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

What a fun and cute book! I've enjoyed Christina Lauren's books in the past, but this one is hands down my favorite.



Hazel is quirky and fun. I absolutely adored her and appreciated that she knew she was quirky and owned it. None of this being embarrassed about it nonsense. She's an elementary teacher who works with her BFF Emily, and Emily's husband Dave (who were also awesome). She's encountered Josh a few times before, but finds out at a party at Emily and Dave's that Josh is Emily's brother. This leads them to a friendship and the strange idea to set each other up on blind double dates.



These blind double dates are hilarious and go wrong in the strangest of ways (as it only can with Hazel). I enjoyed reading them and also you can really feel that Josh and Hazel are being pulled to each other.



Josh is Korean American and I loved that some of the Korean traditions and family views were woven in to the story. I'm glad to see that his culture was not ignored, but embraced.



There is a bit of a veer from the main plot near the end that I can see some readers not enjoying (don't let that stop you though, it's such a small, small piece at the end). It didn't bother me at all, but it was unexpected as I didn't feel like the book needed it, but it also led to Josh and Hazel having a conversation that we all know is awkward, but important nonetheless.

This was such a sweet, fun read!
I loved Hazel so much! Hazel is a sweet,charismatic, goofball with a beautiful confidence. She knows who she is and if you can’t accept that you can get out! Josh is so sweet and doesn’t like her despite her quirks but because of them. Um, how frikkin awesome is that?! BRB crying myself into oblivion😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜💜. I love the dynamic between Hazel and Josh it’s so cute. I don’t want to say much because I don’t want to give away spoilers but read this!

If you love happily, ever afters this book is for you!

This book made me laugh and made me cry( but not sad cry, happy cry👍👍) I give it 5 out of 5 stars! I can’t wait to read more from Christina Lauren.

I have been a huge fan of the authors behind Christina Lauren since their very first ”Beautiful Boss” series( it’s also one of the few series I’ve re read and I don’t do that often). I loved loved loved Josh and Hazel and adore the fact that the authors brought Josh’s Korean culture into the story and made it more than just a way to portray Josh. From the food, to the correct (obviously researched) family terms of endearment, to their customs and way of life- I came away with a better understanding of the Korean culture as a whole. I adored Hazel and the fact that she was ok not gribfvoerfrct because no one is. Another home run for this duo and I can’t wait to see what they come out with the next. If you love witty banter and flawed characters that are good at heart you’ll love this book.

The Delight

A romantic comedy that has a quirky young woman and a total opposite kind of guy trying to be matchmakers for each other was a fun filled read and a good time for any adult reader. Best friends to lovers at its best!

Review

Hazel has a memorable meeting with Josh back in college. The kind that will embarrass a person no matter who you are. Their second meeting is even worse. Hazel decides she wants Josh for her best friend and then doesn't see him for almost ten years. In those years, she has graduated from college two years after Josh and has become an elementary school teacher. Her best friends are Emily and her husband Dave, who both adore her. But Hazel has never found love-not for real love anyway. The main reason she thinks is her quirkyness. She has no filter so she says what she thinks-no matter how weird or embarrassing it is. She's pretty much a free spirit and not adverse to dancing or singing at the strangest times. She burns everything she tries to cook pretty much and keeps an assortment of pets. She's also beautiful, charming and actually a very good person. She takes after her mother who doesn't look like Hazel, but is also a free spirit. Her father left them after telling her mother that she was an embarrassment. When Josh and Hazel meet again, she decides once again to make him her best friend. And she is successful, which kinda shocks her-and the reader.

When Josh and Hazel decide to set up friends of theirs with the other and double date, the results are fun at some points and disastrous at others. So a lot more characters enter the book at frequent intervals. For me, that kept the story moving and kept it fun at the same time. Many times, Josh and Hazel would rather it just be them together, but neither will admit it. Hazel has a huge insecurity problem due to all of her problems in her past with other relationships. Josh is getting over a pretty major break up. I can't forget to mention how gorgeous Josh is and that may also be part of her friend zoning him.

I've read a few books by these two authors and have loved all of them. There's many more of them for me to indulge myself in so that's my plan. I even have an audio one from the publisher that I can't get open for the life of me. But that's another story. This book was different than the other ones that were all part of the same series(Wild Seasons, if anyone is wondering)as it is a standalone. Personally, I had so much fun with the characters that even though there is an epilogue, I could see another book with them in it. But since that's unlikely to happen, I'll just be happy to have read such a well plotted and paced book. A novella maybe? It continues to amaze me how two authors can write a book together so seamlessly without the reader being able to tell. But they do a beautiful job and I hope to read many more by this writing duo.

Highly recommended to adult(due to steamy scenes)contemporary romance and romantic comedy readers. 4.5 Stars!

Funny and sweet, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is a delightful modern romance. Their dating escapades will have readers chuckling as they keep setting each other up on increasingly terrible dates.

My husband just loves it when a Christina Lauren book is released. Why, you ask? Oh, because he is forced to listen to me quote passages to him. I mean, how can I NOT share the hilarious banter, the quick wit, and the crazy antics? It’s just too good not to. Girls and guys, if you have a book group in need of a comedic romance read... THIS.IS.YOUR.BOOK.

Hazel is adorkably funny, yet confident in her quirky take on life. Josh is a straight-laced blast from the past that in the words of Hazel is, “ -- the blueprint for perfect.”

Together they will navigate the world of blind dating and building a friendship. I can’t sing its praises enough. It’s rare to find a interracial relationship romance to read that doesn't stereotype or bring up heavy societal issues. Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is a real, honest blueprint of reading perfection.

“But at the end of the day,” she says, and puts her hand outside the open window, letting the wind pass through her fingers, “being myself is enough. I’m enough.”

All the stars and puffy hearts for Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.
~Tanja

Josh and Hazel

"I’m a satellite that’s found its safe-space beacon."

A feel good book that will have you laughing and sighing with joy bursting out of your heart from the beginning.

This book was just fun to read. Hazel is such a character! She's just herself and doesn't apologize for it.

I loved the slow burn and getting to know the characters. The events that Hazel and Josh go through were fun to read.

The friendship that developed was so authentic and yet a little out there.
This is one of those moments where you can't help who you fall in love with.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is everything I've ever wanted in a Christina Lauren book. It's hilarious, sexy, swoony, relatable, and generally amazing. This is my favorite CLo book they've written yet, but I say that every time.

Hazel has always being quirky all her life. Meeting Josh Im during college she felt a kinship but he was not interesting in a romance with her she was just too excitable to his calm spirit. Though she wanted more from him she would settle for friendship. Fast forward seven years later and Hazel and Josh meet again through coincidence and there starts again for Hazel the thought of being his friend though secretly hoping for more. What follows as the title illustrates they set each up on blind dates that just don't go anywhere until there realize just maybe after all these yers they just might be compatible after all. Sweet read of acquaintance to friends to best friend to lovers to marriage and family. Review on Goodreads and amazon.

4.5 stars

Very good read about a dorky girl and the guy who is bambozzled by her over the years. Hazel can be a bit much to take at times, (her mouth just keeps going and going) but she's a good person at heart. Josh can be a little stuck up (judging from the thoughts in his head that we can read) but slowwlllly over the years he comes to appreciate her quirkiness.

Could Not Put This Book Down!

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is a stand-alone contemporary romance by Christina Lauren.

Hazel Bradford is the life of a party. She is eccentric, fun, and crazy ridicules with a giant heart of gold. The problem is she knows she is a lot to handle and so do most of the men she dates. All of Hazel’s past relationships are short term with most being casual hookups. Josh Im has known of Hazel since college but was never very close to her. Most occurrences he’s had with Hazel left him speechless with her lack of filter and utter craziness. Ten years later they meet again after Josh is left in a rut after his cheating girlfriend. Hazel is the medicine he needs to dig him out of his self-loathing with her free spirit and fun. So they become fast BFFs and set up each other on disastrous double dates.

This book! OH MY GOSH! The best rom-com story I have ever read! This book had me at Aliens … and yes I’m speaking of the second movie in the Alien franchise cira 1986. I bonded with Hazel immediately because this is also my favorite go to movie and who doesn’t like someone quoting from Aliens?! So Hazel… she is a maniac but she is the best kind with quirky hilariousness and who wouldn’t want her as a best friend or girlfriend? I laughed so much in this book its ridicules. This story is like the movie Ace Ventura When Nature Calls kind of laughing. Yes Hazel is as obsessed with animals just as Ace is. Josh has his own kind of funniness. He is reserved with this dry sense of humor that it compliments Hazel perfectly. This is an awesome fun story. Hazel and Josh’s friendship (and maybe more) is adorable and it’s a great book to read after reading several heavy reads. This was only my second Christina Lauren book I have ever read and I will be reading more. Thanks Netgalley/publisher for the early copy! I will definitely be buying a paperback copy of this for myself once released and maybe some copies for friends.

"The world seems full of men who are initially infatuated by our eccentricities, but who ultimately expect them to be temporary. These men eventually grow bewildered that we don't settle down into calm, potential-wifey girlfriends."

What a cute book! This is my third book by Christina Lauren and, wow, I really do like that duo. One of my favorite things about their books is their humor. I feel like I could be friends with them in real life because I love the banter and jokes they write. This book was fun to read and I read it SO quickly, so I can say I recommend this for sure.

This book stands out to me more than their other books because you can tell that they really, really tried to expand their stories by including more diversity. And I loved Josh, the love interest who is Korean American, and I really liked his sister and family. I say this every time I review a book that does this well, but I looooove when authors include families in romance. It makes me happy.

The heroine of the story, Hazel, is a blast. She is totally Jess from New Girl but, dare I say, better. She is weird and quirky and unapologetic about it. I found myself actually laughing out loud at her just, like, doing life and the things she says. She's really fun and full of heart and has way more energy than I'll ever have in my life and I adored her as a character. I aDORED her plotline of not changing who she is for a guy. It was really refreshing to see a character like her. You really don't get heroines like Hazel very often. Josh and Hazel balance out each other very well. When you put over-the-top Hazel and way more chill Josh together, it gets super adorable. If you're looking for a cute friends-to-lovers book, then you should probably pick this one because it's full of angst and has some pretty hot scenes, just saying.

While I did mostly enjoy the book, I found a certain plot point to be very... strange. I can't say anything specifically because of spoilers, but just know that that is part of the reason why I'm not rating this book higher. Because of this Choice they did in the book, everything after felt incredibly rushed and all of a sudden, the ending is here and you're like... wait, what?! I don't know. I just personally felt like all of that should have been more drawn out. Another thing that was a weird choice was actually including a homophobic slur in there, without really calling it out. The person who says it is making a point of someone else saying it and how they're uncool, but why did that character repeat it? It just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like seeing that word typed out. It was just pointless. I don't think Christina Lauren was really thinking that one through. Agh. Okay. Glad to get that out of the way.

All in all, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is a lighthearted, entertaining read. Perfect for summer, especially.

Hazey Crazy. Every guy she has dated has so much fun with this vivacious, funny, endearing character until a few weeks in - when they are utterly exhausted by her antics and suddenly feel embarrassed by any unwarranted attention. Hazel is beautiful, sexy with a heart as big as Portland but she definitely beats to her own drum. And she is okay with that. Hazel happily teaches third grade and the kids are her salve to a world where many people just don’t get her. Her mom does. Her new friend Emily does. Emily and her husband Dave have a BBQ and Hazel bumps into Josh Im, the blueprint for Perfect. The guy was her TA in college but had never taken her seriously and seen her in some compromising situations. Seven years later, they are reunited. He is Emily’s brother and down in the dumps after a recent breakup. Hazel cannot resist the challenge to cheer Josh up and become his new best friend. They are complete opposites but somehow really get each other. Her playful personality is exactly what this serious guy needs to turn his life upside down. This adorable love story of friendship reminds us all that the key to real happiness is to always be true to yourself. Highly recommend this easy and enjoyable read, surely another bestseller from the wonderful writing duo Christina Lauren.

5 Stars - This is my favorite Christina Lauren book to date. I absolutely loved Hazel and Josh. Their friendship and later chemistry was so good. I loved that they were quirky, I loved their friend and family dynamics. I am so glad that this book features a POC as one of the main characters, and appreciated the depth that it added to this novel. I particularly loved Josh's family dynamics and how his heritage shaped his character. As always with their books I laughed out loud so many times, but I also was fairly emotional about it, which is rare for me with a romance. I loved the epilogue. I loved the whole thing. Highly recommend.

This story of an unlikely friendship grabbed my heart and I did not want it to end. . Josh is steady and reliable and Hazel is uniquely Hazel. Hazel meets Josh in college in very memorable fashion, In fact all the times they meet Hazel leaves an impression. They meet again years later and discover that Josh's sister is Hazel's close friend and colleague. Hazel is determined to become Josh's best friend and so they embark on a series of friendventures. A story of friendship and being true to yourself..

The writing duo that is Christina Lauren stands near the top of my list of favorite authors. They’re such a powerhouse of unstoppable success – every book consistently great. And Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating falls perfectly in line.

My one and only gripe, if you can even call it that, was Hazel. I really loved Hazel. She’s a non-traditional heroine with a lot of quirks and I loved that she was unapologetic about who she was. However, I did feel from time to time like they were trying too hard to make it clear just how “odd” she was. I’m just used to their characters feeling a bit more organic. But I wouldn’t even really consider this a detractor, per se. It was just something that I noticed.

But like I said, I loved Hazel. I love when a heroine is comfortable in her own skin and doesn’t doubt herself. I envy those traits myself. She knew that she was eccentric and wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but she was willing to be patient enough to find the people who she would be right for. Both in friendship and romantic relationships.

And then there’s Josh. Wonderful, kind, funny, sweet, sexy Josh. I love a good friends-to-lovers story, and this one was kind of the ultimate. They were best friends and I loved seeing them sort of fall in love with each other in that way that best friends do first. Friends are so special, especially those few that are once-in-a-lifetime kind of friendships, and so even getting to experience that with them was wonderful.

And then I did all kinds of swooning. I loved this book – it was sweet, cute, fun, and sexy. I definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a little joy, and of course recommend it to anyone who is already a Christina Lauren fan. There’s nuggets in there of all the things you come to love and expect out of a great Christina Lauren novel, and there’s some individual specialness to it as well. Definitely pick up this adorable book.

If I had known how much this book was going to make me smile, I’d have done some face exercises or something to prepare. Because, seriously – SO. MUCH. SMILING. My face hurts! In the VERY best way.

Even writing this review, I can’t seem to turn the wattage down on this grin. GAH! This book was freaking adorable. I loved every single minute and that is not an exaggeration. The romance here is perfection. It’s an effortless, slow-burning friends-to lovers story with the most easy to love hero and heroine I’ve read in a very long time.

I adored them. I can’t say enough good things about how their relationship evolved. I can’t even decide who I loved more. For most of the book it was Hazel. Hazel is my spirit animal. Quirky and weird in a way that caught me completely by surprise, it was impossible not to love her. I want a Hazel. I mean, if I’m being honest – I might (definitely) have a little (giant puppy dog) crush on her.

But then -- Josh. Lord. Josh was a fantastic hero in his own right. He was perfect complement to Hazel’s occasionally over-the-top personality. I had this fondness for him for most of the book that just exploded into this teary, breathless adoration by the very end. And now? I'm just completely crazy about both of them. One of my favorite book couples of 2018, easily.

Good gravy you guys. This is just so brilliantly written that my heart was on overdrive the whole way through. Josh and Hazel hit all of my sweet spots, dead on. It's sweet and sexy. I laughed out loud (a lot). My heart clenched and ached and burned while these two took their sweet time finding their way to each other. And…did I mention the smiling?

SO. MUCH. SMILING.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is easily one of my favorite reads this year. It didn’t shock me or pull me out of my comfort zone, but anything that makes me smile like this cannot be ignored as a top contender. This is a feel-good book from start to finish and so if giggles and heart eyeballs and that delicious “falling-in-love” feeling is what you’re after? Josh and Hazel are here for you. GET. THIS. BOOK.