I know… It was supposed to be for Feb 2026. But I caved. I’m weak, so weak.

My Introduction to Christina Lauren

I don’t know which year it was. On Goodreads, The Unhoneymooners was a rage. 

I’ve never read a Christina Lauren book, even though I have been tempted. I was browsing through others’ reviews of their book The Unhoneymooners. Then some other book but same author duo, and then the next. It’s one of those things I do to kill time.

Anywho, I got a sense that readers are divided. Some were all praises, some were too critical. I was busy with other stuff and didn’t know if I’d enjoy it. Long story short, I never got to reading them.

Until 2026.

Amazon Original Stories series a new way of reading many authors I haven’t read before. The series has short stories and novellas suitable for reading in one sitting (or two, if you’re lazy/workaholic like me). It doesn’t take a lot of commitment, and was the perfect way to meet Christina Lauren.

I think that’s a very long intro.

Moving on.

Recap

C mistakenly emails T on a Valentine day. Even though the misunderstanding is cleared, he email the next year as well. And the next. They keep in touch year after year, sharing stories about themselves yet not revealing anything too personal. Slowly, over a decade, they begin to question if they could have something more than a pen-friendship.

Review

THIS.IS.AMAZING.

And what a great way to be introduced to a new author (author duo in this case).

It’s a novella that span more than a decade. Isn’t that amazing? The last story I read where MMC (incidentally named Callum) and FMC (Kate) knew each other for veryyyy long (32 years) was Ruth Jones’ Never Greener. It was a long book, very good, but long. This book makes us experience years of relationship in less than 100 pages, which in itself is a great deal. I dabble with storytelling, so I know how hard it is.

This is epistolary story at its best. This is also slow-burn romance at its best. It was inherently funny, not laugh-out-loud funny but one that keeps a smile on your face throughout, with occasional tear-jerking moment. There were some f-bombs much later in the book, and some dirty talking (sorry for the spoilers) but nothing, absolutely nothing explicit. 

LOVED IT.

 

Notes

42%
so life goes on even when hard things happen.

 

44%
best kept secret is that we have the best February of any place in the world.

 

56%
Isn’t it everyone’s dream to have a library like this?
Shabana Mukhtar: I know, right?

 

90%
“Dinner.” He cutely mimes spooning food into his mouth. “Sun goes down. People eat.” “Like a date?” “I hope so? I intend to flirt.”

 

94%
It’s my conundrum wrapped in a mystery tied with a puzzle shoved in a pickle jar.

 

The Final Verdict

Must read.

~