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Probably one of the most hyped and recommended books is Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating and I was hesitant to start it. This is one of the cases where I was wrong! The HYPE is real! Josh and Hazel is charming and sweet and everything everyone said and more!
But let’s be honest. I seriously had a hard time getting into Josh and Hazel. I mean, she was a pretty unusual character. In fact, it took me a while to realize that Hazel is actually a “manic pixie dream girl.” She is indeed an unusual character and probably one that took a while for me to like. I ended up feeling for her as the story went on, though. But you must admit, she was very endearing!
There were also a few cringe-worthy moments that had me laugh out loud. This helped me come into terms with her personality. She really is quirky but, in the end, she endeared herself to me which made me like her!
Josh was a character that I could relate to. He is the stuffy stereotypical Asian guy (and I know a few) who was perfect for Hazel’s weird and quirky character.
In fact, I liked that their relationship developed really slowly and started as a friendship. Now that I think about it, Josh and Hazel do follow the typical “manic pixie dream girl” trope to a T. But despite that, I absolutely enjoyed it.
It probably helped that I listened to the audiobook version. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have finished it. I do have thoughts on the audiobook narrators. I absolutely LOATHED the narrator reading Josh’s POV. Todd Haberkorn is a horrible male narrator! I mean, he uses the typical “high pitched” annoying female voice that I absolutely LOATHED! I mean, can’t male narrators just use their normal voice like how others do?!
The female narrator Jayme Mattler, is really a good narrator. And if this wasn’t read by two narrators, I would have DNF’d this book and sadly, not appreciate the quirkiness that is Hazel.
I would also want to note that after listening to the audiobook, I seriously HAD to have Korean food! In fact, I drove to Koreatown in Los Angeles to have some K food! It was absolutely delish!
Unfortunately, this book follows the new Christina Lauren trend of being a little woman’s fiction and does not have the steaminess of the previous Beautiful Bastard books. I seriously miss this, by the way.
I recommend Josh and Hazel but unfortunately, I can’t recommend the audiobook version. If you’re like me who cringe at awful narrators, you will avoid the audiobook like the plague. I’m even surprised that I was able to finish the whole audio!
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Do you prefer books with a high steamy factor?
Does the steam factor increase your enjoyment of the book?
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I absolutely loved this one! I was a little hesitant because like you mentioned it was sooo hyped but I found it actually lived up to the hype! Hazel was certainly quirky but I felt like there was a lot more to her than just her quirks and I never viewed her as just a trope. Glad I read it instead of listening… sounds like the narrator was a big fail!
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books recently posted…WWW Wednesday #44 | March 13, 2019
I read this book & also reread it. I loved this book so much! I also loved their book Roomies. Sometimes, it’s refreshing not to be reading a series & be done with the one book. Speaking as someone with TBR anxiety! I never listen to audio books, so this won’t be a problem for me. LOL
I agree with you on so many point about this book! I really disliked how excessively quirky Hazel was even though I enjoyed the book over all. And I’m super sad that it’s so hard to find a book with a high steam factor because I tend to really enjoy those books!
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators recently posted…Debate It: E-books vs. Physical Books
So happy you enjoyed this book Zee! I liked the audio book narrators but I can completely see how audiobook performance can affect your enjoyment of the book.
Yes! I’m iffy about narrators but lately I’ve been pretty tolerant and have finished books even though I didn’t care for the narrator!
I was awarding that web for reviews of the audio book just to make sure someone else was talking about how awful Todd Haberkorn’s “female” voice is. It definitely affects the enjoyment of books. I am trying to make it through because I was in need of a good rom com book.
I hope he works on his female voices.
Yeah. There are just narrators that don’t do a good job with the female voice. It makes me cringe when they do high-pitched tone for the female voice.