Can these authors do any wrong? Never. Thanks to NetGalley I found out about Christina Lauren. Their novels are contemporary and full of romance. Their characters are relatable and interesting to read about. I'm waiting for the Netflix adaptation very soon.

I love Christina Lauren. I’ve devoured every book since the Beautiful Series. I follow them on every social media available. Their new books seem to be going in a different direction and I love the stories still, but I miss the steam and smut.

In this book an adorable personal assistant Carey has worked for a Home improvement/ renovation couple Melissa and Russell for 10 years. She’s tired and over worked. She is the wife’s assistant and her husband hires a new assistant, James.
They have to go on a road trip together on a bus. Chaos ensues and sparks fly for James and Carey while fizzling for the Tripp’s.
While not as steamy it was a cute love story that made me happy. It had the necessary HEA but I wonder about the Tripp’s at the end of the book.
If you love CLos work this is definitely worth the read.

I reviewed this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to give this a 3.5 star but felt a 4 star is more fair. When I see a new Christina Lauren Novel is coming out, I wait with anticipation. I am a committed fan of the Christina Lauren rom-com books. I have read them all and never would I turn one down. The extra half star is because I know I hold their books to a higher standard than most Rom-Coms and do not wish to judge too severely.
This book has the usual charm and humor found in all Christina Lauren novels. It has characters you become invested in and a plot that is fun. The writing is well done and easy to follow. The thing it seemed to lack was a believable romance. That is the only part of the book that seemed forced.
This would make for a great weekend read for any fan of their works. This novel missed the mark of being something I would recommend to a first time Christina Lauren reader, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Galley Books for an ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

This book is exactly what you’d expect from this author! Fun, flirty and sexy.. I look forward to each of Christina Lauren’s books - they do not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cute and quick read. Melly and Rusty made me think of Chip and Joanna Gains - but if they hated eachother.

I enjoyed Carey and James' story.

The book had me wondering what really goes on behind closed doors.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book having heard mixed reviews. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed seeing the relationship between Carey and James grow, and especially seeing Carey grow more confidence and stand up for herself. I definitely could’ve used more steaminess but I felt like the tension and chemistry was built up well so I enjoyed the bit that was included. It was an easy read that kept my interest and made me laugh. While is not going to make a list of my favorites, it’s a fun and light romance to enjoy!

This was my third Christina Lauren book and I think it’s safe to say I will always be happy to pick up anything they write. I loved the Joanna/Chip angle of this book and getting to see some of what that world might look like, but I felt like perhaps the tour situation and the betrayal just weren’t high stakes enough. I wanted something a bit bigger and I know that the “event” that happened was BIG in theory, but in actuality it was such a tiny part of the story that felt like it had very little drama to add. I wanted more back and forth between James and Carey, more heat, etc. There just wasn’t quite enough tension there for me to love it. Still, it was enjoyable and a quick read - just not my favorite by them.

This was not a book I would have picked up without being written by Christina Lauren. I do not watch any of the HGTV type shows and I am honestly pretty over books about reality TV. Luckily I do not pass up Christina Lauren books because I mostly really liked this book. Carey and James might never have looked past their differences had they not been thrown together in an employment situation they both feel trapped in. Carey has worked for the Tripps since she was 16, before the fame, the books, and the TV shows. She was just a high school student when they gave her a job, their trust, and treated her more like family than her own parents did. James needs a job after his last one imploded. Another failure on his resume would really hurt his career so he just needs to hang in there. That gets harder and harder to do when the cracks in the Tripps’ marriage start showing up in public. Only Carey and James can understand what the other is going through and commiseration starts to lead to appreciation and then maybe more.

Despite myself I was intrigued by Melissa and Rusty Tripp and their dysfunctional marriage. Selfish, childish human beings who I really looked forward to seeing get their just desserts. The problem was the resolution to this book or lack thereof. The set up was fun. I could see how they had a great time writing the beginning and the snippets of their hypocritical book and interviews. The rest of the plotting didn’t get the same attention. The end just felt rushed. Not only what happened with the Tripps ( and especially their relationship with Carey who deserved some major grovel from basically everyone) but also the relationship between Carey and James which seemed to have skipped a lot of steps from fumbling beginnings to huge declarations. All of this should bother me enough to rate the book lower but the truth of it is I had fun reading this until the abrupt end- even if it did make me crave Funyuns for the first time in years.

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

This was a fun read. It filled my need for some escapist literature. I enjoyed the premise - antagonist assistants tasked with keeping the publicly perfect fix-it upper celebrity couple from imploding on a PR tour. It seemed pretty accurate in its behind the scenes view of the reality home show TV world. I would send it off to the beach or on a trip with fellow readers looking for a distraction.

The Tripp’s are in trouble. Melly and Rusty Tripp are owners of a design empire that started with a store Comb + Honey. They have their TV show with a new relationship book just dropping. The only issue is their marriage is falling apart.



The store is told with two narrators. Carey is Melly’s assistant and has been with the Tripp’s since she started working in their store years ago. A hidden fact is she also comes up with most of the ideas that the couple now uses on their TV show. James is an engineer who is trying to overcome his previous job where the company when down because of greed. He is now become a glorified assistance to James instead of the promised engineering job. These two are forced by circumstances to corral the Tripp’s through a book tour with no one finding out the couple and empire is crumbling.



Carey and James discover romance while trying to keep the couple from killing each other.



This was an enjoyable quick read.

Think of that perfect couple that has their own design show. Yep, that one. The ones that always get along and seem to have the perfect life. This book tells the story of that perfect couple that is not so perfect behind the cameras. Her assistant actually has the talent and does the designing. His assistant just tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. When they hit the road for a promotional tour the assistants are assigned to go with and keep the peace. While walking the proverbial tight rope, the assistants find a way to release some tension - each other.
I found "The Honey-Don't List" to be a cute, quick and just okay read. The actions of Melissa, half of the perfect couple, were a little overboard sometimes. And by the way, why doesn't it always seem to be the woman that is such a B&*#!%? I also felt that the assistants, Carey and James, fell in love a little too fast without really getting to know each other.

Cute entertaining story, with more of a dramatic ending and high stakes drama throughout than some of this author's other romance books. The story follows characters who are assistants to two of the biggest reality homemaker stars (think Chip and Joanna Gaines, or any other big time HGTV stars) as they go on their book tour while trying to fake a happy marriage. My initial impression was this story felt too ripped from the headlines so my brain was constantly trying to force the characters to stand on their own and not think about their similar counterparts in real life. I never felt like I understood these characters on their own because they were too much like real celebrities that I couldn't get into the story as something original. The story was cute and had some suspense but the characters all felt flat to me. Our heroine was the only one who stood out but I wanted more for her (like character development and a full story arc). I appreciated that she had a realistic depiction of the medical condition dystonia, but adding one character trait to help with representation won't save this story for me. This book was enjoyable and intriguing enough that I read it in one sitting, but not one of my favorites from this author team.

I enjoyed the book - the characters were all likeable especially Carey (loved how her character progressed and you learn more about who she is!) and even Russ. I even loved to hate Melly. The book didn’t grab me and although I wanted to know how the book would end, I wasn’t drawn to it. I really enjoyed the tidbits about something big happening at the end and although it wrapped up nicely, I wish it had more. I love the authors and even though I didn’t love this book, I’m still a big fan.

As a newbie to the work of Christina Lauren, I can definitely say that the writing duo just found themselves a new fan! The Honey-Don't List was a satisfying read that absolutely warmed my heart. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to Melissa and Rusty Tripp, the seemingly perfect home remodeling and design couple (think Joanna and Chip Gaines) and their overworked assistants Carey Douglas and James McCann. Carey has been working with the Tripps for almost a decade and James was originally hired as a structural engineer, but ends up being more of an assistant to Rusty. Amid the chaos that is managing the lives and on-screen personas of Melissa and Rusty, it's clear that Carey and James have their work cut out for them because it takes a literal village to keep Melissa and Rusty's rocky relationship from completely imploding. At first glance, Carey and James appear to be polar opposites brought together by their chaotic jobs, but it's clear that there may be something more there. The "will they or won't they" vibes are heavy and make for a fun read, as I found myself aching for them to stop being silly and realize they are great together. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good rom-com, particularly anyone who has seen Netflix's The Set Up, as it will give you all of the vibes.

I'll never be able to look at Chip and Joanna Gaines the same way after reading The Honey-Don't List. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I read this book in one sitting.

A full review for AtTheCoolTable.com is imminent. I will update this review when it publishes.

This book satisfies all of my HGTV behind the scenes vibes! I was struggling at the 60% point to push through to the end but I am so glad I did! This is Christina Lauren at their finest.

I love Christina Lauren, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I'm happy to report it was really good! I was pulled in to the story from the very beginning. The main character, Carey, is likeable, smart and funny. She has her hands full dealing with an impossible boss, Melly Tripp, who happens to be a TV personality alongside her husband, Rusty Tripp. Melly is a controlling diva and Rusty is a goofball with a wandering eye. The happy marriage the Tripps once had is long gone and the two can't stand to be near each other, which doesn't bode well for their business or all those who work for them. So, when a disastrous situation presents itself on the eve of the Tripps' latest book tour, Carey is forced to give up the time off she'd been looking forward to in order to accompany the Tripps alongside James, the engineering guy hired to work on their show but who is now serving as Rusty's assistant (much to James' dismay). The four of them set out for a weeklong trip on a tour bus, and while Carey and James aren't very fond of each other, they quickly realize they need to work together to get through the week, as it's one disaster after another. A close friendship and admiration for one another develops as they try to keep the Tripps out of the tabloids due to their excessive fighting and tantrums. This is not an easy feat. Through all the chaos, James and Carey learn a lot about themselves and each other. He's not as nerdy and uptight as she once thought, and she's not as simple and plain as he'd pegged her initially. While one relationship is spiraling to an end, another is just beginning. I really enjoyed this one. I just wish there was an epilogue. I'd love to see how things turn out for everyone further into the future. It might even be worth having a second book. I know I would read it. :)

Thanks again to Netgalley and to Christina Lauren for the Advanced Readers Copy. Happy girl right here.

I'm just going to keep this review short and sweet. The Honey-Don't List is a book that you're either going to love or you're going to hate. For me, it was just an ok read. I thought the idea of the story was fun and different. I love home remodeling shows and would be perfectly happy lounging around the house, watching HGTV. I was excited to see where this writing duo would take this story.

What I liked: As I previously stated, the plot was unique. I found the characters to be likable and loved the humorous moments. 

What I didn't like: For me, this book didn't read as a contemporary romance or even romantic comedy. Yes, it had both of those elements, but the romance between the two main characters really took the back burner in this story. I felt like the main focus of the story was the Tripps, when it really should have been on the budding relationship between James & Carey. So, while I found the characters likable, I was left wanting and needing more. I wanted to know why these characters were together? Why should I be rooting for the two of them? In the end, I just felt like there was something missing. 

Overall, this book was an ok read. While there were some aspects that I liked, I just found the story to be lacking and wanted more. So, while this book isn't a 100% hit for me, I'm still glad I checked it and gave it a chance. I adore this writing duo and will be looking forward to see what they release next.

If you’re looking for an adorable hero & a smart, feisty heroine who is just learning to find her voice— this is the book for you. Though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the back story (home renovation gone wild), I did latch on to Carey & James & their charmingly steamy romance. CLo writes emotion so well & this book proves it once again.

Disappointing. I felt like I spent as much time reading about Melly and Rusty fighting as I did about the actual romance. This and the previous Christina Lauren book we’re both duds for me. I really enjoyed previous books, but I think two bleh reads is enough for me to pass on any future books by this author.