The Godparent Trap

by Rachel Van Dyken

Life's Too Short meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling, steamy, and swoon-worthy novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, in which two sworn enemies must share house, home—and maybe their hearts—when they become co-parents after a sudden loss. Colby's living her best as a popular food blogger, she gets to fulfill her dreams of exploring the globe. But her world comes crashing down when a tragic accident leaves her co-guardian of her best friend's two adorable children. Not only does she need to put down roots—fast—but she'll be sharing custody with the one man she can't stand sharing a continent with, let alone a house.   Accountant-extraordinaire Rip values rules and plans. But when he loses his sister and his best friend and becomes an insta-guardian all in one night, Rip sees his organized life imploding. What he really doesn't need is his sister's irresponsible, flighty—albeit kind and gorgeous—best friend making it worse. Rip doesn't trust Colby to take their new responsibilities seriously, while Colby can't believe Rip thinks children will thrive under his rigid control. Yet soon Rip and Colby discover they need each other more than they hate each other. Could it be possible that following their hearts is just what their new little family needs?

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Forced Proximity, Fiction, Audiobook

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2022

About the author

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of mafia and contemporary romances.

Hey guys I'm rarely on Goodreads, if you need to reach me feel free to email!
EMAIL ME: rachelvandykenauthor@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-...

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well if you watch “Life as we know it” (2010) the romcom which has Katherine Heigl ( not a big fan), Josh Duhamel ( same as for him) the plot of this book has a huge similarities with the synopsis of the movie with slightest differences: at the movie: the heroine is strict , annoying, bossy one as the hero is partying, irresponsible, immature one and both of the characters are best friends of dead parents. They are not relatives.
Let’s take a closer look to the plot of the book:
This book is interesting, sad, heartwarming enemies to lovers story!

Monica and Brooks; sweet, lovely couple with lovely two kids ( one boy-5 and one girl at age 3). Monica’s brooding, workaholic brother Rip and her best friend Colby who is also lifetime nemesis of her brother are other two members of the family they’ve created ( both of them lost their parents) They had a car accident when they head out for a trip to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary as Colby and Rib were taking care of their children. They died and now Rib and Colby who barely resist to urge for ripping each other’s throats are the legal guardians of the children who are forced to share the same house and learn how to be parents.

I think VanDyken’s plot is more realistic because at least: one of the parties: Rip: ( his name made me confused because there’s already enough dead in this book) stuck up, control freak, annoying hero who loves discipline, safety, order is real relative of the kids. The reason behind his perfectionism and over controlling manners were realistically told. You can easily empathize with him.

And food blogger, easy going, vivid, entertaining, cute Colby was so much lovable from the beginning even though she is messy and chaotic!

I loved the witty banters and sexual tension between the couple! The opposites attract, enemies to lovers, sunshine meets the grump and a little pretending relationship ( between Banks and Colby) tropes were well blended into the story.

I was so close to give five stars because I had amazing time. I laughed so hard and the emotional parts truly wrecked my heart but the last minute angst the author threw at us was a little unnecessary ( some parts are sweet but it is still a little far fetched with those too spiritual parts) and I have to admit I loved Banks! He’s my man! He reminded me of Bruce Willis’ David Addison character from Moonlighting with his pure charm, long, sarcastic talks, flirty looks, entertaining vibes ! But I hated to see how his storyline inappropriately unfolded. He even deserved his own book!

I’m still giving four I truly had so much and I love this author’s witty dialogues stars!
It’s easy to read and it guarantees so much laughs!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I DID NOT EXPECT TO LIKE THIS AS MUCH AS I DID WHAT 👁👁 it was lowkey painful at times but weirdly in a comforting way? the message really got me & the characters were so cute. Rip & Colby.. a hilarious combination of parents but lemme just say THE KIDS MAAAADEEEE THIS BOOK. truly. they were my favorite part. i was CACKLING. 💀

the ending. the butterfly. the mystery man w the save. iykyk. 🦋🥹

ps: a banks story when? i’ll be there.

“i want the crazy, not the easy.” <3

[Hannah B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨Josh Duhamel would never.✨



The book was listenable but the beginning was inexcusable. That man texted an apology for truly horrible words said to Colby. It may have been one thing if she did something equally as inexcusable but all she did was cry and pass out after seeing the dead bodies of her friends. But apparently that was making everything about her so she should be ashamed. (She pretty soon sets a fire with kids in the house (on accident but…) and honestly have him flip a tit there because at least that’s clear and present danger.) He didn’t grovel and he barely apologized/reckoned with just what the fuck he said. The words just did not fit the story I thought I signed up for.



Yes, they were both grieving but those words did seem in line with his character of the past. In the rest of the book you learn that he’s “always loved her,” was “scared of his attraction,” and was “jealous of how easy things were for her” so apparently that excuses the behavior. The CWs said bullying and I thought it meant bullying of children but I’m pretty sure it meant Rip bullying Colby because that’s exactly how it felt. He seemed like a little kid who didn’t know how to handle being attracted to Colby so he just pushed her down and broke all her crayons. Except he literally told her that her dead friends would be ashamed of her, that she was a drunk, and that everything about her needed to be different. Should’ve thrown in dishonor on her cow too.



He projected everything onto her and I’m sorry but she does not have to endure that ridicule just because he looks good shirtless.



And then they both just forgot he read her to absolute filth?? Immediately after that it was like he was a completely different character. It can’t be growth if it’s instantaneous. Granted, I enjoyed more of the book after the change (because he seemed like a decent human who was grieving) but I literally cannot get over how it was an instant flipped switch. It was like Rachel’s editor said “make him more unlikeable in the beginning” and she just absolutely fucking went for it. Literally the text conversation where he apologized after was a completely different Rip. It almost felt like gaslighting, making her think that it was so normal for him to say those things and then immediately flirt?



And then the ending??? You can’t tell me that was it lmao. Seriously, it just ended after a complete random clusterfuck. The book was short so there definitely could’ve been more added. It felt like you reached the top of a rollercoaster and instead of going down a slope you just fell straight down through the tracks. There wasn’t any falling action?? My jaw dropped when I heard “epilogue” come after that last sentence. I was not prepared. Because I had been liking parts of the story aside from the beginning. (Super cute when he had one of the kids say Colby’s bad cooking was good and the fact that he tips well.)



Overall, this felt rushed and confusing and jarring. I enjoyed the middle because Rip was absolutely a different character. Also the prologue tried to do something and I don’t think it somethinged very well. It started in medias res but I was just hella confused. I thought the audiobook jumped ahead. If only.



⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶*/5



*Two quick sex scenes, vanilla and nothing much to note. Not bad but not great and definitely not good enough in bed to make up for the shortcomings. Hey…they too were short comings 🥹

[sophia (swelchreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buckle up, cuz I have THOUGHTS. After seeing this all over my TikTok feed, I was super excited to start this. Unfortunately, it just really did not work for me. If you have ever seen Life As We Know It on Netflix, the plot is literally exactly the same, and the movie did it better. I'll try to keep this review mostly vague and spoiler free, but there might be some minor spoilers below.

Things I did like: the plot (bc I like the movie), the kids, and Colby. That's pretty much it.

This fell short for me in every aspect. From the start, the prologue was unnecessary. The scene introduced the characters and was a snippet of their first kiss and nothing else, and it was copied and pasted word-for-word into the 60% mark the book, which re-introduces everyone for no reason. Also, Rip really gave me the ick. It's one thing to be rude to the FMC in an enemies to lovers book, but it's another to be a misogynist and suggest that the FMC should automatically know how to take care of two toddlers after never having looked after kids before. He was redeeming himself for a second, but took 10 steps back during the third act conflict when he was yelling at her and blaming her over her literally doing nothing.

[Misha Ahuja · Rating 5 out of 5]

in tears rn will write a review when emotionally recovered 😭

[Grapie Deltaco]

DNF at 20% in.

The way Rip tears into Colby felt less like a clashing between just opposites and felt more like Rip being excessively callous, cruel, and like he felt the need to punish Colby for existing and grieving. It was so difficult to read and still want to experience a story where he gets a happy ending. He criticizes her every move while contributing only the financials in the home.

He doesn’t cook, he criticizes how she cleans, he doesn’t get the kids ready in the morning, and he doesn’t help them at night, he belittles her career with complete disregard of how she’s had to put it on hold due to being a full-time/stay at home mom now because he doesn’t view it as a valid job, and effectively puts about 80-90% of the parental load entirely on her shoulders while never offering to help.

And yet he demands more and more from her while finding joy in getting her angry and pushing her over the edge.

I just can’t put up with this. I don’t want Rip to fall in love and I don’t want him to find joy in Colby. He has so much nerve telling her to constantly grow up for just not being like him.

You can’t make the worst person imaginable flirt with the woman he bullies at inappropriate moments and call this an ideal romance set-up.


CW: dead loved ones, grief, bullying, misogyny

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not entirely enjoying The Godparent Trap. Yes it is sweet and cute but the character development is lacking. Miss Dyken character building is not heart warming.
The banter is also stiff and one dimensional. The jokes are not funny.

I read Miss Dyken book before and I remember I do not like it either. Again, the only thing that I like about this books is the concept and the plot.

3 stars

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is opposites attract/grumpy x sunshine perfection. I absolutely loved this book and I went through a roller coaster of emotions while reading it. The author tackled really heavy topics while somehow making the story feel light and easy to read.

Rip and Colby are complete opposites, he’s the grumpy one and she’s the sunshine (which i’m a total sucker for). This book is the definition of girl falls first but boy falls harder and I adored it!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely DEVOURED this opposites attract, forced proximity, dual POV romantic comedy between two godparents dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy and finding themselves responsible for caring for their best friends' small children.

Colby and Rip have known each other for years but there's always been a veiled hostility between them. When they have to set aside those feelings for the sake of the children they start to appreciate new aspects of one another and slowly the chemistry builds.

Such a great and entertaining story about the challenges of parenting small children, the grief of losing close friends/siblings and finding ways to move on and appreciate the little things in life - even when they're messy and not at all the picture perfect ideal you might have imagined.

Perfect for fans of Life's too short by Abby Jimenez or the movie Life as we know it. I fell in love with hot mess Colby and uptight Rip as they fell in love with each other and their new lives together. Much thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I now have a new auto-buy author and can't wait to read more by Rachel Van Dyken!

[book bruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: death of loved ones, grief, bullying (past), mentions of: car accident, blood, fire, injury and hospitalization, some OW drama (MMC does not reciprocate)

3.5 stars

This is a grief heavy book, but I thought it was done very well. There's no right way to grieve the loss of loved ones and I appreciated that The Godparent Trap explored this. There are plenty of funny and sweet moments too, but readers should take care and check content warnings prior to starting.

I enjoyed the second chance-ish romance between Colby and Rip, but I'm not sure I truly felt their connection. It's hard to know how much of their relationship was a result of proximity and circumstances versus genuine affection. Their animosity and bickering never really made sense to me and the switch to more felt very abrupt. The fake dating with Banks was funny, but it annoyed me that Rip would probably not have come around without that interference. Rip was also very, very mean and critical in the beginning and I felt the switch from enemies to friends took too long, leaving little time for their relationship to shift romantically. The ending drama was too much for me given how heavy the book already was, but the epilogue was very sweet.

Banks as well as the kids were a highlight in the book and they all brought much needed levity to the heavier moments. I read this one very quickly and enjoyed RVD's writing a lot. I did find the book to be preachy at times though and could have done with less religious/God talk. Overall, this was an entertaining read.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Rachel Van Dyken's stories and saw the Godparent Trap as a fun take on the Katherine Heigl movie Life As We Know It. Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoy the Grumpy/Sunshine trope and honestly enjoyed how fundamentally different Colby and Rip were but how they both deeply loved their Godchildren. Overall, this story was swoony, funny, heartbreaking and an amazing story to get lost in.

What I loved more than anything was how real this story felt. You could see that Colby and Rip mourned the loss of their loved ones while also simultaneously wondering how they would manage. I also felt that Van Dyken did a great job balancing the heartbreak and humor in this story while also giving us a believable love story. This was a great read. 4 stars! ~Ratula

***

Hold on to your hearts y'all - Rachel Van Dyken is about to take them on a bit of an emotional ride!

I was really excited to get my hands on this story. Despite the emotional triggers in the premise, I was confident that I was going to be swept away. And I did - in moments and scenes. However, overall I felt like the emotion in this story was told to me rather than shown to me. I wanted a deeper dive, more depth, and more time with Colby and Ben actually building the foundation of their feelings to help me feel more deeply connected to them.

I felt like Ben was mean in the beginning and I didn't really feel like that was resolved. I wanted more...grovel? Something to help heal the careless way he treated Colby at the start. I did really like Colby - though I think I wanted more fire from her. More of her standing up to Ben instead of trying to appease him.

In all, this was definitely an emotional story, but done as a romantic comedy with lighter moments and the messiness of raising small children. I enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read. But it was missing something that kept me from really investing and feeling it. ~ Shelly, 3 Stars

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Godparent Trap is pretty much the movie Life as We Know It but in a book. Colby and Rip become an instant family with two kids when their best friends, who happen to be his sister and husband, pass away suddenly. Colby and Rip had one terrible date a while back and have never really gotten over it…but now they’re living under the same roof…

Rip is an accountant and described as a pretty by-the-book, organized and “everything has its place” kind of guy. Colby is his complete opposite, spirited, emotional and messy, he often described the travel blogger as a “hot mess”.

This was a pretty straight forward read, both dealing with grief in their own way while trying to balance becoming guardians of the two young children under 5. I had a hard time with Rip’s character, he is the kind of guy (at the beginning of the story) who puts down Colby because he thinks she has it “so easy” staying home with the kids while he has to go to work every day and can’t understand why the house is a mess, dinner isn’t made, groceries aren’t purchased, Colby is still unshowered in stained clothes, and the kids are a handful when he gets home. Once he had to stay home with them he finally got it but it was irking to read before that. There is also some side stories with his work friend Banks and a “mean girl” Heather who was mean to Colby in highschool and of course has her sights set on Rip. It was a predictable, quick read and an okay time, but I just never really felt the chemistry or passion between these 2.

2.5 stars. Thank you to the publisher (Forever) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. The Godparent Trap has a publish date of July 19, 2022.

[Sarah Hays · Rating 1 out of 5]

People. For God’s sake. If someone treats you the way “Rip” treats “Colby” in this book, for the love of everything holy, don’t go all goo goo over him. He’s awful. Sue for full custody and get the hell out.
Also. If your sister and your best friend die and you inherit the children, maybe take some damn bereavement leave and figure out how your new life will work. Also, get yourself and those poor kids into therapy, pronto.
Finally. Don’t name your kids Rip. Or Colby. Or Brooks. Or Banks. Or Viera. And definitely don’t stuff a book full of characters with quirky names.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this book started pretty fun but it lost me half way. I mean it has cute cover and some cute stuff but in end I was invested.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colby is a free-spirited blogger, who travels the world and writes about the various food and experiences she tries. Rip is a straight-laced accountant and brother of Colby's best friend, Monica. Colby and Rip are united by only two things--their love of Monica and her husband, Brooks, and their children and their mutual hatred of each other, which has only increased since a disastrous date last year. But that all changes when Monica and Brooks are in an accident and Colby and Rip realize they were named co-guardians of their two young children. Suddenly they find themselves living together in Monica and Brooks' house, struggling to raise two broken-hearted kids while grieving themselves. Rip is appalled at Colby's lack of order and routine while Colby cannot believe he wants to put kids on the same tight schedule he abides by. But as time passes, the two realize they have to unite for pure survival.

"Everything about her bothered me, mainly because she was this force of nature that refused to follow any rules but her own. Rules kept people safe."

This book feels like Life As You Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel's roles reversed. Luckily I find that movie really cute in a very cheesy (and sad) way. Rip is the straight-laced one here, who is traumatized by the past death of his parents and raising his little sister and cannot handle a world where spontaneity (and the possibility of getting hurt) exists. Colby is the free spirit who loves traveling, not planning, and not being tied down to anything. She's also hurt by the fact that she tried to kiss Rip on their one awful date. We hear a lot about this terrible date, but it's still sometimes hard to buy Colby and Rip as a couple--there isn't a ton of character development and it does occasionally feel like they've been tossed together to magically like one another now. The tropes are also heavy with this one between uptight Rip and free loving Colby.

I won't lie, there's definitely some sad parts in this book. The loss of Monica and Brooks is hard, especially reading from a parent perspective. You have to sort of compartmentalize that piece, because romance is a little tough to focus on when you know two kids have lost their parents and Rip lost his sister.

Still, this is a cute story. There are some really funny moments (often involving a geriatric cat, Stu) and the kids are very adorable. Rip and Colby grew on me, and I did find myself rooting for them as time went on. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 so many times, but it also had me 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 throughout the entire book? my emotions need a checkup after finishing this!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: sudden guardian trope, enemies to lover, second chance romance, opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, found family.

If you liked the 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑨𝒔 𝑾𝒆 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆 starring katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, then you DEFINITELY need to check out this book; Colby and Rip finding a second chance for themselves, lots of bantering and bickering, many many signs (if you believe in it), adorable and funny kids, a grumpy cat, and a journey of grieving and personal growth that's sure to bring a few tears to your eyes 🤍

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[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 (rounded up)

I seem to be on a roll with romance authors I've never read, and the streak continues with The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken! This has a lot of romcom qualities to it and it constantly made me laugh out loud. I'm not too proud to admit that this was a cover read for me, so I hadn't looked at the synopsis ahead of time and man was I SHOOK when I found out what the plot of this book was. It starts out very tragically and I had tears in my eyes almost instantly. Thankfully after the shock wore off, it becomes a super sweet and emotional story about making the most of life and dealing with grief. It does handle some hard subjects, but at the same time also has a very lighthearted feel if that makes sense. For me, The Godparent Trap was the perfect blend of funny and sad and it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

It was also hard not to fall in love with the audiobook which is narrated by Maria Liatis & Jacob York. I have only listened to Liatis narrate before and they couldn't have been more perfect to voice Colby and Rip. I can't remember what I thought of Liatis in the prior book I heard her voice, but she did a fantastic job for Colby and in general, the audio is just really well done. There are times when Colby and Rip are texting each other, and I really appreciated having the phone sounds in the audiobook. It is little things like this that really make them stand out from the rest, and it was executed perfectly - highly recommend it! The Godparent Trap does have some steam but it wasn't as much as I was expecting, so if you are a fan of more closed-door romance this could definitely still work for you. If Van Dyken writes more books like this, I am most certainly going to be reading them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Readaholic Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colby is living her best life. She gets to travel to exotic locations and try the most delicious food and then blog about it! She loves her best friend and their two young kids and is constantly hanging out with them. So what if her best friends brother - Rip - is a thorn in her side. He's annoying, controlling and the one date they went on ended up as a disaster. Colby tries her best to keep her distance from Rip.

Rip is orderly, likes thing done a certain way and doesn't like change. He loves his sister something fierce. Which is why he has a hard time letting in Colby - his sister's best friend. Colby is wild, unruly and drives him to distraction. They don't always see eye to eye, but are often in each others orbit.

When their worlds turn upside down and Rip and Colby end up godparents to young kids and end up living in the same house - will they find a way to make their living arrangement work without fighting all the time?

The Godparent Trap was such a sweet romance. I ended up binging this book in less than a day. While it was a bit predictable - think Life as We Know It a movie that came out ~2010 - it was still a good romance. The The Godparent Trap deals with the heavy issue of grief, but it still managed to make me laugh!

I really loved the sexual tension and banter between Rip and Colby. Right from the beginning - whenever these two characters were on the page I had a huge grin on my face. They had great chemistry and I loved how they complimented each other. Where Colby was carefree and fun, Rip was rigid and orderly - but they need both of their traits to make their precarious situation work.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Godparent Trap and highly recommend this book!

CW: death of loved ones (car accident - off page), grief

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Momma said if I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything, so I'll write this: this was certainly a book. There were characters, pages, and dialogue.

[Kaitlynne · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s SO bad I want to give you a zero. But that’s not possible so I give you a 1

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so cute 🥺🥺

[leidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This was a fun and quick read, I wanted to read it mostly bc the synopsis reminded me so much of one of my favorite movies “Life as we know it”.

The book was funny and I liked some characters but the characters and dialogues felt flat and weak. The protagonists go from hate to love all of sudden, the way Rip treated Colby at the beginning was really harsh and suddenly he realizes he likes her they forget everything he said… yeah that not convinced me at all.

Overall, It was fun, easy to read and page turner but it was shallow and it lacked development.


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

[nouran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life As we Know It is one of my favorite rom coms, so I was very excited for this, but the book just didn’t do it for me.. I’m a fan of grumpy/sunshine but Rip in the first half of this book was horrible and I almost dnfed… I just think Rip wasn’t a grump, he just always looked down on her and acted superior, and he was very mean (I know he was grieving but that just doesn’t excuse being cruel to someone) He didn’t even grovel or apologize properly and you expect me to believe he’s always been in love with her?!

[Kenzi Didericksen · Rating 2 out of 5]

& my least favorite book of 2024 goes to……….

[Meegz Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

*5 Stars*

ARC kindly received for an honest review.

I loved this book! I sped through it so quickly, and it was just such a great read. Full of emotion, I couldn't put it down, and I was really hoping for Colby and Rip to come through things they way I wanted.

Thrown into an unthinkable situation, that no family/friends ever want to be placed in, these two are trying to navigate many new things along with their emotions and the journey was a great one to read. I loved these two and Ben and Viera, oh and Banks haha.

I was hooked from the start, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was on the verge of tears a few times, but I was also laughing out loud at others. Highly recommend.

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[Kate ☕ (semi-hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest neither of the main characters were likeable enough... Colby was OK, as Rip said hot mess but I didn't get the feeling, she was a normal chick, nothing special.
Rip on the other hand acted like a major jerk in the beginning - arrogant and stuck-up, so I didn't feel the sudden "Oh, I actually loved you since the beginning" crap. He absolutely didn't give me the "responsible guy" vibes.

The plot would be exciting if only it didn't exist already in people's minds. The book is way too similar to the Life as We Know It movie with Katherine Heigl, and I believe that was the main inspiration.

[Jen (jenslostinthepages) ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I had already learned was that you had to hold on to the moments— even the ones that drove you crazy. Because you never knew how long you had to enjoy them.

The Godparent Trap was an emotional powerhouse that was impossible to put down. I don't think I have ever laughed or cried so much while reading a book. This story easily reached into my heart and owned every part of me! It was heartwarming, beautiful, memorable and going on my favorites list!

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Colby whispered, reading my mind as I tried to fight back the tears that were always threatening, along with the tight feeling in my throat that refused to go away.

Colby was a food blogger, who traveled around the world enjoying life! Rip was an accountant who liked knowing where his life was going. Both of their worlds came crashing down when Rip's sister and best friend, who were also Colby's best friends, passed away. Leaving Colby and Rip with custody of their two kids. The story started out in present day, and then in that next chapter we jumped three weeks into the past. I was instantly hooked. Colby and Rip tried their best to hold it together. But between their grief, becoming new parents and having a past between one another, they were in for a very bumpy road.

My ovaries did a little jump at how good he was with children. I mean, he could be Satan to me any day, but the way he loved those kids, it almost made me forget how horrible he was.
Almost.

I adored Colby right away! She loved her best friend's kids deeply and was passionate about her work. But my heart hurt so bad for her. Not only was she drowning in grief and learning how to function as a new parent, but she was definitely in over her head! With live chicken nuggets, burned toy dragons and disaster after disaster, I found myself laughing and crying right along with Colby! And through it all, there was Rip. To witness her hit all of the highs and lows. During those lows, my gosh he could be so harsh to Colby. Rip was way to rigid and Colby was exactly what he needed in his life!

“Hey, Rip,” I said.
“Yeah.” He was still staring down into the amber liquid.
“Do you hate me?”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile. Just stared into his drink and whispered, “I wish I could.”

Oh Rip. He could be so anal, meticulous and put together, but there was also another side to him. One where his smile lit up the room and where he was intoxicating and seductive. And even when he made mistakes, I still loved him. Famous last words, never think it's easier to stay home and take care of the kids haha! Rip was also drowning in his pain, and the fact that we got this story in his POV too, it'll make you fall even harder for him! Especially when he learned how to extend olive branches and hear his thoughts about Colby, sigh. Even though him and Colby were polar opposites, there was most definitely something there.

I tried not to let air get caught in my throat, just like I tried not to read into any of it, which was basically impossible. But before I could say anything, he was carrying Viera upstairs. And while I wrangled a cat, cleaned up poop, and helped Ben put away groceries, my heart held out a little bit more hope that maybe...
Maybe we were going to be OK.

Within those first few chapters, I already had tears falling down my face and laughter floating out of me, I loved every moment! Know that while the tears didn't stay away for long, through it all there were so many moments of lightness. Such as their texts, but even more happiness could be found during their moments with the kids. I laughed so hard I was crying I don't even know how many times. I loved the bedtime stories! But there were also these beautiful chaotic moments between Rip and Colby, and through it all the tension between them left you begging for them to become more! The tension simmered between them. And when we came back around to that first moment in the book, I literally was screaming out loud! Because I just knew that when they got together it was going to be hot and seductive, and I was so right!

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What do you guys talk about?”
He shrugged. “Dumb stuff like how Stu’s doing, Viera’s dolls, my spelling tests, the time you got kicked out of my jujitsu match—”
I shot a glare at Colby when she snorted behind her hand.
“Oh, and how I pray every night for you and Aunt Colby to get married so we can be a family again.”
Colby froze.

If you love Life as We Know It, you'll love this book! Let it be known that I have been obsessed with Josh Duhamel since he got his start on AMC forever and a day ago haha. And while that is one of my favorite movies, this book surpassed it! I feel soooo guilty saying this and I'm sorry Josh, but this book owned me! I had giddy laughter with Banks. The jealousy with both Colby and Rip was everything! Secrets came out that left me reading even faster. And the times that Rip and Colby learned to work together and looked like a true family was breathtaking and heartwarming. I didn't even get to talk about the kids but they were my favorite kids in a book EVER! The Godparent Trap was filled with happiness, heartache, struggles, sacrifice, love and I loved every minute of it! I can't recommend this book enough!

“You’ll pay for that,” he said under his breath.
“Promise?” I called over my shoulder.
His eyes burned into mine.
It was our perfect moment, the one that defined the rest of our lives, I felt it in my soul.

PS I was curious how many times I cried, because I take notes while reading, and it was 15! I laughed soooo many more times than that, but oh my gosh, see?! This book definitely owned me!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could scream this from the top of my lungs I would, but for now we’ll pretend I’m doing just that…

THIS BOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND I AM IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y’all. I cried. And not just like one little tear, I CRIED CRIED. I’m not usually a cryer when I read (watching videos is a whole other story), but this story truly tugged at my heartstrings and brought on ALL the feels.

I literally picked this book on a whim out of all my arcs and I stayed up wayyyyy too late reading it because it was just that good! I finished it in 24 hours you guys!!!

Colby and Rip are total opposites who are forced to work together (to coparent) after a terrible tragedy happens: Colby loses her two best friends and Rip loses his sister and brother in law. Two kids, one wild, messy woman and a stickler of a man all under one roof?! Oh man, you are not even ready for all the fun that you will endure while reading.

If you liked the movie: Life as We know it, then you will ABSOLUTELY love this book.

This one will have you laughing your booty off, crying happy and sad tears, and make you just feel GOOD. I can say RVD knows what’s up when writing a romance and I’m glad I’ve had the chance to read one of her books ❤️

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Best friends brother
fantastic BANTER
Opposites attract
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy/sunshine

[steff ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ☆ This book was so freaking good !!

forced proximity ✔
opposites attract/ grumpy x sunshine ✔

The author did a great job writing a heavy topic in this book and how realistic it is, but she still made it in a way that was still a light read. It was a fast and easy to read. It's also entertaining because of the banter between Rip and Colby as they tackle parenting from the beginning and then their teasing with one another in the second half. The kids were also funny and made me love this book even more. Viera and Ben, my babies <3

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the ARC !!