Josh + Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren… ARC Review

From New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren comes a new romantic comedy about two friends who

are definitely, for sure, in no way dating…maybe

Josh + Hazel’s

Guide to Not Dating

by CHRISTINA LAUREN 

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

 

Synopsis:

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. JOSH AND HAZEL’S GUIDE TO NOT DATING 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?

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My Review:

Josh + Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is the newest work from the dynamic writing duo known as Christina Lauren – and if I’m making it seem like they’re some kind of literary super heroes, well, yeah, they are. They are more powerful than a locomotive, able leap genres in a single bound, rescue jaded readers…ok, ok, you get the idea 😉

I’m always looking forward to a new book from Christina and Lauren, and Josh and Hazel lived up to every expectation I had after reading the synopsis.  It was fun. It was flirty.  It had emotion and was filled with a cast of characters who were endearing all in their own ways.

Hazel is this ball of quirky, always outside the box, never stuck in the norm fun. She’s cute and sassy and had me wanted to be her BFF from the very first chapter.  She’s also not had very good luck in finding a guy who will appreciate all the color and vibrancy she is, and it broke my heart for her.

Josh is exactly her opposite in almost every way.  He’s calm and controlled.  Loves things organized and steady.  He’s also got a heart of gold and is steadfast and loyal to his family and friends. He’s a great catch and is 100% thee type of guy you’d want to marry.

After being reunited by a stroke of fate, they spend more and more time together.  Just not necessarily in the way you’d think. They end up trying to set one another up with blind dates and turn those dates into double dates.  The mishaps and hilarity that ensues is priceless…and it also draws both Hazel and Josh into realizing maybe they don’t need the blind dates.  Maybe the person they’re supposed to be with is right in front of them.  Sure, they’re opposites in almost every facet of their personalities, but you know how the saying goes…opposites attract.  And that, right there, is why I loved these two so darn much.

I won’t go into too much more detail because I don’t want to spoil anything for you but I will say that you can always count on some of the best happily ever afters out there from Christina and Lauren and you won’t be disappointed 😀

Whether you’ve been with these authors from their Beautiful Series or this is the first of their work you pick up, I know you’ll love Josh and Hazel as much as I did.

And, before I leave you, in keeping this weird tradition where a song pops in my head while reading a Christina Lauren book, here’s the one that is all Josh and Hazel…

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Five Loves

 

BUY LINKS (US):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Apple | Blio | Google | Kobo

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BUY LINKS (UK)

Amazon

Waterstones

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BUY LINKS (AUS)

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

 

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. They are New York Times, USA Today, and #1 international bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Sublime, The House, Dating You/Hating You and the critically acclaimed Autoboyography. Roomies (released December 2017), has been optioned for film by Jenna Dewan’s company Everheart Productions, with Christina and Lauren set to write the screenplay.  

FIND THEM ONLINE:

Website:  www.christinalaurenbooks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ChristinaLaurenBooks

Twitter: @ChristinaLauren

Instagram: @ChristinaLauren