The Honey-Don't List

I really wanted to love this book because I love the other Christina Lauren books that I have read. However, this book is just okay for me.

Let's start with the premise of the story. Carey and James work for home renovation stars, Melissa (Melly) and Rusty Tripp. The Tripps are experiencing trouble in their relationship, so Carey and James are given the difficult task of keeping the couple from revealing their troubles to the public. My first issue with the plot is that the Tripps are written in a way that they are too similar to a particular real life home renovation couple. I do not like the close comparison at all. Additionally, the story line of the two assistants having to basically parent the older couple is annoying to me. It is clear at the start of the book that these two people are not going to fix the relationship.

The characters of Carey and James are likable enough. Their blooming relationship is fun to watch. They are cute together, and their banter is sweet and funny. There is a lot of dysfunction in the relationships in this book, though. It is a little hard to understand why Carey allows herself to be used by the Tripps for so long. Her relationship with Melly is highly dysfunctional, with Melly taking credit for work that Carey does. It is also odd that James, an engineer, actually allows himself to be treated like a personal assistant.

The writing style, as always with a Christina Lauren book, is very easy to read. The story flows at a nice pace. It is a pleasant, enjoyable read. I just do not love the plot and characters as much as I usually do with books by these authors.