I had a hard time finishing this book because I didn't like either of the main characters. Having said that, the plot was solid, the ending positive. But not my fav Christina Lauren by a long shot.

"Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating" by Christina Lauren
What a fun read ! I wasn't sure I should have accepted the ARC gift from the publisher.. but boy oh boy am I glad I did ! I had such a good read spending time with Josh and Hazel.. as they stumbled about like toddlers learning some truths about themselves and each other. Just to let you know there is some heat in this story... not too intense but if it is more than you care to read... you can easily skim over those few bits of prose. Can you tell that I found this a real page-turner? I hope you find this as fun to read as I did.

This is by far my favvvvvorite Christina Lauren book!!!! I think this is their best yet!!!! I Looove Josh and Hazel!

The quirkiness, fun, no apologies of her personality, take her as she is, sweet and loves to see the best in people. Her character is soooo loveable, she's perfect. She meets hot, blueprint for perfect Josh in college. Every meeting is awkward, embarrassing and Josh never really taking her seriously.

Seven years later, they meet again, and they are a work in progress to become best friends. Josh needs more fun in his life, and who else could show him the way, but Hazel. They set each other up on dates and go on double dates. I love the dual POVs . Josh accepting all of her for who she is, the progression of their friendship, their progression into their feelings for each other. I love the way Josh's sister and him argue over who Hazel's best friend is. I love that they love having her in their lives that they fight over her.

This is definitely one of my favorites in 2018!!! I've already reread it again!!!! Loovvved it!!!

This was a fun rom com book. The sex scenes were a little too detailed for me and made me roll my eyes but I LOVED Hazel! What a terrific character. She was so funny and I loved her style and personality. I enjoyed this book.

JANEANE

I have yet to meet a word of Christina Lauren's that I haven't adored - and this is still true after reading Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.

It is a rom-com, but it isn't really a rom-com if that makes sense? It is so much more than that.

Josh and Hazel aren't even dating... each other. I did laugh at some of the "double blind dates" they set each other up on, though even as they are on dates with others, you could fell the attraction between our lovelies. You can't help but want - no need - them to be together.

No better way to start a romance than by being best friends, right?

I absolutely adored Hazel and all her quirks. My heart hurt for her as she feel her quirks are against her. Be yourself girl! Forget what anyone else says!

I gotta say, I think that Dave and Emily - Josh's sister and her hubby - were some of my favourite secondary characters I have read in a long time. I could picture them sitting on the sidelines, eating popcorn and watching Josh and Hazel dance around each other, knowing where things would end up.

This book was just cuteness personified. It was funny, it was sad, it was just lovely.

I can't wait for what this duo brings us next.

** WILL GO LIVE ON BLOG AND AMAZON AT RELEASE TIME **

A more feminist take on the manic pixie girl, Hazel owns who she is. Josh, the seemingly more brooding type, can certainly use a friend like Hazel after a relationship ends due to a cheating girlfriend.

I love me some stories with UST and this does not disappoint!

Expect a ton of fun banter and descriptions, laughs, silly scenarios and a smile on your face. I was a little annoyed at the last 10% of the book, but I think that was my personal bias.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2427885841?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This book was an ARC I requested simply because I liked the set-up of a woman with no filter having an uptight male best friend. I was totally prepared to hate the female protagonist because she’s someone who gets drunk too often and says things even she knows she shouldn’t even when she’s not drunk. But I wanted to see how the author pulled it off. And she really does make it work, I think because she portrays a protagonist who has a huge heart and is completely herself and unwilling to let anyone change her. I’m so tired of reading women’s fiction about women who spend their lives counting calories, buying high heel shoes, and trying to please friends, family, and employers that Hazel is an entire hurricane of fresh air.
Hazel Bradford has known Josh Im since college, where she thought him a total hottie, then threw up on his shoes. His patience and understanding impressed her, even though there wasn’t any other connection. Some years later, they meet again through Hazel’s best friend, who turns out to be Josh’s sister. So Josh is pressed into service when Hazel needs help, and when Josh’s girlfriend turns out to be a real loser, Hazel decides to help him as a return favor. Because she has a heart as big as her mouth, Hazel refuses to let Josh hurt over someone who never deserved him, so she goads him into double-dating, with each of them picking dates for each other.
The results are often funny, poignant, and the relationship builds beautifully. Josh’s sensitivity is almost too much to believe, except he’s from a family that expects the oldest son to take care of his those he loves and has trained him to look after others. It may be a little over the top, but I enjoyed every moment that they tortured each other, then pulled together against the world. A keeper!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40189670-josh-and-hazel-s-guide-to-not-dating

I haven’t read many books by Christina Lauren, but this is my absolute favorite! I haven’t laughed this much while reading in a longtime.






Let me paint you a picture of these characters, Hazel: an extremely loving tornado with no filter. Josh: sexy AF, loving but very structured.



After Josh breaks up with his long-time girlfriend, Hazel can’t stand to see her roommate (roommate you ask? Why yes, you’d never guess how that happened) mope around being depressed all the time. She makes it her personal mission to set Josh up and this ladies and gentlemen is where the fun begins!





If you are looking for a fun and different friends-to --lovers book this is it!

I've read a few other Christina Lauren books and have had mixed feelings on them, so I was excited to find that I enjoyed this one more than any of the others! For everyone who likes the friends-to-lovers trope, this will be a perfect read. It actually reminded me of the tone of some of the best 2000s rom-coms and the new Netflix rom-com, Set It Up. It was light and fun and cute without being at all over-the-top. I enjoyed both the characters and Josh and Hazel--Josh especially felt like a fresh approach on a hero. The string of double dates were pretty entertaining, and I liked the timeline of Josh and Hazel realizing their feelings for each other. Their friendship was fun, and I really appreciated the mature and kind ways they treated each other (especially Josh). Altogether a fun read!

Christina Lauren are one of my autobuy authors, I will read anything they write. Currently Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating and Autoboyography are tied for my favorite Christina Lauren book. I loved this book SO MUCH.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating follows Josh and Hazel, two friends who haven't seen each other since college as they come back into each other's lives and rekindle their friendship. The characters and their chemistry is amazing. Hazel is such a weird, awkward, endearing person, and I love her character so much. At times she seemed a little too over the top, but I love that she is so unapologetically herself and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her.

"When I meet someone I love, I become and octopus and wind my tentacles around their heart, tighter and tighter until they can't deny they love me just the same."

Don't even get me started on Josh. He is the PERFECT love interest. He is so kind and caring, and not overbearing and controlling like a lot of love interests tend to be. He cares about Hazel and their friendship. He loves that she's herself, and stands up for her when people look down on her for her personality. He's so supportive of everything she does, not only is he the perfect love interest, but the perfect friend.

I love how Josh and Hazel's relationship progresses throughout the novel. The two characters get along so well, and the way their friendship progresses to a romantic relationship feels authentic. I love that for most of the book they're friends, and don't quickly jump into dating. A huge part of the book, and one that I really enjoyed was when they tried to set each other up on dates. The people they set the other up with end up not being what they expect, and always end up paying attention to each other instead of their dates.

I got an eARC of this book, and I can't wait until September when I can go pick up the physical copy and reread it again!

If you've read Christina Lauren's newest release, let me know what your favorite part is. If you haven't read it, tell me what you're looking forward to with this book!

*Arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

After reading and really enjoying Roomies by the Christina Lauren duo I knew that I had to keep reading more from them so that I could keep getting my light contemporary fix. And I thought what better way to keep this up than to read one of their latest releases.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating follows are two main characters Josh and Hazel (obviously lmao), who met a few years back in college after a…. pretty messy situation. Hazel has always been the fun quirky girl that enjoys life to the fullest and has had her fair share of OTP moments and verbal diarrhea (compliments of booze most times). Josh has always been the responsible guy that was more on the reserved side and maintained a sense of calmness in throughout his life. The two have met again after college and because if Josh’s sister being a new best friend to Hazel the two find themselves being together more and more. Josh still can’t understand how someone can be so energetic and quirky all the time and Hazel still feels a big infatuation for Josh. A big leak in Hazel’s apartment prompts Josh to invite her to stay with him until all is well with him and with the new living arrangements comes a new group dating thing where they each set one another on a date with someone and then double date. Because the two of them are definitely not dating.

Even though this is only my second Christina Lauren book I have to say I’m really enjoying reading their work. Light, fun, and with a small little bit of angst I feel like you can’t really go wrong with their books. I started Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating late one evening and before I knew it I was a little over halfway done and trying my hardest to stay awake and continue reading, but alas my eyes gave up on me lmao. I woke up the next morning and devoured the last half in no time at all and I have no doubt that had my eyes not betrayed me I could’ve finished in one sitting. This was such a fun easy read, which is perfect for these long (and hot af) summer days.

I thought that Hazel was a fun character that kept the hi-jinks and fun throughout the book and she wasn’t afraid or ashamed of who she was. I loved the relationship that was shown between her and her mom because I feel like sometimes in romances the parents can either not be present, or their horrible people. Hazel’s playful relationship with her mom, and the fact that they were so close and talked about everything together and how her mom always uplifted her and taught her to be confident in who she was even if she was a bit weird to others around her was so relatable to me and I loved having it presented in a book. I do think sometimes that her quirkiness was a bit much and it went from a part of her personality to something that was kinda forced and over the top in a way. But other than that she was a pretty fun character.

And I have to say that I loved that Josh was Korean American. Diversity has been more present in traditionally published romance books here lately and as always I’m here for it. His family was also very present in the book and seeing his family’s traditions throughout the book was so interesting and refreshing. Hazel was quick and respectful to how his family did things differently, she never turned her nose up to any cultural aspects that were important to them. Josh was a character that took a bit to open up but once he did his personality would show a bit more and his relationship development with Hazel was fun to see unfold.

One thing that I docked some stars for was some pacing in the book. I feel like some point towards the end things were kind of going from point A to B pretty quick. I wish there had been a bit more pages at this point for the relationship to have a tiny bit more time to show developing into the new phase it was in. And some other developments at the end I think needed some more time to flesh out because it felt like it was one thing, then another, then before you knew it the book was over and you were reading the epilogue. I also felt like there was something missing for me. I can't put my finger on what exactly, but there was a feeling of wanting more as I read, especially more towards the end.

But overall I think that Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating was a quick, lighthearted read perfect for summer reading, and it’s sure to give you fun and feels. Now excuse me as I try to make time to FINALLY read the Beautiful Bastard series.

This was my fourth book by Christina Lauren, and I think it's safe to say that I'm a big fan. 

I loved Josh. I loved Hazel. I loved that they met back in college and that it was a disaster. I loved that, years later, they became best friends and then more. I loved that we really got to know Josh and Hazel as people before reading about them together.

I'm so glad that I read this book when I did. I really needed something light and fluffy to sort of reset my brain and this did the trick. I'm sorry that this is such a short review, but I enjoyed this book so much and would highly recommend it.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was a hilarious, steamy, totally charming romance. Hazel was eccentric, but just as all of her friend's say, she grows on you! She and Josh were so believable as best friends and lovers. The obstacle to their relationship (her feeling like she was too weird for him) was a little contrived at points, and that one sex scene (if you've read the book, you know which one I mean) was kind of bizarre and a little cringey. But otherwise, this was the perfect romantic romp and I can't wait to read more from Christina Lauren!

HAZEL. Okay, at first I wasn’t sold on her, but as the story progressed I fell madly in love with her quirky spirit. And the relationship development was everything a reader could want—it helps that Josh is what dreams are made of. This is a romance book that will keep the reader completely involved, and it doesn’t even have any ridiculous or unbelievable plot points. I may have finished this book in one sitting, and I may have the biggest smile on my face after that ending + epilogue. To avoid spoilers, but still give you something to look out for, there’s this moment with a hat that just really gave me the warm heart feels! I need all of you to read this book, so you can experience this funny and warm romance.

4.5 Stars!
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is the story of an unlikely friendship that turns into more. Josh and Hazel met in college. They weren't friends, but they had some priceless interactions with each other. Fast forward ten years, to Josh and Hazel running into each other at a party. Hazel knows Josh is too hot for her (plus he has a girlfriend), so Hazel decides she and Josh will be best friends. Despite Josh's hesitancy to be Hazel's friend, their platonic friendship blossoms. When Josh and his girlfriend break up, Hazel and Josh start a string of horrendous double blind dates. Soon, Josh and Hazel begin to realize maybe they're setting each other up with the wrong people.

Oh my goodness. This book! It was so entertaining. I could not put it down. I absolutely adored everything about it. This is one of the best friends to lovers books I've ever read. The way Josh and Hazel became friends was perfection. The way their friendship turns into more was perfection. The whole stinking thing was just so cute and entertaining.

I adored Hazel. She was super kooky, but she had the best heart. Hazel wasn't afraid to be herself, and I loved that. I could understand how people were easily drawn into her orbit. I loved that she knew that the friends that stuck around through her weirdness were the special people in her life. She was such a special character. She's now one of my all time favorites.

Josh was just as amazing as Hazel, but in a completely different way. He was the calm to her storm. Josh was more on the uptight end of things, and I loved how Hazel brought him out of his shell. My favorite thing about Josh was his ability to see the beauty in Hazel's quirky personality. Josh and Hazel were so magical together. He loved her for who she was and didn't want to change her. Hazel was the same way about Josh. That's what love is, people.

My only disappointment with Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was the predictability of it. I could see where this book was headed before the 50% mark. It actually wasn't that big of a disappointment for me. I still enjoyed every minute I spent with it. In fact, I utterly adored every minute. I am in love with this book!

It doesn't shock me that I loved a book Christina Lauren wrote. They're quickly becoming on of my favorite writing duos. What surprises me is how each book is so different and unique. While the highly emotional Love and Other Words is one of my favorite books of 2018, the hilarious Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating could easily be was well. To me, that's the sign of incredible writing.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise, I fell in love again! My list of book boyfriends is quite long but damn, lately my list of heroines is rocking the charts.

I love, absolutely love, when a book builds your characters up, let’s us readers really get to know them. I love how this author duo can do just about anything with their stories and they are so good at telling their stories. It’s what I love most about them.

Josh & Hazel, meet in college. Have many run ins (most not good occurrences), but are so opposite that they just know they can never date. Like ever. Don’t even try knowing it just wouldn’t work.

Josh is the straight forward, follows everything by how it was written in the books to do.



Hazel, how to explain her……. Unique, a breath of fresh air, she’s the one you see laughing uncontrollably at something not so funny, she’s the one that loves crazy things, she doesn’t care how out there she is, she just lives life happily, for her.



So flash forward years later when Hazel is at her best friends BBQ party and comes face to face with Josh, whom she hasn’t seen in years and happens to be her best friends brother….

So what happens when both have made it known that, yes indeed we aren’t compatible and could never date???? Yeah, I can’t give the good deets, you have to read this highly entertaining, laugh out loud, sweet, and so lovable book. The chemistry, the sexual tension, and the god damn slow burn, you’ll definitely feel. This is a stand-alone story of two best friends that are looking for happiness for each other. It’s unique, it’s so very humorous, this story down right made me laugh, can’t count the times I swooned, and I definitely lost track of how many times I smiled. Pick this one up upon release if you are needing fresh, funny, unique, and so very entertaining❤

*eARC kindly provided by Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley*

I thought this would turn out to be a 5-star read, but it lost me a little bit near the end. I just didn't care for where the storyline ended up? Even if that epilogue was feelsy? And it took a long-ass time for Josh and Hazel to finally be like, okay I'm totally in love with this person so we should probably stop trying to date other people now. Still, it was SUCH a solidly good book, fucking laugh-out-loud-funny (the shenanigans the two of them get up to + Hazel's lack of total chill + the hilaribad dates made for a fun read). And I LOVED their characters! Well, all of them really. Hazel thinks she's Too Much and that's why she's scared to jump into a relationship with Josh. But they complemented each other *so* well, and it was stupid because Josh is totally in with her. He gets her, he loves her as she is, all wild heart and messy life. Josh was the BEST; so sweet and thoughtful, completely attuned to Hazel and her needs, such a caretaker. I loved him with his Korean parents, and his sister, Emily. Emily and Dave are two of my fave secondary characters ever, and I just wanted all the banter between all of these friends and siblings forever. So yeah, this book is definitely worth giving a chance! I dare you not to fall in love with these two and their ridiculousness.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren is the best contemporary fiction novel I have read in a long time. At first, looking at the cover, I thought it was be okay. But it proved me wrong on so many levels. The novel was out of this world good. Stunning, engaging, heartfelt, and well-written...It was super easy to get lost within Hazel's and Josh's world. Both were so interesting, that I couldn't stop reading. I had to know more about both of them. Hazel is the typical ordinary girl who felt like a loser due to her lack of trouble. She is always having some kind of embarrassing thing happen to her. I felt a deep connection to Hazel. She's full of life. Funny, real, and entertaining to be around...while Josh was kind, clever, and charming. Two completely opposite people coming together in unexpected ways. I loved following their story. Overall, I would recommend it to readers worldwide.

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this book. This is the first thing I've read by this author pair, but you can bet that I'll be picking up their other book soon enough. I saw this one reviewed on a blog and thought seemed like my thing and Hey! reading something with a Korean-American lead would be different.

The characters really made this for me. Hazel is wild and does things people would find crazy, yet it is her style and she won't let anyone tie her down. Josh is the neat and orderly one, but not so much that he freaks out at what Hazel does, but finds it amusing. They just fit so well together!! Another part about their relationship I liked was how they actually felt like friends-- usually when books do friends to lovers they don't always feel like normal friends first, more like almost-dating friends. Josh and Hazel though were totally friends, not wishing for more nor acting weird around each other, which is why I think their relationship progresses into what it does.

I really enjoyed the first 1/3 of this book and I laughed out loud for soooooo long at some things. After a big thing slightly changes their relationship, things become more complicated and it slightly dimmed for me, while the last bit of the book seemed to be much more intense! And then the epilogue is a huge time jump!! I wish it had said how much years they jumped ahead, I think that would have made it easier to adjust. Although... now that I think of it, isn't this the way K-dramas usually go??

So, it was a hard decision between 4 and 5 stars, but I enjoyed reading this so much and laughed for so long I had to give it 5. I definitely recommend this to romance lovers and I look forward to picking up more by Christina Lauren.

I have read most of Christina Lauren’s book. They bring in the right kind of sizzling romance. I love their Beautiful Bastard series. I binged read those book in 2017.

When I read the synopsis of this book I was intrigue. This a unique friends to lover romance.

Hazel is a big, eccentric character. She met Josh back in college and she has had a crush on him. However after a series of encounters like throwing up on his shoe in a party, a painkiller induced email, well nothing came up.

Flash forward 7 years later, Hazel discovers that Josh is her best friend’s Emily brother. They reconnect and Hazel makes a declaration that she will be Josh’s best friend. The story unfolds from there.

Characters: I loved Hazel and her personality. She loves big! She embraces herself and accepts that she is not going to change for a relationship. I felt for her and her past relationship.

Josh is Hazel’s opposite but they mesh well. I think he brings to the relationship a sense of stability.

I loved Hazel’s mom. I really appreciate that they had a good relationship. Actually in this book the role of family was prominent. Josh’s parent were loving and present. They embraced Hazel and her eccentricities.

Plot: Much of the story is Josh and Hazel hanging out. They go on a series of blind dates together which I think it’s an interesting experiment.

The last 5% of the book took a dark turn which was explained briefly in the epilogue. However I wished we would have dived deeper on the issue.

Romance: In comparison to other Christina Lauren’s book this is not as steamy. This was a sweet friends to lovers relationship.

What I feel? I really love the themes of never changing or dull your light for a relationship. I admire Hazel for standing her ground. I found this book inspiring as I look for a relationship, I don’t want to change my values, what makes me me in order to fit someone else’s standard of what is right.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This review will be posted in What to Read Next Blog on September 7, 2018