Unhoneymooners
By Christina Lauren
(416 pages, romance, 2019)
Inspired by a Webinar on NoveList Plus called “Crash Course in Romance,” and feeling the urge for a light read, I thought I’d try something outside my typical reading selections. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren was a recommendation that caught my attention and it didn’t disappoint.
Olive Torres is the maid of honor in her twin sister Ami’s dream wedding. Olive, always known as the unlucky twin, can never seem to catch a break, her life is a series of mishaps. Ami, on the other hand, has such good luck, she has financed her entire wedding, including a dream trip to Maui, by entering and winning multiple contests. As the story opens, Olive has been laid off from her job and is dreading the prospect of being in the wedding party with her nemesis, best man Ethan Thomas. Olive isn’t a fan of the groom, Dane, who she refers to as a “dudebro,” but she plans to put on a brave face and get through the day for her sister.
Despite all of Ami’s luck and meticulous planning, disaster ensues when the entire wedding party, except for Olive and Ethan, gets food poisoning at the wedding reception. Ami and Dane convince Olive and Ethan to take the trip to Maui, which will otherwise be forfeited due to the contest rules. Olive and Ethan decide that a free trip to paradise will be worth having to spend time with each other. As the vacation progresses, Olive finds that maybe pretending to be newlyweds isn’t as horrible as she thought it would be and maybe Ethan isn’t so terrible either.
If you’ve read romance novels before or watched a romantic comedy I’d bet you can see where this is headed. The webinar on romance novels explained that in the romance genre, a “HEA” – Happily Ever After – is a required plot element. The fun is seeing how the author gets the characters to the HEA. This novel provided a sweet, funny journey and was just the light read that was needed right now. If you’re a fan of romance novels with an “enemies to lovers” or “stuck together” storyline, you’ll like this one. If you’re not usually a reader of romance, The Unhoneymooners is a fun place to start.
Visit the Concord Public Library online at concordpubliclibrary.net.
Lori Roukey
