I didn't think it was possible to cry happy tears for 20+ pages of a book. And I honestly don't think it's possible for me to not love a book written by Christina Lauren. It's only been a year since I've discovered them, and loved every book I read so far. This one is amazing, I devoured it (and my nails, too).

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Romance and home Reno tv?! Like come on. This is a match made in heaven. Loved the characters and the story.

These ladies never disappoint. If you haven’t read their books yet, what are you waiting for?
4stars!

After twice in a blue moon I was a little apprehensive about this one but I ended up liking it more than I expected.

This story is told from Casey and James perspective, these two are assistants to the Tripps, home decor stars. The romance between Casey and James was cute, the Tripps were horrible but somehow amusing. I did get this feeling of “behind the scenes” which kept me engaged and reading.

Thank you to netgalley and Publisher for an Advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to @Netgally and the publisher for this book. This is my 3rd book by the duo Christina Lauren and was so excited to dig into it. I really enjoyed the slow buildup of the story. Not only between James and Carey but also between Melissa and Rusty. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before things got heated/blow up, the only question was how long would it take and the events leading up to it.

I also liked how each chapter switched between Carey and James's perspectives and you gained insight into what they thought of each other and of the current circumstances. Carey started working for the Tripp's when she was 16 years old. She started off as a cashier, then designing the storefront windows to taking an even larger role within the company, becoming an honorary member of the Tripp family and working as a personal assistant to Melissa. James was hired to be an engineer on set but instead of providing electrical engineering support, he was made me to babysit Rusty.

Melissa and Rusty Tripps are all set for their book tour to promote their new book "New Life, Old Love" and Carey and James are forced to go along. Being together on the big bus changed how they viewed each other, from annoying co-worker to someone they couldn't keep their eyes off of.

Christina Lauren is definitely a go-to author for me when I'm looking for a fun, light read. What's your go-to author?

What a fun and unique romantic comedy!

For those that like home improvement shows on TLC or HGTV, this one is for you! Actually, even if you don't typically watch those shows (like me), give it a chance.

This was an enjoyable, quick read, and the romance was absolutely charming. Between the two main characters, there was everything that you could want in a duo: chemistry, steam, charm, and romance.

Honestly, I would love to see this novel adapted to film. I beg and plead to the film industry. Between the story and how funny it would be on-screen, I know it could be made into the perfect movie (if it was done well).

I will say, intentional or not, I could not help but think of the Gaines couple and the Magnolia brand when reading this novel. I KNOW that this is a totally fictionalized story but it almost made the story even better to have a real life couple that is the total opposite to compare to. Does that make sense? Maybe not to anyone else.

As always, Christina Lauren never fail in their delivery of a romantic comedy that checks off all the boxes.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

This book was a quick easy, read. It was light and fun and I thought the main characters Carey & Jim made a cute couple. This turned out to be a pretty quick read for me and even though the other two main characters – Melly & Rusty drove me nuts, overall I enjoyed this one. Definitely not my fave CLo book, but it was fun nonetheless.

If Chip and Joanna Gaines hated each other, and had some mental health issues, you would get Melissa and Rusty Tripp. Mellie and Rusty were the darlings of the home design scene, starting with a local store and ending up on television and then a book tour. The problem is, over the years, Rusty has grown dissatisfied with the glamorous life and just wants to design and build furniture and live a fuss free life. Having affairs to get Mellie's attention works, but not in the way he wants. When their marriage is about to implode, their manager demands that Carey Douglas, Mellie's assistant and James McCann, Rusty's assistant accompany them on the book tour and keep them in line. The problem is that Carey is actually the designer behind their success and James is an engineer and MIT graduate. Neither of them gets the recognition they deserve. While commiserating with one another, they get to know each others secrets and wishes. They also develop some strong feelings toward each other and end up in a physical, romantic relationship. Throw in the antics of Mellie and Rusty and you have humour, angst, and romance. Add in trust issues and some climactic actions and moments and you have a good story that I very much enjoyed. The characters were well developed, and the story was well paced. I listened to this one in one day and was once again, pleased with the latest offering by Christina Lauren.

I loved this book of Christina Lauren! Well, I love all their books haha. But this one particular charmed me. It felt like I was reading alternate reality of Chip and Joanne Gaines. The typical humour and witty dialogue were present in this novel, and I loved watching the relationship of Carey and James grow.

Carey started working in Melissa and Rusty Tripp's first store back when she was 16. A decade later, she serves as Melly's assistant and has helped them build an empire in the home renovation industry, often not getting the credit she deserves. James is an engineer with a degree from MIT, after his previous job ended badly, he was hired as a structural engineer by the Tripps. Turns out this job isn't all it's cracked up to be, as he finds himself more of an assistant to Rusty than anything else. They both soon come to realize their bosses 'happy' marriage is more for the cameras than anything else, behind closed doors they can barely stand each other. The Tripps are set to head out on a book tour to promote their new book and show, where Carey and James are tasked with the impossible task of keeping up this happy facade. Neither of them find themselves in a position to quit, so they must stick together or risk losing more than just their jobs.

I read The Unhoneymooners by the same duo in 2019 and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I went into this one expecting another fun, humorous, and playful romance, but unfortunately it fell flat. The writing had a good flow, the chemistry between Carey and James was there, but for me, the story centered a little too much on the supporting characters of Melly and Rusty, who I did not like at all. This has been marketed as an "enemies to lovers" romance, but it was severely lacking on the 'enemies' aspect. As a whole, I found it very underwhelming.

If you're looking for a quick, easy, and light romance to keep you distracted from the going-ons of the world, or if you're a fan of their previous work, then definitely check it out. If not, I'd probably recommend skipping it, and reading one of their other books.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I initially had a hard time getting into this book but then I picked up the audiobook. I really ended up enjoying the narrators which made it much easier to get into. It’s a cute story and very much what I expected from Christina Lauren but didn’t quite have the emotional elements that make their other books (Josh and Hazel, Honeymooners) so good. Overall I much preferred this to their Once in a Blue Moon release but it wasn't my favourite.

This story was really cute, but it took me about 1/3 of the book to really get into it. Once the story became more about James and Carey, I was hooked, and the foreshadowing at the beginning of the book had me anxious to see how it would play out. I adored James and Carey, and was rooting for them the whole time - both in their professional and personal lives. I had an incredibly hard time not picturing Chip and Joanna Gaines as Rusty and Melissa Tripp - the power couple who employed James and Carey - but maybe that was the intent?

I also really liked the added detail of Carey having a movement disorder. It added an element of realness and dimension to her character.

Overall a cute, enjoyable read!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for sending me a copy of this book!
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The Honey Don’t List is a super cute novel that I would recommend if you were looking for a rom com to turn your brain off! Would actually be great for the current times!
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The book follows a successful home renovation couple who has built a brand off of their name. They go on tour for their new book but what happens off the cameras isn’t as perfect as it seems. Their assistants,
Carey and James, must work together to try to save the the company, and thereby saving their jobs!
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There is the trope of enemies to lovers in this book which I am here for. Some tropes like love triangles I find to be unbelievable but I do enjoy a good hate to love story and I think this book does it well! The characters were also super likeable which was good! Overall this book is a cute and fun!

I seriously love every book by these two and they haven't let me down this time!

A delightful quick rom com that i devoured so quickly i was shocked when i reached the end. It was sweet, engaging and humorous.

Review: The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren.

I’ve been on a Christina Lauren kick lately, with this being the 6th or 7th of their books that I’ve read. Like their other books, I loved this quick and easy to read romance. The characters of Carey and James had undeniable chemistry and I really liked that the story was told alternating between their perspectives.

Alongside the protagonists’ romance, we also get the story of two HGTV-type celebrities whose careers depend on their (now very dysfunctional) marriage. I’ve recently gotten into watching a few shows on HGTV and this gave me Home Town vibes mixed with Fixer Upper. I enjoyed this part of the book but not as much as I did Carey and James’ romance.

Overall, I rated this book four stars. I can always count on Christina Lauren for a fun, easy read. I rated this book four stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a copy of this book.

Christina Lauren has been very hit or miss for me as an author and The Honey-Don't List sounded better than it turned out to be. Ever since they wrote The Unhoneymooners they seem to be in a lull and I really hope they make a comeback soon!

3.5*

Rusty and Melissa Tripp are interior design gurus, equipped with their very own design show and mere inches from becoming a household name. But behind the scenes, their marriage is barely holding together. When James McCann was hired by the Tripp family as a structural engineer, he never imaged his day to day duties would consist of fetching coffee, keeping Rusty Tripp sober and most importantly keeping him loyal to his wife. James along with Melissa’s assistant Carey, struggle to keep the couple together long enough to make it through a few weeks of book tour stops and to keep themselves away from one another.

This is my second Christina Lauren book and I have to say that I adore their ability to incorporate unapologetic humour and quirky characters into their writing style. I loved Melissa and Rusty and their crazy dynamic as well as all of the trouble they got themselves into. I do wish that there had been more of a build in the romance department between Carey and James. I felt that it was slightly rushed and seemed almost forced out of convivence. That being said I still flew through this book and enjoyed each page. I cannot wait to see what Christina & Lauren get up to next!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Simon and Schuster Canada for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is another light and fun read from this author duo.

What I liked about this book :
- a major character has an illness / disability and although this factors into the story and some of her decisions, I thought this was done really well ( a half a star just for this )
- generally a fun romance novel
- I really like the cover

What I didn’t like so much about this book :
- the chemistry .. attraction ... all good, story is sweet . But I didn’t really see them falling in love so fast so would have preferred a happy but a more reserved ending than a declaration of love ( yes. I know, it’s a love story but still )
- the whole “I kept a secret I shouldn’t have “ ... this is so over done ...
- I actually don't like the name of the book so much 🤷‍♀️

I would definitely read another book for these authors .

3.5 stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher (Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster) and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes on your favourite home renovation show? Do you ever wonder what your favourite reality TV couple is like when the cameras stop rolling? The Honey-Don’t List offers a glimpse into this world as it follows Carey and James, the personal assistants to the Tripps, as they try to prevent the truth about America’s favourite home renovation couple from getting out.

The Honey-Don’t List is a fun, enjoyable, and quick read. My favourite thing about this book was the two main characters, Carey and James. I thought they both had great character development, and I was impressed with how much Carey grew as a character. I liked how they were both in the same boat, desperately needing their job, even though they were frustrated by the entire thing. I felt bad for Carey, mainly because the family that she was so loyal to took her for granted. I also thought that James was cute with his wardrobe and being constantly dressed up for the job he wanted, not the job he had.

Another thing that I liked about this book was how unlikeable the Tripps were. I found myself constantly annoyed with Melissa and Rusty and wanting to throw my book because of how awful they were. I also found that their unlikability made watching their relationship and empire crumble so much enjoyable, which made this book a lot of fun to read.

One thing I wanted more of was the relationship between Carey and James. They had a few great moments, especially the moment by the pool, but I felt like it wasn’t enough. I thought that there was potential for a lot of chemistry, but their relationship felt kind of rushed. I felt that their story had a lot of potentials, especially with the co-workers who don’t like each other to lovers trope and the forced proximity trope, but it fell flat because it was rushed. I think that maybe if some of the scenes with the Tripps could have been replaced with scenes between Carey and James, their relationship would have had more time to develop, and I would have enjoyed it more.

Another thing that I liked about the book is that there was a bit of a mystery going on. Every so often, the main story would cut away to a police interview with Carey or James. Based on the story, I knew that something happened with the Tripps, but I didn’t know what exactly happened. These mysterious interviews made me want to keep reading, and once I found out what happened, I was shocked and scandalized by it.

Overall, I thought that The Honey-Don’t List was a fun read. It wasn’t my favourite book by Christina Lauren, but it was still enjoyable.

Another cute and sweet story from this rom com duo. I love that the story revolved around a interior design/construction tv couple, venturing out on their book tour. I could totally picture their tv show and all of the characters so vividly.

This had an enemies to lovers vibe, but I would say it was fairly soft on the “enemies” side of things. I would have loved a bit more chemistry between the love interests and I can’t quite pinpoint what else was missing for me, but something made it just ok. I definitely enjoyed reading it and it was a quick and easy read, a perfect light, distraction read!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy to review. This one is out now!

This book was exactly what I needed to get myself out of my reading slump. It was very fast-paced, with an easy to follow storyline, and easy to understand characters. While this book came up being mediocre for me, I really appreciate how sweet and tender the relationship between Carey and James was. It was not like typical fictional romances that may have the reader swooning and “awww-ing” over precious moments, but it was a very good reminder of how beautiful love is. It subtly and realistically portrayed the greatness that comes when you feel seen by someone else, someone who wants to and knows how to take care of you. I really enjoyed those little moments throughout the book. Personally, I enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly, but also don’t think there was anything that made it stand out or incredible to me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @simonandschuster and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.