Review: The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken

Rachel Van Dyken will tear your heart out and slowly but surely give you hope and put the pieces back together. 

The Godparent Trap tells the story of two Godparents that got the worst news of their lives and became instant parents to two wild but lovely kids.

Colby is leaving her best life, completely and 100% carefree. She is a popular food blogger and gets to travel around the world and experience new things constantly. Her world comes crashing down when her best friend passes away leaving her to co-parent her two kids with her brother. She will have to learn to settle for the sake of the kids. And she will have to learn to get along with her friend's brother Rip, another momentous task since the two have never been able to get along. Colby is a hurricane, a force of nature. Rip is the exact opposite. 

Rip values rules, and plans, and being responsible. He also doesn't know how to grief. Losing his sister, his best friend, and becoming a parent all in one day is a lot. And his sister's irresponsible, flighty, and all over the place best friend, just makes things a lot worse.

What Rip doesn't realize, and I think a lot of people out there without kids don't realize, is that it is not easy to be a parent. If you are a mother, you will hate Rip to start, the man is clueless. He genuinely thinks that while he goes to work everyday Colby is just playing and coloring with the kids as if she were a kid herself without even trying to be a parent. He doesn't stop to consider that maybe things don't get done around the house because kids are hard. And grieving kids even harder.

When it is Colby's turn to go to work and Rip's to stay home with the kids things slowly start to change. I won't deny Mr. Plans and Rules is better at it than Colby, but he also struggles. You know, like most parents.... And that struggle has a few wonderful consequences- it gives the kids stability, it gives them all some room to grief, it makes life just a little bit easier, and it brings Colby and Rip closer. Maybe, just maybe, the two people that knew them best in the world, knew what they were doing picking them to be the kids' guardians. Maybe what Rip needs in his super controlled life is a little chaos, in the form of two wonderful kids, and a woman he can't help but fall for. 

This Saturday, August 19th, 1-3pm, Inklings Bookshop will be hosting another big event- the fifth Bookstore Romance Day! Rachel Van Dyken will be one of over 20 authors attending, signing books and chatting with readers! 

There will be some lovely faces from right here in Yakima attending too! Here are some PNW names you might recognize: Dalyn Weller, Amanda Valdez, Krista Jensen, Wanda E Brunstetter, Stacey Marie Brown, Kristin Vayden, and many more! Join us this Saturday, August 19th, 1-3pm!