Review: The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken

Thank you Forever and Grand Central Publishing! All thoughts are my own.

I truly was not prepared to give this book 5 stars. But what makes a book 5 stars? It’s a gut reaction for the most part. I didn’t have a busy weekend, i would have read this book in one sitting. It totally drew me in so when i finished it, I immediately had to give it five stars. I held my attention and made me feel all the feels, in the best way.

I simply loved this book and it came at the perfect time for me. It’s heartbreaking and I cried a lot. But it was also hopeful and funny and sexy. After the last two and a half years of things being so awful, I think it’s nice to lean into the things that bring us peace and I think that’s what this book represents. Some people may roll their eyes at it, but I like to lean on hope. How else are we supposed to keep going?

Synopsis:

“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?” —Bookshop.org

What I Liked:

  1. The Pacing—I thought everything was paced so well and nothing felt forced, rushed, or even unbelievable given the circumstances.

  2. The Balance of Emotions—I laughed, I cried, I swooned, I fell in love. And I also felt that sick feeling in my gut as I walked with these characters through their grief. Grief isn’t something we ever get over, it’s a part of us. And I think that was evident in this story.

  3. The Characters—I love all the characters! Ben and Viera were adorable and so sweet. My heart broke for them. I liked Rip and Colby as well! I loved their grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract situation. Plus, the best friend’s brother trope! And even Banks, outrageous as he was, brought a lot of levity to the story.

What Didn’t Work:

  1. Brief Mentions of Faith—As someone who has a very complicated relationship with Faith/God/Prayer, I wasn’t turned off by the subtle mentions of a higher power. I didn’t think the author shoved it down the reader’s throat, more so was leaning on the hope we have to find when we lose someone we love in a tragic way. I really don’t think it was annoying or propaganda-ish. Especially with how conservative Christians are trying to take away freedoms in the United States, I was nervous, but I really wasn’t turned off by the very brief mentions (like, minuscule) of prayer/Heaven.

Character Authenticity: 4.5/5 Steam Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

grief, loss, death of parents, death of sibling, death of best friend, car accident, fire, ICU stay