Seasoned author Christina Lauren explores the centuries old enemies to lovers trope with her best work to date, The Unhoneymooners. 

Given the vacation of a lifetime due to an unfortunate case of food poisoning for the entire wedding party, mortal enemies Ethan and Olive decide to declare a truce and go on the honeymoon originally designated for their siblings, Ami and Dane. 

One catch: they have to pretend to be newlyweds. 

Easy enough, right? 

Not for Olive, who becomes more invested in playing make-believe as the days go on. Enter a few different obstacles, such as her new boss showing up at the same Hawaiian resort, and Olive’s life is thrown upside down when her fake marriage collides with real life. 

To make matters worse, Ethan’s most recent ex-girlfriend makes an appearance with her new boyfriend and insists on the four of them spending time together. 

However, Ethan is there for her, of course, playing the role of fake husband with dignity. As she finds herself falling for him and the fake honeymoon coming to an end, Olive is faced with a choice. 

These trials and tribulations test the two, but it seems to be smooth sailing. Until real life gets in the way, as it often does in books like these.

Shortly after returning from Hawaii, Olive’s new boss comes across information that leads him to believe that Olive was lying about the honeymoon, which ultimately results in her being let go from the new company as a result of violating an honesty clause. Despite being jobless, Olive and Ethan return with high spirits. 

The two ultimately decide to continue the relationship and have what could be referred to as their own honeymoon stage, but are upended when it is revealed that Dane, Ethan’s brother, has been cheating on Ami, Olive’s sister, for the entirety of their relationship. 

Forced to choose sides, the two must find their way back to one another before it’s too late. 

The Unhoneymooners is a delicate balance of fun and seriousness, compounded with emotions and the fallout from infidelity.

Lauren does a great job of balancing the hilarity and more serious elements of the work, but I do feel as though there is an abrupt movement between the two. I would describe this work as being one that finds its audience in witty humor, but there is not enough of that towards the end of the work. The writing style is spectacular and definitely draws you in from the beginning, as the first bouts of compelling banter between Olive and Ethan happen just a few pages in. There is not as much of that towards the end of the novel, which is what drew me to their connection in the first place. I understand that the nature of their relationship changed, but I thought that cutting that element from the story lessened the importance of  interactions between the two main characters.
 A great 4 star read from Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners is sure to hook you with fantastic storytelling, comedic relief, and a new take on the enemies to lovers pipeline.