I received this book via the publisher, Forever. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken Published by Forever on 2022-07-19
Length: 352 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2022, 2022 New Release Challenge, COYER 2022
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 life: 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?
If you enjoyed the movie Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, than you are in for a treat. The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken is, at times, a heartbreaking romantic comedy about two opposites who find themselves raising their best friends’ children after they are killed in an accident. The book begins a few weeks after Colby and Rip take shared custody of their godchildren, and everything is falling apart. Colby is doing her best, and Rip hasn’t grieved so his grief comes out in anger toward Colby. How will these two set aside their differences and do what is best for the kids?
I devoured this book in almost one sitting. In fact, I blame it for my current reading slump as nothing has compared to it. I loved Colby and Rip individually, but together they are magic. The chemistry was a little hard to buy into though. Rip is not nice to Colby from the moment we meet him. She’s constantly trying, trying to be a good mom, trying to be someone she isn’t, trying to please Rip, and she fails at every turn. Rip’s grief is slowly eating away at him. He didn’t just lose his best friend. He also lost his little sister. Now, he has to raise his niece and nephew without them and with a woman who drives him crazy. Cue the frustratingly funny moments.
Van Dyken utilizes two of my favorite tropes in bringing Colby and Rip together: forced proximity and enemies to lovers, though the latter is a lighter version of the trope. After Monica and Brooks die, Colby and Rip learn that the pair chose them to raise the kids in their will, not separately, but to coparent. This makes sense from a parent standpoint. These two people are their best friends, the kids are familiar with them, and their personalities balance each other out. To Colby and Rip, it is a nightmare. Not only are they grieving, but they have to learn to live with one another and somehow help the kids through their grief. While this is a romantic comedy, it is also a found family story showing how the four become a tight family unit.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Godparent Trap. It was easy to root for Rip and Colby from the start, even when Rip was being a bit of a jerk. I loved the kids. They were a fantastic addition to the story. Seeing what was happening through their eyes was heartbreaking, but also uplifting. With laugh out loud moments and times where the tissues are required, The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken is a must read for fans of heartfelt, romantic comedies.
About Rachel Van Dyken
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she's been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable sons, naked cat, and two dogs.
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