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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
emotional
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
Little bit too much spice for me but maybe that’s bc I listened to audio
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed the sex scenes, and there were a ton, but the rest of the plot was a little flimsy. The third act was silly and it didn't feel terribly 'resolved'. I don't know. We've got a friends to lovers situation with basically lifelong pining. Fear of sex changing things, fear of asking for what you want, losing yourself in the object of your affection. That last one in particular didn’t get enough time to resolve IMO. Ginny started a business, but I dont think Elsie would have told her not to. And while Elsie did pull her presentation together without Ginny, having her help could only have improved it, right? Maybe not. Maybe Elsie needed to do something on her own completely for a change. To believe what she wants matters. That forcing friendship bit hit a little close to home though.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ah, best friends pining away for one another -- a fun saga for my 5th read of Pride Month.
We have Elsie and Ginny, best friends since childhood. Ginny has held a torch for Elsie since high school, but gave up on that dream after they asked their friend to a dance and was turned down. Elsie has been engaged for a while, but once she breaks off her engagement, she asks Ginny to accompany her on her planned tropical honeymoon. There, the two get past their fear of messing up their friendship and hook up. But all the fears and tension come rushing back pretty quickly and things quickly get awkward after their union.
Oh Elsie. Oh Ginny. What a mess. Elsie is a wishy washy gal who has spent her life working at her parents' store, unable to speak up for herself and letting other people take care of her. Meanwhile, Ginny is a pushover who would do anything for Elsie.
But, we all have our flaws, right? The two seem like regular, messed up people. My issue was that the book repeats their thoughts and feelings far too much, giving both a cardboard character feel. You find yourself wanting to scream, "we get it!" I truly wanted them to get together and empathized with each, especially Ginny.
Not a ton happens, but there's more than just the stress of the "honeymoon" drama. Elsie is trying to make a difference and put her business degree to work at her family's business. Meanwhile, Ginny starts their own. And don't worry, there are certainly a couple of spicy honeymoon scenes. Ginny has a fantastic group of queer friends who add some excellent color commentary and humor to the story. (Elsie's ex is also hilariously LGBTQIAP+ friendly, which is a really fun running gag.)
Things have a way of sometimes feeling flat in Wilsner's books and the third act breakup was a bit of a stretch, but this is still a cute, fun read with awesome and diverse representation. I grew to care for Ginny and, yes, Elsie. The ending redeemed a lot. 3.5+stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in return for an unbiased review
We have Elsie and Ginny, best friends since childhood. Ginny has held a torch for Elsie since high school, but gave up on that dream after they asked their friend to a dance and was turned down. Elsie has been engaged for a while, but once she breaks off her engagement, she asks Ginny to accompany her on her planned tropical honeymoon. There, the two get past their fear of messing up their friendship and hook up. But all the fears and tension come rushing back pretty quickly and things quickly get awkward after their union.
Oh Elsie. Oh Ginny. What a mess. Elsie is a wishy washy gal who has spent her life working at her parents' store, unable to speak up for herself and letting other people take care of her. Meanwhile, Ginny is a pushover who would do anything for Elsie.
But, we all have our flaws, right? The two seem like regular, messed up people. My issue was that the book repeats their thoughts and feelings far too much, giving both a cardboard character feel. You find yourself wanting to scream, "we get it!" I truly wanted them to get together and empathized with each, especially Ginny.
Not a ton happens, but there's more than just the stress of the "honeymoon" drama. Elsie is trying to make a difference and put her business degree to work at her family's business. Meanwhile, Ginny starts their own. And don't worry, there are certainly a couple of spicy honeymoon scenes. Ginny has a fantastic group of queer friends who add some excellent color commentary and humor to the story. (Elsie's ex is also hilariously LGBTQIAP+ friendly, which is a really fun running gag.)
Things have a way of sometimes feeling flat in Wilsner's books and the third act breakup was a bit of a stretch, but this is still a cute, fun read with awesome and diverse representation. I grew to care for Ginny and, yes, Elsie. The ending redeemed a lot. 3.5+stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in return for an unbiased review
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
funny
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
Started reading this after reading some pretty negative comments on Discord, so I was a bit wary. I have to say, I wasn't as bad as I expected. Yes, there were cringe parts, but the larger issues were nicely fixed by the end of the book. The unhealthy shit was acknowledged as unhealthy and they worked through it. I'm so proud of them.
One of the scenes I'm not at peace with is the one where Elsie really laid into that waitress at the resort for misgendering Ginny. Yes, it's important to correct it, but I don't think kinda aggressively shaming is the productive way to go about it. I think a simple "I'm not a lady, but thanks" would have gone further, especially in an already queer-friendly place.
I'm so envious of Ginny's life though. Foster dogs, woodworking, working your own hours? And having 9 months of money in savings??? Please.
One of the scenes I'm not at peace with is the one where Elsie really laid into that waitress at the resort for misgendering Ginny. Yes, it's important to correct it, but I don't think kinda aggressively shaming is the productive way to go about it. I think a simple "I'm not a lady, but thanks" would have gone further, especially in an already queer-friendly place.
I'm so envious of Ginny's life though. Foster dogs, woodworking, working your own hours? And having 9 months of money in savings??? Please.
emotional
lighthearted
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon had a unique premise and was full of amazing representation.
Throughout the story, I enjoyed the representation and different perspectives Wilsner provided. Ginny is a lesbian enby who is STRONG! Both mentally and physically. Elsie’s character is Jewish and pansexual, and I enjoyed the inclusion of the chuppah when discussing weddings!
I thought the premise of the story was also very unique! It was a fun take on the traditional rom com plot.
However, I thought the pacing of this story was a bit off. It went extremely fast at some parts, and I thought the first sex scene was abrupt and didn’t make sense in context. Because of the weird pacing, I also felt like I couldn’t connect well to our main characters. I didn’t understand the main characters, and sometimes even found them annoying because of their lack of communication. Specifically, one character kept jumping to conclusions, which irritated me. The end of the story was extremely sudden, and I didn’t feel like it was a good end for the book. Within what felt like less than ten pages, the conflict was resolved and we got a happy ever after, which made me question whether the conflict was worth it in the first place.
I also did NOT appreciate how Derrick was treated in this book. Although he made some stupid decisions, he came off as one of the most kind people in this book and it was weird that they kept making fun of him behind his back (I understood occasionally but it was too often). I also didn’t like how Elsie kept comparing Ginny to Derrick internally; it felt like her romance with Ginny didn’t stand on its own.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite of Wilsner’s books—Cleat Cute still has that title by far.
Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy in exchange for a honest review!
Throughout the story, I enjoyed the representation and different perspectives Wilsner provided. Ginny is a lesbian enby who is STRONG! Both mentally and physically. Elsie’s character is Jewish and pansexual, and I enjoyed the inclusion of the chuppah when discussing weddings!
I thought the premise of the story was also very unique! It was a fun take on the traditional rom com plot.
However, I thought the pacing of this story was a bit off. It went extremely fast at some parts, and I thought the first sex scene was abrupt and didn’t make sense in context. Because of the weird pacing, I also felt like I couldn’t connect well to our main characters. I didn’t understand the main characters, and sometimes even found them annoying because of their lack of communication. Specifically, one character kept jumping to conclusions, which irritated me. The end of the story was extremely sudden, and I didn’t feel like it was a good end for the book. Within what felt like less than ten pages, the conflict was resolved and we got a happy ever after, which made me question whether the conflict was worth it in the first place.
I also did NOT appreciate how Derrick was treated in this book. Although he made some stupid decisions, he came off as one of the most kind people in this book and it was weird that they kept making fun of him behind his back (I understood occasionally but it was too often). I also didn’t like how Elsie kept comparing Ginny to Derrick internally; it felt like her romance with Ginny didn’t stand on its own.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite of Wilsner’s books—Cleat Cute still has that title by far.
Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy in exchange for a honest review!