Thank you Gallery Books, Leo PR, and Christina Lauren for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Twice in a Blue Moon. This story was a delightful take on second chance romance with healing and familial ties. I absolutely adored this story!

Twice in a Blue Moon is a contemporary romance novel written by Christina Lauren. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I absolutely loved Autoboyography, which is one of their other books.

The story begins fourteen years ago with a trip of a lifetime to London for Tate and her Nana Jude. While in London, they meet fellow Americans Sam and Luther. They end up spending a lot of time together sightseeing. Tate and Sam hit it off right away, and she trusts him with her biggest secret- that she’s the estranged daughter of one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men. Trusting Sam turns out to be a huge mistake, and Tate’s world is changed forever.

Flash-forward to the present day, and Tate is preparing for the film role that she hopes will take her career to the next level. Everything is going well, and then she finds out that Sam is the screenwriter. Meeting Sam again forces Tate to confront the feelings that she’s suppressed for almost half a lifetime. As Tate gets to know adult Sam, she finds that her feelings haven’t changed- despite everything that happened between them.

I read most of this book in one sitting when I was at the town beach with my kids one day. The book raises some interesting points; I don’t want to give too much away, but Sam’s motivation for his past actions was more complicated than it initially appears to be. Also, would Tate be in her current position if not for Sam’s actions in the past. These are hardly deep philosophical thoughts, but it was interesting to see how their respective decisions as young adults shaped their current future.

That might sound more somber than I intended; for the most part, this book is on the lighter side. It’s sweet and tender, and there were several times where I laughed at loud. This is a book about second chances and missed opportunities.

I would recommend Twice in a Blue Moon. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Christina Lauren in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love anything that Christina Lauren writes, and this is no exception. I enjoyed the deeper character development, and loved the Hollywood setting. I would definitely recommend.

I love anything this duo writes. This one is a tad more on the serious side then their last few releases. I loved the background story of the two characters in the first part of the book. The second half was really interesting being on a movie set and wondering why things happened in the past the way they did. So engaging. I loved it!

I’ve been a big fan of the dynamic writing duo of Christina Lauren for years now. Whatever cosmic synergy they have going on definitely works for them, and Twice in a Blue Moon is no exception to their already stellar lineup of novels.

Twice in a Blue Moon centers on Tate Jones in two pivotal moments in her life. First, meeting Sam Brandis for the first time on a trip to London with her Grandmother. The second, when she’s further into adulthood. At that point, she’s a Hollywood darling, and yet still has something to prove.

I enjoyed how vividly tangible the emotions, and descriptions of young Tate were to me. For the first part of the story, I was instantly transported back to 18 years old (don’t ask how long ago that was), and was wrapped up in the magic of finding the sweetness of first real love. The way Sam and Tate interact had me cheering. All men need to read whatever manual Sam Brandis has that details how to treat a woman perfectly. I also instantly loved the brazen hopefulness that Tate displays as a new adult. I found adult Tate completely relatable too. The other characters that surround Tate are just as full as life. Everything works together to make such a vibrant world to get lost in.

Even though I knew it was inevitable Tate and Sam would find each other again, I was totally gripped by this story. It was thrilling not having to wonder if they will see each other again, but instead thinking “when is it going to happen?” and “how will they react?”

I’ll admit, I did actually gasp loudly at one point, which is a testament to how deep I sank into this story. I loved how both authors worked the duality of the past and present into the second, and what I feel is the most poignant part of the story. I hope readers will also agree with how seamlessly it all works together to create a riveting story.

I’m nearly positive that while writing this, Christina Lauren were both smirking with their shared knowledge of what was to come.They were probably both delighted at the delicious torture this story will no doubt bring to their readers, which is exactly why readers love them.

The writing style of Christina Lauren is that their stories are never just romance. They always sprinkle the perfect amount of sexiness, humor, drama, and in this case suspense, throughout the story to make their books incredibly hard for me to put down in order to actually function in my daily life.

Available this October, Twice in a Blue Moon is not one to miss!
4.5*

I put off writing this review which I try not to do with ARCs because I just don't have much to say about it. I've generally liked Christina Lauren's books more than those of pretty much any other writers of contemporary romance I've encountered, but this just didn't do it for me. I guess I understand why Sam did what he did but I just didn't like it and I didn't forgive him and I found the relationship between Tate and her father to work out both predictably but not in a way I wanted. This was fine.

This book was amazing. I knew I would love it based off the summary. The characters and romance were amazing.

Christina Lauren delivers another excellent contemporary romance! This one tells the tale of a young woman, the daughter of a top movie star, who spent much of her childhood hiding from the public in a small California town. On a trip to London when she is 18, she meets her first love, Sam, and confronts her first major betrayal. She becomes a successful actress in her own right and, 14 years later, lands a movie role with her father. Most of the book takes place on the rural movie set where she once again encounters Sam. This story checked all the boxes for me: wonderful characters that include a relatable protagonist, a man we all could love, a great set of friends; a bit of depth as we explore the complexities of understanding parents as adults; a setting that reveals some of the realities of movie production; and, of course, love in its various forms. I’d recommend this book to more than hardcore romance readers— it’s an all around fine novel for those looking for a fast but quality read.

I enjoyed the beginning of Tate and Sam's story, when they meet in London. It made me remember what first love felt like. As the book progressed into her acting career, however, I found it difficult to relate to and felt like it dragged on in parts. I did not feel invested in their story the way I usually do with Christina Lauren's books.

Typically, I love anything Christina Lauren. However, this one just didn't do it for me. I loved the beginning of the book and the ending, but honestly really didn't like everything in the middle. I loved the beginning of Tate and Sam's love story in London. It gave me all the feels. However, the rest of the book, which focused on Tate's acting career, just didn't engage me. Because I felt like I couldn't relate, it was hard to stay invested in the story. It was still a sweet love story, but definitely not my favorite.

Twice in a Blue Moon is one of Christina Lauren's books that is on the emotional rather than humorous side of things. I appreciate how they are able to write both types of books well. I have to admit that Twice in a Blue Moon wasn't my favorite of their books. I had some mixed feelings about it despite loving their writing.

This book basically had two parts. The first was in the past. Tate and Sam meet in London and quickly fall in love. I was thankful that Christina Lauren decided to give us this time all at once and not in flashbacks. It was nice to see how Tate and Sam's romance started back then and how everything fell apart because of Sam's actions. I didn't completely connect to their relationship at this point in the story because it was two young adults falling in love almost instantly and I had a hard time believing that. I did like how it set up for the future, though.

The second part of this book was set in present day, approximately 14 years later. Tate is now a famous actress. She runs into Sam on the set of her film unexpectedly. It's not a happy reunion because of Sam's betrayal, but Tate at least will get some answers. This was my favorite part of the story. I liked how Tate had to navigate the her truths and decide what she wanted to believe when it came to the past and things going on in the present.

Where Twice in a Blue Moon lost me was the pace of the story. The first two weeks felt long because of the detail of them. The present felt like it flew by because of the way time jumped and how quickly the characters moved. It felt like things ended abruptly and there wasn't a clear resolution. I still enjoyed this book despite that, but I think I could have loved it with a little more attention to the end.

I read an advanced copy of Christina Lauren’s new book! ⁣
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In Twice In a Blue Moon, you meet Tate, on vacation in Europe with her grandmother. She’s 18 and appears very sheltered and has a big secret the family has been keeping. And then she meets Sam, also on vacation with a grandparent. And they fall quickly for each other. Tate let’s Sam in on their big family secret and it has drastic effects on their lives. ⁣
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I enjoyed this book! It was a bit of a departure from the characters of Josh & Hazel and Half-Night Stand. I would just go into this one expecting something a little different, but still a page turner and a quick romantic comedy. ⁣
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This book will hit the shelves on October 22nd! Keep an eye out for it! ⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley, @gallerybooks and @christinalauren for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! ⁣
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#currentlyreading #twiceinabluemoon #christinalauren #netgalley #arc #booksharks

Christina Lauren have done it again. Spinning a whirlwind tale of love, loss, and betrayal you are swept up in the story of Tate and Sam. Tate learned the hard way about trusting boys from her first go around with Sam Brandis. Fourteen years later she is tested again when she runs into Sam as she steps onto the set of her next job. Christina Lauren proves once again that second chances only come twice in a blue moon.

Tate Jones and Sam Brandis meet when traveling with their respective grandparents to London. They fall in love, but Sam disappears and betrays Tate in a very public way. Fourteen years later, Tate is a rising movie star and is arriving on the set of the movie that may take her career to Oscar level heights. Of course, as she walks onto the location, there is Sam, the writer of the screenplay for the movie. I loved the opening act of this book, the slow buildup to that first great love of Tate’s live. While the betrayal is pretty bad, there are enough breadcrumbs payed out that you can guess why Sam did what he did. What I had some problems with was the second part of the story. I thought parts of the second half were rushed and glossed over. If you a fan of second chance romance, you will enjoy this book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

It's hard to believe that earlier this year, I had never read a Christina Lauren novel. Now I am on love. These two authors do such an incredible job of sucking me in to the characters and their love story. I loved Tate and Sam and seeing their relationship grow. I hated what Sam did to her and I was fully prepared to hate him. Even though I had a feeling about what his reason was, I still didn't want Tate to forgive him so easily. I thought they had amazing chemistry and I liked the idea of a second chance at love, at forgiveness of a horrible betrayal. This was another great read.

Yet another fantastic contemporary story from Christina Lauren! This amazing duo writes the greatest stories and I am so excited for whatever is next. I cannot get enough! Highly recommend!

Yet another fantastic contemporary story from Christina Lauren! I cannot get enough of their work and cannot wait for what’s next! Highly recommend.

I'm convinced that the writing duo of Christina Lauren can do it all. They can write the best smut, the funniest romcoms, and heartfelt contemporary romance--which is what I would consider Twice in a Blue Moon.



As noted in the synopsis Sam and Tate meet on a vacation overseas, fall in love, suffer through a betrayal, and reunite 14 years later. About a third of this novel is dedicated to really getting you in the headspace of Tate when she first meets Sam, which is really helpful. You get to know her and her hesitancy about revealing the backstory of her life and then you get to really understand why in the world she would trust a virtual stranger with her secrets. (I mean wtf, right?! but then you totally get it because SAM. Sam the man). And then you really understand why the betrayal of trust cuts so deep.



Fast forward 14 years and many successes later and Sam and Tate find themselves in the same location again. And it's nuts. The hurt. The shock. The curiosity. The hurt!!! Poor Tate tried so hard to harden her heart against Sam but the universe said nope...and thank god it did because Sam and Tate really needed to be together. Her resistance was futile, I mean she's only human, but I loved her resistance (totally justified) and yet I appreciated her decision to hear him out. Upon hearing him out, things change, I swoon, and more nefarious things happen...and then we get the HEA and then I, of course, kept hitting the swipe to read more and it was over and I was totally ready for at least 2 more chapters of HEA and fun-ness with Charlie and Nick and Marco (btw, the secondary characters were A+/100).



So here I am now, totally happy with how the story of Sam and Tate unfolded and somehow still wanting more, go figure. Twice in a Blue Moon is a great addition to your Christina Lauren library--go grab it!

Three and a half out of five stars.

“Twice in a Blue Moon” is the latest novel by authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write under the pen name. Christina Lauren.

Eighteen-year-old Tate Jones travels with her grandmother to London where she meets handsome Sam, who is traveling with his grandfather. The two fall for each other hard, but that is not where this story ends. Tate and Sam do not stay together because when Tate confides to Sam who her father is and about her estranged relationship with him that information is linked to the press. As a result, Tate has to quickly flee London and face the public eye as the daughter of a popular actor. Fourteen years later, the Tate and Sam meet again; Tate, now an actress, who is has the role of a lifetime and Sam is the writer of the script that could make Tate a star.

While parts of the plot are formulaic, it’s the authors’ ability to bring the characters to life that makes this story so enjoyable. Tate is immediately likable and as a reader, you feel for her when she believes Sam intentionally leaked the information and broke her heart. I do think more could have been done to develop the why of Tate and Sam’s connection. While the novel’s primary focus is on whether Tate will forgive Sam and allow him back into her life, the reader is just as invested in Tate’s relationships with other characters. You also sympathize with her struggles to build a relationship with her father who is much more interested in producing the proper public image at all times. Charlie, Tate’s closest friend and make up artist, is a hoot, and Nick, Tate’s love interest in the movie, is much more than eye candy. I only wish the author spent more time developing the father-daughter angle.

Fans of Christina Lauren’s past novels will not be disappointed. This is a quick and easy read and is enjoyable as a day soaking up in the sun while enjoying one’s beverage of choice.

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon Schuster and the authors for providing me an advanced copy of this novel.

Twice in a Blue Moon starts off with promise, as the story of two star crossed lovers begins years before in London. However, the writing is unpolished and hysterically inefficient at times, the plot is saccharine and predictable, and the characterization is shallow and uninspired.