Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren – Audio

Book Blurb:

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.
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. 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?

My Review: 4.5 stars

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Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating has sealed the deal for me; I do in fact enjoy smartly written rom-com books. I thought Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient would be a one-time wonder for me in regards to this genre – but no, this book too made me laugh, cry and feel the joy of romance. Is this a work of mind-blowing fiction? No. Is it a great story that gave me all the feels? Yes!

On paper, Josh and Hazel just don’t line up. They are characters with distinctively different and opposing personalities. So they spend the novel setting each other up on dates, which allows their friendship to blossom as they meet other people. This scenario adds lots of drama and laughs as they learn more and more about what they do and don’t like in a partner.

This one is perfect for the beach, ideal for a quick read, and definitely one that’ll make you cheer for the power of romance. If you’re looking for fiction that’s fun and flirty, go no further. Can’t wait to read more from this author. Note: There is some graphic sex scenes, so be warned.

Quotes I liked:

I learned a very important thing that day: my mom would never try to change for a man, and I wouldn’t, either.”

-“Sometimes your lack of filter kills me,” he says. “It’s not even like you lack a filter; you lack a funnel.”

-“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.”

-“The world seems full of men who are initially infatuated by our eccentricities, but who ultimately expect them to be temporary.”