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Title: Twice in a Blue Moon
Author: Christina Lauren
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Trope(s): Second chance romance
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Heat level: Low, mostly off page
Alright, so before we get into the nitty gritty here, I just want to make one thing super clear: I love Christina Lauren. They are probably my favorite contemporary romance authors and anything they write is a go-to for me. When it comes to my own writing, they are one of the ones I most want to emulate. However, I had heard so many mixed reviews about this book that I went into it expecting not to like it. And I’m kinda glad I went into it with those low expectations because I think it actually allowed me to enjoy more of the book than I would have if I went into it expecting it to be classic Christina Lauren.
Twice in a Blue Moon is a second chance romance, which is definitely not my favorite trope, but it’s one I have actually enjoyed in the hands of some of my favorite authors. It’s told from only the female main character’s perspective, which I actually really enjoy. The book starts with a young Tate on a trip to London with her grandma. It’s the summer after her high school graduation, and like most eighteen year olds, she’s struggling to find her voice and her identity. She and her grandma meet Sam and his grandpa Luther and the four end up hanging out often during their trip. Tate and Sam meet up each night in the hotel’s garden to talk and share stories and get to know each other in that sweet way youngins like to do. Obviously they end up falling for each other, and they end up sleeping together (and it’s Tate’s first time). They start making tentative plans to try to have a long distance relationship when they get back to the States. That is, of course, all blown to hell when Sam sells some very private and sensitive information about Tate to a London tabloid (Tate’s dad is a famous movie star and there is a lot of angst and unresolved issues there). Tate is devastated by the betrayal.
Cut to fourteen years later. Tate and her father are starring in a movie together. Since the London debacle, Tate has become a young star, starring in a popular TV show and then transitioning her career to film. This is the first serious role she’s been given, and though she is anxious about working with her dad, she is excited to take the next step in her acting career. So imagine her surprise when she finds out the writer of the screenplay is actually Sam from London. They haven’t spoken since Sam sold her out, and when Tate first sees him, she is (understandably) shaken. It takes her a while to be able to focus on her role, but eventually she comes back to herself and is able to nail it. And along the way, she and Sam find their way back to each other. Also involved are some serious dad issues, some super fun friends, and some fun tidbits about life on a movie set.
Okay. So while I didn’t love this book, I definitely didn’t hate it with the vitriol that some others in the book community have so far. I think the number one complaint I’ve seen is that Sam doesn’t do enough to apologize for selling Tate out, and I agree with that statement. But once he explains his reasons to Tate, I think she understands why he did it, and that’s enough for her. While I enjoy a single perspective romance, I think this one would have benefited from some chapters from Sam’s POV because until the very, very end of the book, it doesn’t come across that he has been pining for her and regretting how much he hurt her for fourteen years (and to be clear, he doesn’t regret selling her out–he says that more than once–he regrets that he hurt her). I personally didn’t love Sam, and that made it hard for me to connect with the story as a whole, because I want to love my heroes. I found myself picturing Tate with several other side characters, which is not a great sign in a romance.
The other main thing I found lacking in this book was passion, which is so odd for a CLo story. There is really only one on page sex scene (post losing the virginity which was tame) and it didn’t make me feel anything. Normally in a CLo book, I’m fanning myself down after each sexy time, but this one, not so much. And while I don’t necessarily need hot sex in my romance books, I need there to be some sort of physical longing and pining, and I just didn’t get that here. I want them to not be able to keep their hands off each other, and these two seemed to feel pretty lukewarm. Tepid. Not a great word when it comes to romance.
The strength of this book is in Tate’s character and the side characters. I really liked Tate, I liked how she handled the problems that came her way. I liked her interactions with her parents, especially the dad stuff. Her best friend/make-up artist was delightful and I would love to see her in her own book. I also enjoyed the Northern California setting and getting to be on set during a film production. It’s like the subplot and side details of the book were so good, but the love story was forgotten, which is a problem when you’re writing a romance.
With all that said, I still enjoyed the read. I didn’t devour it. I didn’t fall in love with it. I don’t think I’ll read it again. But I liked it, it didn’t feel like a waste of time to me, and I didn’t walk away disappointed in it. Because it’s Christina Lauren, I think it affected my overall opinion as I tend to go a little more positive with my favorite authors, but really, I think anyone who enjoys a contemporary romance would find something to like in this book. It’s not their best work, but it’s certainly not the worst contemporary romance I’ve read lately.
Overall Rating: 4 stars
Are you a CLo fan? What did you think of Twice in a Blue Moon?