Book: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
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. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.
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. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.
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:
I have read almost all books by this incredible writer duo Christina Lauren, and I can say this without any doubt that this book is my favorite of all their books I have read so far. I loved Hazel and Josh’s sweet, funny, and cute banter, the sexual tension between them, and obviously their chemistry. This is a roller-coaster of various emotions, romance, friendship, and what not.
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating follows the story of Hazel, a third-grade teacher, and Josh, a physical therapist. Though Hazel met Josh in her friend’s party but they knew each other from their high school days. Hazel’s high school memories of Josh are a bit embarrassing because she once threw up all over his shoes, also because Josh walked in on her making out with his roommate, and also a few other such totally humiliating incidents. When they meet again after ten years, she is hit by all those memories, and also the feeling that she had a huge crush on him. They know that they are not a great romantic match, but they find a natural bond between each other as friends. They start settling each other on blind dates that turned out disastrous, except that they loved each other’s company. I think you can probably guess the story from there on. What if two romantically-mismatched people start falling for each other?
I really loved Josh and Hazel a lot. Where, Hazel is a funny, vibrant, eccentric, fun-loving, and without filter kind of person, Josh is tamed, decent, and a calm gentleman. It seems like Josh and Hazel need each other to make other’s life in order. I always love a story where main male character is Korean-American, and I loved Josh a lot.
On the whole, I adored Josh and Hazel’s story, and could not find any flaw in whole plot development. I really wish that everyone should read this book. Everything in this book feels natural. The plot is simple but enjoyable. The chemistry between the characters feels genuine, and most importantly, you will love Josh and Hazel, and feel connected to them. It’s not only romantic and sexy, but you will a lot of laugh out loud moments too. Highly recommended!
My Favorite Lines:
“I learned a very important thing that day: my mom would never try to change for a man, and I wouldn’t, either.”
“The way Emily describes it: when I meet someone I love, I become an octopus and wind my tentacles around their heart, tighter and tighter until they can't deny they love me just the same.”
“The world seems full of men who are initially infatuated by our eccentricities, but who ultimately expect them to be temporary.”
Important tags:
Wonderful review. Also I love the three quotes you mentioned in the end😍😍😍