So. Good. My emotions were all over the place reading this amazing book. Sad tears, happy tears, and a whole lot of laughs. Colby and Rip suddenly have the care of two young children while trying to get along and live with each other. Somehow this is my first book by Rachel Van Dyken, but it will not be my last. Five stars

This was one of the most bingeable romances I have read recently. Right from the start, I was invested in the outcome of Colby and Rip’s relationship and whether or not they would be able to find a way to peacefully coexist for the benefit of their wards following the death of the children’s parents. Was it original? Not really. It is quite similar to the movie Life As We Know It starring Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl. Was it funny and enjoyable? Very.

I found myself laughing as these two found themselves in typical parental situations, with zero previous experience. The potty training incidents, managing a toddler at the grocery store, and trying to manage multiple schedules while also maintaining their own made for many laugh out loud moments in the book. I also loved the tension that existed in the love/hate relationship between Rip and Colby, and while I agree that at times he was unnecessarily mean, the ways in which he grows as an individual throughout the book, helped me to look beyond his initial surliness. And the steam was pretty perfect.

This book also deals with the very heavy topic of grief - how we deal with it and how we allow others to deal with it, especially when we were not prepared for the loss. I think the author did a great job of showcasing the variety of emotions and reactions of those suffering from grief. One size does not fit all and there is no time limit on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Available Now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for sharing an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken tells the story of Rip and Colby, two polar opposite people thrust into the guardianship of their two godchildren after their parents are killed in a tragic car accident. Colby is a free-spirited and unorganized travel food blogger who hasn't exactly mastered the art of "adulting" yet. Rip is a structured, no-nonsense accountant who must have everything in his life in order to function properly. They decide to move into their friends' home so that the children will have a little bit of normalcy, and their two lifestyles and personalities immediately clash while living in such close proximity.

All at once, they are grieving the deaths of their friends, figuring out how to be a parent, and trying to balance their careers with their family life. Rip and Colby have to set aside their differences in order for this to work, and along the way, they realize this hatred they feel for each other might actually be something else..?

This was such a cute book! It is very similar to the movie "Life As We Know It" with Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl, but it was still enjoyable to read. Also, my pop culture-loving heart loved the references to Bridgerton and Taylor Swift!

Thank you again to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Rachel Van Dyken for sharing this book with me!

Rachel Van Dyken is a hit or miss author for me, but The Godparent Trap is definitely a hit. Colby’s life is full of fun and adventure. Rip likes his organized, predicable life. But when tragedy forces them to co-parent the children of Rip’s sister/Colby’s best friend, they have to learn to work together and find common ground. They also find that opposites not only attract, they can also be what the other needs

This was such a sweet, heart warming story. I liked both main characters and their chemistry together. It also confirmed my decision not to have children (even though I’m sure that wasn’t the author’s intention. The story was very well written, and I liked that the fatal car accident took place close to the beginning and wasn’t discussed in too much detail. Obviously the main characters were dealing with the aftermath for the rest of the book, but it felt like it was hopeful as things progressed. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely check out more books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

I had really high hopes for this book and while I definitely did enjoy it, but a few aspects fell a bit flat for me. It was definitely really sweet and I loved how Rip, Colby, and the kids truly felt like a family by the end. However, I thought it was a bit rushed and Rip was unnecessarily mean to Colby throughout. Overall, I gave this 3.5 stars and would still recommend it.

Oh my poor heart…. it broke and repaired it self by the end of this book, but boy oh boy this was definitely an emotional read with many of laughable moments tied into the serious ones. Throughly enjoyed their book from start to finish!! A must read!!!

This is he second chance romance I didn't know I needed!

I'm not usually one for second chance romance but this one had the PLOT! . Colby has been into her best friends brother forever but he has been awful to her ever since their disastrous first date. It was amazing seeing them work threw their issues after such a tragedy.

This book has all the feels and I highly recommend taking this adventure with Colby and Rip.

This was my first book by Rachel Van Dyken and it wont be the last!

This is a must add to your TBR!!

The Godparent Trap was the perfect read right now with all the googly eyes and romance all rolled into one. I loved seeing the kids in this story how they actually have a big part in Colby and Rip’s relationship. We have Colby, travel blogger and honory Godmother, who on the outside has no clue what she is doing yet is determined to make these kids feel loved and safe. Then we have Uncle Rip and oh boy talk about sexual tension between these two all over the book. I loved seeing how much Rip denies he wants anything to do with Colby but really the love is all there. The kids were a hoot acting all innocent yet in their mischevious ways actually have a big hand in bringing these two together. All in all loved seeing Rachel Van Dyken get back into this kind of romance the cute, funny and the chasing of one another leading to an all time love was awesome.

“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”

I received a free epub copy from NetGalley.

Oh my gosh this book was great! Being a mom of three myself, I totally understood the parenting issues in this book. The banter between the two main characters were well developed and I enjoyed their evolution through the course of the book.

I can say Banks was a comic relief in an already fairly humourous book. I think he was my favorite character and his getting Rip to see what everyone else already knew.

I liked how it took such a serious event and made light of how life has to go on and joy can happen asking side grief.

I’ve had this arc for months and never picked it up and now I’m absolutely kicking myself! I ADORED this book! It was equally sweet, funny, heart-warming, and heart-breaking and I couldn’t get enough. As a godparent to two young kids, I couldn’t imagine being thrust into this situation and thinking about it made me empathize with these characters even more.

Colby and Rip could not be more different from each other. Colby is an easy going, bubbly travel and food blogger who hasn’t fully grown up; While Rip is an uptight, control-oriented accountant who had to grow up too fast. They constantly bicker with each other, but somehow their dynamic works perfectly. Watching Colby and Rip put aside their differences to care for these two kids in the face of horrific tragedy felt realistic and you couldn’t help but empathize with them deeply. I loved how the sharp-edged witty banter evolved into playful quips midway through as they started to recognize their attraction and love for each other.

I simply devoured this book. I read over 65% of it in one sitting and then the rest the next day I had time to read. I was entranced the entire time. Van Dyken’s writing is humorous and still pulls heavily at your heart strings - in chapters, I was nearing tears one moment and then laughing aloud at the next. The way that she was able to balance that is truly impressive. I loved the dual POVs and getting inside both of our protagonists’ heads to see how they were dealing with the grief and situation at hand.

This would have been an extremely easy 5 stars for me until the last ~15%. The ending felt extremely out of place and fantastical for a story that was so heavily rooted in realism. It took me out of the story and just left me saying “what the heck is happening.” If the ending had been handled differently, it would have been a solid 5 star for me, but because of that I’m dropping it down to a 4 star.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

from the first few chapters i knew that this book would draw me in! i love when children are added into the list of main characters because i think they bring out a side to the two protagonists that we usually don’t see, considering most rom-coms end with a proposal or marriage. “the godparent trap” was no exception - it was so fun seeing how rip and colby interacted with the kiddos and how they navigated being thrown into parenthood. i’ve heard that the premise of this novel is similar to the film “life as we know it” and i’m left wanting to watch that movie because i enjoyed “the godparent trap” so much. perhaps that’s closest i’ll get to watching a movie adaptation of the novel!

at first, i was not a fan of rip. i thought he was too cold and, at times, rude to colby. but after giving it some time, it was nice to see each of them let their guards down and realize they had to trust each other to succeed. the pacing of the novel made it easier to connect with the duo and i didn’t feel like it was neither rushed nor stalled. i laughed out loud a good number of times throughout this novel and most of them had to do with the chaos that greeted rip and colby at their front doors. opposites attract is by far one of my favorite tropes so it’s no surprise i was drawn to this novel - the banter between the two was another aspect i enjoyed in “the godparent trap.”

This was a fairly quick and easy read. It also had a lot of funny moments. I thought the handling of Colby and Rip’s grief was done well. I did find myself disappointed in the ending. It felt forced and rushed. This book is definitely a case were there didn’t need to be a conflict just for the sake of having a conflict.

Overall though this was an enjoyable read and I would likely read more from this author.

I'll be honest, even though I love the movie "Life as We Know It" and I could see the storylines where very similar I was bit worried I would find it to be more of the same. It was definitely not.
I LOVED this book and it was everything I needed it to be. Colby and Rip, two polar opposites, were just exactly what each other needed and perfect for each other.

What happens when two complete opposites suddenly get joint custody of their best friends' children? A whole lot of chaos and a whole lot of tension.

This is the story of Rip and Colby who, despite despising one another, suddenly find themselves thrust under the same roof caring for their best friends' children. This story is full of so much: grief, love, humor, hate, ridiculousness. It just has it all. I found the portrayal of stay at home mom life as well as working dad life to be so unbelievably relatable. Colby and Rip's banter was perfection. I loved the tension Rachel Van Dyken was able to bring to the story with Colby and Rip's judgement of each other. My only critique of this novel is the ending. I wasn't a fan of the overly dramatic ending, but other than that this was an extremely fun read and I will definitely be recommending it to all my romance reading and mommy friends!

Rip and Colby become guardians to the children of Rip's sister (Colby's best friend) and best friend when they are killed in a car accident. It is hard to put into words exactly how I feel about this book. It was such an emotional yet heartwarming read. I laughed and I cried yet it didn't leave me feeling depressed. I enjoyed the romance and liked all the characters. Don't pass this book up. It is definitely worth reading.

✨I went back and forth between a 3 star and a 4 star for this read, but had to settle on a 4 star from my heart. This story set up has been done before, becoming a parent to children who have lose their parents who were also your sibling/bestie/etc. There are great movies like Raising Helen and Life as We Know It that have been amazing examples of this trope. And I think this is a great addition to the literary examples!

✨yes, it gets real cheesy and there are cringe parts. there are plot lines that resolved so easily, and there are so many cliche moments and plot lines… but I ate it up!!! There were moments where my eyes welled up with tears, times I rolled my eyes with cheese, and some moments that literally made me laugh out loud.

✨with all of that said, I think some people will end up not liking this book because of the reasons listed above, and there are books I’ve read that I’ve read with the same things that I did not vibe with at alllll, but this story just really spoke to me for some reason!

✨I think there was a great mix of romance, chaos, and grief. I really loved the moments where the characters were forced with the aftermath of the deaths in their lives and those parts reminded me a lot of Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid!

✨the audiobook for this was GREAT, and I also received a review ebook copy from NetGalley. So thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this copy to review in exchange for my honest thoughts!

The first few chapters in I didn’t think I was going to like this book at all. I’m normally a big fan of the typical grumpy/sunshine trope but I found the character of Rip to be downright cruel. Luckily he redeemed himself pretty quickly but that initially first introduction to him left a bag taste in my mouth. I did find this book a bit cheesy at some points especially with all the frog/prince references but overall this was still a solid romance book in my opinion.

I went into this book remembering the movie that came out like 10-15 years ago with Katherine Heigl and Josh Dumehal I think? Where their best friends die and they have to come together and raise their children.

This WAS just like that - but I connected with it sooooo much more. My best friend had always said that this type of thing would happen to me if *God forbiiiiiid* anything happened to her and her husband. That me and Jang Boo would end up raising them. BUT that was like 2012-2014! Jang Boo and I didn’t even start dating until 2016!

The writing in this book really captured grief well and going through grief over time. It made my heart soar and I really felt this anger and sadness that both of the MC’s felt. Their interactions with each other and with the kids really pulled on my heartstrings and by the end, ya girl was in tears.

It was feel bad but then feel good, if that makes sense.

What can |I say about this book....you will cry but there will also be some laughs and love. Life after death is messy. Being thrown into a family situation is messy but there are ups and downs together. Throw in an enemies to lovers trope with 2 kids and you have one emotional fantastic read.

Highly recommend