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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
15 reviews
jessicabearbooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Love is messy, complicated, and unpredictable. But it’s also the most beautiful thing in the world".
I'll be honest, I'm writing this review a month late but these are the main points I remember:
I enjoyed the plot and thought most of the story was pretty sweet. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and Josh and Hazel didn't disappoint. I thought the pacing was pretty good and allowed for that tension build up as well as the opportunity to bang my head against the wall waiting for certain people to realise how badly they both wanted each other.
The spice scenes were pretty detailed and a nice length. If you're looking for a book that focuses on the story and meaning of each scene as well as just raw physical description, then this is a good one.
I actually really didn't like Hazel and found her annoying! Which did make me feel guilty as this is one of the main character points that she struggles with anyway. She seemed like a lovely girl and it was easy to want the best for her, but yeah... I adored Emily and Dave though, and Josh was alright - a real gentleman so that's always a plus.
I wasn't a huge fan of the pacing at the end of the book. To me it felt as though Christina Lauren was trying to get in one more trope just for the sake of it. But I think it was a nice, unexpected twist that wasn't too foreshadowed throughout. However, I'm not sure how realistic the emotions and general happenings were, hence why the whole last 70 or so pages just felt rushed.
Maybe it's because I read this on holiday in the sunshine, but this book did have a really nice vibe. Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick, relaxed read with a nice amount of depth and a low level of craziness.
I'll be honest, I'm writing this review a month late but these are the main points I remember:
I enjoyed the plot and thought most of the story was pretty sweet. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and Josh and Hazel didn't disappoint. I thought the pacing was pretty good and allowed for that tension build up as well as the opportunity to bang my head against the wall waiting for certain people to realise how badly they both wanted each other.
The spice scenes were pretty detailed and a nice length. If you're looking for a book that focuses on the story and meaning of each scene as well as just raw physical description, then this is a good one.
I actually really didn't like Hazel and found her annoying! Which did make me feel guilty as this is one of the main character points that she struggles with anyway. She seemed like a lovely girl and it was easy to want the best for her, but yeah... I adored Emily and Dave though, and Josh was alright - a real gentleman so that's always a plus.
I wasn't a huge fan of the pacing at the end of the book. To me it felt as though Christina Lauren was trying to get in one more trope just for the sake of it. But I think it was a nice, unexpected twist that wasn't too foreshadowed throughout. However, I'm not sure how realistic the emotions and general happenings were, hence why the whole last 70 or so pages just felt rushed.
Maybe it's because I read this on holiday in the sunshine, but this book did have a really nice vibe. Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick, relaxed read with a nice amount of depth and a low level of craziness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood and Vomit
mrsherrera's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
gracemullender's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Blood
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Absolute feel-good book! Josh & Hazel are so oblivious to their obvious feelings for each other that I'd be simply annoyed if it was anyone else — but it's Josh & Hazel (and I love them as much as they love each other <3) I wasn't the biggest fan of the pacing at the end of the book but other than that, I really enjoyed every part of it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism
lazybooklover's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
maggies's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book totally struck out for me. Hazel sure was quirky, but she was also a bit of a pick-me-girl, which I found unappealing. There's also a really fine line between appreciating/celebrating vs. fetishizing a different culture, and Hazel flirted with that line throughout the book, so be forewarned. The timeline went way too fast to be believable—Hazel met Emily like nine months before the start of the book and they were already best friends, and then within two weeks of re-meeting Josh, he was her best friend? Plus the trope at the end was a big nope for me. The dual POV might have actually been the only good thing about the book because I found both Josh and Hazel annoying enough that I couldn't have handled a whole book from just one of their perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Pregnancy
jamiebrito's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
capybooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Even though I wasn’t too sure at first, I enjoyed reading this book so much. I ended up not being able to put it down! It was just what I needed - a fun, light-hearted and lovely story to put me in a good mood. And it did just that :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment
cluckieduck's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Well, this was absolutely delightful and lovely. I’m not usually enamoured with the “quirky girl” trope, but this toed the line well and I really enjoyed Hazel and her ‘Hazel-ness’. I also found this was one of the better friends-to-lovers tropes I’ve read. The relationship that develops between Josh & Hazel seems so genuine and their opposite personalities meshed into great chemistry. And the epilogue?? One of my favourites ♥️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, and Death of parent