Van Dyken wrote the perfect combination of grief and humor in this book. I love books that make you almost cry over loss in one scene and then make you cry because you're laughing so hard in another scene. I also love books that make you feel emotionally connected. Loss is a very hard topic and I thought it was very well done.

It was hilarious watching Rip and Colby learn how to take care of two kids full time. Some of the incidents in the book were so true to life I couldn't help but laugh. I especially loved their banter since they really did hate each other and we're suddenly living together.

And the side character, Banks, definitely kept me laughing too. His coffee mug sayings even made my husband laugh.

I really loved the character growth in this book. Both Rip and Colby grow so much as they go through immense life changes. I love the emphasis on compromise in the story. I also loved how much they loved the kids.

This was my first book by this author but I'll definitely read more!

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

The Godparent Trap is Rachel Van Dykes upcoming release that features Colby and Rip, two people trying to recover from a loss that has left them as the guardians of their godchildren. Since they were kids, Colby and Rip have been opposites - She’s easy going and a bit of a mess, he’s a perfectionist who enjoys control. Now they have to find a way to raise two children in the same house without killing each other. Sounds fun, right?

The grumpy x sunshine trope is becoming one of my favorites. I love the banter and sexual tension that comes from that push and pull between two complete opposites. The Godparent Trap, although based on a tragic beginning, was written with the perfect blend of emotional moments and humorous ones. Ben and Vierda stole the show, causing me to laugh out loud one minute and tear up the next.

My only wish is that Banks would have been featured in his own book. I absolutely love him - he’s the best wingman EVER and I would have enjoyed getting to know him more!

Raising kids and falling in love isn’t a trap!


Colby Summers thought that she would be only helping taking care of her best friend’s kids for a week while they were in Mexico along with her frenemy and Monica’s brother Rip Edison. But there was an accident and now She and Rip are the sole guardians of Ben and Viera and they had to join forces to share a house to take care of them.

The Godparent Trap deals a lot with the grief that children and family have when people pass away suddenly but Colby and Rip slowly find their footing being full time parents. Buts it is a slow journey realizing that you can’t do it alone and maybe you can fall in love.
P.S I love when Rip figured out that raising kids is hard work and he needs Colby’s help.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The biggest reason that I loved this book is because it made me laugh!! The children were hilarious, the cat was always in the way and Rip and Colby sooned learned that a smile and kind words made every day better. The storyline captured my attention from the first page and I quickly fell in love with the characters. Rip and Colby became instant parents and they did a remarkable job caring for the children, while balancing their busy work schedules and dealing with their shared grief.

Colby is my favorite character and I rooted for her as she attempted to make the kids breakfast, organize their toys and plan activities to keep Viera busy. She soon found out that being a mom was rewarding, but also a lot of work. Ben and Viera were adorable and they quickly adjusted to their new normal due to the love and nurturing they received from Rip and Colby, who always put them first. Even though Rip had known Colby for a long time, he really didn’t know that much about her. On the surface, it appeared that they had nothing in common but Rip soon realized that Colby was a much needed breath of fresh air in his rigid and predictable life. They had always been friends but now, life had given them a chance to fall in love and become a family, which is exactly what they did!

Thank you to Valentine PR for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Please check trigger warnings before reading this book!!

Oh my goodness this was such a beautiful ode to grief and family. Even with all the antics and the rivalry, there was so much depth to this book, and for it to be done in such a short amount of time - I absolutely adored that. Even with the children there was so much to learn about grief and living life to the fullest potential. It really made you stop and think, once you got past all the tears that is.

At first I was super annoyed by Rip. It felt like he was intentionally being a jerk. But the further I got in, the more I realized there were other things playing into his personality and his standoffishness. It really goes to show that you can't know a person's life and their circumstances just by looking at them. I think that made the whole theme of grief and loss even more poignant.

I ended up adoring the romance and thought it was such a sweet story of found family! And I definitely didn't expect Rip to let go and get out of his shell!

If you're a romcom fan but also looking for a nice cry, definitely check this one out!

Heartwarming, engaging, and fun!

The Godparent Trap is a sweet, heartfelt story that takes you into the lives of Colby and Rip, two people with completely different personalities who must learn to cope with the tragic loss of a best friend and a sibling, their new status as guardians of two small children, and a budding relationship that will require a lot of patience, compromise, understanding, and trust.

The writing is light and tender. The characters are flawed, honest, and committed. And the plot told from alternating perspectives unravels effortlessly into an enchanting, push-pull tale about life, loss, grief, friendship, family, responsibility, parenthood, communication, happiness, and love.

Overall, The Godparent Trap is an effortless, uplifting, delightful tale by Van Dyken that reminds us that life is truly precious and should always be lived to the fullest and is absolutely perfect for anyone who loves their contemporary romance with a lot of heart, hope, and humour.

I DNFED this at 60% not for me. I didn’t feel any connection between the characters. I really did not like Rip. I did not see it getting much better. Definitely wasn’t for me.

hands down, One of the best romance books I’ve read this year!

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Life As We Know It” then you will know exactly what this book is about! Same concept but make it ten times better!! The perfect enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine trope.

The Godparent Trap follows the story of Colby and Rip. Colby is living her best life while exploring the world and writing for a blog. Her life crashes when she's named coguardian of her best friend's children. She has no clue what she's doing and to make matters worse, she's got to figure it all out with her nemesis and best friend's brother, Rip. Rip is a man who likes order and rules. The complete opposite of Colby. They have no choice but have to work together to raise the children. Soon they will soon find that the unexpected is just what they've been waiting for their whole life.

I loved Colby and Rip together!! I loved the witty and sometimes dirty banter and the build up to when they finally got together. It’s incredible. Colby pushed Rip outside of his comfort zone and made him realize that not everything have to be perfect.

The relationship between Colby and Rip was complicated and full of unresolved feelings and miscommunications, which I wasn’t frustrated with because what they are going through can happen in real life. It wasn’t the silly type of miscommunication that many rom coms have. Despite hating each other, through the love they felt for the kids and taking care of them, they found love and respect for each other. It was beautiful.

It wasn’t just a cute rom-com, it talked about life after losing someone you loved unexpectedly and how difficult and challenging the process of trying to process the grief and move on can be. The theme of grief was very present in the book but it didn’t overpower the story because as much as there was sadness there was lighthearted and funny scenes which were smartly installed. It was a journey to follow how Colby and Rip adjust to a life they never thought they will have. I enjoyed the Dual POV. We were able to see how both characters deal with the children and facing their feeling toward each other. However, It did feel a bit rushed toward the end, but it was a great book.

Banks is one of the best secondary book characters I’ve ever read about. He was considered to be a player but oh my I fell in love with him and his mug collection! He is hilarious and very smart. And the kids!! I adore them. They are fun, smart, and very adorable.

Overall, this was an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, cried both happy and sad tears and giggled like a teenager. It was a great book and I was so sad to finish it and not be able to read about their next step in life. I can’t wait to get a physical copy and annotate it!

Some books just come out of nowhere and become one of your favorite reads of the year. I was not expecting to love The Godparent Trap as much as I did. Almost from the first page, I was hooked and I could not put it down. I do not think I have binge read a book so fast in at least a few months. If you are in a reading slump look no further.

Colby and Rip become unexpected godparents after a terrible car accident. Told in dual POVs, their journey through parenthood and grief will have you laughing and crying. It takes a lot to get me to laugh out loud while reading and I did it multiple times with this book. The kids are adorable, the banter is amazing and I guarantee you will have a great time reading this book.

CW: death of a parent, car accident

I flew through this book because of how much I loved the premise and how I wanted to see how Colby and Rip finally got together!

I’m so thankful for the trigger warning page at the beginning because there were some moments where I did want to punch Rip in the face! {spoiler?} I’m so glad that he got his head out of his butt!

{SPOILER} I would’ve given this a higher rating but I felt like I went through whiplash from Chapter 28 to the Epilogue. It seemed rushed especially with Banks and Heather getting together?! What was the point of Olivia at the beginning of the book?! I was hoping for Banks to have his own book but…

Other than that this book was adorable and I absolutely loved the kids! I thank NetGalley and Forever Publishing for letting me get an early copy of this book!

Everyone grieves differently and that doesn’t mean that it’s being done wrong. That’s a lesson I have spent the better part of the last two years learning, and that this story shows. Colby, Rip and the children are grieving the loss of the children’s parents (Rip’s sister and Colby’s best friend and her husband) in very different ways.

I am very glad that Van Dyken wrote both perspectives because it added so much strength and warmth to this story for me. Being able to see why each is acting the way they are and how they are feeling is so awesome and enlightening. I laughed out loud at times and shed a tear or two. I was able to relate and connect with each character. Colby and Rip are opposites and yet very similar at the same time. Their banter both in conversation and text form is fun and sassy. While the theme of this book is heavy, Van Dyken handled the topic with a light touch and deft hand. The Ben and Viera added reality and levity to the story.

The overall story and romance are good. While grief is a major part of the character’s lives, it isn’t the only part. Van Dyken shows them living their lives and moving forward while dealing with all the changes that come with losing someone who is supper important in your life, without having the whole book be about loss and the grieving process. It’s not an easy balance, but in this case is attained.

I wanted more from the ending of the book. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to give away anything about a plot point that is best experienced by reading the book yourself. It’s a pretty good ending but didn’t give me that sense of closure that I wanted and was hoping for. There were several aspects of their lives that were left unanswered/dangling that I wanted a conclusion to. I love epilogues, getting to see the couple of fallen in love within the middle of the HEA is the best. In this case, the epilogue didn’t work for me. It was basically a here is where they are without explanation of how they got from where these characters were when we last saw them to where the epilogue shows them. This is especially true of Colby and Rips relationship with a particular secondary character that I didn’t like during the story. It didn’t fit the story lines outline during the story and therefore didn’t feel right for me.

For those who are living with grief regardless of what stage, my recommendation is to read this book when you are in that emotional place that will allow you to enjoy something that is oh so close to your real life, because it will touch that all to familiar place in your heart and mind that you are living with.

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

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to review this ARC.


If you're a fan of sweet, swoony stories with some grumpy/sunshine dynamics this is the one for you.

This book deals with grief in a very respectful way without loosing it's lightheartedness.

Colby and Rip were really interesting characters individually but together they're amazing!

If you're a fan of Life As We Know pick this one up!

CW: death of loved ones, grief, bullying (past), mentions of: car accident, blood, fire, injury and hospitalization, some OW drama (MMC does not reciprocate)

3.5 stars

This is a grief heavy book, but I thought it was done very well. There's no right way to grieve the loss of loved ones and I appreciated that The Godparent Trap explored this. There are plenty of funny and sweet moments too, but readers should take care and check content warnings prior to starting.

I enjoyed the second chance-ish romance between Colby and Rip, but I'm not sure I truly felt their connection. It's hard to know how much of their relationship was a result of proximity and circumstances versus genuine affection. Their animosity and bickering never really made sense to me and the switch to more felt very abrupt. The fake dating with Banks was funny, but it annoyed me that Rip would probably not have come around without that interference. Rip was also very, very mean and critical in the beginning and I felt the switch from enemies to friends took too long, leaving little time for their relationship to shift romantically. The ending drama was too much for me given how heavy the book already was, but the epilogue was very sweet.

Banks as well as the kids were a highlight in the book and they all brought much needed levity to the heavier moments. I read this one very quickly and enjoyed RVD's writing a lot. I did find the book to be preachy at times though and could have done with less religious/God talk. Overall, this was an entertaining read.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I enjoyed this book! Life As We Know It is one of my favorite movies and there were a lot of similarities!

I'm a sucker for grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract and it was executed perfect.

Rip was a total ASS in the beginning and I felt so bad. But everyone mourns and deals with grief differently and I feel like it was just so real, all of it.

But once they started to open up and let their guards down I loved it.

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the movie Life As We Know It and the premise of this book was so similar I was pumped. Unfortunately this book was not as good as the movie. The beginning started out promising. Rip is a condescending asshat and I was excited for him to go on his redemption tour when he realized how hard it was to be a stay at home parent. I am the primary home parent in my house, so I was on Colby’s team from the get go. The story did not have enough depth or drama for some plot points and then too many random things thrown into the plot at the same time. The mean girl plot line was kind of a dud. The fake dating to make Rip jealous also didn’t really add much to the story. And the prologue is basically just a chapter from 60% into the book so I had to read it twice?? The end also had a major drama moment that just felt so unnecessary and had me rolling my eyes so hard. I wanted to love this story but it had me going “wait what?” far too many times. The kids were also way more independent and mature for their ages and the swear jar joke got old fast. I’m not really sure what to rate it because despite all my complaints it kept me pretty engaged and I read it super fast.

<b>Rachel Van Dyken brings an inspiring, swoony and beautiful love story in The Godparent Trap. This enemies to lovers and best friend's brother took me through a heartfelt journey through grief, love and new beginnings. Colby and Rip were thrown into an emotionally messy situation but they emerged stronger together.</b>

Accountant and perfectionist Rip Edison just lost his sister and his brother in law aka his best friend in a tragic accident. And as per their will, he has gotten the joint custody of Viera( his niece) and Ben ( his nephew) with his sister's best friend Colby. She is exactly opposite of his personality. Fun. Spontaneous. All over the places. They have a history that apparently makes them hate each other. But they have to find a way to coexist and work together for these kids who have lost everything.


<b>When I started the story, I thought that it will be a very emotional one. And it is..but not the way I thought. Let me explain. Rip and Colby are dealing with the deaths in their own way and not too well. Specially Rip. Who has this brooding stoic controlled personality that refuses to break down even in such a difficult situation. It was extremely heartbreaking to see him drown is the pain and anger. But Colby is not like that. She is witty and open and loving and quirky. She is suffering too but she is more expressive about it. She is balancing Rip's dark and serious personality with her colourful and easy going personality. And she brings the light side of handling grief here. So I was laughing and swooning even when the situation is serious. The mistakes and accidents these two inexperienced godparents kept on doing are just hilarious. Ben and Viera are just adorable. Children are so much more resilient and simple. Their parents are gone but they are still smiling and want a new family even when they miss their parents. Now Rip and Colby are another complicated situation. Because they like each other and Rip is adamant to deny it. I wanted to shake some sense into him because omg this guy was driving me crazy with his cool calm arrogant bossy sides. But Colby brought his walls down and they found love in middle of messy emotions. Their witty banter and sizzling hot chemistry is everything.</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

The Godparent Trap was a delightful summer read that was hot and over too soon, just like the summer.

Colby and Rip, sworn enemies after one uncomfortable date, suddenly become godparents to two super cute and rambunctious kids. Colby, the quirky food blogger, has to take up permanent residence with Rip, the straight laced account, to co-parent the children of their best friends and sister. Together they struggle to work as a parental unit while managing a love/hate relationship.

The beginning of this book was really funny, I enjoyed the characters and all the chaos that followed them. There was definitely a little bit of angst with the main characters which I enjoyed and I was definitely engaged while reading. However, the ending seemed rushed and I felt like I lost a little detail with the characters.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC of this book! I really enjoyed this story. It has a very similar premise to the movie Life As We Know It (starring Heigl and Duhamel). I would say that the characterization and the actual plot details diverge significantly from the book. I liked both that movie and this book a lot! The book was a good mix of sweet, slow-burn romance and emotional moments inherent in the premise of the story.

At the beginning of this book, I really didn’t like Rip, because I felt he was too hard on Colby. I appreciated that he showed growth and realized that he had been too harsh and I was able to root for them as a couple after that. Rip preferred his life orderly and organized and it was lovely to watch him embrace that sometimes the messier things in life are what can make it so great.

Colby is a lovely character. While she may not have her household tasks down to perfection, she loved and cared for people deeply, which was exactly what two grieving children who lost their parents needed. She was wonderful with them and in her gradual romance with Rip.

I appreciated that this story didn’t shy away from the hard moments and the grief. The premise is a sad one, and I think it showed Colby and Rip becoming a family with the kids in a beautiful way while acknowledging that they would have rather had their friends still be alive. I think the grief is a stronger aspect of this story than in the similar movie, which makes sense since we are in the characters’ heads here and get to read their thoughts.

I really liked this! It comes out on July 19th, so it will be available soon if you want to read it. I thought it was a good mix of emotional and fun.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I had never read Rachel Van Dyken before, but The Godparent Trap looked like an intriguing book. And while it tackles some tough topics, like dealing with grief and loss in the wake of losing people close to you suddenly, it does so with a light and humorous touch, especially given the odd-couple setup at the start.
There’s often been a bit of a dividing line between what constitutes a “romcom” book and film, but this is one of the few that bridges that gap. The prose style has some truly cinematic moments, from a cold-open prologue in a moment of crisis, and then flashing back to how things all began to build up to that moment. And there are some quirky turns of phrase to the characters’ respective inner monologues that jump off the page in their voices, and it would be easy to imagine it as exposition for a film. The fact that the plot also vaguely resembles the film, Life As We Know It, is a bonus,
I really like the dynamic between Rip and Colby. They seem like a very unlikely pair, but it becomes more and more clear over the course of the book that they aren’t. Rip is a bit of a hard-ass at first, but he comes to a realization that he hurt Colby’s feelings, and as reckless as Colby is, his sister (and her best friend) was very similar. I also like the revelation of their past together, where they almost were a thing, and how Rip has mused on what it would be like to be more carefree, like Colby.
And despite her different approach, Colby is trying. She’s dealing with the situation she’s been thrust in the best she knows how, while also reckoning with her grief. And while he’s more guarded about it at first, Rip is ultimately trying to do the same. The combination of their mutual loss and love for the children, plus the feelings that always had potential to grow had they given it a chance lead to them forging a bond that I couldn’t help but root for.
This is a super-sweet, heartfelt read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves romantic comedies with a great balance of humor and heart.

This book was sad, funny, and happy in turns. The main characters, Colby and Rip, have been frenemies for years, until her best friend and Tip’s sister, died with her husband in a terrible accident. Colby and Tip become the guardians of their two children, and move into the house together. Colby makes her living traveling and blogging about restaurants. Rip is a hyper organized accountant, and they both find their lives turned upside down.

As they figure out their new lives as the parents of two grieving children, their animosity towards each morphs into affection and more.

I really like how real the ups and downs are as they figure out how to be parents. It’s touching to see how much they care about the kids and how willing they are to make drastic changes to their lives. 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Life's Too Short meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling, steamy, and swoon-worthy novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, in which two sworn enemies must share house, home—and maybe their hearts—when they become co-parents after a sudden loss.

Colby's living her best life: as a popular food blogger, she gets to fulfill her dreams of exploring the globe. But her world comes crashing down when a tragic accident leaves her co-guardian of her best friend's two adorable children. Not only does she need to put down roots—fast—but she'll be sharing custody with the one man she can't stand sharing a continent with, let alone a house.  

Accountant-extraordinaire Rip values rules and plans. But when he loses his sister and his best friend and becomes an insta-guardian all in one night, Rip sees his organized life imploding. What he really doesn't need is his sister's irresponsible, flighty—albeit kind and gorgeous—best friend making it worse.

Rip doesn't trust Colby to take their new responsibilities seriously, while Colby can't believe Rip thinks children will thrive under his rigid control. Yet soon Rip and Colby discover they need each other more than they hate each other. Could it be possible that following their hearts is just what their new little family needs?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.