve never met as soon as I’m done with the book. For this reason, I always delay reading a CL book because I know that I will be sucked in without thought to anything going on around me. Sleep and food mean nothing. Important things are shoved aside for their words. And it’s always over too soon, which is why I sometimes delay reading their books. Sigh. The difference between great writing and mediocre writing can be found with Christina Lauren. Just open one of their books and step into another world.

I love Tate! Life hits her hard...not once, but twice, and you should see this girl make some lemonade! Betrayed by her first love, Tate bounces back to create an amazing career. When the boy she loved reenters her life, sparks fly. There are some really cool things going on in this book, especially the unique and flawed characters, and the actions that both define and bind them. But my favorite part of the book is the resilience Tate shows when she chooses to own the narrative when her world falls apart. This one is a hit!

I'm a big fan of all of the Christina Lauren books so I was thrilled to get this one as an ARC. I liked it so much I've read it twice!
The plot is a little deeper than in some of her previous books, and the characters were interesting and well developed.

Tate Jones met Sam Brandis on a trip to London and she fell hard for him. Unfortunately, he exposed her biggest secret - she's the long lost daughter of one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Flash forward 14 years and Tate is starring in a movie she chose because she loved the script. Unbeknownst to her, the scriptwriter was none other than her old flame, Sam. Can Tate forgive him for exposing her? Can they rekindle their old flame?

Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for an arc to read and give my honest opinion.

This one has been sitting on my the pile for awhile but I grabbed it and gave it a go. I loved it! Tate and Sam fall in love in London while vacationing. Tate has kept her secret identity hidden but reveals it to Sam. They fall in love, and suddenly her secret is found out and Sam vanishes.

What did I like? The romance here even feels real and swoon worthy. The author does a great job of giving you that romantic vibe early and then recapturing it later on.

Would I buy this book? Yes, it’s an easy read and the author really does a great job of pulling at your heart strings. I would recommend it to anyone who loves romance.

Thoughts for the author? I would have easily gave this book five stars but a lot of the feels we get in the end come from emails from Sam and not interacting. Now I know Sam is a writer so it was probably easier that way, but the later connection was fleeting and I needed more.

Classic Christina Lauren. I was so happy reading this book - for two days - the world outside didn't exist. Such a great HEA... such a great set up. Bravo!

3.25 Ho Hum Stars.

Do you remember that moment when you met and got to know your first love? Those looks you exchanged, the heart stopping moments, the minute your breath caught and you got that that jittery feeling in your stomach that amounted to butterflies? I do.. it was a very long time ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.

“Twice in a Blue Moon” by Christina Lauren almost made me remember what it felt like to fall in love...almost.

Tate is eighteen years old when she and her grandmother take a two week trip of a lifetime to London. There, she meets twenty-one year old Sam. As soon as their eyes meet, it’s kismet. Sharing their most intimate hopes and dreams, they fall for each other. And then Sam does the unthinkable, he breaks her heart, in the most unbearable way.

Fourteen years later, Tate is a movie star. She’s about to make it big. Working on a movie set, with her best friend Charlie and her absentee movie star father. This should be interesting! Unfortunately for Tate, it’s about to get even more interesting - in fact, it’s about to get real. As in really difficult. The screenwriter of this movie is none other than Sam, her first love. Will Tate face her fears or run far away from them?

What could have been a sweet, romantic novel that made me connect with the characters, left me wanting. It wasn’t until I got to about 90% that I got that “feeling” where I almost remembered what it felt like to be young and in love. I had high hopes for this one but in the end think I was simply the wrong reader for this novel.

This was another buddy read with Kaceey!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Pocket Books and Christina Lauren for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 9.1.19.