Meryl Wilsner delivers a heartfelt and spicy romance with "My Best Friend's Honeymoon," a story that flips the classic honeymoon trope on its head. When Elsie calls off her wedding, she finds herself on a non-refundable Caribbean getaway with her lifelong best friend, Ginny—who happens to have been in love with her for over a decade. Cue the mutual pining, steamy revelations, and personal growth we all crave in a queer romance.

The “best friends to lovers” trope is done justice here, with a dash of mutual pining and a sprinkling of miscommunication to keep the tension alive. Elsie’s journey to finding her voice and figuring out what she truly wants is equal parts frustrating and satisfying. Ginny, with their supportive nature and patient love, is undeniably the star of the show. The chemistry between them sizzles, and the spice? Next-level.

While the pacing feels unconventional, it adds a refreshing touch of realism. The third-act breakup is painful but serves as an emotional turning point that allows both characters to grow individually and as a couple. The non-binary representation is beautifully handled, seamlessly woven into the narrative without over-explaining.

This book is a celebration of self-discovery, supportive love, and asking for what you truly deserve. A perfect summer read! 🌈✨

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy of this novel.

My Best Friends Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner has such a beautifully simple premise. The idea of "Close friends engagement falls apart so they invite me on a non-refundable trip that was supposed to be for their honeymoon and then oops we fall in love" is a fairly typical trope for sapphic romance, with my favorite example of that being Chelsea M Cameron's Who We Could Be. Its easy to set up, mostly realistic, and comes built in with its own conflicts that will need to be resolved. It dosent shake the foundations of literature or rebuild what a novel can be. Its simple and easy and perfectly straightforward. I think thats why i enjoyed this book so much.

Meryl Wilsner is a fantastic author. They have a way of telling stories and crafting characters that feel real, feel lived in. Both Ginny and Elsie leap off the pages, demanding to be treated as if you know them personally. Its not perfect however. The strife that they face, the challenges they have to overcome, feels almost mundane at times. The problems they deal with could 1000 percent have been solved with better communication or just a second more of thought. This is a trope that tends to haunt sapphic contemporary romances and usually it is a trope i really dislike. In this book however, and just like the simple premise, Meryl Wilsner uses it as a tool to showcase just how good of an author they are. They dont require a super complex premise, and they can take tropes that are overdone amd overplayed, because while the novel isnt perfect in any way, the writing itself sits on the borderline. It sucks you in and dosent let you go until you finish it all in one sitting. It will make you scream at your pages begging for them to just talk it out, and it will reward you with a beautiful ending that will have your heart full. In other words, its so worth it.

If you like sweet friendships that feel like a warm hug on a cold night, gorgeous sex scenes that take up about a third of the book, and unrequited love that was actually secretly requited then this is the book for you. My only wish is that we got to see more of the happily ever after

4.75

meryl wilsner has done it again.
my favorite thing about lesbian books is the joy and emanates off of every gay page. I don't read sapphic fiction to find representation; I'm lucky enough to have queer community and family and a loud mouth that lets me feel seen all on my own. I read sapphic fiction for the shared exhilaration of being a lesbian.
last year, I read feast while you can by onjuli datta and mikaella clements. I love every square inch of that book, can call it my top read of 2024 without hesitation. but when I point to my favorite part it's not the prose or the atmosphere or the terrifying monster; it's the conversation between angelina and jagvi about jagvi's gender presentation. it radiates lesbian, and has stuck with me all these months later.
that's how I feel about my best friend's honeymoon. it was funny and sweet and so horny, and I adored every minute of it. it's chock full of tropes - as a die-hard for mutual pining, please know I was well fed - and some of the best dialogue I've read in a while. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy to loan out to all my friends.
I don't read romance often, but I will never say no to a meryl wilsner novel. as february and valentine's day approach, it will be wilsner's words I return to for comfort.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon follows two best friends who have been in love with each other forever-- one is fully aware of it while the other has been in denial. After the latter breaks up with her fiancee, she and her best friend go on the (extremely romantic) honeymoon said fiancee had booked. One thing leads to another, and, well...she can't stay in denial too much longer. I loved the angst, chemistry, and history between the characters. The tropical resort setting was pretty great too! Meryl Wilsner likes to bring the spice, and this book is no exception. Overall it was a very enjoyable read.

My one complaint is the age of the characters-- I would have preferred if they were older than 23, which I know are technically adults, but as a reader in my 30s it feels so young!

I really wanted to love this book and at some moments I did but overall the characters didn’t stick to me. Some moments were so cliche and rushed that it didn’t feel thought out. When the main characters get together it’s so abrupt and out of nowhere I couldn’t help but laugh. After their honeymoon adventure the plot kind of fell off. The outside relationships felt like dialogue fillers which ended up making Ginny fall flat at times where I think they really could have shined more, Elsie too. I loved the difference in characters and the spicy scenes (very hot). They definitely know how to write those. Some scenes people might not be into but I’m not one of them. If you’re really into romance that’s heavy on the spicy side you’ll be a fan but I wouldn’t get your hopes up to fall in love with the characters compared to some of her other books. I want to add I’m still a Wilsner fan it’s just this book didn’t do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Meryl Wilsner for my arc copy. .

US pub date: 4/29/25
Genre: romance (friends-to-lovers, childhood crush, f/nb)
Quick summary: What's a girl to do when she dumps her fiance and is left with a nonrefundable honeymoon trip? Ask her BFF to come along - and then start up a fling with them, of course!

I loved Wilsner's previous books MISTAKES WERE MADE and CLEAT CUTE, so I was really excited for this one. The honeymoon setting was very fun - I could see readers enjoying this one on the beach with a cocktail! I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Elsie and Ginny's childhoods as they added to the depth of their friendship.

Where this book didn't 100% work for me was the steam - it came on very quickly and didn't let up. I wanted a bit more emotion and personal growth instead as their relationship developed. But readers who love steam probably won't have that issue here!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. I love the friends to lovers trope (and the start of this book) but the plot stalled from there. There were a lot of intimate scenes while on the “honeymoon” but they did not move the plot forward or feel emotionally connected to the characters. Most of the emotions felt surface level between the two main characters, as well as what they learned about themselves.

I really loved this book. It felt like a warm hug but also made me think a lot. As much as I hate the miscommunication trope, I really think this book executed it well. And I also like that the characters ACTUALLY took space to make sure they weren’t codependent.

The characters were beautifully written and believable. They each had their flaws and in order for them to be together they had to work through stuff on their own, which is something that I feel doesn’t always happen in sapphic romance books. The characters were so real.

The heart, the humor and the heat in this book are so genuine, that this book is an absolute delight. The way that Ginny and Elsie wake up to the possibility that their friendship can be more was beautifully depicted. This book is really something special, and I could not stop thinking about it, with a huge smile on my face, after I read it.

2.5 rounded up! Shout out to netgalley and Saint Martins Press for the e-arc of this book. Here’s my truth, I loved that one of the main characters was non binary. That’s s POV that I wish there was more of in romance so that was a sweet treat.
However, this book was unfortunately not my favorite. The best thing about the friends to lovers trope, is the YEARNING. And there was basically none:( This book was very insta-lovey. Also there were so many spicy scenes that they lost meaning. The third act break up, I thought was unrealistic and Elsie’s reaction made me want to throw my kindle. I was excited about this book, but it felt very one note to me. I think it would be a great option for those that are looking for spice and don’t really care how they get there. But unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me

I enjoyed this book! It’s smuttier than some of this author’s other books, but I loved the nonbinary representation as a featuring main character and I’m always a sucker for friends-to-lovers.

Rating: 3/5

God, this was just so GAY.

Ginny and Elsie do everything together. They are best friends. So what could go wrong when Elsie’s engagement falls apart and Ginny and Elsie go on the non-refundable honeymoon together? This book was super spicy, queer, and relatable. The queer struggle of identity is real. As per the other Meryl Wilsner’s I’ve read, the third person monologuing is always interesting to get used to. My one gripe with this book was that the secondary characters were shoved at the end and that felt rushed. For most of the book, the “problem” was tunnel-visioned and solely focused on Elsie and Ginny, so the secondary characters felt awkwardly introduced. Maybe that was intentional, and if so, brava. Regardless, this was a good read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-arc!*

I liked this one! I’ve read a couple other of their books and I enjoyed them. I liked the dynamic between the 2 characters. Fun plot line!

Why was this so cute???? It follows the typical formula of a romance with lots of smut followed by a third act breakup then a happily ever after. But it did something different that I really enjoyed. Most romances there’s a third act breakup, then the two MCs spend time thinking about their relationship and inevitably determine they love each other and want to be together. In this, it was less about examining the relationship and more about examining themselves and who they are outside of the relationship. Both of them learned and grew from the difficult conversation and fight in order to become stronger separately and stronger together. I throughly enjoyed this book and intend to read the other books by this author!

Trigger warning for explicit sexual scenes, mention of “water sports”, and period sex (yes I know, that might not be a squick for everyone, but it is for me and I wish I had been forewarned!)

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to net galley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.


interesting concept. i liked it.
but the book? i didn’t.
nbmc (non binary main character) ginny, has been in love with their best friend for as long as they can remember. actually says something about it, best friend turns them down. but they lust over said best friend for the longest time.
elsie, fmc, has no back bone whatsoever. never wanted to marry her fiancé, towards the beginning of the book she can’t even have a conversation with her dad about a job they both know she’s too good for. doesn’t sit right with me.
oh the kicker? she’s in love with them too and doesn’t say anything about it (tw/ flashback bullying) because of an incident that she had when she was in the third grade.
i mean come on. there are TOO many books out there with the miscommunication trope. we HAVE to let it go.
also something else that bothered me was the pacing of the book, the flashbacks weren’t clearly set, and the chapter POV’s either. also the sex. the amount of pages about sex outweighed the amount of pages were they could have solidified a solid romantic connection with each other.

overall, i liked the book. but i thought i would like it a lot more.

ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ (best) friends turned lovers
ꕥ miscommunication
ꕥ third act break up
ꕥ queer romance


ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes as this was an ARC and they are always subject to change!

The book follows the journey of Elsie, who breaks off her engagement just before her wedding, only to discover that the honeymoon is already booked. Instead of letting it go to waste, she invites her lifelong best friend, Ginny, to join her on the trip. This story was an easy read for me. I felt that the pacing of the book was a little off. I really wanted there to be more substance to the relationship, I felt a lot of the story dragged on with sex scene after scene. Overall I think the story as a whole was really cute, I would have really just liked to see a stronger connection built between the MC

My Best Friend's Honeymoon follows Elsie, whose upcoming wedding sends her into a tailspin. When her fiancé, Derrick, unilaterally plans their wedding and honeymoon, Elsie realizes she's been avoiding the planning process for a reason: she's not sure Derrick is the right person for her. This realization throws Elsie's life into disarray, forcing her to confront her doubts and question the very foundation of her relationship, including her long-standing friendship with Ginny.

The problems presented in My Best Friend's Honeymoon are compelling and will instantly capture your attention. If you're looking for a fast-paced and steamy read with a strong friends-to-lovers element, this book might be for you.

However, while the premise is intriguing and the romance has a certain spark, the plot felt somewhat rushed. Some character developments felt a sudden, and the resolution might have benefited from a bit more depth.

Overall, My Best Friend's Honeymoon is a decent read with a captivating premise, but it might leave some readers wanting more in terms of character depth and plot development.

I am sad to say this was not my fav book. the idea was good but elsie truly grounded my gears. from ending her engagement quickly to getting with her best friend to getting home and then there was like no chemistry. she also kept talking about her ex fiancé right to ginny. I will give this author another try but this was not for me.

I typically enjoy Meryl Wilsner’s novels, but this one wasn’t my favorite. The characters, Ginny and Elsie, are certainly charming and well thought out. I loved hearing about their friendship and the challenges they’ve had within that friendship. However, the will-they-won’t-they that persisted was repetitive. And there was too much smut for me - usually that is not the case! Not a prude - but there was so. much. sex.

Overall I enjoyed the characters’ lives outside of their relationship a bit more than I enjoyed the times they were together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really hate how much I disliked this book, because I adored Cleat Cute. The story started off relatively promising, but it stagnated a bit with almost all of the sex scenes crammed into the book from about 30%-60% through. That being said, they were enjoyable, but felt repetitive or gratuitous at times.

And then the conflict between the characters at around 65% of the way through!!! I generally can tolerate a bit of miscommunication in my romance, because it normally pays off. But I truly could not understand why Elsie got so mad at Ginny, and it drove me up the wall! When she started going off about not knowing if Ginny actually wanted her because they didn't tell her about quitting their job?? WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN? She was simultaneously mad that Ginny was doing too much for her and not enough? And given that the resolution between the two happens at about 93% finished, I mostly had no confidence these two had any capacity to actually communicate enough to be any type of meaningful partners to each other.

I wanted to love this so much, because I've enjoyed Meryl's other writing. But this did not work for me at all.