Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Published in 2018, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is a contemporary romance novel by Christina Lauren, the pen name for writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The story follows the quirky and perpetually chaotic third-grade teacher Hazel Bradford as she reconnects with Josh Im, her reserved and orderly college acquaintance. Convinced their opposite personalities and mortifying shared history make them romantically incompatible, they agree to be just friends, setting each other up on a series of disastrous double dates that highlight their undeniable chemistry. The novel explores themes of Finding Authentic Connection by Embracing Personal Eccentricity, Friendship as the Foundation for Enduring Love, and Challenging Social Expectations of Normalcy.

Christina Lauren is a bestselling author duo known for their contributions to the romance genre, including popular titles such as The Unhoneymooners, Love and Other Words, and The Soulmate Equation. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, is a quintessential example of their work, utilizing the popular friends-to-lovers and forced-proximity tropes to explore the anxieties of modern dating. 

This guide is based on the 2018 Gallery Books trade paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of sexual content, cursing, pregnancy loss, and substance use.

Plot Summary

Hazel Camille Bradford introduces herself as a quirky, awkward woman who is superb at embarrassing herself. She recounts a series of mortifying encounters with Josh Im during college. Incidents including Hazel vomiting on Josh’s shoes, Josh walking in on Hazel having sex with his roommate, and Hazel sending Josh a painkiller-fueled email after her wisdom tooth removal, have all convinced her that she is undatable in his eyes. His kind reply to the email, referencing their past encounters, convinced her they were destined to be best friends. After he graduated, she did not see him for nearly a decade.

Seven years later, Hazel is a third-grade teacher. Her best friend, Emily Goldrich, is married to Dave Goldrich, the principal at a school where Hazel has just been offered a job. At a barbecue at Emily and Dave’s house, Hazel is shocked to learn that Josh is Emily’s older brother. The reunion is immediately awkward when Hazel loudly announces that Josh has already “seen [her] boobs” (14), referencing one of their college mishaps. Josh’s long-distance girlfriend, Tabitha, fails to show up, and Hazel offends Josh by saying that “Tabitha” sounds like an evil name. Despite the rocky start, they agree their history makes them perfect candidates for a platonic relationship.

Josh reflects on Hazel’s chaotic but endearing nature. His sister, Emily, expresses disapproval of his girlfriend, Tabby, believing they are incompatible. While having lunch at Hazel’s apartment, Josh receives a sexually explicit text from Tabby that he suspects was meant for someone else. Hazel comforts him by watching the movie Aliens with him. 

Soon after, Hazel’s apartment floods, and Emily arranges for her to stay at Josh’s house. Josh goes to LA, but his trip lasts only two days, during which he confirms that Tabby was cheating and ends their two-year relationship. When he returns home unexpectedly, Hazel, thinking he is an intruder, hits him on the head with an umbrella. They settle into a comfortable cohabitation, and to pull Josh out of his post-breakup funk, Hazel proposes they set each other up on a series of double dates.

For their first date, Josh sets Hazel up with Adam, a quiet football player, and Hazel sets Josh up with Cali, a school administrator. At a trivia night, Hazel and Josh discover a shared competitive streak and team up, winning a three-day cruise. Adam and Cali, feeling ignored, go home together. Their second date is a fishing trip, which proves disastrous when they realize that Hazel’s date, Kota, and Josh’s date, McKenzie, have a tense sexual history. Kota and McKenzie sneak off to have sex on the boat, have a loud argument, and accidentally knock Josh into the river. 

On date number seven, Josh’s date, Elsa, is sexually aggressive, while Hazel’s date, Tony, is condescending. Josh fakes diarrhea to escape, and he and Hazel go to a bar, where they get drunk and discuss their past relationships. They talk about Hazel’s college relationship with a guy named Tyler, who broke her heart and made her feel like her eccentric personality was too much. Josh and Hazel run back to Hazel’s apartment in the rain, where a series of events leads to them having passionate, drunken sex on her hallway floor. The next morning, they agree it was a one-time event that will not change their friendship.

For their next double date, Josh sets Hazel up with his gym buddy, “Jones,” who turns out to be Tyler Jones, Hazel’s most significant college ex-boyfriend. Tyler, now in recovery, is overwhelmingly apologetic for his past behavior and claims Hazel is the love of his life, leaving her emotionally distraught. Josh comes to her apartment to comfort her, and they fall asleep platonically in her bed. 

In the middle of the night, they wake to find they have been unconsciously rubbing against each other through their clothes, which leads to an emotionally intense sexual encounter. The next morning, Hazel is quiet and reserved. Misinterpreting her mood as confusion over Tyler, Josh tells her she should give Tyler another chance if she feels she needs to explore that relationship.

Hazel agrees to go to a music festival with Tyler, Josh, and Josh’s date, Sasha. At the festival, Tyler reveals his condescending nature again, calling Hazel “embarrassing” when she dances freely by herself. Josh immediately defends Hazel and gives her a goofy, bright orange-yellow hat that says “CHEESY,” telling her she looks ridiculous and should wear it all day. This gesture of complete acceptance makes Hazel realize she is in love with Josh.

Hazel confesses her love for Josh to Emily. While grocery shopping, a conversation about tampons makes Hazel realize she has missed her period for two months. A visit to the doctor, with Emily by her side, confirms that she is nine weeks pregnant. 

Meanwhile, Josh finds several positive pregnancy tests in the trash at Emily’s house and assumes his sister is pregnant. After confessing to Dave that he is in love with Hazel, Josh goes to her apartment to tell her his feelings. He asks her on a real date, and she accepts. They profess their love for each other and have sex again. Afterward, Hazel starts bleeding. Panicked about losing her pregnancy, she calls her doctor for an appointment.

The next morning, Josh finds an ultrasound photo and a receipt for pregnancy tests. He realizes that Hazel is pregnant, not Emily, and the baby is his. Josh tells Hazel he knows about the pregnancy and insists on accompanying her to the appointment. In the waiting room, they affirm their love and commitment, agreeing to face the outcome together.

Several years later, Josh and Hazel are happily married. They live in a large house with Josh’s parents and have two children, a daughter named Jia and a son named Miles. Hazel is seven months pregnant with their third child. Their relationship remains defined by playful banter and deep, unconditional love. Josh reflects that if someone had told him he would end up with Hazel Bradford, “it would sound just crazy enough to be true” (306).