Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Kindle Edition

Enjoyed this book. So much fun. I was happy that I was home reading and I did not look like a crazy person laughing to myself. That may not have been so bad. I could say I was having a Hazel moment

This book was very good. I highly recommend it. The writing was well done, the storyline was funny and interesting. I love the main characters and enjoyed their story.

FINAL DECISION: Quirky and sweet contemporary romantic comedy. I read this one on a whim and ended up loving the story between two opposites. It was cute and fun and just perfect for a couple hour's escape.THE STORY: Hazel Bradford is a lot to handle. Chaos follows her everywhere, she doesn't have a filter and she has a habit of doing or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. She met Josh Im in college when she vomited on him at a party. Ten years after college, the two meet again and Hazel is determined to be Josh's best friend. After a bad breakup, Hazel convinces Josh to agree to go on a blind date with Hazel. Well, they would each set the other up with someone and they would double date. The two have no interest in one another, but somehow their dates don't work out and the attraction between Hazel and Josh keeps growing.OPINION: Some books you just have to approach with an open mind and an open heart. Not that everyone would love this book if they did, but I know that I had to be open to this book to enjoy it.Hazel is a lot to take in. She is a whirlwind -- chaotic, intemperate, brash. But she also is completely open to loving other people. She cares deeply. The chaos and her inability to censor herself would be something that might annoy me greatly -- until I saw how caring she is. She wants to love so much that she opens herself up and is hurt again and again. And yet she keeps caring for others. And that is what makes her who she is.She is desperately aware that people are attracted to her, but that she becomes too much and people expect (or want) her eventually to tone down. But she doesn't. Although Hazel is confident in herself, she also doesn't believe that she has any chance with Josh. She dubbed him "Perfect" as in the model for the perfect guy. Her caring for him makes her want to be close to him, but because she doesn't believe he can be for her, she instead wants to be his best friend.Hazel and Josh begin a friendship that is funny and sweet at the same time. She brings color and imperfection into his life. Josh brings some order into Hazel's. Josh, however, is always completely accepting of Hazel. He may not understand how her mind works, but he doesn't criticize her or try to make her into someone else. Hazel is a force of nature and Josh is the calm in the storm.The two end up on a series of terrible dates (with other people) which end up being an odd courtship between them. I loved the humor and the pure acceptance between these two.This is the first Christina Lauren book I've actually read. I have a bunch on my TBR list and own a bunch, but I have always set those aside to read something else. Why did I decide on this one? Because the hero is Korean American. I thought the interracial romance was handled well.My only complaint about the story was the ending and the epilogue. I'm not a fan of leaving obvious story points unfinished and them coming back in the epilogue to give answers. I love epilogues, but personally prefer that the story be complete without it and then have the epilogue as a bonus. But that is a quibble with what was a wonderful, light and fun romance.WORTH MENTIONING: The story is told in alternating first person points of view.CONNECTED BOOKS: JOSH + HAZEL'S GUIDE TO NOT DATING is a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to help prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I enjoyed this book but sometimes the heroine was too over the top for me. What they described as quirkiness seem to sometimes come across as immaturity or thoughtlessness. For example how she blurted out to Emily and her husband that she and Josh had been intimate. How do you do that in front of him without giving him a heads up?? It’s his sister. But other than that the story was cute

This is not a book I would normally read and usually I would DNF, but dang this hooked me in and I found it hilarious. It is extremely rowdy and quite descriptive. Josh is a well put together physical therapist who is smart and handsome. Hazel is a slightly neurotic spazz who is funny and kind, but truly all over the place. I would not recommend this to my reading friends but I really did laugh so much.Content: A lot of sex. At least 4 very open door scenes and then flash backs to past experiences. Triggers with abandonment and loss of a parent.Language: Lots of language, including f-bombs.Religious: NoHappy reading, but seriously if you are my friend or family in real life don't read this book. 😀

UMM..... THIS WAS SO GOOD!!I told myself I wouldn't read anymore Christina Lauren because I thought Roomies was a bit bland and not up my alley, but this one just sounded cute so I broke my own rule and WOW I'M SO GLAD I DID THIS IS A NEW FAVORITE OF THE YEAR!The main thing I love about this book is the main character. She's cute and quirky and fun without trying too hard to be ~different~. She's authentically weird rather than being a manic pixie dream girl, and she's aware of it, AND she's proud of it. She reminded me of Jess from New Girl, which is my favorite show of all time because I love her character so much. That, combined with the fact that she also reminded me of Lucy from The Hating Game made me love her. Her dialogue was always so great--hilarious without EVER being cheesy. She was so refreshing and unlike any character I've read before. Hazel also really validated a small part of me that's insecure that I'll never find anyone because I'm too weird. I've never read a book like this before, like I was receiving a gentle pat on the back. Two thumbs up.Josh was also SO sweet and mindful and generous and he's the perfect love interest. The dynamic of (sorta) enemies to friends to lovers was also a great slow burn. The pacing of this is exactly what I look for in romance and I would read every book Christina & Lauren write if they do it similar to this one.As always, Christina & Lauren were really mindful of representation, feminism, and healthy relationships. The love interest and most prominent side character in this are Korean, and their culture was discussed at multiple points in the book (I'll link some ownvoices reviews discussing the rep if I see any once this comes out). However, there were a few times that Hazel would fetishize Koreans because she sexualized Josh's Korean name and the way he sounded when he spoke Korean. It was the only thing I thought was distasteful about this book, and maybe (hopefully) it'll be edited out in the final version. Lastly, there's a lot of candid talking about sex, including discussion about consent and bleeding and other good stuff. Also, there's a lot of fighting back against slut shaming and women being able to do what they want, which I think was great. I just love how the characters in Christina Lauren book will encounter a problem in the relationship or with sex and literally say, "Hey, let's talk about this" rather than avoid each other childishly. SO GOOD! (and yes, that's how low the bar is in romance books to be considered good, people.)I was warned that the ending of this might be something I'm not into, and I gotta agree that this veered a sharp left at the end. I haven't decided if I liked it or not, but it was definitely *cough* a choice. I'd have to talk about it in a spoilery review. But if this would've ended differently, I probably would have given it 5 stars. (Update: it’s not a bad twist, it’s just a plot point that i think was random to throw in at the END of a book lol. no worries! read it anyway!)Definitely add this to your TBR if you're looking for some healthy romance that has equal parts cuteness and steaminess. I adored it thoroughly.