DNF @ 27%. I tried so hard to get into this. I just couldn't. And I refuse to spend time reading books that I don't want to read🤷🏻‍♀️

Honeymoon For One by Rachel Bowdler

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Robin Ellis has had a year she'd like to forget. She's tired, overworked and most definitely not ready to spend the holidays with her rowdy family in Manchester. So when she discovers she forgot to cancel her honeymoon she sees this as the perfect opportunity to get away; it's time to relax and embrace adventure!

The last thing she expects is to clash with standoffish ski instructor Neve. But despite their rocky start these two unlikely people can't help but fall for each other under the starry Canadian skies.

They know that holiday romances don't last, and Robin has had her heart broken one too many times before, but can they overcome the distance between them and find a happily ever after together?

My Opinion

When the wedding was cancelled, Robin forgot to cancel the honeymoon and is persuaded to still go on the holiday by her sister. I wasn't a fan of the skiing descriptions but the rest of the book was really enjoyable. A really festive book with a lot of community spirit.

Robin hates the cold and snow, but is it something she can grow to love? Have a read and find out.

Rating 4/5

I love skiing and ski resorts, and obviously I love sapphics, so I figured this would be my one true love as far as romcoms go. Unfortunately, I tried reading it several times and just couldn't get into it. More specifically, I really struggled to connect with the characters, and while I don't always have to like the protagonists of a book, when it's a romance, they do have to make me swoon and root for them to get together, and I just couldn't. I felt nothing about Robin despite her painful background, and I just hated Neve. That's a super personal note, though. I don't think there was anything craft-wise that bugged me specifically, so I think lots of other readers will be into it.

I received an e-arc of Honeymoon for One by Rachel Bowdler for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to the publishers for my advanced copy!

I LOVED this book so much! It was perfect for the Christmas season and it was like reading the ultimate Hallmark Christmas movie - I loved it!

I loved the grumpy x sunshine trope between Robin & Neve - it's one of my favourite tropes and it was done so well! The author does a great job of really making you feel for these characters and I enjoyed how the author dealt with complicated family dynamics for both of our main characters! Even though they come from different places, they have so much in common!

This book hit me in all of the feels - I was laughing and even crying at points it had that big of an emotional impact on me, which is what Christmas media is all about! The storytelling was beautiful and I really enjoyed this read!

This was adorable! Incredible wlw romcom set in snowy Canada with a cute doggo ❄️ Robin is hilarious through her heartbreak and pain and had some amazing one liners 😆 Neve is so stubborn it’s infuriating but she’s also hilarious 🤣 this is such a grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers romance and even better, it’s SAPPHIC!!

A wonderful festive sapphic romance with loveable but flawed characters.

Having enjoyed Bowdler's previous sapphic novellas, I had high hopes for her first full-length novel and it definetely did not disappoint. Where Bowdler always really shines is her characters and this is no exception.

Robin is a delight from the start - adorkable and full of puns that made me laugh and groan at the same time - but also having to work to recover from a bad relationship and overcome her people-pleasing tendencies. Neve, meanwhile, though she's rather grumpy when we first met her, really grew on me throughout the story. They both also have complicated families and we see how that impacts them and their relationships in a very realistic way.

Also, shout out to Juniper, the 'wolf' and the real MVP of the story!

Overall, this is a story I heartily recommend reading over the festive period - would go perfectly with blankets & hot chocolate (or mulled wine!)

I adored this sweet romcom. It reminded me of all the Christmas Romance movies I would watch growing up. I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between the two ladies. Both were really enjoyable to read and like. I recommend this to anyone who wants to dive into that feeling of the holidays and love.

The last thing Robin wants to do is spend time with her rowdy family at christmas. She has had the worst year and just wants to forget it all and hibernate. When she realises she has forgotten to cancel her honeymoon she uses it as the perfect christmas escape.

Here she meets Neve, the standoffish ski instructor and despite themselves the sparks start flying. Is this just a holiday romance, or are they able to work out how to keep the romance alive when Robin goes back to the UK?

A wonderful wintery romance.

As someone who has read ALL of the Christmas Reads this December, I can safely say, that this one is absolutely up there. I cannot believe all of the utterly amazing queer Holiday Books we have gotten this year but I am thankful for whoever decided we needed them (WE DID; WE DO). This was cozy and lovely and funny and I just utterly adored it.

‘Honeymoon for one’ is a sweet, slow-burn festive read that I couldn’t put down. I loved the main character of Robin who is awkward and adorable and in the chaos of cancelling her wedding she never quite did get around to cancelling her honeymoon trip. For me this story gave me all the feelings of my favourite rom coms like ‘The Holiday’ and ‘The Proposal’; where a MC really takes a risk by going out of their comfort zone to really find happiness and even love along the way. Robin needs an escape so decides, despite her mother’s disappointment, to spend Christmas in Canada alone. Cue Neve, a ski instructor, who doesn’t exactly warm to the new Brit but as each woman lets their guard down a little more they allow a little festive magic to do its work. A sapphic spin on the ultimate christmas romance- perfect.

I tried to read this book and I just couldn't get into it I'm afraid the cover was utterly captivating thank you for the opportunity

Giving me all the Christmas feels….. This has your typical Winter Christmas town and community feel, with lovely supporting characters. You just really find yourself rooting for the couple, and wanting them to work it out, and become something more, opening their hearts and leaving behind hurt and pain.

I really enjoyed this Christmas sapphic tale, the story was a little predictable but that didn't put me off. There's some fun characters and situations, but it also covers some grittier family issues. Also the cakes all sound delicious (I'd have loved to see a couple of the recipes included)

Immediately I was attracted to this book by the cover, what a gorgeous setting (and dog!!) I really liked the characters of Robin and Wren and their family dynamic, same with Neve, Nick and Artie. it felt very realistic and true to how many people have tense relationships with their families.
The setting was beautiful and there was of laugh out loud moments too!
My first read from this author but I doubt it will be my last!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful lesbian Christmas romance. I enjoyed it a lot.

This is a sapphic holiday romance (very low, not super descriptive steam with excellent kissing moments) where a woman from England leaves an engagement heartbroken and discovers she forgot to cancel their honeymoon to a cute little ski lodge in the Canadian Rockies, so she goes. There she meets her unhappy ski instructor, but as the women get to know each other they look past their opposite attracts surfaces and find someone they could love. Maybe... If life wasn't so complicated.

I enjoyed this one! It was extra fun that Canmore (a small town right outside of Banff) is my happy place so I could exactly picture the setting.

This book was released Nov 1/22. Thank you NetGalley and Embla books for the advanced copy!

My review will be stored in the ARCReviews story highlight on my IG @chronically_KD.

HONEYMOON FOR ONE is a cozy Christmas lesbian romance with ski slopes, pastry and some heart-warming family dynamics.

It also has a slightly darker core—with both characters dealing with grief, parental disappointments, and career crisis—which I hadn’t expected, but found added a nice contrast to the fluffier, vacation romance.

HONEYMOON FOR ONE takes place largely in Canada, but clumsy protagonist Robyn is English, and I felt that both sets of attitudes and accents came through really well. I loved the small-town vibes and the ski-lodge setting, and I was rooting for the side characters as much as for the leads.

Despite the time-crunch built into the premise, Bowdler does a good job of building the characters relationship and feelings, so that, although it’s definitely a whirlwind romance, it doesn’t feel completely unbelievable. There’s some great holiday tropes from the grumpy/sunshine dynamic to the weather-based plot disasters. The romance is cute, the setting immersive and the romance heart-warming.

A lovely bit of winter escapism, that will hit all those Hallmark movie cravings.

This book was easily one of my favorite wlw romance reads of the year. I LOVE an outlandish plot and this book masters it in the best way possible. The characters and their banter is one of my favorite aspects of the book. Robin was definitely my favorite character of the book and I just loved the journey she went through in this book. She evolves in a completely natural way which I find super rare in romance books. Her relationship with Neve is easily one of my favorite pairings from my reads this year. This book is perfect for anyone wanting to get into the holiday season or just wants a fun, easy, and cute read. Literally couldn't put it down and read it all in one sitting!

Yay sapphic holiday rom com but start with a trip from Manchester to Canada. Months after her breakup Robin realized that she hadn't cancelled her honeymoon trip. She cancelled all the other wedding plans. Not wanting to waste all that money she goes on the trip...

Neve was complex with her family relationships and her skiing career. Totally loved how she met Robin and their enemies to lovers holiday romance.

Robins ex fiancee she finds was actually pretty toxic and did her a favor breaking her heart. Sometimes it takes distance and time to see that.

I did love all the funny punny names she gave all the animals 😂

Thank you emblabooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Honeymoon For One is a charming holiday sapphic love story.

Robin our sunshine protagonist ventures to Canada to make the most of her ex-fiancé’s planned ski honeymoon. Despite the fact that Robin is clumsy lacking athleticism, she’s the type of gal that will sign up for a trip to make her partner happy. Which doesn’t work out in the end.

Neve, the curmudgeon ski instructor, is quite the opposite. Curt and possessing all the confidence and grace in the world, Neve bumps heads with her erstwhile competitive ski champs and doesn’t take a shine to Robin’s accident prone tendencies in their first of two lessons.

This wasn’t exactly the fluffy holiday romance I was expecting but it was touching nonetheless. The pair filled their tropes wonderfully and made for an easy couple to quickly root for.

Thank you to Embla Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.