First, I hate Rip’s name sorry not sorry. Second, he’s so unlikable like FCK😭 getting mad at someone cause they’re grieving that their best friends died, come on! The change in his character was too sudden it’s like someone snapped their fingers and he become a new version of himself, Rip 2.0. I hate how he tried to justify his as$holey behaviour towards her with omg I didn’t hate you it was just fear and you were such a free bird! Like fk outta here bro😭

Colby I liked. Little miss hot mess but emphasis on hot! Not much to LOVE but I think sometimes even just liking a character is good enough.

It kinda sucks because I was really looking forward to this book but it was just kinda underwhelming. Like it had so much potential but :/

1 star for the plot, I’ve wanted to read a book like this, but it felt kinda just messy and rushed at the end.
0.5 stars for the kids in the book: I feel like we didnt see enough with them even though the whole point of the book is to be Godparents?
1 star for Banks cause honestly I liked him better than Rip.
0.5 stars for chemistry between Rip and Colby.

I cannot express how much I absolutely adored this book! They have always been in each other’s lives but tragedy throws them together in a way they never expected and the lines between love and hate can get muddy sometimes. I laughed out loud in parts of that story and cried during others which is a sign of a great story to me for sure.

This is an emotional romance in the sense that both characters had to deal with the fact of loss and taking care of children who lost their parents. They’ve known each other before and it’s a matter of seeing as whether they can actually keep a relationship together at this time. It’s well written as well written as any other book I read in a long time. Both hero and heroine must get through a lot of their past feelings in order to move forward and have a relationship. I really enjoyed the dialogue and how the characters were written.

DNF @ 25%

Listen, I live for a grumpy/sunshine, E2L, guardian romance moment. The premise of this book is impeccable. The children are precious. Colby is frazzled in a relatable way, or at least a way I can empathize with. But it ultimately felt unreadable to me.

I think this could have used a bit more editing. Some of the descriptions and narrative felt stilted, and Rip's voice felt weirdly similar to Colby's at times. There were also pieces that just felt weirdly stitched together, and I didn't quite fall into the flow of the story because of it. We were just jumping from scene to scene with no real rhyme or reason.

Rip was also just mean. There was no empathy and he consistently ripped (lol) on Colby without even stopping to give her grace or consider what her perspective may have been. A lot of the things he hit on were parts of her personality that she probably wasn't going to change. Don't get me wrong, I love a character development arc, but some of the stuff Rip was saying felt like we couldn't come back from it. I think I also expect a bit more kindness in any E2L interaction -- even if they're enemies, we have to see that they can both be redeemed, and I just didn't see that with Rip.

I'd still be willing to give this author another go, but this book wasn't for me.

This was so heartfelt and sweet. I really enjoyed the relationship slowburn and unique story this told. It was pretty short so a few details felt a little rush, but that was my only complaint... I'd rather have a book be a little on the short side than drag anyway! I really enjoyed both POV as it always adds to the romance. Cute!

Then you’re a perfect mess...a perfect wreck...let yourself be the masterpiece of chaos.”

Happy Pub Day to THE GODPARENT TRAP!

Despite some of the heavier themes in this book, Rachel managed to keep it light and fun with lots of laugh-out-loud moments.

I absolutely loved the two little nuggets in this book and some of the crazy stuff they put Colby and Rip through. Like the chicken nugget scene 🤣

This enemies-to-lovers / forced proximity trope is one you need to read!

This one reminded me of a reverse Life As We Know It. The concept was so well done. Loved the banter and the tension between Rip and Colby and rooted for them until the end.. Such a heartwarming story!!

Colby and Rip are apps who are thrown together to raise their for children after a tragic accident. What will they learn about themselves and each other along the way. A great read but emotional at times.

I really liked this book. The Character development was so well done. I loved the roommate and fake dating tropes. The children were very likeable. I did feel in the very beginning like I had already heard this story in movie form, however as the story went on it got better. I would rate this book as a 5 out of 5 stars.

I loved the plot BUT… I’ve seen the movie. This was not unique and was a complete rip off of the movie Life as we Know it. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. I loved the plot but I’ve already been there, done that. This wasn’t original and because of that, it lost a star for me. So much potential, but I just couldn’t get the movie or the characters out of my head when I was reading it.

The Godparent Trap was a heartfelt emotional read with some pretty funny moments thrown in. The premise of this book is a sad one but Rachel Van Dyken really makes the book have a lighthearted feel.

Colby and Rip are polar opposites and don't get along, but when their best friends/sister die, they have to come together to raise their kids. The clashing of their personalities was a delight to read. I liked the progression of starting at total odds with each other and moving toward being a team. It made for some cute moments. The kids added a funny element to the book with their crazy situations. Raising kids is hard, and I thought RVD perfectly captured that in several scenes.

There were a few things that I felt could have used some work. I could have maybe used a bit more depth in the grief department. I get that this is a lighthearted book, but these kids' parents died and they seem totally fine. I think the book could have been pushed from really liked to loved if RVD had gone there emotionally. I also felt like the ending was rushed and frantic, and the epilogue featured a couple that I can't root for until some redemption happens.

Overall, this was a cute, quick read for me. It had some high points but also could have used a bit more depth in some areas. I will definitely check out Rachel Van Dyken's back list because her writing style is great!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the e-book in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the story line, the banter and the kids were as cute as can be but I didn’t feel like I connected with them and didn’t fully understand their history
And why they were enemies. That is why I dropped to a 3 star. Overall cute story, witty banter and a strong female character!

I love a frothy rom-com, but sometimes I want a romance that also deals with more serious topics. THE GODPARENT TRAP has funny enemies-to-lovers banter, hilariously REAL kids, but also really looks at grief and healing.
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Rip and Colby were true opposites. I liked Rip's buttoned-up and controlled personality warring with a free spirit. However, Rip says some truly cruel and horribly harsh things to Colby and that made it hard for me to like him.
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Also, the epilogue in THE GODPARENT TRAP is a total miss. Huge life decisions and relationships, that NEEDED explanation, were never explained. This may be the first time an epilogue actually hurt the preceding book, in my opinion.
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THE GODPARENT TRAP had a lot of great chemistry, a few laughs, some real-life trauma, and a swoony hea. It was a pretty good read, just not a GREAT read.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG-13 / Only 1 descriptive sex scene, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: fatal auto accident, death of loved one, orphaned children
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 4/5 - Tackled some seriously tough topics.

The plot of this made me think of the movie Life As We Know It (which I've admittedly never seen, but I'm aware of the general concept). Anyway, it was both funny and heartwarming. I loved the banter between Colby and Rip and found myself laughing out loud at several parts. Banks was also a great, entertaining side character.

I liked how the book also contained some heavy topics as well, including death and dealing with grief, but still somehow managed to keep the mood light.

Pure fun! This story has a couple thrown into the world of child care and instant family. After a terrible tragedy Colby & Rip are forced into parenting her best friend and his sister’s kids. There are emotional topics in the story that could be heavy but are in handled in a lighthearted way that doesn’t pull down the entertaining focus of the story. Neither Colby nor Rip have much experience with child rearing and being thrust into parenthood is a lot for both. Plus there’s the history between the two that didn’t end well. Yup, certainly no love lost between these two that are now joined in this new circumstance. One unfortunate incident changes everything between the new parents and the romance blooms. Throw in the cute kiddos and it’s light-hearted fun as this family gels in the best way. Worth the read!

I didn't get to download this but I've read a bit of the book and it's romance perfection! Definitely recommend to any romance lovers out there!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This books was so cute and amazing! I really really loved it! And it was one of the best I love Rachel Van Dyken writing! And this was not exception🥰
This book was everything and it was really cute and I can’t wait to read more from RVD!

2.5 stars

Colby and Rip are forced into parenthood when their sister and best friends die in a horrible accident, leaving their two young children behind.

While I enjoyed this one, and flew through it, there were several things that I couldn't overlook. For one, it was a little too similar to the movie Life As We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.
The tension between Colby and Rip felt juvenile for a reason that (in my opinion) wasn't a big deal, and definitely wouldn't excuse their interactions that were just plain mean. Rip was supposed to be grumpy, but he came off more pompous than endearing.
There was also an event at the end that seemed unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story.

Despite these things, it had some funny and very real parenting moments that I found myself laughing out loud at.

Maybe my expectations were too high or misplaced, because a lot of people loved this one. I would still recommend it to someone looking for a fun enemies to lovers with a parenthood twist.

Thanks to Forever Pub and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Ok, so I know this review is a little late but I’d like to thank Netgalley as well as the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

3.5

If you were a fan of Life As We Knew It this book is for you. This book was cute and fluffy( but also made me tear up multiple times). I did really enjoy this book, I thought the mmc was pretty unlikeable for the first 40% of the book but I’m a sloot for for a good book boyfriend and can forgive just about any behaviour. And once we started being nice he was very likeable!

I could have done without all of the tiktok references. That’s just a personal opinion though. And I did feel like the book wrapped up way to fast. The third act incident (no third act break-up) happened at like 94%. It was VERY fast.

Overall I would recommend giving it a read

I had high expectations for this book and can confidently say it beat my expectations! I loved her other books “the matchmakers playlist” and “the matchmakers replacement” both amazing books! This book intrigued me mostly by the author but then I found it reminded me of the movie “ life as we know it” which is one of my favorites! The author did so amazing with the character development for even the side characters! Banks was my favorite! I just wish he ended up with someone other than heather and wish I could have read another book on his love story. Rachel van dyken has become in instant buy for me from now on! I had been originally planning on getting this book the day it came out to treat myself after my procedure. I ended up getting the arc on NetGalley from forever (grand central publishing) and I don’t think I’ve screamed with happiness so much before! Even though I have read this book on NetGalley I know I don’t need the paperback copy but do I want to get one after loving it so much…? YES!!!!