The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren

Title: The Honey-Don't List
Author: Christina Lauren
Narrator: Patti Murin and Jon Root
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (March 24, 2020 )
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: 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…

My Thoughts: I really like Christina Lauren's books but I thought this one wasn't quite as good as my experiences with some of the others I've read.

The Good, The Bad, and the Stuff in the Middle: The Laurens team does a great job of creating interesting characters and I liked Carey but not nearly as much as James. I thought Carey was so far into the Tripp's lives she justified all their bad behaviors but doesn't cut James the same slack. She mentally complains about pretty much everything James does and sees all his mannerisms as negative. It wasn't until they had to work closely together on the book tour she really discovers who James is and how terrific he can be. Carey occasionally got on my nerves by being Ok with how she was being treated by Melly. Rusty had my sympathy through most of the book because I couldn't see even one redeeming quality in Melly. Oh and not to draw parallels where there really weren't any but I kept seeing Chip and Joanna Gaines as the Tripps. Probably because they too are a couple who have hit remodeling TV shows but this was really all in my head and not from the authors writing of the characters in this book.

I think at one point we were supposed to feel for Carey because she had a medical condition she was living with which is one of the reasons she claimed to stay with the Tripps so long. For the insurance. I understand needing medical insurance as much as the next person but to dedicate a decade of her young life to a screaming shrew like Melly is crazy. There are other jobs with insurance out there.

The romance was Ok except it relies on the miscommunication trope to add conflict when there was enough conflict between the relationship of our four characters; Rusty, Melly, Carey, and James. I also hated that Carey finally got a backbone but used it on James instead of Melly. Man I hated Melly. The intimacy between Carey and James was done really well but I wish more focus could have been on building their romance rather than the destruction of Melly and Rusty's marriage.

The audio of this book was great. I love when multiple narrators work together to enhance the experience. Both Murin and Root are new to me narrators and I would listen to more with them. I was able to listen to the book at my regular speed of almost 2Xs without Murin making Carey sound like a chipmunk.

In a Nutshell: Although this wasn't my favorite Lauren book I did find myself thinking about it for days after finishing which was a good thing. This is why I ended up giving it an extra half point for a rating. I will definitely read more books by this writing team even though I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book over Josh and Hazel's Guide for Not Dating or My Favorite Half-Night Stand. I think those books are superior to this one.