This was fine. A little too god’s will-y for me. Just not my personal jam. I don’t like stories where people die and they’re like “this was meant to be.”

Perfect for fans of Raising Helen and Life As We Know It. I genuinely really loved this one and flew through it. Hard to put down and with lovable grumpy/sunshine MC’s, it’s a really sweet story about finding family.
TW: grief, death of a parent/sibling/friend l, car accident

Colby and Rip find their lives turned upside-down when they become guardians to two children after the kids's parents die. Still reeling from the loss of Monica and Brooks, Colby and Rip suddenly have to figure out how to be parents-- and how to do it and cohabitate with someone they dislike. The Godparent Trap definitely deals with some really heavy subject matter, but it also has really sweet moments, and made me laugh out loud a few times (which is rare for me).

I loved the examination of grief in this book. Colby, Rip, and the kids all grieve very differently, and Colby and Rip's grieving processes clash a few times. I also liked how swiftly Rip was humbled on his first day staying home with the kids, though I wish it had leaned into that a bit more. I also liked how readily Brooks defended Colby when Rip complained about her having it easy staying home with the kids, and that Rip eventually came around and saw how much work went into Colby's job, though I wish that had been leaned into a bit more, as well. It felt like her job was still on the back burner throughout, even once he got more supportive.

The relationships between Colby and the kids; Rip and the kids; and all four of them as a unit were distinctly different, and really showed the differences in who Colby and Rip are as people and how differently they grieve. I had a hard time pinning down the ages of the kids, but found that overall I didn't care much about that. They were cute and they served the story well, and I didn't feel like I really *needed* to be certain about their exact ages. Ben's fear toward the end is heartbreaking and so, so understandable, and Rip's reaction to it shows how much he has learned, grown, and processed since the beginning of the book.

This book lost me quite a bit toward the end-- everything felt very rushed from about the 85% mark onward, and I wish there had been another 10k or so words to really flesh out the ending. I thought the whole part about Colby saving a mother and kid from a burning car needed to be expanded, and I was confused on pretty much all of the details about it. As someone who has dealt with some short-term memory loss, that part definitely read very realistically, but it didn't quite hit the emotional beat I wanted it to. Even with all of that, I liked the book overall, and would definitely recommend it.

A terrible accident, two dead parents, two godparents who are secretly pining for each other, two hilarious toddlers and an anxious diaper wearing cat; the perfect recipe for a godparent trap.This novel was cute and heartfelt. It is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. Although the godparent trap is a story line that has been done before e.g. “life as we know it”, the author put her own spin to the trope. Rachel Van Dyken takes you on a beautiful journey full of grief, chaos, love and plenty of laugh out loud moments. Despite the fact that this novel was fast paced and such an easy read, the plot felt a little too familiar which is why I am rating this book 3/5

“The godparent trap” is a contemporary romance that I found to be, despite its heavier themes, a very fun, easy to read book.

The book starts off great, with “enemies”, Rip and Colby, who suddenly find themselves the legal guardians of two children after a tragic accident. In addition to raising these children, Colby and Rip soon develop feelings for one another that extends beyond friendship. This is a predictable storyline and if you’re anything like me you’ll eat it up!

I do think the book started off very strong and had great character development. The relationship between our two main characters felt very real and developed quite organically (if a big rushed at times). However, after the halfway mark the pace of the book changed exponentially. It’s almost like the author got tired, wrote down a couple of ways to bring life back into the story, and then incorporated them all into the story, which ultimately made the story drag on longer than it needed to.

It was still a fun read, but had the story stopped after the main issue was resolved, I think this would’ve been a 5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4722717025

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to grand central publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book!!!! Did I read this in one sitting? Yes. Did I cry? Also yes.
PLEASE READ THIS!!! It was so cute and different from other romances. I would definitely look up trigger warnings before reading.

This was a cute, fast read. It did cover heavy topics like death of a parent/sister/best friend and hospitalization, but the book handled it well and with respect. Rip and Colby had great chemistry and I did root for them, and I loved Banks as someone trying to push them together. I thought the end could have had a touch more drama, but I also didn’t want the characters to go through much more trauma.

Great story! Love opposites attract! Great story read in one sitting! Love this author and how she can write great stories!

Tags: Opposites Attract - Sunshine Grump - Found Family - Guardian Romance
Enemies to Lovers - Forced Proximity - Best Friend’s Brother

The Godparent Trap was such a wonderful and emotional read for me – I sped through this one in a day without even meaning too. Having read some Rachel Van Dyken books before and seeing that this one was being released by one of my favorite publishers (Read Forever Pub) – I was so excited to get my hands on a copy.

I was intrigued to see how the book would pan out, as I have read RVD books before but they’ve all been romcoms. This one too gave the impression of a romcom, but knowing the premise and seeing the authors Content Guidance note at the beginning (can I give extra love for including that?? Amazing!), I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Luckily the book really surpassed my expectations, delivering a heartfelt romantic dramedy – with a nice balance (that felt true to life) of loss, grief, the craziness of life, and that tug back and forth as time moves forward. I laughed, I cried and I was rooting for this new and fragile family unit the whole time.

Highlights:
💫Ben and Viera – I loved these two kiddos and I was so glad that they remained central to the story throughout!
💫 Dual POV – I love, love, love getting some insight behind both Rip and Colby’s views and that it alternates throughout.
💫 The great banter (Rip and Colby, Colby and Banks, Banks and Rip – just lots of fun banter)
💫 All the great romance tropes (see my tags above)
💫 The laugh out loud moments that balanced out the tears (Burn Box, Viera’s family picture…)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend for Rachel fans (obviously) and also for fans of Abby Jimenez and the like.

Thank you to Forever for another fantastic read and the chance to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

CW: Grief, Death of Parents

CW: Parental Deaths

The Godparent Trap is both heartbreaking and healing. Rip and Colby are forced into a situation neither is prepared for but they must lay their differences aside to move forward. As the Godparents to their best friends' children, when tragedy strikes. Colby and Rip find themselves thrust into an insta-family. They are like oil and water. night and day. fire and ice. But the one thing they CAN see eye to eye on is how much they love their Godchildren (and how much they miss their friends).

The Godparent Trap is a forced proximity, frenemies to lovers, standalone novel.
I loved:
The children
Rip and Colby's willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure the kids' were taken care of
The will they/won't they... almost but not quite tension
Banks :)
Colby and Rip's text exchanges

I didn't love:
The way Rip spoke to Colby. I get that he was grieving and emotional, but he said some really hateful and hurtful things to her. Personal attacks. And it didn't feel like he ever gave an authentic apology or recognized how demeaning his words were.
The ending. (No spoilers!) But while most of the book felt very well=paced and well-developed, I felt the last two chapters (and the epilogue) were rushed and almost too full of information, events, and happenings. I think I would have been just fine with the ending even if everything wasn't wrapped up with a neat little bow. I didn't need explanations for every character and every scenario.

Overall The Godparent Trap is a tender, but funny story of love in the midst of pain. Opposites attract. I didn't think the perspective of grief was too detailed or focused on, but it was enough to understand the sadness of the situation while still keeping the overall feel of the book lighthearted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really great. I enjoyed reading it and plan to recommend it to my friends.Another Outstanding job by Rachel

This book is a slow burn with decent banter between Rip and Coby. They have to navigate a tragedy as well as each other, and they present an almost enemies to lovers type of balance. RVD isn’t always a hit for me, but this is a decent book and definitely has that RomCom feel.

Such a charmingly written grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy. RVD brings you something that will lift your soul and put a permanent smile on your face. If you liked the movie Life As We Know It, it’s a very similar premise, than you will love this book. I absolutely adore this troupe and fell immediately in love with the story. From start to finish you will be engrossed with Rip and Colby. They couldn’t be more opposite or more perfect for each other.

After a tragic accident occurs Rip and Colby’s lives are thrown upside down and thrust together irrevocably. These two must navigate an entirely different way of living not only with each other but with the circumstances at hand. These two are literal opposites they’ve known each other since they were kids and had one epically disastrous date that they both agreed should not happen again. But underneath all the animosity and angry banter, there was passion and tension that bled from the pages. You could feel the sexual tension between them every time they were in the same room. It was a living breathing entity in the book that could not be overlooked. They are a wonderful balance to each other, each bringing something to their relationship that the other desperately needs. Watching them fight their attraction and then ultimately giving in to the desperation they both feel was completely satisfying.

RVD writes their story with such realism that you can’t help but feel every emotion pouring from the pages. The pain, the aching, the pure sadness, and chaos releases from the pages unfiltered and tangible. The layers throughout blending all the differing aspects of the story are done flawlessly and in ways only RVD can accomplish. Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationship, Opposites Attract, Grumpy Sunshine, blend and meld into a delightful mix and unforgettable storyline that will leave you utterly satisfied.

5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
romance
Rated R steam - open door scenes

Have you seen the movie Life As We Know It? Did you enjoy it?
Would you have liked it even more with a couple of school age children?
What about a fun, fake dating side plot with our MC and the stereotypical best friend?
How about if the parents of said children had been plotting for the MCs to get together for YEARS before the beginning of the book?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, do yourself a favor and add THE GODPARENT TRAP to your TBR. Or, better yet, just preorder it and thank me later.

Things I Loved:
✨ The Burn Box (iykyk)
✨ Ben & Viera are such a delight! They have some of the best lines in the book honestly. The whole scene about cuddling hard enough to make babies is hilarious.
✨ The banter! Colby & Rip do an absolutely amazing job of balancing snark & love in their banter. The text message exchanges are especially ah-mazing.
✨ Dual POV - because every romance should have both perspectives.
✨ The shoutout to how difficult it is to be a stay-at-home mom. It is not just "hanging out," it's a lot work to keep a home functioning (read; clean) & children entertained (read: alive) all day, every day! I loved that Van Dyken made Rip experience what he thought was the "cushy" household role.

Things I Didn't Like:
✨ NOT MUCH.
✨ Maybe that Banks was given a love conclusion in the epilogue - I would have liked to see another book focusing on him because he was truly hilarious.

This was a sweet, fast-paced read. I think it dealt with the topics of grief and loss well. I'm not sure the romance aspect was 100% there — the book just moved too quickly and I feel like the chemistry needed a little more time to develop before it was believable. But for what it was, I think it was a nice, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title.

Are you a fan of the movie Life As We Know It? Then this is the book for you!

This story follows Rip and Colby, who are forced together to take care of two children after their best friends die. I really loved these characters the story was just all around easy to read. The dialogue was cute and flirty and the story flowed really nicely.

One thing I wish the book did better was explore the heaviness of losing their best friends. The deaths were simply a plot point early on to explain why the characters were taking care of these kids, but it was never fully explored. Sure, there were parts where each character dealt with grief in their own way, but those parts were very small in the overall scheme of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! It was a super cute, fun, quick read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light-angst romance.

This book has all the feels! It’s funny, heartwarming, cute and sad. You will be laughing out loud one moment, turn the page and you will be crying tears of sadness. RVD pulls off a balance with this and it was an enjoyable book. Rip is a huge butthole in the beginning of the book. He wasn’t the only one dealing with a loss and the way he treated Colby really irked me. Colby could hold her own though but he still would have had a lot of groveling to do for me. I enjoyed the kids and Banks was hilarious. The epilogue was really cute and funny as well. It was all wrapped up nice and neat in a little bow!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Colby and Rip once went on a date and it was disastrous. But a tragedy forces them to become instant co-parents to their god children. This book reminded me of that movie with Katherine Hiegl and Josh Dhumal. I usually love enemies to lovers tropes, but I felt like the male character Rip was too mean to Colby. Otherwise it’s a quick, cute read in the rom com genre.

3.5 ⭐️

The Godparent Trap was a cute quick read that had me rolling one minute and tearing up the next. Colby & Rip’s story instantly sucked me in and had me hooked the entire time, I just wish Rip’s character had been a bit more likable.

I did not finish this book. I found it too slow moving in the first couple of chapters and the characters just did not interest me. My apologies to the author.