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Book club questions for The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren covers everything in this lighthearted romance. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first.
So Christina Lauren writes a ton of books! I really like their entertaining titles and premises. This one, especially, with how it follows a Chip and Joanna Gaines like couple, except the couple in the book hate each other. I really liked the setting with the show and the traveling book tour. It made this one stand out.
Carey Duncan 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.
Book Club Questions for The Honey-Don’t List
- Carey is the assistant who does everything for her boss Melissa. What were your initial thoughts of Carey?
- Melissa and Rusty Tripp are very much modeled after the real-life HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines at least as far as success goes. But what about with the personalities—did you see any similarities between the fictional couple and the real-life one? Are you a fan of their show?
- Carey and James seem adversarial at the beginning. What do you think was the driving force for them to start to develop feelings for each other? Did you like their relationship?
- We learn that Carey started to work for Melissa and Rusty when she was 16 and has been a huge part of their success, even being the one behind many designs and creations. There’s a lot to unravel there so let’s first talk about why Carey stayed so committed to this couple?
- There’s a couple lines where Carey even remarks they are pretty much like parents to her. Did you get that dynamic when you were reading the book?
- Do you believe that Melissa was an abusive boss to Carey? What do you think Carey should have done prior to the fire—should she have quit, gone to the press about the truth behind her work, etc.?
- Carey says that Melissa and Rusty used to be very much in love. What do you think happened to their relationship? Who do you think is more to blame for the demise or is it shared equally?
- Why do you think James decided not to tell Carey about his promotion opportunity? Do you think he should have fought more for Carey to get recognized and promoted as well?
- A huge argument and fire brings everything down. Why do think it forced Melissa and Rusty to step away from their business? Will they stay together and do you think they’ll eventually find another show?
- What happens next for Carey? Do you think her and James are in it for the long haul?
What to Read Next
Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Honey-Don’t List! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life—and perhaps even love—again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
Kristen Peterson doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen — especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.
The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
Happy reading!
