Loved it! Awesome characters and the perfect book boyfriend. James was swooney and nerdy and gorgeous of course, but mostly he was super sweet and caring, perfect in my opinion. Carey was a bit insecure but with reason and it made her very relatable and human. I really liked her. I liked how the romance progressed and how believable it was. Great ending to the story and a perfect HEA. Definitely recommend this one!

Cute and charming! Fans definitely will enjoy this one, and the basic premise was fun for any HGTV watcher.

I love Christina Lauren, so I was really excited to receive the ARC of this one. I finished it in just a few sittings, it was that good! It sort of had The Hating Game vibes a little bit. Now, I do want to say two things I took issue with while reading this book. I feel like the attraction build up fell a little flat. Like I wanted there to be more, it sort of was just sudden. Also, James does something that I don’t think I would be very ok with. I understand he mostly had good intentions, but it was sort of anti-climatic for being one of his major hurdles of the book. But the plot of an HGTV show and two assistants having to work together to keep their intolerable bosses inline was a good plot.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Honey-Don’t List from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

An enjoyable new book from the Christina Lauren team! I think their writing just keeps getting better and better. Really enjoyed this story that focused on the behind-the-scenes story of a home improvement show power couple and the assistants that did the REAL work. A little romance thrown in for good measure. Loved.

A very charming story of 2 assistants to a "fixer-upper " couple that sightly resembles Chip and Joanna Gaines, except that these 2 have a rocky relationship. Their assistants have to ignore the increasing feelings between the two of them and focus on keeping the home re-modelers relationship from becoming more of a problem. I enjoyed this story very much. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I admit it. This is my first book by Christina and Lauren. Don’t ask me why I’ve never read their other works, because I’m ashamed to say I haven’t. But I am so glad I read this one! I will definitely be checking out more by this duo!

This was a very fun, lighthearted romance read that I couldn’t put down. Based around a reality TV show…think Chip and Johanna Gaines, this story is about the show’s two stars and their respective assistants. Rusty and Melissa Tripp have built a huge dynasty and the public loves everything about them. Although nobody knows how awful their marriage is beyond the screen. Their assistants, Carey and James, have been assigned the task to keep those two from being at each other’s throats all the time. Sparks begin to fly and I couldn’t wait to see what happened between them all.

I can’t wait to read more by these authors! This one comes out in March so be on the lookout! I received an advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.

For fans of fixer upper, this delightful romance provides a new perspective on the world of reality television. What happens when hopes of success and professional growth make you start to give too much of yourself to your work, keeping you from friendships and maybe even a shot at love?

It felt like it would have been better as a book on abusive and tonic relationships than a romance. The Tripps/Carrie relationship was more the focus than Carrie and James' relationship.

The Honey-Don’t List was a quick, light-hearted read. While I enjoyed it, it was a bit predictable. Some of the inserts throughout (twitter convos & police interviews) could have been left out as they did not add anything to the plot or story line, but rather just seemed to be filler.

This is like the perfect winter book to curl up with and read. I love HGTV and love the little twist in this story of Tripp and Melly. I was also surprised by the steamy scene at one point. I definitely enjoyed the alternating character perspectives between Carey and James.

First, thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Every time I read a Christina Lauren book I think it's going to be my new favorite CL book, but this might be the ultimate winner. As an HGTV fan I was interested by the concept, and fell in love with both Carey and James immediately. Their inevitable journey to happiness is as swoony and wonderful as possible, whereas Melly and Tripp's inevitable journey into unhappiness is rocky and terrible and deserved.

This will absolutely be a reread for me when it comes out in March!

The Honey-Don’t List is an adult romance told from the view point of the two main characters: James and Carey. James and Carey don’t particularly care for each other, but they have to get along because of their jobs. James is an uptight engineer who feels his talents are wasted. Carey feels trapped and unappreciated in her job. They both work for the famous/illustrious married couple Melissa and Rusty Tripp, who own Comb+Honey, and host a popular home remodeling television series.
The Tripp’s working relationship appears to be sugar sweet. However, their home relationship is rocky and contentious. It’s questionable that they will be able to solve their marital problems.
The main elements of this situation are easy for the reader to understand: a difficult, narcissistic boss, work place bullying, fake emotions, and keeping a job out of necessity.
The voices of the narrators are witty.
This was fun to read. Heads up about the use of the “f” word if that bothers you. You will also have a front row seat to the sex scenes.
Thank you #NetGalley and #TheHoneyDon’tList for an advanced copy of this book.

If you've ever watched "Flip or Flop" in the later seasons simply because you're looking for hints about the stars' imploding marriage, this is the novel for you. The characters seem to be modeled more after Chip and Joanna Gaines, though they're older. The behind-the-scenes life of this couple, as it plays out in front of their young assistants and the TV execs who stand to lose a lot of money if they can't stay together rings true, as does the instant ability for famous people's careers to blow up because of a short video clip on social media. A fun read!

A delightfully humorous tale of two people caught up in the problems of others...their employers.
Carey has been with the Tripps since she was a teen and they were just a retail store. She was a large part of their success from the start.
James joined later and was promised a position he never quite got before everything imploded.
Ms. Lauren's description of people and events make this a page turner. The events are wholly believable and the humor makes it such a fun read.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC and thoroughly enjoyed it. I offer my opinion gratis.

I've read one other CL book in the past and absolutely loved it. This one, however, was not for me. I struggled to connect with the characters of Carey and James, and I never felt any connection between them either. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I didn't even like either of them, which made it a real fight for me to keep reading the book. Carey is more pushy and annoying than strong, and James was the anti-alpha hero. I kept thinking my attitude toward them would change, but it never did. On the flip side, the storyline is interesting and different, and fans of reality shows might enjoy the celebrity reality TV star aspect of it. I will also qualify this review with admitting that I am terribly sick and doped up on a ridiculous amount of medication, so maybe my brain fog affected my opinion and overall dislike of the characters. My advice would be to read a sample to see if you get sucked in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Carey and James are thrust together on a week-long road trip across the West Coast to help assist in damage control for their bosses' ****show of a marriage on a book tour for a novel about marriage. What starts as mild disdain/annoyance towards one another, quickly turns to attraction, and then quickly to more. Unfortunately, I couldn't muster any caring for this coupling. In fact I cared so little when they hit a rough patch in their 'relationship' that I was mildly irritated at the thought of them ending up together. I was far more invested in the lives of their bosses and how their story ended (which isn't really clear by the end of the book). Instalove is not my style.

Another great book from Christina Lauren. 4.5 Stars.
I would have given this a full 5 stars but I felt that the ending was a little rushed and I needed more.
This book will be defiantly going on my diverse romance reads list for 2020. The book follows Carey, a designer, that has been working for a perfect on paper, horrible in real life, reality tv show couple. The Tripps redesign houses and are on the verge of a major blowup and divorce. Carey has spent most of her life making sure that they don't implode.
So why is this books on my 2020 diverse romance reads shelf? Because Carey the main character has Dystonia, a movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contracts of her hands. This was a condition that I knew nothing about and had to do some research on. The way her condition is realistic and integrated into the story is amazing. Carey is an amazing character that is not stereotyped by this condition.
While this is not an #ownvoices story, it is a very personal story for one of the authors. Lauren's father had dystonia before he succumbed to secondary effects and Lauren's sister lives with the condition. They also had a reader with Dystonia, read and comment before publication. This is how you write diverse fiction!
Once again another great book from the duo that is Christina Lauren.

Not my favorite by the author. The romance wasn’t hot enough fii I r n m e and the dialogue felt a little cheesy and often times dry.

Christina Lauren is my favorite writing duo. I loved this book and the premise. I liked the slow burn romance along with the dual point of view. The premise was different from other works from them but was wonderfully written.

Carey and James must help a famous couple appear happy in this absolutely wonderful adult contemporary romance.

I don’t always like CLo books, especially when they wander into maudlin territory. While this book does look at some complex issues (infidelity, emotional abuse, etc.), it never went too dark. It’s a nice blend of drama and humor – exactly what I need when I want to sink my teeth into something, but not be overwhelmed by the topic.

Carey and James are likable characters, although they both struggled with personal issues of self-identity and self-worth. Carey, in particular, could be incredibly frustrating. And yet, I think her story illustrates the back and forth of toxic and unhealthy relationships (particularly long term relationships). Her relationship with the Tripps is complex, and it takes the entire novel for her to come to terms with it and them. It’s worth the effort to get to her clarity.

Their romance is cute. I’d say their individual stories are the foundations of the story, but their romance is the rest of the building. It’s sweet and steady, a counterbalance to the toxic relationship between the Tripps. The ending is the perfect Happily Ever After moment after their trials in the novel.

tl;dr My favorite CLo book yet with a perfect mix of humor and drama, enjoyably characters, and an interesting story.