The Honey-Don't List was one of my most anticipated reads of early 2020. So I was beyond excited to get to read it. This book is sort of a combination of Chick Lit, contemporary romance and romantic comedy.

The book alternates between two first person narrators: Carey (female- 26) and James (studied to be an engineer).

The book has two interesting narrators. But much of the story is focused on another couple: Melissa/Melly and Rusty Tripp. They are the co-owners of a home decor store/brand Comb + Honey. They are a power couple that do home renovations on tv. They also wrote a book.

Something happens in the present that has Carey and James talking to the police. So the book then goes back a bit to tell us the full story from the beginning. But interspersed in that story are some interview transcripts, some excerpts from the new book and some social media posts.

Carey has been Melly's assistant for ten years. James has been working with Rusty for two months. Melly and Rusty are a handful. And much of this book is about them (their careers, their problems...). This was a bit unusual to have two supporting characters be such a big focal point of the book. There were things that I liked and disliked about this. It did make for an interesting story. However IMO it took quite a bit of the focus (especially in the first half) away from the narrators.

I really enjoy this writing duo and have read their last eight contemporary romances/Women's Fiction/romantic comedy books. They are such enjoyable books. The Honey-Don't List was entertaining. It was funny at times and it was a good read. However, I was able to put it down.

But overall it was an enjoyable read. I think that maybe I was expecting something a bit different because the book started in the present with police interviews. But I did like the story and the characters. And the romance was good and definitely picked up in the second half.

I've loved pretty much everything Christina Lauren has written in the past couple of years, but unfortunately, this was not their best. The Honey-Don't List was missing something special and there wasn't much more than what the book summary describes. It seemed like the book was mostly driven by the wacky plot, so the romance and chemistry between the two main characters, Carey and James, suffered quite a bit. Carey and James were very cute and I really enjoyed James' attention to Carey's disorder, but their relationship wasn't very convincing, especially because it happened very quickly and was mostly due to their circumstances. I'm also a bit tired female characters that are unappreciated and don't get what they deserve, so this book wasn't for me.

These authors are an amazing discovery. It was my first read from Christina+Lauren and I loved their style. This novel was pretty addictive with a great conclusion. Books from these authors are now on my to-read list.

This review and rating so hard for me! I feel like I am being generous with 3 stars but I want to give 4 just because it's Christina Lauren.
I have 7 books by them (including this one) and I loved and adored 5 of them. This was not one of the 5 sadly. I was hoping for something along lines of Josh and Hazel or Roomies. They are different books, one is a romantic comedy and the other romance, but they are both engaging, endearing and you are rooting for the characters. In this book the story is more about Carey and James' bosses than it is about them. They don't even really start anything together until 47% into the book, and we don't have that build up of will they, wont they, to make us root for them. I so wanted to be invested in these characters and their relationship and I just wasn't, I was more curious what would happen between Rusty and Melly than I was with the main characters.
The concept of the book is great, and I really loved Carey but I am so sad I didn't fall in love with this book and characters like I was hoping to.
I received this book from the publishers on NetGalley for my honest review.

“ The Honey Don’t list is a charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.”

I got an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I have to say Christina Lauren have done it once again. I really enjoy their style of writing and the realistic characters they bring to life. A lot of books in the same genre usually make me cringe ro stop reading for a while at some point because I get second hand embarrassment, but I always finish their books in one reading.

In this one I found the main characters well rounded and the story flowed organically. I cannot wait until they announce their next book!

As always, Christina Lauren deliver their classic feel good rom-com. Solid storyline and characters. I loved James and Carey from the moment we met them. I loved the behind the scenes into the HGTV-esque life with Melly and Rusty Tripp. (Think Chip & Joanna Gaines but underneath the veil, they hate each other).

That being said, there was something missing with this book for me. It just didn't hit the mark that this duo ALWAYS does. I think it was lacking the signature witty banter. Maybe because of the toxic relationship between Melly and Carey, it was harder to enjoy the budding romance between Carey and James, which ended up feeling underwhelming.

That being said, I would still recommend this to any Christina Lauren fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simonl & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Christina Lauren. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

The Honey-Don't List, by Christina Lauren, was right up my alley given my love of home improvement shows and everything these authors write. Carey and James are assistants to Melissa and Rusty Tripp, respectively. The Tripps, famous for their remodeling show and books, are heading out on a book tour for their new book on marriage, and the cracks in their relationship are quickly becoming chasms. Carey and James are in charge of handling them on the tour, trying to protect their jobs and the Tripp brand, since the Tripps themselves can’t seem to control their words or actions, at least not with any consistency. Carey and James have nothing in common, but being thrown together has them exploring the spark between them, and has them wondering about a life beyond the show, a life they might make together.

I really liked Carey and James. It was the circumstances they found themselves in that I didn’t love. Carey is so creative and kind and resilient. She absolutely blossoms under James’s attention in way that just radiated off the pages. It was heartbreaking to see her come to some realizations about the people she considered surrogate parents, and about how her own choices played a role in the situation she found herself in. I loved James’s confidence. I liked how he openly appreciated Carey and was forthright and honest and open with her from the moment they began working closely together. His mistake made me sad, but the way he handled himself afterward was the real disappointment. Not that it wasn’t easy to forgive, more that it didn’t have to be that way.

As for the Tripps, well… I couldn’t help but think about Chip and Joanna Gaines as inspiration for the couple. Though I hope the Gaines marriage is much, much happier and full of contentment than the Tripp’s marriage was. Scratch that. I hope their marriage is the opposite of the Tripp’s. It’s a great name, because Melly and Rusty really were a trip, and not always a great one. Melly was so fixated on their brand that she didn’t even seem human. I felt bad for Rusty. I despised how he was acting, but I understood very early on that he was looking for attention, and that his wife seemed to have forgotten he existed.

I think the story was a great representation of that kind of TV celebrity and success, and of all the things it can do on a personal level. I loved the ending. I did not see the climax playing out the way it did. The authors made it so much more. I fell in love with Carey and James, but I did not fall in love with the story. There was a lot of sadness, manipulation and chaos in these pages. It was tempered by the sweetness and tenderness of the love developing between Carey and James, but I’m not sure it completely balanced it, at least not in terms of the balance I feel the authors normally achieve in their stories. The strength of this story was the unfolding of love between Carey and James. It was a beautiful thing.

{Generously Provided by NetGalley}
3.5 stars!
I really liked the concept of this book.
James -our love interest- was an absolute sweetheart and I loved the appreciation and the respect that he was showing for Carey.
The plot was also pretty interesting but, at some point, (80% in) I felt like they were dragging the situation in order to just skip pages until the end.
Overall, I totally recommend, especially if you are looking for something easy and fun to read!

I always really enjoy every book I read by this delightful pair of beauty’s, and this was no different.

Disclaimer- was this my favourite book they have written? No, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.
This book had comedy, a love story and was also different from their other works. I really enjoyed the slow burn development of Carey and James’s Relationship and felt the back story really added content to this read.

This book wasn’t just about a romantic story though as it dealt with health issues and an unhealthy parental type pairing too.

Very well written and I can’t wait for more reads from the authors. •

These two have once again written a book that I devoured in one sitting! The way this book starts had me intrigued right away!
I found the romance to be more of a slow build but I loved the story between all of the characters! This book has the banter, playfulness and steam that I love from this duo along with some humor. If you enjoy their other books this one will not disappoint!
Thank you Netgalley, Christina Lauren and Simon and Schuster for this ARC!

I didn't find this one sucked me in as much as some of Christina Lauren's other books. It was an enjoyable, easy read but I didn't love the characters, particularly the supporting characters, and I just didn't find the storyline as interesting as I usually do. For the past couple of releases, it feels like the authors are just churning out as many books as possible without really making each one special.

This may just be my new favourite book by Christina Lauren. And by new favourite, I mean it’s in second place after Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating because that will likely always be my number one.

I got so completely lost in this book. I actually did a small pout when I reached the end because I wasn’t even slightly ready for it to be over.

Just like a typical Christina Lauren book, this has their signature humour that makes you constantly laugh out loud, a naturally building attraction between the characters that leaves you swooning, and, of course, characters that completely take over your heart.

Carey and James are two of their best characters that they’ve written. I don’t want to give too much away, but James’s attentiveness was so incredibly sweet. Talk about boyfriend material. The way they were able to open up to one another was beautiful.

I truly loved this book with my whole heart. I know I’ll be smiling for days whenever I think about it.

Review | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 The Honey Dont List by CLo

Carey and James are opposites forced together on a road trip as assistants to their celebrity bosses and couple on the brink of divorce. Forced to try to keep their bosses’ marriage from crashing and burning, they begin to develop feelings of their own.

The premise of this book reminded me of the Netflix movie Set It Up. It was a sweet love story with some serious undertones. It dealt with a chronic illness and also the subject of non romantic, workplace emotional abuse and manipulation. It was also heavy seeing the crumbling state of Melly and Rusty’s marriage.

What I enjoyed most about this one was the sweet way in which Carey and James fall for each other. It didn’t feel too rushed or too drawn out. The build up of their feelings for each other was well executed and so adorable. The character growth in Carey was also well thought out. I would have liked more of an ARC for James, however.

In most CLo books, I find they do a great job with supporting characters. This falls a little flat in this book. I also found the police interviews throughout to be a tad misleading and dramatic compared to what actually happened. It left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it, but maybe my hopes are too high now after the unhoneymooners and love and other words.

Thank you to netgalley, Simon and Schuster and Christina Lauren for access to this ARC!

I was so excited to get an early copy of The Honey Don’t List because I’m a huge Christina Lauren fan, and I can’t tell you, with that happy glow you get after finishing one of their novels, that this one does not disappoint.

Like, Twice in a Blue Moon, the romance is a major focal point of the plot, but there’s a lot of story wrapped up in the secondary characters and forces outside the couple. You would probably classify this book more as women’s fiction than romance. In fact, the romance wasn’t even my favorite part of this novel (I like my romances to be more angsty and all-consuming, I.e., Love And Other Words.) Although the relationship between Carey and James is adorable and definitely relatable, the parts of this book that kept me turning pages involved Melly and Rusty: the Chip and Joanna Gaines characters (who although Christina Lauren make an effort to call out are not Chip and Joanna, but I couldn’t stop picturing Chip and Joanna.) The dynamics between the four characters made the whole book very entertaining.

Overall, it’s a great read. If you are already a Christina Lauren fan, this novel is the level of superb entertainment you’ve become accustomed to. If you are new to this dynamic writing duo, I highly recommend you try Love and Other Words or Twice in a Blue Moon next because if you are like me, once you’ve finished your first Christina Lauren novel, you’ll be searching for your next.

Christina Lauren's newest book focuses on the put-upon assistants of the Tripp renovation empire as the foursome tour the Tripp's newest book about marital bliss.
In this story, I was more taken with the Tripps; what fame and social media "branding" did to their relationships and self-perception than Carey and James' strides toward coupledom. That said, Carey and James still had an interesting story, and the way their career choices and Carey's chronic illness impacted their lives both individually and together created a new depth to Lauren's writing.
I wish this book had been one of their more somber adult fiction stories than cutesy romance, it has so many plot threads that could've been better served without the HEA obligatory ending the romance genre requires. It is still an enjoyable light read, but a lot was left unexplored to make it so.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a copy for review. This has in no way influenced my opinion.