The Unhoneymooners

By Karishma Mishra, BA Honours Journalism

Design by Nandana Menon

“And now here I am, about to come face to face with my nemesis, Ethan Thomas while wearing the shiny, flayed pelt of Kermit the frog. “- Olive

Have any of you ever thought of going on a trip with someone you hate? Probably not, but Olive and Ethan decided to take this risk for the sake of a free vacation to Hawaii. To uncover all the twists and turns of this vacation, buckle up for a romantic and laughter-filled ride with Christina Lauren's novel, The Unhoneymooners. It embraces one of my favourite tropes—enemies to lovers—and is an absolute must-read for fans of chick-lit and romance.

The story starts with a wedding ceremony preparation- between Olive’s twin sister and Ethan's elder brother. The couple is supposed to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon which is a fully sponsored trip won as a reward. However both of them, along with all the party guests get food poisoning, leaving only Olive and Ethan with this golden chance of a free trip. Unfortunately for both of them, this price comes with one condition- they have to pretend to be newlyweds. But soon, the act becomes reality, leading them to genuinely fall for each other.

My favourite thing about this novel is how beautifully Olive grows as a person - from a pessimistic girl who thinks of herself to be the unluckiest human on the earth to a strong, confident and happy go lucky person. Over the course of the book Olive does a lot of soul searching and she finally finds out who she is and what she wants. I love her for her character development. And of course, she speaks my mind-

“I can appreciate my body in a bikini and still want to set fire to the Patriarchy”-Olive

My favourite character is AMI, the twin sister of Olive. Firstly because she is a strong and confident woman and secondly because she always supported  Olive and never made her feel less worthy than herself.

Apart from the hilarious banters and cheesy romance, the book also focuses on important themes such as family bonds, cheating and jealousy. The story highlights the role of family support in times of turmoil. Olive had no one to talk to about what she was going through but even in this situation, her family tried to keep her happy. They also helped Ethan to regain Olive's love and trust .

Coming to the conclusion of my review, I just wanted to assure you that if you've not laughed for the last few days or just want to spend a good time while lying on your couch, this is the perfect read for you.

⚠️WARNING: You need to control your thoughts and delusions while reading about Ethan because he is literally the perfect boyfriend. (But oops he is fictional !!)