Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
I saw myself and Mom from the outside in a way I hadn't before, like Dad represented this mainstream ideal and she and I were these loud, bouncing yellow dots outside the standard curve." I mean I think this book deserves to be read by every living soul because it is that amazing! The characters seem very much real, the relationship is genuine, the chemistry doesn't feel forced, the plot is amazing...and this book didn't annoy me for one second! Now I suggest you give the book a try when I say I didn't get irritated because I get annoyed by characters so often and SO FAST that I then have problem with them breathing and then it ruins the book for me. So, all I want is for them to choke and die and leave me alone...and this isn't limited to fantasy, the dying part expands to romance too (lol). Everyone around them can see they make the most adorable couple. Trouble is they aren’t a couple at all. Watching their relationship progress was pure bliss.
And two... when they were sharing the bed and woke up from their simultaneous sex dreams (Hazel was actually orgasming from hers SOS) ??? LMFOAOKSOKAOFJOF??? THE TEXTS I FIRED OFF TO MY HUSBAND AT 8:30AM!!! I WAS FLABBERGASTED!! And then Josh was like: I gotta c** so 1) I can jerk off in the bathroom like a weirdo or 2) I can use your orifices. The whole situation was just UNCOMFY and giving me 16-year-old boy wet dream. But this book does have a lot of steamy scenes, so trigger and content warnings for sexual content, talk of past death of a loved one, cheating (off-screen and not main characters), and a homophobic slur. I also really loved how Hazel wouldn’t change herself for anyone. And I think this book does a really good job at showing you how most people are pretty negative about anyone being too loud, too weird, and too different than the standards society puts on us. This isn’t like the typical “oh, the girl is quirky and cute” but this is the more realistic and sad treatment of people who live their life to the beat of their own drum. And seeing Hazel (and Josh) always speak up if anyone was negative or judgmental, was really beautiful. Because, like, who the hell wants to be normal anyways? I just know this is going to be my ultimate comfort read for the rest of my life. There's not one moment in this book I didn't love. I read this during Valentine's Day, so I was in the mood for a fluffy romance. I'm happy to report that that's exactly what I got - and then some. I actually giggled aloud to myself several times. Alone. So alone. On Valentine's Day.Hazel is so eccentric and wonderful. She reminds me of myself when I was younger, but still somehow acts her age at the same time. She's the biggest sunshine in the universe. Josh is so endearingly, consistently confused by her and I loved watching him fall in love with her antics. I loved watching him join in and become a better version of the kind person he already was. There wasn't a single moment between them that felt forced, or unnecessary, or even out of place. From the start of their friendship to where they end up, it felt as real as anything. I don't know, but after reading their newest book, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, one thing is clear: I'm all in on the Christina Lauren fan train. Their books may be predictable at times, they may be a little sappy, but I don't care. They are I-wish-I-could-stay-in-this-chair-until-I-finish-this-book readable, and they're utterly heartwarming to boot. What fun would a love story be without the gorgeous guy with an athletic build demanding our attention? Hey, wait a minute. Don’t be so shallow. *wink* A little buttoned-up initially, Josh is more than just a pretty face; he's patient, kind, sensitive and also incredibly respectful. Let’s just say, it didn’t take much rallying for me to join Team Josh. I realize my review is starting to look more like a personal rant than anything else, so here are the reasons why I think you should give Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating a chance :
Josh is a little apprehensive about letting Hazel get close and you kind of can’t blame him; she did once proposition him and then proceed to barf on his shoes. Despite their differences in approaching life, it’s easy to see the organic chemistry that exists between them—like their innate ability to communicate with simply a look. It's sort of awe-inspiring, but don’t go getting any ideas, they’re just FRIENDS. What? Do you need a 'BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS' romance? Oh, you don't want annoying character? Do you also want an amazing protagonist who is quirky and cute but also knows what she is doing? The writing should be good too? Oh, I don't know—I say—READ THIS GODDAMN BOOK! It's not an original plot, but it is fun for the most part. There are some pacing issues, I think, with the time between them becoming friends and, um, later developments being too long. But the smut is awesome when it does arrive. Wearing fun costumes at work because you can? ✔ (I was an elf in December --- you're jealous, admit it already)
This story basically revolves itself around the idea and actions of Josh and Hazel becoming best friends after some "awkward" college moments and finding out that Hazel's best friend, Emily, is Josh's sister, who is married to Dave, the principle and the boss of Hazel in her new job at a new elementary school as she teaches the third grade. After becoming best friends, Hazel and Josh decide to start setting up double dates with individuals they know, for each other. At first it all starts wonderfully because they both have fun with the partners they end up choosing for each other. But it gets to a point where the sexual chemistry between Josh and Hazel, the unexpected status of being roommates, and one drunken night, they change the tables to wanting to become more than best friends. I realize that finding the perfect person isn’t going to be easy for me because I’m a lot to take,” she says, “but I’m not going to change just so that I’m more datable.”
STOP RIGHT THERE AND Please just read it if you haven't because ahhhh I am in love with this book!! Most men can’t handle Hazel. But her best friend Josh isn’t most men. Don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s new novel about two people who are definitely not dating…no matter how often they end up in bed together. The world seems full of men who are initially infatuated by our eccentricities, but who ultimately expect them to be temporary. These men eventually grow bewildered that we don't settle down into calm, potential-wifey girlfriends." What I need in life is a best friend like josh who will apparently turn into my lover...that is only what I want y'all but god right here isn't very giving.Hazel was simply adorable with her brood of equally quirky pets. There's Winnie the poodle, Vodka the parrot, Janice Hoplin the rabbit, and the fish Daniel Craig. I mean, seriously! This is rom-com magic right here. But I digress. Hazel knows what her faults are, and she knows that she's doomed to short lived relationships because of it. Men seem to think that her over the top personality is cute at first, but then they expect her to settle into being a 'normal' girlfriend. And when she doesn't, things end. I also loved the developed side characters and their stories. Like how Hazel is so close to her Mom, and her Dad used to think her Mom was also strange and they don't take shit from men. I also like Josh's relationship with his sister and his Mom, and how their Korean culture is mentioned from time to time and their traditions! Most of you know that I’m a pretty big fan of Christina Lauren! Autoboyography is now one of my favorite books of all-time. And friends, I really enjoyed this book and it made me so unreasonably happy! Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is set in Oregon and is honestly one of the cutest friends to lovers stories I’ve read in such a long while. I honestly never wanted this book to be over.
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