The Unhoneymooners

100 pages in and STRUGGLING. I bought this book based off of reviews like a moron rather than reading the free sample first. This is one of the most boring and monotonous books I've ever read. I find the main character Olive to be highly annoying. Honestly, Ethan is highly annoying as well. Might be my fault for thinking I could go from The Song of Achilles to anything else.

When I saw the cover and read the synopsis for The Unhoneymooners I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Not only was it a funny and entertaining enemies to lovers romance, but it also had so much heart. I loved how important the bonds of family (for better and for worse) were in this story. Olive's family especially was such a treat and I really enjoyed this glimpse into the Mexican-American family. Ethan and Olive did some serious verbal sparring through this book and they really lived up to the "enemies" portion of the trope. They each gave as good as they got and I loved their banter and back and forth. The forced proximity trope is always a fun one and seeing Ethan and Olive's impression of the other evolve and change as they spend more time together was wonderful. It's amazing how one look or moment can change the course of an entire relationship. As much as I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners, I can't say that I completely loved it. I think a lot of that has to do with Ethan. He certainly had some swoony moments, but honestly I'm still a little unsure how I feel about him. I don't want to be too spoilery, but mistakes are definitely made by both Ethan and Olive and a decision late in the book had me wanting to throw my kindle across the room. I understand family loyalty, but it still hurt my heart so much. I think it really colored my opinion of Ethan and Olive's relationship and caused me to not feel the "to lovers" part of the trope one hundred percent. I think having Ethan's POV sprinkled into the story would have been really helpful in understanding his character better. The epilogue left me smiling though and really brought the book full circle. Overall, this was a great read and I'm already looking forward to the next Christina Lauren adventure! *I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review** The Unhoneymooners written by the awesome writing duo Christina Lauren was an entertaining, fun, flirty read! It also had its emotional, both good and bad, and heartwarming moments as well. Olive Torres is an identical twin and while she and her sister look exactly alike, that is where their similarities end. Olive has always felt like she was unlucky. It always seems that when something negative happens she is the common denominator, whereas her twin, Ami, has luck to spare. Ami was able to win nearly everything, including the honeymoon, for her wedding. When Olive learns she's going to have to deal with her nemesis, Ethan Thomas, the best man and brother of the groom, she's not thrilled. She's known Ethan for years, but she won't ever forget one of the first times they met and how he's brushed her off since that time. On the day of Ami and Dane's wedding, everyone in attendance at the reception, with the exception of Olive and Ethan, end up with food positioning, meaning the bride and groom can't take the all inclusive honeymoon they had won. When Ami suggests that Olive and Ethan take the honeymoon in she and Dane's place, they originally think it's a crazy idea, but knowing what it would mean to the couple, they suck it up and decide to go. While the trip to Maui starts off with a boatload of tension, as Ethan and Olive begin to get to know one another they realize that the original idea they had about one another was actually one big misunderstanding. As they grow closer, Ethan shares information with Olive that makes her mind race and leaves her extremely conflicted. Olive is forced to examine many of the relationships in her life, not to mention the very new one she is forming with Ethan. As we move through the book, Olive is challenged and is given the opportunity to really take a look at her life and the things she has always thought were important. She is able to grow from the things she has to face and the tough decisions she has to make. In the end she is happy with the person she becomes, which is awesome to see. As I said at the outset, this was a fun, flirty and entertaining romance. Christina Lauren did a great job with it and I enjoyed it very much.