Goldilox and the Three Weres: Release Day Review: The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

The Honey-Don't List
Christina Lauren
Release: March 24, 2020
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Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.

From the New York Times bestselling author behind the “joyful, warm, touching” (Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author) The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.

Review:
The first Christina Lauren book I ever read and loved was Autoboyography. Since then, I've been wanting and meaning to read more of their books. I've even bought several but have never gotten around to reading any of them yet. I’m kind of glad The Honey-Don't List was my second C. Lo book because I enjoyed the hell out of it! I only meant to read a couple chapters before bed and ended up devouring it in one sitting.

I was instantly sold on the premise where two assistants who are kind of enemies get thrust together in a close quarters, everything is on the line PR nightmare where they have to keep the rocky relationship between their bosses a secret. The premise is what drew me to the book but the execution of that plot was pretty weak. It's the characters that really drove the story with the main couple being the whole reason the book was enjoyable for me.

I loved Carey! She's feisty, creative, and a total wallflower. Her chronic illness is the main motivation behind her being a modern day wallflower and I found it an interesting part of the story. I hated how she was treated by her boss. It's a super toxic relationship that has made Carey believe that she can't move on to bigger and better things.

Her budding relationship with her "arch-nemesis" James was everything! James is a total cinnamon roll! A very nicely dressed cinnamon roll but still a cinnamon roll. I still wanted to shake him for being an idiot in parts. What really worked for me is that he is as much stuck in his job as Carey is hers and the common ground allowed them to come together. I liked how supportive of each other they were together by the end.

I adored how the forced proximity allowed James to start seeing Carey as who she really is. I loved the two of them together but I wish we had gotten more of them together but away from work. I was rooting for their romance from the first. I may have swooned a bit when he offered to help her with the buttons on her jacket. As much as I loved the main couple, the romance felt a bit rushed in places and I couldn't quite suspend my disbelief as they went from "enemies" to friends to lovers. I wish it had been more fleshed out with a longer resolution/ending. I still enjoyed the story though!

I hated Melissa, Carey's boss, so much! Her and her husband, Rusty, are a couple of the most self-centered and selfish characters I've read in a while. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Rusty by the end. Even though he kind of got redeemed in my eyes, Melly is the worst and I feel like she didn't get the downfall she deserved but people might not agree with me on that. I may have been yelling at the book in a couple parts.

Overall, the romance was adorable and they kind of delivered on the premise! It was a quick fun read and it's made me more interested in picking up more of C.Lo's work. Which book of theirs should I read next?

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley