From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners and the “delectable, moving” (Entertainment Weekly) My Favorite Half-Night Stand comes a modern love story about what happens when your first love reenters your life when you least expect it… Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak. During a whirlwind two-week … 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.
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4.5 stars
This is only the second book I’ve read by these authors. I enjoyed my introduction to them with The Unhoneymooners, but wasn’t all in yet. This story changed things for me. I absolutely adore this book. The flow, the characters, the storyline, the setting…all are spot on.
The angst and awe of young love is beautifully written. Sam is the perfect first love for any young lady. He is patient and kind, but also flirty and fun. Having lived a pretty sheltered life, Tate falls head over heels pretty quickly. Not only is there a great connection between Tate and Sam, there’s also a freedom Tate feels when they’re together. And then things fall apart…
When Sam and Tate meet again 14 years later the chemistry is definitely still there, even stronger. Which makes things hard on Tate since she feels Sam betrayed her all those years ago and wants nothing to do with him. To the extent that she doesn’t even realize some very obvious things about the movie they are making together. She’s so in her head about her dad and Sam that she is very self-centered for a while; believing her feelings and problems have got to be more intense than everyone else around her on this very isolated film shoot.
From the time Tate and Sam had their first private conversation in the garden in London, I was pretty sure I knew how and why things would fall apart between them. Where I found the reasons forgivable and understand the frantic decisions that were made, it doesn’t make them okay. Yet, when the truth comes out all those years later, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and compassion for Sam. He’s still the same amazing and patient man he was all those years ago when the two first met.
Watching this pair dance around each other was sweet torture. Yet, I wouldn’t have wanted it to play out any other way. They both had some demons to slay about their past before there could be any moving forward.
This story sold me on this writing duo when I was on the fence before. I can’t wait to read more from them.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Twice In A Blue Moon starts out as a really sweet romance. Tate and Sam meet as teens while both are on vacation in London each with a grandparent. They immediately connect and find ways to be alone together, get to know each other and share their private selves.
Their split is sudden and comes with a heartbreaking betrayal that sends Tate’s life off in a new, unexpected and unplanned direction.
“It’s not like you won’t be disappointed regardless if nothing happens. I don’t know why people think permanent denial is better than temporary disappointment.”
I loved the sweet romance between Tate and Sam. I really enjoyed the slow way that the time between their split and their reunion is eventually revealed and the twists involved. #NetGalley #TwiceInABlueMoon
-4 Stars!-
It’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve read Christina Lauren but this book reminded me why I like them so much. A story of not only love but also of betrayal. Tate just wants to be able to live the life she wants without fear that who she really is will create havoc in her life and in her mom’s and grandmother’s life. A world-wind trip to London creates a scene of first love, close bonds, trust, fear and deception. Tate realizes early on that trusting the wrong person can create upheaval in your life. Fastforward 14 years later, Tate is doing what she always wanted to do in her life. She has put the deceit of her first and only love behind her….or has she? When she comes face to face with the one person she never expected to see again in her lifetime, is she able to find the capacity to forgive? And just when she thinks she may finally have a handle on life, another deception turns her world around. True love like what Tate and Sam found in London comes only once in a blue moon. Can they find that second chance in a lifetime?
Tate and Sam met while on vacation in London one summer. Secrets were shared between them and with people they shouldn’t have been shared. Their relationship ended just as quickly as it began. Flash forward 14 years, Tate and Sam see each other again, but will they be able to mend what was broken?
I love Christina Lauren’s books and this was is no different. I was completely hooked from the very beginning. I fell in love with Tate and Sam, their relationship and their stories. Tate had and interesting life growing up and when Sam leaked her secrets her life changed again, she got her dream of being an actress. We didn’t get a ton of Sam’s background and I wish there was more. He loved to write and wrote screenplay for a movie in which Tate is the star and they are pushed back into each other’s lives.
They both had chemistry when they first met in London and spent those two magical weeks together, but there were times I felt it was lacking when they met again. I didn’t feel as much towards them in the future then I did with the past. I was wanting more tension between them. They just kind of avoided each other for the most part.
Overall, this was a good story and if you’re a fan of Christina Lauren you’ll enjoy it. 4.5 stars.
I love second chance romance and was so excited to read this story! Tate and Sam meet in London while both are on vacation with their grandparents. They are young adults who connect and fall in love while sharing their hopes, dreams, and secrets. But when Sam and his Grandfather disappear without a word, and Tate’s most guarded secret is exposed, her whole world comes crashing down along with her heart. But Tate is a survivor who makes a new, successful life for herself at the expense of a closed off heart. Fourteen years later, she is blindsided when she and Sam begin working together. It is hard to forget your first love and overcome so many years of miscommunication, betrayal, and pain. The beginning of their story was sweet but slow for me. I really loved how they reconnect over the screenplay and their work colleagues. I love Tate’s strength and resilience and Sam can be so swoony, but I didn’t feel their connection as much as I wanted to. This is my first experience with this writing duo and I loved their writing style. They created a touching, sweet and heartfelt romance and I will definitely look for more of their work.
Christina Lauren always gives life to their books in away that no other can. Twice in a Blue Moon will touch your heart on many levels as you travel the relationships of Tate and her family along with Tate and Sam.
They met in London when they were young they left an impression on each others lives 14 years later it seems neither of them have really moved on from that initial impression no matter the harshness the world and life through at them individually.
So worth the read, it will suck you in and not let you go until the end.
I am a sucker for Second Chance romances & Author Christina Lauren delivered it.
I liked the unusual story of Sam & Tate.
There is a good combination of love, heartache, sexy times and a very good mystery of why these two did not work out the first time.
This book brought me back to my days living in Hollywood and the people that I was surround by like Tate. It is a world that was brought to life in this story and made it feel so real to be in Tate and Sam’s world. Many emotions flowed reading this book.
Sam was frustrating to like in the beginning but he grew into me and I totally understood why he was soo guarded just like Tate was with their feelings towards one another.
Tons of angst so be warned that you will want to smack these two around and yell at your book in frustration but when that frustration is finally popped, be ready to explode in excitement with Tate and Sam getting that second chance in love,
Very well developed plot and storyline. Many of the background characters I want to know more about and hope to see in future books of their stories.
5 popped!
I love a good heartache! Elizabeth @ Carolina Chic’s Read
Sam and Tate’s Journey into love is not an easy one. It’s filled so much wonder, intrigue and heartache. Tate takes a chance at trusting this man with her desires, heart and body for the first time in her life, then experiences the crushing heartache of betrayal from him. When she see’s him more than ten years later she is rocked to her core. You can feel that with one look that he still wants her, but she does not know if she can trust him. She feels pulled to him thru the entire story, has so many conflicting emotions. Will hearing his side of the story change everything for her? Her heart still belongs to this man.
I loved that we felt the same conflicting feelings as the characters. This was an amazing story.
For those that have a hard time enjoying young love…See it in action. Twice In A Blue Moon is a beautiful whirlwind romance filled with young love and first heartbreak. I was both smitten and wary. It seems my radar doesn’t work right because I was smitten from the get go and wary too late in the game. However, the fool me once rule applies…I was not fooled the second time!
Christina Lauren gave us a cast to fall for, friends to cherish, hunks to salivate over, and acontemptuous, villainous fiend…or so we thought.
Twice In A Blue Moon is a Hollywood second chance romance with plenty of issues to keep readers feeling secure in their own lives. Or at least make them feel at home!
It will be easy to see the fan favorites in the cast but there are a few crew members I’d like to take home with me. Ride or die people are hars to come by. Oh and can I keep Marco? I would give him a good home!
Christina Lauren created a poignant romance where first love gets a second chance and the possibility for a Hollywood ending. Tate followed the rules and kept her paternity a secret until she met a handsome, captivating dreamer in Sam. Their vacation romance, and Sam himself, seemed too good to be true as they fell hard and fast in love and lust. Selling out Tate became a turning point for both. Tate may be on her way to achieving her career goals with this new film, but running into Sam on set is not a good surprise more than a decade later. Despite their past, Tate can’t help but be drawn to the older version of the young man she loved. Twice in a Blue Moon has an eclectic and entertaining cast, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, family, friendships, and Hollywood drama.
4.5 stars
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I have always enjoyed Christina Lauren books and Twice in a Blue Moon was no exception. It is a bit different than some of their novels in the sense it wasn’t as snarky and funny, but to me, that was okay. I felt like this one gave us a glimpse at a different side of Christina Lauren and I’m totally good with that!
When Tate and her grandmother, Jude, took a trip to London, little did Tate know that she was going to meet her first love. When she and Sam met, the interest from both of them was noticeable immediately and the chemistry they had grew by leaps and bounds in a very short amount of time. The two spent two-weeks getting to know one another, sharing hopes and dreams, and secrets, with one another and experiencing firsts with one another. They ultimately fell in love and then it fell apart before it really got started. It was revealed that Tate was the long missing from the spotlight of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Fast forward 14 years and Tate is now a movie star herself and is getting ready to star in the biggest film of her career, one she really connects with, as well as being in a film with her father for the first time. What she doesn’t realize is that the man that she fell in love with so long ago is part of the film. While she wants to fight the feelings that she still harbors for him, is that something she can really do? And when she finally hears him out, will that change anything?
I really enjoyed this story, the characters and how the movie played it’s own part in the story. While this is a departure from Christina Lauren’s previous books, in my opinion it is no less fantastic than their other books.
There is nothing like experiencing your first love; the feelings can be overwhelmingly beautiful and intense. Then when that love is shattered, by the person you love, you feel like your life is falling apart. Christina Lauren has captured all these feelings and more in their latest book, Twice in a Blue Moon.
However, there is more than meets the eye in Twice in a Blue Moon. As I read and thought about this book, I realized that these two authors gave us two-second chance romances within this one book. The passion between Tate and Sam is undeniable, but the poignant, guileless love between Luther and Roberta is what made me adore this story.
“I can’t fathom what it had to have been like for Luther, or the bond that must have existed between the two of them to press on, continue to fight against such bigotry and evil and in the end truly live such vibrant, optimistic lives.”
Tate has found her person in Sam. She has only just met him, and they have spent less than two weeks together, but they have fallen hard for each other. She doesn’t understand the feelings she has for him, but she feels in her heart that they are real. And how lucky can a girl get that Sam feels the same way about her? Tate shares herself and her biggest secret with Sam.
“He just seemed to pull everything out of me: my truth magnet.”
Then betrayal strikes.
Fourteen years later, Tate has her life back on track. She may be the daughter of one of the most successful leading men in Hollywood, but she has worked hard, and now she is an actress on the brink of her first serious movie roll. What could go wrong? Let us say that Christina Lauren takes us on one heck of an emotional ride.
I love the way these two women write. Their books are a joy to read. The character development of both main characters is well done. I found Tate to be tenacious, but also at the same time vulnerable, which made her very relatable. The supporting characters were well thought out and well written. There was a positive balance between the three women in Tate’s life, her Nana, her mom, and her best friend, Charlie. We must not forget Maro, who is Tate’s PR manager and who helps Tate navigate the very complicated Hollywood scene. They all supported Tate in very different ways.
“Marco is my calm, Mom is my home, Nana is my conscience, but Charlie is my wide-open sky, my free-dancing, stargazing wild rumpus.”
Sam, Sam, Sam, what to say about Sam, I loved him and wanted to strangle him at the same time. The man is simple and complicated all at the same time.
Twice in a Blue Moon, hit all my good feels. Twice in a Blue Moon showed us that being in love could be sweet and wonderous at times, but it also showed us that it could also be full of heartbreak and loneliness, but well worth it in the end.
I enjoyed reading Twice in a Blue Moon and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good second chance love story.
** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**
*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion.
Tate and Sam meet in London where they are both vacationing respectively. Tate is there with her overprotective grandmother for a two week vacation and Sam is there with his grandfather. What starts out as a friendship turns out to be so much more. I enjoyed the scenes between the younger Tate and Sam so much. It reminded me of young love and the thrilling feeling of getting to know a person for the first time. Circumstances tear these two apart and they don’t see each other again for another 14 years. Tate is now a famous movie actress and is starring in a brand new film opposite her estranged father. Unbeknownst to her, the screenwriter is no other than Sam Brandis. The same Sam that broker her heart.
I really enjoyed this book so much. Not just the history and romantic aspect of Tate and Sam, but also the different relationships that both Sam and Tate had with their family/friends/costars. There was a level of angst and sadness in this book that really pulled at my heart strings. On more than one occasion I had tears in my eyes.
There’s a reason why Christina Lauren is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The writing is seamless and so beautiful. There will be sentences that I read and have to immediately re-read and let them soak in because they are just that beautiful. My only qualm with the book is that I wish there was an epilogue. The ending felt a bit rushed for me and I wanted more.
Thank you to Gallery and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. Twice in a Blue Moon releases October 22, 2019.
“Twice in a Blue Moon” by Christina Lauren
And just like Tate… my heart broke at least a couple of times… and the tears flowed as I continued to read on searching for the smile to come. It is a contemporary romance story and I did not want the story to end. I wanted an epilogue, will you want one too? I received a free ARC of the story from the publisher. And, I loved this story from cover to cover. Hope you will love, or at least like it a whole lot, too. Happy Reading !!
Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren … I loved the Unhoneymooners and hoped this would be as funny and easy to read. It seemed to drag a little for me… took to long to get through the past. I’m sure some will love it and I don’t wish to turn anyone off….I just enjoy lighter reads…thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book.
3.5 Stars
I absolutely loved watching Tate and Sam fall in love as young adults.
Tate’s life had been so sheltered and there was a huge hole that was partly a result of that sheltering. Living a life where she couldn’t tell all her secrets, she finds herself opening up to Sam without a second thought even as she’s falling in love. But when all her secrets are blasted out for everyone to see, her young heart is broken and life takes a decidedly different turn.
’He’s the one who taught me what love looked like and felt like and then taught me it’s a lie.’
This is written in two parts. The young Tate and Sam and the present Tate and Sam, fourteen years later. I adored the young Tate and Sam. They were fun and engaging and shared all their thoughts, hopes and fears. It was everything you expect to read in a first love story. Of course, the heartbreak was sure to follow – second chance romance, right? I felt Tate’s devastation and pain when Sam betrays her and I could only cross my fingers that he either didn’t do it, or he had a very good reason to do so.
Fast forward fourteen years and this couple meet again. The angst is high, the uncertainty gnawing at me, and I couldn’t put my kindle down. And then, it just all kind of fizzled out. There was barely any Tate and Sam time, no real getting to know you again, no real connection. There was certainly animosity on Tate’s part and that fed a good part of the book. But the romance took a backseat to her dissecting her thoughts and emotions not only about Sam, but about her relationship with her father.
This was a nice, enjoyable read but I did skim a bit when I just wanted to get on with the story, with Tate and Sam. I wanted to love every word here, and they are beautiful words, but I read this for the romance and it was lacking in the second half of the book. Of course, there are some freaking amazing secondary characters and I loved them all while hating the ones I was supposed to hate, but again…I wanted more of this couple.
Nevertheless, this was a good read and one I’m sure their die-hard fans will adore
I need more than 5 starts. I was so invested in this story! To the point that my mood changed completely. I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know how the story would turn out so that I could function. I was hooked. How their love was born was charming. How it was ripped apart was devastating. How it was mended was challenging. But after betrayals and disappointments, growth and understanding, love and trust is put to the test. This story is just lovely and perfectly written. I had no reason to feel so in tune with Tate’s character, no personal experience that was similar. But I still did. It captivated me.
It was interesting reading this because the last Christina Lauren book I read was Love and Other Words, which is also split between the past/present and involved characters separating from betrayal and reconnecting. But in this case, I liked Tate and Sam a bit more, and the situation was a little more fantastical and easier to suspend any disbelief.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters had depth and true personalities that came out in the great writing. The story was terrific with tension and so well written.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“The worst thing I ever did was for the best reason I ever had.”
Heartbreaking and heartwarming. This is a story of first love and betrayal. But also about “free-range, bottomless love”.