Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Genre
Romance
Star Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Summary
Just Friends. Just Friends. Just Friends.
If they repeat it enough, maybe it'll be true.
Hazel Camille Bradford knows she's a lot to handle -- 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 told him she "would be honored to give you sex tonight" -- 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 and 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 on progressively terrible double blind dates so they can hang out together means there's nothing between them...right?
Review
Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is one of those books that makes you laugh out loud one moment and clutch the book to your chest the next. And believe me, I did. It's vibrant, heartfelt, and effortlessly charming, with two man characters you can't help but love.
Hazel is delightfully eccentric -- she says what's on her mind, wears her heart on her sleeve, and lives her life in technicolor. I adored that she never apologized for being "too much." Instead, she leaned into her quirks with unapologetic confidence, which was so refreshing. Josh, on the other hand, is calm, steady, and grounded. He's the perfect foil for Hazel's whirlwind energy, but he's far from boring -- his dry humor, quiet thoughtfulness, and deep loyalty make him just as magnetic. Watching the two opposites bounce off of each other is delightful.
The setup is hilarious: a pact to set each other up on a set of double blind dates that somehow go terrible every single time. Those misadventures provide some of the funniest scenes in the book, but also set up some of the most crucial plot points. They also beautifully highlight just how naturally Josh and Hazel fit together when the rest of the world feels awkward and out-of-sync. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the "will-they-won't-they" tension is built with such patience that by the time the romance blooms, it feels both inevitable and earned.
What truly set this story apart, is at its heart. Beyond the laugh out loud moments and witty banter, Christina Lauren digs into themes of acceptance, vulnerability, and the bravery it takes to love someone exactly as they are. Which, in all honesty, is probably a story we all needed to read.
Christina Lauren's writing is, as always, sharp and engaging, and compulsively readable. Their ability to balance humor with sincerity is what makes every book of theirs. One thing about this book specifically that stuck out to me was the twists near the end. Out of all the CLo books I've read, this one has definitely had the most turns!
This book isn't just a romance -- it's a reminder of the joy that comes with being unapologetically yourself, and the magic of finding someone who feels like home. Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is yet another example of Christina Lauren at their best.
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