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My Best Friend's Honeymoon
They’ll give her anything she wants . . . as long as she asks for it.
Elsie Hoffman has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half. Ginny Holtz has been in love with Elsie for almost a decade and a half.
When Elsie discovers her fiancé already planned their wedding and honeymoon as a surprise and she’s expected to be in a white dress in seven days, she swiftly realizes she’s let herself become too comfortable with a future she never wanted. She breaks things off, and a week later is on a plane to the Caribbean for her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend Ginny instead.
Ginny thinks it’s high time Elise learned how to speak up for herself. So, they make a deal with her. For the next week, Elsie can have whatever she wants, wherever, however, and whenever she wants it, as long as she asks. They never expected Elsie to want them.
What starts as choosing activities and taking selfies soon turns to toe-curling kisses and much, much more. But what happens when the honeymoon is over?
Meryl Wilsner’s My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is about not only learning to ask for what you want, but for the happiness you deserve.
Elsie Hoffman has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half. Ginny Holtz has been in love with Elsie for almost a decade and a half.
When Elsie discovers her fiancé already planned their wedding and honeymoon as a surprise and she’s expected to be in a white dress in seven days, she swiftly realizes she’s let herself become too comfortable with a future she never wanted. She breaks things off, and a week later is on a plane to the Caribbean for her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend Ginny instead.
Ginny thinks it’s high time Elise learned how to speak up for herself. So, they make a deal with her. For the next week, Elsie can have whatever she wants, wherever, however, and whenever she wants it, as long as she asks. They never expected Elsie to want them.
What starts as choosing activities and taking selfies soon turns to toe-curling kisses and much, much more. But what happens when the honeymoon is over?
Meryl Wilsner’s My Best Friend’s Honeymoon is about not only learning to ask for what you want, but for the happiness you deserve.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2025
713 people are currently reading
68749 people want to read
About the author
Meryl Wilsner
7 books4,325 followersMeryl Wilsner writes happily ever afters for queer folks who love women. They are the author of SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT and the upcoming MISTAKES WERE MADE. Born in Michigan, Meryl lived in Portland, Oregon and Jackson, Mississippi before returning to settle in the Mitten State. Some of Meryl’s favorite things include: all four seasons, button down shirts, the way giraffes run, and their wife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,834 reviews
Want to read
May 8, 2024i'm seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because "it's not even out yet" but i'm simply too seated.
September 11, 2025
i actually enjoyed this more than i expected. could have done without the fisting & “do you like being worn like a puppet” stuff but i’m also old school so
January 23, 2025
thank you to net galley & the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
interesting concept. i liked it.
but the book? i didn’t.
nbmc (non binary main character) ginny, has been in love with their best friend for as long as they can remember. actually says something about it, best friend turns them down. but they lust over said best friend for the longest time.
elsie, fmc, has no back bone whatsoever. never wanted to marry her fiancé, towards the beginning of the book she can’t even have a conversation with her dad about a job they both know she’s too good for. doesn’t sit right with me.
oh the kicker? she’s in love with them too and doesn’t say anything about it (tw/ flashback bullying) because of an incident that she had when she was in the third grade.
i mean come on. there are TOO many books out there with the miscommunication trope. we HAVE to let it go.
also something else that bothered me was the pacing of the book, the flashbacks weren’t clearly set, and the chapter POV’s either. also the sex. the amount of pages about sex outweighed the amount of pages were they could have solidified a solid romantic connection with each other.
overall, i liked the book. but i thought i would like it a lot more.
ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ (best) friends turned lovers
ꕥ miscommunication
ꕥ third act break up
ꕥ queer romance
ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes as this was an ARC and they are always subject to change!
◡̈ ◡̈ ◡̈
interesting concept. i liked it.
but the book? i didn’t.
nbmc (non binary main character) ginny, has been in love with their best friend for as long as they can remember. actually says something about it, best friend turns them down. but they lust over said best friend for the longest time.
elsie, fmc, has no back bone whatsoever. never wanted to marry her fiancé, towards the beginning of the book she can’t even have a conversation with her dad about a job they both know she’s too good for. doesn’t sit right with me.
oh the kicker? she’s in love with them too and doesn’t say anything about it (tw/ flashback bullying) because of an incident that she had when she was in the third grade.
i mean come on. there are TOO many books out there with the miscommunication trope. we HAVE to let it go.
also something else that bothered me was the pacing of the book, the flashbacks weren’t clearly set, and the chapter POV’s either. also the sex. the amount of pages about sex outweighed the amount of pages were they could have solidified a solid romantic connection with each other.
overall, i liked the book. but i thought i would like it a lot more.
ੈ♡˳ tropes
ꕥ (best) friends turned lovers
ꕥ miscommunication
ꕥ third act break up
ꕥ queer romance
ੈ♡˳ fave quotes
“ೃ⁀➷ no quotes as this was an ARC and they are always subject to change!
◡̈ ◡̈ ◡̈
Want to read
June 8, 2024I will read anything they write at this point.
December 18, 2024
This was cute but i wanted more substance to the relationship than hooking up. The title is very accurate as one of the main characters calls of their engagement and goes with the other mc who is their best friend. Pretty quickly they start hooking up in the resort and thats all that happens for a good chunk of the book. They don’t talk about feelings until everything blows up with them. I liked the representation and the romance and friendship was cute. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.
November 4, 2024
This book started off so strong and I was sure I would love it, possibly even more than Cleat Cute. But then it all fizzled out for me really quickly, it was sex scene after sex scene and then a huge conflict that maybe didn't need to be that huge, and I was missing the romance of it all. I don't mind sex scenes in my romance books, but I prefer them to be in service to the romance, and here I felt like they took over the book completely, overshadowing any emotional depth. That made this story start to feel pretty mediocre, and I'm honestly disappointed after such a strong start.
March 31, 2025
my first meryl wilsner book!!! i feel like the queer gods just took a deep sigh of relief (or exasperation)
these two bestie pals who were secretly pining for each other their entire friendship into adulthood have gone away on a romantic ass honeymoon…what could go wrong- or right? turns out, not a lot because i feel like they came outta nowhere with their physical relationship, and then because their secret romantic development was all off page, i can’t say i ever truly bought it! 😭
what REALLY put me off though was the third act conflict actually being a 50% conflict, and them spending the entire last half in CONFLICT. that was unbelievable i was so upset we never got more from them. i digress a smidge because what we *did* get was hot as fuck though. i’m talking, dripping down your thighs, slap a wet floor sign down because there’s a flood type hot 😳 the mouth (and fingers, and tongue, and all capable limbs at this point) on these two fools had my ghasts FLABBERED. 10/10 y’all 🥵🥵 soo if youre looking for a quick, easy, and spicy spice romcom this is ABSOLUTELY your girl!
thank you to netgalley and smp for an arc!!
these two bestie pals who were secretly pining for each other their entire friendship into adulthood have gone away on a romantic ass honeymoon…what could go wrong- or right? turns out, not a lot because i feel like they came outta nowhere with their physical relationship, and then because their secret romantic development was all off page, i can’t say i ever truly bought it! 😭
what REALLY put me off though was the third act conflict actually being a 50% conflict, and them spending the entire last half in CONFLICT. that was unbelievable i was so upset we never got more from them. i digress a smidge because what we *did* get was hot as fuck though. i’m talking, dripping down your thighs, slap a wet floor sign down because there’s a flood type hot 😳 the mouth (and fingers, and tongue, and all capable limbs at this point) on these two fools had my ghasts FLABBERED. 10/10 y’all 🥵🥵 soo if youre looking for a quick, easy, and spicy spice romcom this is ABSOLUTELY your girl!
thank you to netgalley and smp for an arc!!
September 2, 2025
First of all, I have to say that I am a big fan of Meryl Wilsner books and devoured “Mistakes were made.” For that reason alone, I couldn't wait to read their new book. And sigh, that's probably why I'm so disappointed. Unfortunately, this novel failed me in several ways: first of all... where was the connection between best friends Ginny and Elsie? The romance? It was quickly clear that Ginny was secretly in love with Elsie. But Elsie's 180-degree turn within a very short time was simply incomprehensible and, for me as a reader, impossible to understand. Apart from that, the speed was implausible for two best friends who had known each other forever. One minute Elsie was engaged to someone else, and the next she was sitting on top of Ginny. I felt that Elsie's development was lacking, as was the fact that she decided to pursue her feelings. I mean, after so many years of friendship, you'd think she'd think twice, or am I wrong?
Furthermore, I didn't like how Elsie talked about her ex-boyfriend. Sure, he made mistakes and planned a surprise wedding behind her back, but he still doesn't deserve to be called “not very intelligent”.
Another point that made me feel uncomfortable was the amount of sex compared to the rest of what happened in the book. I love spicy novels, and smut too! But here it was just over the top. I think there were several chapters in a row and 100 pages in which the two had sex continuously. And apart from that, not much else happened....
The conflict was far-fetched! They had been best friends for so long, and I couldn't understand why Elsie reacted that way. However, I liked the last few chapters, in which both characters finally developed a little further. And I liked the great non-binary representation!
I have to admit that I felt a little uncomfortable with the way Elsie treated an employee at the resort. The way Elsie spoke to her didn't seem right to me. Of course, it's important to correct mistakes, but was it necessary to lose her temper like that?
Unfortunately, this is a book I didn't enjoy and was glad when I finally finished reading it. No comparison to Meryl's other books, in which the characters had a deep connection to each other.
Furthermore, I didn't like how Elsie talked about her ex-boyfriend. Sure, he made mistakes and planned a surprise wedding behind her back, but he still doesn't deserve to be called “not very intelligent”.
Another point that made me feel uncomfortable was the amount of sex compared to the rest of what happened in the book. I love spicy novels, and smut too! But here it was just over the top. I think there were several chapters in a row and 100 pages in which the two had sex continuously. And apart from that, not much else happened....
The conflict was far-fetched! They had been best friends for so long, and I couldn't understand why Elsie reacted that way. However, I liked the last few chapters, in which both characters finally developed a little further. And I liked the great non-binary representation!
I have to admit that I felt a little uncomfortable with the way Elsie treated an employee at the resort. The way Elsie spoke to her didn't seem right to me. Of course, it's important to correct mistakes, but was it necessary to lose her temper like that?
Unfortunately, this is a book I didn't enjoy and was glad when I finally finished reading it. No comparison to Meryl's other books, in which the characters had a deep connection to each other.
June 12, 2025
Pride Month 2025 #5
🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼
/ It Was Supposed To Be A Summer Fling
I'm sad. I think this is the first Meryl book I haven't loved, and it's one that represents their own identity. Shame on me. I hate it here.
I was going to say friends to lovers is hit or miss, but truly any trope is hit or miss. Elsie has been engaged to Derek for some time. He decides it's a good idea to spring a surprise wedding on her. She hates surprises. I, too, hate surprises. This is my worse nightmare.
(True story. A former friend wanted to surprise visit me after I moved. Our mutual friend had to tell her that was a terrible idea, that I hated surprises, and that I would absolutely not be down. Same friend tried to buy me Kendra Scott. I may be a basic bitch, but I'm not southern white girl basic. Disgusting. Anyway.)
Ginny, not short for anything, though Elsie likes to call them Ginevra, Virginia, and other things for funsies, is Elsie's best friend. And has been in love with Elsie since basically when they met. But don't tell Elsie that. Even if everyone else knows.
So Derek's idea blows up in his face. In an act very reminiscent of me, Elsie, who doesn't make any decisions until she's pissed, breaks up with Derek. Meanwhile, he has planned an all inclusive nonrefundable honeymoon. He's nice, if dumb. He tells her to take Ginny and have fun. She does.
They do. Each other. Not right away. But because Elsie has trouble asking for what she wants, even though she loves doing anything for others, Ginny lets her ask for anything she wants this week. And Elsie does. And it gets raunchy. Because sleeping with your best friend is a great idea. I mean, I'm rolling my eyes, but it worked out for them.
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and St. Martin's Griffin
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin
🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼
/ It Was Supposed To Be A Summer Fling
I'm sad. I think this is the first Meryl book I haven't loved, and it's one that represents their own identity. Shame on me. I hate it here.
I was going to say friends to lovers is hit or miss, but truly any trope is hit or miss. Elsie has been engaged to Derek for some time. He decides it's a good idea to spring a surprise wedding on her. She hates surprises. I, too, hate surprises. This is my worse nightmare.
(True story. A former friend wanted to surprise visit me after I moved. Our mutual friend had to tell her that was a terrible idea, that I hated surprises, and that I would absolutely not be down. Same friend tried to buy me Kendra Scott. I may be a basic bitch, but I'm not southern white girl basic. Disgusting. Anyway.)
Ginny, not short for anything, though Elsie likes to call them Ginevra, Virginia, and other things for funsies, is Elsie's best friend. And has been in love with Elsie since basically when they met. But don't tell Elsie that. Even if everyone else knows.
So Derek's idea blows up in his face. In an act very reminiscent of me, Elsie, who doesn't make any decisions until she's pissed, breaks up with Derek. Meanwhile, he has planned an all inclusive nonrefundable honeymoon. He's nice, if dumb. He tells her to take Ginny and have fun. She does.
They do. Each other. Not right away. But because Elsie has trouble asking for what she wants, even though she loves doing anything for others, Ginny lets her ask for anything she wants this week. And Elsie does. And it gets raunchy. Because sleeping with your best friend is a great idea. I mean, I'm rolling my eyes, but it worked out for them.
📖 Thank you to Goodreads and St. Martin's Griffin
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin
June 15, 2025
Content warnings: alcohol, d-slur used as a slur and d-slur used nicely (? words are hard), blood, lesbophobia, references to childhood bullying.
Rep: Ginny (MC) is a white, fat enby lesbian. Elsie (MC) is cis, white, Jewish, and pansexual. Side POC and queer characters.
Meryl Wilsner has done it again. I swear I love their writing more and more with each book they write.
Not only do they write the hottest sex scenes ever, but their characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and well written.
Ginny and Elsie's characters were so great, and had me going !! so many times with not only how cute they were - together and separately, but with how much they loved each other.
I loved Ginny's strength - they're physically strong as heck (we LOVE) but their emotional strength also made me want to hug the fuck out of them.
This one was just all kinds of amazing and wonderful and I loved it. And I SINCERELY hope that Afterlight pick this one up as well to do a special edition for because I NEED it.
And seriously - those sex scenes? *fans self* hot damn.
Rep: Ginny (MC) is a white, fat enby lesbian. Elsie (MC) is cis, white, Jewish, and pansexual. Side POC and queer characters.
Meryl Wilsner has done it again. I swear I love their writing more and more with each book they write.
Not only do they write the hottest sex scenes ever, but their characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and well written.
Ginny and Elsie's characters were so great, and had me going !! so many times with not only how cute they were - together and separately, but with how much they loved each other.
I loved Ginny's strength - they're physically strong as heck (we LOVE) but their emotional strength also made me want to hug the fuck out of them.
This one was just all kinds of amazing and wonderful and I loved it. And I SINCERELY hope that Afterlight pick this one up as well to do a special edition for because I NEED it.
And seriously - those sex scenes? *fans self* hot damn.
October 25, 2024
my first book of Meryls was last year (cleat cute) and i didnt have the best experience reading it, so i was a little hesitant to give this one a shot but i am extremely happy i decided to give this book a try!! the premise of the book got me so good, this was my first f/nb and i was hooked on these two immediately, i mean who doesnt love a good best friends to lovers?!?!
this book was extremely fast paced which i loved, i love that we didnt have to wait through a bunch of inner turmoil for elsie to say fuck it and give things with ginny a try like shes wanted to for so long. the entire honeymoon trip was amazing, the spice?!?! insane!!! 🥵
now for my reasoning for this not being 5 stars, elsie’s major freak out after their trip was mind boggling to me, i think she was totally out of line and honestly kind of mean… i warmed back up to her by the end but for a hot minute there i did not think that i was going to be able to be supportive of them ended up together in the end… HOWEVER, the way ginny handled this was top tier, i am so beyond happy that they were able to move beyond the hurt they felt and go on to discover the things about themselves that was necessary to their growth and finding what they wanted out of life beyond elsie. i felt extremely proud of them through out the entire separation period 🥹
i also felt a lot of happiness by the end for elsie and how she finally was able to get her family to listen to her and her sister and her husband for encouraging elsie that her ideas do matter and that they are great 🥹
all in all i think ginny was the star of this show for me, i really loved them. i loved the love that elsie had for them and that ginny had for elsie <3
this book felt very different for me in the best of ways in the sense that all of the things that these two were and what makes them who they are was never once an issue for the other person (does this make sense? lmao). we are told that ginny is plus size and not once was that fact made into something that felt defined them in anyway, i personally find that the majority of books with plus sized MCs that i have read the author can make it seem like this is something bad, wrong or something to be insecure of and it was really nice to have a book where the plus sized MC but also the other MC didnt feel the need to keep making internal comments or let it justify or define their attraction to them. it just simply was what it was and both ginny and elsie found each other hot as hell and it was just fucking awesome, thats the best way i can explain it lol
i feel like i am starting to ramble a bit so i just want to wrap up quick that this was an amazing read, i think its going to make one hell of a summer read for a lot of people next year and despite any minor issues i had with elsie i still loved both of them immensely and most definitely will be treating myself to a reread of this as soon as i can get my hands on the audio book because i am already so excited to see these two brought to life by narrators 🧡
this book was extremely fast paced which i loved, i love that we didnt have to wait through a bunch of inner turmoil for elsie to say fuck it and give things with ginny a try like shes wanted to for so long. the entire honeymoon trip was amazing, the spice?!?! insane!!! 🥵
now for my reasoning for this not being 5 stars, elsie’s major freak out after their trip was mind boggling to me, i think she was totally out of line and honestly kind of mean… i warmed back up to her by the end but for a hot minute there i did not think that i was going to be able to be supportive of them ended up together in the end… HOWEVER, the way ginny handled this was top tier, i am so beyond happy that they were able to move beyond the hurt they felt and go on to discover the things about themselves that was necessary to their growth and finding what they wanted out of life beyond elsie. i felt extremely proud of them through out the entire separation period 🥹
i also felt a lot of happiness by the end for elsie and how she finally was able to get her family to listen to her and her sister and her husband for encouraging elsie that her ideas do matter and that they are great 🥹
all in all i think ginny was the star of this show for me, i really loved them. i loved the love that elsie had for them and that ginny had for elsie <3
this book felt very different for me in the best of ways in the sense that all of the things that these two were and what makes them who they are was never once an issue for the other person (does this make sense? lmao). we are told that ginny is plus size and not once was that fact made into something that felt defined them in anyway, i personally find that the majority of books with plus sized MCs that i have read the author can make it seem like this is something bad, wrong or something to be insecure of and it was really nice to have a book where the plus sized MC but also the other MC didnt feel the need to keep making internal comments or let it justify or define their attraction to them. it just simply was what it was and both ginny and elsie found each other hot as hell and it was just fucking awesome, thats the best way i can explain it lol
i feel like i am starting to ramble a bit so i just want to wrap up quick that this was an amazing read, i think its going to make one hell of a summer read for a lot of people next year and despite any minor issues i had with elsie i still loved both of them immensely and most definitely will be treating myself to a reread of this as soon as i can get my hands on the audio book because i am already so excited to see these two brought to life by narrators 🧡
July 6, 2025
⋆˚࿔ Review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
2.5⭐️
Why would anyone think planning a surprise wedding is a good idea? In what world is that ever acceptable?
Honestly, the third-act breakup was necessary—like, deeply needed. It was the only realistic thing that could push them toward any kind of growth. Now, do I believe they’ll actually last long-term? Probably not. And if they do, they’re going to go through a lot. They’re both just… a mess, honestly.
I didn’t even care much for the spice because I was too busy thinking about how badly all of this was going to blow up in their faces. It took me out of the moment more than once.
They had potential, but the execution just didn’t work for me.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
This is my second read by this author, I loved the first one, so hopefully I end up loving this one just as much!
2.5⭐️
Why would anyone think planning a surprise wedding is a good idea? In what world is that ever acceptable?
Honestly, the third-act breakup was necessary—like, deeply needed. It was the only realistic thing that could push them toward any kind of growth. Now, do I believe they’ll actually last long-term? Probably not. And if they do, they’re going to go through a lot. They’re both just… a mess, honestly.
I didn’t even care much for the spice because I was too busy thinking about how badly all of this was going to blow up in their faces. It took me out of the moment more than once.
They had potential, but the execution just didn’t work for me.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
This is my second read by this author, I loved the first one, so hopefully I end up loving this one just as much!
December 1, 2024
If you’re looking for a cute story and an easy read, this is for you. The vacation spot had me wishing I was there. Overall, I liked the book but I felt like there was something missing. I didn’t totally feel the chemistry between the MCs and while there was a lot of spicy in it, I was missing the connection between them. I also struggled a bit, especially later in the book with separating the two characters.
July 4, 2025
what in the fresh fuck was this 😀
May 12, 2025
Ever since picking up their first book, I've been a fan of Meryl Wilsner's writing. They balance lighthearted rom-com moments, hot and heavy romance scenes, and themes regarding queer identity very well. And while I still love Meryl Wilsner's writing style after finishing this novel, unfortunately, My Best Friend's Honeymoon just didn't do it for me. I liked the characters and the emotional arcs they went on. My problems mostly fell with the plot.
For one, this novel made me realize I'm not actually a big fan of childhood friends-to-lovers romances. I like when two characters form a friendship before falling in love. But often, with childhood friends-to-lovers stories, the audience doesn't get to see the main characters fall in love. Instead, we just are told that they already love each other from the start of the book. I really wanted to see more scenes of Elsie and Ginny falling in love, even if they were in flashback.
My other issue with this book was, as much as I loved the tropical, summer-y setting, the set up of this book had me feeling bad for the main character's ex. This book's premise is that our main character, Elsie, dumps her fiancée and goes on her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend. And weirdly enough, I think that this premise would have worked better if Elsie's ex was some cartoonish, over-the-top villain. Instead, he's just a really kind guy. When Elsie cashes in on the vacation you feel genuinely bad for him, or at least I did. It almost distracted me from the plot, as throughout the book I had a nagging reminder that some heartbroken fool is paying for this trip.
Overall, there was a lot I did like about this novel. As I stated, I really liked Meryl Wilsner's writing, particularly of their themes and characters. I just think there were some hiccups in developing the plot.
Thank you to the publisher and MacMillan Audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review!
For one, this novel made me realize I'm not actually a big fan of childhood friends-to-lovers romances. I like when two characters form a friendship before falling in love. But often, with childhood friends-to-lovers stories, the audience doesn't get to see the main characters fall in love. Instead, we just are told that they already love each other from the start of the book. I really wanted to see more scenes of Elsie and Ginny falling in love, even if they were in flashback.
My other issue with this book was, as much as I loved the tropical, summer-y setting, the set up of this book had me feeling bad for the main character's ex. This book's premise is that our main character, Elsie, dumps her fiancée and goes on her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend. And weirdly enough, I think that this premise would have worked better if Elsie's ex was some cartoonish, over-the-top villain. Instead, he's just a really kind guy. When Elsie cashes in on the vacation you feel genuinely bad for him, or at least I did. It almost distracted me from the plot, as throughout the book I had a nagging reminder that some heartbroken fool is paying for this trip.
Overall, there was a lot I did like about this novel. As I stated, I really liked Meryl Wilsner's writing, particularly of their themes and characters. I just think there were some hiccups in developing the plot.
Thank you to the publisher and MacMillan Audio for the eARCs in exchange for an honest review!
December 31, 2025
I liked this novel a lot, although not as much as some others from this author. I would summarize by saying that I loved the overall big picture of this novel but there are some little details I didn’t like. The parts I liked, I liked a lot. The parts that I disliked, were relatively minor. This was an enjoyable read and this author is still an auto-read from me!
Interestingly/strangely, a lot of the things I liked about this novel I also disliked? It was a strange experience that was new to me. Read below and it will make sense I suppose, as a lot of these bullets are paired up.
My Rating: "B+"
GoodReads: 4-stars
Highlights:
-Non-binary representation win! This novel did a great job on this point. The language was consistent and correct and there were a lot of little details thrown in that just worked very well.
-Super spicy, and the spicy parts were hot. This is always a win with this author so it was no surprise.
-I liked how they set up safe words quite quickly, just in case, as they were venturing into unknown territory. Its just good behavior to demonstrate for readers!
-I really liked the conflict between the protagonists. In a big-picture sense this worked very well. This was a great commentary (maybe not the right word but I’m tired) on the nature of their relationship and how despite it being very solid, there were elements that were not perfect. I liked how both characters got to have a personal character arc/journey and get some satisfying character development. This section added a LOT to the overall novel in my opinion.
-The sweetest friendship(?) and such a supportive relationship. They were both adorable and I loved them together.
-I adored the mutual pining in the early sections of this novel. The “miscommunication” (that wasn’t really a miscommunication) made a lot of sense and was very realistic which was a nice change!
-It was nice that there wasn’t any real antagonist, just life in general. The ex wasn’t even toxic or evil, and in fact was somewhat delightful. It was refreshing.
-Unusual pacing, but it worked for me! It was a little strange, how the story progressed, but it was nice to read something that didn’t follow the typical formula. Real life doesn’t follow a rom-com formula!
Nitpicks (reasons why this wasn’t 5-stars, don’t read into how much text is below because I DID like this novel!):
-Is tearing into service workers for using gendered language really needed? It wasn’t malicious. It also didn’t happen just once. I 100% support correcting people, of course, but this was going overboard, and it seemed like something that happened a lot. I support the intent, but this isn’t a productive approach to “education”.
-The transition into spicy content (and a big change in the relationship dynamic) was so incredibly abrupt. Too much in my opinion, it was jarring and didn’t feel realistic. Also, they went into the spicy parts HARD and it just felt somewhat disjointed. The sex was hot, but it was strange to me that they both apparently acted in ways that were entirely unlike themselves and this was never further explored or addressed.
-There was a scene where one of the characters “had a bad reaction to something they were doing”, and I didn’t find it was handled very well. It was mostly glazed over, which felt irresponsible and strange. Maybe a conversation could have been warranted perhaps? I have plenty of guesses about this scene and it makes sense, but it wasn’t really addressed in-text. This whole section felt disjointed.
-The conflict between the protagonists seemed rather forced and out of character. The miscommunication (or rather, jumping to conclusions?) on Elsie’s part didn’t feel realistic to me; I don’t think she would have thought the thoughts about Ginny that she did. Elsie even acknowledged this later, but that revelation didn’t go anywhere. Following the inciting moments, the lack of ability for the characters to communicate properly seemed out of character for long-time best friends who normally talk constantly and know each other as well as they did.
-A central tenant of their friendship was how supportive they were of each other, so it seemed strange that they felt the need to go do things on their own without that support. They were avoiding being controlled or influenced, but generic support wouldn’t have really been much of a problem. I was honestly confused as to what their game plan was when they were not talking, as the characters essentially were just avoiding each other (and thinking about it) without any particular end point.
-They were a bit mean to the ex, mocking him and calling him dumb and whatnot. In reality he didn’t seem to have done anything wrong except being a little emotionally unaware (and he was given zero signs to be honest).
-Honestly….not a lot of romance? Pining, sex, backstory, character development separately…. But not a lot of actual romance. Still liked it though, hah!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
Interestingly/strangely, a lot of the things I liked about this novel I also disliked? It was a strange experience that was new to me. Read below and it will make sense I suppose, as a lot of these bullets are paired up.
My Rating: "B+"
GoodReads: 4-stars
Highlights:
-Non-binary representation win! This novel did a great job on this point. The language was consistent and correct and there were a lot of little details thrown in that just worked very well.
-Super spicy, and the spicy parts were hot. This is always a win with this author so it was no surprise.
-I liked how they set up safe words quite quickly, just in case, as they were venturing into unknown territory. Its just good behavior to demonstrate for readers!
-I really liked the conflict between the protagonists. In a big-picture sense this worked very well. This was a great commentary (maybe not the right word but I’m tired) on the nature of their relationship and how despite it being very solid, there were elements that were not perfect. I liked how both characters got to have a personal character arc/journey and get some satisfying character development. This section added a LOT to the overall novel in my opinion.
-The sweetest friendship(?) and such a supportive relationship. They were both adorable and I loved them together.
-I adored the mutual pining in the early sections of this novel. The “miscommunication” (that wasn’t really a miscommunication) made a lot of sense and was very realistic which was a nice change!
-It was nice that there wasn’t any real antagonist, just life in general. The ex wasn’t even toxic or evil, and in fact was somewhat delightful. It was refreshing.
-Unusual pacing, but it worked for me! It was a little strange, how the story progressed, but it was nice to read something that didn’t follow the typical formula. Real life doesn’t follow a rom-com formula!
Nitpicks (reasons why this wasn’t 5-stars, don’t read into how much text is below because I DID like this novel!):
-Is tearing into service workers for using gendered language really needed? It wasn’t malicious. It also didn’t happen just once. I 100% support correcting people, of course, but this was going overboard, and it seemed like something that happened a lot. I support the intent, but this isn’t a productive approach to “education”.
-The transition into spicy content (and a big change in the relationship dynamic) was so incredibly abrupt. Too much in my opinion, it was jarring and didn’t feel realistic. Also, they went into the spicy parts HARD and it just felt somewhat disjointed. The sex was hot, but it was strange to me that they both apparently acted in ways that were entirely unlike themselves and this was never further explored or addressed.
-There was a scene where one of the characters “had a bad reaction to something they were doing”, and I didn’t find it was handled very well. It was mostly glazed over, which felt irresponsible and strange. Maybe a conversation could have been warranted perhaps? I have plenty of guesses about this scene and it makes sense, but it wasn’t really addressed in-text. This whole section felt disjointed.
-The conflict between the protagonists seemed rather forced and out of character. The miscommunication (or rather, jumping to conclusions?) on Elsie’s part didn’t feel realistic to me; I don’t think she would have thought the thoughts about Ginny that she did. Elsie even acknowledged this later, but that revelation didn’t go anywhere. Following the inciting moments, the lack of ability for the characters to communicate properly seemed out of character for long-time best friends who normally talk constantly and know each other as well as they did.
-A central tenant of their friendship was how supportive they were of each other, so it seemed strange that they felt the need to go do things on their own without that support. They were avoiding being controlled or influenced, but generic support wouldn’t have really been much of a problem. I was honestly confused as to what their game plan was when they were not talking, as the characters essentially were just avoiding each other (and thinking about it) without any particular end point.
-They were a bit mean to the ex, mocking him and calling him dumb and whatnot. In reality he didn’t seem to have done anything wrong except being a little emotionally unaware (and he was given zero signs to be honest).
-Honestly….not a lot of romance? Pining, sex, backstory, character development separately…. But not a lot of actual romance. Still liked it though, hah!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
September 19, 2024
This didn't really come together for me. The pacing is a little weird, and I just didn't connect with the characters at all, probably because there isn't much established about them or their circumstances at the beginning of the book. The first sex scene is really abrupt, and the drama is just totally contrived and not particularly interesting or well-formed. There's some plot work that could've made the romance feel less strange and sudden, and could have generated a more compelling conflict than what we're given. It's weird because I've always loved Meryl Wilsner's ability to craft a damning external situation for their characters that makes me wonder how things could possibly work out, but here the conflict is 100% internal and it makes the book pretty weak from a story standpoint. The ending is also confusing--it's not clear what the leads actually want until the last couple of pages.
The three stars are for the fact that no one in mainstream queer romance is doing sex scenes like Meryl. They GO there, and thank God for it. More people need to write sex scenes like this--super long, a little bit niche sometimes, probably not for everybody but absolutely unapologetic. It's so great.
The three stars are for the fact that no one in mainstream queer romance is doing sex scenes like Meryl. They GO there, and thank God for it. More people need to write sex scenes like this--super long, a little bit niche sometimes, probably not for everybody but absolutely unapologetic. It's so great.
April 15, 2025
this was spicyyyyyy god damn.
ginny and elsie have been best friends forever. and ginny has been in love with her since then. when elsie breaks off her engagement, she invites ginny to go on her honeymoon with her.
the entirety of their relationship development is spice. I wish we got more of them growing together rather than just hooking up. the third act conflict was so drawn out and I felt like it was also underdeveloped- they go off and figure out their jobs and they’re suddenly ready for a life-long relationship at 23? pls.
the vacation aspect and honeymoon vibes were really fun. ginny was so down bad for elsie and it was really cute. I just wish we got a little more.
what to expect
⟢ f x nb queer romance
⟢ best childhood friends to lovers
⟢ love after breakup
⟢ vacation/summer vibes
instagram || storygraph
ginny and elsie have been best friends forever. and ginny has been in love with her since then. when elsie breaks off her engagement, she invites ginny to go on her honeymoon with her.
the entirety of their relationship development is spice. I wish we got more of them growing together rather than just hooking up. the third act conflict was so drawn out and I felt like it was also underdeveloped- they go off and figure out their jobs and they’re suddenly ready for a life-long relationship at 23? pls.
the vacation aspect and honeymoon vibes were really fun. ginny was so down bad for elsie and it was really cute. I just wish we got a little more.
what to expect
⟢ f x nb queer romance
⟢ best childhood friends to lovers
⟢ love after breakup
⟢ vacation/summer vibes
instagram || storygraph
October 25, 2024
I really liked the concept at the beginning ; it was fun. But romance moved way too quickly for my taste, and I ended up not connected fully with them
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2025
Wowie, this was spiccyyyyyy! Please book gods, may all beach reads hit this good all summer long!
May 14, 2025
Glad they have each other bc I couldn’t stand either of them.
April 1, 2025
Thank you net galley, St Martin’s Publishing Group, and Meryl Wilsner for gifting me an arc of My Best Friend’s Honeymoon.
What do you do when your fiancé decides to surprise you with a wedding? You’ve had no say in the details, invites, or any of the planning.
Obviously the correct answer is you dump him and take your hot plus sized nb bestie to your non refundable honeymoon destination!
This books was cute, fun, perfect for the summer and LORD THAT SPICE!!! Way, WAY spicier than I would have ever expected.
Overall the book was enjoyable, but didn’t wow me at any point.
What do you do when your fiancé decides to surprise you with a wedding? You’ve had no say in the details, invites, or any of the planning.
Obviously the correct answer is you dump him and take your hot plus sized nb bestie to your non refundable honeymoon destination!
This books was cute, fun, perfect for the summer and LORD THAT SPICE!!! Way, WAY spicier than I would have ever expected.
Overall the book was enjoyable, but didn’t wow me at any point.
August 15, 2025
it’s kind of foul that the cishet male ex fiance did more growth than either of the main characters in the entire book
April 6, 2025
3.5 stars.
"My Best Friend's Honeymoon" by Meryl Wilsner is a bit of a mixed bag, though it's mostly good. The story is 100% sold on the chemistry between Ginny and Elsie, which is top-notch. Their banter is delicious, sexy, satisfying, and unapologetically queer. I loved their friendship but wanted to pull my hair out soooo many times because they were so clearly in love with each other that it made me sick to see them futz around with other people (Elsie I am looking a YOU!!!!!!!!). They are both a mess. They are both their own biggest enemies. They constantly stand in their way (both of them!) and, subsequently, in each other's way. That being said, I think the friends-to-lovers aspect works here (which usually isn't the case, in my opinion). The spice in this book is spiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicy, y'all, and even a tad k1nky, too! I like how Elsie grew as a character where her s3xuality was concerned, but that stops there. Both of their character growth didn't feel super earned at the end of the day. This is a book that leans waaaay into the physical aspect of the story as opposed to the romantic, emotional one. Ginny and Elsie's characters' relationship is exclusive to a vacation bubble until it's not, and it's obvious what's going to happen when they leave their love nest for the real world. I never felt like their relationship grew on their vacation; I only felt like the physical aspect was explored. Low emotion, high s3xuality. I'm also not sure I loved Ginny and Elsie getting together just two weeks after Elsie broke off her engagement to someone else. I get that they have been lusting after one another for years, but it still felt pretty messed up, considering her ex was a decent, nice dude. Like I said, a bit of a mixed bag! I will say, I loooooved Blair Baker and Emily Shaw's dual audiobook narration. Their voices were perfect for this material. They play off of one another well and kept me engaged throughout the audiobook with their fast-paced, snappy, fun narration.
Thank you to NetGalley, Meryl Wilsner, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"My Best Friend's Honeymoon" by Meryl Wilsner is a bit of a mixed bag, though it's mostly good. The story is 100% sold on the chemistry between Ginny and Elsie, which is top-notch. Their banter is delicious, sexy, satisfying, and unapologetically queer. I loved their friendship but wanted to pull my hair out soooo many times because they were so clearly in love with each other that it made me sick to see them futz around with other people (Elsie I am looking a YOU!!!!!!!!). They are both a mess. They are both their own biggest enemies. They constantly stand in their way (both of them!) and, subsequently, in each other's way. That being said, I think the friends-to-lovers aspect works here (which usually isn't the case, in my opinion). The spice in this book is spiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicy, y'all, and even a tad k1nky, too! I like how Elsie grew as a character where her s3xuality was concerned, but that stops there. Both of their character growth didn't feel super earned at the end of the day. This is a book that leans waaaay into the physical aspect of the story as opposed to the romantic, emotional one. Ginny and Elsie's characters' relationship is exclusive to a vacation bubble until it's not, and it's obvious what's going to happen when they leave their love nest for the real world. I never felt like their relationship grew on their vacation; I only felt like the physical aspect was explored. Low emotion, high s3xuality. I'm also not sure I loved Ginny and Elsie getting together just two weeks after Elsie broke off her engagement to someone else. I get that they have been lusting after one another for years, but it still felt pretty messed up, considering her ex was a decent, nice dude. Like I said, a bit of a mixed bag! I will say, I loooooved Blair Baker and Emily Shaw's dual audiobook narration. Their voices were perfect for this material. They play off of one another well and kept me engaged throughout the audiobook with their fast-paced, snappy, fun narration.
Thank you to NetGalley, Meryl Wilsner, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
November 19, 2024
was i just traumatized by the irl versions of the exact tropes in this book? yes. five stars.
April 13, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
When Elsie learns that her college boyfriend turned fiancé of the last eighteen months has planned their entire wedding and honeymoon as a surprise, she realizes she’s not at all ready for the future he has planned.
Instead she breaks off their engagement and drags her cradle to the grave bestie Ginny, who may or may not be head over heels in love with her, onto their non-refundable honeymoon.
Obviously lines blur and things get hot and heavy between Elsie and Ginny, and boy do I mean HOT 🔥🌶️🥵
Buuuttt like a flash in the pan, things go sideways and Elsie and Ginny have a third act breakup… I just hated the whole miscommunication/lack of communication thing these two had going on with their feelings and just ughhhh. It wasn’t necessary! The character growth however was 👌🏻
What to expect:
- best friends to lovers
- nonrefundable honeymoon
- plus size + nonbinary mc
- all the spice + dirty talk
- miscommunication/lack of communication
- third act break up
When Elsie learns that her college boyfriend turned fiancé of the last eighteen months has planned their entire wedding and honeymoon as a surprise, she realizes she’s not at all ready for the future he has planned.
Instead she breaks off their engagement and drags her cradle to the grave bestie Ginny, who may or may not be head over heels in love with her, onto their non-refundable honeymoon.
Obviously lines blur and things get hot and heavy between Elsie and Ginny, and boy do I mean HOT 🔥🌶️🥵
Buuuttt like a flash in the pan, things go sideways and Elsie and Ginny have a third act breakup… I just hated the whole miscommunication/lack of communication thing these two had going on with their feelings and just ughhhh. It wasn’t necessary! The character growth however was 👌🏻
What to expect:
- best friends to lovers
- nonrefundable honeymoon
- plus size + nonbinary mc
- all the spice + dirty talk
- miscommunication/lack of communication
- third act break up
April 3, 2025
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner is a spicy best friends to lovers queer romance. Friends to lovers is my favorite romance trope and miscommunication and third act breakups are among my least favorite. This novel is packed with miscommunication between best friends Ginny and Elsie. Ginny has been in love with her best friend, Elsie, since childhood. “All the bests in Ginny’s life have Elsie in them.” Elsie is a doormat who doesn’t feel “adult” enough to know what she wants in life. She also has romantic feelings for Ginny, but doesn’t trust Ginny’s feelings for her. “The only way to solve this situation is to ignore it.”
I enjoyed the descriptions of the tropical honeymoon location and wanted to root for Ginny and Elsie’s happy ending, but it was challenging for me to identify with their immaturity and inability to effectively communicate with each other. Queer romance fans may enjoy this book. 2/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Available 4/29/25
I enjoyed the descriptions of the tropical honeymoon location and wanted to root for Ginny and Elsie’s happy ending, but it was challenging for me to identify with their immaturity and inability to effectively communicate with each other. Queer romance fans may enjoy this book. 2/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Available 4/29/25
May 8, 2025
I was so excited for this book because I love anything Meryl Wilsner writes but the lack of chemistry and complete lack of SUSPENSE had me furious. Two best friends who are mutually in love with each other but have always refused to acknowledge it go on holiday together and after one brief night of flirty glances they suddenly have sex… and more sex… and more sex. And never once do they talk about the fact they’ve been mutually in love for OVER A DECADE.
August 19, 2025
While the writing was pretty okay, I found the flashbacks to be poorly placed and they took me out of the story each time. The resolution was also very rushed and I didn't feel the urgency in it.
Also, no shame to the author's game or anything but like eating her pussy when she's on her period is wayyy too much for me...I almost dnfed.
Also, no shame to the author's game or anything but like eating her pussy when she's on her period is wayyy too much for me...I almost dnfed.
February 9, 2025
Ginny knew they were a lesbian before they knew they were nonbinary. It was before they met Elsie. They don’t have a specific ring-of-keys moment so much as there was never a time in their life they remember not being awed by women... Their alarming devotion to Sally from Cars.
Honestly, about time Sally from Cars got the proper recognition she deserves. This book was super cutesy and the line about Sally roped me in so hard, I cannot fully put it into words. I hope Meryl’s next book shouts out Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2 for being a the gay awakening icon she is. I need a herooooo!
Ok, icons aside, this was cute. Predictable, but cute. Going to try keeping things as spoiler-free as possible here… Because while I enjoyed this, I found both main characters so absolutely frustrating (specifically and especially during the climax of the book). Elsie became so dreadfully unlikeable, intentionally so. But I did have thoughts of DNFing the book. Glad to say that was not the case though!
Overall, very cutesy quick sapphic smutty read. While I had times of disliking the main characters, I was still thoroughly rooting for them both individually and as a couple. This is probs more of a 3.5-3.75 star read for me but rounding to 4!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Honestly, about time Sally from Cars got the proper recognition she deserves. This book was super cutesy and the line about Sally roped me in so hard, I cannot fully put it into words. I hope Meryl’s next book shouts out Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2 for being a the gay awakening icon she is. I need a herooooo!
Ok, icons aside, this was cute. Predictable, but cute. Going to try keeping things as spoiler-free as possible here… Because while I enjoyed this, I found both main characters so absolutely frustrating (specifically and especially during the climax of the book). Elsie became so dreadfully unlikeable, intentionally so. But I did have thoughts of DNFing the book. Glad to say that was not the case though!
Overall, very cutesy quick sapphic smutty read. While I had times of disliking the main characters, I was still thoroughly rooting for them both individually and as a couple. This is probs more of a 3.5-3.75 star read for me but rounding to 4!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
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