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

One of my favourite romcom movies as a teen was Life As We Know It, with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, because it had everything you needed in a film, funny moments, sad moments, romantic moments and chemistry. The Godparent Trap had a very similar base plot but had some fresh ideas and scenes that made me laugh, cry, and want to shake both Colby and Rip into seeing how perfect they were for each other.

Colby and Rip are the godparents to Ben and Viera with Rip being their mum Monica’s brother and dad Brook’s best friend, and Colby Monica’s best friend, but ever since an ill-fated date night, they’ve been enemies. One night, tragically, Brooks and Monica are killed in a car crash, and it’s left to Colby and Rip to step in and raise the children, whilst dealing with their own grief and putting their differences to one side. Colby is the go with the flow fun godmother, who bring chaos and fun wherever she goes, staying home with the kids whilst Rip goes to work. Rip on the other hand is cool calm and collected, needing order and structure and can’t understanding how Colby is struggling at home, so Rip suggests swapping for a week to prove how easy it is. But of course, it’s not, and Rip struggles the same way, having been thrown in at the deep end to parent two children who are also grieving. Throughout all of these feelings, Rip and Colby start seeing each other in new ways, and realise that just because it didn’t work out the first time, it could work now. Can this new dysfunctional pull together and find happiness after so much tragedy?

Rachel has written this story so well because she doesn’t sugar-coat grief and how people deal with it in different ways, but she also added some humour into the story, so it wasn’t all dark, it felt realistic. Rip and Colby seemed like an unlikely couple at the beginning, so different but loving those children exactly the same, and stepping into a family home that was full of the same love is hard to do, especially when it’s for good. They had a level of attraction that had always been there but putting them in the same house made it come to the surface, through small moments and interactions, which were so cute to read. It was the way they came to the realisation that they were on the same team, they were having the same grief, that the highs and lows were to be expected but they just had to go with it and lean on each other.

Colby and Rip were very different, and all of their flaws were opposite of one another, and they would infuriate each other with how differently they worked, but by the end they had realised that’s actually why it worked between them, because they filled in each other’s gaps. I wasn’t a massive fan of how Rip spoke to Colby, I understand he was grieving but he spoke down to her way too often, and I do wish Colby hadn’t given into their relationship so easily when he admitted his true feelings, I think he needed to do some more grovelling! Colby did whatever she could for those children, she treated them like they were her own and would always put others first, which was so admirable, and was happy that she got to build her own family, as hers wasn’t mentioned much but hinted that she didn’t have a good relationship with them.

There was minimal conflict which was welcome in this story as there was so much going on within the family unit, you didn’t need extra drama from outside, but Rip’s friend Banks added some welcome humour to the plot, as well as being part of the driving force to push Colby and Rip to admit their feelings. The emotions this book made me feel were difficult, because it speaks about loss in quite a frank way, and shows different ways people handle it, which made it feel more real, as I could recognise similarities within my own family. It gave you a deeper connection to the characters, made you root for their happiness even more, even though you knew that the children’s parents would never be replaced, they just had bonus parents who would love them as much.

The Godparent Trap is emotional and raw, this is one of my favourite books of the year. It has everything you would need in a romance book, love, humour, steam, and cuteness, but also a deeper side to treasure every moment with your loved ones, as you don’t know when it’ll be the last. A must read.

🦋✨ the godparent trap review ✨🦋

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"You're a perfect mess. a perfect wreck. let yourself be the masterpiece of chaos..." 💭

🦋✨ SYNOPSIS ✨🦋

after the tragic loss of their loved ones, colby & rip are left to co-parent their best friend & sister's children. between grieving, learning to co-parent & lots of bickering 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?

🦋✨ MY THOUGHTS ✨🦋

⚠️ CW: CAR ACCIDENT, DEATH OF LOVED ONES & GRIEF, ⚠️

if you love the movie life as we know it, forced proximity & the enemies to lovers trope, grumpy x sunshine couples, lots of kiddie shenanigans, & crazy cats this book might be for you...

alexa play cover me in sunshine by p!nk 🎶

🌟 RATING: ★★★★★
🌶️🥵 RATING: ★★☆☆☆

omg i cannot remember the last time i read a book in one sitting. i literally could not put this book down. i laughed. i cried. and i fell in love with this adorably chaotic family. it was such a bittersweet read because you genuinely love watching them come to terms with their feelings for each other & become a family with the kiddos, but you also experience their loss and grieving process. it was such a wonderful book, probably one of my new favorites. ✨💖

This book had so much potential, but ultimately fell flat. It's the exact same premise as as the movie "Life as We Know It" with Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl, but is not as endearing. Rip, the male MC, is unforgivably awful to Colby the entire first half of the book. His jokes are just cruel, he preys on her insecurities, and he is completely out of touch with the work things take to be the stay at home parent. I love enemies to lovers and good character growth, but this was so not it. I don't think he ever truly apologized for his actions before he falls for Colby and frankly, she deserves better. I like Colby, but with how often she was put down by Rip, I never fully got to appreciate her.

The steam was minimal and did not make up for Rip's lackluster character. The book felt extremely rushed and maybe if it had slowed down, he would have had time for true character growth and some HEAVY groveling.

Of course, the kids were adorable and after Rip started acting like an adult, the book got a bit more enjoyable. The ending wrapped too quickly, but at least he wasn't a jerk anymore! I really wanted to love this book, but it's definitely a 2.5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.