By the New York Times bestselling author who “hilariously depicts modern dating” (Us Weekly), My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a laugh-out-loud romp through online dating and its many, many fails. Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like … terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.
So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.
But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”–Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship…but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear–intimacy–or risk losing her best friend, forever.
Perfect for fans of Roxanne and She’s the Man, Christina Lauren’s latest romantic comedy is full of mistaken identities, hijinks, and a classic love story with a modern twist. Funny and fresh, you’ll want to swipe right on My Favorite Half-Night Stand.
more
My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a bit Big Bang Theory-ish with its group of almost geeky friends who are more like family. Each character has his or her own issues with dating and since they all need a plus one for an event, signing up for online dating just makes sense. As if wading through the clear as mud waters of online dating isn’t confusing enough, things are further complicated when Reid and Millie cross the friendship line. Given her age, Millie’s actions in the book do stretch the believability scale, but she’s such a hot mess emotionally that it works and of course, we get plenty of the wit and sarcasm the authors are known for. As things progress, both in the online world and for Millie and Reid, it’s pretty easy to see the problems before they happen, but the journey is engaging, often laugh out loud hilarious, sexy, and loads of fun – sometimes, all at the same time. What always sets Christina Lauren’s books apart for me are the characters. Even the secondary characters are interesting, love them or hate them, they add something to the story. From Reid’s over-sharing mother to the ever so lovable Ed, this one has terrific characters in spades and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with all of them. All in all, another entertaining, witty romance from these authors.
***4 Stars***
The description was the hook for me.
I mean, we all know how crazy online dating can be, even if you’ve never gone beyond lurking around a dating website (I’ve gone beyond…just putting it out there), so taking a chance on the book was really a no brainer and I found it to be a fun read filled with characters I really liked and the situations they found themselves in amusing and easy to relate to.
With that said, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum. Not a huge one ~ as you can tell by my rating ~ it’s just that…well…as much as I liked Millie and Reid’s journey, I find that it was the interactions between their group of friends, no matter who was or wasn’t apart of them, that was what kept me turning the pages.
Now, this isn’t entirely unusual for me, if you’ve read any of my reviews I absolutely ADORE well written secondary characters and do have a tendency to fall in love with them as much as the MC’s, but here it was more. The friendship, the connections, that Reid, Millie, Alex, Ed and Chris had were so well written that I couldn’t wait to see what they’d get into next. So, Yes. I loved this story because of the very well written ensemble cast instead of best friends to lovers romance going on.
But as far as Reid and Millie’s journey to their HEA. It was an overall fun one to experience and something that felt real with all the highs and the extreme lows they experience because of it. The chemistry between them was obvious on every level and I really liked where they found themselves in the end.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
Move over Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox, Millie and Reid are my new favorite digital pen pals! I absolutely adored everything about this book from the friend circle, to the real talk about the online dating world, to the friends to lovers, to Millie’s journey of self discovery. MFHNS is Christina Lauren at their best: witty dialogue, steamy chemistry, relatable characters, and a few hijinks/shenanigans on the way to a super satisfying HEA!
My Favorite book of all time from Authors Christina Lauren!
They blew me away with this book!
It has everything!
I cried, I laughed, I fell in love with everything about these characters!
And yes I could totally relate to the emotional journey that Millie and Reid have with the dating scene.
I loved the build up of getting to know these characters.
Had soo much fun reading about the ups and downs of the dating scene & trying to find the one.
Well this book is a one click that will leave you smiling & loving falling in love.
Authors Christina Lauren give us another enjoyable and heart felt read that is one you will be telling all your friends that they must read!
5 popped!
Sassy, Quirky, sexy, and so freaking fun I had a hard time putting this down to get anything done like sleep or work! Millie and Reid…I’m not sure who I love more but I could go either way! Millie is the lone woman in the group of friends surrounded by four men who all are in academia at UC Santa Barbara and the book starts with celebrating Reid’s tenure and while celebrating they also come the realization that Obama is the speaker at graduation and they all need a plus one to what will be an “event.” This starts the talk of online dating after they realize they are all in a rut. This can only be good, right? Oh, the fun, the catfishing, the mistakes, the jealousy, oh, and don’t forget Reid and Millie keep sleeping together along the way. What could go wrong! Twists and turns and so much fun from cover to cover. I definitely recommend this one!
Wow what a great story with amazing characters that you are guaranteed to fall in love with! I adore Millie and Reid!! Both of these characters are so great but I especially love how complex Millie is and just everything about her. I love Reid’s dilemma and how that all turns out and where the story goes. All the friends in their group bring something extra to this story line and it truly was so much fun to read. I really like that this book takes a different angle on relationships and is just so much fun while still giving us some super sexy times.
Thank you to Netgalley/Publisher for this ARC!
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “My Favorite Half-Night Stand” by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren, Author(s) of “My Favorite Half-Night Stand” has written a unique, witty, amusing, enjoyable and entertaining novel. The Genres for this novel are Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Humor,and New Adult. The author(s) describe the colorful characters as quirky, slightly dysfunctional, and complex.
The author(s) tackle the subject of on-line dating today for late twenties and thirty year olds, and the trials and tribulations that go along with that. Also the question of can male and female be friends and have half- benefits? I did have some laugh out loud moments that caught both my husband’s and dog’s attention.
Millie Morris is just one of the guys and her best friends are a group of men, that are professionals. Millie is a specialist: WAIT FOR IT: “a female killer expert”, a Professor, no less. Millie has a great sense of humor, and wit, but is seriously lacking getting personal skills. Millie keeps everything about herself quiet. When the group of friends get together to celebrate, a special black tie event is brought up. How are they going to get dates? It is decided that they will try on-line dating. Millie has to brush up her friend’s profiles.
Millie finds that Reid Campbell, one of her buddies seems more attractive than usually. After the group meets, Reid takes a “tipsy” Millie home and the two have a half night stand of sex. The two immediately regret and worry that this could hurt their friendship, and decide that will be the end of that.
Millie finds it easiest to change her On-line profile to Catherine, her middle name, and finds that she is 98% compatible with one man, but the problem is she knows him. I would recommend this fun-loving and entertaining story to those readers who enjoy novels with Romance and Humor. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
Edit
What an entertaining group of friends! I loved the main couple but I loved the group of friends just as much. The fact that they all decided to join a dating app so that they would have a plus one for a work event was pretty comical.
Sometimes I struggle with a friends to lovers story because you gotta get that transition just right to be believable. I admit, at first I thought things were just a little too easy, but the more we learn about Millie and Reid the more believable these two were.
This is the third book I’ve read from this writing duo and after finishing this book, it made me think about why I’ve loved all three so much. I realize they have been like a sneak attack. They start out light, funny and very entertaining. Then as the story progresses, I start to see a subtle shift to a more serious side that just pulls me right in.
It surprises me to get that serious look into these light and funny characters and I love when a book surprises me. This was a fun story and I can’t wait to see what these authors bring next.
My Favorite Half-Night Stand (Kindle) by Christina Lauren This is a great friends to lovers story and I am thankful to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Millie Morris (professor at UC Santa Barbara with a interest in serial killers) Reid Campbell (professor there also) Alex, Ed and Chris all part of the friend group work there also. Millie and Reid and the guys join a dating web site to find dates for an upcoming event. Millie and Reid have a couple or three half-night stands.. and the fun begins…I won’t say anymore and give away the story…but who is Cat? there are a lot of feelings, laughs, some tears, soul searching all leading a very HEA…. I really enjoyed this book.
Last night I said I’ll just finish this chapter and go to sleep… and we laugh and laugh. More than 2 hours later and I was still reading. I had to force myself to stop if I wanted at least some sleep before going to work. This book felt so easy to read. It’s a big mess up were the little lie that opens the door for Millie to show more of her feelings, also snowballs into alter egos, and more lies, and secrets and many other things. But thank God Reid is a man full of patience and forgiveness. after all, he is her best friend. This book is full of fun easy going characters and good friends that really care for one another. A friend to friends with benefits to lovers kind of story. One were friends become family.
I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
This is a new author for me, I was pleasantly impressed with the book. I took a chance on requesting it based off the title and description and am so happy that I had the opportunity to read and review it.
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite stories and Reid and Millie have a relationship that was meant to be. All of their friends saw it, it just took them a while to get with the program!
Another friends to lovers hit for Christina Lauren! Millie and Reid were so relatable. Poor Millie is a bit closed off emotionally (a carryover from her childhood) and has a hard time talking about anything about her past or her feelings. Reid is her best friend and 1 of 4 guys that make up her group of friends. And boy are these guys some characters! Their group chats including the little avatars, were hysterical. Seeing Reid and Millie stumble their way into a relationship, making some pretty big mistakes along the way, was marvelous.
I wish I knew the secret behind Christina Lauren’s awesome ability to publish multiple books a year and make them all unique and have their own story line. I loved Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating that just released a little while ago. LOVED IT! As soon as I saw that My Favorite Half-Night Stand was on pre-order, I ordered it because it’s Christina Lauren. They’re an auto-buy for me every single time.
My Favorite Half Night Stand is another one of my favorites by these two ladies. Millie has an unusual group of friends. Four totally platonic male best friends that she was introduced to by her ex and they’re all co-workers at the University. When Millie gets drunk one night she starts realizing that her thoughts towards Reid are not so platonic anymore. When he drives her home, they find out just how not platonic. The end of having a half night stand (hence the title). A half-night stand is kind of like a one night stand except without sleeping over.
After they sleep together things between Millie and Reid sort of go back to normal. Except the more they try and act normal and pretend their “half night stand” didn’t happen the more they can’t stop thinking about it.
A dating app happens, hurt feelings occur, people open up,, and then.. end of story. I can’t tell you everything, that just wouldn’t be fair!
The characters in this story are laugh out loud funny. Millie’s character growth in this story is impressive. The way she opens up at the end versus being so closed off and skin deep at the beginning is such a win.
My Favorite Half=Night Stand hits all the marks for an awesome romance novel: friends to lovers, relatable characters, humorous writing, and some pretty steamy scenes. Another win for Christina Lauren! Publishes Dec. 4th. Pre-order your copy now!
Absolutely loved it. Christina Lauren may be my new favorite contemporary romance author. This is the second one I’ve read, but I’m planning to go back and read any others.
Millie is so relatable. Her mistakes are understandable, and she’s really well-drawn. Reid might be essentially perfect. The only thing that bugged me about the book is when, early on, Reid notes that Millie has a great body because she swims and eats right. But then basically every time we see her eating, it’s junk food. If she goes swimming at all in the book, I missed it. A female MC doesn’t have to be physically perfect to be sexy. It’s not a huge deal, but it annoyed me. That line should’ve been cut. Or Millie needed to be more health conscious throughout the book. It didn’t affect the book overall, though, and most readers won’t notice.
I absolutely loved this book. This is the first book by this author I have read and I’m so glad I took a chance. This book was funny, charming, sexy, and has great friendships.
Millie and Reid are friends. They hang out with a couple of other guys but the two of them are the closest. However it wasn’t until one night that Millie has a little bit too much to drink that her eyes are opened to just how HOT Reid is. After a night together they try and go back to being friends.
I really liked these two as a couple. From the very first moment these two are introduced, you know they are meant to be together. They already act like they are together except for the physical intimacy. Their friendship was just more..that was why it didn’t seem weird when people found out.
One aspect of this book I really liked was that Reid was the one pushing for more of a emotional connection. He was the one asking for Millie to open up more. This is rare in a book and I loved seeing it from the male perspective.
This dynamic writing duo Christina Lauren is phenomenal and only seems to get better with each published book. Their recent books themes are all about dating, Roomies, Hazels and Josh’s Guide to Not Dating and My Favorite Half-Night Stand, is by far the funniest of the three.
My Favorite Half-Night Stand has all the feels, hilarious, emotional, sad, angry, and a comedy of errors which entail catfishing. Maybe this story hits home for me since I met my now husband online during a time when internet dating was evolving and you weren’t sure what was really happening and taking a risk was scary as hell. Christina Lauren has a way of writing that brings the reader into the story, sucks you into the drama and before you know it the book is completed and your like smiling and thinking about all the scenarios that are like your own life, only deeper with real-life issues at the forefront. Plus they introduce you to new words and phrases like half -night stand, who knew! If your looking for a great hilarious story, look no further!