I’m so sorry, but this book is not for me. Probably my own fault for not fully reading the blurb. The pronouns kept getting super confusing for me and it was just…a lot. DNF at 15%

Very hot and steamy, the cover doesn't lie. I loved that not only was Ginny nonbinary but also plus-sized, either on their own in a queer romance I've seen very little but this is the first time I've seen both in a single character.

The initial third was incredibly slow. It had a lot of build up which was necesary for when they get together but I was not invested in the characters. They are going through some rough times when we meet them like losing a job and ending a relationship. We hardly get to see them have chemistry and actual fun until they go on vacation and that takes a bit. Once they get together it's satisfying, for us and them.

A fun beach read!

What a fun story! I’m always a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers, so this was a fun way to see this in a queer space.

Ginny and Elsie have been best of friends for ages, and have loved each other for so long. Elise’s fiancé plans their entire wedding, only for Elsie to realize that she doesn’t want to get married to him. However, he purchased a non-refundable honeymoon which he gifts to Elsie, and changes his ticket to her best friend, Ginny.

They go on this honeymoon together, and start to break down the “just friends,” but as always, the real world comes back.

While most of the “why they love each other” isn’t on page, it’s more about the exploration of each of the characters: Ginny and their job and Elsie and her place in the family business. It’s well crafted in their self explorations of who they are.

Meryl, this was fun to see how they grew together and apart!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This friends to lovers romance is well written, there is tension and dual POV with dual narrators. However, I disliked Elsie's characters so much and her behavior continued to get worse as the novel went on. She is the most selfish and manipulative character I have read about in a long time and her gaslighting Ginny upset me to my core. I ended up DNF at 70% because of her behavior and how ridiculous the third act break up fight was 🤦‍♀️ It was so immature

I really wanted to like this novel more because friends to lovers is a trope I adore but I just found the characters flat the immature for my taste.

This is the perfect STEAMY summer beach read! If you are looking for something to read by the pool or at the beach, then this is the book for you. I love watching the friendship between Elsie and Ginny evolve into love, this was such a fun read!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc of this book! All opinions are my own. I was very excited to read this as I love queer romances, but unfortunately this one wasn’t my favorite. The book started off strong and I enjoyed everything pre-vacation and even the first bit of their trip. Once Ginny and Elsie got together, I felt like there wasn’t much plot anymore and it was just sex scene after sex scene. I also personally didn’t like the argument and everything post-vacation. I will continue to read books by this author because I understand that each book is different.

Honestly, not my favorite by this author, but not bad. Very spicy just like other things they have written. The miscommunication trope popping its ugly head up in here really ruined it for me, but overall, not a bad read!

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon had such a fun, flirty premise and I was so ready to fall head over heels for it, but the vibes just didn’t fully click for me. I adored seeing a nonbinary love interest in the spotlight (Ginny = swoon), and the friends-to-lovers tension was definitely there, but the pacing felt a bit uneven and some of the emotional development didn’t hit as hard as I wanted. Like, the spice? Great. The setup? Rom-com gold. But I never got fully invested in the stakes beyond the bedroom. Still, if you're into soft queers, tropical romance, and a slow unraveling of long-held feelings, it’s a solid vacation read with heart. Just not a forever fave for me.

Like a good vacation, this book has it all. There’s a deep friendship between Ginny and Elsie that reminds you of close friends and chosen family, there’s brief tension and misunderstanding that’s relatable, and so much more.

It was a delightful read and if you’re a fan of Meryl Wilsner’s other books, this one doesn’t disappoint!

The spice was good in this but I really think the writing is not for me which makes me sad cause I adore Meryl Wilsner. They are so funny and smart, but I can’t finish this :(

ARC review | 3.5 ⭐️ | adult sapphic romance

Release date: April 29, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Elsie Hoffman tends to be a person who sticks up for others, but never herself. So: breaking off her engagement to her college boyfriend, after he plans their entire wedding without consulting her, is a big step for her- but there's the all-inclusive, already booked and paid for honeymoon to think about, which he insists she take. Enter Ginny: Elsie's best friend, who's been in love with her for nearly their entire friendship. Ginny's ecstatic to have the time with their friend, and is determined to help her learn to advocate for herself, so they enact a rule: Elsie gets whatever she wants, for the entire vacation. The twist? Turns out Elsie wants Ginny, just as badly as they want her.

This was a sweet romance- friends to lovers, LGBTQIA+ representation, and I thought the Caribbean setting was fun! This is a VERY spicy read- I don't generally mind spice, but once or twice it overshadowed a moment of character development that happened just before. I enjoyed the flashbacks to earlier in Ginny's and Elsie's lives and seeing their friendship at different ages, and I liked the way Elsie became bolder as her character developed. The side characters were good; they added some depth to the novel and allowed us to see how Elsie and Ginny interact with others- although it is just the two of them for a large portion of the book, and I loved seeing their friendship/relationship as well. Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of sapphic romance, a spice rating of 5 🌶️, and readers who love some humor in their books!

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Meryl Wilsner, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book!

This was a super SPICY friends to lovers romance that sees Ginny, a nonbinary Butch lesbian going on her recently single pansexual Jewish bestie Elsie's Caribbean honeymoon where the two acknowledge they've always had more than platonic feelings for each other and they decide to go for it - HARD!

Things get HEATED fast but cool off just as quickly once the two return home. I wasn't a fan of the mid-plot break up but I did think there was a lot of great character growth and fantastic queer rep. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Tried digital first, then tried audio and unfortunately i just wasn’t invested at all. I didn’t like the FMC and i think that ultimately led to me deciding this one just isn’t for me. I got to 35% in the book when i decided to DNF. sorry!

3 stars

Meryl Wilsner consistently puts out books I enjoy. The characters are fun, the relationships are charming, and the romantic elements are not overly syrupy.

This book has some great moments, but it doesn't quite come together as I'd hoped, and I honestly think that would have changed with some reordering.

Elsie is in the thick of breaking up with her fiance when the book begins, and the circumstances surrounding this make it impossible to understand how they were together in the first place. The titular honeymoon is still on, though, and Ginny, Elsie best friend, is the one who will join. Their relationship changes on this trip.

The narrative begins with this bizarre relationship breaking up and then dives so quickly into lengthy scenes of intimacy between another couple. It's not until after the trip that readers really get to know more about the characters, which feels out of order. The early events happen fast (in a way), and I wasn't yet invested enough in the characters to pick up on much more than their physical connection, which is nice for them but not as compelling for me. I'd have loved to learn more about the central relationship BEFORE the present day and then continue to move chronologically. I think this could have made all the difference.

I'll still be enthused to read whatever this writer puts out next, but I'll admit that this one wasn't my favorite.

This was a bizarre read because these 2 had no chemistry-friendly or romantic. The writing was extremely pedestrian. I am actually shocked by how little I felt for either of these characters or the plot. I didn’t care one bit about anything in this book. We're in both of the characters' heads, but I didn't understand why they loved one another other than they were friends and both queer. It was just understood that they loved one another. I also didn't like their dynamic--Ginny did whatever Elsie said and cared for Elsie like a child. I understand wanting to be there for her based on the (very little) plot of the book, but it still felt over the top. This felt like I was reading someone's diary of what they wanted a relationship to be rather than a book with fleshed-out characters and plot.

Also, the writing is so wordy. Okay. That's all.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I literally read this in 12 hours LOL
Now… I have a personal bias towards friends to lovers… but then when you add queer love … i’m a goner

i thought this book was so fun. it didn’t necessarily sweep me off my feet or anything but it was cute and lighthearted and had me laughing.

elsie and ginny are best friends. elsie is engaged to her boyfriend who has secretly booked and planned their wedding without her knowledge. which was apparently just what elsie needed to hear to call it off. which worked perfectly for ginny who had been secretly in love with their best friend for years. the problem arises when they realize the honeymoon has been booked already! and someone has to go! so elsie takes her best friend ginny. on this trip ginny promises to give elsie everything she wants… and apparently she wanted to be more than friends! & ginny gives her just that. there’s, of course, a third act breakup because they have a lustful week on vacation and returning to real life gets a little too real. but like all romance novels, they have their cute queer hea <3 yay

it was short and simple and fun.
i love the representation for lesbians and nonbinary and the lgbtq+ community in general

First, I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin Griffin Publishing for allowing me to read My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner. This review is solely my own opinion. I loved this book. I was excited to when I got the ARC as I've enjoyed Meryl's previous books, and this one met and exceeded my expectations. The story follows Ginny. They've spent the majority of their adulthood working a job they hate and essentially following in the footsteps of their best friend Elsie. Elise diesnt know hiw to ask fir things that benefit her, she is always looking out for others, but not herself. Elsie just called off her engagement from her long-time boyfriend, and he tells her to go on the nonrefundable honeymoon. He puts all of his tickets in Ginny's name so they can go along with Elsie. Ginny tells Elsie that the honeymoon is Elise's and that she can have anything she wants, but she needs to ask for it. The story is a rollercoster of emotions and is so well written. I am definitely looking forward to the release date and recommend it to everyone.

This story is a friends to lovers between Ginny and their best friend Elsie, who just left her fiancé when he tried to surprise her with a wedding in a week. They end up going on the honeymoon trip together so it doesn't get wasted, and what better place to recover from a breakup than in a bungalow on the ocean?

Turns out, Ginny has always loved Elsie, and Elsie has always loved Ginny, but they've both been too scared to say anything about it until Elsie forces the issue. And then it's full steam ahead in their little ocean hideaway. They'll worry about what happens when they get home later.

This is my second Meryl Wilsner book and I was pretty lukewarm on the first one (Mistakes Were Made) too. The spice is great, but I felt like there was emotion missing. We barely get a chance to see Ginny and Elsie interact and build any tension before they have their tongues all over each other. Unfortunately I think this author just isn't for me.

I loved the story, friends to lovers. It was set up well with background information, etc. The setting was great from Minneapolis to an all-inclusive in Mexico. The love story was great. The love scenes were really spicy for my taste but some may love that level of spice! It was just a lot for this girl to handle!

This book is a genre I don't normally read, but wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I was an easy to follow story, but I felt like it was missing something......maybe more tension between the characters before they realize what they want.

(I received a complimentary ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Meryl Wilsner.)