A review by theespressoedition
The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I first began reading this book, it reminded me a lot of Set It Up on Netflix. The idea of two employees needing for their two employers to get along in order to have some peace in their life isn't totally brand new, but it was still really fun.

I liked the fact that this book had the interviews in-between chapters to give you a little bit of insight into what the future would hold for Carey and James. You knew things were doomed from the get-go, but you weren't sure how they were going to get there and that was the most interesting part. It gave me a reason to keep reading, even during moments where I wasn't completely fascinated with the direction the story was going.

Carey's character honestly irritated me a lot. If she didn't put Melissa on the kind of pedestal she did, maybe things wouldn't have so rapidly declined? Obviously, that was a huge part of the story, so it needed to be there. But my personal preference is not to read about super toxic boss/employee relationships - which was a massive part of this plot.

The story also made me totally wary of every home decor show on TV now! That's a really silly thing, but I feel like I'm questioning every charming relationship, thinking it'll end up as terrible as Mel and Rusty!

I did appreciate the ending because it left a few things open, giving you a chance to come up with your own conclusions about those truly imperfect relationships and where they might end up. I'm glad that not everything got wrapped up in a nice, neat bow. That's been my issue with a few of the other CL books, so it was refreshing to not have that in this one! I wouldn't necessarily pick this up to read again, but it was entertaining - no question about it!

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