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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's not my favorite book by Wilsner; I think this is due to the pacing. It progressed quickly (as described in the summary) to a LOT of sex. đ The conflict resolution made sense for the characters, but their individual growth seemed to take less time than I would have expected given how intertwined they were emotionally.
All that to say: it is an enjoyable read with lovable characters, a bushel of đśď¸, and a side of good humor.
All that to say: it is an enjoyable read with lovable characters, a bushel of đśď¸, and a side of good humor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Admittedly Iâm not a huge contemporary romance reader, but I was drawn to My Best Friendâs Honeymoon for the friends-to-lovers elements and a nonbinary butch protagonist. While I enjoyed the beginning and ending of this book, Ginnyâs character development, and some of the pining, I think the pacing really threw me off from fully enjoying it. To start with what I did enjoy, the first portion of the book made me think it could be a hit romance for me, with a really fun dynamic between the characters, good tension, and a classic romcom feel. The ending was also satisfying over all in how it handled the charactersâ arcs, and I especially enjoyed Ginnyâs work finding what they really cared about in life and a broader sense of community.
To get into what I didnât enjoy with the pacing, really the main thing is that more or less the entire middle portion of the book was one long sex scene. Okay, not literallyâthere were a couple breaks here and there for some dialogue or a little horse back riding, but it really felt like it was just going on and on and on. I donât begrudge a romance book for having a lot of intimate scenes, and based on other reviews this was actually a high point for other readers, so it might just be me being picky. I wouldâve liked a little bit more pining and development first for my personal taste, but I think the real issue is that it just felt very repetitive and not impactful at a certain point because the scenes just all blended together without anything else really going on. Plus, I think the sex scenes themselves had to be stellar to justify taking up this much of the book, and at least for me, they were⌠not quite there. While I enjoyed the quirky, romcom-esque writing style in the rest of the book, there were times where I feel like it didnât mesh well with the intimate moments and felt awkward or trying too hard to be funny, breaking up the tension. There is a puppet-based simile used in dialogue that made me have to put the book down for a little while. Puppets? Not sexy. Repeated uses of the word asshole? Not sexy. I donât think the sex scenes were terrible or anything, far from it, just that they were far too long and didnât work for me personally because of the writing style.
The even bigger issue is that, because SO much of the middle of the book is devoted to various sex scenes, the pacing gets kind of weird. The momentum from the first portion of the book is lost, but more than that, it makes the third act breakup come out of nowhere. While I could see it coming a mile away from a reader perspective the second Ginny mentioned not telling Elsie about quitting their job, on a character level Elsieâs extreme reaction to discovering this just felt unprecedented for her character and REALLY abrupt coming out of those chapters-long sex scenes. It just felt like a huge fight created just for the sake of that third-act breakup, and I think more time shouldâve been spent actually building up to that moment. I like what the breakup itself did, as mentioned above, for giving both their characters room to grow, but in general the middle portion of the book felt pretty disconnected from the beginning and end. I donât think this is a bad book and I can see it working for many people, and thereâs lots of elements of it that I appreciated! I just feel like it gets a low rating from me particular because I almost really loved it. No more puppet comparisons please.
To get into what I didnât enjoy with the pacing, really the main thing is that more or less the entire middle portion of the book was one long sex scene. Okay, not literallyâthere were a couple breaks here and there for some dialogue or a little horse back riding, but it really felt like it was just going on and on and on. I donât begrudge a romance book for having a lot of intimate scenes, and based on other reviews this was actually a high point for other readers, so it might just be me being picky. I wouldâve liked a little bit more pining and development first for my personal taste, but I think the real issue is that it just felt very repetitive and not impactful at a certain point because the scenes just all blended together without anything else really going on. Plus, I think the sex scenes themselves had to be stellar to justify taking up this much of the book, and at least for me, they were⌠not quite there. While I enjoyed the quirky, romcom-esque writing style in the rest of the book, there were times where I feel like it didnât mesh well with the intimate moments and felt awkward or trying too hard to be funny, breaking up the tension. There is a puppet-based simile used in dialogue that made me have to put the book down for a little while. Puppets? Not sexy. Repeated uses of the word asshole? Not sexy. I donât think the sex scenes were terrible or anything, far from it, just that they were far too long and didnât work for me personally because of the writing style.
The even bigger issue is that, because SO much of the middle of the book is devoted to various sex scenes, the pacing gets kind of weird. The momentum from the first portion of the book is lost, but more than that, it makes the third act breakup come out of nowhere. While I could see it coming a mile away from a reader perspective the second Ginny mentioned not telling Elsie about quitting their job, on a character level Elsieâs extreme reaction to discovering this just felt unprecedented for her character and REALLY abrupt coming out of those chapters-long sex scenes. It just felt like a huge fight created just for the sake of that third-act breakup, and I think more time shouldâve been spent actually building up to that moment. I like what the breakup itself did, as mentioned above, for giving both their characters room to grow, but in general the middle portion of the book felt pretty disconnected from the beginning and end. I donât think this is a bad book and I can see it working for many people, and thereâs lots of elements of it that I appreciated! I just feel like it gets a low rating from me particular because I almost really loved it. No more puppet comparisons please.
I really enjoyed the love story but I think the spice was too spicy for me. I also struggled in the beginning with Jennyâs negative self talk.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The authorâs use of âall âŚâ was distracting. I didnât like how they made one character fat and described her as such in an awkward way, trying too hard to be inclusive. they became lovers too early in the story, for my taste
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Blood
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes