Today I'm bringing you guys a book review but before I dive in,
I feel an intense need to start this review by saying that I have a bad habit of sticking to certain genres in the books I read;
horror, thriller, paranormal, true crime, mysteries (you get the point).
These are my favorite types of books but I am trying to step out of my comfort zone.
Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
This book was recommended to me and was my first dive into Romance books and honestly any other genre besides my usual.
When I think about Romance novels my mind drifts back to when I was a baby bat and seeing my mother's books on the coffee table with pictures of Fabio-Esque men wearing unbuttoned shirts with their hair blowing in the wind.
Given that's all I'd ever known about the genre,
I never had any interest and stayed far, far away.
To say that I wasn't expecting much from this novel is an understatement.
We start out introducing the main characters at a house party and they do a pretty good job of painting a brief picture of the main characters, their personalities, and their relations to each other.
They make the characters in the book relatable and do so with a continued deep insight into who they are as people (past & present), not only highlighting their finer attributes but also their flaws and hardships throughout the book.
I feel the plot is a take on the classic opposites attracts scenario where two people with seemingly nothing in common somehow find their way to each other.
.
Hazel is a quirky, high energy teacher, who does things in her own eccentric way, comes on way too strong and fast, is extremely excitable, and gives no fucks if it makes others uncomfortable because she is clearly comfortable in her own skin.
This seems to be the very reason people are either drawn to or turned off by her.
At the same time, she's the one who's always there to brighten up your day and cares deeply for those in her life.
Josh is her dream man from college and who just so happens to be her best friend's brother!!
What are the chances?
Josh is more of the serious type, has his shit together, and finds himself heartbroken and alone after discovering his girlfriend has been cheating for years.
Can you see where this is going?
Hazel is given the task of cheering up and befriending Josh by his sister (her BFF) which leads to friendship and a few sexy flings.
They navigate the dating world together (not with each other) since they are both single and it reads like a funny dating show, I got sucked into this book fairly quickly and literally laughed out loud numerous times while reading.
This is a romance but it has so many more emotions and kept my attention from cover to cover.
Even though the ending was cliche and I knew where it was heading from my years of romance and rom-com watching,
I still enjoyed this book so much more than I could have ever imagined and found myself really wanting them to end up together.
The balance of mushy romance, funny situations, inappropriate behavior, with a dose of grounding reality was exactly the kind of depth in a romance I needed to open my eyes to all the amazing stories I've been missing in my closed off reading bubble and especially to this writing duo Christina Lauren.
I enjoyed reading Josh + Hazel's Guide to Not Dating so much that I've already begun seeking out my next read by Christina Lauren.
Leave me your reading recommendations in the comments or on my social media below.
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