The Unhoneymooners | WWS Book Club
I had been wanting to read The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren since it was released but never got around to purchasing it. I was REALLY excited to see it added to the Libby app, and placed a hold on it immediately. The Libby app is a library app where you can use your library card to borrow e-books and audio books for FREE. I’ve been really impressed by their selection so far, and have a few books on hold that I can’t wait to read!
I honestly loved The Unhoneymooners so much that I want to buy a physical copy for my collection- so you KNOW it was a good read. This is the PERFECT beach read, so if you haven’t read it yet, make sure to grab yourself a copy to read this Summer!
Christina Lauren paints a beautiful picture of a luxury resort in a picturesque location - I could almost feel the breeze and smell the sunscreen through the pages.
Plot
The Unhoneymooners follows Olive Torres and Ethan Thomas on an all expense paid vacation to Maui - gifted to them by newlyweds- Olive’s twin sister Ami and Ethan’s brother - who were unable to go on their honeymoon due to food poisoning at their wedding. Olive’s sister is perpetually lucky, unlike Olive, and won the entire trip during a honeymoon sweepstakes. Olive and Ethan have never gotten along, and begrudgingly agree to go on vacation together at the coaxing of Olive’s sister due to it being a non-refundable trip- but there’s a catch. Due to the honeymoon giveaway having strict rules, Olive and Ethan have to pretend to be the newlyweds once at the resort, or risk having to pay for the trip.
Their plans to avoid each other all week are thwarted when at the resort, Olive runs into her new boss, and Ethan runs into his ex. Can they learn to put their differences aside to enjoy this once in a lifetime vacation?
Discussion
Warning: the following contains spoilers
Ahh I loved this book SO much!! I’m a huge fan of Christina Lauren, and this one may be my favourite book of theirs so far. I related to Olive’s sense of not having her life together, clumsiness and overall “walking disaster” persona. I didn’t like Ethan at first, but as Olive gets to know him better, you see that he is actually a great guy, and all of her original assumptions about him were completely false.
As they get to know each other better, you can slowly see their attraction for each other develop. I was rooting for them to get together, and when they finally do, it does NOT disappoint. The sex scenes were really well written and modest but passionate at the same time. I love Ethan’s overall personality and genuine care for Olive and her feelings.
As the book goes on, you find out that Ethan’s brother is not the guy Olive and her sister thought he was- he’s been cheating on Olive’s sister and hits on Olive. When Olive tries to convince Ethan of it, he is reluctant to believe her. When they come back from vacation, Olive decides not to tell her sister of this, but changes her mind once Ethan’s brother hits on her. I like that Olive stuck to her guns and didn’t just let it go. I also loved that Olive’s family is so incredibly supportive and close, and was there for both her and her sister when everything was going wrong. When Ethan realizes that Olive was right about his brother the entire time, he finds a way to include her family when it comes to making it up to her, which I loved.
The last chapter of the book is written from Ethan’s perspective and takes place back in Maui, which I thought was a really fun twist! I love how the book ended - it tied up any loose ends but also left me wanting to read more about Olive and Ethan.
Rating: 10/10
If you’ve read The Unhoneymooners, let’s have a discussion in the comments! What did you think of the book?