I enjoyed reading Christina Lauren’s new book, although I did like her book “the unhoneymooners” better. The comedy of unhoneymooners gave me the hook that this book did not. The honey-don’t list started off a little slow, but once the romance picked up in the book I was more into it. The few moments of suspense were a great addition to the book.

This is the fourth book that I've read by the co-author duo who go by a combined pen name of Christina Lauren. I must say their novels have been getting progressively better, and this one is their best one yet. I am honestly scared to read any of their earlier work! The reason I think it is their best work is because it is so much more than a romance. I think hints of their branching into more than romance were in their previous novel Twice in a Blue Moon, even though I did think the plot of that book was not believable.

The Honey-Don't List tackles the issues so many will relate to: being stuck in a stressful job, having an extremely demanding and abusive boss, being unappreciated and overworked, feeling lonely and desperate. The book also takes a look at the underbelly of reality TV and the hypocrisy and lies some celebrities end up living. In this book the two main characters Carey and James work for an HGTV celebrity couple Mellissa and Russel Tripp, whose marriage and professional life has become a hot mess. Carey and James end up babysitting them and trying to keep them from making fools of themselves in the public, as the duo launches a new Netflix show and starts a promotion tour of their new book on relationships (out of all things).

I loved this book. The story was interesting. The characters were relatable and real. It had the right amount of romance in it, and I appreciated all the other more substantive issues the authors tackled in the book. My one complaint is that it was hard for me to distinguish between Carey and James. But for the headings of the chapters, I would not be able to tell which on of them was "speaking". Nevertheless, 5 out of 5 stars. This was a pleasant surprise.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

Oh, this is a joy of a book! It sneaks up on you and before you know it, you're cheering for Carey and James to find a way to figure things out despite the unending odds stacking up against them.

Carey and James are the assistants (well...Carey is....long story), the Tripps, stars of a home design show and author of a new book about marriage. Unfortunately, the Tripps' marriage is a little (a LOT) rocky, so Carey and James get "volunteered" to accompany them on the book tour. Yay.

Carey and James also don't get along. So, this ought to be one great road trip. But neither of them has a choice, so they might as well make the best of it...right?

Honestly, the best distraction during my first week of the Covid 19 crisis. Smart modern characters with real issues and no damsels in distress.

Thank you to netgalley to read and review. I had high expectations for this one but it turned out ok. I loved the premise but it felt like the book had such a slow start. It was def a "slow burn". I was well into 40% of the book before the love story even started to take place. Rusty and Melly were def annoying selfish people but totally go along with a "reality couple". I'll still read Christina Lauren books, this just wasn't a fave.

4 1/2 stars

From the four novels I’ve read by Christina Lauren, the one conclusion I’ve reached is that she is an excellent writer. My attention never wanders. I’m invested in the characters and what’s going to happen to them. And, she’s mostly made me laugh.

I wasn’t laughing with The Honey-Don’t List, but I’m not altogether sure I was supposed to. The situations felt more serious. The different ways in which a couple deals with the pressures of success and what one will do to keep it. How they affect everyone around them, especially the people who work with them/for them. And, then there is the situation that Carey is dealing with physically that adds a higher level of seriousness.

But the budding romance between Carey and James is sweet. I loved how they went from two people who once sniped at each other or made fun of each other to two people who suddenly realize how attractive the other person is. As their romance unfolds, the Tripps’ unravels, which again felt a little, well, sad.

While I would have loved for The Honey-Don’t List to be uproariously funny, because I could have used the laugh right now, I appreciated how touching the ending was and that I literally sighed. I am not a sigher at happily-ever-afters. It may not have been the rom-com I wanted, but it was a smart, thoughtful book that gave me something more, something that I may have needed at this point in time.

The storyline and characters are far more complex than in your normal romance or rom-com so if that is something you might appreciate, you might enjoy reading The Honey-Don’t List. This book certainly shows that Christina Lauren continues to evolve as a writer.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am the biggest fan of Christina Lauren. Their writing is always something I look forward to so I was so excited when I received this advanced copy! While I didn't NOT like this book, I didn't love this one. It at times felt rushed and the romance slightly annoyed me. I just felt like it was missing something. I think it's missing that CL charm that we've all grown to love. If you love a good slow-burn romance, this is a great book for that.

Melissa and Rusty Tripp are the king and queen of home makeover entertainment. Touted as the perfect couple, they’ve just left a group-oriented show for a solo project and released a marriage advice book that reflects their simple, down-home relationship with a strong focus on family. There’s just one problem: In real life, they absolutely hate each other and are on the verge of implosion.

Carey Duncan was working for the Tripps as a loyal assistant to intense and neurotic Melissa, among other things, long before they got famous. James McCann was hired as an engineer, but became womanizing Rusty’s de facto assistant when Melissa realized how untrustworthy her husband can be with close female coworkers. Carey and James haven’t had much interaction and don’t necessarily respect each other’s roles… until they’re both thrust on to Melissa and Rusty’s marriage advice book tour with the unhappy couple. Now they’ll have to work together to convince everyone that their bosses are blissfully in love. If they can’t, their careers will be shattered.

Carey and James are both really capable narrators who have distinct personalities and parts to play in the Tripp world. They come together under fire before realizing there may be something more underneath the chaos, and it was really fun to watch two characters come together in a wild yet plausible situation. Their story makes for a quick read as the authors keep the pace light and airy, moving through the days on tour with a smart mix of antics and more personal moments.

However, the tone was not exactly as I expected. The book’s description made it sound pretty comedic-- and if you’ve read author team Christina Lauren’s other books, you know they’re pretty good at injecting humor into the mix-- and it was more serious than I expected. Yes, there are definitely moments that will make you smile, but that’s not the overall feel. It’s ultimately about empowerment, which is a good thing, but the novel takes that empowerment message so seriously that I felt levity got lost.

Christina Lauren has made a recent shift from smutty romance to a more straightforward, relaxed romance that some are calling women’s fiction (though I kind of hate that term.) There are sex scenes, but they’re short, few and far between, and not necessarily the focus of the book. Still, this means that this isn’t a YA (or given the age of characters, even NA) tale. If you like your books a little steamy, The Honey-Don’t List is here for you. If you prefer your books REALLY steamy, Christina Lauren’s earlier catalog is there for you instead. Honestly, I prefer the steamier stuff because I think it had a bit more personality.

If you love yourself a good HEA with a side of swoon, fear not-- Christina Lauren will always have something up their sleeve for you. While perhaps not their strongest outing, The Honey-Don’t List is sweet, fun, and yes, empowering with an extra dose of insider amusement for the HGTV addicts among us!

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (barely)

Well, that wasn’t one of this dynamic duo’s best.

Carey and James are personal assistants to Melissa and Rusty Tripp - husband and wife HGTV stars known for their home improvement ideas and DIY books. First off, I did not like Melissa at all. She is a super annoying character who is a demanding and condescending boss. Her husband Rusty is a cheating loser. Together these two are a train wreck - two miserable people who hate being married to each other. I feel like they really became the focus of this story - when it really wasn’t about them.

I felt like the budding relationship between Carey and James was overshadowed by them constantly trying to keep the peace between their bosses. It got really tiresome and after awhile I was kinda bored. He ending was rushed and unsatisfying.

I love Christina Lauren books. I think these two ladies are perfection when it comes to rom com’s. However, this one lacked the snark and wittiness that I’ve come to love and expect from them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Pocket Books and Christina Lauren for my advanced copy to read and review.

I am a huge fan of HGTV, anything home improvement, and Chip and Joanna Gaines so The Honey-Don't List was right up my alley. During a time where I am stressed about the world and homeschooling, while still trying to work from home and be sane, this book was a fun escape.James, the hot-nerd engineer, and Carey, the do-it-all assistant, have to work together in keeping everything seemingly afloat when it comes to their bosses, Melissa and Rusty Tripp. The Tripps are a famous married couple who are experts in home remodeling and design.But everything is not as it seems, and the couple that is the face of a perfect marriage is falling apart and it's James and Carey's job to keep their secret safe from the public eye.I loved this rom-com from Christina Lauren, these authors always giving us something new. I laughed, I felt the tension both from the Tripps and the oh so delicious flirty chemistry between James and Carey, and felt the pain when the secrets exposed threatened a relationship that ended up being so much more than what was bargained for. Readers looking for an escape, for a couple of fun hours behind the scenes of a reality tv type book should give this one a try.

Often times, everything is not all as it seems and this story drives home that point in several different ways. You don't always get to do exactly what you love. You don't always get the recognition you deserve. Not every beautiful relationship is beautiful behind the scenes. Carey and James will not only have to navigate dangerous waters they find THEMSELVES in but must also navigate those of their respective charges (yes I know they are adults, but when people act like children lol..perhaps you need to treat them as such). While the story is funny (not quite hilarious, but it has its moments), there is some underlying depth here, not only in the relationship between Carey and James but also between the Tripps. I enjoyed the story.

I can always count on Laurens delivering a well written, fleshed out story that will make you feel as if you know and love the characters from the very start.

With new ideas and a refreshing story line, there is very little this writing duo hasn't tried and conquered.

With reality TV on the rise, it wasn't any wonder that they would choose to tackle that theme next. I absolutely loved the references and the realness that they brought into this story with what one can only imagine, is really how a lot of them are behind the scenes. It made it feel real and some how, crazy and it seemed, relatable.

A good reminder how most of the time, the things we see on the surface are never quite what they really are underneath.

A fun story about two people still trying to find their way, find love, and hopefully survive it all.

This is a great read, another slam dunk for this unstoppable duo! I enjoyed reading a workplace romance that didn't have an ultimate goal of getting the awful bosses back together!

I have read many of Lauren’s books. They are usually very enjoyable to me. Although I really disliked the last one, Twice in a Blue Moon for lots of reasons. I still wanted to read this book. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. It felt similar in a few ways to Dating You Hating You, work enemies of some sort that fall in love.

(CW: workplace sexism, emotional abuse by boss, disabled heroine)

There was nothing spectacular about this book for me. And I think that is a problem. All the CLo books are starting to feel the same, and not in a good way. Although with the sameness, the one thing that really stood out was the lack of grovel. The hero, James, does a bad thing and when the heroine, Carey, finds out she is rightfully upset. But then she just gets over it with a simple apology. Additionally, Carey’s boss Melissa is emotionally abusive and doesn’t deserve Carey’s forgiveness, yet she gets it too easily.

Carey has a physical disability that at times makes it hard for her to move her hands. I don’t have this disability or know anyone who does so it is hard to say how realistic it was handled. But James did take on a good carer roll for Carey.

Overall this book was fine but with all the sameness happening in CLo books, I think it’s time I take a break from them. I am going to try to skip the next few and maybe by then their storytelling will feel fresh to me again.

I admit that I was very late to jump on the Christina Lauren bandwagon, but ever since I read my first book by them, I’ve been hooked and their latest collaboration, The Honey Don’t List, has only made my love for their books continue to grow.

What a fun read this was! Celebrity scandals have always fascinated me anyway, so I was drawn to this story as soon as I realized what it was about. The fact that the story begins in a police station with the celebrity assistants being interviewed only served to whet my appetite all the more. Something dramatic and potentially scandalous has clearly happened and I was immediately flying through the pages wanting to know what had transpired.

Melly and Rusty Tripp are the celebrities in question. Famous in the world of home décor and remodeling, Melly and Tripp have captured the hearts of their fans, not just because of their design talents but also because they have such a wonderful relationship. They are America’s sweethearts and they’ve even written a book about their lives together and have a new Netflix series in the works. To cap off their success and promote their new book and show, the Tripps are going on a book tour together. There’s just one problem: they actually despise each other. Enter the real stars of The Honey Don’t List, the two personal assistants, Carey Douglas and James McCann, who have been tasked with the nearly impossible task of keeping the book tour from imploding by making sure Melly and Rusty don’t kill each other or otherwise expose that their marriage is basically a sham.

I adored both Carey and James from the start. I was tremendously sympathetic to them both right away since my instinct would have been to resign. Carey can’t resign though because 1) she desperately needs the health insurance, and 2) she has been with Melly since the beginning and feels obligated to be there for her. Even though she is high maintenance, Melly has been like a mom to Carey. James is equally stuck in his position, primarily because his last job ended in disaster, with the firm he worked for wrapped up in some huge scandal. James needs to rebuild his resume and a hugely successful organization like Melly and Rusty’s is just what he needs. I love a good underdog story and both of our protagonists are clearly cast in that role.

The book tour is of course a total train wreck with plenty of laugh out loud moments, which is exactly what I was hoping for from a Christina Lauren read. What really had me captivated though was the growing relationship between Carey and James as they are forced to team up and try to save the day, so to speak. Even though they initially don’t like each other very much, it’s clear they have off-the-charts chemistry. I loved all of their moments together, whether they were scheming about how to do damage control with respect to Rusty and Melly or whether they were just truly opening up to one another and having meaningful conversations. There are also plenty of flirty and sexy moments as the pair gets closer and closer, so yes, there’s lots of rom-com style goodness in The Honey Don’t List, also exactly what I’m looking and hoping for when I pick up a Christina Lauren book.

Hilarious and heartwarming, The Honey Don’t List is the perfect book to pick up if you’re looking to escape reality for a while. It’s sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

**This has spoilers**

To be honest, this was not one of my favorite books written by Christina Lauren. I felt that the timeline of James and Carey's relationship was a bit rushed; there could have been a bit more development in their storyline before they started to show romantic interest in one another. It was rather uneasy following Melissa's backlash at her husband, Rusty, and anyone she encounters. It was fitting for Melissa to finally give Carey credit for her hard work. Although it's too bad it's after she lost everything near and dear to her heart.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars
I read some negative reviews of this book before starting this, which did freak me out a little. Christina Lauren is hit or miss for me. I loved The Unhoneymooners, but I did not love Twice in a Blue Moon. This was somewhere in the middle. I liked it. I liked the main characters, Carey and James. They were and their growing relationship was definitely overshadowed by the drama of the married couple they work for, Melissa and Russell Tripp. I would have liked to have seen more time of the two of them spent together alone and not dealing with whatever mess that they had to clean up or take care of by the Tripps'. It didn't seem like there was enough time together for their relationship to grow before the "I love yous" happened. This was missing some of the authors' usual romcom-ness. It had more serious undertones, but overall, it was a decent read and story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

The minute I see that Christin Lauren has another book releasing I can't jump on it fast enough. I enjoy their banterific chemistry and the connection between their characters. While I enjoyed The Honey-Don't List, I didn't feel like it had the usual Christina Lauren spark like some of their previous stories. As this result, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

I honestly felt like this story was a sort of mish mosh of two stories in one. One being about the dysfunctional Melissa and Rusty Tripp (think of a HGTV extraordinaire couple who hate each other) and the other being about Carey and James, their respective assistants trying to keep the whole ship afloat on a book tour. This story had funny moments but I felt like Carey and James' romance was a bit rushed. I never quite felt the connection between the two. Don't get me wrong - these two were adorable but I just needed more from them. Overall, this story was quirky and fun but not one of my favorites from this dynamic duo. 3.5 stars! ~Ratula 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The writing was quite good, but there was just this one character that I disliked so much that it ended up affecting how much I enjoyed the entire book. I did find the two main protagonists to be quite believable, as I did their relationship and how that evolved. I would still not hesitate to recommend this book to my friends who read in this genre.

Carey had started working for design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp since she was sixteen, and her entire adult life has been spent as Melissa's assistant. The famous couple had worked on TV shows for HGTV and written books on design principles, banking on their image as a couple as in love as they had been the first day of their marriage. In reality, their marriage has been silently combusting for years. It's up to Carey and Rusty's new assistant/engineer James McCann to keep the couple from going off the rails as they publicize their latest book on marriage advice. They both need the job badly, and the proximity forces Carey and James to get to know each other as they work together.

There are flashes of a police investigation from the outset, as well as chapters from Carey's or James' points of view. Melissa is a tough and sometimes vindictive woman as she tries to control everything around her, while Rusty has fallen out of love a long time ago and would rather flirt or have sex with just about any other woman around. Carey and James have their work cut out for them, and I really feel for Carey. She was a hair away from a high school dropout when she began working for the Tripps at their original store in Jackson, Wyoming, and the couple had essentially been surrogate parents when her own weren't as concerned with her education. She feels beholden to the two of them, to the point that she basks in Melissa's praise and essentially does all of the design work for her. Rusty is aware of that and isn't willing to disrupt the status quo, and Melissa seems to resent that as much as she needs Carey to structure her entire life. This is all she's ever known, and it takes the upset of this book tour and the newness of James' position as Rusty's assistant to truly point that out to her.

For his part, James comes across as stuffy and difficult to like at first, but he does unwind as the chapters progress. We find out exactly why he was so invested in this job, and why he seems so stiff. It's a reasonable progression and doesn't feel forced at all. While their relationship begins building up, Rusty and Melissa seem to combust even faster from the close proximity of the book tour. I really grew to like him over the course of the novel, and he was definitely someone that was a worthy partner for Carey.

I like the mentions that Carey has dystonia. It's a real condition that not a lot of people know about, yet it can affect so many people in different ways. For Carey, it's part of the reason that she stayed for the health insurance: she needed botox to reduce the spasms in her hands, and she also needed help paying for a therapist to help manage her stress levels. These are very real needs, and they're not glossed over or tossed aside at the end of the novel. She still has dystonia, she still has therapy sessions to deal with the fallout of the book tour. There's no easy way out for anyone, and it's still going to be work going forward for all of the characters involved. I enjoy the hopeful notes in this happily ever after, and that it feels very real and worth the journey we took to get there.