Twice in a Blue Moon

Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Gallery Books
First Published: Oct 22, 2019
Opening Lines: June - 14 years ago: Nana turned to inspect the hotel room. Behind her, the curtains drifted closed with a whisper.

Book Description from GoodReads: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners and the “delectable, moving” (Entertainment Weekly) My Favorite Half-Night Stand comes a modern love story about what happens when your first love reenters your life when you least expect it…

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

With Christina Lauren’s signature “beautifully written and remarkably compelling” (Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author) prose and perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, Twice in a Blue Moon is an unforgettable and moving novel of young love and second chances.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: Quick the heels of their previous book, The Unhoneymooners, writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (aka Christina Lauren), are back with a new romance about second chances. I simply adored The Unhoneymooners - I loved its wit, charming romance and sassier love scenes.

Before starting this book, I knew that it would have a different feel. But even knowing that, this book didn't quite hit me like I had expected. I liked it but won't be getting all gushy about it. The tone has a subdued, sadder vibe to it with a distinctly YA feel for the first half as readers get to know a younger Sam and Tate and their Insta-Love. But I never quite bought in to their bond and found Tate hard to like and Sam's character not developed enough. That feeling transferred into the last half of the book when I struggled to feel the chemistry between them many years later.

There was also an opportunity in the plot that was surprisingly not resolved (for me at least). I had soooo wanted Tate to hold her own against someone who had wronged her in multiple ways, but nothing happened. No big 'stand up for herself and call him/her on it' kind of situation and that was a bit of a letdown.

Overall, this was a good, lighter read but makes me long for the authors' swoony and sassy romances with great tension. There are some sweet moments if readers are patient, but I found the plot predictable and it left me wanting just a bit more. While this wasn't a favourite of mine from this duo, I continue to look forward to their Rom-Com centred stories in the future.


Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Gallery Books for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.