Meet Melissa and Rusty Tripp, America’s sweethearts of home remodelling and décor design who are just about to embark on their week-long book tour for their guide on how to keep the perfect marriage alive and kicking. The only caveat? Milly and Rusty actually can’t stand each other. Forced by the execs of their upcoming solo TV home renovating show, long-time assistant Carey and engineer-but-actually-glorified-and-seriously-undervalued-assistant James find themselves dragged on a book tour as chaperones to keep the couple from fighting in public and destroying their carefully crafted image. What neither of them expects is that while the sparks have sizzled out in their bosses’ marriage, there might just be some starting up between Carey and James.
Carey, like all of Christina Lauren’s protagonists is a force to be reckoned with, feisty and fierce, but above all she is extremely relatable. Never having worked any other job than this assistant position and almost part of the Tripp family, Carey finds herself unable to quit and make it on her own while also realising that she can’t keep doing what she is doing now without losing her mind. Pressurised to keep quiet about her involvement in the new designs of the high-profile couple, Carey is trying hard to reclaim that glimpse of a private life away from her bosses’ expectations while also working her hardest to keep afloat at work. And that brings me to this book’s strongest point: the refreshing and realistic take on adulthood.
In most cases, your twenties are a time of turmoil, a state of in-between where kids are playing and fighting in the pool and you have to ask your peers whether you should get an adult—without quite realising that you’re an adult yourself. This is the time when everyone is trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do but also don’t feel like they can start over if they’re situated in a passable job already (who doesn’t love financial security, after all?). It’s putting work above all else and finally having the monetary means to do all the things you’ve always wanted, without the time to actually pursue any of those dreams.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Christina Lauren excels at writing characters that make the reader feel understood and seen. The struggles of trying to find friends while working more than 50 hours a week and looking forward to a week of lying on the couch catching up on Netflix only to have that snatched away by more work was so relatable that I kept finding myself nodding at the book as I kept flipping the pages. Carey was trying to make it all work but sometimes, your body just tells you when enough is enough which rang so authentic to me. In an age where hard work is sometimes undervalued, it was a refreshing story to see that putting yourself first is a necessary step in order to survive.
Speaking of characters that are relatable: James, the love interest. Somehow these authors found the perfect blend of a guy being sweet and helpful without ever being condescending, while also making the reader want to jump his bones because he is just so sexy when he wants to be. James also struggles with the reality of being underpaid and undervalued even though he has a college degree, which again, I just found so relatable. It was a nice change from the usual narrative where college graduates suddenly have every door opened for them, which, yes, is nice but also not realistic. Trust Christina Lauren to make the bleak reality of job (in)security look like so much fun.
Melissa and Rusty were a particular brand of dysfunctional—Melissa is trying her hardest to cope with the struggle of keeping up appearances by turning every endeavour into a picture-perfect-advertising moment, whereas Rusty just wants to return to the simple roots where their love and business life began. Both of them were deeply flawed and unlikable characters at times, but you could tell that their hearts were in the right place—they just forgot what it meant to put their relationship above their international success.
This book felt like Christina Lauren going back to their roots in the best possible way and their writing style perfectly honed over years of writing together and the best parts, the quick-witted banter, the swoon-worthy romance still very much intact. That being said, The Honey-Don’t List is definitely one of the authors’ quieter novels, less fanfare and rather more “slice of life” moments that bring their own charm to the story. After numerous published novels together, one thing is clear: this author duo has cemented itself firmly in the top tier of the romance genre and deservedly so.
A refreshing and charming romance, perfect for long-time fans of the author duo and newer readers who want to have a little smile on their face for 320 pages straight.
The Honey Don’t List is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of March 24th 2020. You can also read an author spotlight and an interview with the two of them on The Nerd Daily!
Will you be picking up The Honey Don’t List? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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…
From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.
From the New York Times bestselling author behind the “joyful, warm, touching” (Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author) The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.
