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A review by momwithareadingproblem
The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken
5.0
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
If you enjoyed the movie Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, 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 honestly 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.
If you enjoyed the movie Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, 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 honestly 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.