lauriereadsrom1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
After several years in the classroom, fifth grade teacher Owen Gardner is burned out from the daily grind. He's also finding it difficult to balance the demands of teaching with his side hustle, an increasingly popular STEM podcast for teachers. Just as he's making the difficult decision to resign at the end of the school year to focus on the podcast, the school principal announces his impending retirement and asks Owen to consider applying for the job.
Complicating Owen's decision is his close friendship with fellow fifth grade teacher (and secret crush) Sarah Lavely; if he leaves, he'll no longer get to see Sarah every day, but if he stays on as principal, he'll have to give up his podcast. He'd also be giving up any hope of someday being with Sarah because dating a subordinate is against the rules. Sarah, meanwhile, has only recently started to realize that there's a spark between her and Owen - a problem because she has a long-term boyfriend, high school football coach Eli. Her friendship with Owen is too important to give up, but can they keep their feelings from crossing the line?
I loved Sarah and Owen's story so much! Their flirty, playful dynamic was balanced with just the right amount of pining and angst, as well as a delicious slow burn chemistry that built to the perfect payoff. I was rooting for them from the start, no matter the (not insignificant) obstacles that stood in their way.
I highly recommend "Lesson Learned" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. It's a tremendously impressive debut and I can't wait to find out what Cawood comes up with next.
I highly recommend "Lesson Learned" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. It's a tremendously impressive debut and I can't wait to find out what Cawood comes up with next.
*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
hanniep11's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
hhamilton's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
allysonstrable's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book was a cute rom-com vibe with the friends to lovers trope (which I usually love... but in this case I couldn't get myself to love the main relationship between the FMC and the MMC). If you are unaware, this book involves the cheating trope - not physically but emotionally (which is almost worse) - and it happened by both the MMC and the FMC who were both in relationships. The cheating trope is one of the tropes that I dislike most when reading and try to actively stray from books that have it however I read this book which was unlike my past reading habits. One thing I did like about the book was how considerate the FMC was towards her students especially one student in particular who was struggling at school and she helped him feel more included in class by creating an after school newspaper club... I thought that was cute. I would've liked to see more of the coworker bond between the teachers at the school because I felt that that was limited but something that would make the book a lot better. Overall, I just wish that this book did not have the cheating trope because if it didn't I would have liked this book immensely more.
hamillherself's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oliviastewart716's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Holy infidelity, Batman.*
(This was very entertaining. It’s basically Jim&Pam from the Office in a more Abbott Elementary type of setting. Workplace sitcom vibes. I’m not very inclined to continue the series because the person that the next book is about seriously crossed boundaries in this one [like really bad sexual harassment at work - not okay at all] and I don’t think I want to see that person get a HEA.)
*mostly emotional infidelity if that matters to you
(This was very entertaining. It’s basically Jim&Pam from the Office in a more Abbott Elementary type of setting. Workplace sitcom vibes. I’m not very inclined to continue the series because the person that the next book is about seriously crossed boundaries in this one [like really bad sexual harassment at work - not okay at all] and I don’t think I want to see that person get a HEA.)
*mostly emotional infidelity if that matters to you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual harassment
jebrollier's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Made my lil teacher heart happy. Predictable and fluffy, but sweet, and a quick enough read to feel a sense of accomplishment.
rachelfontenot's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
aprillejoy's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
russellreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
teachers + friends to lovers + flirty banter - sign me up! i enjoyed every single second of lesson learned!
first of all, owen and sarah were absolutely adorable and enough to win over anyone’s heart. the banter between the two was so much fun and kept me laughing out loud throughout the book. the slow burn was insane. and the spice - totally worth the wait!
i loved the pace of the whole book. so much happens over a period of time, but it never feels rushed. i also loved the little mix of drama that came along here and there without being too over the top or taking away from the fun and flirty vibe. all in all it was so dang cute and i’ll defff be reading anything else katie puts out into the world!
lesson learned was released to the world yesterday - so if you haven’t already, go add this precious book to your checkout cart! you won’t be disappointed!
first of all, owen and sarah were absolutely adorable and enough to win over anyone’s heart. the banter between the two was so much fun and kept me laughing out loud throughout the book. the slow burn was insane. and the spice - totally worth the wait!
i loved the pace of the whole book. so much happens over a period of time, but it never feels rushed. i also loved the little mix of drama that came along here and there without being too over the top or taking away from the fun and flirty vibe. all in all it was so dang cute and i’ll defff be reading anything else katie puts out into the world!
lesson learned was released to the world yesterday - so if you haven’t already, go add this precious book to your checkout cart! you won’t be disappointed!