The Unhoneymooners is fun escapism, even if it's not my very favorite Christina Lauren book.
In The Unhoneymooners, unlucky Olive is standing by her perfect twin Ami yet again, this time for Ami's elaborate wedding. But when most of the guests fall violently ill at the reception, Olive's own luck seems to be changing, as Ami urges Olive to go on her nonrefundable, free honeymoon trip to Maui. The only problem is, Olive's nemesis, the groom's brother and best man Ethan, who despises her, also escaped illness and has been extended the same invitation by the groom. Can they put their mutual dislike aside in order to coexist and experience a little bit of paradise? (I think they can!)
I started The Unhoneymooners curious to find out how Ethan would grow to be a redeemable character worthy of Olive's inevitable affection. But I never did buy Ethan's transformation from a snarky jerk into a misunderstood sweetheart. He used Olive's unfortunately too-tight bridesmaid's dress as fodder for jokes during his wedding toast. After he is presented as perfect boyfriend material, he doesn't believe her when she tells him about someone else's inappropriate behavior toward her. His various early actions that felt critical toward Olive also didn't feel resolved. (He liked Olive, so he was mean to her felt like a childish and hollow explanation.)
Olive was sarcastic to Ethan too, but she's our main protagonist, so we can see that she's afraid of being vulnerable; that she feels like luck doesn't fall her way; that she's insecure about how she measures up to her twin.
I adore the will they/won't they fall in love tension, and lately I've really enjoyed lighter fiction like The Unhoneymooners. (Side note: I can easily envision this as an excellent rom-com that I would definitely watch.)
There's some minor exploration of body image, confidence, making your own luck, and sticking to the truth rather than biting back falsehoods or uncomfortable goings-on to keep the peace. I listened to The Unhoneymooners and it was fun escapism, even if it's not my very favorite Christina Lauren book.
Any Bossy thoughts on this book?
I admit that I have high expectations for Christina Lauren (the pen name for Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write as a team). I reviewed the fun and romantic Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating on this site, as well as Love and Other Words and the lovely, lovely Autoboyography.