Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.75 stars

Opposites attract
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Adorable kids and a crazy cat

What more do you need? I absolutely loved and adored this book. It made me cry, laugh, and smile so big people were looking at me. I loved all the characters. Colby is a walking hot mess. Rip is a neat perfectionist. What happens when their lives are turned upside down and now have to live together and raise 2 kids? I guess you'll have to read this to find out!

I must say I loved Banks, he made me laugh so much throughout this book. He was definitely the best side character. I loved this book so much that I pre-ordered the paperback and I am recommending it left and right. It's that good!

On my serotonin quest, I read The Godparent Trap and it hit some big 2000s nostalgia vibes for me. If you've seen Life As We Know It, the plot will feel familiar.

That being said, I really enjoyed it and powered through the book in less than 48 hours. I think what helped hold my interest was the deeper twist on enemies to lovers. It was nervous crush, wrapped in grief, morphed into enemies. Ya girl likes messy book feelings.

The ending was a bit too "higher power" for me, and caused an eyeroll. But it wasn't so ridiculous I stopped reading or impacted my overall rating. It fit really well with the rest of the book, and still held a great flow and emotional power.

I will caution there's a lot of misogynistic language towards parenting in the beginning and does get called out by other characters. Normally, I wouldn't include this CW, but every mom I know has been drowning for months and don't need the input of a man.

I really liked this book but get ready for the tears because there is a ton of grief. I think this plot was so special. At the beginning I was a little afraid I was going to hate Rip but as the book unravels this story and we learn more abut both Rip and Colby you cant help but love him. This found family is so special. My only dislike was that I felt the plot at the end moved way too fast and it was a tiny bit confusing. I would have loved for them to have expanded on the last 3 chapters a little more cause it just felt too rushed. Otherwise a great romance with a ton of feels.

Lets run from the world of mafia, which we love RVD for, and enter back into the world of rom com. I laughed, I teared up, I teared up FROM laughing. I loved this book. When two people who aren't fans of each other are thrown together, essentially eternally, due to love of children - what shenanigan's will ensue? Pages and pages. Curl up with a hot cup of tea and your favorite blanket, you're in for a ride!

THE GODPARENT TRAP by Rachel Van Dyken was devastating and hilarious all at once. After a tragic accident, Colby and Rip find themselves co-guardians of the children of their best friends and sister. Together they must learn to navigate parenthood, grief, and each other. And because Colby is more fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants and Rip needs organization and rules, the tension is at an all-time high.

This novel is Opposites Attract and Grumpy/Sunshine with such sweet moments throughout. The banter is funny and quick, the kids lend moments of innocent humor, and the realizations these characters have about themselves and each other is well done. There’s a well-balanced mix of laugh out loud moments chased by deeply sad and emotional ones (and vice versa). What a rollercoaster of feelings it is reading this book! Once you’ve reached the last page, this book’s warm, real, and funny moments will stick with you for a while.

The Godparent Trap is such a heartwarming book about a couple who hate each other getting set up to be the god parents of their friends and sister. After the death of the parents, they are set up to be the sole caretakers. This book was such a quick and easy read. It reminded me a lot of the movie Life as We Know it and I loved the characters in this book just as much as the ones in the movie. Rip however has got to be the weirdest name for a main character in a romance book that isn't fantasy. We never find out if Rip is a nickname to a longer name, honestly can't think of one myself but it's such a weird name I don't see how it's just Rip. This book features a forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and grumpy sunshine. There's a total of two sex scenes but they aren't detailed and aren't very spicy. This book overall is more contemporary than spice so if you are looking for spice this book isn't for you. But if you are looking for a heartwarming book featuring a quick pace romance and the meaning of family this is perfect for you. While I enjoyed this book, I feel like it went too quickly towards the end. Their relationship didn't have much work needed for it and they pretty much just went on their ways into the epilogue after our main conflict. I was expecting a little more. Overall, I enjoyed this book and hope to see more from this author.

Rip and Colby are godparents to Rip’s sister Monica’s kids. Rip has always been annoyed by Monica’s best friend Colby. Rip is fastidious and organized, while Colby is a free spirit. When Monica and her husband are killed in a car accident, Rip and Colby have to figure out how to co-parent their two kids. This is a fun opposites attract romance, with some moments that will make you grab your Kleenex. Rip is a great character who had to grow up quick when his parents died and he had to raise his sister when he was just 18. That life event helps explain his need for order and stability. Colby is a food blogger who loves to live life to the fullest. Overall, a lovely, feel good romance. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my opinion.

The Godparent Trap was generally a light and easy read despite the grief and loss. I couldn't quite find the 'enemies' phase of Colby and Rip's relationship dynamic quite believable, as it didn't really have much foundation to it. So, although I could nitpick at details of this book, overall it had a lot of heart and fun - a perfect summer book.

Thank you to Valentine PR & Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.


If you have watched the movie Life as we know it I feel like this book will be right up your alley.

Rip & Colby are instant family after a tragic accident that has them becoming instant parents.

With the sunshine/grumpy trope being one of my all time favs I loved this book so much. There were so many funny moments along with some that really made me tear up. i adored this book.

📚 The Godparent Trap 📚

I devoured this SO FAST.

It was such a fantastic story about how family can be blood or not.

Colby and Rip's best friends have passed away and left their two kids to them.

The issue is that Colby and Rip don't exactly understand each other, or even like each other.

Or do they? 😉

I loved this book so hard. I was so concerned that I would have second hand trauma as a mom who is TERRIFIED of something happening to me.

@rachvd did AMAZING at portraying these emotions in such a tasteful way. Also, that little bit of foreshadowing in the beginning was golden!

Thank you @readforeverpub for my the advanced copy! You guys are the best!

This was a quick read with an interesting premise — forced proximity following a tragedy. The chapters were short and easy to get through. I really wanted to like it more than I did.

The characters were tolerable but not extremely likable. In my opinion, the plot started off with a lot of potential and became increasingly more difficult to enjoy. I just wasn’t sure where some of the random plot points were supposed to fit in. It seemed as though some things were introduced but not developed enough to have a meaningful impact on the story.

Things I liked: the trope, Banks as a sidekick, the idea that grief manifests in different ways for people.

Overall, a quick read but not one I would rate better than “okay.” Unfortunately, for me the storytelling fell short.

This is my first book by Rachel Van Dyken and I will be checking out more of her work in the future. This was a pretty quick read for me, I finished it in a day.

That doesn’t mean the book has light though. It centers around a pretty heavy topic, what happens when parents are tragically killed in a car accident? Well, for Rip and Colby, in addition to mourning the sudden loss of his younger sister/brother in law and her best friends, they also become guardians of their godchildren. They are both single, child free, and holding a strong dislike of each other when tragedy strikes.

They go on a (sometimes hilarious) journey of parenthood (Colby learns to appreciate mom clothes quickly), learning how to juggle each other’s vastly different personalities, two young kids (5 & 3) and their respective jobs.

My only complaint is the ending did feel rushed to me, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for how I felt about the book overall.

Tropes: Forced Proximity, Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Best Friends Brother, Sisters Best Friend

Equal parts tragedy and comedy

Rip and Colby have known each other since childhood, since she's his younger sister Monica's best friend. After celebrating their ten year anniversary, Monica and her husband Brooks are tragically killed and their two children are now in the custody of both their godparents - Rip and Colby.

The only thing these two agree on is that they both fiercely love the children, and the one date they went on a couple years prior was an absolute disaster. But they have to put their differences aside to try to help five-year-old Ben and his three-year-old sister find their way through their loss.

Rip was a bit too much of a condescending jerk in the beginning but he did redeem (and explain) himself by the book's end. There's a lot of childrearing chaos throughout as both Colby and Rip learn just what being parents is all about. There's also a good bit of pushing coming from Rip's partner and friend, Banks, who was probably my favorite character of the entire book.

I'm not quite sure I understand how the crisis at the end of the book came about - I wish it had been a bit more explained - but the feels are real throughout and it's not hard to see that these two make a charming couple as well as a rock-solid family unit with the kids. It's a terrific HEA with a year-later epilogue and I truly enjoyed the journey. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

While this book has many similarities to the movie, “Life as We Know It,” I find the written word to be much more entertaining. When you’re chosen as a godparent, you pray so hard to never have to step in as parents if something tragic happens.

For Colby and Rip, the unthinkable happened and just like that, he’s co-parenting with Colby. He sees her as flighty, happy-go-lucky. She sees him as grumpy, strait laced, and unbending. Everything they do seems to clash except for how much they love Viera and Ben. When the assumptions were proven wrong and they got to know each other, they both figured out how to co-exist rather peacefully. But there’s the underlying current of attraction that Rip’s friend Banks plays devil’s advocate with.

The banter between Colby and Rip was riddled with sizzling chemistry and everything else in between. The discussions about feelings and being real with the kids made this story realistic and relatable. Nothing was perfect and neither adult changed their ways to bring perfection to the home life.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Thank you to the author, Forever Publishing, Valentine PR and NetGalley for my advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an easy read in site of the heavy topic it deals with. I was half way through the book in no time!


Rip and Colby are complete opposites. He’s too serious and controlling. She’s a complete mess and fun. It’s Grumpy/Sunshine at it’s best. Their one date a long time ago did not go well. The two of them are thrown together in co-parenting, showing the daily struggles that go along with it AND dealing with their grief. Their unresolved feelings towards each other come to head in all of this.

I enjoyed the story and the humor that was able to be found even in their grief. The two children, Ben and Viera, were adorable. Banks as Rip’s maybe best friend was quite fun. I could have done without the unnecessary character of Heather, though.

5 stars! Author Rachel Van Dyken has a winner on her hands!
(Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, opposites attract, best friend's brother)
(TW: heavy themes about death and grief)

I wasn't sure what to expect from "The Godparent Trap," but I loved every freakin' minute of it. It is a quick read because you won't be able to put it down. It's emotional, funny, flirty, engaging, and heartwarming. From the very first chapter, I was gripped by the main characters, Colby and Rip, and the circumstances that found their lives quickly turned upside down. I laughed A LOT. I cried A LOT (do not read this book while making lemonade because I made that mistake and could not wipe my eyes due to the aforementioned lemon juice). I swooned A LOT. I literally clutched my chest on multiple occasions like that scene in "The Simpsons" where Lisa breaks Ralph's heart. I *loved* the banter between the characters, it's some of the best I have read all year.. I yearned for Colby and Rip to overcome their differences. I empathized with their struggles. There is some excellent spice in this book that is well worth the wait.

Even if you think you're not into books involving kids (like me!), give "The Godparent Trap" a try and I promise you will not be disappointed.

**Thank you to NetGalley, and the author, for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for my review.**

We have two tropes going on here: enemies to lovers and the grumpy/sunshine. I really loved both characters and thought they were well-developed and lovable.

Because the plot revolves around two kids losing their parents and the two main characters stepping up to be their guardians, there is some depth, sadness and bittersweet parts. I always love a romance with more depth and plot so I really enjoyed this one.

There were times where it was heavy and heartbreaking and times I was laughing because of the great banter and chemistry between Rip and Colby.

If you’re looking for a summer romance read that will bring all the feelings, emotions and heart, pick this one up.

If I could scream this from the top of my lungs I would, but for now we’ll pretend I’m doing just that…

THIS BOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND I AM IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y’all. I cried. And not just like one little tear, I CRIED CRIED. I’m not usually a cryer when I read (watching videos is a whole other story), but this story truly tugged at my heartstrings and brought on ALL the feels.

Colby and Rip are literal opposites who are forced to work together (to coparent) after a terrible tragedy happens: Colby loses her two best friends and Rip loses his sister and brother in law. Two kids, one wild, messy woman and a stickler of a man all under one roof?! Oh man, you are not even ready for all the fun that you will endure while reading.

If you liked the movie: Life as We know it, then you will ABSOLUTELY love this book.

This one will have you laughing your booty off, crying happy and sad tears, and make you just feel GOOD. I can say RVD knows what’s up when writing a romance and I’m glad I’ve had the chance to read one of her books ❤️

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Best friends brother
fantastic BANTER
Opposites attract
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy/sunshine

This had such a great premise and I love the cover, but it ultimate left me feeling underwhelmed. I loved the found family aspect, even though it was rife with tragedy, Colby was a doll and I adored her hot mess.

Rip was pretty awful to Colby and I’m not sure he deserved his redemption. I did appreciate the fact that he was portrayed as crying and expressing his feelings towards the end. His friend Banks was annoyingly charming.

I found Viera to be an inconsistent character. At times she acted and talked like a 2 year old and other times she didn’t. There were other timeline inconsistencies that had me saying “huh” several times. The ending was sweet, except for the one character that didn’t deserve it. That really had me going “what just happened here” and left me feeling confused.

The story line and open-door bedroom scenes were decent enough to give it 3 stars. It’s worth a read if you enjoy romantic comedy’s and are looking for an easy read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

This was swoony and heartfelt and I loved it.

Two people who simply cannot get along are thrown together when their best friends die, leaving Colby and Rip as co god-parents to their children. Rip lost his sister and his best friend and Colby lost the best friend who always felt like a sister to her and they must grieve this loss while stepping in to take care of their two adorably rambunctious kiddos. The worst part is Rip and Colby despise one another.

This was such a sweet romance between two people dealing with grief and love at the same time. I loved the two children because they were written so real. It can totally take you out of the story if the small child is using words and sentences that are way too advanced for their age. It doesn’t seem believable. This was perfect!

The build up between Colby and Rip was intense and sweet at the same time. I loved how they came together to be there for their new family and made it work with what they had… though that’s not to say there weren’t many bumps along the way. There were fights and catastrophes aplenty. So many tears and laughs along the way.