Author: Christina Lauren
Printed edition, Gallery Books
The Unhoneymooners is a romantic comedy brought to you by the duo who writes under the name Christina Lauren. The story begins with Olive Torres getting ready for her twin sister’s wedding. Ami, the sister, is the “lucky” twin, so much so that basically everything in the wedding she got for free, through raffles, promotions, etc. Olive is used to things going wrong for her: she just got laid off, her maid of honor dress is a hideous green creation a couple of sizes to small (but it was free!!!!) and she has to deal with the groom’s brother, Ethan, who she really doesn’t get along with.
But apparently Ami’s luck is about to change: the seafood spread served at the reception basically tried to kill everyone attending the wedding. Well, two people didn’t get sick: Olive (who is allergic to shellfish) and Ethan, the best man (who has a fear of buffets and also got his meal special ordered). Now, suddenly there is a free honeymoon that will go to waste if no one goes and Ami urges Olive to grab the opportunity… along with Ethan.
The reluctant pair sets off to Maui and a slew of shenanigans happen. Olive’s new employer just happen to show at the resort and Sophie, Ethan’s ex, is there too with her now fiancé. Now these two really have to pretend to be a couple, not only to cover the fact that they are not the bride and groom for the resort, but to save face in front of the people who showed up unexpectedly.
The longer the pretense, the harder it is to distinguish what is real and what is make believe.
I really enjoyed the story! It’s a lighthearted romantic comedy with all the tropes you would expect in this scenario. I love how the hispanic family is quintessentially Latina, but there are no stereotypes. Yup, we are like that. We are in each other’s business and we meddle. But it’s all for love.
It’s a fun, beach-y read. However, if you are here for the smut, sorry to say that this is basically a fade to black book. 😉
The book is 90% told through Olives POV, with the exception of the epilogue, told by Ethan. I would have liked more of Ethan’s perspective, because he’s really book boyfriend material.
