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.

I can best characterize My Best Friend's Honeymoon as FUN. It's not groundbreaking. It's not the Next Great American Novel. BUT, it is a joyful romp through the figuring out your identity in-and-outside of relationships. And a book like that doesn't need to be anything pretentious. Meryl Wilsner explores LGBTQIA+ identity with the care and joy and sass that can only come from an "elder" of the community.
As a sapphic in a sapphic-presenting relationship, this book ticked boxes and tickled me in all the right ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It truly pains me that this wasn't a five star read. The set up of the story is well executed and had a fun farcical energy reminiscent of an early 2000's rom com. It's the third act conflict where everything just sort of fell apart for me.

As far as the good stuff goes, the sex scenes are really well constructed in this book. I often feel that trad pub sapphic romances are stuck with sex scenes that feel repetitive and saccharine sweet. The tenderness is not a bad thing but I really appreciate that Meryl's books feel dynamic and different in the romance realm. I also really enjoyed Ginny as a character, I've only read one other book that had a nb character who occasionally used binary pronouns and it had frankly offensive execution. So as a she/they, it was really wonderful and affirming to see a they/she character. I would personally describe my gender as lesbian and I loved getting to read about a character that would do the same.

Where this book really fell flat for me was in the construction of the relationship progression. These characters were having sex around the 40% mark and then had their third act break up around 60%. Since much of that 20% was sex scenes, the latter 40% of the book felt somewhat aimless. I think that this came out of having to mutually justify the break up for both characters. In my perception Ginny seemed to have their life pretty much together and the idea that they were overly reliant on Elsie felt out of pocket. The friendship wasn't entirely healthy on Ginny's end, but they felt like a fully formed person with goals and desires. Elsie on the other hand was a type of character that can be really hard to make fun and compelling to read. Her indecision and lack of purpose felt painful at times. I think that her characterization could have worked without the third act break up as is. For example maybe Elsie decides not to date Ginny because she needs to work on herself and just isn't in a good place of a relationship. Then they could set a goal like Palentines day to reunite. The third act conflict in the book just felt juvenile and nonsensical for a group of 20 something's. Finally, this book desperately needed a B plot especially when they were at the resort. The sex scenes were good but I needed these folks to do something besides bang. I think it would have been cute if they met a set of best friends and attempted to play matchmaker. Getting to see two best friends fall in love could be a cute catalyst for them getting together.

This book didn't work for me, but it might work for you! I still love Meryl's other books and would highly recommend Mistakes Were Made.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an absolute delight! Nailing the friends-to-lovers trope is no easy feat, but Meryl completely delivers. The tension, the backstory, the high stakes of risking a deep friendship for something more—it all comes together beautifully. And let’s just say, things get a little spicy.

While I didn’t love this one quite as much as some of the author’s previous books, it was still an incredibly enjoyable read. The overarching story really worked for me, even if some of the smaller details weren’t my favorite. Interestingly, many of the things I loved were also the same things I found frustrating—an unusual experience, but one that kept me engaged the whole way through.

The premise is fantastic: Elsie’s fiancé throws her a surprise wedding… and the biggest shock is realizing she doesn’t actually want to marry him. With a fully paid honeymoon already booked, she takes her best friend along instead, setting the stage for a trip neither of them will ever forget. Overall, this was a fun, emotional, and steamy read, and Meryl remains an auto-read author for me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing for the ARC!

I was so excited for this one and immediately downloaded an arc from netgalley once it was available, so I’m really sad that I dislike it as much as I do. The characters were so flat and not fleshed out at all, there was truly NO chemistry, no really believable friendship, even, and the pacing was wild. One minute nothing can happen and the next they’re sleeping together. I also couldn’t stand Elsie, it just seemed like she took advantage of Ginny at every turn. This one was not for me.

I didn’t hate it but it also wasn’t my favourite. The two main characters jumped into bed together way two fast for my liking and it felt like the majority of the book was just the two of them banging over and over and over again. I did like that one of the main characters was plus size and non binary and also the best friends who have both been secretly in love with each other for years storyline is one of my favourites but in my opinion the story needed more substance.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book

I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I was beyond ecstatic to get this book as an ARC because I loved Meryl’s book, Mistakes Were Made. Meryl definitely knows how to write spice and that was one of the only things that truly excelled in this book for me. I felt the characters fell flat until about 75% of the way through when they had their third act break-up. I’m not a fan of third act break ups anyway but I can see why it was added into this story line. During the last 25% of the book, the MCs finally started showing personality and became people I was interested in but by then the book was ending. I would have loved to see an epilogue even. I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it like I expected I was going to. I do have to give Meryl tons of credit because as a more main stream/ traditionally published author it was nice to see so much diverse representation, such as a fat non binary MC, a pansexual MC, and multiple sex scenes that include less talked about kinks. I really appreciate the breath of fresh in the sapphic romance category.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Wilsner’s writing. It’s captivating and beautiful and keeps you engaged with the story. And the spicy scenes are always on point! My problem, though, is with the plot— or lack there of. And the “conflict,” which was just stupid and over exaggerated. The book literally went: best friends, vacation, sex, fight, short resolution, over. That summarizes EVERYTHING. Nothing else really happened. And the character growth was minimal.

Anyway, it was a VERY quick read, and was enjoyable enough. This is probably on par with how I felt about Cleat Cute. Not as good as Mistakes Were Made, better than Something to Talk About.

LOVED the fact that one of the MCs was non-binary! Representation matters!

I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope and really wanted a relationship to flourish, especially after the awful engagement in the beginning. These best friends had all of the chemistry and spark necessary for a steamy vacation together. Was there too much spice at times? Yes. It felt like once they crossed that line on the trip, it became the entire story. Hooking up over and over again and not much substance. I got bored.

The third act miscommunication / break up was totally predictable. My heart broke for both characters that they couldn't figure it out and talk to each other like adults. Were they co-dependent? Hell yes. But was it a problem? Not really.

Overall, I really enjoyed My Best Friend's Honeymoon and gave it a solid 3 stars.

Meryl Wilsner delivers another swoon-worthy, heartfelt romance with My Best Friend’s Honeymoon, a book that had me completely hooked from start to finish. The concept alone—tagging along on your best friend’s honeymoon—is filled with delicious tension, and Wilsner executes it beautifully, blending humor, longing, and emotional depth in a way that feels effortless.

The chemistry between the main characters crackles on the page, making every glance, every touch, and every stolen moment pulse with unspoken feelings. The slow-burn romance is perfectly paced, and I adored how the story explored the blurred lines between friendship and something more. It’s tender, messy, and deeply satisfying—just the kind of romance that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.

Beyond the romance, My Best Friend’s Honeymoon also shines in its exploration of personal growth, self-discovery, and taking chances, even when the stakes are high. If you love emotional, well-crafted love stories with characters you can’t help but root for, this one is a must-read!

This book was okay, it definitely wasn’t great. The beginning was good, but then it sort of turned into pure erotica. I expected some spice since I’ve read this author before, but this was a lot. After what felt like 100 pages of nonstop smut, the storytelling fell flat, and the ending was very predictable

This was a really cute book. The concept of the book was really interesting, and portrayed pretty well. The setting of the book was beautiful. I loved the friends to lovers trope. There were quite a few sex scenes, which I didn't really mind. I wish they would have been spread out a little bit longer. I also wish we got more scenes that showed the two characters developing more feelings than just hooking up. The main conflict of the book seemed like a conflict that didn't need to be as big as it was. It felt a little dragged on. It was nice to see the characters grow separately from each other. Overall, this book was really cute. It had some romance. It had some spice. It was really fun to read!

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m normally a sucker anyway for best friends to lovers who have been secretly in love with each other for years (or the seemingly unrequited love troupe), but this may be one of my favorites.

Ginny and Elsie have been joined at the hip since middle school, and after a turned down date in high school, have put aside their secret feelings for each other to keep the friendship. It’s a sapphic tale as old as time, and all comes to a head when Elsie breaks off a surprise wedding and takes her best friend on the non refundable fantasy honeymoon to Santa Lupita. Antics ensue, both tropical and sensual, and Ginny and Elsie have to decide if what they have is worth risking their friendship, and even themselves, for.

I really felt for Ginny and Elsie and their respective situations and issues, from feeling lost in your career to being unable to be brave and voice what you want. The self-growth and reflection of the MCs were great to see in the last third of the book and was really needed in my opinion for them to grow as a couple as well. I don’t think I’ve seen that a lot in romance books, where they genuinely take time to care for themselves instead of a miscommunication breakup.

I also enjoyed being thrown right into the plot and big events while receiving context and relevant info from the past as we progress in the main storyline. It gave the book a cinematic element, and did wonders for revelations the characters go through.

Of course, it’s Meryl Wilsner, so holy smut scenes, and I loved every single one of them. If anything I needed MORE, especially at the end, which I felt was a bit rushed if anything. Overall though, the over-arching story was well-written, I had a great time witnessing these goons figure themselves out, and I felt fulfilled and satisfied by the end, which is all I ask in a romance book. This story is a great option for any sapphic reader, especially for the tropes discussed above, as well as non-binary rep and body variety.

Meryl Wilsner is already an auto-buy author for me and I couldn’t wait to read this story with a best friend/honeymoon trip trope but queer! The way Meryl writes the story weaving Ginny and Elsie’s present story and their history made for a dynamic read. I also loved the quick glances into queer culture and how much they’ve aligned with a lot of my experiences! The story made me literally go from tearing up or crying to bursting out a laugh. Can’t wait to get my physical copy when it comes out and recommend to my reading buddies!

This book, while predictable from the beginning, was so fun to read! Two best friends end up on a honeymoon together after one friend calls off their engagement. It was so fun to see them take care of one another and for their friendship to grow to something more. I enjoyed the queer portrayal throughout the book, and am looking forward to reading more from Meryl Wilsner!

I have zero doubt this is a great book, but I can't read third person present tense. That POV just doesn't agree with my brain, so I DNF at 1%. A pity, because Mistakes Were Made is one of my favorite books and frequent rereads.

I won't be leaving reviews on Goodreads or Amazon for this book since I DNF so quickly.