Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Book Summary:

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

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

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

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

Publication Date:

October 22, 2019

Genre:

Contemporary Romance

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Review:

Ever since I read Love and Other Words I have been a huge fan of books by Christina Lauren(the pen name for the writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings). These women know how to develop relatable characters while also introducing a variety of scenarios for their engaging novels to take on. I think because I loved Love and Other Words SO much, the bar has been set high for me. While the premise of Twice in a Blue Moon was promising, and I do enjoy the idea of “second chance romance” this one fell flat.

I really struggled to connect or find any believability with these main characters and their romance. Knowing each other for a couple of weeks as teenagers…becoming lovers and sharing their deepest darkest secrets and then there being a HUGE betrayal just didn’t work for me. It was all just too quick and then way too dramatic. I get it, teenager love can work in many storylines (hello Love and Other Words!!), but in this situation, it just didn’t.

This lack of believability and connection with Tate and Sam made it hard to really feel engaged with the storyline and I felt myself rolling my eyes more than feeling engrossed in the writing. Maybe it’s just me, but I just didn’t love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.