This tells the story of two assistants for reality show stars (think HGTV). It's a dual perspective from Carey (the wife's assistant) and James (the husband's assistant) as they are forced to go on tour with the seemingly perfect couple who is actually constantly arguing behind closed doors.

The characters are unique, the book has decent pacing, and I overall really liked the plot and romance. The first half was a bit boring at times, but I couldn't put the second half down!

I didn't like this book as much as The Unhoneymooners, which was one of my favourite books of 2019 and gave me all the feels. This one was still a lot of fun, but I wasn't as connected to the story as much as I would have liked. I think my main issue is that the book was too short.

Overall, my rating is 3.5/5 rounded up because I did overall enjoy the book, there were just a couple of issues that I had with it.

This was my first Christina Lauren novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and slightly nervous, as I don’t read a lot of romance. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!

Carey and James are assistants to famous decor/home reno couple Melly and Rusty Tripp. As Melly and Rusty squabble, Carey and James are tasked with accompanying the couple on their book tour to ensure everything runs smoothly and that they put on a good front to the public, as the Tripps have a new tv show premiering soon.

I loved the alternating points of view, as well as the articles, Twitter excerpts and police interview transcripts that were dispersed throughout the book. The romance was very tastefully done and the storyline was a really cute and easy one to follow. I was hooked from the beginning, as the book opened with one of the police interview transcripts. I am off in search of the next Christina Lauren novel to read!

Thanks @netgalley for the opportunity to review!

arc provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review


This book was cute but definitely not my favourite Christina Lauren book. It took me awhile to really connect to the characters and the story and the relationship and that did hinder my overall enjoyment of this book.

I’m always happy to see disability representation so that was something I really enjoyed. I liked that it wasn’t something made out to be terrible and bad and something negative about Carey but that it was just there and something she lived with and that she wasn’t any less Her for it. I also loved James’ response to it and how he was with her.

Their relationship took me awhile to like and get into but once I did, it was super sweet and I wish we got to see more of them together. The whole Melissa and Rusty thing was pretty annoying but I can see why it was such a huge part of the story— it was a huge part of Carey’s life and journey and seeing her character development was satisfying!

Overall, this was an average read for me but I still look forward to anything and everything Christina Lauren writes!

3/5 ⭐️

I have yet to read a Christina Lauren book that I don't fall completely in love with! This one is no exception, I absolutely loved this book!! I'm already so excited for others to read it so I can talk to them about it. I loved the dynamic, the storyline, just everything...except Melly (Gosh, she was horrible). I absolutely adored the two main characters, and how their story progressed. I think the one thing I wish this had was an epilogue just to show where everyone ended up down the road. So that was a little disappointing, but not enough for it to affect my rating. I can't wait for this to come out in stores, I already want to Staff Pick it and tell everyone about it!!

My first Christina Lauren book was Twice in a Blue Moon and then I devoured Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating (which was my favourite so far). So when NetGalley came a callin' with this one, I was all over it. Until I wasn't.

Let me explain... The duo are a gift and I completely understand why they are so popular and have legions of fans (including me), but this book fell completely flat in the romance department. I don't think the romantic storyline was given enough legs. It was completely derailed by the drama surrounding the Tripps—it didn't feel fresh and I don't know whether it is because home improvement shows seem to saturate the specialty channels, or because society has an obsession with reality TV, but I struggled to maintain interest in Rusy and Melissa's story. And quite frankly, I didn't care enough about them.

I was also confused at the genre, I assume it's classified as "romance," but there was this mystery/thriller vibe with the police interviews that were dispersed throughout the book and I wasn't sure where that was going and assumed someone died.

Christina Lauren, I wanted more! More romance, more spark, more attraction, more banter, more tension, not more Tripps with their overdone TV shows and ridiculous book tour.

This is (somehow) the first book I’ve read from the bestselling duo Christina and Lauren and I was NOT disappointed! This is a workplace romance following the perspectives of assistants, Carey and James, as they try to keep their celebrity bosses’ failing marriage under wraps during the launch of their book and Netflix show. I gave this book a 5/5 ⭐️! I absolutely loved it! Both Carey and James are so incredibly sweet and loveable and their bosses equally the opposite (for the most part). Having worked in a similar situation as both Carey and James, I felt connected to and invested in these characters and was rooting for them as individuals as well as a couple the whole time! I’m excited to read more from Christina Lauren this year!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @simonandschuster, @gallerybooks for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I love Christina Lauren, I fell in love with all their characters, unfortunately The Honey Don't List was not one of them. I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. I just feel as if this book was rushed and not thought about fully, there was no development for the characters or the plot in my honest opinion.
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The chapters were ridiculously long and to be honest at some points I felt confused as to who was talking. The characters were annoying throughout the book, I could not relate to any of them. I felt Carey is 26 years old, but feels as though she's still 16. I felt like they just wanted us to pity her but made her utterly annoying. Melly the star is an annoying dislikeable character from beginning to end, she was so mean but in a very degrading way and for no reason. The love story that develops in this book was predictable at most but enjoyable to read about. I do like their writing style but this book really fell flat for me.
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If you're a fan of Christina Lauren give it a try, it could be for you but if you have never read anything by them I do not recommend starting off with this one.

I have previously read "The Honeymooners" by CL and loved the book. This one lived up to the CL hype!

I originally was interested in this book because of the similarities to the "Set It Up" movie on Netflix where two assistants Cyrano/Parent Trap their bosses into a relationship so they can have a life outside of work. It lived up to my expectations!

I am normally a big fan of SUPER slow-burn romance and while this romance felt faster, it still worked well and I didn’t feel like it lost something by the way it was done.

I was immediately drawn in to this one! I loved Carey and James, loved to hate Melly and felt kind of sorry for Rusty...though hating his cheating. This one had a stronger ending than Twice in a Blue Moon, which made me happy! Though I wasn't a fan of the police interviews...since they basically were pointless. Overall another fun read from Christina Lauren!

This book was likeable enough, I honestly thought the plot was a bit silly and I couldn’t connect with Carey (the main girl) even if my life depended on it.

I still liked the writing, it’s funny, witty and really easy to read. The book flow doesn’t stop, I found it very smooth. And that is not an easy task.

Carey works for so-called remodeling gurus Melissa and Rusty, they appear on the public eye like a very in-love couple, but the truth is nowhere near.
The relationship Carey has with them is so toxic it belongs in Chernobyl. I couldn’t understand from page 1, what the hell was she doing working for them. Ok she has a health problem, and needs insurance. But many jobs offer that! And (SPOILER!) at the end of the book she buys a house? Umm what about your insurance? Couldn’t she figure out the numbers from the beginning?

Anyway, lets move on to James, Rustys assistant/lead engineer. Dude, I’m an engineer, no engineer calls themselves an engineer so much. It was such a turn off for me.
On top of that, he was supposed to be a good one, but that much knowledge didn’t stop him from basically stabbing Carey in the back and then blaming it on “the heat of the moment”.

The resolution to the above problem was as you could expect, a happy ending, which is FINE. But I found it very cliché/sugary and I just wanted to barf.

Ok now I see I didn’t like the plot at all. Nor the characters. But the writing was good.

For all those who love HGTV and the couples behind the great shows. A book that takes something we see every day on home improvement and Reno shows and makes it completely new in literature. A behind the scenes look at a couple that is the face of a home Reno show!

The true story lies with Carey, the long-time assistant of the couple, and James, an engineer that thought the job would be more in his area of expertise. As they work together to book a tour for the couple’s book they try to keep the rocky couple’s relationship together.

Although it is a fun read and I really loved the premise of the book. The relationship felt a bit rushed and the flow of the book wasn’t entirely well done (with interviews and articles strewn between chapters). Although highly recommend as a fun vacation read for a quick and cute read!

3.5/5

Posted on: @readwellreviews

Okay so I went into this book with lots of expectations because i read the Unhoneymooners recently and I loved it and I expected so much from these authors. AND MY EXPECTATIONS WERE FULLFILLED. Guys. This book was so cute. The mc, Carey, was literally the most precious human being ever, and James (the other mc?) was so precious I cannot convey to you how many 🥰 moments I had while I was reading this.
So the book is essentially about Carey who has been stuck in the same job for 10 years and now, as she’s forced into something she doesn’t want to do, she realises how toxic it has been. And also about James who really needs a good job and is very disgusted by the fact that he has to work as an assistant when he graduated from MIT as an engineer.
James and Carey support each other so perfectly throughout the book and they have such a wholesome relationship my heart. (EVERYTIME JAMES DESCRIBED CAREY MY HEART WENT 💓). Carey also struggles with some issues and to accept herself as she is, and I really enjoyed reading her journey of how she started to love herself and lookout for her own needs.
The way Christina and Lauren wrote the conflicts and personal struggles of both the characters was so profound and well written, it made me feel so invested. I also looovveedd how they slowly revealed to the reader more and more of the characters and you get an understanding of everything as the book goes on. The last thing which I loved was that it didn’t start off slowly. Right from the beginning there was drama and it kept me hooked the entire time.
There’s just one tiny thing which I have to dispute about this book. There wasn’t really any diversity in the characters and I definitely think more could’ve been done with that.
But Christina and Lauren have fantastic writing and characters and I’d love to read more of their books!
Overall my rating is 4/5, and I’d definitely recommend it as a quick, cute read!

I fell in love with Christina Lauren after reading Love and Other Words. At that time, I went on a bit of a Christina Lauren binge and read every book I could get my hands on. Since then, any Christina Lauren books automatically go on to my To-Read list. As such, I was super excited to be approved for this ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada.

This latest book, though very good, did not leave me feeling as satisfied as I felt after reading Love and Other Words. The book hangover was just not that same. Nonetheless, it’s a great romance and I’m glad I read it despite having read some reviews that made me feel a little uneasy about starting. A lot of people compared it to the Netflix original “Set it up” and although sure, the main characters of the books are executives and their assistants, I find that the similarity otherwise stops there. The mood and journey of this book is completely different. If you continue reading beyond the first few chapters, you realize that this really is a story of its own.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys romance, especially fans of Colleen Hoover, and I know I won’t let this book stop me from continuing to read future books by this duo!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

I know, I know, you might be saying to yourself, <i>but Hollis, didn’t you say in your last CLo read that you were no longer going to be requesting their advanced copies after so many disappointments</i>? And yes, you would be correct. And this time I swear I mean it.

The concept of THE HONEY-DON’T LIST feels like a CLo take on the Netflix movie <i>Set It Up</i> and honestly that’s why I grabbed at this one, all excited, despite my best intentions. Because I loved that movie and wanted this duo’s twist to make it, possibly, even better. But sadly, for me, it wasn’t.

This book centers on the results of a once great working relationship — turned pseudo-family dynamic — between a young employee and her married bosses; a relationship that has become hella toxic and abusive and manipulative and with downright thievery. The marriage between her bosses is falling apart behind the scenes whilst they are trying to run a business, promote their brand of happiness and love and success, and also launch a new home decor show — and she and the male counterpart’s assistant are (for some reason) held responsible for making things seem like there’s nothing amiss as they go on a book tour for their (oh irony) successful marriage memoir.

Said other assistant is only two months into the job, apparently brought in to help rein in the husband (which in a continuity aspect, in relation to something that comes up, doesn’t make sense..) and as the MCs are thrown into direct proximity to each other, instead of a vague awareness of each other, and a general dislike, they get to know each other, grow to rely on each other, and boom, romance. Apparently.

I’ll admit, unlike the last one, at least they don’t fall in love in the span of a handful of days — I think the tour is a few weeks? — but still. I don’t know. I really liked Carey, I felt for her, but her situation literally hurt my stomach. It was awful. Her sudden desire to grow a backbone, stand up for herself, seems to come so late in the game, and definitely flickers in and out, until finally she owns it. Part of me wonders if it would’ve ever happened without James’ presence and that makes me sad. And it’s not like James was terrible but.. shrug.

The fact that so much isn’t resolved or owned up to by the end is frustrating. In hindsight I’m not sure why we needed the police interview interludes to break up the narrative (yes, this was a thing), I kept hoping a certain something had happened (which I won’t speculate on to keep you guessing) and in the end it was just.. flat. Which is sadly how I felt about the whole story.

So that’s it, it’s really over, no more CLo ARC reads for me.

If I ever need a feel good story I love reaching for Christina Lauren. Unfortunately, The Honey-Don't List fell short for me. I feel like there wasn't very much character development. and the story-line was very basic. Carey had so much potential, and the story never empowered her. It bothered me that the Tripps reminded me too much of real life HGTV Chip and Joanna Gaines, and the reference to the Gaines at the end just just too much. I finished the book wanting something more.. In general enjoyable light read but really missing something special.

I really really enjoyed this, as I have all of this duo’s books. I liked the evolution of the romance between the two main characters and I found the backstory of Melly and Rusty, interesting as well, and totally believable. Fame really does change people, and not always for the best. 4.5 stars from me.

As always, this was an enjoyable read from Christina Lauren. While I do not think it was as amazing as some of the past novels by this duo, I did really enjoy it. I think the story was a bit too rushed, and it seemed like the book was over just as it was beginning. I wanted to know more about the characters. I thought it was an interesting approach to intercut the story with the police reports. All in all, another solid book.

I love Christina Lauren. Their books make me smile throughout the entirety of the novel. This book was not my favourite of their works unfortunately. It didn't hit the normal notes of previous releases. This one seemed like it was written in a rush. I didn't feel the characters. The main character, Carey, I had nearly stopped reading because of the way she was portrayed. It becomes hard to read about a person being taken advantage of time and time again. I get that is part of the story. Her eventual growth, but it was too much at some points. I did enjoy some parts of this book and honestly I am sure I am one of the few fans that didn't love it since Christina Lauren is amazing.

It took me a little while to find my footing with these characters because there were certainly some very unlikeable/awkward/cringe-worthy moments, especially at the start but also throughout. HOWEVER, by the end of this book I was pretty much definitely on board with the characters I loved and the ending pushed this into 4 stars for me. James and Carey were so fun and I LOVED that they had a character with a movement disorder - I see patients with these in my work life so I just found that part really well handled and interesting. Loved the chemistry and steam between the characters too. All in all, I was not disappointed by this upcoming release but it didn't make me laugh QUITE as hard as My Favorite Half-Night Stand :)

This book follows Carey and James who work for design power couple Melissa and Rusty Tripp. Carey has been working for them for 10 years and James is an engineer who has been with them for 2 months. On the outside the Tripps look like they have the perfect marriage but behind closed doors their perfectly crafted image is falling apart. Carey and James can't stand each other but are forced to spend a lot of time together when they have to go on a book tour with the Tripps to keep their public image intact.

Like any Christian Lauren book this was highly anticipated. It was an enjoyable read. It's a solid story, with two main characters you will fall in love with and a well thought out storyline. This book is told in both Carey and James' perspective. It's interesting to see their take on the events that take place and it's great that we get to see what each of them are thinking about the other. Their romance is so sweet and genuine. Their romance alone deserves 5 stars. There's also a little bit of a mystery that pieces itself together as the story goes on.

I really liked that Carey sees a therapist regularly and that this books explores focal dystonia. <spoiler>I also loved that James was the one to fall in love first.</spoiler> I would have loved to see more of Annabeth and Peyton cause they seemed really cool.

<i>I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. <i/>