The Honey-Don’t List

Review

3/5 stars

Carey has been working for Melissa and Rusty Tripp since she was 16. They started as a small home remodeling and design store and quickly got thrust into the spotlight. With a book release and all of America watching them, Melissa and Rusty need to make a good impression. The only problem is, they practically hate each other. Enter James, the Tripp’s engineer. He had only been working there for a few months but he is thrown into a weeklong book tour to help Carey make sure Melissa and Rusty don’t cause a PR nightmare. Will the four be able to survive?

My first thought when reading this was, “This was inspired by Fixer Upper, right?” There was even a nod to Joanna Gaines in the book. I thought an “inside look” at this superstar couple behind the scenes was intriguing, but the book didn’t hook me like I thought it would. I thought the romance between Carey and James to a bit lacking as well as the character development. This could be because most of the book took place in a week.

I think I would have liked to see more backstory for both Carey and James so I could get a better idea of their motivations now. Overall, it was a unique romance read, but not my favorite from Christina Lauren.