The Honey-Don't List

The Honey-Don't List- Christina Lauren
Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 24, 2020

Rating:
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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…

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Designer Carey Douglas has worked for Melissa and Rusty Tripp for ten years, from a small town shop to HGTV megastardom.  Her ideas are the heart of the show and she gets no credit, she works 24 hour days for Melissa and gets nothing but stress.  She's looking forward to a well earned weeklong vacation as the married couple travel the West Coast to promote their book on how to have a happy marriage.  The problem? The couple can't be near each other without fighting.  Now Carey is stuck on the tour with engineer/assistant James to try and keep the reno world's favorite couple from killing each other, and their brand.

Remember the movie America's Sweethearts? In public, John Cusak and Catherine Zeta-Jones were the world's perfect couple.  In private, they were a disaster and it was up to Julia Roberts and Billie Crystal to keep the fiction going.  Take that idea and blend it with HGTV renovation shows with cute married couples and you have an idea of The Honey-Don't List.  Only worse.  Poor Carey Douglas has been working for the Tripps since she was 16 and pretty much sees them as her second family.  But now Rusty is an alcoholic womanizer who doesn't seem to care if he gets caught and ruins the brand image, and Melissa is a tightly wound, abusive perfectionist.  Carey is loyal despite the insane hours, the constant stress, and the fact that all the ideas and designs are hers and Melissa is taking all the credit.  That's what you do for family, right?  It takes newcomer James McCann to make her confront the situation as it really is- and to look at the changes she might want to make so she can actually have a life. 

James came onto the show as an engineer and was instantly made Rusty's assistant.  Great job if that means working on projects, lousy job when it means picking up his dry-cleaning.  He resents the role and sees it (and Carey) as beneath him- until he's forced by the show's Powers That Be to join the Tripps' road tour and realizes just how much work Carey does as Melissa's assistant. It's the first time the two have really been around each other and they go from not really liking each other to very definitely liking each other.  I enjoyed how their relationship moved very naturally- there was no insta-lust, no I-hate-you-now-love-you. It was two people locked in a stressful situation working together to contain the complete dumpster fire that is their bosses' marriage, and discovering each other, and themselves along the way.  Having worked in stressful jobs with abusive bosses, I have to say that I thought Christina Lauren hit the nail on the head with Carey's conflicted relationship with her job (and Melissa).  At what time do you have to emotionally disconnect from something you built, knowing the situation will never get better?  When do you acknowledge that you owe yourself something before the job and the people doing nothing but taking from you?  James helps Carey allow herself the confidence to stand up for herself, which was both sweet and empowering.  Of course he messes things up too, and there isn't smooth sailing for Carey and James, but where would be the fun in that?

The Honey-Don't List has the humor, wit, and occasional wackiness I've come to look for from Christina Lauren (The UnHoneymooners).  It's a sparkling, fun read and perfect to lift your mood at any time! A must-read! 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review