Another lovely Meryl Wilsner book! "Mistakes Were Made" is one of my all-time favorite books, but I did not care for "Cleat Cute," so I was soooo pleased to find "My Best Friend's Honeymoon" to be a charming, well-paced, easy read with lots of endearing characters and compelling relationship dynamics.

I did NOT like the scene where Elsie yelled at the waiter for using a gendered term for Ginny, but other than that, there were far fewer cringe moments than in your typical romance novel. (I feel like romance authors keep inserting scenes like this into their books, and I just don't feel that it's an appropriate way to speak to waitstaff! Find other ways for your cis characters to be allies to their trans partners!)

The settings of Minneapolis and Santa Lupita both added a lot of the story, and the side characters felt like well-developed supports for the two leads.

I will definitely recommend this to my friends who love romance books!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this prior to release date. I ATE this book up in a few hours. This follows two childhood best friends and their journey of being in love with eachother and the trials and tribulations that come with this. They find themselves spending a week on an all inclusive vacation and I did NOT expect the spice level but loved it! It was fast paced and kept me entertained the entire time. The characters had depth and I felt myself rooting for them the entire time. I enjoyed the conversation that the write provided around pronouns as well. I would liked to have skipped the third act conflict as i felt it was quite quick and surface level, but regardless was an extremely enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A great read for contemporary romance readers. Topics of gender identity and sexual orientation are present throughout the book and feel realistic and are handled respectfully. Add to New Adult romance lists, as the characters are both early 20s and the relationship conflict is related to personal growth and finding oneself.

eARC from NetGalley.

i've read a couple of meryl wilsner books and i've found them pretty decent as far as romance goes. to be clear, i'm increasingly growing less fond of the romance genre but i think if you're looking for a spicy sapphic read meryl is one of the top tier authors to go for.

i was also really excited to see this one featured an nb protagonist, let's go!

elsie and ginny are bffs and have been since they were pretty young. ginny? they've been in love with elsie a long, long time. elsie's working for her dad and frustrated with the course of her life - her dad won't let her apply her marketing/design skills to a store remodel and she feels stuck. stuff gets worse when, out of nowhere, her fiance surprises her with a wedding he planned without her consent or input... just one week away.

when they break it off, elsie decides to take ginny on the nonrefundable honeymoon. i bet you can guess what happens next. but as ginny deems it so, it's only going to happen if elsie stands up for herself, decides what she wants, and asks for it.

so naturally, a LOT of sex happens. like, a lot. perhaps too much if you're not expressly looking for that in a book.

which, you know, for being on a honeymoon trip with your bff that's been in love with you secretly for over a decade, is complicated, so elsie and ginny have some stuff to work out.

all in all, ultimately pretty decent, though i can't expressly say that it did anything to reinvent the wheel. still, it's nice to see this kind of romance coming out more for sapphics, particularly with nb rep. i think the romance moved a bit fast for me and because of the sheer amount of sex scenes (and hot as they were, the number of them started to make me feel a tiny bit cringe but again i am NOT a romance reader usually) kind of took away from the overall story/narrative, which i could have used more of. i think most readers will love this one!

3.5 stars

This was my first read from this author and it will definitely not be my last! Best friends to lovers, unrequited love, all the vacation vibes? I think this will make for the perfect summer read when it publishes and will hopefully provide more visibility to queer characters and authors in the mainstream romance scene.

Watching Elsie and Ginny navigate the murky waters of their friendship (thats so much more than a friendship) was a wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed!

This book has an amusing premise. Elsie has been engaged to Derrick for a couple years but has not taken any steps towards wedding planning because she is not sure she wants to get married, and she is content with the situation as it is. However, Derrick assumes the lack of a wedding planning is because Elsie is so busy at work. So, he plans the wedding himself and surprises her with the planned wedding, which will take place in a week. There are problems with this, including that she hates surprises. Derrick is a sweet and caring person but also somewhat oblivious.

Elsie calls off the wedding, but Derrick insists she go on the nonrefundable honeymoon at an all-inclusive Caribbean resort that caters to queer couples and families, and that she takes her best friend, Ginny. While Derek is cishet, Elsie identifies as pansexual, and Ginny is non-binary (they/them pronouns). Ginny has been in love with Elsie practically as long as they have known each other. However, when they asked Elsie to a school dance in tenth grade, Elsie turned them down, and this made the friendship awkward for a while, so Ginny has not attempted a romantic relationship with Elsie since then; Elsie's relationship with Derrick the past three years is another reason. What Ginny doesn't know is that Elsie is attracted to them as well but afraid of losing her best friend if the relationship did not work out.

However, everything changes on the "honeymoon", where what Elsie wants, Elsie gets -- and Elsie decides she really wants Ginny. Elsie and Ginny will do things sexually that Elsie has never done before, and even some things that are new for Ginny, and they will spend a significant amount of the vacation engaging in amorous pursuits.

Unfortunately for Elsie and Ginny, the life-changing vacation will end on a sour note that might end not only the new romantic relationship, but their friendship. The return to Minnesota is frosty, and not just because it is February. Elsie and Ginny both have decisions to make regarding their respective lives and futures before their friendship can be restored, and before a romantic relationship is possible.

I was really interested in this one based off of the premise but it was a struggle to get through, I almost made it half way before giving up. Elsie is extremely juvenile and acts like she's an only child at times when she has 4 siblings. She has no clue what she wants and can't speak up for herself but has no problem doing it for others which isn't a big deal but how she speaks about her ex really bothered me. (slight spoilers ahead!!!) Yes he planned their wedding only because he thought it overwhelmed her, she never communicated anything to him and even when she broke it off he was so sweet about it. He booked an LGBT inclusive resort because he knows she's pan, and her comment about him saying even tough there's no P in the acronym for pan it means her as well, Ginny said he wasn't the brightest bulb but had a good heart and they laughed about it a few times. To me that came off as mean spirited when Derek was so supportive of the LGBT community and a huge golden retriever; it also slightly felt like there was straight shaming at times and that's not cool. Ginny was a decent character but felt so flat and like they didn't have a personality that didn't revolve around Elsie. The writing was so choppy and got frustrating at times with so many short sentences, it felt like a middle schooler's perspective and made the spice scenes feel weird to where I just couldn't go on with it anymore.

Childhood best friends to lovers with plenty of sexual tension but unfortunately not enough communication of feelings. I really enjoyed reading from Ginny's POV, but I found Elsie a tad bit grating. I think the conflict that resulted in a third act breakup was overly dramatic and Elsie was a bit cruel. Other than that argument, I really believed in the chemistry and the connection between the two. I thought their relationship made sense, even if they fought it the whole time.

For me Mistakes Were Made will always be the crème de la crème of Meryl Wilsner’s books. HOWEVER! This latest one truly gives it a run for its money! The sexy time scenes… I mean… woah! Dials were turned up and they were scorching.

I was a little skeptical going into a friends-to-lovers trope. They tend to bore me. But this… Sacrebleu!!!! Chef’s kiss! I was straight up blushing throughout the middle of this book! And the love between the two main characters as friends and then as lovers is just so heart warming. The trust and the care. Just loved it!

Thanks NetGalley for ARC!

A solid three stars.

One of the things I love about the romance genre is how it has opened up so many portals of representation. It's great that one of the MCs is nonbinary in this and not treated in a check the representation box. It feels very authentic. That is probably my favorite part of this book

Aside from that, the story was a bit forgettable and the writing .felt a bit simplistic and low stakes. Maybe I am comparing it too much to Mistakes Were Made, because that book delivered. I will continue to read from this author, and this was a nice little romance on a dreary rainy day. Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

My only complaint about this book was it felt a little short. I’m sure it was normal book length but I wanted it to keep going on!

The sex scenes were hot as hell. The mid act breakup made perfect sense - even if it was a little obvious to see it coming - and the development after that hit all the right notes. My favorite character might just be Rufus, the dog with an excited peeing issue. It was great rep for fostering pets as well as the usual queer rep that Meryl Wilsner is becoming known for. Some people may think it’s overkill or something but I’m not one of them. It delights me to see a representation of the diversity of the queer community around me and have it be celebrated. I very very much enjoyed this book.

Again the only reason it’s not five stars is because it felt a little short.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In My Bestfriend’s Honeymoon,
Elsie, fresh from a broken engagement, heads to the Caribbean with her best friend, Ginny, who has harbored feelings for her for years. Ginny challenges Elsie to finally start asking for what she wants—a prompt that leads to more than either of them anticipated. What begins as a week of relaxation and self-discovery gradually reveals deeper feelings. It’s an exciting exploration of friendship, courage, and the complexity of finding love where you least expect it.

Wilsner’s books are always auto-reads for me and this one definitely met my expectations. Wilsner writes great stories and I already can’t wait to read the next one.

Lifelong best friends Ginny and Elsie are forced to confront their attraction to one another when they decide to go on Elsie's nonrefundable romantic honeymoon together after Elsie calls her engagement off. This may be Meryl Wilsner's best best romance to date. It was especially exciting seeing Wilsner write a nonbinary main character being nonbinary themselves. This is the first romance I've read with a nonbinary lead so I got to enjoy a romance and learn a bit which is always nice.. Anyone who is a sucker for friends-to-lovers or pinning will eat this up. It is EXTREMELY spicy, so keep that in mind if that isn't your cup of tea. The inevitable fight/misunderstanding towards the end feels silly, but I come to romances accepting sometimes plot contrivances need to be created to push the characters apart again. This is a spicy f/nb romance that has some great representation and messaging for queer readers who are in need of a happy ending right now.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon 🏝️🪵🛠️ ~ ARC Review ~
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars
I was really looking forward to My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, especially after loving Mistakes Were Made and Cleat Cute. While Wilsner delivered on the steamy scenes, I felt that Elsbeth and Ginny’s friendship could have used more depth. We get mentions of their shared history, but the emotional foundation didn’t feel fully realized. Moving from friendship to romance should have had more nuance, and I felt Ginny, who’s always supported Elsie, deserved more reciprocity. Watching them grow individually after they returned to Minneapolis after the vacation was the most powerful part of the story—it was great to see the characters pursuing their own interests like woodworking and business, which gave them more dimension.

The island setting was dreamy, and I loved the way Wilsner handled Ginny’s nonbinary identity, with Elsie consistently using their pronouns and non-gendered terms of endearment. Ginny’s character was easy to root for, while Elsie’s journey felt slightly lopsided since Ginny has always given her what she wanted. I wish there had been an epilogue to deepen their connection, but I’m grateful for another queer romance from Wilsner and am excited to see what they’ll write next!

Gosh I really wanted to like this book but man, it was ROUGH. They went from “I think I love my best friend” to immediately having the most graphic sex. It was just a lot.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon centers on Elsie, who has just called off her engagement with her fiancé, Derrick, who has steamrolled her into a surprise wedding. With her BFF, Ginny, at her side, the two of them take the would-be honeymoon trip together as they encourage Elsie to figure out what she wants out of life and her own relationships. This is a delightful, sexy, queer second chance romance/best friends to lovers.

I really appreciated seeing the growth that came from both Elsie and Ginny figuring out what they each individually wanted out of life after being entangled with each other and their respective paths that they felt were carved out for them. This was coupled with the -intense- longing for each other followed by some excellent smutty scenes. The balance between the personal growth & smut I feel is a definite rarity in the romance genre. The author clearly put so much thought & care into illustrating queer relationships and sex while making it so much fun.

If you are looking for a sexy romance where the main characters work on becoming their own persons while also figuring out their own complicated relationships with themselves and their families, I definitely recommend.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

Thank you @netgalley for giving me an advanced copy for Meryl Wilsner's next book! I'm a big fan, l've read all of their books so I couldn't wait! Elsie & Ginny's friendship turned romance was hot & heavy yet so soft and beautiful. Getting to read their story was so special and I can't wait for everyone else to read it!

I can always count on Meryl Wilsner to deliver a spicy and heartfelt queer romance! I’ve read all their works and have honestly never been disappointed and My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is no exception. The premise was laugh out laugh funny and a perfect set up for friends who have been in love for years but haven’t said anything to lovers. Ginny was the supportive and good with their hands character that gave this book so much heart. I loved Elsie as well and thought her family dynamics and storyline with the mom and pop shop was an interesting addition to the story. I low key wanted a liiiittle bit more of them as a couple back in their hometown and not just on the trip but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this fun and spicy romance by Wilsner. Will definitely recommend this to my friends, it made my little queer heart very happy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really thought this would be great and I enjoyed the first part but then they lost me. No connection, no real romance, annoying confining. All just very abrupt.
Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second book by Wilsner, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as the first, I did enjoy it quite a bit! Elsie decides to call it quits with her fiance before their wedding and ends up taking her honeymoon with her NB best friend, Ginny. Things heat up and well, you get the picture! It was steamy and cute.