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A review by chloe_liese
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
5.0
CLo writes another perfectly quirky, unapologetically herself, wish she were real and your best friend kind of female protagonist. More so than most of their books though, this story truly extolled an awkward, hilarious, expressive, joyful woman. Enter Josh, who's been floating on the surface of relationships as he builds his career and makes plenty of time for his family, and you start to get the sense that Josh is missing out on truly living his life. Turns out Hazel is the breath of fresh air he never knew he always wanted. Refreshingly it's not the unconventional heroine in this story who needs to do the work to love and understand herself, but the straight-laced, ducks in a row guy who looks like he's got all his sh*t together. This was a delightfully original storyline for a RomCom; it made me laugh out loud, tear up, and sigh. The writing flowed and the banter was their classic, fast and fun repartee.
The quote that sums it all:
“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...at the end of the day, being myself is enough. I’m enough.”
That right there, folks, is what more Contemporary Romance needs—two people who already value themselves, give or take natural human insecurities; who don’t *need* a relationship to feel complete but *want* one that celebrates who they are. If you're knew to Christina Lauren (CLo), this is a wonderful introduction to their newer standalones which hit women's fiction lines a little more and play down the bedroom scenes. I'm more of a vintage CLo fan and prefer a bit more action and steam, but what does happen intimately in this book is well done, drives the plot forward and feels really true to who Josh and Hazel are. All the stars for this one.
The quote that sums it all:
“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...at the end of the day, being myself is enough. I’m enough.”
That right there, folks, is what more Contemporary Romance needs—two people who already value themselves, give or take natural human insecurities; who don’t *need* a relationship to feel complete but *want* one that celebrates who they are. If you're knew to Christina Lauren (CLo), this is a wonderful introduction to their newer standalones which hit women's fiction lines a little more and play down the bedroom scenes. I'm more of a vintage CLo fan and prefer a bit more action and steam, but what does happen intimately in this book is well done, drives the plot forward and feels really true to who Josh and Hazel are. All the stars for this one.