In this new rom-com from our rom-com favourites. we follow Casey and James who are the assistance to reality- -home-renovation TV stars! The stars are about to go on tour for their new book which means a vacation for Casey and James...that is until the rumour mill starts with infidelity and trouble in paradise gossip and suddenly Casey and James are forced to go on tour to keep the peace between the two stars, who by the way are on tour to promote a book on how to have a happy marriage! .
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I loved Casey and James! They were great characters and I really enjoyed their relationship. They had great banter and it was so satisfying to see them stand up to their bosses near the end! .
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Casey is a really great character. She is so loyal even when her boss doesn’t deserve it, and she really tries to see the best in people. I don’t often do this but I found myself thinking, she’s a total Hufflepuff, throughout this book lol! .

I did feel that the ending was a little rushed and I would have wanted the big climatic event to happen a few chapters earlier so that we could see more of the aftermath recovery progress Casey and James made.

I really enjoyed this story! Christina Lauren delivers a fun story, with some laughs, verbal battles, and good tension. The dual POV worked really well for this story, and I felt that the story moved at a good pace. Overall, I’d recommend this one - a fun, light read!

Disclaimer : I got an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Let me start off by saying that I have had mixed experiences with Christina Lauren's book, on one hand Autoboyography is one of my all time favourite book and on the other I absolutely hated My Favourite Half-Night Stand was one of the books I hated/really couldn't enjoy at all no matter how much I tried.
Now this was more of a meh situation, I enjoyed it quite a bit but nothing that makes me want to re-read it or will make me remember it in vivid details.
The bosses in this story are such assholes, while our two main characters are well developed and the story was funny, unfortunately the same cannot be said about the romance. Now I read these type of books for the romance, so you can imagine the kind of disappointment I felt through this story especially knowing the type of romance these two authors can conjure.
If you enjoy humorous fiction then this is totally perfect for you, the first couple chapters are slow and more about Tripp's, then we get an insta-love/connection and a sort of jump to an HEA ending. While this was a new direction for their books to go, in my opinion it missed the little humf that makes me love them and get hooked on their romances (when it happens).
This was okay, though I wouldn't exactly qualify this as an romance.

If you want a great romance by them go for Unhoneymooners, it's a sure hit

-Bookarina

I’ve been a fan of the Christina Lauren duo’s writing for many years and looked forward to reading their latest joint venture. It did not disappoint.
Carey is the assistant to Melissa, part of the celebrity home decorating couple who has risen to fame over the decade that Carey has worked for them. The job is not easy, particularly since Melissa’s fame has gone to her head. But the job is important to Carey for its health benefits - something she very much needs. James is an engineer who lost his previous job due to scandal. When he is hired to work with Rusty, the other member of the famous couple, he soon sees that his job isn’t what he felt it would be. He also sees how badly Carey is being treated. Carey and James begin working together to try and control the couple from publicity disaster, and develop a relationship along the way.
I enjoyed this book, and the moments of humour found in the authors’ work. Their writing style is always easy to read with great flow and character development. It simply is a joy to read. The book is perfect for those that love romantic comedies.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

I received an ARC through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 / 5 stars

Carey has worked for Melissa & Rusty Tripp for 10 long years. In that time, the Tripp's small store Comb + Honey has become a design powerhouse with TV shows, multiple stories, books, hungry paparazzi and more.

James has only worked for Melissa & Rusty for several months. A engineer shoehorned into the role of Rusty's assistant, James is using Comb + Honey as a stepping stone to a better job. Then Rusty is caught screwing another woman just days before going on the road to promote the Tripp's new book on marriage, and James and Carey are forced to come along and watch the Tripp's.

As the cracks in Melissa & Rusty's marriage continue to splinter and break, James and Carey are finding an attraction to each other building. This juxtaposition is quickly apparent to both couples.

This was not my favourite read from Christina Lauren. Melissa & Rusty's relationship and the attitudes they had were actually unpleasant to read. I quickly disliked Melissa and her manipulation. As for Rusty, I felt equal parts sadness, pity, and disgust.

Because so many of the scenes in the book include Melissa & Rusty, I didn't feel like I could get a proper read on James & Carey. Their relationship felt rushed and I didn't feel the connection between them.

I know Christina Lauren are good authors, so I will continue to read their books. Hopefully the next book will be a 5 star read for me.

Carey and James work for the Tripps (essentially a fictional version of Joanna and Chip Gains if their marriage was about to go off the rails behind the scenes). Carey and James are tasked with travelling with them on their book tour to try to keep the wheels on the bus from falling off very publicly. While the wheels on the bus are going round and round, Carey and James find themselves involved in more than just the Tripps’ romantic relationship.

This was my first @christinalauren and I had heard wonderful things about the authors before jumping in. My expectations were high. Sadly, I didn’t love it and can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe I thought the romance would have more of a front-row seat instead of salted throughout. Maybe it’s because I felt that the romance part was somewhat rushed and wasn’t developed enough before the book was over. I’m still not sure.

Either way, it was still enjoyable and for a few hours I was able to think about something other than being isolated in the house with my three kids and husband (I should send @christinalauren an edible arrangement for that feat alone).

This book was provided By Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carewarning: Physical and Emotional Abuse, Cheating

Before this year, I was not much of a romance reader. Nothing against the genre, but I just did not tend to reach for it. However, after reading Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners, I found myself hooked. There is something comforting in knowing that you will get a happily every after for the characters. Right now, I need that certainty as I am finding it hard to focus on much else. I am struggling not to lose myself in worrying about aspects of the world I cannot change. And, honestly, the best thing I can do for others right now is to stay home and practice social distancing. I want what I am reading to be a comfort or insulation from the world. The Honey-Don't List was exactly that.

The novel follows the assistants of Melissa and Rusty Tripp, two home designers who have reached a celebrity status. Unfortunately, the two cannot stand each other and it is up to their respective assistants, Carey and James, to keep them looking like the perfect couple. To make it even more interesting, the Tripp's are in the process of marketing their book on a happy and successful marriage. What could possibly go wrong?

I really appreciated the dual narration between Carey and James. The reader gets to watch as they slowly fall for each other. I did find that Carey's and James' narration sounded pretty close to one another, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. In some ways, I wish the narrative would have taken a slightly different direction, but there is a comfort in knowing where a story is going and allowing it to take you there. Overall, a really enjoyable read, but not one that I feel the need to return to.

Three and a half stars out of five.

A great rom-com with some angst, sarcasm, and a heroine who is smitten by an engineer nerd. I love rom-com’s with nerds and if you do, too, you’d like this one.

This book is 10x lighter than a lot of the Christina Lauren books, which is fine coz we all need such nice stories.

Thanks to Netgalley for receiving an ARC for an honest review.

The Good
-Carey’s backstory, how she ended up working for the Tripps and her actual job duties
-Really enjoyed the events that happened around 80%-90% of the book

The Not-So-Good
-Almost zero chemistry between Carey and James. They had some moments but not enough to make me feel convinced that they’re meant for each other
-Too focused on Melissa and Rusty Tripp which would have been fine if it’s their story but it’s not. So, it felt like everyone – Carey, James, Melissa, Rusty – are all main characters that are also side characters. That’s a confusing sentence and honestly, that’s how it felt like reading this book
-I love happy endings but this one has too much of a happy ending that didn’t really match up with the events that happened in the book
-The mystery. When it was revealed, all I had to say was: that’s it? You built it up and...that's it?

Overall

If you’ve never read a Christina Lauren book before, I strongly suggest you don’t start from this one. While they still managed to keep it light, fluffy, and easily likable, it was not as enjoyable as I expected it to be.

I can't see there ever being a day where I don't absolutely love a Christina Lauren book. The writing duo have such a way with words that you're instantly hooked and root for the characters.

With that being said, I do think that the relationship between Carey and Josh developed way too quickly. It was nice that both of the characters acknowledged that it was rushed, but I still would have liked more build up.

I also wish there was a bit more backstory to Josh. We don't ever really learn much about him.

Some of the scenes jumped ahead without a smooth transition, and I wish we had seen more of Melly and Rusty at the end.

The interview inserts added a touch of mystery to the story and definitely kept me wanting to find out more.

Overall, this was another fantastic story from my favourite writing duo and I can't wait to see what they come out with next!

During these uncertain times where it feels like a total apocalypse is taking place, I appreciated the positive vibes that Christina Lauren (by the way, that’s two authors’ names amalgamated to make one. I had no idea!) so skillfully generates.

However, I would like to add that, recently having read the Unhoneymooners, my expectations were high, and this book just wasn’t as good. The main reason I felt this way was that the humor I enjoyed in the Unhoneymooners was completely missing from the Honey Don’t List. The male protagonist, James, didn’t do it for me. I was waiting for him to win me over with his corny jokes and lighten up Carey’s serious, constantly focused attitude, but it never happened.

It was a good story overall, with what seems like the usual Christina Lauren theme of finding love in an expected place, but I definitely wasn’t cheering for them to be together. I still think it’s an enjoyable read for fans of these writers. If you’ve been reading along so far, you don’t want to skip this one. It comes out March 24th, 2020. Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I enjoyed it. I really liked Carey and reading about her struggles of trying to reach for the top when she doesn't have the conventional credentials to do so. James was alright. I liked the nerdy and soft side of him, but at the same time he felt a little...boring. I also liked the drama that came with the Tripps and the craziness that ensued, until it got to be too much. I must say that I really did not like the Tripps. Melly was toxic and Rusty was awful. That being said, the romance was lacking for this to be a romcom. The building of the relationship was minimal and the tension was light. There wasn't a moment where I was super excited for them to be together. I just felt very distant from their whole relationship. I wasn't fully buying it. The miscommunication comes again to ruin things and I had to hold in several eye rolls. And the Tripp drama overshadowed almost everything and there was no satisfactory resolution for that.

It was funny, but I was always too far away to truly like it. Not a bad read, just not exciting enough for me.

Yet another fabulous read by the AMAZING Christina Lauren! These ladies are a no think, one click for me and this books is no different. A wonderful story about Carey dealing with real life problems. Not all pretty and not all solvable. But I loved being a part of her world for a little while and seeing her navigate her life, waking up and taking control.....and who wouldn't fall in love with James. And Rusty a little too. I would love to see where they all are in 5 or 10 years!

“James McCann: assistant, engineer, and infatuated boyfriend, at your service.”

And James is in fact, delicious. As is this book. I was drawn to the idea of two people working behind the scenes of a home improvement show (still miss Income Property) and I really enjoyed Christina Lauren's last book, Twice in a Blue Moon so I asked for an ARC. (Thank you, NetGalley!) Really glad I did.

Not only are our H/h really interesting people who need to overcome their prejudices and first impression of each other, but the couple they work for are also fascinating characters I was just as interested in. Their tensions drive the action and watching their lives spiral out of control while our couple try to keep it together was a lot of fun.

The heroine, Carey Duncan, is someone you can't help but root for. She has a lot on her plate and as it all gets revealed I found myself wanting to take care of her as much as James did. The narrative switches between each of them in first person and as I love first-person narration, it really made the book work for me.

What I enjoyed the most was the setup of the book. It opens with a police transcript in which our hero is questioned about an event that we don't see until near the end of the book. Every once and a while the police transcripts show up, heightening the big climax. It felt like a wonderful. piece of stagecraft to me. The humour sprinkled throughout also made this a fast and delightful read.

I would have liked an epilogue to find out what career decisions the two of them made but it wasn't enough to dampen my love of the book. If you love a well-written contemporary romance with great character arcs, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Three and a half stars. I love Christina Lauren books but this one didn't hit the nail on the head for me. This book was lacking the continuous spark that I always feel when I read their books. I found that the back and forth between everything going on and the night of the issue with the house which lands them at the police station was confusing.
I also feel that it focused too much on Melissa and Rustys relationship drama and over all drama from them.I

The romance between Carey and James was a slow burn which I am ok with, but should have had more time spent on it.
I did love when James "let down his wall" and started to let Carey in more.For 2 characters that were to be the main ones,it felt like they didn't spend enough time with Carey and James and too much time with Melissa.

Overall, definitely a decent read and I would recommend it. Just not my favourite Christina Lauren book.
#TheHoneyt #NetGalley #Simon&SchusterCanada

A cute, funny love story about two assistants tasked with keeping their bosses marriage from blowing up and exposing their truth to the public eye.

Carey has devoted her life to her bosses, making sure that their lives run smoothly, from their personal life to their home renovation empire. When the Tripps’ seemingly perfect facade starts to crumble, Carey and fellow assistant James have to team up to help their bosses keep up appearances. Carey and James are complete opposites and can barely tolerate each other. Being in close quarters definitely gets interesting for the both of them!

This was an enjoyable read but not my favourite Christina Lauren. It had their signature wit but the love story itself could have used more oomph. It took me a few tries to get into since the writing style was a bit different from their previous books but once I pushed through the first little bit, I did really enjoy it. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good enemies to lovers trope!

I was over the moon when I got the ARC for this book. I devour every Christina Lauren book I can get my hands on and when I heard this book is about people who work for a home renovation show, I jumped on this ARC so fast.

I loved both the main characters and watching them fall for each other while also managing their respective difficult bosses was super fun. They are trying to manage a PR nightmare (a famous couple who want to break up when their brand is their love life) while on a book tour. I liked seeing the disability rep in Carey's character, who has a disability involving pain in her hands and witnessing her character arc in the story was inspiring. I also liked James, who is doing a job he is overqualified for (which is #relatable for a lot of millennials).

If you loved the Netflix movie Set It Up as much as I do, you will love The Honey-Don't List. If you are an obsessive watcher of those home reno shows, you will definitely love this book. Honestly, this is one of my new favourite Christina Lauren books so I would highly recommend if you love their work already or are just looking for something fun. This is the rom-com you need in 2020.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is a solid 3 star read. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as The Unhoneymooners (which I thought was a cute summer read), HOWEVER, if, like me, you were slightly disappointed by Twice in a Blue Moon - then I think you'll enjoy this one.

What I liked:
1. our two protagonists. I liked them both individually, and then when they started to grow closer, I honestly wanted to cheer them on.

And honestly - since their budding love story (and self-growth) make up 75% of the storyline - you gotta be cheering them on to enjoy this story.

2. The jump back and forth between "the event" and the storyline. It reminded me slightly of Big Little Lies, but it worked.

I'd say this is a good little romantic read - nothing to offend anyone, but not necessarily a book I'm going to need to recommend to everyone I know. Readers of Christina Lauren will be happy, but I don't know that it will be as big a hit as last summer's "The Unhoneymooners" - which was my first foray into Christina Lauren's books, and had me picking up some of their older stories.

That said. Enjoyable (the beginning is a little slow, but then it paces well) read for a little escapism. Also, likely to be a big hit for lovers of HGTV.

Bookstagram's favourite writing duo, Christina Lauren, has another book coming out this month (March 24—yay!) and I was very lucky to receive yet another advanced copy to review before it was released to the masses. It was just a few months ago that they released Twice in a Blue Moon, which, admittedly, was not my favourite of their novels, but I was excited regardless. The synopsis was really giving me Chip and Joanna Gaines vibes (though clearly to a dysfunctional extreme), and as a fan of HGTV (especially on a quiet weekend), I was all in.

This book read a bit different to me than other Christina Lauren books. While reading the acknowledgements, the duo did admit that they struggled a bit getting where they wanted to with this story, and I feel like they didn’t quite get where they needed to go. It focused more on the Tripps than I wanted—give me more James!—and they were just downright unbearable as people…I couldn’t understand why Carey would put up with them for so long, despite her history.

That being said, I loved the dynamic between Carey and James. They weren’t at quite at the level of The Unhoneymooners‘s Olive and Ethan in terms of enemies to lovers, but these two had a working relationship where they clearly misunderstood the other, and it took a road trip with their crazy bosses to get to know each other properly. James is the hot nerd of every book lover’s dreams, and Carey is the smart, talented twenty-something that just needs to believe in herself to reach her full potential. They were well-developed characters, and their dynamic was believable.

An extra tidbit that I did like was that Carey had focal dystonia (which is a disease I had to look up). It definitely drove home for me that people everywhere live with invisible disabilities (or at least not obvious ones) and have their own struggles that we never know about. I’m liking that books are giving us more and more realistically diverse characters in their stories—I’m learning so much from it.

Despite my tepid review, I still really enjoyed the story in a way that I always do with Christina Lauren novels. Fans of theirs will love this one, too!

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Book and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Honey-Don’t List feels like an incomplete novel. Readers are thrust into the story with little background or context despite the need for that information.

The Honey-Don’t List follows Carey, an assistant to one of the biggest home renovation couples. But things go from bad to worse when the couple’s marriage seems to be falling apart and a new assistant is hired.

As far as home renovation books go, The Honey-Don’t List is not great. Though the focus is not on home renovations, it feels like an odd choice to center the novel around this industry. A large portion of the book feels like it’s missing, there are portions that are out of place, and it ends abruptly.

Almost every chapter begins with a portion of a police interrogation transcript. These transcripts are vague, but give readers a sense that something big happened. These conversations are slowly dragged out throughout the novel until the big event actually happens. Ultimately, they amount to nothing and are completely useless.

The reason I rated the novel two stars instead of three was because the sex scenes are hot and the emphasis on sex positivity. Carey and James’ chemistry is electric, but only when they’re engaging physically. There is no angst or lead up to their relationship, it just sort of happens.

The Honey-Don’t List ends abruptly and everything is wrapped up too nicely.

Overall, The Honey-Don’t List feels like an incomplete novel but succeeds in its sex positive portrayal.