Josh is a little apprehensive about letting Hazel get close and you kind of can’t blame him; she did once proposition him and then proceed to barf on his shoes. Despite their differences in approaching life, it’s easy to see the organic chemistry that exists between them—like their innate ability to communicate with simply a look. It's sort of awe-inspiring, but don’t go getting any ideas, they’re just FRIENDS. Hazel was simply adorable with her brood of equally quirky pets. There's Winnie the poodle, Vodka the parrot, Janice Hoplin the rabbit, and the fish Daniel Craig. I mean, seriously! This is rom-com magic right here. But I digress. Hazel knows what her faults are, and she knows that she's doomed to short lived relationships because of it. Men seem to think that her over the top personality is cute at first, but then they expect her to settle into being a 'normal' girlfriend. And when she doesn't, things end. I adored Josh. Where Hazel was a refreshingly different heroine, Josh was definitely a refreshingly different hero. He's a serial monogamist that doesn't sleep around. He's sweet, serious, and in any other book he could have been entirely forgettable. But Christina Lauren made him one of the most lovable and memorable characters here; with Hazel being the perfect kooky balance.

Josh, the love-interest, is a Korean-American precious cinnamon roll and never EVER asks Hazel to change = instant stan; Hazel - Teacher, the quirkiest character I’ve ever read, but I mean that in a good way, and has finally reunited with a guy who she has embarrassed herself around for the past almost decade. Most of you know that I’m a pretty big fan of Christina Lauren! Autoboyography is now one of my favorite books of all-time. And friends, I really enjoyed this book and it made me so unreasonably happy! Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is set in Oregon and is honestly one of the cutest friends to lovers stories I’ve read in such a long while. I honestly never wanted this book to be over. There is a sudden and unexpected love towards Hazel and her persona. Her vibrancy, her enthusiasm, all her quirks that makes her such a unique individual that has taken everything in her empowering personality to admire herself and not care what others thing about her, is what truly captivates the reader to wanting to read more, CRAVE that kind of writing that Christina and Lauren always seem to specialize in. That's what makes Josh admire Hazel. Her love towards him as his initially best friend is indeed swoon worthy. And as a rom-com, one never goes wrong with loving all the adventures these two encounter and go through.

Need Help?

Honestly who hired the male narrator? He was AZZZZZ. Idk how the whole hiring process goes but if there was some sort of audition and you heard his 'female voices' and still said: "yep, this is our man", I think you need to visit your doctor because you have a hearing problem. If the audiobook hadn't been 7 hours, I would've yeeted it. I realize that finding the perfect person isn't going to be easy for me because I'm a lot to take, but I'm not going to change just so that I'm more datable." Josh and Hazel! Oh how I loved this friends to lovers book! It was so good. The author did a great job fully immersing me into the story with so much detail. And kept me so interested in the story I barely felt the chapters pass. It ended well and tied up all loose ends but I’ll miss these two characters. Well done. I realize that finding the perfect person isn't going to be easy for me because I'm a lot to take,' she says, 'but I'm not going to change just so that I'm more datable.'"

The narrative opens with Hazel giving all of the reasons that she and Josh will never date and are not compatible. She first met him in college. Then, years later, they meet each other again at a barbecue hosted by her best friend, Emily, and Hazel discovers that Josh is Emily's brother. Josh has a girlfriend, named Tabitha, who is supposed to be with him, but is not. She has moved from Portland to Los Angeles and says she has to work. In reality, she is seeing another man. Emily suspects that this is the case and Josh admits the truth to himself when Tabitha sends him a message that was meant for her other boyfriend. He goes to Los Angeles to talk to her about their relationship. I have chaos around me, but it’s like he doesn’t even care. He doesn’t need me to change or pretend to be someone else. He’s my person. He’s my best friend.” I always thought I caught you in . . . a phase. His left eyebrow makes a fancy arch. "Apparently you're just like this.” I don't know, but after reading their newest book, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, one thing is clear: I'm all in on the Christina Lauren fan train. Their books may be predictable at times, they may be a little sappy, but I don't care. They are I-wish-I-could-stay-in-this-chair-until-I-finish-this-book readable, and they're utterly heartwarming to boot. Hazel is quirky. She can’t help but say exactly what’s on her mind the second it pops up and boy does that get her into trouble. She even considers herself to be completely undatable. She is utterly fantastic, what can I say? Josh is somewhat low key and unassuming. He and his girlfriend don’t really do much of anything of when they are together. Perhaps that’s why she cheated on him.Making your boyfriend do clay at home because you have to try once before doing it with your class? ✔

But if you changed your mind about something like that,' Emily says, 'I think that's the one thing that could dim her light. We both know Hazel is a butterfly. I think you have the power to take the dust from her wings.'"

It's hard for me to 'objectively' judge this one because the male narrator really took me out. How am I supposed to believe this guy is some Korean Ken when he sounds like a hysterical Alvin the Chipmunk?? So instead of giving me opinny on the story itself, I want to discuss the spicy scenes in this book. Josh really was the template for a Perfect Guy. Besides being, you know, drop dead gorgeous, he was kind, supportive, stable, loyal, and respectful. He also loved his mom. I die. I've always enjoyed romantic comedies at the movies, but I've never really been a fan of them in book form. But sometime over the last year I found the writing duo that calls themselves Christina Lauren. I was absolutely wowed by Autoboyography ( see my review) last year, and then earlier this year I fell for Love and Other Words ( see my review), and that will be one of my favorite books of 2018. Hazel is quirky and eccentric. As such, she has a tough time finding someone to see her as more than the party girl. They expect her to calm down over time but her personality is what it is. Fun! That doesn’t mean she does have feeling and doesn’t get sad when people tell her to stop being embarrassing when she feels mood to stand and dance to a song when no one else is.

Don’t do that.” I point a finger at him. “Don’t act like I’ve crossed some magical threshold of appropriate numbers for a woman. If I was a dude and said that, you’d reply, ‘In high school, right?’ and then high-five me and call me brah.” This book was cute as shit. Christina Lauren is a favorite author of mine, and I have to say this is my favorite book of theirs since Autoboyography. I loved it so much. Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

I related to this book on a spiritual level. Duo Christina Lauren's brand of humor was so on point in this novel, it felt like they had written it specifically for me as a reader. I can't express how uplifting and enjoyable of an experience I had reading this hilarious romp, and I found the underlying message to be just as beautiful as the cover art is. I'm a firm believer that you can never have enough novels preaching about self worth and being comfortable in your own skin, and this story falls firmly in the category of "never settle for less than what you deserve simply because you aren't the world's standard". the unhoneymooners was fun and tropey and the relationship development was SUPERB. this book? not so much. This book was actually funny, too! Like, I was giggling alone in bed while reading at least a third of this book. Hazel is one of the most fun protagonists I’ve read about, and she and her animals had me laughing constantly. And all the dates? So freakin’ funny! I honestly could perfectly picture this book, and I actually think it would make for a fantastic romcom movie adaptation. Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating was just the cutest book ever. Uff! I've been struggling lately with a lot of heavy life stressors and have found myself gravitating more and more toward romantic comedies and upbeat contemporaries, genres I never would have touched even a year ago. I'm so thrilled that books like this have been a gateway for me to a type of escapism I never thought I would need, but am grateful for none-the-less. I can't remember the last time I've laughed out loud so frequently while reading. I also loved that this book had some deliciously steamy scenes, but overall those were just accessories to the overall plot. If you enjoy rom coms with less graphic content and a greater focus on the comedy portion and the feel good fluffies, this one is for you. This was easily my favorite rom-com I've read all year. It was absolute perfection that kept a goofy smile on my face the entire time! I couldn't get enough! I adored everything about this book and the characters. If you're looking for your next read, look no further. Because this book is simply not to be missed!