The amazing power duo, Christina Lauren does it again! This time with another fun and zany romcom and an amazing chemistry between Carey and James, assistants to HGTVs design team Melly and Rusty Tripp behind Comb+Honey.

I adore HGTV and watching fixer upper and design shows that this was a very creative behind the scenes look on how dedicated assistants and their thankless jobs manage to keep up the facade.

I enjoyed the narrative and seeing the story from both Carey and James’ points of view. This was a quick read and one that will surely make your heart swoon and rooting for these two.

I recommend this book for a nice respite and laugh out loud moments that is surely needed by all during these trying times.

Carey Douglas and James McCann are opposites in every sense of the word. She barely finished HS and he’s an MIT graduate, but they both work as assistants to Melissa and Russel Tripp respectively.
When they are saddled with accompanying the home remodeling couple on a promotional trip, right before the launch of their new show, they’ll get way more than what they originally bargained for and will find themselves leaning on each other to get through their days.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s beautifully written, funny and touching in many ways.
The characters are relatable and lovable. Where Carey has allowed herself to be taken advantage from for years and doesn’t know how to assert her wants and needs in the job place, James knows exactly who he is and what he wants. I loved the way their relationship developed and they discovered each other.
The backdrop and the secondary characters are also a great addition to the story and I honestly couldn’t have liked it more if I tried.

I absolutely loved the dynamic in this book. This isn’t a typical book by the duo, but still enjoyable. This Chip and Joanna renovations, with a little drama on the side. The book opens with a police interview, which completely caught my attention. Overall a good book. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Honey Don’t List is a book that will draw you in and not let go. It’s like they combined what we love about Chip & Joanna Gaines with what we hate about the Kardashians to give is this book which is delicious mix of fixing homes and DRAMA! I was hooked. It’s wild, sad, outrageous and dramatic but you can’t look away. ⁣
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And in the middle of all that is this sweet love story between Carey and James, the two personal assistants to the TV stars, Melissa and Rusty Tripp. Two people who don’t like each other but get to know each other as they navigate their bosses drama, infidelity, anger and failing marriage. ⁣
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I enjoyed this book a lot. I wish I had a little more of Carey and James and their love story as this book did heavily focus on the Tripp’s. I wanted to see more of the love story because I really loved Carey and James. There was something so sweet and innocent about their relationship that I connected to (and don’t worry they were steamy together too!). So while I wanted a little more romance and emotion (and not the Tripp’s brand of anger and hate) please understand this...I didn’t want LESS of what @christinalauren did give us because this book had my attention from page 1 until the end. It was so entertaining and intriguing. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. ⁣
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. ⁣

The Honey-Don't List is by no means my first Christina Lauren novel, but it may be the most unusual. Not that the book was unusual, but the experience of reading it was. Ok, I'm not really doing a good job of explaining this so let me try again.

The Honey-Don't List was a five-star read from me when I was only expecting it to be 4 stars at most. Having read and liked other stories from this incredible writing duo, I was prepared to enjoy myself, but this went above and beyond. The title and cover had me expecting something completely other than what I got. I was expecting a light-hearted read with some zany antics and this was so much more than that. The depth of characters and the story completely blindsided me and I loved it.

As a fan of HGTV, I loved reading about what could possibly happen on the other side of the screen. I enjoyed the creative processes and the ways that Carey and James had to work together to make a successful show as well as work to save the reputation of their employers is so much fun. We knew from the beginning that things were going to blow up spectacularly, but it is so amazing when it happens. I feel like the whole story was handled expertly.

Yes, this was a little bit of a departure from the typical Christina Lauren, it was a welcome one and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

An interesting story that shows us that not everything is what it seems to be, as is the case of the couple Melly and Rusty Tripp, who became famous, having their own show, but their real wedding is falling apart.
To help maintain the farce - and fame - they have an assistant, Carey, who has lived with them for ten years, and has them as parents.
Joining the group is James, an engineer who becomes Tripp's assistant, and together with Carey, they live more because of the older couple than having a life of their own.

The book brings several passages with the pain of reality (especially among famous people) and makes us think, but it is not the funniest book of the duo.
3 stars

Carey Duncan started working for Melissa and Rusty Tripp when she was 16. Now, at age 26, she has seen them grow from owning a small store to become home remodeling and design gurus.

James McCann has been hired to be the director of engineering. With a solid degree in engineering, he recently lost his job when the company he worked for was caught in crooked shenanigans. While his job is mostly as a gofer, at least he is employed.

With her long years in the company, Carey is responsible for coordinating just about everything. She also has a natural eye for design and is the person behind some of the things that Melissa and Rusty have accomplished.

Melissa is narcissistic and considers herself the star of it all. Rusty is more laid back and that results in frequent fights between them. This already rocky marriage is really pushed to the edge when Rusty is caught having sex with a co-worker. Enter Carey to try and repair the damage between them and make sure the show stays on the road.

Carey isn’t impressed with James at first because she thinks he is a stuck-up jerk. But after Rusty’s latest fiasco, they come together to keep things together as they prepare for a road tour. Along the way, both of them gain more appreciation for the other. But Melissa and Rusty appear to be hell bent on destroying everything they have. Can Carey and James stop these two from ruining everything they have worked for?

Here we have two “children” with too much money and success needing to be constantly babysat by their handlers. Meh. There is no way I would have taken the crap that Carey did. Thank goodness she had James to help her. Sorry, but this was simply too boring for words and not my cup of tea.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Title: The Honey-Don't List
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"The Honey-Don't List" by Christina Lauren

My Speculation:

What a rather exciting story this author gives us. We find this reality t.v. Couples Melissa and Rusty Tripp have their design show and are on tour with a new book out of 'their marriage and how they keep their love alive.' However, this is not true because these two are no longer in love with each other. So, what will happen next? Carey and James, who are employed assistances by the Tripps, are there to keep them in check. To see these two assistants, Carey and James, are now 'babysitting' Melissa and Rusty on this book tour trying to fight the bad press was quite interesting as they are trying to 'reign in their bosses and manage stressful situations.'

Be ready for romance, comedy, some mystery, and yes, even heartfelt emotion coming out from this story. After recognizing the situation, we find Carey and James were stuck in what went from 'enemies to partners, working to keep the Tripps' from any public meltdowns.' I felt somewhat sad over Melly and Rusty's situation at times, especially Melissa, in the way she treated people! What a hot mess! The beautiful part of this story was watching James and Carey fall in love with each other ... from 'cute, sweet, lovely, tend even to the scorching sexy' stuff!

Now, get ready to be entertained immensely by a read of some fun characters and chapters that will take you on quite a trip, or should I say 'disastrous book tour.'

Trying to rate this one was definitely hard. I have loved the other Christina Lauren books I’ve read in the past so when I saw this one was available to request I immediately did so. I went in thinking I was going to LOVE, LOVE, absolutely LOVE this one like the rest! But this one wasn’t bad it just wasn’t like all my other favorites. I’d have to give it like 3 stars vs 5 like all the other books I’ve read previously. This breaks my heart I so wanted to LOVE this book.

The Honey - Don’t List is similar to the home improvement show with Chip and Joanna Gaines. A show of which I absolutely love and adore. So I should have loved this book. But I struggled with blaming Melissa for Rusty’s affair. Say what?!?! After that it was really hard to enjoy this one. Still a Christina Lauren fan and can’t wait to see what’s next!

ARC kindly provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Did I like this book? I did! There are so many things I think this author-duo does so well with their storytelling, and near the top of this list (for me) is how their books aren't cookie-cutter versions of essentially the same story. Every standalone I've read of theirs feels different from everything else they've written, and I am so impressed by this.

THE HONEY-DON'T LIST is a more typical contemporary romance, with alternating POVs. I loved the integration of the heroine's movement disorder (this was SO WELL DONE!), and it's impossible for me to not love a hot, nerdy engineer hero. I also think the secondary couple was also written extremely well.

Did I love this book? Unfortunately I didn't. The setup is fantastic, but the execution just wasn't there. The pacing was uneven, and the whole story lacked the usual sparkle and charm I'm used to from a CLo read.

BOTTOM LINE
If you're looking for a typical laugh-out-loud CLo romcom, you might be disappointed with THE HONEY-DON'T LIST—it's a quieter kind of romance, and a fair amount of the plot does not focus on it, especially at first. Still, the writing is solid, and more mainstream fiction readers may find it hits the mark for them.

RATING: B- (3½ stars)

I knew this book was going to be good when the characters start out in a police interview. Something juicy happened!! I enjoyed how the story evolved and how it was mixed with the interviews that occurred. We learn Carey's past with Melissa and Rusty. We see how different Carey and James are, but they both have circumstances that have them wanting to stick through their jobs with the Tripps. I enjoyed the way this book progressed, the way the job brought Carey and James together, the way the reader sees both POVs and the craziness that ensued! This book gave me the feels and I didn't want to put it down!

Wow, here comes another amazing story that just wraps around your heart like a warm hug. I am writing this review in the midst of a global pandemic and times are rough around us. In the midst of the horrifying news, all I wanted when I picked up this book was a fun read where I was not thinking about the entire world just for a tiny bit. Thank you so much Christina and Lauren for giving me that escape with this beautiful story. I loved Carey and James. They romance gave me so much joy and a much needed diversion that has given me the strength to go back and tackle what is going on around me. This is stand alone book and I would highly recommend this book.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I've been a big fan of this dynamic duo and, every book they put out, but...this one fell short for me. There was nothing wrong with the writing or story telling, but the connection of these characters weren't there. Home improvement/reno shows are all the rage these past few years (and yes, I'm a fan), but it just didn't do it for me in this read. It still a light romantic read with you cheering on for a HEA, so don't over look it!

I really enjoyed the premise of this story. The authors took the Joanna and Chip like couple and turned it into a behind the scenes story. Obviously the story is made up, but I could totally see this being true. I did find the mystery crime a little disappointing but overall I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes romance and HGTV.

Another Christina Lauren rom-com in the books! These two can do no wrong in my opinion.   

Carey and James are the assistants to a very famous married couple- a couple that has gained their fame from their own home renovation show. This is basically Chip and Joanna Gaines but this couple is not the picture of a happy marriage they portray. ( I believe The Gaines are as great as they seem, and don't try to convince me otherwise) Carey and James go way beyond just assistants to the famous couple- they are keeping the whole facade together, at the expense of their personal life..but they soon find they can depend on each other. 

I absolutely loved the two main characters, Carey and James. They had instant chemistry and their relationship seemed so natural and innocent. This isn't a love to hate story- its more of a like to love story. They both had interesting back stories and I found myself really rooting for them as individuals and as a couple. 
I will definitely continue to be a big Christina Lauren fan!

Rusty and Melly (basically Chip & Joanna Gained) are set to go on a book tour for their latest release, but since they’ve been at each other’s throats 24/7, their assistants James and Carey are forced to babysit them and tag along on the tour. You can tell that there’s going to be a spark and love story between James and Carey, but sadly the focus was on Rusty and Melly.

Christina Lauren is a duo that I immediately request every time I see a new release, even after not loving their last book Twice in a Blue Moon. I fell in love with this cover and the description sounded so cute. However I realized pretty early on that The Honey-Don’t List wasn’t going to be a favorite of mine and ultimately it was a huge struggle for me to even finish. Like I mentioned before the focus is on Melly and Rusty and I don’t think I’ve ever disliked two characters more. They were both very rude and annoying and full of dislike. Carey and James weren’t much better either. While they weren’t rude, they were somewhat annoying and I just felt no connection with any of them.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3,5-4 STARS

This started really well, I find it entertain, sweet, heartwarming and fun at some points!I just felt that the romance was lacking to everything.

Even though I enjoyed the story I felt something was missing from the romance.This book had drama, romance, and some serious tension and slow burn!

But overall it was an enjoyable read. I think that maybe I was expecting something a bit different and this why I felt like it wasn't one of my best reads!

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Christina Lauren books. They never let me down, though some are better than others. This book wasn't my favorite, but it was still very enjoyable. Overall, I'm giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I wish that the story dove a little deeper into the Carey and James as the main characters. Instead it almost seemed as if Rusty and Melly were also main characters, even though they weren't the main story line, I did enjoy seeing that story, but would have just liked a little more of Carey and James connecting instead of just seeming to fall into a relationship from nowhere. This was a light, easy read, which is exactly what I need right now. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something fun to read and will keep eagerly waiting for the next Christina Lauren book.

I always look out for romance books with unique storylines, basically a plot that differs from the usual boy and girl falling in love and living happily ever after. The Honey-Don’t List gave me just that. The book focuses on a love story that blooms on the background of a toxic workplace, a dramatic book tour and lots of unexpected (read : hilarious) events. If anyone video-recorded my facial expressions while reading this book, I would have won an Oscar.

• Christina and Lauren are the queens of witty banter, period. The story unfolded through some stressful situations, but Christina Lauren made sure to add their comical touch to the storyline which made me laugh my heart throughout the story. If you need 2-am hilarious partners, Christina Lauren as an author duo are just perfect.

• If I had to describe the female lead of The Honey-Don’t List in one word, it would be “precious”. Carey Douglas is just such an awesome character, and reading about her far-from-perfect life made me feel all kinds of emotions. She’s also someone who I think needs endless hugs. Carey’s character development throughout the book, specially how she chose to stand up for herself despite all the risks, has made her one of my favorite main characters from love stories. Sometimes in life, we have to go through a hard path ~ a path full of lies and conspiracy, in order to become the best version of our own-selves, and Carey’s life taught me just that.

• James McCann, our male lead, has become my new book boyfriend. I have a thing for people called James in books, I’m telling you.  The way he took care of Carey and made her see the way to fix her broken life just melted my heart.

• Now, about the romance between Carey and James ~ it was perfect in it’s own way. It had Christina Lauren’s signature comical element. I kinda wished that a more stronger foundation had been built for their relationship, but it’s fineee. It was cute and adorable and loveable and I was rooting for them from the very beginning of the book. The conversations that they had with each other were really heart-warming too. Carey and James’ relationship took a lot of twists and turns, and reading their story took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It was definitely a love story that I’ll remember for a long time.

In a nutshell, The Honey-Don’t list wrapped me in a cosy blanket of happiness. If you need a light and funny read to brighten up your mood during this sad time, definitely pick this book up!

Christina Lauren never fail to surprise me and I think that is what I love about their books. See, when I first starting reading this ARC, I thought....oh a take off on Fixer Upper and the Gaines couple. How wrong I was. This book was so much more as all their books are. The first part of their books seem so simple, and then they bring in the complex. As the story progresses, the layers deepen and before I knew it, I was so immersed in the characters lives. I loved Carey. She was such a stalwart assistant, doing so much, and no one seeing her until James comes along. Both characters will live in my head for a good while, which is what I am always looking for when I read a book. Kudos to Christina Lauren. You girls did it again!