In MY FAVORITE HALF-NIGHT STAND, Millie Morris and Reid Campbell are two friends in a group of academics on the faculty at UC Santa Barbara. With the commencement banquet on the horizon, the gang decides to dive into dating apps. But in the midst of getting their profiles set up and testing the waters, Millie and Reid end up sleeping together. I’d call it accidental, but we both know, right?
After getting a bunch of less than desirable matches (read: D pix), Millie creates a new profile, “Catherine,” and finds herself matched with Reid. As Catherine, Millie is able to open up more with Reid. And as things progress, Millie ends up being jealous…of herself.
My Favorite Half-Night Stand has echoes of Lauren’s Wild Seasons series — a group of friends, California setting, friends getting involved — but I love that it’s set in a college town and focused on the faculty, not the students. (Hit the bricks, Shaylene). I love that Millie teaches criminology instead of some field more typically associated with women.
Christina Lauren has hit a sweet spot in their writing, coupling the funny, sexy rom-com they’re known for with more emotionally complex topics. My Favorite Half-Night Stand not only looks into the crazy/shady that is online dating, it explores emotional intelligence, empathy and forgiveness. Millie is allowed to be flawed. Christina Lauren keeps it sexy (never doubt it), but I’m loving the continued evolution of their work beyond the hot hookup. I’d love to see them do more in women’s fiction.
Any book that deals with technology and/or the Internet runs the risk of being dated almost immediately, but Lauren integrates just enough of the group chat among Millie, Reid and their crew to make it feel current. They talk about how they’re too young to be this old when their buddy Ed goes over terms like ghosting and thirst trap. No one’s pretending to be young and cool.
The catfishing element is bound to piss off some readers, but Millie isn’t looking to humiliate anyone. She’s not being paid to impersonate someone or trying to get famous off doing it. More than anything it’s a coping mechanism to get around the fact that she has trouble letting people in, even the ones she knows IRL. I can’t get mad about that. It’s not even Cyrano de Bergerac, it’s Millie the whole time.
Millie holds her own as one of the guys, and she’s totally relatable as a woman who plays her emotional cards close to the vest. She and Reid are the most developed of the characters, but Lauren has also created the framework for what could be a pretty entertaining series. In fact, I’m already declaring myself a member of the Ed fan club. If there’s anyone who’s got more online dating horror stories I need to hear, it’s him (and Alex).
4 stars.
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