Another knockout from Christina Lauren! Come for the plot, stay for the characters and the banter. The perfect summer beach read!

’m not going to lie, I adored the first book in the series Bringing Down The Duke.
So when I saw this next one up for request on NetGalley, I had to ask! I had to!

OMG.

This is Lady Lucie’s story. Lucie, who is fierce and smart and very much needing to further the movement. Enter her childhood nemesis Tristan whose had a crush on her forever, and who has different priorities. Sparks fly.

I really enjoyed Lucie and Tristan’s banter as they negotiate the terms of working together at their publishing company. I thought this added a nice layer to their relationship where they were able to test each other as well as an extra bit of tension. It was nice to see how they obtained mutual respect and even friendship.

I especially enjoyed getting inside Lucie’s head. She seemed more human to me, with faults and vulnerabilities. In the first book, Lucie was more of a force. In this one, we dive deeper into this character and I really liked getting to know her as a strong figure championing a cause. I also liked getting to know Tristan who had lots more layers than Lucie thought.

Lucie and Tristan’s backstory played a good part too as both grew up feeling different types of neglect. It was easy to see how they both turned into the adults they became, and how they at first really opposed traditional romance. That said, I didn’t really believe the chemistry between them. There were a couple of steamy scenes but I didn’t feel like there was a true romantic connection between them.

Overall, I think this was a good sequel and it was fun to see some favorite characters back in action, especially the Duke and Annabelle. I’m looking forward to the next boo

I enjoyed reading several aspects of this book! The pacing was wonderful, characters were well drawn, and the reading experience on the whole was delightful.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Carey Douglas has been the assistant to home design and remodeling power couple Melissa and Rusty Tripp for a decade. James McCann was recently hired to be Rusty's structural engineer and is frustrated that he is treated like an assistant instead of doing the engineering he thought he had signed up for. Melissa and Rusty have a new book out and a new TV show about to launch and are poised to become more popular than ever. What the world doesn't know is that in reality, Melissa and Rusty can't stand each other. When things come to a head right before their book tour is about to kick off, Carey and James are told they have to go on the tour with the Tripps to make sure the two appear as a loving couple in the public eye. Neither wants to go along with this, but they each have their reasons for needing to keep the job, so they quickly pack up to go on the road. Traveling the west half of the country in a bus, Carey and James have plenty of time to get to know each other as they work together to keep the Tripps' public persona positive.

This book ticked off a lot of the boxes I like in a good rom com, and it was well written. Something about it just didn't click with me, though. I liked it well enough while I was reading it, but I could easily set it down and not think about it for days at a time.

I really, really enjoyed this selection! If you are a fan of those reality house flipping/decorating shows then you will love this book! I won't say what celebrity couple I kept picturing as Melissa and Rusty Tripp while reading it but it just enhanced how great my experience was with this one. I love that Carey is super aware that she has been underappreciated by her bosses and is now like their glorified babysitter. Her loyalty to them is exactly why she has no personal life of her own to speak of and no chance to even try to get one. Enter Rusty's new hire James McCann with his fancy MIT engineering degree and overall lack of humor. The sparks start flying just as quickly as the insults! I was totally all about this couple.

. I am so happy the writing team of Christina Lauren wrote this kind of plot. Every time I read one of their books I am reminded of how amazingly talented they are. Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another great book from writing duo Christina Lauren! If you’re already a fan, it does not disappoint!!!

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I liked this better than Once In a Blue Moon. Their writing is stronger but then their writing have always been one of their strengths. I enjoyed the conflict this time.

I think perhaps I wasn’t the right reader for this one. I generally love to dabble in romance or rom-coms when I need a break from my normally dark reads. This just didn’t work for me. The writing is okay and I can see why others might like it, but I found myself pretty uninvested.

Hilarious! That is what this book is. I love this author duo. They write the best books. this book is so much fun. The enemies to lovers story is well- written.

I've been reading Christina Lauren novels since the first Beautiful Bastard series and although that is still one of my favorite series (not that I've re-read it since), I still love their books. I listened to this one on audiobook because as seems to be the issue with most of my ARCS, I'm a slow poke who doesn't actually get around to reading them until after the publish date. It's a habit I'm working on.

I enjoyed the main characters way more than I thought I was going to and except for that little misunderstanding between them in the middle, I really loved the way they came together to both focus on the advancement of their careers. I didn't much care for their babies, or rather, their bosses but that's just a personal thing for me.

Thank you again to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

I had super high expectations for this one, but it just couldn't live up to them fully. The characters were under-developed, and I would have liked to see more in terms of plot devices. It took a turn down a road I didn't see coming, and missed the mark in some places for my personal taste. This was very different from what we typically get from these authors.

I was first introduced to the Christina Lauren writing duo when I devoured their 2018 novel Love and Other Words. It was one of those books that will stay with me always and also left the bar very high as far as contemporary fiction novels go.

While I have certainly enjoyed many of their novels since Love and Other Words, none have really affected me the same way. They definitely have found a formula that works since then, I just don't know if it works for me.

The Honey-Don't List had all the elements of a romantic comedy but lacked depth and chemistry with the characters. I struggled to engage with the plotline overall and found many parts of it cringe-worthy and sometimes uncomfortable to read. It just felt over the top and didn't work for me as the reader. I still have high hopes for their next release but I am also wondering if maybe their more recent writing is just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren seems like the perfect summer beach read. Two difficult bosses, married to each other, and their assistants stuck in the middle. But-- I just couldn't get into this novel. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren is a fun read in the world of HGTV which is my favorite channel to watch!
Carey Duncan was a fun character to read about.
This book had me smiling, laughing and was a great escape to read.
Go get this book!

The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren is a fun read about a home improvement show that seemed like it was made for a spot on HGTV. This book is the story of Carey Duncan and her job working for Melly and Rusty Tripp, a "happily" married couple that really hates each other to pieces. The book starts at a promotional event where Carey, Melly's personal assistant, pairs up with James, Rusty's personal assistant, in an uncomfortable way. Chaos ensues and the two of them end up working much closer together than ever before. Some of the situations Carey is put in are truly cringe-worthy, but it is fun to get this "behind-the-scenes" look at the television show, even though it is fictional.

The lifestyle brand of Melissa and Rusty Tripp depends on the organizational skill of whiz kid James and designer-behind-the-scenes Carey. They can't stand each other. But neither can the Tripps. And they're all stuck together on a tour bus promoting a book. And when they're not on the bus, Carey and James are trying to keep everything from falling apart and getting posted on social media. And--falling for each other? Really readable and entertaining, this country-tinged tale of people getting what they actually deserve is rewarding on many levels.

This was a great book! At first I was leery because it seems to play off Chip and Joanna Gaines. But the storyline was well-written. It was amusing and romantic. The book started off in an uncommon way, which was intriguing. While of course, you expect the two main characters to become involved, the ending was such a surprise!

I loved this delightful romance and read it at the perfect time in my life. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy for my library!

*Thanks Gallery Books for inviting me to read this eARC through Netgalley.


Carey has been with the famous Tripp duo from the very beginning. Melissa and Rusty Tripp quickly rose to fame after Carey entered their life. Carey works for the famous home design and remodel team. Carey and the new hire James but work together to make sure things do not get out of hand before the launch of the Tripps new tv show. The perfect marriage that the Tripps present is false, because they cannot stand to be around one another.

I really enjoyed this book. This would probably fall in my top 3 favorite books for this author duo.

I love the premise for this book. I am fascinated by home design and remodel. I love how things are revealed throughout the plot and make for a more intriguing read. This book shows great character growth with Carey. I was frustrated with her a bit, but I think she did a good job standing up for herself by the close of the book.

I liked the humor and banter between James and Carey. I think James should have had better communication with Carey, because I think she would have understood his situation. He should have manned up instead of lying and hiding things. I think their communication was okay most of the time, but I love seeing great communication in books and I wish that I could say that about this book as well.

Overall, this was a very interesting read. I felt empowered by Carey at times and I really enjoyed her character. I would recommend this book to home design lovers and fans of a good contemporary genre. Worth the read!