Carey Douglas was only 16 when she wandered into Comb+Honey, a local home design store run by Wyoming home designers Melissa and Rusty Tripp. Carey got a job working at the cash register and slowly worked her way up. She helped design some of the window displays that drew customers into the store. Melissa did the decorating and Rusty built custom furniture, and the couple managed to take their store and turn it into an empire.
It’s now ten years later, and Carey is Melissa’s assistant. Through the Tripps’ home design television show, the growth of their brand, and now the release of their book on what makes a good marriage, Carey has been a part of it all. But the cracks are starting to show, particularly in the marriage. Rusty isn’t happy and has been looking for companionship elsewhere. And since the couple is about to embark on their book tour and getting ready to announce their new Netflix design series, there can be no cracks. It’s up to Carey and Rusty’s new assistant to make sure that the public face of the Tripps doesn’t trip up any of their coming successes.
Jim McCann took the job working for Rusty Tripp for two reason. As an engineer, he could use this experience to help design and build custom furniture for the new series and for the brand in general. James is looking for that kind of creative job. And second, it would look better on his resume than his previous engineering job, for the firm still being investigated by the Feds for embezzling client money. He needs this job. He needs it so badly that he’s willing to act as assistant, no—as babysitter—for one misbehaving Tripp for the duration of the book tour.
But the closeness of the tour bus only exacerbates Melissa’s anger, Rusty’s avoidance, and James’ growing crush on Carey. The only question is: who is going up in flames first?
Christina Lauren is an author duo known for their romances, but in my book, this one, The Honey-Don’t List, is the finest. I absolutely loved this story of romance under difficult circumstances. I thought the premise was perfect, the characters are dimensional and likable (except for when they’re not supposed to be), and I adored the way the relationship between James and Carey played out. Told in alternating viewpoints between Carey, James, police interviews, and twitter gossip, The Honey-Don’t List is so heart-warming and enjoyable that I would recommend it to anyone who loves romance, HGTV shows, comedy, or really good writing.
In addition, one of the characters struggles with a physical difficulty that I wasn’t even aware of before reading this, so it was lovely to get a chance to learn about life from the perspective of someone who suffers from a movement disorder.
Galleys for The Honey-Don’t List were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.