Score: 4/5 Bookmarks

Steam Rating: 🍆🍆/5

The Honey-Don’t List by writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (aka Christina Lauren) comes out on March 24, 2020. I’d read a handful of negative reviews before diving into this one so my expectations were metered….but I really, really liked this book! No, it isn’t a rom-com like Unhoneymooners (also by Christina Lauren) but it is a compelling story about characters that feel real, and flawed, and have hurdles to overcome just like the rest of us. Characters who don’t have it all together, and are still finding out who they really are and what they want out of life.

Carey Douglas has been the unsung hero supporting a celebrity home remodeling couple, whose marriage is now falling apart right as they are attempting to launch a book about their relationship. Carey is madly trying to keep everything together, while battling her own insecurities, loneliness, and struggles with a disorder that causes pain and issues in her hands.

Along comes James, who is hired as an engineer (and assistant) and despite initially disliking each other he’s thrown together with Carey and starts to appreciate how hard she works behind the scenes. Their shared experiences spark something more, and they begin to fall in love…amidst the chaos reining all around them.

I definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a real, and heartwarming romance that is light on the cheese. Grab your copy by clicking the button below.

Synopsis:

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.