Title: Twice in a Blue Moon
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance
Publication: 10/22/2019
Read: October 2019
Format: Digital
Pages: 368
Rating: 4 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Dealing with Racism, Angst

Goodreads 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.

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I requested this book on NetGalley. Christina Lauren is an author I have heard a lot about, yet I have never read one of their books (writing duo). I figured I had nothing to lose, so I jumped right in. 

This book has everything that an angst lover will love, you have young love, betrayal, unrequited love, and the entire gambit of emotions throughout this book. I did think that this book started off a bit too slow for me, but once it got to 40% mark, it picked up, and I didn’t want to put it down. 

The best part of this book was the characters. I loved seeing Tate interacting with everyone. It was fun to watch her grow and become the woman she was in the second half of the book. My favorite interactions were Tate and Charlie. I just loved seeing that friendship on the page. I really just loved Tate’s character, and I would like to read more books with her. Sam, on the other hand, fell flat. I never connected with him as a character. I struggled to think of him as a love interest, so I was thoroughly unimpressed with the romance part of this book. 

Even though I wasn’t feeling the main character’s love arc, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the plotline, and I love reading all of the angst. Angst is one of those things that has to be done well, or it becomes too much. Fortunately, this writing duo knows how to write angst. It was believable, and it not over the top. This was an incredibly emotional read that genuinely made you feel for Tate and to a lesser extent Sam. 

All in all, this was an excellent angst-filled read that I would recommend to many readers. I just wish that I liked the main love interest more. 

Convinced you want to read this book? Here’s where you can find it!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Goodreads

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. You still get the same great price but you’ll be supporting my blog through your purchases.

If you love Christina Lauren’s books I highly suggest taking a look at Samantha Young’s novels. She too writes great angst and amazing characters!