Book Review: Josh & Hazel’s Guide to not Dating

Author: Christina Lauren

Genre: Romance

Release Date: 09.04.18

Publisher: Gallery Books

Source: Library E-book

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis: “Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?”

This was almost a perfect read.

So very almost.

What I liked About This book:

• Josh & Hazel. Respectively. I adored both of these characters. Hazel was energetic, fun, and apologetically herself while Josh was more refined, serious and organized. I loved getting to read both of their POVs and be in their minds, their voices felt authentic and so unique to one another.
• Josh & Hazel. Together. Oh my gosh, this romance was magical. The romantic tension came straight off the page and they were adorable together! I loved their banter, how comfortable they were together, and how everyone could see their feelings except for them. They play the “best friend to lovers trope” masterfully. They’re so different and yet perfect for each other. Everything about their relationship was just straight up amazing.
• It was addicting. So this is technically a good thing, but horrible for my sleep schedule. This book was just so hard to put down! I actually stayed up until 4am to finish reading it and now I’m exhausted (but It was totally worth it).

What I Didn’t Like About This Book:

• The Ending. I am so so bitter about how this book ended. I was reading, just enjoying the story, and then the ending came and instantly took so much of my love for this story away. It played heavily on a trope I hate and it felt very rushed. Now, I’m stuck with a sour taste in my mouth after finishing the story that I imagine won’t be going away soon.

So, overall I enjoyed most of this book. Probably about 4/5ths of it. But sadly the ending really hurt my feelings about the story as a whole and has definitely left me feeling weird about the story. However, as I continue to try out romance books I’m planning on trying more from this author duo as I’ve heard endless amazing things about their stories. So hopefully, fingers crossed, I’ll enjoy my next Christina Lauren book even more.