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Saturday, January 11, 2020

The Unhoneymooners - Christina Lauren

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

First Paragraph(s):

In the calm before the storm--in this case, the blessed quiet before the bridal suite is overrun by the wedding party--my twin sister stares critically down at a fresh painted shell-pink fingernail and says, 'I bet you're relieved I'm not a bridezilla.'  She glances across the room at me and smiles generously.  'I bet you expected me to be impossible.'
     It is a statement so perfectly dropped in the moment, I want to take a picture and frame it.  I share a knowing look with our cousin Julieta, who is repainting Ami's toes ('It should be more petal pink than baby pink, don't you think?'), and gesture to the bodice of Ami's wedding gown--which hangs from a satin hanger and on which I am presently and painstakingly ensuring that every sequin is lying flat.  'Define bridezilla.'

My Thoughts:

After posting a query to everyone a few days ago seeking advice for my choice of first book to read in 2020, I totally ended up reading another book, The Unhoneymooners.  I actually picked this one because it had flowers on the cover and I was looking for something to go with my 2020 word 'BLOOM'.  Ha!  Plus, I read a few paragraphs and started laughing and just continued on.  I did like this book and it has been a while since I read a book that could easily be a good romantic comedy movie.  In it, Olive and Ami are twins.  Ami is lucky (or so Olive thinks) and always has been.  If something bad could happen, Olive is the twin that experiences it.  All the way from childhood.  However, even though Ami won practically everything for her wedding free, including Olive's crazy green satin maid-of-honor gown, the seafood buffet ends up making everyone very ill - everyone but Olive and Ethan, the groom's older brother and best man.  Now Olive and Ethan have met before, but neither liked the other (or so it seemed).  Ami insists on Olive taking her place on the 'free' honeymoon in Maui and Dane, the groom, insists the same for Ethan.  And the comedy begins.

This is the first book I've read by Christina Lauren, who is actually two people, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.  Their books have been quite popular and I'm glad I tried this one.  Was it perfect?  No and I did get a little tired of some things, but overall it was a nice 'first book' for 2020.  Cheerful, snarky, and even a little poignant.  Olive and Ethan find out that they are not so different in many ways and Olive discovers that life isn't all 'lucky' for Ami.  Wonder if it will be made into a movie?  Now I'm off to find my next book...what to pick...

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 for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is 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.

36 comments:

  1. I'm currently reading this book, Kay, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I think I've only read one book by these two authors but I knew their books are quite popular. I need to check out their other books.

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    1. Wonder which of their other books you read? I've not done much research as to their backlist, but I probably should. I'll watch for your thoughts.

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    2. Kay, the other book I read was "Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating". It was equally entertaining as this one. :)

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    3. Thanks for replying back about Josh and Hazel. I'll look for that one too.

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  2. This has been very popular popular book, and it sounds like fun

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    1. Yes, it certainly has been popular. I had a good time with it.

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  3. I bet this would be fun to read at the beach.

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  4. We choose our books for all sorts of reasons... that cover certainly says BLOOM to me! Glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like a nice change of pace :)

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    1. JoAnn, it was a change of pace. I used to read more romance-type books. Several years ago, I read the whole Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. Those have been made into a TV series on some channel now. Haven't watched it, but I did like the books.

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  5. I could use a light and cheerful book about now! Doesn't need to be realistic, but to have realistic elements about people in funny situations.

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  6. I read a contemporary romance as my 1st read in 2020 as well! I actually have this one on my TBR list but just haven't picked it up yet. These authors and their books do seem to be very popular so I need to check them out!

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  7. A book that makes you laugh is always a good thing! Glad you picked such a good one to start off the year. :)

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    1. It suited me very well, Lark. Not heavy or filled with issues, but there were some thought-provoking moments.

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  8. In December, I read Crazy Rich Asians, the type of book I never thought I would even try. It had its ups and downs, but it was fun and addictive. This books sounds like fun too. However, the length of 400 pages might bother me. (Crazy Rich Asians is even longer, around 500 pages.)

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    1. I keep meaning to read Crazy Rich Asians, Tracy. That would not be your usual choice at all, but I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your change of pace. Now that you are retired, a longer book might not be so bad. Ha!

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  9. Aw I love the reason why you chose the book to start off the year! I think this one sounds fun so I will have to make sure to add it to my list.

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    1. Yes, I was looking for something cheerful and thought about floral covers. I think you'd like this one.

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  10. I have a well known history around my house of asking my family which book I should read next and then picking an entirely different one than the ones I asked them to choose from--so I can relate. I do like that you went with the flowers on the cover because of your word for the year. :-) I am glad you enjoyed The Unhoneymooners. It does sound good!

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    1. I think that's why I don't often ask for input about my reading, Wendy. I'm such a mood reader.

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  11. I have a copy of The Unhoneymooners here, and it sounds like it would be a perfect read as I go through a sprint of mood-boosting books here at the beginning of the year. Funny that you chose serendipitously and that it turned out quite well.

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    1. Yes, sometimes it happens like that, right? I don't often pick a book based on the cover, but I do notice covers. This was a mood-booster for me - maybe it would be for you too.

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  12. This was my first Christina Lauren book and I really enjoyed it, too! It definitely made me laugh a few times!

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    1. Yes, I agree that there were several funny scenes. Glad I wasn't at that wedding reception...ha!

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  13. What caught my attention was the title. I love The Honeymooners. lol Sounds like you found a new and different book for the New Year. Maybe a Jennifer Anniston/Adam Sandler movie?

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    1. Hmmm...Jennifer and Adam might be a little too old for this one, if we talked casting. I hadn't really thought about who.

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  14. This one has been getting a lot of buzz. Glad to know it's enjoyable! It's always nice when a book lives up to the hype.

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    1. Yes, I was glad I picked it up and glad that it was a good read.

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  15. Sounds like a fun read. I love that cover and I love how you used it to go with your word, Bloom!

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    1. It was a fun way to pick out a book - by the cover. LOL

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  16. I'm not familiar with this writing team, but this book looks really fun, something I need more of in my reading :)

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  17. I haven't read any of their books, but I have been curious about this one.

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    1. I liked it and thought it was quite funny.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!