Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren Published by Gallery Books on September 4, 2018
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.
Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.
Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?
Are you tired of alpha assholes, bazillionaires, practically perfect people and virginal damsels? Then this book could be for you. This is my first Christina Lauren book but it definitely will not be the last, because on the merits of this one book I’ve decided to read everything they have ever written.
Josh and Hazel met one night in college when Hazel might have puked on his shoes just after offering to sex him up. It is now years later and Hazel is still a wild and crazy hot mess, but she is a completely respectable one as a third grade teacher. I completely fell in love with this character on page one and Hazel just got better as the book went on. The girl has a menagerie of pets in a tiny apartment and each one has a better name than the last, I mean she has a rabbit named Janice Hoplin. I want to be Hazel’s friend in real life.
Josh is the perfect straight man to Hazel’s wild woman. He has a nice respectable job, family and just found out his girlfriend is cheating on him. No better time for Hazel to enter his life and be the bestest best friend he has ever had. He has no idea the ride he is in for.
Hazel’s pretty sure she is undatable in Josh’s eyes, well most men’s eyes, she is a lot to handle and usually doesn’t have a filter on her mouth. But what if they helped each other date. So, the plan begins to go on double blind date they set up for the other. What could possibly go wrong? Well nothing for you, the reader, because it is one crazy fun adventure after another.
Sure, you know they are going to end up with one another eventually, it was inevitable but the journey is so much fun. Hazel is her own woman and proud of the crazy character she is. I loved that she didn’t conform to the world around her and marched to her own beat. Even the lack of filter is adorable in her character.
The story is told from both Josh and Hazel’s PoVs which made the story even better. I really like knowing where each person is emotionally; in a story like this, it definitely makes it more fun.
So recap, fantastically funny, completely cute, silly smart, uniquely quirky and just a dang good time in a book.
Hazel groans in jealousy. “You get to talk about cores all day, and working things nice and deep. I would never get any actual work done.”
“I mean, I occasionally get to tell people to take their pants off, but it’s rarely the people you want to see naked from the waist down.”
I tear off a chunk of pancake and carefully feed it to the dog.
“Don’t spoil her,” Hazel tells me over her shoulder.
“Hazel. The dog you don’t want me to spoil is wearing a Wonder Woman T-shirt.”
We met up in person for venting over coffee and became immediate fast friends. Or, maybe more accurately, I decided she was amazing and invited her to coffee again and again until she agreed. The way Emily describes it: when I meet someone I love, I become an octopus and wind my tentacles around their heart, tighter and tighter until they can’t deny they love me just the same.
About Christina Lauren
Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced fourteen New York Times bestselling novels. They are published in over 30 languages, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, won both the Seal of Excellence and Book of the Year from RT Magazine, named Amazon and Audible Romance of the Year, and been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. They have been featured in publications such as Forbes, The Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, People, O Magazine and more. Their third YA novel, Autoboyography was released in September, followed by a contemporary romance, Roomies in December, and their first Women’s Fiction, Love and Other Words in April.
Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.
Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you can find her at her desk, writing or watching BTS videos. She grew up in Utah and is absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 17 year old (right??), thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter.
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Great review, Robin! I love this writing team. If you’re going to read more by them, might I suggest you start with Love and Other Words. It is outstanding.
That is definitely on my short list of reading now. Thanks Jonetta!
oh yes I really loved this one
There are so many laughable moments in this. I had the best time reading it.
This is such an awesome review. I went right out to the library to reserve it. Thanks Robin.
Anne, this is probably my favorite contemporary romance read of 2018 so I hope you enjoy.
This sounds fun… but I’m having trouble buying into someone with no filters as an elementary school teacher. I’ve been a teacher; filters are definitely a necessity. 😉
Hazel was just a lot of fun and most of the stuff she did or said was because she was completely comfortable with who she was. She just didn’t have that social filter of things you should or shouldn’t say in front of others. Maybe a little too honest at times.
It was believable…she reminded me a little of Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus.
I haven’t read Christina Lauren yet either but you have convinced me, Robin. Of couse, I know that we tend to have similar tastes in books so that helps. These characters both sound simply amazing. I am adding it to my wish list!
I laughed almost all the way through this book. I found Hazel hilarious. If you like her you will like this and you should know right away if you like her.
Sounds like a fun read to enjoy over a weekend. I bet there are plenty of laughs.
So many laughs! Great weekend reading.
[…] did a review of Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating earlier this fall on the digital book version. Her review made it sound so amazing; I […]