Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Paperback, 368 Pages
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2019
Paperback, 368 Pages
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2019
Summary: As an adventurous send-off to her childhood, eighteen-year-old Tate Jones travels with her grandmother from their small town in Northern California to London. But the vacation of a lifetime is wonderfully derailed by the appearance of two charming Vermont farmers: grandfather Luther and his handsome grandson Sam. Sam and Tate fall hard and fast. For two glorious weeks, the couple share their hopes, dreams, and secrets. Sam admits he suspects his grandfather is dying and that this could be the last trip they take together, and Tate reveals that she is the hidden daughter of one of the biggest film stars in the world—a secret she’s never told anyone before. But when Tate is exposed by a crush of cameras and reporters, she knows she's been betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust. She is forced to decide whether she will return to her quiet life or embrace being in the public eye. So when Sam reappears in her world more than a decade later, can Tate forgive the past and rekindle the passion they shared on their magical trip abroad? And does she even want to?
This was the #1 book that I was the most excited to pick up at BookExpo this year, to the point that I got to the Javits Center a whole two hours before the show floor even opened because I wanted to make sure I was there when the book was dropped exactly at 9am. So luckily, I was able to score a copy, and I got to settle in with this great story. I definitely caught my crown jewel that day. So without further ado, let's get into my review!
As the summary explains, the story follows Tate, the daughter of one of the world's most famous actors, Ian Butler. However, after a huge fallout between her parents, Tate is living with her mom and trying to lie low, avoiding the media and trying to not bring her story to light. So when she's on a trip to London and meets Sam and falls in love with him, she finds herself confiding in him, but the repercussions of that trust are dire. And then, fourteen years later, she crosses paths with Sam again -- and they both have a lot of unfinished business on the table.
I enjoyed reading this book. As someone who is a huge contemporary fan, I really enjoy Christina Lauren's books, so I was super excited to grab a copy of this at BookExpo. There's something about the way they write their stories that just manages to hook me every time -- I spent an entire lunch break reading this book in my car because I just couldn't put it down, and I had to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to head back so I didn't lose track of time and get fired, LOL! For real, though -- this book, just like all of Christina Lauren's others, managed to grip me and keep me hooked until the very end. It only took me about a week to finish this book, which is actually pretty slow for me, but I know I would've read it faster if I hadn't been distracted with work and family things and places I had to go and blog work I had to go get done. I ended up carving out specific time in my schedule to sit down and read this book because I loved it that much!
I think the characters in the book were also really special because they were all so different, and all fleshed out really well. Christina Lauren does a really good job of making us feel things for these people -- I found myself sympathizing with Tate, swooning over Sam, and even strongly disliking Ian. I also really liked Tate's mom's character, Emma, because she seemed like such a loving, carefree, supportive rock throughout everything, both in the past and present tense parts of the story. And Charlie was so sweet and supportive throughout everything -- she really played an excellent best friend role.
However, as much as I enjoyed reading Twice in a Blue Moon, a tiny part of me felt like something was...missing. As much as I loved Tate and Sam's story, this book felt a lot less like a romance and more like a story following Tate and her own growth -- which is NOT a bad thing at all, do not get me wrong! I think I'm still just chasing the high of the steamy, swoon-worthy feelings that The Unhoneymooners gave me, with a lot of intense romance scenes and banter, which you get very little of in Twice in a Blue Moon. It's not a bad thing, just a different thing, which I wasn't expecting. That definitely explains why I felt a little disappointed after finishing this book, because I felt like the romance aspect of it felt really underdeveloped, which threw me off since it's a Christina Lauren novel. However, that was really the only thing about the book that I was hesitant about, and I really enjoyed the rest of the story!
Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading Twice in a Blue Moon. While it didn't give me the same rom-com feels that The Unhoneymooners did, I really enjoyed the story, especially seeing Tate's immense growth and seeing how things change between her and Sam throughout the entirety of the story. If you're looking for a quick read that will capture you, a Christina Lauren novel is definitely a classic, and their latest satisfies that need!
As the summary explains, the story follows Tate, the daughter of one of the world's most famous actors, Ian Butler. However, after a huge fallout between her parents, Tate is living with her mom and trying to lie low, avoiding the media and trying to not bring her story to light. So when she's on a trip to London and meets Sam and falls in love with him, she finds herself confiding in him, but the repercussions of that trust are dire. And then, fourteen years later, she crosses paths with Sam again -- and they both have a lot of unfinished business on the table.
I enjoyed reading this book. As someone who is a huge contemporary fan, I really enjoy Christina Lauren's books, so I was super excited to grab a copy of this at BookExpo. There's something about the way they write their stories that just manages to hook me every time -- I spent an entire lunch break reading this book in my car because I just couldn't put it down, and I had to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to head back so I didn't lose track of time and get fired, LOL! For real, though -- this book, just like all of Christina Lauren's others, managed to grip me and keep me hooked until the very end. It only took me about a week to finish this book, which is actually pretty slow for me, but I know I would've read it faster if I hadn't been distracted with work and family things and places I had to go and blog work I had to go get done. I ended up carving out specific time in my schedule to sit down and read this book because I loved it that much!
I think the characters in the book were also really special because they were all so different, and all fleshed out really well. Christina Lauren does a really good job of making us feel things for these people -- I found myself sympathizing with Tate, swooning over Sam, and even strongly disliking Ian. I also really liked Tate's mom's character, Emma, because she seemed like such a loving, carefree, supportive rock throughout everything, both in the past and present tense parts of the story. And Charlie was so sweet and supportive throughout everything -- she really played an excellent best friend role.
However, as much as I enjoyed reading Twice in a Blue Moon, a tiny part of me felt like something was...missing. As much as I loved Tate and Sam's story, this book felt a lot less like a romance and more like a story following Tate and her own growth -- which is NOT a bad thing at all, do not get me wrong! I think I'm still just chasing the high of the steamy, swoon-worthy feelings that The Unhoneymooners gave me, with a lot of intense romance scenes and banter, which you get very little of in Twice in a Blue Moon. It's not a bad thing, just a different thing, which I wasn't expecting. That definitely explains why I felt a little disappointed after finishing this book, because I felt like the romance aspect of it felt really underdeveloped, which threw me off since it's a Christina Lauren novel. However, that was really the only thing about the book that I was hesitant about, and I really enjoyed the rest of the story!
Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading Twice in a Blue Moon. While it didn't give me the same rom-com feels that The Unhoneymooners did, I really enjoyed the story, especially seeing Tate's immense growth and seeing how things change between her and Sam throughout the entirety of the story. If you're looking for a quick read that will capture you, a Christina Lauren novel is definitely a classic, and their latest satisfies that need!
