Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me, I just wasn’t a fan of their relationship. I think we’re getting a lot of the love they have for each other off the page and just the spice and lust on the page, so there is not enough build up for when they finally get together and it just feels kind of bland. Mind you the characters are actually very well thought out and enjoyable to read about, but together I just don’t care for them.

Umm this book is spicy!!!!!! It was a really cute book with ALOT of spicy! I loved how the story came together, and you could see it unfold between two best friends. I didn’t think it was going to turn out the way it. If you like spicy book I would most definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost the book is intriguing, it has a different concept and foundational relationship dynamic which I haven't seen to much of on bookstagram. That pulls you in quickly, however the novel than proceeds to fizzle out and never get back on track.

The pacing is off, the flashbacks don't seem clearly oriented in relation to the present day timeline. Furthermore the novel as a whole felt detached, the whole thing had an essence of depersonalization. I would have much rather a standard dual POV first person.
Elsie has no backbone whatsoever which I do not love to see. In addition to that the characters didn't communicate well with each other, We are told they have been friends for as long as they can possibly remember and then we are catapulted to the smut. I wanted more conversation.

Overall, I didn't hate it. But I thought I would enjoy the book more than I did.

Book Review: My Best Friends Honeymoon
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Meryl Wilsenr
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffith.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a fast-paced, steamy, and emotionally charged queer romance that flips the traditional honeymoon trope on its head. When Elsie calls off her engagement a week before her wedding, she decides to take her non-refundable honeymoon to the Caribbean with Ginny, her best friend of over a decade—who also happens to have been in love with her for just as long.

What starts as a fun getaway turns into something much more when Ginny challenges Elsie to ask for what she truly wants—and, to their surprise, what she wants is Ginny. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and their physical connection is next-level intense. However, once the honeymoon ends, reality crashes down. Elsie’s post-trip freakout feels extreme, almost out of character, making the conflict feel abrupt and frustrating. Thankfully, Ginny’s handling of the situation is top-tier, and their separation period allows for real growth and self-discovery beyond just their relationship.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is how authentic and natural it feels. Ginny, a plus-size, nonbinary character, is written with care and respect—without their body being a source of insecurity or a defining characteristic in their relationship with Elsie. Their attraction to each other is presented without justification or hesitation, which is a refreshing departure from many romance novels.

While the book is undeniably steamy, the sheer number of back-to-back intimate scenes made the pacing feel a bit unbalanced. The romance itself is engaging, but the sudden @shift from nonstop passion to major emotional fallout felt jarring. That said, the flashbacks to their long-standing friendship added depth, and Elsie’s journey toward asserting herself within her family was a satisfying subplot.

My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is a fun, sexy, and heartfelt read. It’s not perfect, but a very good read.

#QueerRomance #FriendsToLovers #SteamyReads #MyBestFriendsHoneymoon #LGBTQBooks #SapphicRomance #RomanceBooks #ReadersOfInstagram #Bookstagram #ReadingCommunity

Meryl Wilsner always delivers a sapphic, smutty read that has me googling "things" and My Best Friend's Honeymoon was no different. Elsie (pan) and Ginny (non-binary) have been best friends since childhood who have always been in love with one another. When Elsie dumps her fiancé right before their wedding, she decides to take Ginny on the all-inclusive, non-refundable honeymoon. Of course they hook up and realize that all they have been pining for is all they ever imagined. And of course, they are both in their heads too much and so worried about ruining their friendship that a spat & misunderstanding leads to miscommunication and breakup/separation before the third act even begins.

While separating the MCs does allow them both time to explore their choices and career goals aside from one another (Ginny wants to pursue furniture building full-time after quitting their unfulfilling graphic design 9 to 5; Elsie wants her family's hardware store to listen to her ideas about rebranding), the plot choice does affect the pacing of the story a bit. Like Cleat Cute, this one has some hot scenes (I still think about that locker room scene!) and while I was rooting for both Ginny and Elsie, sometimes their internal monologues just weighed the story down a bit. I understand the miscommunication trope is at times necessary, but putting it so early in the plot just made the story drag at times. But I'm a sucker for friends to lovers, forced proximity, & travel tropes, so all in all, I liked this one despite its plotting flaws.

I did love the representation, and I adored Ginny's character and in particular, their sweet relationship with their grandfather. More accepting, queer grandparent stories, please!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for the e-ARC. This one is out April 29th, 2025.

I was so excited for this book because I love Meryl's other books but it was kind of a letdown! Felt like the romance part of the book progressed way too fast. Generally I wish there was more depth/ a longer book.

Elsie and Ginny are best friends. When Elsie ends her engagement and cancels her wedding, of course her best friend will go with her on her honeymoon. Since Ginny has been in love with Elsie forever, nothing can go wrong? Right?

I liked this book. I didn't enjoy the third act conflict. It felt like too much miscommunication that was trying not to be miscommunication. I think the character's reactions were just too much for the situation.

im debating betweeen 3.5-4 stars.

I enjoyed the character growth a lot. I feel like the pacing was a bit weird, but also like good for the plot & development? I think the characters both extremely needed the growth & I loved watching them change.

Elsie & Ginny had been each others everything (except romantically) for YEARS & yes there was definitely miscommunication, but I also felt it for the plot bc with all the pining, tension & rushing into things they had been holding back, the miscommunication was also a HUGE reason for their development as people on their own without each other.

I definitely liked Ginny more than Elsie tbh, but I did actually enjoy the story in the end.

tropes
mutual pining
secretly in love with my best friend
miscommunication
great character growth
childhood friends to lovers
lgbtq (one of the mcs is non binary, they/them)

My Best Friend's Honeymoon is cute, hot, fun and darn right SPICY. It's a friends to lovers, vacation romance that just may get you hot and bothered.

Ginny has been in love with Elsie basically from day one. They had a great friendship in their teens, but Ginny was attracted to Elsie and didn't care what anyone thought. They thought that Elsie may have felt the same and asked Elsie to go to a high school dance with them. Elsie turned them down because of what happened in the past to her. So, they remained friends. Now, Elsie has been proposed to and said fiance has planned everything. Including the WHOLE WEDDING (dress, invites, everything). But Elsie doesn't know how to say no and is pretty much a people pleaser. Until she decides she can't marry Derrick because she's truly not in love with him and thinks she may never have been. Since the wedding was to take place so soon, he has a honeymoon all planned out and gives that to Elsie. Elsie ends up taking Ginny because they are best friends. Will Ginny be able to hide their feelings on a romantic getaway??

The premise of the story is cute and I love a good unrequited love that may not be so unrequited. And the tropical setting lends a great backdrop to giving into an attraction that's always been there. I don't know how Ginny and Elsie couldn't communicate their feelings for years, but finally give in and bang it out a million times in the span of a week. Maybe it's Ginny's deal with Elsie. They tell Elsie they will do anything they want. They basically force Elsie to make decisions for themselves and learn to get what they want. To be brave.

I liked Ginny's character and how they allowed Elsie to grow and be comfortable in their own skin, but then that also kind of made Ginny's light dim a bit. And the steamy scenes? There are a lot. I mean, after the first day of the "honeymoon" that's basically all they do. It's hot, but I also don't know if it pushed the story forward. And the 3rd act break up? It was kind of silly. But also allowed each of them to learn what they needed in order to be strong on their own.

While I liked the story overall, the abundance of "bedroom shenanigans" was a bit much. It didn't always serve a purpose for me. Maybe to just get off. And the break up was all kinds of immature.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but wanted something a little more to make the relationship more than just physical, which we did get, but it was more in the end. I just needed more of a balance.

If you like:
friends to lovers
a lot of spice
unrequited love
F/NB main characters
..then I think you'll enjoy this one. Meryl Wilsner is great at writing LGBTQ+ love stories that are spicy and fun.

WOW! I picked this as my book to read for my European vacation thinking it would get me through the entire trip. But I ended up finishing it just on the flight over there. This was so much fun all throughout, but also gutwrenching. I just loved witnessing this friendship blossom and I'm such a sucker for these tropes. Meryl does it again!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It was fun, sweet and lighthearted, but I couldn't help but find myself getting a little frustrated by the main characters miscommunications. I loved Wilsner's writing but the lack of communication between the two main characters is what brings this book down too 4 stars for me.

3.5, Like all of Wilsner's books, I found this to be an easy, entertaining read. I don't like that the MC didn't process her break up at all though and that she was unnecessarily rude at times. This book gained some steam again though when the NBMC finally grew a backbone towards the end. Overall, would've loved more emotional intimacy throughout rather than just sex

2.75 stars rounded up

I really like Wilsner's writing; they are very talented. I really liked Ginny and the supporting characters they had around them. The premise had so much promise. The spice was spicy, right up there with Mistakes Were Made, but it was so SUDDEN.

Unfortunately, I really didn't like Elsie. Elsie is selfish, a little mean, and she overreacted to something that wasn't really her business to begin with. Derrick didn't deserve the way Elsie treated him at the end, and Ginny DEFINITELY didn't deserve the way Elsie treated them throughout. By the end, I didn't even want them to be best friends anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This book felt incredibly fake, forced and flat to me. The characters were very blah. Not a ton happened in the middle of the book. It felt as if they did not learn or grow as individuals or even as a couple. It was really hard to connect with the characters or even the story - it just felt forced in many ways. It did not move naturally or at an enjoyable pace. Unfortunately this one just did not work for me.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Elsie Hoffman has just canceled her wedding, and her ex-fiance insist she take their honeymoon because she deserves it. She and her best friend, Ginny, take the trip to the Caribbean. Ginns decides that this week, Elsie must learn to speak up and voice what she wants. To ensure this happens, Ginny promises they will do whatever Elsie wants. When Elsie voices that she wants Ginny, it changes everything.

This is the typical best friend's in love situation, but it is done well. Elsie is a bit of a doormat for people because when she steps forward with an idea or suggestion, she is dismissed. Ginny is a golden retriever best friend in that whatever Elsie wants, Elsie gets. Both characters were likable, and I rooted for their love. The ending was predictable but sweet. The smut in this novel may be too much for people...there is detailed lesbian sex but there is also consented degradation and other activities some may find too much

I have read and enjoyed every book by Meryl thus far! I was very excited to have the chance to read this one. I struggled to get through it unfortunately. I really enjoyed the trope and the chemistry between Elsie and Ginny. However, I wish there had been less of a focus on the sex and more so on just the connection between them! Not to say I didn’t enjoy the sex scenes (because I most certainly did). It just felt like a touch too much.

I’d give this a 2.75 rounded up to a 3. I couldn’t really feel the chemistry all that much but I did like the characters individually at first but then Elsie really started grinding my gears I cannot lie. I only like third act breakups when they make sense and this one was just a huge overreaction and I really couldn’t understand where it came from. This was very very very spicy like back to back to back so if you’re into that you should def read this. It was an easy read and had great queer representation :)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

I enjoyed the representation and premise for this one but didn't feel super invested in the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

My Best Friend's Honeymoon was a cute and fun read - a sapphic friends to lovers with nonbinary representation, unrequited love, and spice. The third act break up happened pretty quickly after Ginny and Elsie get together, but it allowed them to learn what they need/want apart from each other. Meryl Wilsner has been an auto-read author for me and this book is no exception. I really enjoyed this this one!
Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The moment this book was announced, I was excited to read it. Overall, this book was mostly good. “My Best Friend’s Honeymoon” is a steamy, emotional and growing Queer best friends to lovers romance.

Elsie has been engaged to her fiance for a year and half but has yet to set a date or plan anything. And when her fiance picks a date, she realizes she doesn't want to marry him. But the honeymoon has been planned so Elsie takes her best friend, Ginny. Ginny has been pinning after Elsie for years but they have never made a move. But as they spend time together, Elsie realizes her feelings for Ginny.

I loved the Queer and nonbinary representation in this book. Ginny is nonbinary and Elsie is pansexual. Elsie and Ginny had a sweet relationship and really were there for each other. Ginny is a great person and stands by who they are. I loved that they quit their job without hesitation and went on to go for a career they wanted. Elsie is fun but is often unsure of herself at times within her family business. Both had some growing up to do as individuals and some personal learning to do. Once the two decide to take their friendship to a different level, boy do they. There are a lot of steamy scenes exploring their attraction to each other and I have no idea who they weren't after awhile. But it did become repetitive after a while and was just the main focus. The middle lagged but I did enjoy the ending when Elsie went to get her person. The story is told in third person which is always hard to connect with.