Gallery Books

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

308 pages

Published 3/24/20 by Gallery Books

ISBN: 9781982123918

Genre: Romance

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Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads 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…

Review:

Trigger warnings: Cheating

I enjoyed this one more than their previous book, but I don’t think I would have finished it if not for the audiobook.

This one is told in two different perspectives, James McCann and Carey Douglas. They work for Rusty and Melissa Tripp, the Chip and Joanna Gaines of this world. Carey has worked for the Tripps for ten years, specifically Melissa, helping them build an empire. James recently started working for Chip, but it wasn’t the job he expected it to be—it was worse. It definitely wasn’t a structural engineer, which is what he was hired as. Their new television show and book is about to be released, so they all go on tour together. The only reason James and Carey go is to keep Rusty and Melissa from killing each other. They need to keep their perfect reputation.

This one is pretty slow-going. I didn’t really care for any of the characters except for James. He is such a wonderful man, and he takes such good care of Carey. Because of him, the (very few) sex scenes are consensual. If you want rough and dirty, this won’t be for you.

Carey is just another basic character to me. She’s not memorable at all. I don’t have a lot to say about her.

Rusty and Melissa constantly get on my nerves. I didn’t want to hear about them because all they did is fight. I didn’t like their morals, and why they were staying together. Rusty is also extremely insulting at the end. I just wasn’t a fan. That’s one of the main reasons why this is a three-star book for me.

If you want something easy to read, then this would be something you could pick up. This isn’t the best Christina Lauren, but it’s still cute and somewhat fun. Even though I keep giving their books three-stars they’ll forever be an auto-read duo. I’m hoping the next one is better.

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Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

368 pages

ISBN: 9781501197420

Published: 10/22/19 by Gallery Books

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★★★✩✩

Thank you to Gallery Books for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads | B&N | Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

With Christina Lauren’s signature “beautifully written and remarkably compelling” (Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author) prose and perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, Twice in a Blue Moon is an unforgettable and moving novel of young love and second chances.

Review:

Some people rise to the top on their own merit, and some people get there by stepping on heads.
Marco Offredi

I have decided to make a change to the new block editor. The formatting of my usual posts may change. I’m just letting everyone know as to why this book review looks different compared to other ones.

I also hate posting two blogs posts in one day, but I really needed to get this review up. I finished the book almost a week ago.

I am going to preface this review by saying that I absolutely adore Christina Lauren. This book makes my fourth one by them, and I’m still going to continue reading them. They’re always fun and fast-paced books!

Story | I absolutely loved the beginning of this one. You find out how Tate meets Sam, and you learn about her family’s background. The reader witnesses Tate’s struggle to open up due to the pressure from her Nana, Judith Houriet. You see this young love blossom over the course of a few weeks, just to watch him drop her after telling her to jump.

The story isn’t super exciting after that. She is filming a movie, Milkweed, with her father, which is odd and Sam just so happens to be the screenwriter of said movie. It shakes up her world after she meets Nick Tyler, another actor who shows an interest in Tate. Nick is the other main role in the movie.

This is where I start to have some thoughts about this book. I’m sure everyone knows how this book ends, but for those who don’t, I’m not going to spoil anything. All I will say is: what’s the point of Nick?

I had to snag the audio for this one to read along with because I was just bored. I didn’t have an interest in any of the characters after chapter 10. It’s unfortunate, but I’m looking forward to their next one, The Honey-Don’t List.

I will also say that there isn’t much smut in this, not that there is with Christina Lauren. If you’re going into this expecting that, then I would walk away. Or go into it with different expectations.

Writing | The writing isn’t really any different from the rest of their books. It’s really easy to fly through. I don’t find it super cheesy like I do most romance novels. It’s cheesy, but it’s more of a provolone rather than Swiss. I love cheese so whenever I can pop those references in there the better my life is.

Characters | This is a book where I don’t have a favorite character. I was honestly more interested in Charlie, Tate’s best friend/makeup artist. I found her more interesting than Tate. I also wanted more of my boo, Marco Offredi, Tate’s PR manager.

Overall | I didn’t enjoy this one very much. It was slow, and I didn’t like the celebrity trope. Those are usually hit or miss for me, anyway. I just think it focused too hard on the exploitation of her history. I wanted more romance! *pounds my fist on the table*

I’m still going to continue on with Christina Lauren’s books. This does not change my mind about the authors. It just didn’t work for me, but I’m sure it’ll work for others.

If you enjoyed this, then give it a like and follow my blog. Be respectful and happy reading!

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