There is no angst or spark in Josh and Hazel’s growing connection because there are literally no other people in their lives to stand in their way. Josh and Emily are Korean and really cherish their family and culture, while Hazel and her mom have a really fantastic and supportive relationship. Yes, she had her insecurities but she was also fiercely confident in herself and enviably comfortable in her own skin.

This time around it was Hazel—a character laced with an entirely unique approach to life and an enchanting nature—that I found most endearing. It’s admirable of Christina Lauren to include a female character that is so entirely confident and herself that she would rather keep trying over and over and end up alone after every failure than consider changing who she is. It has the best friends to lovers trope, opposites attract, slow burn, dual POV, short chapters and is filled with humor, tension, banter, chemistry and just the right amount of spice!Despite their differences in approaching life, it’s easy to see the organic chemistry that exists between them—like their innate ability to communicate with simply a look. The process of their falling in love was very weird because for me it seemed like both of them were already very in love from the beginning and the plot of it being “not dating” was just that Hazel felt she wasn’t good enough for him. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

Josh is a little apprehensive about letting Hazel get close and you kind of can’t blame him; she did once proposition him and then proceed to barf on his shoes. I've read several of Christina Lauren books and I can say with the utmost confidence that this is their best book to date.I understand that authors seem to only consider it a HEA when there are babies and marriage but come on! And I think this book does a really good job at showing you how most people are pretty negative about anyone being too loud, too weird, and too different than the standards society puts on us. These authors could have just as easily said “he said a rude thing” or hell, even “he said a homophobic slur” without actually using the word. And out of all these trigger warnings, I want to talk more about the homophobic slur, because it was so damn pointless. Josh and Hazel are back in each other's lives and Hazel is determined that they become best friends.