User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
By now, most of you probably know how much I was excited to read this book. Well, I've read it and it wasn't...great. As you can imagine, this has taken quite a toll on me. Please respect my privacy during this very difficult time. Thank you.
It pains me to say this but this was the pretty forgettable, and remarkably...unremarkable. It actually makes my love life seem more alluring in comparison and I don't even have a love life! I'm usually generous with my ratings when it comes to romance. It's like, oh a love story that made me feel more than a seething, vaulted indifference? Made me also acutely aware of the lack of wooeing and romancing I'm experiencing right now? 5 stars!
But this wasn't it.
Rating: really liked it
Another miracle happened! I’m giving two disturbing, annoying, pissed off, boiling, frustrated two stars to one of my favorite romance author duos! Sorry Lauren and sorry Christina! My hands are still shaky after I did this but I’m not sorry for that!
As a summary: I DON’T CARE about those unlikable characters!
I STILL DON’T CARE ABOUT their reunion on a movie set.
I DON’T CARE THEIR TEEN DRAMA PARTS ( nearly this part took half of the book! )
I DON’T CARE all those nonsense, immature, artificial twitter drama!
I DON’T EVEN CARE Tate’s complicates, problematic, stomach aching, absurdly dysfunctional relationship with her father. (I still wonder whaat’s this character’s contribution to this incredulous, artificial love story anyways!)
And of course I DON’T CARE how this book ends.
I always say that even a rom-com is full of cliches, designed with the same formula like enemies-friends- lovers- angsty breakup- groveling part and happy ending, tataaaa, that’s how the cookie crumbles, I still read them. Because I keep the silly part of my brain to enjoy those romances to keep my inner teenage alive and happy. (I feed her with selected wines and crunchy delicious snacks, greasy burgers and fries! But my inner, annoying teenager self who sings “girls just wanna have fun” aloud needs some romance!)
I’m sigh contest winner and on my special days I even cry when I watch Farmer Insurance commercials ( I got emotional because Oscar winner J.K. Simmons still plays at those nonsense, boring commercials!)
But this book didn’t satisfy any of my not sooo high expectations. So I recommend you to pass this one. Read “Unhoneymooners” , “Beautiful Bastard series” one more time or my all time favorite “Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating” !
I’m writing a thank you letter to NetGalley for harshly rejecting me to share this meaningless ARC COPY! Period.
Rating: really liked it
“It’s so crazy to think that things that I thought only lived in my imagination can be real.”The one constant threaded throughout Christina Lauren’s body of work, chemistry-ridden
love. From meet-cute to flirty banter and the intoxicating solidification of feelings, this dynamic writing duo delivers on what romance readers crave. Storylines that unfold through the thoughts, feelings, and vulnerabilities of an easy-to-adore cast, ready and willing to steal hearts.
What’s noticeably absent this time around, the snark or quirkiness fans have come to adore. The heady mix of humor and romance present in some of the writing duo’s past releases, have felt akin to magic (
ahem, the BEST to-date being Josh and Hazel). With that said, bliss often comes from setting aside preconceived notions or the desire for a previous experience to be emulated and fully succumbing to the journey at hand.
Different doesn’t have to be a dirty word. After all, second chance love stories of this caliber only come along every
once in a blue moon.
On the precipice of college and freedom from the constraints of the small northern California town she calls home, Tate learns that sometimes the most life-altering things happen when we least expect it. By happenstance, while on a two-week trip to London with her grandmother, Tate meets Sam. A small-town guy from Vermont with plans to farm and a dream to write.
Tate and Sam’s connection tempts fate, releases inhibitions and inspires that elusive L-word to linger. Even post-heartbreak and disappearing act.
Fourteen long years after those impulsive London nights spent stargazing in the grass, Tate and Sam find their way back to one another. Not an ideal time for Tate, considering it’s on the set of the most demanding role of her acting career yet and the one chance she has to cement a connection with her Hollywood god of a father. Naturally, Tate’s feelings surrounding Sam are a confusing mix of disdain, assumptions, and to her complete and utter surprise, lust.
I won't deny, I was a little less than enthused with the Hollywood aspect of the storyline initially. My tune changed quite a bit once the characters stepped foot on set and were ingrained in the process. The deeper meaning behind the script and what it managed to provoke from Tate and Sam worked to pull the entire story together. To reignite, and solidify, those deep feelings the lovers caught way back in London.
While the two plots vary vastly, there are some notable similarities between Twice in a Blue Moon and Roomies. Both lack outright humor (
of course, there are a few one-liners) and dual perspectives (
this one is told solely through Tate’s eyes), but deliver leading couples that command the spotlight. In typical Christina Lauren fashion, devour-able writing meets intense connection, making a binge session imminent.
*Thank you to Gallery Books for providing a review copy.
Rating: really liked it
the only thing wrong with this book is that its WAY TOO SHORT! oh, what i wouldnt give for another 100 pages of this.
i honestly cant get enough of it - the romance of a second chance at love, the tender connection between tate and sam, the swoon-worthy motivation behind sams writing, the innocence of firsts and the desire to make them lasts, and the adoration for those who raised you - this story has it all.
while i love christina laurens trademark snark and humour, i cant help for fall head over heels and love with their more serious stories. it makes both the heartwarming and the heartbreaking parts feel more real, and this story is no exception. this has literally checked all my boxes and i couldnt be happier that CL has done it again.
↠ 5 stars
Rating: really liked it
I'm kicking myself for not loving this as much as CL's previous novels. Perhaps it's just me? It's not a bad book by any means, it simply lacked the particular brand of charm I've come to adore when I pick up one of the duo's novels. The publisher stated ahead of time that Twice in a Blue Moon would have a different feel than their zany humorous vibe as of late, but it seemed still worth taking a chance on, and I'm glad I read this book. My main issues lie within my trouble connecting with the characters and not feeling that special spark until nearly the end of the story, but please take my opinions loosely and check out one of the many 5 star reviews before deciding for yourself whether this is the book for you.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
The Magic Comes Late
Twice in a Blue Moon is a second chance romance about first love, heartbreak, and betrayal.
I am a huge CL fan. In no way shape or form is Twice in a Blue Moon Bad, it just lacked the magic of other CL books. The beginning reads like a YA novel. In the first part of the book, the reader is introduced to 18-year-old Tate and her grandmother who are in London for two weeks, While dining at a restaurant near their hotel, they meet 21-year-old Sam and his grandfather, Luther. Tate and Sam quickly fall in love. She confides in him her greatest secret only to have him betray her in the most awful way possible. Fast-forward 14 years: Tate, now a famous actress, is about to begin filming her next role. When she arrives on location to begin filming,, much to her surprise, she discovers Sam on set. She now must face the man who betrayed her.
In some ways,
Twice in a Blue Moon reminds me of my favorite CL novel
Love and Other Words, but there are differences in narrative structure and plot line. In
Love and Other Words, the tension between Elliot and Macy never waned, whereas with Tate and Sam it was lacking in intensity.
Twice in a Blue Moon was my Hurricane Barry read. I was hoping to escape into the blissful world that CL oftentimes creates, but I wasn’t able to get completely pulled in. While I liked Tate and Sam during their younger years, I didn’t feel the love of your life chemistry that was supposed to have developed. It wasn’t until I was at the 95% mark that I finally felt the magic I should have been feeling from the beginning. The ending saved it for me.
This is probably just a case of me and not the book--ignore my review and TIABM for yourself! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Many thanks to Rachel at Gallery Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
This book was one of my least favorites of 2019. See the rest on my video, The WORST Books of 2019! ☕☕
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”I want every wish he ever makes to be for this. A penny in a fountain. The first star. An eyelash. Eleven eleven. Just for one more time.”
Dear god, this book fell flat on its face.
We all know that I LOVED their recent novel, The Unhoneymooners. And so I was obviously disappointed when I ended up not enjoying this. It didn’t have any of the humor, romance or smut that
The Unhoneymooners did.
So, what’s this book about? When on a vacation in London, Tate Jones meets a charming young man named Sam Brandis. Over a few days, they become closer than friends (*cough*theyhavesex*cough*). But then, Sam betrays Tate by revealing her celebrity(ish) status to the media, breaking Tate’s heart. A decade later, Tate has embraced her celebrity lineage and is now a successful actress. When she joins a new project, she is horrified to find that Sam is working on it as well. She does her best to avoid him but troubled to find that she still has feelings for him.
That may sound romantic and funny but it. is. not. Don’t get me wrong. I love the enemies-to-lovers trope in rom coms. It’s probably my favorite trope in the entire genre because it’s so easy to do well and is super funny and entertaining. In
Twice In A Blue Moon, Sam and Tate’s relationship was not only underdeveloped but also annoying. With the ETL trope, there is always an underlying feeling of love or appreciation but Tate completely hated Sam with every fiber of her being.
I also really didn’t like Sam or Tate. Tate felt like an exact copy of Olive from
The Unhoneymooners but without any of the charm, wit or overall lovability. Sam wasn’t dislikable but I just couldn’t care about him. Sure, he was hot- Here’s what he looks like inside my head (your welcome):
[Credit: Eric LeBlanc]
-but I couldn’t find any reason to care about him. The only good characters were the side ones. Nana, for instance.
” I was having flashbacks to the time walked in on me and Jesse tangled on my bed, shirtless, and chased him out of the house with a spatula.”
Or Charlie:
” Knocking back the rest of her drink, she eyes me shrewdly before reaching my hand and pulling me toward the door. ‘Follow me, young lady.’”
See, that’s the humor I’m looking for in a Christina Lauren novel but the line from Nana was the ONLY line in the book that made me laugh.
Even the sex fell short. Now, I know that Christina Lauren has been watering down their sex scenes lately, which is fine but I’ve seen raunchier stuff in YA books. Every time it felt as though the scene was getting pretty smutty, it ended.
The only good aspect was the movie and filming parts. It was super interesting to get a behind the scenes look at the process of filming and how actors do what they do.
Overall, I was extremely disappointed by this novel but I’m hoping and praying that it was a dud. A fluke. Their next one will be better. I’m sure.
Bottom Line:
2.5 Stars
Age Rating: [ PG-13 ]
Content Screening (Spoilers) - Educational (2/5) - [Behind the scenes on film, movies, and acting.] ~ Positive Messages (0/5) ~ Violence (0/0) ~ Langauge (3/5) - [F**k, sh*t, b*tch, d*mn] ~ Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Legal drinking]
Trigger and Content Warning - Loss of loved one, social anxiety, racism
Reps: [NONE (they tried)]
Cover: 3/5 ~ Characters: 2/5 ~ Plot: 2/5
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2019
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Romance/Comedy
***********
This was not funny. This was not sexy. This was not romantic. Christina Lauren, you have let me down
***********
To take away from the pain that is back-to-school season, I shall read a Christina Lauren novel
***********
It's crazy to think that a year ago, i didn't know who Christina Lauren was. now, i would trade a limb for their books.
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Rating: really liked it
What I liked:
- the characters were interesting in the first timeline and I wanted to root for them
- their writing style is addictive.. even when I'm not enjoying what I'm reading all that much
What I didn't like:
- Even though I wanted to root for the characters in the first timeline, it was so abrupt, it didn't feel like love despite them using the word
- second timeline was even worse. They don't communicate, assume everything and talk about nothing, petty jealousy, and when they collide together we're once again meant to believe they're in love without ever actually seeing them be in love.
- Conflict. Gotta have it. But man was it not good enough. What I mean is (view spoiler)
[ he sold her out to save his grandpa. Fine. I get it. It was the only choice he saw to protect the life he wanted. He even said he wouldn't change it if he could. Again, fine. But like, the end right? How do you get past that? If it were me I'd say "okay, I get it. You chose to destroy my life in order to save his. Makes sense. But you still betrayed me, stole my right to choose my own life, and then baled. And you don't regret it. I understand, but I don't forgive you. You didn't choose to protect me, so I don't choose you. But instead they bang in his truck. Cool cool. Still no love, just colliding together. (hide spoiler)]- the end. (view spoiler)
[ so after stuff hits the fan again, they go their separate ways, he doesn't call for weeks, she doesn't look for him, and her assistant finds a way to get them back together. And she goes to him. Woo. (hide spoiler)]I just... really didn't like it.
Rating: really liked it
I love my Kindle more than anything that I own, and I've even been known to snuggle it (
yes, my husband also thinks that's weird), yet this book make me seriously debate throwing my Kindle across the room with rage.
I hated this book so much. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about a (so-called) romance book.
I want to state for the record that I'm a total Christina Lauren stan. I met them recently at a book con, and they couldn't have been lovelier, and but I wish I could go back in time and un-read this book.
Twice in a Blue Moon starts off with a prolonged flashback, which,
okay, I always hate, but I was willing to roll with it for the sake of these authors. But it felt so, SO juvenile. Just incredibly predictable and young, and not in an endearing way.
So, the meat of the story had to be better, right?
Absolutely not. My biggest issue, which can't be ignored, is the
total lack of grovelling. I mean, what the hell, Christina Lauren?!? I know I'm a total sucker for grovel-porn, but in a book like this one, I need EXTRA grovelling. I need
begging,
pleading,
nose-on-floor- style action. I got literally none of that. A few half-hearted apologies and a "I'm having a bad day, too" and that's all we get??? I DON'T FORGIVE HIM.
To top it off, the story was very one-note, just ho-hum and predictable all the way through. I was hoping for some intense emotions, intense chemistry, but I didn't get any of that. In fact, I felt like the story was vaguely familiar (kind of Swear on This Life vibes), and the book felt very junior, not like an adult romance. Twice in a Blue Moon not only didn't engage me, it
angered me (could you tell??), which just compounds my negative feelings about the story.
Sadly, my least favorite Christina Lauren to date.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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Rating: really liked it
I wish I could bottle the feelings I experience when I'm reading a book by Christina Lauren. First there's anticipation, as I've now read eight of their books, and I just love the way they tell a story. Then there's excitement, as the main characters encounter one another and begin the awkward dance of attraction and emotion, tinged with the reluctance of acknowledging their feelings.
Excitement gives way to complete emotional immersion, and I find myself rooting for the characters to find their happily ever after. Then, of course, there's satisfaction, which quickly gives way to sadness...because I realize I'll have to wait at least six months for their next book! (Boy, am I fortunate they've been giving us two books a year lately!)
Their newest book,
Twice in a Blue Moon , has now become my favorite. There's a love story, of course, but it's coupled with complicated family issues and the added appeal of the entertainment world. It's ironic, too, that a book which in part takes place on a movie set is one of the books I'd most love to see adapted for the big or small screen!
Tate Jones and her grandmother are on a trip to London to celebrate Tate's 18th birthday and her impending departure for college. Apart from the early days of her childhood, Tate has lived with her mother and grandmother in a small Northern California town, where everyone knows everyone and tourists are plentiful in season. She's always longed for more, but since she bears a secret that the world would die to know—she's the long-lost daughter of a famous film actor—she has always had to live life quietly.
While Tate enjoys everything about London, early on in her trip she meets Sam Brandis, a handsome college student on a similar vacation with his grandfather, who raised him. Tate and Sam are drawn to each other immediately, and over the course of a few late nights spent talking (and more), they fall in love with each other. Tate gives Sam her heart, and at the same time, shares the secret of who her father is, and all of the facts and feelings she's kept hidden deep inside. Within a day or two, her truths are exposed for the world to see, and she never sees Sam again.
Fourteen years later, Tate has made a name for herself as an actress. She's been lucky professionally, but romantically, not so much. She is set to make a movie with her father for the very first time, a movie she believes might change the course of her career, and perhaps the dynamics of her relationship with her father. And when she steps on to the set, one of the first people she sees is the one who betrayed her trust all those years ago, leaving her life and heart in turmoil.
Twice in a Blue Moon is a story of whether love can withstand anything thrown in its path, and whether a second chance is really ever possible. It's a story of the complicated relationship between fathers and daughters, particularly when both are in a business where image is everything, as well as a story of the sacrifices parents are willing to make for their children. The book also explores the idea of whether there's really one true love out there for everyone, or whether you can find it in yourself to move on.
Christina Lauren's books are always full of humor, emotion, steamy sex, chemistry, and an immense amount of heart, and
Twice in a Blue Moon is no exception. Most importantly, though, the way they tell a story (Christina Lauren is the pen name for the collaboration of two writers who are best friends) is so compelling that I can never seem to tear myself away, even though I know I might be left without one of their books for a while.
I can't recommend this or any of their other books enough.
Love and Other Words was my favorite until now, mainly because, like this book, I tend to like love stories that have some emotional history to them. But every single one of their books that I've read have left me in awe of their talent and left me a little teary-eyed at the end.
NetGalley and Gallery Books provided me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
This book will be published October 22, 2019.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
wanted to give this one the benefit of the doubt after seeing mixed reviews but unfortunately this was just a painfully shallow read.
it was going for a second-chance-childhood-friends-to-lovers thing but the past scenes were lackluster as hell and the present tense wasn't great either. this could have been kind of Simple Wild-esque with the focus on father/daughter relationship but it never fully WENT there emotionally. and the romantic relationship component was just... lacking to say the least. i didn't understand why these characters liked each other and what their personality traits were beyond their careers.
and the reason for their separation was just ick and kinda unforgivable since the hero didn't have enough development to make us care for him. overall, one of the weakest christina lauren books i've read.
Rating: really liked it
I get the conflicting reviews about this book now.
I mean, I will always love Christina Lauren and will dive head first when it comes to any novel they write. I adore them!
I think this story should’ve been longer. There was so much development that could’ve been added to make this second chance love story even more of a whirl wind.
I personally didn’t have a problem with the insta-love aspect of this story. That shit is possible to me. For someone to become that meaningful and close to you in a short amount of time. It can’t just be dismissed if one hasn’t experienced it.
What I did have a problem with though was with how the story was fleshed out. I think it could’ve worked better if we got dual-perspective. I wanted to see how Tate and Sam managed their lives after it changed. But we just got thrust into their lives years later, after they’ve lived so much of it, and were supposed to be on board? And even though we did get moments where there lives and feelings were expanded upon, it wasn’t enough for me to latch on.
A lot of what Tate was living was a lie and I felt the discomfort and facade that she had to live. I really would’ve enjoyed reading about her dropping that facade and coming to terms with her truth. Fully.
I wanted Sam’s perspective with his adoptive parents and his see how his writing developed. How he dealt with the aftermath of that time he spend with Tate and the passing of Luther.
There was so much to this story that could’ve been added. I don’t care if it would’ve been a 500+ page story. I would’ve easily devoured it because Christina Lauren know how to fuckin write and bring stories to life.
But, alas. I enjoyed it. Just didn’t fall head over heels in love.
—————————
Need this to be sorta kinda epic.
Buddy-reading with Karima! 💛
Thank you to BookSparks for sending me a copy of this book as part of their #HittheBookClub Fall campaign.
Rating: really liked it
3.5*I’m a newbie to the delightful, rom-com world of Christina Lauren, having only read three of their earlier works.
So from what I've experienced in their past reads, I was hopeful for something heart-felt to keep me smiling throughout. But lets just say, this book had a very different feel to it.
Tate and Sam have known each other since they were young. Traveling through Britain with their families. Tate, with her grandmother, and Sam with his dad. The two instantly hit it off. Sparks were flying! A whirlwind romance with all the brilliant stars in the sky that only a first love can present. But surely, all good things must come to an end.
And leave it to the cosmic fates that fourteen years later, their two love-struck paths cross once again. Will the spark ignite once again? Is it possible to rekindle the magic of first love? But a bigger immediate question is...can betrayals of the past be forgiven?
If you’re looking for the same chemistry that make their previous books unputdownable, be prepared. It’s a fun and charming read but it lacked the humor and heart I’d grown accustomed to.
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Pocket Books and Christina Lauren for this ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
3.25 Ho Hum Stars.
Do you remember that moment when you met and got to know your first love? Those looks you exchanged, the heart stopping moments, the minute your breath caught and you got that that jittery feeling in your stomach that amounted to butterflies? I do.. it was a very long time ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Twice in a Blue Moon” by Christina Lauren almost made me remember what it felt like to fall in love...almost. Tate is eighteen years old when she and her grandmother take a two week trip of a lifetime to London. There, she meets twenty-one year old Sam. As soon as their eyes meet, it’s kismet. Sharing their most intimate hopes and dreams, they fall for each other. And then Sam does the unthinkable, he breaks her heart, in the most unbearable way.
Fourteen years later, Tate is a movie star. She’s about to make it big. Working on a movie set, with her best friend Charlie and her absentee movie star father. This should be interesting! Unfortunately for Tate, it’s about to get even more interesting - in fact, it’s about to get real. As in really difficult. The screenwriter of this movie is none other than Sam, her first love. Will Tate face her fears or run far away from them?
What could have been a sweet, romantic novel that made me connect with the characters, left me wanting. It wasn’t until I got to about 90% that I got that “feeling” where I almost remembered what it felt like to be young and in love. I had high hopes for this one but in the end think I was simply the wrong reader for this novel.
This was another buddy read with Kaceey!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Pocket Books and Christina Lauren for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 9.1.19.
Rating: really liked it
"Twice in a Blue Moon" by Christina Lauren is more Romance than Humorous Fiction!
Do you believe in Love-at-First-Sight? I do. It happened to me and my husband. It happened to my dear mother and her husband. And, it happened to Tate Jones and Sam Brandis. Yep! It happens!
A trip to London, each with a traveling grandparent. Sam meets Tate. Tate is swept off her feet. Sam is smitten. Yep! Sam and Tate fall in love!
Then, secrets are shared. One's that have never been told to anyone else. There's a reason why secrets should always remain secrets, right? Unfortunately for Tate, she finds that out the hard way. In a most painful way!
Now it's fourteen years later and Tate occasionally thinks of Sam, but not often. Then Tate looks up and sees him. He's walking through a doorway and Sam sees her, too. What? Happens? Next?
This is my third CL book and although it's not my favorite it does pull at my heart! Memories of the first time I saw him. How our eyes were locked before we even met or knew each other's name. Oh, those eyes! That smile! Those memories that never fade, the one's I hold so dear in my mind's eye...that's what this book did to me!
The reason it wasn't my fave is the lack of characters development. I found it difficult to care for any of them and that's a serious deal breaker for me. Although, I will say, Tate's Dad? He's the worst!! What a b@$#@%d! Yep, that!
I listened to the audiobook which Erin Mallon narrated perfectly! Her gender voicing was realistic and her voice inflections were perfect. Her skills held my interest and it resulted in a great listening experience for me!
3.5 stars (unfortunately but appropriately) rounded down.
Do I recommend this book? Yes. Will I read another CL book? Absolutely!
