“I think it’s more that I love you, and I don’t want to be far away from where you are.”
pages: 303
pub: 2020. i think? idk.
read 10/20-21/2020
book: 83 in 2020
read 10/20-21/2020
book: 83 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
Carey Douglas 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…
Carey Douglas 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…
"so this is what it feels like to be with someone who wants to give simply for the pleasure of it."
Straight up, i really liked this book. I wasnt expecting to because mostly everyone was 🤨 about it but i do.
And if im being 100% honest it has to do with the simple fact that whenever any scene between Melissa & Rusty happened, all I kept thinking of was Chip & Joanna Gaines.
DO THEY KNOW THIS EXISTS?!
HAVE THEY SEEN THIS?!
HOW HAVE THEY NOT SUED!?
(Omg imagine if they sold their story to Christina Lauren along with a fatass NDA!)
This is their life to a teeeee!!!!!!
From the original store, to the books, to the show they left and their comeback, down to their character traits...the goofiness, the love thats shown onscreen, the shit they sell in Target! .....EVERYTHING!!!!....does Joanna have an assistant!? Have we checked in on them!? DOES CHIPS ASSISTANT HAVE A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING THAT IS NOT BEING USED!???? (the degree....not the assistant lol)
Bahaha, jokes aside, I mean come on!
I think thats why i liked it; because I had faces to the characters. Im never one to imagine what they might look like but in this case it was clear as day even if Melissa was blond as fuck.
I think I also liked it because yes James and Carey weren't originally crazy about each other BUT once they saw it was there, they didn't fight it at all, they gave in, did the damn thing and saved us all precious "i like you but imana fight it tooth and nail until the very last possible second" time.
Yea i mean, they fucked shit up but it was just so refreshing to me that they gave in and didn't fight it.
Hmm....maybe spoilery BUT I also liked that James pointed out how abusive Mel was towards Carey. Like, I knew it, you knew it, everyone knew it, but it was called out and maybe Carey knew and denied it but i liked that it was called out and that they didn't gloss over it and tried to cover it as a "no Melissa is just being a boss bitch, standing up for women" kinda thing. It was abuse plain and simple...it was called out. I wish it would've been addressed a bit more but it was good.
I also liked that Carey has a therapist. I loved even more that she said something along the lines of like "I got a therapist because at some point, I just needed someone to talk to."
Loneliness is a bitch.
It was acknowledged.
I loved that.
Look, this book is cheesy as fuck. But for me, it worked. I disliked twice in a blue moon, HATED my half night stand, loved the unhoneymooners but I think this one for me takes the cake.
....and aside from the issues that were addressed it comes down to being my fave BECAUSE I CANNOT STOP THINKING OF CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES BEING THIS HOT OF A MESS!!!!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I need to get me a copy of this book to own.
(update: i went to Vromans and bought the damn book! paid twice for what i could have gotten it on amazon but you gotta support local even IF i dont live in Pasadena!)
@lesreads___on IG
thanks for reading!
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(sorry for typos...just tryina move on!)
SPOILERS
S P O I L E R S
S P O I L E R S
S P O I L E R S
S P O I L E R S
S P O I L E R S
So it turns out that Carey was the one making all the designs for the Tripps.
She walked into their original store at 16 to apply for a job and little by little started getting more involved. She made some design sets, people lost their shit over them, the Tripps exploded and now 10 years later they have all this fame that's tearing them apart, Carey is still doing the sets and getting 0 recognition the only difference is now there's James.
They have this party where they find Rusty (the husband) fucking the cohost.
Carey knows better than to say anything but James being new is like no we gotta tell Mely (hated that fucking name. Mel or Melissa but Mely. Ugh)
So they tell 'em and what was supposed to be both their weeks off while the Tripp's toured for their new book turns into them traveling all along the west coast babysitting the Tripps making sure they don't slip up.
Its a hot mess and a lot of shit happens but at the end of the day:
The reason that Carey stays is because she has this....i don't remember what it's called but basically her hands cramp up and she can't do even the smallest tasks and Melissa is helping her with bomb(dot)com insurance....but we all know that mel is just making sure her most precious asset is in tip top shape so she can keep milking her.
They're in San Francisco hosting a party when Melissa gives a speech and at the end thanks Carey for helping her keep her calendar in order and cheers her to another 10 years. Of course Carey loses it. She leaves with James. (Prior to this (I think) Mel had gone off on Carey in front of James......at that same time once Carey left, Rusty went to the bar and James went after him and that's where Rusty tells James that its actually Carey that's behind basically the entire Tripp....everything!)
They go back to the hotel and they have sex. (After the bar with Rusty, James finds Carey at the pool and they end up getting in the pool, heating things up til they get cockblocked by a kid.)
The next day they're both in agreement that they need to talk about what happened.
James gets up, goes to get them coffee and food only to come back to an empty room and automatically assumes the worst.
While he was gone, Mel walked into his room assuming that it was Rustys....so she thought Carey was fucking her husband.
Mel is famous for giving people honey - do lists so she gives one to James and he's somewhere in the middle of San fran when Carey calls him. She finally explains what happens but tells him it can only be a 1 time thing (Mel got into her head about how they (her and Carey) need to continue to be a united team!) He's all wtf but then gets a call from Ted (Ted is to the Tripps what Ryan Secrest is to the Kardashians). He calls to tell James that they need to make sure everything runs smoothly with the Tripps if he wants to be the engineer some shit on season 2 of their new show (James originally had applied to be an engineer on the show but Melissa saw him and hired him on the spot to be Rustys assistant). James tells Ted he will do his best but only if he can get it in writing that he will be an engineer on season 2. Ted agrees. James tries to negotiate Carey into his deal but realizes he's going to have to wait a bit. (By this point he's convinced Carey that she needs to leave this shitty job but is now trying to get her to stay so she can get her due credit.)
Anyway by this time the tour is going til it gets canceled because they're at a hotel restaurant when Melissa throws her drink in Rustys face so the team tries to damage control and they send Rusty & Melissa along with James & Carey to who the fuck knows where for a week detox that will end with the release of their show.
The week passes its Friday, the show comes out, the numbers come in, season 2 is a go.
Rusty gets mad, leaves "for a walk" ends up taking the car and heads to a bar.
James and Carey find him, he's drunk af but chill til some chick starts her shit and thats when he admits to fucking his cohost all the time and that Melissa can't actually decorate for shit and that its always been Carey.
They haul him out, call Robin who is the publicist for Twitter control, and go back to the house.
Melissa loses her shit, talks shit, they go inside, they fight, blah blah blah, rusty tells her he wants a divorce she gets mad, he tries to walk out and she runs after him with a glass in her hand with the intention of smashing it on his head but misses and instead starts a fucking fiiiiire!!!!! (I should mention the house is nothing BUT wood and rugs and shit.) Turns out there was vodka in her cup and not sparkling water. ....thats lol because Melissa is super anti drinking any alcohol because it makes people sloppy but lol what a hypocrite.
During the fight, Rusty let it "slip" that James had finessed himself the engineer spot and Carey was hurt that he didn't tell her. Especially because she was open with him about everything.
In he end, Mel goes to rehab and is coming out with a new book, idk wtf happened to Rusty, James always wanted to eventually leave Jacksonville but ends up staying and Carey of course quits and gets a hella bonus check that affords her the chance to finally buy her own home. So much money that she can still continue her treatments, take a year off work and live juuuuust fine. (Wow!)
Its been months but she still hasn't spoken to James.
She let Melissa fuck her over for 10 years yet still talks to her but doesn't let James back in until she's hosting a cocktail night or some shit at her house. Her old roommate invited him without telling her.
He shows up, apologizes, they talk, he tells her he loves her, they make out, BAM ITS BACK ON!
and thats it
And the reason that James was so insistent on getting engineer credit was because he needed it for his resume.
He used to work for a white man company that was embezzling money and well, they got caught. He didn't want that to be the only thing on his resume.
And I think thats it.
i fear this was the best thing i've ever read. thank you for summing up all of my thoughts and feelings. ily
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