Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
By: Christina Lauren
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 309
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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?
First Impressions
Talk about an eye grabbing cover! I was immediately drawn in when I saw this cover on another blog. When I read the review raving about this book, I knew I needed to read it. The summary also sounded very cute, so I added it to my to-read list immediately.
What I thought
I might say that this is my favorite book I’ve read all year.
Hazel is quirky woman who is definitely a free spirit. She has zero filter but a heart of gold. Josh is a lot more reserved and very comfortable with where he is in life. They first met in college when Hazel puked on Josh’s shoes. From that point on, while amused by her Hazel-ness, he didn’t have much of a desire to hang out with her. Hazel on the other hand, often referred to Josh as the blueprint for perfect. When they meet up again 10 years post college, Hazel decides they need to be best friends, so best friends they become. Since they’re both in a dating rut, they decide to select blind dates for each other and go on blind double dates which often end in disaster.
I loved Josh and Hazel so much. She was just the right balance of ridiculous without being annoying. I also loved reading how much Josh liked her for who she was. He never got annoyed with her antics and was just a genuinely good guy. I’m a bit in love with him too after this novel!
The humor in this story is what makes it a page turner. Once I started I couldn’t put this book down. I LOVED the friendship between Josh and Hazel. It was pure and light while occasionally dealing with serious insecurities and life issues. This is one of those books that everything just comes together perfectly to make everything work.
Is it a ground breaking novel? No. Is it one of the best love stories I’ve read in a while? Yes. The best way for me to sum of this novel is to describe it as a rom-com in book form. It’s a bit predictable but that doesn’t take away from any of the joy of this story.
I want to buy this book and force it on every one I know. I also want to re-read it already. The characters are great and the story is so much fun. I don’t really know what else to say other than I love this book and you should read it.