The Unhoneymooners is the Perfect Escape For Anytime

4.5 Stars

Who I would recommend it to:

  • Lovers of romance books with:

    • enemies to lovers trope

    • scenes not too steamy

  • People transitioning from YA to Adult books

Warning!: Review contains spoilers!!

The only way I could describe my reading experience of this book is serendipitous. The Unhoneymooners was exactly what I needed in the middle of winter, after a stressful week, and right before a trip to the tropics. It was just such a feel-good read that made me laugh and scream and not want to put the book down. I loved the chemistry between Olive and Ethan and I think their relationship was developed marvelously. I loved the feel of the book: an easy and quick read that just made me happy. I loved the dialogue and Christina Lauren's style. I very much look forward to reading more of their books.

My biggest problems with the book have to do with the development of Olive's relationship with her family, the conflict with Dane, and Olive's personal journey. The relationship with the family did not feel great in the beginning, so it was very jarring when she is preaching the power of familial connection. It felt like telling, not showing. My problem is also specifically with her twin. Olive and Ami's relationship does not seem that close at the beginning and yet at the end she tells us how close they are. I just think these relationships could have been developed a bit more thoroughly.

I didn't like Dane from the start, he just didn't seem that nice, and I got annoyed when they would bring up that he had been so terrible to Ami. I knew that for the ending to be satisfying, they had to divorce or it would just feel wrong but I didn't expect them to actually get divorced by the way they dragged his side plot for so long. I was happy they got divorced at the end but that part annoyed me a little bit.

I also did not enjoy Olive's little personal journey. It was so repetitive to constantly hear about how unlucky she is compared to her sister and then, at the end, people constantly telling her she is so pessimistic and that she looks for the worst in people. It was said and deliberated just twenty too many times and could have been discussed less, maybe even resulting on a smoother conclusion.

All this being said, I was very happy with the resolution. I loved Ami's woman-in-STEM-girlboss moment breaking up with Dane. It was the best possible way to wrap up that side plot. I also enjoyed that last scene with the whole family in her living room. That was the first moment that I felt the relationship showed and wasn't just told to us. I appreciated how everything explored or mentioned in the story had a conclusion. The only exception is what happened to Dane, which I felt was missing. I also really loved that the epilogue was told in Ethan's point of view. Book relationships feel much deeper when the reader knows what's going on in the mind of both halves of the pair and it was very effective.

All in all, I am extremely tempted to give this book five stars because I really loved it and I think anyone who wants to read a classic enemies to lovers romance should read it, but the minor problems annoyed me a little too much and interrupted the flow of this love story that I would otherwise call a must read.


Quick Facts

Genres: Adult Romance, Comedy

POV: First Person

Trope(s): Enemies to lovers, fake dating

Cover review:

I absolutely love this cover. It is so fun, with the vibrant colors. It transports you exactly to the mindset you should be in to read this book. I also love how the bind is blue and has that contrast with the yellow. A true five star cover in my opinion.