I want to preface this by saying that the book was decently well written and I would've enjoyed reading it if not for some things that made me deeply uncomfortable surrounding Rip and the romance between Rip/Colby.

Overall, this was a super emotional book that I thought was pretty well written, even if I absolutely hated Rip and couldn't understand the romance for the life of me.
WHAT I LIKED
I really enjoyed Colby's narration style. She's funny, quirky and relatable in all the right ways while still being grounded in reality. All of her motivations/actions make perfect sense too
I love the way the kids were written. They weren't cringey, they just acted like actually children. They were so cute and silly and the way that they understood death made so much sense.
The pacing was extremely cohesive and great for the tone of the book.
I could picture the book/characters perfectly in my head!
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I understand that Rip is grieving and trying his best, but he's downright cruel to Colby for no reason. I don't have justification for her having feelings for him after what he's said to her. I genuinely didn't like him as a character, found no relatability and didn't even see his grieving displayed well on the page.
I want more memories of Monica and Brooks, so we feel like we know them even though they're dead
This was not an enemies to lovers romance. This was a "one person is verbally abusive to the other and doesn't understand their grief for some reason" to "will not work out" romance
Some of the dialogue between Rip and Colby was so forced, like "Checking out the goods again" made me nearly gag. And the texting wasn't sweet or cute. It was annoying and middle school.
I want more internal mourning for Rip at least. If he's not comfortable expressing it, can he at least be feeling it?

plot: colby is a free-spirited food blogger who enjoys life’s mess. rip is an organized, goal-oriented accountant who prefers to have all his ducks in a row. after a failed date, the two only interact for the sake of monica, colby’s best friend and rip’s sister, her husband brooks and their two precious kids.

when monica and brooks die tragically in an accident, rip and colby are named their guardians. while they both grieve their mutual loss, they also must now balance opposite parenting styles, two kids, and a spark between them that continues to grow with their time spent under the same roof.

my thoughts: if you loved the film “life as we know it” then this is pretty much the book version. the godparent trap has lots of tropes i love - forced proximity, opposites attract, second chance. rip and colby have great banter and the moments they share about their grief are sometimes really touching.

as in most books with kids, they are a bit precocious - but not annoying. my only wish is that rip showed more kindness in the beginning - he was pretty harsh and said some things that i would not have been so quick to redeem as colby was.

overall, very sweet considering it covered some super heavy topics. if you like romcom movies, you will like this book!

cws: death, grief (parental, sibling, friend), hospitalization, traumatic injury, bullying

I absolutely DEVOURED this opposites attract, forced proximity, dual POV romantic comedy between two godparents dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy and finding themselves responsible for caring for their best friends' small children.

Colby and Rip have known each other for years but there's always been a veiled hostility between them. When they have to set aside those feelings for the sake of the children they start to appreciate new aspects of one another and slowly the chemistry builds.

Such a great and entertaining story about the challenges of parenting small children, the grief of losing close friends/siblings and finding ways to move on and appreciate the little things in life - even when they're messy and not at all the picture perfect ideal you might have imagined.

Perfect for fans of Life's too short by Abby Jimenez or the movie Life as we know it. I fell in love with hot mess Colby and uptight Rip as they fell in love with each other and their new lives together. Much thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I now have a new auto-buy author and can't wait to read more by Rachel Van Dyken!

Emotional enemies to lovers/opposites attract rom-com. Rip and Colby are complete opposites and do not get along, but have to raise their godchildren together after an accident. I really enjoyed watching Rip and Colby's relationship develop as they learned to parent children full time and become a family. Kids in my romance novels can be hit or miss, but these ones were delightful.

This was such a fun, easy, low angst, read. It made me smile and laugh, but also packed some emotional punches, along with a few spicy scenes. I sat down to read and before I knew it, I was halfway through. I related to all of the messy kids stuff, lol. Great summer read from RVD!

What a brilliantly written book, that moves you to tears and makes you cry laughing. This story wasn't all sadness and doom and gloom. It was fun, full of cheeky banter and flirting, with children that had the power to make you cry and laugh in seconds. But most of all it was just a beautiful love story.

Rip and Colby were thrown into the deep end when tragedy strikes and they are literally left holding the babies when they lose their best friends and sister. But these feuding frenemies have to find a way to step up and raise these beautiful children. This book is about learning to live in the moment. Make the best of what you've got. And really seeing someone.

This book is a huge recommendation for me. Just be prepared for one hell of a roller coaster of emotions. This book is a different kind of book from Rachel Van Dyken and I'm completely here for more of this kind of book.

This was so much fun!

Such a great read. I loved the banter between Colby and Rip. Two people who drive each other crazy end up being the care givers of their best friends children after they unexpectedly pass away.

This read gives us laughter and tears and reminds us what is important in life. Stop and smell the roses because you never know what lies ahead. The two kids in this are adorable and also bring comedy to the story. I absolutely loved this gem and highly recommend it

Thank you so much to @readforever for sending me a complimentary advance reading copy of The Godparent Trap so I could read and review it ahead of its publication this coming Tuesday, July 19, 2022!

Colby and Rip are thrown together as the guardians of their best friends two children, when they are killed in a heartbreaking accident. The two of them have never gotten along, Colby is too easy going, while Rip is very uptight.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters had to process their grief while also adjusting to their new normal in a realistic way - the author didn't shy away from the hard feelings.

There were also a lot of times I was laughing out loud at this book. I'm just starting to see the chaos that live with a toddler can be and I found it so relatable to read throughout the book.

This was an incredibly hast read for me - under five hours, I didn't want to put it down.

There are some pretty big triggers in this book, mainly revolving around grief (loss of a sibling/bestfriend/parent) so take care of yourself first if this is a problem for you.

Rip and Colby cannot get along, but because Rip’s sister, Monica, is Colby’s best friend they end up spending a lot of time together. When tragedy strikes and they are both suddenly guardians of Monica’s children, they have to find a way to get along for the sake of the kids.

From the first few pages, I was enthralled with this book, and I ended up reading it in one sitting. This one hit me in all the feels, I felt so deeply for Rip, Colby and the children and really just wanted to hug them. I thought this book really showed their grief well and it felt so real. Despite starting with a huge tragedy, this book didn’t feel too heavy at all. There were moments I was laughing out loud, and I adored the witty banter between Rip and Colby. This truly was a fantastic read.

A huge thank you to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy.

If you are looking for a book with all the feels look no further than The Godparent Trap because Colby and Rip’s story has it all, happy tears, sad tears and plenty of emotion as well as some humour.
Colby and Rip didn’t expect to suddenly be in charge of two young children but they are determined to do the best for their best friends children but Children can be trying and children can push button’s especially when they realise the adult has no idea what they are doing……
This book ticked my boxes, I smiled, I shed a tear and at times I laughed out loud as I watched Colby and Rip embrace the children into their lives. A wonderful entertaining yet emotional read.
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and Valentines PR.

Messy and emotionally gutting with moments of levity curtesy of innocence amid the chaos
I’m going to try to keep this review brief, but truly The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken deserves all the 5* words and more. This romance is just so full of all the feels! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, unrequited love, fear, control issues, utter emotional devastation, along with frequent moments of healthy levity through the intricacies and land mines of parenting and the innocence of children. This author captures the wonder, awe and varied emotions of young children with Ben and Viera. Anyone who has been around young children know that thoughts and feelings can change on a whim with kiddos; Ben and Viera do not disappoint! In fact all of the main characters brought as many tears as laughter, endearing them all to this reader. The adults, the romantic interests, have big shoes to fill all while trying to find their way around parenthood, becoming a team and also learning how to deal with each other, their feelings and grief too. For their part, it’s a lot of ups and downs, unrealistic expectations and feelings of failure, just to name a few. Rip represses all his emotions while Colby wears hers on her sleeve.
Overall, there’s a great deal of love in this book as Rip discovers messy is good and Colby is great, messy chaos and all. Great for him, great for the kids and absolutely perfect for the family he has always wanted. Because sometimes, a chaotic mess is love everlasting.
I read an ARC of this book via Net Galley and voluntarily share my review.

4.5 Stars-
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. While the story is based on a tragedy that gives this story a sad element, it is the quick banter, the sexual tension, and the enemies to lovers elements that brings this story a hopeful, endearing and romantic vibe. Yes it’s like the movie but I just read and enjoyed this version.

I loved how opposite Colby and Rip were. Her fly by the seat of her pants and he the very structured and rigid, had that perfect chemistry even though it took then awhile to really figure it out. The kids, Viera and Ben were adorable and so charming. I fell in love with Banks and was quite surprised to see his ending. I would have loved a story for him but never the less, he was the best to Rip and Colby.

I loved The Godparent Trap and if you want a quick, sweet, funny, heartfelt romance, then this should have your name on it!!

The Godparent Trap had me flipping the pages in one setting and LOVING all the special moments. Rachel Van Dyken's latest is a summer hit that all will not want to miss!

Rip and Colby are sworn enemies since a bad date gone wrong. When Rip's sister and Colby's best friend die in a car crash, they leave behind two adorable children and a statement in their will. The statement that will make Rip and Colby parents to Viera and Ben. Quickly, Rip and Colby acknowledge that they are goners in this parenting game. Rip's an accounting genius working for a prestigious firm and Colby is a travel influencer. Let the games begin.

The Godparent Trap is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and shed some tears. Van Dyken touches on serious topics with care and leaves no emotion unchecked. I fell hard for each character and rooted for them to figure it out together. If you enjoy the movie Life as We Know It, this is THE book for you!

The Godparent Trap was one of my most-anticipated books of the summer and it did not disappoint!

After a heartbreaking death of family and best friends, opposites Colby and Rip are given joint-custody of two sweet yet typical little kids, Ben and Viera. They are both single and have had a will-they-or-won’t-they enemies vibe their whole lives, and all their time together under one roof while thrust into parenthood could make or break them.

This book is both sweet yet spicy, funny yet emotional. Some of the scenes had me laughing, and another towards the end had tears running down my face. It was a wonderful book, and had firmly placed Rachel Van Dyken on my must-read list!

Thank you for Forever (Grand Central Publishing)/Valentine PR for an early reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Read if you Like(d):
❤️ Life as You Know It
❤️ Forced Proximity Trope
❤️ Under One Roof Trope
❤️ Fake Dating
❤️ Enemies to Lovers

Book Review:
Honestly, this one felt like a rip off of Life as You Know it with a gender swap for who was the more responsible and put together Godparent.

Colby is the carefree, irresponsible, and the fun best friend while Rip is the hot, serious, grumpy, perfect older brother in this story. When Monica and her husband die they leave this pair as co-guardians to their kids and they then move into their paid off home to raise the kids. They have the same issues like in the movie of struggle to adjust and not knowing how to keep it together to take care of two young kids.

While it was a quick and predictable read as I felt like it very closely followed the plot points of Life As We Know It, I really didn’t enjoy how mean Rip was to Colby. I get that Enemies to Lovers was used to build tension, but I just didn’t like how it was used. I get he found her irresponsible and messy but how do you like someone that is that mean to you??? And for such a long time…

Being hot is isn’t enough to justify how awful he was to Colby, in my opinion. And the fact that he had to do very little to ‘turn his leaf’ and that she would have been with him even when he was being a jerk to her bothered me. I wish Colby would have been written as a stronger female character that wasn’t basically falling at the hot man’s feet.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book in advance of its release in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I went in expecting Life As We Know It in book form, and that's what I got - so I can't really complain. Though this was shorter and more surface-level than I was hoping, I did like the overall story and it was easy to binge in one sitting. If you've watched the classic rom com movie, then you've got a very good idea about how this will all unfold. There weren't a lot of surprises, but it satisfied that craving for me. Forced proximity, unexpected roommates, opposites attract, best friend's brother - it's filled with tropes that work for me, so there was a lot to love about the story. And RVD's writing has always been bingeable, so this absolutely flew by. But when I got to the end, I couldn't help but feel like the story just skimmed the surface; there are so many things that are glossed over or underdeveloped, and that left me disappointed. So this sits somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me - I enjoyed it as I was reading, but it didn't make much of an impression.

The story follows Rip and Colby, two people who have been in each other's lives for years, but have never gotten along. Colby has been crushing on the perfect, put-together Rip for a long time, but he's always thought Colby was too much of a disorganized mess to take seriously. The one time they considered crossing the line, it just damaged their relationship even further - so they avoid each other as much as possible. Unfortunately, when Rip's sister and her husband pass away suddenly, Rip and Colby are left with custody of their two young children. Moving in together and caring for two chaotic kids while grieving the loss of their loved ones changes the entire dynamic between them, and these two total opposites are left to figure out a way forward together.

For a book that revolves around four people who are reeling from the sudden deaths of their loved ones, this does manage to keep a rom com vibe for much of the story. There are certainly a few heavier moments, but the focus is on Rip and Colby learning how to interact with one another. I liked the shared history between them, and how deep their feelings run. That helped in the moments when Rip was being particularly judgmental and unlikable. He redeemed himself by evolving throughout the story, and there were some really cute family moments along the way. That's probably the book's biggest strength - two opposites coming together to form a family. I do think that adding a little more emotional weight to the story would've made it much stronger, and I also think that the development of Rip and Colby's relationship could've come together in a more satisfying way. It's the kind of book that gets most things right, but fails to go the extra mile to truly make an impact. I did have fun reading it, and I was excited to have something new from RVD, so it was still a solid experience. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this opposites attract romance.

I knew I'd more than likely cry while reading The Godparent Trap, considering the storyline, although I didn't realize quite how emotional of a story it would be. I think this was a case of the illustrated cover luring me in with a false sense of security, giving me the idea that the heartbreak wouldn't hit as hard. Now I'm not saying this was a deep, heavy, read, but there were definitely times I actually cried, not just teared up. Which was a little unexpected for me when it comes to a Rachel Van Dyken book- I'm so used to her fun, sometimes ridiculous, laugh out loud romcoms! But I think she handled this storyline very well- the silliness of Banks, and the sweetness and cuteness of the kids, helped balance the more emotional parts of the story.

Rip was kind of a tough nut through the begining of the story, almost to the point of unlikable. But once he opened up and we got to see inside that tough outer shell, you couldn't help but feel for the guy. And I enjoyed seeing him finally accept his feelings for Colby. I really liked Colby. She's heartbroken but doing her best to navigate her new life, while still being true to herself. And that meant having to face her still lingering feelings for Rip.

The Godparent Trap ended up being a sweet, second chance romance. It's definitely a bit heartwrenching at times, but the grief never got to be too overwhelming.

What a good story! Rip and Colby couldn't be any more opposite from each other, yet they're drawn to one another. Colby wants to embrace it while Rip scowls and pushes her away. Several scenes made me sniffle but there was a wonderful ending!

The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken was an emotional and beautiful story that was literally "unputdownable".

Rip and Colby are living their best lives, her as a travel blogger and him as an accountant. Colby's long time best friend is Rip's sister, Monica while Rip's best friend is his sister's husband Brooks. Both Rip and Colby have their lives tragically and immediately altered when Monica and Brooks are suddenly killed and Rip and Colby are left as the sole guardians of their two children (a five year old boy and a 3 year old girl). No only do Colby and Rip now have to learn to be parents, but they have to learn to deal with each other after years of being at each other's throats. Rip's clean, control freak ways are the exact opposite of Colby's care free and somewhat sloppy lifestyle. They must now learn to navigate their own grief, the grief of the children, and their new lifestyle all while realizing there may be more of a spark between them then they are willing to admit.

This book grips you from the very first chapter and makes it so hard to put it down. The characters are compelling and so complex and the story just tugs at your heartstrings. The children are so well written and believable. So many times I wanted to reach through the book and hugs everyone and other times I wanted to strangle them as they kept ignoring what was right in front of them.

Over all this was a great read. It is the perfect length and tells the story of this grieving family and how they are able to move in a way that will have you turning page after page.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Colby and Rip are forced into parenthood when his sister and brother-in-law pass away. They have a love hate relationship and its make you root for them. Colby is a hot mess while Rip is a straight and narrow guy who does not like messy. As these two try to navigate this crazy new world there in, they must also learn to lean on each other. Once they figure this out its smooth sailing. Really cute book.