“A fire ignites in my chest at the thought of being here, surrounded by snow, and the smell of vomit, and the bleak landscape of unemployment while Ethan is lying poolside with a cocktail in his hand.”

Ever since Ethan Thomas gave Olive Torres a disgusted look over cheese curds at the state fair two years ago, they have been sworn enemies. Unfortunately for them, Ami, Olive’s twin, and Dane, Ethan’s brother, are getting married, which means they’ll be spending a lot of unwanted time together.

Olive has always had bad luck, whereas her sister Ami, has always had the best. The morning after the wedding, it’s like they’ve suddenly swapped lives. Everyone at the wedding has gotten horrible food poisoning, everyone except Olive and Ethan. Which is how Olive suddenly finds her way to Hawaii for an all-expenses-paid honeymoon with only Ethan as companionship. 

It’ll be easy for them to ignore each other at a sprawling resort for ten days, right? Maybe not. There is a catch though: if they don’t keep up a married front, they’ll be charged for the whole thing – and Olive can’t afford that. 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is an adorably fun book. All you need is an open attitude, and a love for awkward situations, and you and this book will become best friends.

The Unhoneymooners combines some of the best rom-com tropes; fake dating, rivals-to-friends-or-maybe-even-to-lovers, and more. Sure, it’s cliché, but it creates a hilarious and charming book, though not without its drama. 

Ethan and Olive can’t catch a break once Ethan’s ex-fiance shows up and they’re forced to spend more time with each other than every time they’ve met combined. Pair this with some drunken confessions, and you’re in for a ride. 

While this book is lovable, the characters can’t always keep up. Although they can be snappy and flirty, at some points their attitudes get in the way a bit too much. Olive is always looking on the negative side of things; it puts a downbeat attitude on the whole book and it is more than a bit overused. Ethan, on the other hand, can’t say anything nice for the life of him, or anything he thinks at all, which draws out the plot far too long for a book that is supposed to be a fast-paced read.

The Unhoneymooners combines the slow burn of Ethan and Olive slowly getting closer with hints of their feelings until they can no longer be ignored within a fast-moving-paced book. Anyone might find it hard to put down. 

Beyond its quirks and flaws, at the end of the day, The Unhoneymooners is just a rom-com. There’s many similar books, but if you’re a fan of a good, cute romance, you’ll love it.