The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren is a fairly entertaining read that you’ll fly through in one sitting.

The Honey-Don’t List is an entertaining premise—following the assistants of this mega HGTV couple who actually hate each other in real life. I will say that I felt the authors made Melissa and Rusty way too unlikeable. Also, when it came to Melissa and Carey’s relationship, I definitely wanted more there. Melissa, in particular, is the evil boss from hell but that’s all we really get from her. Carey had worked with the family since she was 16 and there are quick lines about how Melissa and Rusty are pretty much like a second pair of parents to her but it doesn’t explore that area of their relationship much.

This genre is a good palate cleanser between more heavy reads. While The Honey-Don’t List might have been a bit rushed, there are still entertaining elements.

The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren is a fun book with many twists and turns, that keep me reading. The plot and characters are well developed, and I enjoy the quirky characters in the book. I recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely hilarious. This is one of the best Christina Lauren books out there - I knew when I read the premise that it would be amazing, and it did not disappoint! Easy 5 starts.

Like many of the CL books, this is easy to read, but not too fluffy to feel like I'm rotting my brain. Carey has been working for Melly and Rusty Tripp since she was 16, but she's now Carey 26 years old and works as Melly's assistant. She's has watched the Tripp's rise to fame for their home improvement ideas with their own HGTV shows, written best-selling books, and new show about to launch on Netflix. Unfortunately, their marriage is not at all what it seems on TV, and neither is their business. Carey actually does all the design work behind the scenes, including helping Melly and Rusty keep up the perception of having the perfect marriage. When James joins the staff as an engineer, he finds that his job is actually babysitting Rusty, not the engineering work that he was promised. Carey and James’ relationship is prickly, but when the two accompany the Tripp’s on a book signing tour, they find themselves becoming allies and then something more.

I think part of the reason I loved this book is because I do love the home improvement shows, so I think there could have been more romantic development. However, still would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, light read!

I just love everything these authors put out!

Starting with the cover, LOVE this one! It's almost as good as The Unhoneymooners cover, and almost as good as that story too!
A great contemporary romance! Loved the story, loved each of the characters, and was definitely entertained throughout the whole book!

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys adult romance! I will continue to read everything these authors write <3

I have loved every Christina Lauren book I have read and this one is no exception! The plot was super unique and I loved both Carey and James. They were frustrating at times but I really loved their relationship. If you are looking for a fun romance, look no further!

“The Honey-Don’t List” by Christina Lauren is an entertaining contemporary romance that reminds me of the “Devil wears Prada” meets “Hope Floats.” It has all the intensity of high powered design fame with the heart warming appeal of country soul. It is a satisfying romance about getting out of your own way and figuring out how to rise above circumstances that previously felt beyond your control. It also weaves in humor, the right amount of levity and an appropriately orgasmic wake up call for both main characters. “The Honey-Don’t List” Is an entertaining read that just might make you feel pretty good about staying home for a while!

I thought this was much stronger than the last Christina Lauren that I read (Twice in a Blue Moon). This focuses on Carey and James, the assistants to a wife and husband DIY team (think Joanna and Chip) who are forced to go on a book tour with their bosses to make sure they behave. I thought the fact that Carey and James were so much more mature emotionally than their bosses while being significantly younger was a nice touch. Their pairing felt pretty natural - the kind of thing that would happen to two people forced into such a stressful situation. I often find the conflict between romantic partners to be contrived in romance novels, and that was the case here as well, though I thought the resolution of that conflict was reasonable and satisfying. Carey and James were both pretty endearing characters, and I read this whole book in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my ARC of The Honey-Don’t List in exchange for an honest review.
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I became a huge fan of this duo after reading The Unhoneymooners last year. Ever since, I’ve been on a mission to try and read all their books. I found it’s hard not to fall in love with their characters.
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The Honey-Don’t List is a fun, light story with undeniable chemistry between Carey and James. I loved them and the playful relationship that formed between these characters. Unfortunately, I also felt that their relationship was a bit overshadowed by the Tripp’s problems. Carey and James are tasked with “babysitting” HGTV stars Melanie and Rusty Tripp, on their book tour, in the hopes that their fans won’t find out about their rocky relationship. They can’t afford to quit but Carey and James quickly realize this task may be more difficult than they thought. Will they be successful in keeping everything together or will it all go up in flames?
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I’m looking forward to seeing what this duo comes out with next! ❤️

Another win for Christina Lauren! My favorite author(s)!

This book is very relatable with its "reality-star-failing-marriage-cover-up". It just is too juicy not to get swept right up into!

Every CL book is great and some more so than others. This is one of my more favorite books of theirs.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Ok, this is my third Christina Lauren book in about an 8 month spread- I started with Twice in a Blue Moon (liked, didn’t love), My Favorite Half- Night Stand (LOVED) and then when I saw The Honey-Don’t List- I just had a good feeling.

Some things you may need to know: I may be the only woman on the planet who doesn’t live and breathe for HGTV, Chip and Joanna Gaines, or have a strong desire to have my house remodeled and then shown on a HGTV show. I’m not knocking it- I just like my Law and Order re-runs on my comfy couch 🙂

But I had to giggle at the set-up of the book because you can just tell that CL took some major inspiration from some of HGTV’s hottest design couples- and had fun. Because what is more fun than people curating the perfect life- the life you covet while watching these shows- and for them to really NOT be in love anymore……Nothing, I tell you, Nothing. Loved that!

What I liked:

This cover is so cute. And the title- I love it!

Carey and James. They had some great dialogue.

How the book was set-up- there are sections that read as social media postings and it was a cute way to break up the book.



Bottom line: For me, this was an enjoyable read. I liked it more than Twice In A Blue Moon and a bit less than One Half Night Stand (I felt the humor in this one was more like OHNS- but not just quite up to par). I’ll be keeping an eye on this duo for their next book.

Ugh. I could not stand the Tripps. They made this story so frustrating. I wanted to love James and Carry’s story but I just didn't. I'm a huge CL fan so I'm still looking forward to their next book.

The premise of this book made me pay a lot closer attention to HGTV renovation shows. I mean, I sensed something was off with that house flipping couple who got divorced (I cannot and will not be bothered to remember their names, regardless of how hard People magazine tries to make them relevant), but I figured they would be like Melissa and Rusty Tripp (the home renovating couple for whom our main characters work) and stay together for the sake of the money. I mean the show.

As conceived by Christina Lauren, the Tripps are completely loathsome. Even when they have their moments of goodness, that goodness is motivated almost entirely by self-preservation. There are reasons why Melissa offers the occasional kindness to her assistant Carey, just as Rusty has his reasons for giving his assistant James what he wants, starting with not calling him an assistant because James hates that almost as much as he hates not being called James.

The romance between James and Carey is a slow burn, but you feel it coming as surely as you feel the implosion of the Tripps' marriage. Christina Lauren really make you want this couple to happen, and I loved that build-up. The point on which possible trouble hinges may feel a little tired, but everything else works. I laughed out loud quite a few times (Rusty is a trippy Tripp).

I can't say this book will be as unforgettable to me as others from Christina Lauren, but I sure did enjoy it as I read it.

I have never watched a home improvement or any reality TV show, but I have enjoyed reading some of the authors' books, so gave it a shot. I read an ARC from NetGalley.com and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Not being a great student and knowing she was not college bound, while in high school, Carey started working at the Melissa and Rusty Tripps' home decor store, Comb + Honey. They treated her like surrogate parents and she realized she had a talent for designing furniture, which Rusty then built. But fame and fortune came their way and went to Mellie's head, who started putting their "brand" before their marriage. Ten years later, Carey is still working as Mellie's "assistant", behind the scenes creating the pieces that Mellie takes create for, but mostly staying because of the health insurance, which covers her dystonia. The fame has also created a rift in the Triff's marriage and Carey and new hire, James, who is a civil engineer, but has been casted as Rusty's "keeper", are tasked with keeping the couple on track and away from poor publicity while they go on a publicity tour for their new book and new show. At first, Carey and James do not care very much for the other, but as they spend more time together in the tour bus, they discover a side that the other keeps hidden from most of the world, bonding them together.

The characters are well written, Carey is especially appealing and the plot leaves lots of room for humorous scenes and lively banter. So despite not having any reference to home improvement shows, I enjoyed the story.

Our main character, Carey, is the “assistant” to Melly Tripp, who is half of the Comb+Honey brand, alongside her husband, Rusty. They seem to be a cross between Chip and Joanna Gaines and Tarek and Christina El Moussa. Rusty’s “assistant” is James, who is actually an engineer and annoys Carey by acting like he’s too good for this job.
Unsurprisingly, there’s trouble in paradise and even with two shows and several books under their belt, Melly and Rusty’s marriage is worse for the wear. Rusty drinks and has affairs, Melly is controlling and mean. Carey and James become basically glorified babysitters, trying to stop the Tripps’ marriage from publicly combusting and, in the process, become close.
Carey and James were sweet together, but everything progressed too quickly for my liking. They went from being annoyed by each other for two months to being veryyyy interested in each other so fast.
Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted, quick read. If you like HGTV shows, you’ll enjoy this one.

It makes sense that Carey and James would be drawn together. After all, managing two self-absorbed celebrity bosses must have been incredibly stressful for those two personal assistants. I had never of Focal Dystonia so I’m always grateful for stories that entertain and educate simultaneously.

The pace of this book was steady and it wasn’t very angst which I liked. The two characters Carey and James did gradually grow and the chemistry between them evolved naturally. I definitely rooted for them professionally and personally. I enjoyed this story just like I enjoyed the last couple of installments from this duo. There is a consistency is story telling that makes their books easy to read and their characters easy to love.

I recommend this story for those who want a quick yet enjoyable romance especially during this time of social distancing. It wasn’t emotionally taxing but enough plot to transport the reader to another place.

I really like Christina Lauren's books and was super excited to be able to read The Honey-Don't List. I enjoyed reading it. It was fun but also tackled some meaty subjects. It was written well and was a great, fast-paced read.

I’m generally a fan of Christina Lauren’s books and find them to be creative and witty, but I felt that was missing from this book. I found it to be predictable and the relationship between the two main characters had little build up. I would have liked a bit more about Melly and Rusty. It was a super fast read, which I liked

I was in desperate need of a book that could provide levity and humor. The Honey-Don’t List delivered!

Carey Douglas owes a lot to Melissa and Rusty Tripp. They gave her a job at 16 and have been quasi-surrogate parents for the past 10 years. So despite being overworked and given very little credit for all she contributes, she’s very loyal and devoted to the couple and the Comb+Honey business the Tripps have built - which started as a store in Jackson, Wyoming and is now a whole brand with a huge TV following.

But things are not good between the once loving Melly and Russ. And they are about to embark on a two-week bus tour promoting the release of their new book about marriage, when in reality they can hardly stand each other. So Carey and James, Russ’s assistant of two months, are sent along on the tour to make sure Melly and Russ play nice.

Not only were Carey and James looking forward to a much deserved couple weeks off, they don’t particularly like each other. James - and his MIT engineering degree - unintentionally make Carey feel inadequate and inferior, and because James was basically duped into assistant duties (think fetching coffee and performing all-around gopher duties) when he was expecting to be a design engineer, he’s generally grumpy around Carey.

But there’s nothing like a common goal to bring two “enemies” together to face insurmountable challenges!

Overall, I found The Honey-Don’t List to be an entertaining, charming story that touched on sweetness in the midst of a difficult situation caused by a narcissistic woman and her hapless husband. Carey was a fantastic heroine who, at the age of 26, was just coming into her own and learning to stand up for herself. James was a fantastic hero who saw Carey for who she is and wanted to support and encourage her to be all she could be. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them see who the other truly is and watching their relationship develop.

Was this book without some shortcomings? In my humble opinion...no. Transcripts from police interviews are sprinkled throughout the book that - while funny - didn’t have as much importance to the story as I thought they would. (What does it say about me that I was hoping the book would end with a heat-of-the-moment murder?) Also, realistically speaking...no one would make two lowly assistants responsible for keeping such a volatile situation from completely blowing up. And the ending, including the big conflict with the hero and heroine, felt rushed and less developed than it should have been.

But those things aside, this book was exactly what I needed right now - lighthearted and funny. It touched on some deeper subjects (health issues, verbal abuse, settling for less), but I don’t need every book I read to take me and my emotions on a roller coaster. I read Christina Lauren for the laughs. For the hilarious dialogue. For the poetic wordplay. On those counts, I wasn’t disappointed in the least!

* thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF at about 25% - I seriously just couldn't handle the completely blatant ties to Chip and Joanna Gaines, it was like this was an unauthorized memoir/biography weird situation. Not for me.

Carey and James are both assistants for Melissa and Rusty Tripp. It is up to them to manage the details of the TV Renovation couple public image, which becomes a real challenge when they really hate each other. Can they get them to get along long enough to make it through their book tour without them killing each other? Meanwhile Carey and James discover that they have a chemistry together. This was a fun, lighthearted book to read!