Review: THE HONEY DON’T LIST by Christina Lauren

Review:  THE HONEY DON’T LIST by Christina LaurenThe Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren
Also by this author: My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners
four-stars
Published by Gallery Books on March 24, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I admit that I was very late to jump on the Christina Lauren bandwagon, but ever since I read my first book by them, I’ve been hooked and their latest collaboration, The Honey Don’t List, has only made my love for their books continue to grow.

What a fun read this was!  Celebrity scandals have always fascinated me anyway, so I was drawn to this story as soon as I realized what it was about.  The fact that the story begins in a police station with the celebrity assistants being interviewed only served to whet my appetite all the more. Something dramatic and potentially scandalous has clearly happened and I was immediately flying through the pages wanting to know what had transpired.

Melly and Rusty Tripp are the celebrities in question.  Famous in the world of home décor and remodeling, Melly and Tripp have captured the hearts of their fans, not just because of their design talents but also because they have such a wonderful relationship.  They are America’s sweethearts and they’ve even written a book about their lives together and have a new Netflix series in the works. To cap off their success and promote their new book and show, the Tripps are going on a book tour together.  There’s just one problem: they actually despise each other.  Enter the real stars of The Honey Don’t List, the two personal assistants, Carey Douglas and James McCann, who have been tasked with the nearly impossible task of keeping the book tour from imploding by making sure Melly and Rusty don’t kill each other or otherwise expose that their marriage is basically a sham.

I adored both Carey and James from the start.  I was tremendously sympathetic to them both right away since my instinct would have been to resign.  Carey can’t resign though because 1) she desperately needs the health insurance, and 2) she has been with Melly since the beginning and feels obligated to be there for her. Even though she is high maintenance, Melly has been like a mom to Carey.  James is equally stuck in his position, primarily because his last job ended in disaster, with the firm he worked for wrapped up in some huge scandal.  James needs to rebuild his resume and a hugely successful organization like Melly and Rusty’s is just what he needs. I love a good underdog story and both of our protagonists are clearly cast in that role.

The book tour is of course a total train wreck with plenty of laugh out loud moments, which is exactly what I was hoping for from a Christina Lauren read.  What really had me captivated though was the growing relationship between Carey and James as they are forced to team up and try to save the day, so to speak.  Even though they initially don’t like each other very much, it’s clear they have off-the-charts chemistry.  I loved all of their moments together, whether they were scheming about how to do damage control with respect to Rusty and Melly or whether they were just truly opening up to one another and having meaningful conversations.  There are also plenty of flirty and sexy moments as the pair gets closer and closer, so yes, there’s lots of rom-com style goodness in The Honey Don’t List, also exactly what I’m looking and hoping for when I pick up a Christina Lauren book.

Hilarious and heartwarming, The Honey Don’t List is the perfect book to pick up if you’re looking to escape reality for a while. It’s sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

 

 

four-stars

About Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners and best friends 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, a Lambda Literary Award finalist 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 2017 to critical acclaim, followed by Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and the Publisher’s Weekly starred My Favorite Half-Night Stand, out in December.

26 replies
  1. verushka
    verushka says:

    This sounds like the perfect rom-com goodness and I mean it starts in a police station?? *lol* That right there won me over!

  2. RO
    RO says:

    I totally love that title, and it really grabs my attention. Sounds like a really great story too! Hugs, RO

  3. Angela
    Angela says:

    Even though I was a little disappointed with their last book, I’m really looking forward to this one! It’s such a fun premise. Glad you enjoyed it!

  4. Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy
    Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy says:

    This sounds like so much fun! I immediately thought of Chip and Joanna Gaines when you mentioned the celebrity designers, because I suspect in real life their relationship isn’t as great as it appears, lol.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yeah, I think some readers would have liked more romance. I was happy with it the way it was, although I definitely wouldn’t have complained if we had gotten more of Carey and James because they’re just so good together.

  5. Dini @ dinipandareads
    Dini @ dinipandareads says:

    Great review! It’s been a while since I’ve read a Christina Lauren book but I’m SO excited to get my hands on this one. It sounds like it’ll be full of laughs and I’m even more pulled in after reading your review 😀 CLo definitely know how to write those fun and uplifting romances!

  6. Sam@wlabb
    Sam@wlabb says:

    Even if this wasn’t exactly the romance I expected, I still enjoyed it. There were so many hilarious moments, and I liked the way they told the story, using the police interviews. I would have liked more focus on the romance, but I appreciated the focus on Carey and her personal journey

  7. Hena Tayeb
    Hena Tayeb says:

    That sounds like a fun book.. I’m currently reading a Christina Lauren book as well.. The Unhoneymooners.. and so far liking it a lot.

  8. Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape says:

    This sounds great with the heartwarming and humorous moments. I have enjoyed many of Christina Lauren’s books and I think I’ll like this one too. Great Review! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  9. Olivia-Savannah Roach
    Olivia-Savannah Roach says:

    I have heard so much about this writing duo and as a romance reader I should probably give these books a go! I love the sound of this one, and that there is remodeling and decor celebrities involved, as well as a disastrous book tour. It sounds so fun and sweet.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Most of their books are really fun and light-hearted. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is my favorite, but this one is excellent too.

  10. Lindsi
    Lindsi says:

    I’m reading this right now (really behind on life right now, haha), and enjoying it so far! Autoboyography was my first book by this duo, and I fell in love with their writing. Roomies was an okay read for me, but I’ve really liked everything else. 🙂

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I actually still need to read Autoboyography. I’m not sure how I missed that one considering all of the good things I’ve heard about it.

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