Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
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.
Two people who fell in love when things were a little less complicated, run into each other again - feeling the brunt of all kinds of complications.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
🔥🔥🔥 out of 5 steam level
Wow! I cannot believe I actually read a second chance romance that I liked! If I could describe the look of absolute shock on my face while I'm writing this I would try to... but I can't so you'll just have to believe me. Not sure what a second chance romance is? Well, it is the trope where you fall in love once with someone and there's some sort of miscommunication or backstabbing that occurs... then years later you fall in love again. I always hate it! One day in December... Love and other words... It's just not my thing! Yet here I am reading this book and loving it!This book was funny, but the storyline was really strong. I very much enjoyed both of the main characters and would even be interested in reading a novella with some of the side characters. Tate's mother, for instance, would be really interesting to read about!This did have some steam but I would still recommend it to people who like a really low steam romance novel. There were multiple sex scenes in it that weren't close door, but they were not very descriptive either. (I almost tried to rate this a 2 steam level but consulted my friendly steam rating in my sidebar here and decided it HAD to be a three). Definitely on the lower end of seam levels for a Christina Lauren novel! [If you haven't read my review of the unhoneymooners, check that out too because it has a very low steam level and is great for newbie romance readers!]This book took place in Northern California. My old stomping grounds!!! I wish that they would have mentioned specifically where in northern California this book took place, because I love to picture a specific place. I was imagining something kind of like Big Sur, but I would have loved to have a point of reference for that! Regardless the book does get points for even mentioning northern California!
Literally the only thing I did not like about this book was that it needed an epilogue very badly. Very badly. Not even necessarily an epilogue but maybe just one last chapter. I actually thought that maybe they forgot a chapter in my advanced readers copy...that's how much it needed it! I know it's hard to believe I would still rate this at 5 starts but I'm hopeful that they will put an epilogue into the finished book. There is some major vengeance/sass/wit needed in the final chapter, that specifically has to be channeled toward the character who deserves it! Without that chapter the book is missing something... I still loved it, I read it over 48 hours and enjoyed every minute of it! But Christina and Lauren - if you're reading this, please add a final chapter!
Do: reminisce about your dreams when you were in high school/ college. (I'm personally not a fan of longing for the road not traveled- but who says you can't try to get back into an old passion! ...I'm talking about a hobby here not a person! haha)Eat: Strawberries... make a crepe, put them on a pancake, eat them on their own!Listen to: playlist I created for this book on Spotify!
