This book is absolutely going to warm you from your head to the tips of your toes. What I love most about this book is that the characters are quirky and outrageous and feel no embarrassment about who they are. It is because of this that the reader gains a confidence in him or herself for any weird quirk that he or she has.

This is one of my favorite reads of 2018, and I'd recommend if for fans of Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient. Josh and Hazel are friends from college that reconnect, and from the outside, they seem like polar opposites. Hazel is wild and quirky, and Josh is reserved. Slowly their friendships develops into something more as they set one another up on blind dates. This book was so funny and fun, and it has made me a Christina Lauren fan from here on. Highly recommended!

I thought Josh and Hazel were a nice match despite being so different. It sometimes felt like Hazel's personality traits were given too much attention, but overall she was an interesting character with understandable relationship hangups. One aspect that I really enjoyed in this story was Josh and his loyalty to his family and their traditions. It was great to see him proud of the responsibility he had as the oldest son. And then to see him continue it in the epilogue was nice as well. I'm also glad that there wasn't too much angst with them dating other people either lol.

This was a really fun romance! I loved how Hazel stuck to being her authentic self. Josh and Hazel try to set each other up with a potential romances when they so obviously are perfect for each other.

This book is AMAZING. If I could rate it 10 stars I would. I absolutely adored this cute, quirky romance. Doesn't everybody always wonder about the one that got away? This super sexy book has the charm of a YA novel but the sex appeal of a very adult one. ;) I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren and this is by far one of their best.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a warm, cozy, feel good book! This was the first book that I have read by Christina Lauren and I will definitely be reading more of her work from here on out!

Josh and Hazel are two of the most likable characters that I have read in a while. This book has just the right balance between friendship and romance and you find yourself rooting and cheering on the characters. This book made my heart happy and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good feel good romance story!

It was like a perfect rom com in book form! I look forward to reading more of her work in the future!

I loved this story! Hazel was hilarious, Josh was adorable, and their relationship was swoony. I laughed so many times through this story! And yet, the characters were so lovely that I didn't want it to end. Can't wait for the next Christina Lauren novel!

Since embarrassing herself in front of Josh Im a few memorable times in college, Hazel Bradford has always thought of him as the model of her Perfect Guy. Flash forward almost a decade later and while she now has a kickass career as a third grade teacher, Hazel still hasn't found Mr. Right. She does have an awesome collection of adorable pets and some really cool friends, but alas she's still single. So when she runs into Josh and realizes he lives locally as well, wouldn't it just figure that he's not single. Hazel still feels that pull between them, although she tells herself it's of the friendly not romantic variety. She and Josh become fast friends, and after an unfortunate breakup between him and his girlfriend, they eventually set each other up on blind double dates with the best of intentions.

But it seems like Hazel and Josh spend more time laughing and paying attention to each other rather than their dates. And Josh is pretty sure he knows why: they have chemistry that just can't be denied the longer they spend time in each other's company. Not knowing what to do about it, they try to keep things platonic. Until a fun drunken night turns serious and sexy, throwing them both for an emotional loop. Josh doesn't want to push Hazel to start dating and lose the wonderful friendship they've built. But he doesn't know if he can remain just friends either. He'll have to use his laser-like focus in the midst of the storm known as Hazel to figure out if she feels the same way, and if so, if they have what it takes to make a relationship work.

Powerhouse writing duo Christina Lauren took the friends to lovers trope to exciting and comical new heights in Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. Their pairing of a free-spirited elementary teacher and a sensitive & sexy physical therapist--basically chaos vs. calm--was perfection in all its awkward, heartfelt, swoon-worthy glory.

Now that was fun! And oh-so satisfying. As with all of Christina Lauren's books I've read to date, actually. But there was something kind of special--or magical, if you will--about Josh and Hazel's journey. I love that they had this humorous history together, beginning with a few embarrassing moments they had in college and then when they met again about a decade later, realizing that they just felt comfortable in their own skin around each other. And that's one of the things I love about friends to lovers. There was a great foundation being built between Hazel and Josh as they became friends that led to trust, true camaraderie, and which let the genuine feelings they had grow naturally.

I have to admit that Hazel likely won't be everyone's cup of tea. I adored her in all her kooky, offbeat, wonderful ways, from her wide assortment of lovable pets to her funky sense of fashion and her childlike wonder about, well, everything around her. Hazel was perpetually happy and it was difficult not to smile at her antics. But it was her generous, compassionate heart that won me over. And her secret crush for Josh? *sigh* I don't blame Hazel. Josh was pretty freaking wonderful. He was smart and caring, steadfastly loyal to anyone he was close to, and he had hidden sexy depths that will make a reader's heart flutter during the romantic scenes.

The blind double dates Hazel and Josh set up for each other and battled their way through, I thought, were hysterical and quite telling. As the dates wore on, even their companions could see that there was something going on between Josh and Hazel...even if they didn't realize it themselves. It did get to a point where I think some readers may get frustrated and just say, "Enough already! Just date each other!". (lol) But I enjoyed the ups and downs of their roller coaster ride dating the wrong people and I thought it was every bit as entertaining as it was poignant. Because, yes, there were some serious moments between Hazel and Josh. Scenes where Christina Lauren's writing ability shone through with surprising depth of emotion and lovely confidences ultimately shared by our protagonists.

With an epic ending that will have you sighing happily, along with a totally memorable cast you'll want to befriend, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was an amusing and delicious romance that will be sure to capture your heart.

I'll admit I was surprised by how much I liked this one, this trope's been done to death but this one was surprisingly heartwarming. It's nice to see people being friends and doing real things rather than being just constant URST and drama. It's nice to see an Asian male lead, I feel like we don't see that too often (though I'd prefer if it were an Asian writer but I digress) I'd rate it a 4.5 because Hazel was occasionally wearing on my patience with her odd behavior, it got a little and I would've liked to see a bit more of Josh's point of view.
ARC received by Netgalley for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley, gallery books and Christina Lauren for my #arc of # joshandhazelsguidetonotdating

I was SUPER excited to receive a copy of this book because after really liking #loveandotherwords I needed another friends to lovers book in my life.

Hazel met Josh at a college party where she promptly threw up on his shoes. Hazel is the eccentric one who intimidates men and Josh is the total opposite mellow one. Who would think after their disastrous meeting and other subsequent equally disastrous bump ins they would meet at a bbq, 10 years later, and become friends. Now Hazel and Josh are fighting their attraction for each other and going on double dates. Will Hazel and Josh stop denying their attraction for each other?

I really liked this one. It’s a opposites attract friends to lover theme going on. I’ll admit it was very predictable but I loved the characters. Josh was a great hero understanding and sweet and Hazel was just unapologetically herself and I loved her. I was a little sad that it wasn’t longer since I needed a little more. I definitely recommend this one. Get ready for this super fun light read. Add it to your tbr pile this ones set to be released on Sept 4th (I’ll happily remind you guys of this one)

Please note: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Opposites attract in this cute, steamy adult romance.

Considering my hate for the Beautiful Bastards series, I'm shocked to admit Christina Lauren is now one of my auto buy authors. When I saw this book available on NetGalley, I snatched it up quickly.

This novel is the perfect blend of friendship and romance. Josh and Hazel are two very different people. Josh is quiet and reserved, while Hazel is zany and eccentric. When these two characters collide, they form a solid bond filled with support, laughter, and love. The evolution of their friendship to romance is sweet and earned. I am thrilled to read more novels where the friendship between the main characters is just as important as the romance. We can have both, people! The secondary characters, plot, and setting are just as cute as the romance. The ending took me by surprise, but in the best way possible.

tl;dr A novel with the perfect blend of friendship and romance between two unlikely characters.

Josh and Hazel are apparently undateable together—that much power-writing duo Christina Lauren wants to bring across. But the irony is that they are never better matched despite their opposite ways, as the story trundles on. Both go on blind double dates (mostly disasters), get on as good friends (loads of banter and nonsense talk), then finally realise that they do actually belong together.

After having quite a good time with a few of this duo’s books, jumping into Lauren’s ‘Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating’ was something I eagerly did…that is, until the very first chapter caught me out with the antics of a female protagonist I had a bad feeling about.

There’s no other way for me to say this, but I simply found Hazel cringe-worthy. At least, there’s the part where the adorable, bumbling fool kind of woman would probably find purchase with many readers because it’s so obvious how flawed she is. Unfortunately, she simply read like a protagonist who couldn’t grow up and stayed that way so as to become as a plot device mirroring the loud, clueless millennial—as reported about with derision in the newspapers these days—who stumbles over everything and says whatever her mouth decides to say without engaging her brain.

But unlike Bridget Jones, she appears fully formed, owns her quirks, and pretty much heads the movement for how women should be themselves (and proud of it for going through men, not wanting commitment) without changing for anyone…which is a good thing right?

Um.

For me, it was too much, too hard, too affected because it felt like the authors were trying too hard to make her the kind of woman who’s just like a commitment-phobic male protagonist unable to hold a relationship. Written as larger than life because it’s fiction and drawn up so deliberately like a character in a sitcom or as a mirror of this kind of male hero, Hazel simply made me sigh in resignation and not in a good way.

Unlike the usual style of Lauren’s that compelled me to read what this writing duo has done so far—the first person narrative, the huge touch of the insane in this romcom—this book started as a rough ride for me, oddly so because of its very lighthearted feel that just didn’t leave me clutching my sides in laughter. It did get somewhat better as Josh and Hazel find their groove together first as good friends, but I couldn’t really hold an interest in a book where the protagonists obliquely get closer together while dating others.

In short, it’s a story that will appeal to many, but it isn’t one for me.

➳Quirkiness, fun double dates, sexy times that became unexpected, everything combined together to bring two individuals that are beyond different but definitely meant to be...

➳When one starts reading a romance novel by my favorite duo Christina Lauren, one should know that you will forever love the story no matter what. When one reads romance stories, you expect a trope to take into place. No matter what, this new stand-alone filled with fun adventures between two best friends, has every retrospective of uniqueness when hitting the pitcher at the exact spot of loving Josh and Hazel. To me, maybe I say this because my love for Christina and Lauren is immense, but I am down-right honest about my reviews. This novel will knock you off your feet when it comes down to the laughter that comes out of you when Hazel does something that is beyond endearing and juvenile way.

➳This story basically revolves itself around the idea and actions of Josh and Hazel becoming best friends after some "awkward" college moments and finding out that Hazel's best friend, Emily, is Josh's sister, who is married to Dave, the principle and the boss of Hazel in her new job at a new elementary school as she teaches the third grade. After becoming best friends, Hazel and Josh decide to start setting up double dates with individuals they know, for each other. At first it all starts wonderfully because they both have fun with the partners they end up choosing for each other. But it gets to a point where the sexual chemistry between Josh and Hazel, the unexpected status of being roommates, and one drunken night, they change the tables to wanting to become more than best friends.

➳There is a sudden and unexpected love towards Hazel and her persona. Her vibrancy, her enthusiasm, all her quirks that makes her such a unique individual that has taken everything in her empowering personality to admire herself and not care what others thing about her, is what truly captivates the reader to wanting to read more, CRAVE that kind of writing that Christina and Lauren always seem to specialize in. That's what makes Josh admire Hazel. Her love towards him as his initially best friend is indeed swoon worthy. And as a rom-com, one never goes wrong with loving all the adventures these two encounter and go through.

➳Overall, I am beyond glad that I had the chance to read this book this time around. It definitely brightened my mood and I will definitely be reading this beauty again. Thank you to Gallery books for letting me enjoy this romance novel that had me itching for more love of Christina Lauren. If you are looking for something sweet, exciting, and enthusiastic, then this novel is the ideal one for you.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4.5 stars

This novel reads very differently from the other Christina Lauren books I've read. It's still sexy but in a witty, madcap good romantic comedy sort of way. Both Hazel and Josh are great characters: they are funny, real, endearing and flawed. Hazel is a "free spirit" a ball of unique, frenetic energy that can't be contained. It's lovely to have a character who owns her quirks and is unapologetic for who she is. Josh, to some extent, is Hazel's opposite: he's calm, stoic, maybe a little up-tight at times, but he has a great deal of heart--he accepts and loves Hazel for who she is and recognizes that she brings a little extra spice to his life.

Hazel and Josh first meet during college, but never really know each other very well--though most of their college encounters are... memorable, at least. Flash forward seven years and Hazel and Josh reconnect at an end-of-year bbq at the home of Hazel's best friend, Emily, who just happens to be Josh's sister (who knew!). Hazel is now a 3rd-grade teacher moving to a new school for the coming academic year--the school where Emily teaches and Emily's husband is the principal. As Josh recovers from a difficult break-up, he and Hazel fall into a close, loving friendship that both swear will never be anything more.

Most of the first half of the novel focuses on this friendship in which each person tries to help the other--including setting each other up and going on blind, double dates. There are hints that the two are growing closer, but it's nice that the relationship never really gets all angsty and weird. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

With some amazing lines including a description of Hazel in which Josh is "getting Ms. Frizzle vibes" and a scene where Josh compares being subjected to a date's long, windblown hair as being "pushed in a wheelchair through a room of cobwebs," this is a light-hearted romantic read sure to bring a smile to your face.