This was really cute. I love a good book that can make me laugh, and this hit all the strides. I loved the sexual tension between Rip and Colby. Definitely recommend this fun read.

There is something about a straight lace grumpy and a free spirit match that just always works in my brain. I think that this book is fluffy but rigid in all the right places. There are definitely times where I did not like the way Colby was treated but honestly I blame that on mens inability to always think before they speak or text. I think that this felt like a movie to book adaptation and I really enjoyed it.

This whole book just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t care for the way that Rip treated Colby and it didn’t feel as if he ever redeemed himself for it. He came off as such a pretentious guy. Colby was an okay character; I just wish she had more of a backbone. Being unable to connect with the characters really made this book a chore to read.

All in all, this wasn’t a winner for me.

ARC received for review

I put this book done not shortly after I started. I guess I didn't read the description well enough. I was not expecting her to kill off the parents. It made me mad. I'm glad I picked it back up. Colby and Rip have awesome chemistry together although he could be a little mean to her. All's well in the end, but I sure didn't like that the parents had to die for them to hook up.

RVD did a brilliant job with this one. She had me laughing one minute and then shedding a few tears the next she blended the sadness and laughter perfectly.

Rip and Colby have been almost at war since a disastrous date and now they are thrown into the deep end when they become guardians to two beautiful children. They are complete opposites and like to push each other buttons but they need to bury the hatches and work together.

I really adored the banter that went on between Rip and Colby, the way they challenged each other was beautiful to watch and when they finally admitted their feelings, the chemistry was explosive.

Well done Rachel on another brilliant read

As someone who also lost a parent this one really resonated with me as I loved seeing these two try become parents while also falling in love. Enemies to lovers and grump sunshine with some feels mixed in. Thank you to Forever for the gifted ARC my honest review.

Colby and Rip’s story crushed me a bit. I appreciate RVD’s delicacy with the sensitive subjects of loss and grief but I found Rip abrasively cold at the beginning. I warmed up to the character quickly and it is very much the steamier version of “Life as we know it”. 3 stars for me.

Colby is enjoying her life as a food blogger and free lifestyle and was thrown when the passing of her best friends leaves her with their children. Rip is brother to the couple that passed and is also now guardian to the two children and he's as straight laced as they come. Both can't help but seem to clash but will do everything they can for the children.

If you enjoy the frenemies to lovers trope you'll like this one. Both are so different with what they do and lifestyle choices and now they are through grief learning to be good parents and working together to set aside differences to do what they can for the children. I liked seeing how quirky the characters were, they were by no means perfect but they were trying as best they would with what they were forced into. Then there was the romance brewing between the two which I enjoyed watching as well. It was just such a overall fun read and I recommend any readers to check out this book.

I really enjoyed this story but the first half felt like it was the exact same thing as the movie 'Life as we know it." Obviously there were differences, but it felt so similar, I had a hard time distinguishing between the book and the movie.

That being said, by the second half, I felt like I was able to let it go more because I was interested in the characters and story.

This book was cute! Worth a quick cute read. It was relatable

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review

⭐️ Book Review ⭐️

Book: The Godparent Trap
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚠️TW: Death of loved ones

This was a quick and easy read that I finished it in one day! I didn't like how insensitive Rip was towards Colby in the beginning when she was grieving the loss of her best friend who was also his sister. I didn't like Rip at first because of this, however, he started to grow on me when we found out that he was having a hard time grieving the loss of his sister and his best friend. I also love how he was such an amazing uncle and cared so much about the kids.

This copy was kindly given to me by the publisher and netgalley for review. all opinions are my own.

I was rocking it with the reading game when I flew through this book. It was such a fast read, the romance was fun while still hitting the harshness of loss and learning to pick up the pieces. I wish there was a little more growth in the romance, it felt a little rushed but I did absolutely love their banter.

There was pining on both sides and the dual pov made that fun to see, I loved the kids and the dynamic they played and even the geriatric cat.

This book had opposites attract, enemies to lovers, and so many different emotions. Colby is a hot mess and Rip is the rule follower so when they have to live in the same house, it makes for some entertainment. Throw in two adorable kids and one hysterical secondary character, you get all types of emotions from this book. Highly recommend!

As I've seen other reviews and the description say, it definitely gives, "Life As We Know It" movie vibes. But, I think the story fell flat for me in a lot of ways. The way Colby and Rip grieved was understandable, but I felt like Rip was way too harsh towards Colby in the beginning, especially because the original reason why they disliked each other didn't really warrant the type of reaction. The kids stole the book for me because it was realistic chaotic energy!

The way they came together just didn't click well enough for me. I couldn't exactly tell what their attraction is to each other and if it's more about them just wanting to create a new family for the kids.

Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

TW: death, grief

I didn't expect to enjoy this book but I ended up loving it! The cover made it seem like it would be cheesy or possibly immature, but I think the characters showed a lot of strength, maturity, and ability to adapt to a situation. I really was rooting for the characters by the end of the book and I'm glad I read it!

It was a cute story. The beginning threw me off a little as it sort of jumped right into the thick of things. There was a enemies to lovers trope that didn't quite hit the spot but was ok. As per usual in audiobooks, the child voices were like nails on a chalkboard for me. I wish there was a different way to represent those characters without silly high pitched baby talk from the narrator.

All in all, an ok read that I was expecting a bit more from.

Cute in theory - the premise is what drew me in and the idea that it would be like Life as we Know It. However, this book fell a bit flat for me. Also, not a criticism of the book itself, but the cover just isn’t doing it for me. It falls flat and doesn’t interest or draw me in.

As has been mentioned by several other reviewers, this book very much reminded me of the movie, Life As We Know It, with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Only in this book, the main guy, Rip, is the overly serious one, and the woman, Colby, seems to be the less reliable one. I loved the movie, so I had high hopes I was going to love this book just as much.

It is a very endearing story. It’s heartbreaking, as Rip and Colby lose two people who are so near and dear to their hearts, so not only are they mourning this loss, but they are now thrust into an entirely new world of being guardians to two precious children. And they must try and find a way to co-parent these two children while dealing with the complicated relationship they have with each other.

I really didn’t warm up to Rip all that much. He was a jerk to Colby way too often. It would be one thing if he just picked on her and teased her a bit, but he took things too far and so I just didn’t like him. I kind of wondered if Rachel modeled this Rip after the broody ranch hand Rip on Yellowstone, but THAT broody guy really works for me, whereas this broody Rip, not so much. Luckily Colby worked her magic on him.

I loved the kids so much, and I loved the heartfelt message. I know a lot of people aren’t religious, but there were some really good messages throughout that I think are wonderful. It may have a heavy theme attached with death and grief, but in the end, it was truly a feel good story. I’m so happy I read it.

This was my first Rachel Van Dyken book and I really liked her writing style. Even though she’s a new to me author, I liked that she didn’t jump around in her writing, but kept the story focused and as such I will definitely be reading more of her work.

Colby was an independent travelling FMC and her food blog was such a fun job, making her a unique character. Rip, being Colby’s complete opposite required structure and planning for everything in life. Obviously this led to tons of tension between the two when it came to raising their God children.

As a mom, kids are always at the forefront of my mind when a storyline deals with children. I loved that even though Colby and Rip have completely different outlooks on how they should be raised, they came together to provide an environment full of love and support. I also liked how Colby helped Rip loosen up and grow throughout the book.

If you’re looking for a lot of smut, this book is definitely character and story driven, so while the sex scenes were good, they are not the focal point. This was a great book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a forced proximity, opposites attract, emotional love story. Not only will you get a love story between the main characters, but you’ll get a beautiful love story of a blended family just trying to find their way out of the darkness.

This was fun! Overall I enjoyed the characters and their interactions; seeing Colby and Rip slowly come to tolerate and then love each other was funny and heartwarming. I think the premise of two parents dying in a car crash and then needing someone to take care of their children was interesting and a nice change of pace in a romance book. It added a unique twist on the book that I think ultimately helped it.