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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren book cover
Reader guide
First-hand reader guide · Full read-through · Mood, heat & trope verified

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

by Christina Lauren · 320 pages · Published September 2018
Spoiler-light guide Similar books included
3.91 / 5 across 72K ratings
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)

An adorably chaotic woman and her best friend's brother set each other up on disastrous double dates — until they realize they should be dating each other. 320 pages of fun.

Best for readers who want…

Funny. Sweet. Light.

Funny Sweet Light

Mood Match

Funny Sweet Light
Sort By Cravings match based on mood, pacing, romance weight, and trope density.

Skip this book if…

  • You want deep emotional stakes
  • You dislike quirky, over-the-top heroines
  • You prefer slow, literary romance
  • You want fantasy or thriller elements
Friends to Lovers
Double Dates Gone Wrong
Manic Pixie
Book profile

Mood, trope, and intensity breakdown

How this book actually feels — based on mood analysis, not publisher blurbs.

Mood profile
Romance
85%
Fantasy
0%
Pacing
5/5
Darkness
0/5
Spice
2/5
Core elements
Genre
Contemporary Romance
Comedy
Moods
Funny
Sweet
Light
Key Tropes
Friends to Lovers
Double Dates Gone Wrong
Manic Pixie
Ending
HEA
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Books like Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Matched on shared moods, tropes, and reading experience — not just genre tags.

FAQ

Quick answers readers search for

How spicy is Josh and Hazel's Guide?

Low heat (2/5) — romantic scenes are present but not the focus.

Who would enjoy this book?

Fans of friends-to-lovers comedies. If you loved The Hating Game or People We Meet on Vacation, try this.

What kind of read is this?

A light rom-com about two friends setting each other up on terrible dates while ignoring their own chemistry. 320 pages, fast and fun.

Is this a standalone?

Yes — no series commitment.

One standout book, every Friday.

A handpicked recommendation with fit notes, heat rating, and the context you won't find in a Goodreads review.

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How this guide was built

Every Sort By Cravings guide is written after a full read-through — not scraped from publisher blurbs or Amazon summaries. We map tropes directly from the text, cross-reference BookTok and Goodreads reader reactions across 500+ community posts, and calibrate heat ratings against reader consensus before publishing. Mood tags, spice numbers, and “skip if” notes reflect actual reading experience. Read our editorial standards.

📚 Last reviewed: March 2026 Guide verified against current edition
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