After finishing this book all I wanted to do was burst into tears. This was the best sort of happy, serotonin inducing, all around great romance book that I needed. With all that’s been going on in my life lately I’ve been feeling really anxious and The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken was the best sort of healing balm I needed.

Think of that Josh Duhamel movie (Life As We Know It) when he and his costar Katherine Heigl are left as guardians of their friends’ baby when they die… except so much more better. I have to admit, it hurt my heart how mean Rip was to the female lead Colby in the beginning. How her job of being an influencer was deemed as non-work in comparison to his accounting firm. But as these two navigate parenthood that was thrust onto them when Rip’s sister and Colby’s friend Monica dies along with her husband.. we slowly but surely start to fall in love with these characters.

I was so beyond happy that the author didn’t stretch out any drama between the two leads and rather showed them slowly healing as love and two beautiful children brought them together. I loved this book so much that I promptly sent a copy of it to my best friend, it’s a complete must read!

So this author normally does pretty well for me but I couldn’t really get through the chaos in this book. Obviously Rip and Colby didn’t have time to properly grieve nor are they great at instant parenting. It was a lot to go through amid the burnt cookies and slime. I didn’t find the humor in it. It sounded like a tough book to write. Fence book… three stars.

When Colby's best friend and her husband pass, she and her friend's brother Rip become instant parents to their children. Sounds like a match made in rom-com heaven, but it really wasn't, at least not at first. You see, she's a "hot mess" (his words, not mine) who's not about rigid schedules, and he's a straight-laced, uptight accountant. Grumpy/sunshine to put it mildly. The two have known each other for years, never having gotten along thanks to that opposite thing, but they'll need to figure out a way to co-exist peacefully for the sake of their new kids. But is all that antagonism really just masking deeper feelings?

Though passing itself off as a light-hearted opposites attract rom-com, and it is, there's more to this story than fluff. There are truly hard subjects within its pages, and I liked how the author dealt with those subjects. The balance between the difficult themes and the fun, light stuff is done well, and I ended up liking both characters, especially Colby. She's got a big heart and was really trying her damnedest to be the best instant mom she could be. Rip - I took awhile to warm to him, as his heavy-handed, cruel words with Colby for much of the story, were hard for me to get past. But he slowly won me over, and by the end, I was really glad to see them make things work, happily and hard-won in love and parenting their godchildren. I ended up liking this charming grumpy/sunshine story that had heart, laughs, and chemistry on top of dealing with difficult subjects.

Wow! I love the simple wholeness of this book. It depicts what the home life can feel like and how it can be overwhelming to someone just trying to pick up the lives of two children. As always, RVD captures the emotions felt and portrayed! #RVDEliteReviewTeam

The Godparent Trap tries to balance two contradictory elements and does a disservice to both. Overall, this one was a mixed bag for me.

If you're a fan of the delightful romcom Life As We Know It, then you MUST read The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken! Fun, swoony, romantic, and all-around one of the best romances I've read so far this year. Seriously, don't miss out on this one!

ARC Review

TW/CW: loss of family members and grief surrounding losing loved ones.

I initially had a bit of a hard time getting into The Godparent Trap. I don’t like to read blurbs before I go into a book because I like the surprise, but if I had’ve I would’ve known the beginning of this book was a little heavier than I initially anticipated. Again, totally my own fault.

After I got past the beginning though, I really enjoyed it. It was a terrific grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity romance with strong themes of found family trope, which made my heart feel all kinds of things. It really gave Life As We Know It meets The Unhoneymooners.

The premise of the book is our two main characters become co-guardians of two adorable (and slightly nightmarish but in the best way) kids. Every time one of these kids opened their mouth, I just had to laugh. Van Dyken just wrote it so perfectly to capture the nature of kids and the funniest/most random things they say.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend giving it a read once it comes out - you’ll be sure to laugh and feel lots of emotions.

It may have taken me a little time to fully warm to this story but I must say that I ended up absolutely loving it! I’ll hold up my hand and admit that I’ve been struggling to connect emotionally with the books I’ve been reading of late, and I wondered if it was the writing or was it me. However, I laughed throughout this story and cried during the closing scenes too, so I guess it is not me after all! Thank you, Ms. Van Dyken, for penning a story that I not only enjoyed but one that brought out so many emotions in me that it has also eliminated my fears.

Having experienced grief, I thought the author wrote this part of the storyline perfectly. Viera and Ben’s reactions not only hurt my heart at times but also made me smile. These two characters often stole the show. They provided the most perfect comedy moments during scenes when I could have easily cried. I loved the emotions that not only their interactions brought out in me, but those of Rip and Colby too.

I saw some of me in Colby, specifically the chaos, the messy house, the trying my best but feeling inadequate – typical Mum moments actually. I loved that this story showed us exactly how parenting can be. I’ll always wish I’d been the Mum to have everything just so, but Colby and Rip remind us that laughter, creating happy memories and being there for each other is far more important than a clean and tidy home.

I enjoyed witnessing Rip and Colby navigate their new lives - which feels wrong to say because of the circumstances that led to this. Banks brings something extra to the storyline which I loved. All in all, this is a great enemies-to-lovers (kind of), romantic comedy novel. I definitely recommend The Godparent Trap to you to read.

This book follows Colby and Rip as they suddenly have to navigate the role of being the sole caretakers of their friend's children after they die in a car accident. The two have known each other for years but a disastrous date left them hating each other and the two have constantly verbally sparred since then.


I was expecting a good portion of the story to focus on grief, and losing your family/friends. And this book did that for sure. I think (& it's a very weird thing to say but) shared grief is perhaps the strongest force that brought Rip and Colby together. I also really liked the banter b/w them both and full family scenes that we got. Childcare is not easy and this book definitely portrayed it that way. I also enjoyed Banks as a character, though him ending up with that woman (I've forgotten her name lol), wasn't needed?

I was really excited to get into this because it seemed kind of like a found family trope mixed with enemies to lovers and add adorable kids, you get an entertaining book! But it kind of fell short. There was good chemistry between Rip and Colby no doubt, but it seemed like it wasn't explored as much as it should've/could've been. The fade to black scene did not help. I was expecting at least the kids to be cute little misfits who'd play a part in something, like bringing these two together, but they didn't get much to do either.

Now if the plot sounds similar to the movie Life As We Know It, it's because it is a lot like it. The only difference is that there's 2 kids instead of one.

Overall, this is a good, quick read if you like enemies to lovers and the movie and are looking for something similar!!🦋

P.S the name Rip does not sound like an adult man I'm sorry😩

A special thanks to the author and valentine pr for the ARC!

I received an advanced reader copy of The Godparent Trap via NetGalley and Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Colby and Rip have been in each other's lives for some time as she is the best friend of Rip's younger sister, but they do not enjoy being in each other's presence, especially after their disastrous date. Colby spilled her drink and when Rip leaned in to help clean up, she misunderstood and kissed him. Since then, Colby has been repulsed by his perfectionist personality-except when he interacts with his nephew, Ben, and niece, Viera. After a tragic accident, Colby and Rip become the guardians of Ben and Viera, and their lives are turned upside down.

I really did enjoy this book, but I couldn't give it 5 stars for a couple of reasons. I did really enjoy the banter between the two of them, and I appreciated that they found a way to find fun in everyday things like grocery shopping. But it felt like the two of them went from disliking each other and only putting up with each other for the kids, to being entirely into each other with the flip of the switch. There was a split second of fake dating, and then a side character that I thought was going to cause a rift between Colby and Rip, but instead the character left... It was just a little weird to me.

I would still recommend this book though, so I gave it 4 stars.

Colby and Rip bring on the feels in The Godparent Trap.

After receiving devastating new that her best friends have tragically passed, Colby has been entrusted to take care of their kids along side their uncle Rip. Rip has alway though of Colby as a mess, with their rocky past can they come together for the kids. The Godparent Trap is full of laugh out loud moments as well as moments that will pull on your heart strings. You will truly fall in love with Colby and Rip, their chemistry is perfect! This was an excellent read, that I would recommend to everyone.

This book was adorable. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story especially when they both have buried feelings for each other and just hide those behind animosity. Though as one would expect this book does start out pretty sad but the story continues on a very positive note of learning how to co-parent with your enemy and raise two small children. This book had a lot of emotions in and I really loved it from the beginning to the end.

This novel explores how a tragic moment can change your life forever and force you to finally look at someone with new understanding and the way you want to live your life in a new way. (Content Notes for death of loved ones that leaves the main characters guardians of two children). Rachel Van Dyken takes this trope which can be found in a handful of movies and romance novels and finds a way to build a new familial relationship with care, humor and lightness, even when there are moments of sadness. Dyken's writing is well paced, accessible and does a good job of balancing the heavy with the light.

Colby, a popular food blogger, and Rip, an accountant, get their lives turned upside down when Rip's sister (Colby's best friend) and her husband tragically die in a car accident, leaving Colby and Rip the guardian's of their two children. This is an opposites attract, unrequited love romance that builds between these two how have both pined for the other from afar, but after one bad date they assumed the worst of the other. In their new guardian ship role they both must learn how to work together while learning how to be a strong support system for two children.

I found that Dyken did a good job of touching on the sadness and tragedy of the situation that spurns the action of the novel while not putting too much of a dreariness and grief over the entire novel. It was definitely entertaining watching both Colby and Rip learn how to navigate their new normal. I love that through these new challenges they were able to come to see the other in a new light and really respect them for the hard worker and caregiver that they both could be. It is also definitely fun to watch them both have to fight their attraction as this forced proximity drives them to constantly be around the other. Dyken also knows how to drive up the heat when these two finally get together and it is perfectly sensual and steamy. The use of the children was done in the perfect way to show lives ups and downs, while learning to be strong and sensitive and okay with feelings. It is also really joyful to see the children be on board with this relationship while building a new family unit with their parents always in their hearts.

If you enjoyed the movie Life as We Know It, you should definitely check this romance out. I really enjoyed this slice of life romance about building a family and learning to see life in a new way.

3/5 ⭐ overall. Many thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC. God, I am kind of on the fence about this book. I enjoyed the last 50 percent of the story - but the other half, not so much.

The Godparent Trap is a romance between Colby and Rip, who are given custody of their married best friends' kids. The storyline follows these tropes - enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, and forced proximity. The premise of the book was definitely of the best things I have ever read. The plot had so much emotion and depth attached to it. The tragic elements were so mindfully balanced with the aspects of hope and moving on. with life. Kudos to the author for handling difficult topics of grief with the utmost care and attention. Rachel Van Dyken's writing style is really mesmerizing - she knows how to capture emotions perfectly through her words.!!

Before going any further, let me talk about what made this book a 3-star read. As I mentioned earlier, The Godparent Trap is an enemies-to-lovers romance. It's one of my favorite tropes, and one of the main reasons why I was genuinely excited to read the book. But there's a huge line between disliking someone (for a hate-to-love plot) and straight-up bullying them. I couldn't warm up to Rip at all. He was sexist and so, so mean. He constantly bought up Colby's shortcomings in the first half of the book, MY GOD. It was so infuriating!!! He made a point of highlighting Colby's biggest insecurities ALL THE TIME. (this was quoted in one of the chapters btw), but Colby still somehow pursued a relationship with him?????? Believe me, I am a sucker for character development. But I did not even bat an eyelid while that happened for Rip. I loved Colby so much, which is why I have such strong feelings - I didn't like how she was treated and so the romance felt short for me. Also, umm, the shift from Hate to Love was really sudden in my opinion and felt forced. I must admit that the last chapters between them were sweet, but well, they could not justify Rip's behavior in my eyes.

Even though Colby and Rip's romance disappointed me, I really loved their parenting styles. The author made sure to keep the plot realistic while the characters battled with their grief and managed two little kids at the same time. My heart broke for Viera and Ben. Their conversations with Rip and Colby were what made the book better. The topics surrounding grief were so thoughtfully written as well.

I so, so wish that the author made Rip's character more likable because the story would have been perfect then. SO MUCH POTENTIAL, AHHHH.

This was a romcom with a lot of feels. There were some very heavy topics in this book, including death, kids' losing their parents, hospital. There was light banter and enemies to lovers that did work to help tone down the sadness, but it was definitely not a "lighthearted beach read" if that's what you're looking for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5

A heartwarming, emotional romance about two enemies forced to live together after they are given custody of their loved ones’ two children. I loved the movie Life As We Know It, so when I saw this premise, I had to have it. I really enjoyed this read. Obviously, it was very emotional, but that was balanced out by witty banter and fun tropes. The perfect romance for those that want a sweet story with well-developed characters and snappy dialogue.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A tragic accident, two orphaned kids and two godparents, Aunt Colby and Uncle Rip, who are total opposites is the premise for The Godparent Trap.

This book made me laugh and made me cry. It was written in dual POV between Colby and Rip. There was a lot of tension, banter (the text messages!) and some steam. The story had enemies to lovers, opposites attract and sister's best friend tropes. The story was full of emotion and you see the couple navigating through their grief, but there was also humor and the joy of a new relationship. The book ends with the great epilogue too. I highly recommend this heartfelt read!

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

One of my favorite movie is “Life as We Know It”, I laughed and swoon so hard over it, so when I read the blurb from this Rachel’s book, I was super excited. And the wait definitely paid off, it was everything I wanted and so much more. The Godparent Trap has definitely a place in my heart and I didn’t want to end it.

Colby and Rip never agreed to anything, they were totally opposites in everything (or so we thought!), their jobs, their way of life, while she was full of live and freedom food blogger, he was the broody and grumpy accountant. But after one fatal day where Monica, Rip’s sister and Colby’s bff, and her husband dies, they were left with to two adorable kids to care and love.

Having their lives upside down, now they’d have to live together while managing a life they never thought they would have, even more together. At first my heart broke in a million pieces, but after plenty of laughs over the kids antics, and Rip and Colby fallout and their banter, my heart was mended.

It was obvious to me they were meant to each other, but as I fell in love with Colby instantly, it took so long to actually like Rip. He was a pain and especially in the beginning I wanted to kick him where it hurts. As the story progressed, I finally could see what everyone saw. Their hearts were so pure and they really deserve the world.

There were some steamy scenes and plenty of surprises… I enjoyed the dynamics of the couple and especially with the kids. I flew by the story and it was a great one that just made me happy. I highly recommend.

The Godparent Trap hit me in the feels, and even had me shedding a few tears! Colby's best friend, and Rip's sister Maggie and her husband Brooks pass away in an accident leaving Colby and Rip to raise their kids. Rip and Colby are complete opposites which makes for the lighthearted moments the book needed.

I really appreciated the way the handled things with the kids re: their parents. They admitted that they too missed them and wished they were here, and I felt like that validated the kids feelings. Because of the tragic start to the book there were quite a few moments that made me tear up.

It was enjoyable to watch Colby and Rip figure out both how to parent and deal with their attraction to each other. Rip especially had a lot of growth.

My only issue was I didn't feel like we needed the one more thing at the end, but that could just be a me thing.

The Godparent Trap is Rachel Van Dyken’s latest contemporary romance. It’s a take on the movie, Life as we know it. I can definitely tell you I liked the characters in here better than the movie though. Rip and Colby are complete opposites. She’s the definition of a hot mess and feels all the things. He is always put together and is unemotional. After the loss of his sister/Colby’s best friend and his best friend, Rip and Colby become the guardians for their two young children. Having two single people who have never been a parent trying to raise two young children had a lot of funny moments. I appreciated the author’s take on being a stay at home parent. As one myself, I can assure you this is eerily correct! With the subject matter of loss, you should be prepared to shed a lot of tears. Reading what all of these characters were going through and how they felt was heartbreaking. This is a book that will have you feeling all the things. I’d recommend this one.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.