Meryl Wilsner has become an automatic must read for me. I love how she builds relationships and queer community in her novels! My Best Friend's Honeymoon was such a fun version of the friends-to-lovers trope.
The book opens with Ginny learning that their engaged best friend Elsie, is headed down the aisle next week... only Elsie has no idea that her fiance has gone ahead and planned the wedding -- oh and Ginny is in love with Elsie, and again, Elsie has no idea. The one thing it turns out Elsie does know, is that she is not ready to get married to her fiance -- not next week, and actually, not ever. He's not a bad guy -- just not the guy for Elsie -- and he generously encourages Elsie to go through with the honeymoon, and take Ginny as her plus one. Ginny, wanting to encourage Elsie's new era of making decisions for herself, creates a rule for the honeymoon getaway: they will do anything Elsie wants to do... she just has to ask. And if it's something that might ruin their friendship? You can imagine...
This book is a fun tropical vacation, and I enjoyed both Elsie and Ginny finding their ways into adulthood -- not just relationship-wise, but also with family, friends, and careers. Thanks NetGalley!

2.5 rounded up to 3 ⭐️

The concept of this book had a lot of potential to be a really fun read, but I think the execution was just off. There’s not really any build up in my opinion and the middle of the book was just a lot of spice with no substance all leading to a third act conflict that was a small issue blown way out of proportion.

All of that being said, I did enjoy the character development towards the end, but it was way too brief.

3/5 stars for me. I love Meryl Wilsner (Cleat Cute and Mistakes Were Made are a couple of my favorite wlw romance novels) but this one missed the mark a bit for me! I didn’t feel connected to the characters and felt like their connection felt a little underdeveloped. Maybe more flashbacks from the past could have helped build their love story up a bit? The steam was on point, nice and spicy. The ending felt rushed. I normally devour Meryl’s books but this one I just wasn’t super eager to binge! Still worth the read if you like friends to lovers trope and steamy queer romances, but honestly not my favorite book of theirs.

I was actually so so surprised by this book! This was my first queer/ Female, Female book and I was NOT disappointed! I loved how we get the best friends to lover trope in this one! Elsie and Ginny were so inspiring and their relationship grew and evolved so organically and beautifully! I also happen to love the classic honeymoon trope, it is just soooo hot and captivating! Plus, this by no means is a slow burn which I appreciate because half of the time I just want the characters to get after it, if you know what I mean! My only critique is the whole Elsie drama in the middle of the book, I honestly thought it was unnecessary and made me very much annoyed with her. With they being said, I did love how Ginny handled the entire situation and didn't let things escalate too far. Overall, I feel very lucky that I stumbled across this book and I am so happy with the outcome at the end. It is such a sweet and inspiring story and I think that everyone should give it a try! Also after reading this, I am feeling inspired to read some more f/f romances and more importantly more books by Meryl!

Thank you to NetGalley for having this book available to read!

Ya so this one wasn’t for me.. I’m sorry but there was no buildup from any of the characters at all.. barley when a storyline.. these 2 just went at it with eachother (sex) in every chapter.. I feel that’s all I read about and it got boring real fast..

Meryl Wilsner is an automatic buy for me, so I was thrilled to be able to read this book in advance! As is always the case with this author, the characters are well-developed and the chemistry is off the charts. I loved being whisked away to a tropical location with Elsie and Ginny to watch their relationship take on a new dynamic. Because we spend so much time with them on the island, we really get the chance to know them and see how much they care for each other. Another great Meryl Wilsner book to add to the collection!

ohhhhhh my god
im on my computer and can't add emojis but i am SO SO sad this is over
i honestly might instantly reread because it was INCREDIBLE
representation, romance, imagery, cute ASF and overall my new fave queer romance maybe just maybe?? UGH take me back to two days ago when i read the words, "what if what i want ruins our friendship" and I SCREAMED AND GIGGLED AND KICKED MY FEET AHHHHHHHHH

I loved Ginny and Elsie. This was a fast paced friend to lovers and it really worked for me. I loved figuring out these characters along with them. It was a bumpy ride but well worth it. Meryl hit this one out of the park.

Thank you Net Galley and Saint Martens Press for this ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to keep this one brief because I don't think it was a bad book, I just think it wasn't for me. I've read Wilsner's books in the past, and I enjoyed them, so I thought this would be one that I loved! The premise was fun, and I loved the inclusion of an nb character. However, I really do think that friends to lovers is just not my jam at this point. I never understand how it takes so long for things to come together for main characters who have been so close for so long, and that was particularly true in this book. I also think I like more plot vs. more spice. This book was just so. much. spice. Which is great for a lot of readers! Just maybe not for me. And I also didn't really love Elsie (or understand Ginny's obsession with Elsie). Elsie already seemed fairly self-centered, so the goal of making her take what she wants just felt unnecessary for me. That said, I think some people would love this book! The spice, the tropes, etc. are all the makings of a favorite book for someone. I'm just, unfortunately, not that person.

3/5 stars because I do see the potential for this to be IT for someone else.

This was a decent read, and the MC’s were well written. I liked the story and the romance. Not too much angst, which is always good. Nice descriptions of the island area as well.

I finished this in a day and I was expecting something else with the cover. But one thing comes to mind and it’s “trying too hard”.

I agree with many reviews the sex scene chapter 18 was spicy but then it turned……can I say ugly? I don’t think degradation is sexy AT ALL………and then Elsie crying after? It was hard to move past that. I took some time to gather my thoughts and write this because I wanted to be fair it started off as 3 review and now finishing it’s a 1 star toooooo much time was spent in chapter 18 with the sex scenes instead of building up characters, and the ending was too damn fast. It left little to be desired, I think they needed more time apart and I still think Ginny loves Elsie more than she loves her. With them being in early 20’s maybe that’s who the target audience is for? It just read too much like a sex 101 book for lesbians and this is coming from someone who is gay.

I appreciate the copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is a 4.5. I really did enjoy this book a lot. I liked the two main characters a lot, their chemistry was great. Their communication? Not so much.

I think my biggest issue is the idea that people can’t grow together and that they need to be apart to figure their lives out and then when they get back together the issues they have magically don’t exist anymore. These 2 people spent like 1-2 weeks apart and all of a sudden got their lives back on track and didn’t fall into the same patterns? Or I guess we’ll never know because there’s no epilogue…

IDK! Maybe it’s just me. But I really really really did like it! Also finally a Meryl Wilsner book with no weird power dynamics!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner, in exchange for my honest review.

While I have enjoyed Wilsner's other books, this was not my favorite. I didn't connect with one of the main characters, Elsie. She seemed very immature and not likable at all. The first intimacy came out of left field - as a reader, you knew it was going to happen but it seemed to happen before it should have. Maybe it was because it was Elsie's first experience with Ginny but it seemed like it was rushed. I struggled to finish My Best Friend's Honeymoon.

the SPICE in this book was unreal like so so so good but the story left much to be desired. not a fan of either character and it all felt really contrived

Huge thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's Press for allowing me access to this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.
My Best Frien's Honeymoon is a contemporary romance written by Meryl Wilsner which will be release next year, on April 29th.
We follow Elsie Hoffman who calls off her engagement a week before her wedding, realizing she's built a future she doesn’t want. She decides to take her honeymoon anyway, inviting her best friend Ginny, who’s secretly loved her for years. Ginny encourages Elsie to start speaking up for what she truly wants, leading to a week of freedom and unexpected desire. As their friendship shifts into romance, they share moments neither anticipated. But with the honeymoon ending, they’re left to face what their relationship could mean back in reality.
I enjoyed this romance and the growth and self discovery for the main character. I will check the author other titles!

When I got an email from NetGalley saying this book was available for four days it was 6am, I had just woken up and I clicked on that link so fast.

Meryl Wilsner cemented their place as one of my favorite writers with Mistakes Were Made, which is one of the few books that I re-read in full recently (my TBR list is borderline insanity, so I seldom have time to re-read full books, I Just go back to my favorite parts, but Mistakes Were Made... it's all my favorite part).

This one doesn't reach those heights but like all of Wilsner's books, it's excellent. A lot of times in romances, I get so annoyed with one or the other of the characters I have to go into my notes app and write an entire rant about how stupid or unrealistic they're behaving, or how contrived their behavior seems. I never have to do that with their books.

Their characters feel like real people who've just been teleported into a romance scenario, with real hang ups and issues who like you'd expect people with those issues to behave. When there are issues, they don't seem contrived. When they act in ways that don't always make sense, it fits their characters. When they have a third act conflict, it's something that feels like it could happen to actual people. This book had one of Wilsner's more conventional third act conflicts (most of the time it's less a third act "conflict" or "breakup" as it is a third act "just trying to figure out where we're at"), and it was so well executed. I didn't once think "why don't they juuust tallllllk" like I often do with other romances. This time it made sense that they weren't.

Like, yes, you still have the meet cute, you still get your tropes (this one is childhood friends to lovers to its very core) you still have situations unlikely to occur in real life (Elsie and Ginny go on the honeymoon trip that Elsie's fiancé had booked before Elsie broke up with him), but the best part of their books are the characters and their dynamic.

As with all their books, this was a great romance with characters I was rooting for the whole time. Highly recommended. One of those books that I'll 100% be buying when it comes out, just to have it on my shelf next to all their others. (Also if you haven't already, read their others; they haven't written a bad or even "just average" book yet, in my opinion).

(Also, Ginny is, by their own description, fat (short and stout) and they are these things without it ever being made into some huge deal where Elsie has to tell us how she finds them attractive despite all that. Elsie just finds Ginny hot and that's the way things are. A lot of times in books where one of the protagonists is "plus sized", the book will include some moment where that person is all insecure about it or something, and there's nothing wrong with that, because that is a real thing and it is a thing that needs to be explored, but sometimes it's nice to see someone who is fine with that, and whose partner is also fine with it and has no need to make a huge deal of it).

Felt myself going into a reading slump so I picked this book up. This is a queer romance book, that was quick paced, and easy to read. I liked the characters but at times they felt a little one dimensional. But the setting of this book was written very well, I felt like I was on vacation with them which was a nice treat.

3.75/5 stars ⭐️

I want to thank Net Halley & St Martins Press for the pleasure to read this novel.

I read it in one sitting on a flight back home and it was everything i’ve been looking forward to and more elsie is completely relatable pushover and ginny is the push she needed to start asking for the things that she wants. the smut was also really really good. this is one of my favorite tropes by far i just wish we got a little bit more flashbacks of what they were like growing up as friends. this was everything and more!!!

Meryl Wilsner delivers again with another queer romance that will delight many readers. Ginny and Elsie have been best friends since they were kids, and Ginny has been in love with Els for just as long. After shooting her shot in high school and getting rejected, Ginny has been the best friend she can be for years and now that includes going on Els' honeymoon with her after a broken engagement. While enjoying a tropical, romantic paradise, Els starts to see Ginny in a new light, or perhaps lets herself admit how she has always felt?, and the two take that leap from friends to something more. What follows is a lot of fun, a lot of adventure, and a whole lot of sex (some of which was a bit too much for me and I consider myself anything but a prude). What could go wrong?

This story is the perfect example of how communication is key in all relationships. Els' character had a horribly scarring experience as a child which led to her being afraid to ask for what she wants and communicate her needs to family and friends. Ginny is scared of getting hurt again, so she hides her feelings from the one person who needs to hear them the most.

I would say that Mistakes Were Made & Cleat Cute are still my favorites of Wilsner's, but this read is still worth it! Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital review copy.

Meryl Wilsner's *My Best Friend’s Honeymoon* is a spicy f/nb romance about lifelong best friends Elsie and Ginny. After Elsie calls off her engagement, the two embark on a nonrefundable honeymoon in the Caribbean. While they have always been each other’s biggest supporters, they struggle to embrace their true desires.

The book beautifully combines themes of love, self-development, and personal growth. With vibrant details and sizzling moments, it’s a must-read for fans of queer romance. Notably, there’s a nonbinary main character, and the story promotes body positivity. Plus, returning readers of Wilsner can expect plenty of spice. This book would make a great beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC.