My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren – Book Review

I love Christina Lauren’s books. My very first book by the duo was Autoboyography, which was an incredible LGBT story about two boys falling in love despite one’s disapproving surroundings. It was the sweetest book, and I highly recommend you give it a read!

After the beauty that was Autoboyography, I knew I had to read more Christina Lauren books. Thankfully, Gallery Books sent me a review copy of My Favorite Half-Night Stand in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler alert, I loved it.

 “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 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.”

Millie is probably one of my favorite characters I’ve read in a long time. She’s funny, strong, smart, and an inspiration, despite her flaws. I love a strong female character! I loved her interactions with her friend group, especially with Ed. Their interactions had me laughing while reading, and it was really enjoyable.

Reid is one of the sweetest love interests I’ve read. He’s kind and respects Millie, and is easy to love. He has no problem with Millie making her own choices with her body – there’s a scene where Millie expresses her anxiety over the fact that she didn’t shave, and Reid assures her he doesn’t care about that kind of thing – and I love that kind of message.

The plot had me so full of anxiety the entire time. I was so scared of how things would end up, but overall it was a fun ride and I was laughing and smiling the entire time. Christina Lauren has a way of even making heavy topics an enjoyable reading experience, and they balance the serious subjects with humor and lightheartedness very well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! If you’re a fan of romance, I highly recommend you give this one a shot. I often find myself getting bored with contemporary romance, but this one had me hooked the whole way through. Christina Lauren has to be one of my favorite author duos in contemporary fiction.

My Rating: ★★★★1/2