Book Summary: 

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…

My Review:

There is nothing like starting a book with a police investigation to get you to sit up straight and pay attention! A huge fan of The Unhoneymooners and Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, I couldn’t wait to dive into the The Honey Don’t List. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed. While the start of the story had my curiosity peaked, the overall pace was exceptionally slow. In fact, if the story had started any other way, I am not sure I would have finished it but knowing something/someone was being investigated is what kept my attention until it resolved. In either case, The Honey Don’t List is a reminder to not believe everything you see on TV, the brightest smiles may be hiding the darkest secrets.

Take everything you know about Joanna and Chip Gaines, flip it on its lid, and you have the “Anti-Gaines” – Melissa and Rusty Tripp: Decorator and Carpenter from a small town who have hit it big and have lost their minds! At the helm, trying the rein them in with their dear lives are Carey Duncan and James McCann. Carey has been with Melly and Rusty since she was 16 years old. For 10 years, they have been like family to her. She helps Melly design for the show and Rusty brings those designs to life. Through it all, she has never questioned their intent or loyalty to her and she has been blindly devoted to all things Comb + Honey. She would do anything for them, even attempt to cover up a secret she accidentally discovers when James, Rusty’s Structure Engineer (read personal assistant) recruits her to help locate him the night of their launch party. One loose thread from unraveling everything the Tripp’s have worked for and the remarkable future that is just about to kick off, James and Carey are forced to be placed on babysitting duty. They have one job and one job only, keep the Tripps from killing each other on a multi-city book tour and convince the world they are as loving to each other as they appear to be on TV. Stuck together for what seems like an impossible task with no way out, James and Carey find themselves growing closer and closer. It is true, misery really does love company.

This was an unexpectedly cute story. The entire time I read it, I kept pictures Rusty as Chip Gaines – mainly because my knowledge of HGTV hosts is limited but when they do make a reference of Joanna, it confirmed that they were trying to paint a picture of a couple who would have the same personalities on the outside but be polar opposites behind close doors. I enjoyed the antics of the trip and the overall absurdness of the situation. Again, I would have thought the story was slow but starting out with James and Carey having to do police interviews, I was hooked immediately and wanted to know what finally got so bad that the police had to be involved! Each time the story escalated, you kept thinking – oh this must be it! The eventual cause was lackluster but the build up to it was quite the ride.

The verbal and nonverbal communication between James and Carey were the bread and butter of this story. Two people who hardly ever talked to each other, were never in the same room, but were aware of how much they loathed each other were able to put all of that aside just by taking the time to actually have a conversation. It is amazing how impactful first impressions or assumptions can be. When they let down their guards and understood they either would survive together or drown apart, they realized in more ways than one that they were perfect for each other and more alike than they initially assumed.

As for the spice factor, the few times Carey and James got together were pretty steamy. While brief in description, the heated moments impacted the overall story – not only allowing the characters to let loose and blow off steam, but allow Carey and James to see a side of each other no one else knew. What I loved more about those moments was the aftermath and how adorably cute the two were towards each other. To have James be the one that was questioning everything and falling hard was a nice change of pace.

As far as overall character connections, Carey’s relationship with Melly was not healthy in any way shape or form. To be frank, Melly’s relationship with EVERYONE was unhealthy. She was manipulative, psychologically and emotionally abusive, and hid it all by giving nuggets of support where Carey was the weakest or by over rationalizing to Rusty when he just wanted to go back to the life he used to have. She gaslit Carey more often than not and belittled Rusty beyond recognition. The thing is, Rusty was completely off the hook when it came to the overall dynamic. Whether or not he meant to be, he was an enabler for Melly – never coming to Carey’s defense despite knowing the truth and never standing up for himself. I had to agree with James, Carey didn’t tell her therapist what was happening, not because of an NDA but because she knew an outsider would give her perspective she just wasn’t ready to accept. 10 years, this had been 10 years of her life and she couldn’t fathom that it was for nothing but knew the impact if she simply walked away. To be trapped like that, at only 26 is something that would drive a sane person to the brink. No wonder Rusty finally went nuclear. 

Overall, the book was a nice reminder to find your voice, stand your ground, and never let someone believe you have no other options when stuck in an impossible situation. While this book wouldn’t be on the tip of my tongue if asked for a recommendation, I invite those who enjoy a nice HGTV-type farce to dive in and hang out with this over-worked, over stressed bunch.