THE UNHONEYMOONERS
by Christina Lauren
Publisher: Simon & Schuster - Gallery Books
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Reviewed by Hellie
Reviewed by Hellie






As we disclose
frequently on the Dish, many of the books we review are ARCs generously given
to us for our honest review, but I, like all the other members, have an
addiction for Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I saw an article two weeks ago
about summer reads I should check out--and this particular book leaped out at
me. I mean: look at the title. I’m intrigued. And then I read the blurb, and
boom, I was hooked. I think you will be too.
Blurb: Olive Torres
is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent
layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister,
Ami, is an eternal champion...she even managed to finance her entire wedding by
winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than
constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her
nemesis), Ethan Thomas.
Olive braces herself for
wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding
party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and
Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned
if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.
Agreeing to a temporary
truce, the pair head to Maui. After all, ten days of bliss are worth having to
assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is...Olive
doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest
woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
Guys, that premise is
merely the first 40 pages--a 40 pages that was filled with witty banter and
hilarious comedy that had me spit-taking my soda and hurrying to my co-worker’s
office to read her whatever had made me laugh out loud. Which was every page.
The characters, story, and writer’s voice checks all my boxes for snarky
one-liners, side-splitting comedy gold, and teeth wincing black moments and
humiliations only a chick lit/rom-com book can do. It’s also written in first
person present tense, which I will rarely do for anybody...so I’m telling you:
this book is exceptional.
Lauren did a great job
of balancing the slapstick with true emotional growth and character development
as the hero and heroine went from hating each other’s guts to kissing each
other senseless. (Normally I don’t care for that sort of transition, but Lauren
made sure to pave the way so that the transition from hate to love felt real,
relatable, and natural. Not sexual tension for the sake of a bulging manhood or
anything--and in fact there were no references to bulging manhoods, which I
want to personally thank Lauren for. All sexual tension was organic and, well,
sexy. Which I know is hard to do.)
Additional to the
character growth of Olive, Lauren did an excellent job of creating a family
support network (cast of characters) who felt real, flawed, yet extremely
loving and supportive. I know in romances we get wrapped up in the new love
that develops, but it’s a treat to read about the various kinds of love that
we’re supported by everyday, not the least of which is our family (whoever that
may be) who may be infuriating but damn, they always got your back. This story
also touches on resilience, the concept of luck versus a positive attitude, the
importance of honesty and good communication, and not being afraid to be your
authentic self--and the possible repercussions if you fail to be authentic.
(I’m possibly getting a little deep for a happy, fun and funny beach read--but
when I do think about the reasons why I liked a book, these are the sorts of
things I reflect on.)
I read this book is
basically 1 ½ sittings--and I want to read it again, just so I can relive the
banter between Ethan and Olive, which is Darcy and Eliza personified. If
anything, you should read it just to enjoy the wedding banquet scene when the
food poisoning strikes. Classic.
OK - you had me at laughter, comedy and one liners. As I have mentioned before, I seek books which have great character development, good plots and lots of laughter. I can't do angst, but I sure enjoy the heck out of laughing at a book. Thanks for this review. You have given me a new goal (getting this book) and a new author to follow.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely check this book out. I could use a good laugh out loud read.
ReplyDeleteI love reading books that make me laugh. Thanks for the review!!
ReplyDeleteThis certainly sounds like a book I will thoroughly enjoy. I haven't read a good laugh out loud book in too long. Thank you for the review and recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThis is on my TBR list!
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