Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren Published by Gallery Books on September 4, 2018
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
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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?
Smile, happy sigh, heart tug, repeat. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating filled me with undiluted joy from beginning to end. The main source of all the warm fuzzies are the two main characters.
Hazel is the OG of quirky. Some refer to her as Crazy Hazie because – let’s face it – she is a total weirdo. She’s come to terms with the fact that most people can’t handle her level of eccentricity in the long run – particularly men. She likes who she is, though, and isn’t willing to tone down her wackiness for anyone, to which I say, “Go ahead and let your freak flag fly, Hazel! You. Do. You.” She’s infectiously endearing, and I admired her. I wonder what it must be like to live life without an ounce of self-consciousness. To believe with 100% certainty that you are completely awesome.
While Hazel is impulsive, energetic, messy and childlike, Josh is her polar opposite: calm, neat, measured, and responsible. Basically, he’s the perfect specimen. They clearly don’t make sense together, so a romantic relationship is out of the question. However, Hazel does decide that whether Josh wants to or not, they will become best friends and guess what. (Spoiler alert) They do!
Their disastrous double dates are funny, and unearthing all of Hazel’s quirks provides plenty of entertainment. What sealed my bubble of joy, though, were the simple interactions between Josh and Hazel: making breakfast, watching TV, or eating ice cream. Seeing the impenetrable bond develop between Josh and Hazel and the way in which each influences the other for the better warmed my heart.
The more books I read by Christina Lauren, the more addicted I become to their stories. High five to them for creating a minority as one of the main characters in this book. You mean a romance novel can successfully reflect real life?? No way! Seriously though, I’m thrilled to see more and more romances embracing diversity. Josh’s Korean heritage adds another level of affection. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Dating is one of those tender romances that gives you lots of feels and makes you smile. I can’t ask for more than that.
Recommended for fans of:
Quirky heroines
Elementary school teachers
Friends to lovers stories
Pets
**I received an early version of this book. This does not affect the content of my review**
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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/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The 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 multiple starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal, been selected as one of NPR’s Top 100 Swoon-Worthy Romances, and won both the Seal of Excellence award and Book of the Year from RT Magazine.
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, bestie to a shoe-stealer, 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’ll probably find her on tumblr. She is married and absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 16 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. She also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.
Really great review! I agree with you. The more I read from this duo, the more I love them. I adored Hazel and Josh. I couldn’t get enough of them.
I’m relatively new to Christina Lauren, but now I’m addicted to them! 🙂
I love quirky characters! Definitely looking forward to this one – great review!
Thanks! I hope you like the story!