Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating cover art

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

By: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn, Jayme Mattler
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About this listen

 A hilarious, warmhearted, and swoonworthy romance about two people who are definitely not dating…no matter how often they end up in bed together, from the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners and Love and Other Words.

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? Contemporary Literature & Fiction Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction Dating Funny Witty
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I'd really like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this. My review is unbiased and all opinions are my own.

This is one my favourite of this authors books. I've read quite a lot from them at this stage and I think Josh Im and Hazel are going to stick with me for a long ass time.

I was hooked on by the fake (double) dating and friends to lovers tropes but what kept me hanging on to every word was how genuine and real both Josh and Hazel felt to me. Hazel is one of those wild crazy people and Josh is her complete opposite. Their love story isn't really instant (well from one end it might be) but they're just so stinking cute together I can't even stand it.

A fantastic book

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I couldn't get too far into this book. The male narrator puts on a creepy sounding annoying voice whenever Hazel speaks and I got fed up with it. I wasn't too intrigued as the friendship between the two leads is rather rushed. They meet after ten years and then they become friends despite what Josh thinks of Hazel. Hazel can either be considered quirky or stupid. One example is her signing up for a hot dog eating contest but when on stage, she remembers that she's trying to be a vegetarian. If you do like the sound of this book I wouldn't get the audio-book version. The male narrator made it unbearable.

Male Narrator is bad.

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I absolutely loved this book! It was very ‘When Harry Met Sally’ mixed with ‘New Girl’ (tv show) vibes.

However, I feel like the ending was super rushed. There was a plot point that didn’t really need to be there but the authors added it anyway but then it felt like they just got tired of it and stopped writing just to have an epilogue that made it seem like I’m everything was fine in the end? It was kinda irritating because if not for the end, this would have easily been a 5 star read!

This was so weird

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Josh is a physiotherapist, is in control of his emotions, has a great body and seems to have his life organised. He's basically Hazel's blueprint for perfect. Ever since their paths first crossed during college, further interaction has ended with Hazel embarrassing herself.

Hazel is clumsy and blurts out whatever she is thinking, a self-confessed "hot mess". Yet Hazel is not your average "quirky girl". Yes, she's quirky, but it's dealt with in a realistic way. Far too often she has been in relationships with men who initially love her wild side, but then they expect her to settle down, to become a "proper" girlfriend and when she doesn't... they leave her.

Throughout the story Hazel had a wonderful sense of self-confidence. She was happy with herself and knew she would never change for another person. Though she still has her vulnerabilities: she knows that she would never work with Josh, that they're not compatible and she can't stand the thought of him eventually thinking her an embarrassment.

Dating is therefore not in the plan. Best friends is a better option. They even go on double dates together, each one respectively attempting to set up the other. Yet on these dates it seems that Josh and Hazel enjoy their time together more than with their dates...

At first, I admit I didn't warm to the characters. I found Hazel annoying and Josh cold. Yet they grew on me and together they were even more lovable.

The parental relationships were also a nice touch. Hazel and her mother's relationship was heart-warming; they connected like best friends. Josh is from a traditional Korean family who are always there for each other. Josh's sister (and Hazel's best friend) Emily and her husband Dave were also sweet. Everyone around Josh and Hazel vocally matched the readers thoughts: isn't it obvious they're perfect together??

There were some pacing issues. Josh and Hazel meet at a BBQ and suddenly they are BFFs with seemingly little interaction in between. The will-they won't-they got dragged out so much and toward the end I felt like screaming 'JUST COMMUNICATE'. And then the ending twist... it was too much for me and seemed too pandering.

Yet this was still a sweet read and the relationship between Hazel and Josh made my heart happy.

As for the narration, I enjoyed the female narrator but the male narrator's voice for Hazel was very squeaky and quickly grew annoying!

Not your typical "quirky girl"

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Sweet story, and the female narrator is very good. The male narrator does a hideous female voice, really distracting. It's predictable as hell, but if you want an easy listen - this delivers.

Listenable if predictable

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