My new obsession. As always Meryl created a beautiful story that kept me engaged and squealing “awww” all the way through. Pick this one up it’s fun, it’s exciting, and you can’t help but root for the main characters. This is such a sweet romance, I didn’t even realize how much I needed a friends to lovers trope in my life, but chefs kiss. 💋

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins press for the earc copy of My Best Friends Honeymoon. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book that I’ve read by Meryl Wilsner and let me just say, she can write some spice!!
I have never read a f/nb book before this one. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the genre but it was so good!! The spice was well written and definitely SPICY. Then characters were entertaining and relatable (hello Elise- the chronic people pleaser). The book moved at a fast pace but I actually enjoyed that. It never felt dull or boring.

I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author.

The writing was fine but the story wasn't my cup of tea. Even though the main characters are queer, the romance felt cliche and predictable. I think it's good if you're looking for an easy comfort read.

I honestly really loved this story. The writing was amazing and the spice was amazing. But the pacing felt off. in the beginning it seemed to move at hyper speed and I struggled to keep up. But then it was moving so slow that I was like okay already let's move on. But I was happy with the ending.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon

I've read all of Meryl Wilsner's books, and they have a talent for portraying characters that feel realistically imperfect, giving them obstacles, and then resolving them. I especially loved Cleat Cute (sports romance! Neurodivergent rep!). While My Best Friend's Honeymoon doesn't quite rise to the Cleat Cute bar, it's still another strong effort by an author that's quickly become and "auto-buy."
Elsie and Ginny have been best friends for over a decade. Their friendship has been the fixed point in each other's lives; it even survived Ginny asking Elsie out and Elsie turning them down at fifteen. Even though Elsie's engaged, she has lunch with Ginny every day. They both live in their hometown. And yeah, Elsie's engaged but she's not wedding planning so Ginny can feel as if nothing has changed.
But then things have to change, because Elsie finally breaks up with Derrick (oh sweet dumb but trying Derrick) after he plans a surprise wedding and Elsie realizes she doesn't want to get married to him. Derrick still gives Elsie the prepaid all-inclusive honeymoon to Santa Lupita, which is but isn't Santa Lucia. He even changes his ticket into Ginny's name. So the two best friends go on a honeymoon. And the only rule is that Elsie has to say what she wants. And what she wants is to hook up with Ginny. So they do all vacation.
The plot is relatively simple, but that's not a bad thing. As much as the vacation scenes are dreamy and steamy, the best part of the book happens at the 3/5 mark, when they get home to Minnesota in January and have to figure everything out. In Ginny, Wilsner has created such a lovely character, a nonbinary woodworking dog fostering ball of goo who loves their grandfather and has pined for Elsie for years. Even though the book is dual perspective, it takes longer to get to know Elsie, probably because Elsie doesn't know who she is. She's been choosing the path of least resistance and breaking up with Derrick is the first time she's really done something so definitive. But we learn to love Elsie too as she tries to sort things out. Which makes the reunion more satisfying, because we're finally sure that Elsie deserves Ginny.
Despite having drama, this book felt cozy and reassuring. Probably because, as several characters point out, Elsie and Ginny have been in love with each other for a long time; the main thing that changes is them acting on that. Their friends and family aren't going to disapprove. They're not in any danger. It's safe to be queer and out and in love in their world.
The one thing I wish is that there was an epilogue so we could see into Ginny and Elsie's shared future. Largely because they're so young (23!) that I want to make sure that they figure out how to grow together. What will they be doing a few years down the road? Still, glad to have read this friends-to-lovers story.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to receive an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Talk about fast paced, honkin’ steamy, full throttle! WOW!
I have to say, the cover of this book had me honkin’ around like a goosey girlie gone wild and it did not disappoint.
Elsie and Ginny’s relationship has had many layers to it- Ginny has been in love love with Elsie for quite some time and Elsie has been together with her boyfriend turned fiancee– purely what seems to be out of convenience? Not because she thinks it easy, or because she thinks it necessary, but because she doesn’t see a reason why not? Or, more importantly, she doesn’t see anyone else that might deter her from being with him.
But- then her boyfriend decides that Elsie has enough on her plate and plans her a whole ass wedding– out of good intentions- but still- flashing red flags.
Obviously Esie is overwhelmed and calls it off realizing they are on different pages and more importantly she wants to figure out what she really **wants**!
BUT here’s the kicker, her very well intentioned now ex-fiancee prepaid the honeymoon so she is going to jet set to the tropics, ready or not- solo, or, not!
Enter- Ginny- her go to bestie of forever who she relies on, looks forward to, and has a deep connection with. Ginny joins Elsie on the trip with the understanding that it is basically a YES trip- but- Elsie needs to ask for what she wants in order to get the YES.
So- Elsie takes a moment and realizes what she wants is GINNNYYYYYY- so, the clothes are thrown off, the physicality is through the roof, and they are IN IT IN IT- BUT Ginny low key doesn’t mention that in order for them to have attended this all expense paid galavant in the tropics they had to quite their job.. Which, yes, I agree is a bit of a wowza moment- but, in their defense it was a dead end job that brought them 0 joy and they had planned for financial stability to be able to afford a bit of time without work.. They just don’t mention it to Elsie until Elsie finds out herself and whaboom their little love bubble is desiccated. They return from their love fest broken hearted. Elsie is met by her former fiancee who has now started to attend therapy- too little too late- and Ginny dives head first into a bit of denial and bit of self discovery- adopting a rescue dog and connecting with other queers in the woodworking industry, one they have always been interested in exploring more permanently.
So- I’ll pause there because I have likely already gone too far but I think you get the gist!
The first bit of the book was full on hot tamales, and then it simmered out a bit. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it quickly, it was over almost faster than I started! I loved Ginny and I got frustrated with Elsie but I also had a lot of compassion for her.
4 geese
3.5 spicey honkin’ peppers

Thank you netgalley and smp for the e-Arc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I have enjoyed the authors previous work however I could not make it past chapter 1. I have tried to pick it up a few time and just wasn't for me.

Dnf @ 7%

I enjoyed this. I promise. However, it wasn’t anything special. Meryl Wilsner has a talent for writing spicy scenes, which I love, but I’ve yet to be blown away by their plot writing and character development. A lot of the character development and their epiphanies happen behind the scenes, but I would much rather read about them!! I wasn’t particularly drawn to Elsie or Ginny because of this.

I was really excited to get into this one, and I found the premise to be very promising! Like Elsie, I am also a chronic people pleaser and I was excited to see parts of myself in her.

However, I did feel underwhelmed by certain aspects of this book. The pacing was a little awkward at times, and I feel the romance of it all left a little to be desired. I would have loved to see more of a slow burn and more of the build up to the turning point in their relationship- it all ended up happening very abruptly. I was then excited for Ginny & Elsie to grow and experience life on their own and without each other, but I thought the circumstances behind the third act breakup that got them to that point didn't really make sense and felt out of character.

There is a LOT of spice (which I expected based on the description), but it didn't feel very organic and I was not ready for the stuff that these two would be getting into. But that's simply my preference and I can see where others would really enjoy it!! This is my first Meryl Wilsner novel, and I can definitely see how they have made their way to the forefront of sapphic romance.

Overall, I did find this to be a fun read. It was fast-paced, and entertaining, and I was excited to see Ginny & Elsie succeed in their professional goals. I was just hoping for more in their romance and in their relationship with each other.

This book wasn't my favorite by this author, whose work I’ve greatly enjoyed in the past. The conflicts - every single one of them for each character - seemed kind of forced and with very obvious solutions like just speaking up for themselves ever in any area of their lives. Was a bit frustrating and lacked depth. But great setting, great steamy scenes (though rather compacted), and an easy fun enough read overall.

As a fan of Meryl Wilsner, I usually love their signature style—no one crafts slow-burning sexual tension like they did in Something to Talk About, and the tender sweetness of Mistakes Were Made had me hooked. Unfortunately, My Best Friend’s Honeymoon fell a bit short for me. The setup was intriguing: after Elsie breaks off an engagement she’d outgrown, she jets off on her honeymoon with her longtime best friend, Ginny. Ginny’s challenge for Elsie to finally ask for what she wants leads to a week of both playful and steamy moments between them, but the emotional depth that I normally expect from Wilsner was lacking here. The romance felt a bit rushed, and while the concept of finding happiness and self-assurance was strong, I just wanted a little more connection between the characters before the whirlwind romance. Still, it’s a charming read about self-discovery and the courage to pursue the happiness you deserve.

I really adored this f/nb romance by Meryl Wilsner - I think that this is my favorite of their novels. Both of the characters are very well developed and I found them to be very likable. The progression of the romance is also strong and it was beautiful to watch the two of them come together throughout the book. The spice is also on point!

This book had such a strong start! Which is why it truly does pain me to say that it was another "miss" for me. The premise is intriguing enough and I did love all of the representation featured here, but it just felt like.... I don't know, but for starters, the pacing was poor. Once Elsie & Ginny "get together," I felt like the author lost the plot and it was just back-to-back spicy scenes— which, hey, I'm no prude and definitely love spice in my books, but I just thought it was a little excessive in a way that didn't feel organic, nor did it really serve the narrative in any significant way (I suppose other than her ~asking~ for things, but still). The 3rd-act conflict also seemed a bit unnecessary and blown way out of proportion based off the actual issue at hand, so there's that too. I just had a hard time relating to the two MCs, unfortunately. Overall, cute premise, poor execution.

Thank you to St Martin's Press for this aARC! Meryl simply never misses, this book was so addictive that everytime I had to put it down to go be a person I got upset. Elsie and Ginny have such remarkable chemistry and their friendship is so solidly built. And the sex in this book is out of this WORLD addictive. Once they got going, they could not keep their hands off of eachother and I did not want them to it was MAGICAL. And it was really nice to see them both taking time to figure out who they were as people before losing themselves completely in one another. Another absolute win of a book I'm so so happy to have read it.

I was reading this as a buddy read with my bestie and ended up abandoning our schedule because I just needed to read this book. In fact, I accidentally read ahead while I was simply engrossed so I skipped a day to try to get back on track… and then I ended up missing Elsie and Ginny so much that I just plowed through the rest in one go. The vibes are immaculate. I felt like the conflict was resolved in a meaningful way. Their growth, together and apart, felt realistic for the characters. My inner baby bi really related to the memories from their youth when they were figuring out their sexuality. Meryl Wilsner just does not miss for me and I am very grateful that NetGalley initially brought them to me through Cleat Cute and that I was able to get a read-now copy of their latest work. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

For every baby queer that fell in love with their high school best friend, this one is for you. Wilsner takes the spice levels to 100 when Elsie calls off her engagement and takes her best friend on her honeymoon. Ginny, the dreamy, woodworking BFF, promises Elsie she can have anything she wants if she just asks for it. ANYTHING you say?

Even though I would say this book is spice forward, it also hits emotionally - especially for those who are always putting their own needs and wants aside for the sake of others. As always, Wilsner helps expand the genre with a plus-size NB MC. Lastly, slow clap for that gorgeous cover.

3.75/5

Thank you so much for the ARC :)
I really enjoyed the start of this story! It had such a strong beginning, pacing was quick but not too quick...but then we made it to the middle of the book and things started to fall flat for me.
- Spice: I wish the spice was a bit more spread out or if anything limited to one or two scenes. It felt like it was all forced into one section about 50% of the way through and when it started it did not stop and all of a sudden we're hit with the (not random) but also a little rushed argument? It would have been nice to see them engaging in other activities throughout the trip so we have more things to build their relationship on :)
- The conflict: I do think it was realistic, but the timing of it felt rushed. I would have preferred it hapenning a little bit after the trip, with some more examples showing how Ginny keeping that information from Elsie actually affected everything else. A more gradual and subtle realization for both of them would have been better!
- Overall, I think 50-75 more pages would have helped do the book a bit more justice and allow more space for everything to come together in a way that didn't feel so congested. Still such a cute story and will definitely be checking out more books from this author! I love queer romances!

This book started off so strong and I was sure I would love it, possibly even more than Cleat Cute. But then it all fizzled out for me really quickly, it was sex scene after sex scene and then a huge conflict that maybe didn't need to be that huge, and I was missing the romance of it all. I don't mind sex scenes in my romance books, but I prefer them to be in service to the romance, and here I felt like they took over the book completely, overshadowing any emotional depth. That made this story start to feel pretty mediocre, and I'm honestly disappointed after such a strong start.

I've read all of Wilsner's works and this one has my favorite character so far. While I didn't connect with the plot or the other love interest, I simply loved Ginny, the nb character who loves woodworking, fostering dogs, & has been in love with their best friend since they were kids. Their inner narrative was a treat to read and their life felt really fleshed out. This was such a refreshing character to read, both characterization & representation wise.

Unfortunately, I just didn't like them with their love interest or with this plot. I found Elsie to be a wet blanket & unfair to Ginny and the resolution didn't show enough growth from that for me.

Hope, preparing for disappointment, the various ways love can manifest, and learning how to ask for what you need and want are all themes that are interwoven throughout the narrative. Their journey was fascinating, frustrating at times, and all in all, a beautiful tale of queer love and learning to be brave enough to follow your heart, choose yourself, and pursue your goals. It had every aspect of the genre that I liked and was searching for. I was left wanting more by Meryl Wilsner's powerful writing style.