The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren Book Review

Author: Christina Lauren

Genre: Adult Romance*

Release Date: 03.24.2020

Publisher: Gallery Books

Source: Audiobook via Library

My Rating: 4/5 stars

SYNOPSIS: “Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together… “

*This is an OPEN door romance

The Honey-Don’t List has been sitting on my tbr for far too long, and I’m so glad that I finally read it. I have practically no history with the author duo of Christina Lauren. I read Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating a couple years ago and enjoyed it, but I didn’t go out of my way to read anything else from them since. Josh and Hazel featured one of my all time least favorite books and it put a sour taste in my mouth. However, the synopsis of this book sounded really interesting and fun, so I added it to my tbr.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was quick, and fasted paced. I felt like I was flying through it! I listened to the entire book in two days and I was hooked from the first page. It was addicting, atmospheric, and full of romantic tension. The romance itself was super sweet. Carey and James were perfect together and I was so smiley while reading their scenes and banter. The chemistry was perfect, I shipped them SO MUCH. James was kind and attentive and I loved seeing them be open with each other. It made my heart melt. Carey and James both have great development and seeing them grow throughout this novel was so heartwarming.

I thought the plot of this was also unique. loved that Carey and James were co-workers and it was fun to see the behind the scenes of the industry they worked in. It felt authentic and the drama was engaging.

As a note, I was shocked to find out this book was published in 2020. I haven’t seen anyone else mention this, but the voice of the characters and overall plot made me assume the book had been published in 2018ish or earlier. This didn’t negatively impact my experience with reading, but I was totally thrown off to realize it was released in the last couple years!

Overall, this book was incredible. I was so smiley and happy reading the romance. Honestly, I think I may need to check out some more books from Christina Lauren after adoring this one. I would recommend reading this if you love sweet boyfriend material men, quick reads, and getting butterflies in your stomach.