jamiereadthis
Written on Dec 14, 2019
"Most men can't handle Hazel. With the energy of a toddler and the mouth of a sailor, they're often too timid to recognize her heart of gold. New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Roomies, Beautiful Bastard) tells the story of two people who are definitely not dating, no matter how often they end up in bed together. 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?"--
"A "rom-com" standalone romance by writing duo Christina Lauren - Foul-mouthed, quirky, sharp-as-a-whip Hazel never thought she would win the heart of her gorgeous college TA, Josh. And, in fact, she didn't. But what a difference ten years can make. Well...ten years, and a lot of legwork"--
With the energy of a toddler and the mouth of a sailor Hazel Camille Bradford intimidates her dates, who can't recognize her heart of gold. Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved incompatible with his mellow restraint. 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. They set each other up on double blind dates-- but keep falling in bed with each other. They're just friends. Just friends. And if they repeat it enough, it'll be true, right? -- adapted from publisher info and back cover
- ISBN10 1501165852
- ISBN13 9781501165856
- Publish Date 4 September 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Publisher The Gallery Press
- Imprint Gallery Books
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 320
- Language English
Reviews
lisacee
Written on Aug 26, 2019
stacey_is_sassy
Written on Dec 31, 2018
I started Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating in 2018 and finished it in 2019 so I added it to my favourites list for both years. I think it's fair as I loved it in 2018 and 2019 as it wasn't just the beginning that was awesome and not just the ending, the whole book was bloody great.
It's not often that you read a book that is paced as well as this one. It flows in a way that makes it so easy to read, keeps you entertained from start to finish, is thought-provoking and leaves you on a giddy high. I haven't read a lot of Christina Lauren but I will definitely be checking out more of their work in the future.
One of the biggest highlights for me was that their romance started with friendship first and sexy time later. I'm not saying that a one-night-stand can't lead to a happy ever after, but as my relationship with hubby started out with friendship first, I feel an affinity with these characters. Their connection grows the more they get to know each other, they're loyalty to each other is never in question, and they work hard at making sure that their friendship will ALWAYS be alive.
The characters were original, refreshingly quirky and absolutely lovable. The storyline was humorous without being OTT and kept things real in a...I have to work, pay my bills and clean my house too...kind of way. In some books, the reality is put to the backburner and we don't get to see the couple dealing with the mundane and boring parts of living. I enjoy seeing how a couple deals with the high of a new romance mixed with the boring everyday stuff. A romance seems more realistic with a better chance of success if they can take the highs with the lows. The sexy times were hot and definitely got my heart pumping. There weren't too many but it was easy to see their connection in and out of the bedroom.
I really enjoyed Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating and I was sad when it was over. Can't wait to read more from Christina Lauren in the future.
2019…let’s make it a good one. May your year be filled with love, laughter, health, happiness and plenty of awesome books.
girlinthepages
Written on Dec 31, 2018
Josh & Hazel still had all of the elements of a Christina Lauren novel that I love- an unlikely romance, a fun cover, and hilarious moments that had me flying through the pages. However, it also had more of a lighthearted tone than the previous romances I had read by the duo, likely due to protagonist Hazel, who is a very strong willed, strong minded, unique individual. Though Hazel could be a lot at times (from being incredibly hyper, dependably cheesy, and sometimes downright inappropriate with what she said) I admired the overall message her character conveyed, that you shouldn't compromise who you are as an individual for a relationship. Hazel is actually very aware of how her personality traits can come off as too strong for some people and has a good balance of self-awareness and self-confidence. She knows when she's coming off as "too much" and is willing to apologize when it may actually be hurtful to someone, but she doesn't apologize for who she is as a person. She's in her late 20s and has embraced her weirdness and isn't interested in trying to be "cool" (which honestly is a point I think we all hit in our late 20s lol).
Josh, on the other hand, is the opposite of Hazel- responsible, super clean, organized etc. However rather than the story being a "hate-to-love-opposites-attract" situation, Josh always accepts Hazel for who she is and vice versa and they learn to cope with and/or embrace with each other's flaws as friends, even before the inevitable romance even blossoms. I love a good hate to love romance as much as the next person, but it was refreshing to see a take on opposites attract that was mutually respectful and built on communication and friendship. I also love that Josh was Korean! I haven't read many romance novels with Asian protagonists (which is really a shame!) and I loved getting to learn about Josh's heritage and his family's traditions and even gain some insight into his relationship with his parents (also Mrs. Im's cooking seemed mouthwatering!!)
In terms of the romance itself, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would given that usually protagonists like Hazel aren't my cup of tea (literally the opposite of my personality so it can be hard for me to connect). I thought it was fun to see Josh and Hazel set each other up on blind dates throughout the course of the novel (and the hilarious/disastrous results that often pushed them closer together) and I loved how Hazel was close with both Josh and his sister Emily. Also, I loved the little glimpses into how Josh and Hazel sort of tangentially knew each other in college. However, what prevented this romance novel by my beloved duo from being a 5 star read was the rather abrupt ending and even more abrupt epilogue. There's quite a significant plot twist toward the end of the story (which I potentially anticipated but dismissed as being too unlikely) and while I didn't mind the plot twist itself, I felt like the book ended before it was really resolved and then wrapped up with an "All Was Well" tier epilogue (straight up HP7 status). It wasn't exactly bad but it was REALLY not what I was expecting and felt jarring and not in line with the other novels I've read by the authors.
Overall: Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was a fun addition to my list of Christina Lauren novels and I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience and do feel like I got to know both protagonists quite well. While I had a lot of fun reading the novel, it's rather abrupt ending and epilogue kept it from being a full five star read for me. However, I do still highly recommend this novel to any Christina Lauren and/or romance fans!
This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Lorelei's Lit Lair
Written on Dec 4, 2018
bookperson
Written on Oct 18, 2018
This is basically a love story without a love story. Girl meets guy, girl embarrasses herself multiple times in front of the guy, they meet 7 years later and become friends (because she's his sister's bff), they forced to live together, they set each other up to go on double dates... This is basically New Girl fanfic except Josh owns ortho practice instead of a bar and not as quirky as Nick. And if New Girl dragged its ending, JnH was too quick. Also slow burn didn't work out in this one unfortunately.
Didn't hated it, didn't love it. Solid 3 enjoyable stars.
EBookObsessed
Written on Sep 16, 2018
For Hazel, life is for living to its fullest but she also learned at an early age that not everyone likes or appreciates her level of zeal. Hazel is just like her mother and Hazel's world tilted on it's axis the day her father told her mother to act like a normal person. It never stopped Hazel from doing things that she feels compelled to do or say, but since that moment, Hazel has tried to surround herself with people who -- okay, maybe they don't always appreciate her antics, but they accept Hazel the way she is.
Unfortunately, Hazel too has had her share of boyfriends who love her zaniness for awhile, but once they realize that Hazel never hides who she really is, they walk away from her.
When Hazel realized that her friend Emily's brother is Josh Im, the boy who Hazel always saw as perfect in college even after she puked on his shoes, she is determined that she and Josh will become BFFs. It is a good thing since Hazel's apartment becomes flooded and she needs to find a place to stay and Josh just happens to have an extra room...and a whole lot of patience. So in the next few weeks of living together Hazel gets her wish and she and Josh become the best of friends. So much so, that she convinces him that they need to double date in order to each find some romance.
But it seems that the more they double date, the more they realize that they are simply going out to spent more time with each other.
In this story, Hazel is the friend you have always wanted, the one who will drag you outside of your comfort zone kicking and screaming if necessary, but there is no way you won't have fun with Hazel leading the charge.
Hazel and Josh are absolute polar opposites but they fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces. They make the perfect couple. It is the fearless Hazel that hesitates to act on her growing attachment to Josh. Hazel still sees Josh as the ideal man and her biggest fear is that someday he would look at her like her father looked at her mother and it would break her.
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is a sweet romance and you have a delightful time experiencing Hazel's quirky look at life.
Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See more at EBookObsessed.com
leelu92
Written on Sep 5, 2018
There was A LOT of build up about this book online, lots of squeeing and freaking out over it. While I did not squee, Josh and Hazel surely helped to soften the blow of a craptastic few days.
Why? Mainly because Josh and Hazel loved each other for exactly who they were, not who they could or should be but just as they were and always had been. Their friendship and relationship was such a pleasure to read and experience. Josh's acceptance and love of Hazel was so pure and sweet, not to mention sexy as hell. Kudos to Hazel for not settling for a guy who would dim her light.
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was a pleasure to read and just what I needed.
*copy provided by publisher
Sam@WLABB
Written on Sep 5, 2018
My face hurts so much from this HUGE smile I am wearing, and the happy tears -- they just keep coming. You know what? It's all perfectly OK, because it speaks to what a fun and delightful experience reading this book was.
From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a very satisfying rom-com. Hazel had that feel of an old-school rom-com heroine, and I thought she was hilarious. But Hazel wasn't just there to be the funny guy to Josh's straight man. Although Hazel owned her crazy, she saw how it could be off-putting, and struggled with her own insecurities regarding people being able to put up with her being too Hazel. I will not pretend that my heart didn't ache a little for her every time these thoughts polluted her mind, and I wish I could reach out and hug her.
I liked the way Hazel set her sights on something, and worked to make it happen. She wanted Josh Im to be her best friend, and she sort of made that happen. She was able to "insert" herself into Josh's life at a moment when he really needed a friend, and although they were almost polar opposites, they complimented each other in the best ways.
Watching Josh grow to embrace Hazel's crazy was a beautiful thing. Every little step he took toward that HEA made my heart grow and expand exponentially. And my goodness! What isn't there to love about Josh Im? He was described as being extremely attractive, but he was also driven, successful, kind, considerate, smart, a good brother, a wonderful son, and a great friend. This girl had permanent heart eyes when it came to Josh Im.
The dates Josh and Hazel went on were a source of hilarity in the book, but at the same time, they were painful for me, because I just wanted Josh and Hazel to be together.
But it all didn't matter, because that ending was perfection. Crap! Happy tears are rolling down my cheek just thinking about it. I may never stop smiling.
Once again, I would like to thank the awesome Christina Lauren for such a wonderful experience. I laughed, I swooned, I smiled, and I shed the happiest of happy tears for Josh and Hazel.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Rowena
Written on Aug 29, 2018