Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is a great fit for readers looking for a lighthearted, fast-paced romance between two quirky best friends who are perfect for each other, yet can't seem to see it themselves.

This isnt' my favorite book of theirs but with that being said -- they know how to write a great book. I think it is probably my expectations that are so high for them. I mean you fall in love with Hazel right off the bat. Josh is perfect -- almost too perfect. But he's so perfect that you don't think there is any chance he could love Hazel. But I guess that's what makes this book such a fun ride! Nobody makes you fall in love with their characters like Christina Lauren do! I will always read their books because you get to a certain point where you want to put it down to do something else, like work, and yet you find that you cannot get up until you finish. I found that point right around the halfway point. And (spoiler alert) you know they will end up together but you want to know how they are going to figure it out. That's how they keep you hooked. I need there to be a happy ending -- I just want to be surprised at how that happy ending is going to happen. That's what makes their books so amazing! You know you can expect that happy ending but you never know exactly how it's going to happen. But I have to say they did have me fooled at one point because you don't think there is any way Hazel could walk away from Josh. Yet they somehow wrote her in a such way that she becomes not the one chasing perfect Josh. But totally the other way around which makes me love them even more. Their female characters are not women who will do anything to get the perfect guy.

Talk about opposites attracting.. Hazel and Josh are diametrically different from each other. Hazel is quirky and fun and really has no filter since she basically says whatever pops in her mind and I freaking loved it. Now Josh is a little more conservative and less eccentric. Which in my opinion makes them perfect for each other.

These two met in college it was a less than auspicious event given Hazel managed to throw up on him and his shoes. Needless to say there was no immediate attraction. Fast forward a few years and they are back in each other's world. And while dating is part of their new friendship, they're not dating each other... I loved how they decided to set each other up on dates at the same time and restaurant and what ensues are moments of hilarity and some oh so awkward moments.

Through these dates it' was clear to me that if anyone belongs together it's these two. belong together. They truly balance each other. Hazel brings out a joyful side of Josh and he loves and accepts her just how she is which one of the many reasons I fell for Josh Im!!

This book was a fun read and I can't believe it took me this long to read it!

Josh and Hazel. Hazel and Josh. They've been friends since college and don't date. But when Josh gets dumped he finds himself with Hazel. But not WITH Hazel. Instead, they set each other up on blind dates. While the will they-won't they aspect of this kept me drawn in, I was not a fan of the end of the book. I think there is a lot to like here for reads, though and would recommend it to someone looking for a romance that seems like it may never happen.

Another winner…Friends to lovers! Hazel and Josh will have you falling hard! I loved how Hazel stepped up for her friend when he needed someone. The fact that Hazel seems like an unlikely pairing for Josh just makes it that much better!
Really enjoyed this story!
Hazel is different and I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this. Seriously a great binge read! All of their books are if I’m honest.

Christina Lauren books are pretty much an auto-buy for me, but I'm a little late to the game with this review. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it! A sweet friends-to-lovers romance with a touch of the grumpy-sunshine trope. Not everyone can handle Hazel's brand of eccentricity, but Josh seems to do it without blinking. He doesn't understand why she does what she does or says what she says, but he seems to accept it without complaint, unlike many other guys who have come and gone in Hazel's life. A wow-the-world-is-small reuniting after knowing each other briefly in college, both Hazel and Josh have grown up and are thriving, independent adults. Thinking Josh is way out of her league and desperate not to lose his friendship, Hazel is determined to keep Josh in the best-friend-zone. And Josh can't help but be charmed by how fiercely Hazel loves those closest to her, including him. And after a few disasterous double dates and an undeniable attraction to one another, Hazel and Josh figure out that two people who seem so wrong for each other just might be absolutely right for each other. I recommend this heart-filled romance of acceptance and of being true to yourself to any romance fan.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

Not going to lie, Christina Lauren is a new author for me, (gasp) but if this book is any indication of what all of their other books are like I have quite a bit of catching up to do.

I am not sure who I enjoyed more Hazel and her quirky personality or Josh for the way that he just seemed to get her. In Hazel’s eyes Josh has always been out of her league but after reconnecting after college they seem to find that their differences make them better together.

I absolutely loved the fact that Hazel just didn’t really have a filter, even though a few times I think she may have wanted to keep a few things to herself. I could feel Josh’s conflict after the “Tabby” incident but his willingness to explore his feelings for Hazel and wait for her to catch up (ha…she was a little bit ahead of him there) was even more endearing.


What can I say about Christina Lauren's writing……effortless. Well at least that is the way that it appeared. The chapters flowed seamlessly into one another and kept me vested in the story throughout. Engaging characters will definitely do that. Let’s just say that I highly recommend this book to someone who has never had that opportunity to read these ladies and will be checking out their past works as well.

I love Christina Lauren and Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating made me love them even more! This book was so fun, sweet and absolutely adorable!

This featured an unpopular trope - BUT I love this trope and it was done really well here. They did lean in to the whole "not like other girls" thing but, eh. I was a bit anxious about reading this but I'm sort of sad I waited so long to read it.

4 out of 5 wine glasses

OMG! I can not stop smiling after reading Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating.

This book was absolutely phenomenal and another Christina Lauren win! Josh and Hazel's banter was on another level. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. The swoon factor was also high in this book as Josh was absolutely adorable. His acceptance of Hazel and all her quirks was amazing and just so endearing.

I'm binge reading the titles I've missed and cannot wait to experience more of this dynamic duo in the future!

5 stars!

I love friends to lovers romance and just loved the dynamic and relationship between Hazel and Josh.

Hazel and Josh knew each other in college, she always had a crush on him but they haven’t seen each other in years until she realizes that he is the brother of one of her good friends.

Hazel is a quirky and funny no-filter kinda girl and I just loved her character. Josh is the complete opposite—a neat freak, laid back, more quiet to her loud.

When Josh finds out that his girlfriend of two years is cheating on him, Hazel plants herself into his life as his best friend and does everything in her power to make him smile, to enjoy life, to not think of his ex but to have fun. With this comes a friendship like no other… setting each other on blind dates and getting to know each other on a level that they never expected.

I loved watching them fall… complete opposites who are really so darn perfect for one another. This is the perfect summer read for readers who love a quirky strong heroine who doesn’t change but remains true to herself and the guy who realizes what has been in front of him this entire time.

I wish we had more time with them together but I LOVED LOVED LOVED the epilogue and the perfect life they created together. <3

The writing duo of Christina Lauren always puts a smile on my face and I always look forward to what they have in store for us next!

Christina Lauren writes great characters, sexy scenes and plots that you can connect with all while keeping you flipping the pages.

For as long as I can remember, authors Christina Lauren have always made it onto my “highly anticipated” TBR each year. That being said, it doesn’t take much to get me on board with a book that has their names attached to it.

When I heard about their upcoming standalone with the striking cover, and a colorful cast of characters, I just knew I needed to get my hands on it ASAP.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating was a wonderfully paced, and well-rounded tale of two college acquaintances-turned-friends, who later become quasi-roomies-turned-matchmakers-turned-lovers. So in other words, I’m here for it.

Are you keeping up? Good.

Written in dual POV (which I freaking love), we follow Josh and Hazel throughout a series of unfortunate date nights (many of which are double dates for both of them), as they each try to find meaningful(ish) relationships.

What I loved about this was that while both Josh and Hazel had the best of intentions for the other, somehow throughout the course of the train wreck pairings they’re brought closer together as friends, and eventually, lovers.

At the risk of sounding cliché, the connection between Josh and Hazel was so perfect and pure; I found myself cheering for them to finally realize that everything they were looking for could be found in each other. With Hazel’s character being super eccentric and quirky, I found myself completely smitten by the chemistry her and Josh shared.

For lack of a better term: HEART EYES FOREVER.

The progression of their romance felt organic and genuine, and I found that even once the story was done, I still wanted to know ‘where are they now?’!

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a sweet, fluffy(ish) romance, with pops of humor and some feel-good moments. Also, if you’ve read Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Player book (which is my all-time fave of theirs), you’ll absolutely love Josh and Hazel.

This book was flirty, fun, and blissfully romantic. It checked all my boxes as a romance reader, and left me greedy wanting more!

This is a solid 4 stars!

unsurprisingly i loved this book. I found that even though im not typically a romcom fan i absolutely love anything that CL writes even if its not my typical genre!

Probably one of the most hyped and recommended books is Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating and I was hesitant to start it. This is one of the cases where I was wrong! The HYPE is real! Josh and Hazel is charming and sweet and everything everyone said and more!

But let’s be honest. I seriously had a hard time getting into Josh and Hazel. I mean, she was a pretty unusual character. In fact, it took me a while to realize that Hazel is actually a “manic pixie dream girl.” She is indeed an unusual character and probably one that took a while for me to like. I ended up feeling for her as the story went on, though. But you must admit, she was very endearing!

There were also a few cringe-worthy moments that had me laugh out loud. This helped me come into terms with her personality. She really is quirky but, in the end, she endeared herself to me which made me like her!

Josh was a character that I could relate to. He is the stuffy stereotypical Asian guy (and I know a few) who was perfect for Hazel’s weird and quirky character.

In fact, I liked that their relationship developed really slowly and started as a friendship. Now that I think about it, Josh and Hazel do follow the typical “manic pixie dream girl” trope to a T. But despite that, I absolutely enjoyed it.

It probably helped that I listened to the audiobook version. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have finished it. I do have thoughts on the audiobook narrators. I absolutely LOATHED the narrator reading Josh’s POV. Todd Haberkorn is a horrible male narrator! I mean, he uses the typical “high pitched” annoying female voice that I absolutely LOATHED! I mean, can’t male narrators just use their normal voice like how others do?!

The female narrator Jayme Mattler, is really a good narrator. And if this wasn’t read by two narrators, I would have DNF’d this book and sadly, not appreciate the quirkiness that is Hazel.

I would also want to note that after listening to the audiobook, I seriously HAD to have Korean food! In fact, I drove to Koreatown in Los Angeles to have some K food! It was absolutely delish!

Unfortunately, this book follows the new Christina Lauren trend of being a little woman’s fiction and does not have the steaminess of the previous Beautiful Bastard books. I seriously miss this, by the way.

I recommend Josh and Hazel but unfortunately, I can’t recommend the audiobook version. If you’re like me who cringe at awful narrators, you will avoid the audiobook like the plague. I’m even surprised that I was able to finish the whole audio!

This was an entertaining read. I liked the writing style and I enjoyed both the characters and the plot.

My first book by these authors, and I’ll definitely be back for more! Josh and Hazel were so funny and sweet together. Their series of setting each other up on terrible blind double dates was hilarious. At first I was a little nervous because Hazel has some manic pixie dream girl in her DNA. But she doesn't exist solely to help Josh on his journey, and she has her own story arc--and she's mostly just quirky. (If I knew her in real life, she would be way too much, but she works as a character because we get to know what's going on in her head.)

For the most part, I loved this book and then here's where this book failed me as a reader....They threw in the "we have to have some fake conflict at the end to make it worthwhile to the reader." NO, THEY DIDN'T!!!! We don't need that. We can read a book without angst or conflict and it is perfectly wonderful and great. I liked it up until that point and then it started to become a four-star novel to me. I hate angst. Everyone knows this. Otherwise, this would have been a five.

Christina Lauren gutted me with Josh and Hazel's friends-to-lovers story. This is the duo's writing at its best: a sexy rom-com with hilarious wit; clever, snappy writing; and aching, twisting emotion. Josh and Hazel have that deep connection that can only be cultivated by their genuine love for each other turned more, a steady, rising heat as the relationship between the two of them overshadows every blind double date they try to embark on with other people. From Hazel's pets to the thrown-together forced roommate situation to her wild chaos versus his calm order to one hysterical dating experience after another, this book has everything. I love the heat and heart found in a Christina Lauren romance, and they've hit their stride somewhere between YA, contemporary erotic, women's fiction, and rom-com. This right here, though? This is their sweet spot.

During an especially rough book slump last year, on the recommendation of a couple of trusted reading friends, I listened to the audio version of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (the dynamic writing duo consisting of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings); not only did I discover that romance novels make for great entertainment during long runs in bad weather and crappy work commutes, but I also became hooked on their work and will now be a forever fan.

"We were all infatuated with him, but for me it went deeper: Josh Im became my blueprint for Perfect. I wanted to be his friend."

I’ve been hanging on to my copy of Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating for another slump-y occasion and it recently presented itself; this is my third Christina Lauren novel and it did not disappoint. Josh and Hazel are delightful characters and could not be more different from one another; they met during their early college years and have been unexpectedly reunited through Hazel’s best friend.

Throughout this novel, and it only took me a few reading sessions to finish, I found myself laughing out loud uncontrollably; please make note of this when considering your reading environment. During one of these occasions I was around other people (and probably should have been paying attention to something else); I’m sure they wondered what I could possibly have been laughing about at that particular moment.

"The top scoop of my ice cream slides off an lands on the sidewalk with a sorrowful splat. I stare at it, forlorn.
’I can see you working out whether it’s okay to pick that up and put it back on.’ He rests a hand on my arm. ‘Don’t do it.’"

This breath of fresh air was just what I needed when I read it; these two authors deliver charismatic characters and an entertaining, thoughtful story every single time. Make sure to add this one to your list for dreary days, times when you need a pick-me-up, and a quick read; I think it’s perfect.