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| Available September 4th, 2018 |
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?
Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review
I couldn't have read a more adorable book this summer, I don't think. Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating hits the sweet spot for me: acquaintances becoming friends, then better friends and ever so slowly falling for each other. And I enjoyed reading it as it happened.
Hazel has had a crush on Josh ever since college when he was her TA. But that's just about as far as their connection went. Flash forward several years, she's a teacher and she bumps into him again. It turns out that her new teaching job means she's working with his sister and the two quickly become reacquainted with each other again. The thing with Hazel is that people naturally gravitate towards her. That or she just pulls you in whether you like it or not. There's just something about her personality - all loving and jovial - that one can't resist. Yep she's the same quirky person Josh remembers from their brief time in college and once again the universe proves that the right people come into your life at the right time. Since he's no longer attached he and Hazel embark on a crazy idea: setting each other up on double dates. The results range from scary to crazy. All the while they become close and start reacting in bizarre ways.
Did I mention how much fun I had reading this? They have the most delightful banter that makes it hard to not smile the entire time. Their two personalities are described so well that I could see and hear them so clearly in my mind. I got a kick out of the conversations they'd have by simply staring at each other. That's how well in tune they are! I felt like I was watching my two best friends falling in love. My initial concern that we'd be beaten over the head with Hazel's tendency to be accident prone proved to be unfounded. It added to her quirkiness but didn't overwhelm her. I also liked that it features an Asian love interest in Josh. I think I've mentioned this before but I've grown weary of alpha-type romantic heroes and Josh is the furthest from it. He's your normal dude who gets on with people and his devotion to his family makes him totally dreamy. Hazel is also close to her mother so family is definitely important here. The overall theme of accepting oneself and accepting the person you're falling in love with as is, is ever present throughout the story too. Hazel knows that she's extra but she won't change for anyone. Josh loves Hazel and all her silly, crazy nonconformist ways and wouldn't change her for anything.
The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the ending which seemed a little too confusing to me at first and rather abrupt. It's like there was something missing somewhere in the transition. Still, Josh & Hazel's... gave me that feel-good, romantic high that I was in need of. Josh and Hazel are too freaking adorable and I just want to squeeze them both. Fans of Christina Lauren will definitely enjoy this book!
~ Bel
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