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A review by bekacrook
Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, what a book. It felt raw and hopeful and so realistic. It had such a good mixture of pure romance with harder hitting themes.
I loved the characters and became fully invested in them. They were flawed but trying to improve, they really complimented each other and gave the other a perspective and push that they needed. Olan and Marvin were both complex characters that struggled with their own issues but that didn't outweigh their good and they saw the good in each other. They showed that there is good in everyone. I enjoyed Illona and Jill and the side characters added to the story in a meaningful way.
There were some difficult themes in this book - alcohol abuse, mental health difficulties, childhood trauma - but they were dealt with so well. They weren't trivialised or added in to make the characters seem 'interesting', they were given the proper depth and background needed without being the only thing we know about those characters lives. Really well done.
The romance in this story was lovely, there were some really sweet (and spicy) moments. Their relationship developed at a good (and not unrealistic) pace and showed Olan and Marvin to be funny, open, loving and relatively normal and relatable guys. Their relationship had some difficult moments but they felt soft and beautiful together. There was a level of normalcy in it as well which I really liked - they felt like they could be real people. There was small and big gestures but not over the top, impractical gestures which just made them appeal even more. They were a lovely couple and a cute little family together and that was shown frequently.
This book felt so hopeful and honestly made me cry at one point. I loved it.
I loved the characters and became fully invested in them. They were flawed but trying to improve, they really complimented each other and gave the other a perspective and push that they needed. Olan and Marvin were both complex characters that struggled with their own issues but that didn't outweigh their good and they saw the good in each other. They showed that there is good in everyone. I enjoyed Illona and Jill and the side characters added to the story in a meaningful way.
There were some difficult themes in this book - alcohol abuse, mental health difficulties, childhood trauma - but they were dealt with so well. They weren't trivialised or added in to make the characters seem 'interesting', they were given the proper depth and background needed without being the only thing we know about those characters lives. Really well done.
The romance in this story was lovely, there were some really sweet (and spicy) moments. Their relationship developed at a good (and not unrealistic) pace and showed Olan and Marvin to be funny, open, loving and relatively normal and relatable guys. Their relationship had some difficult moments but they felt soft and beautiful together. There was a level of normalcy in it as well which I really liked - they felt like they could be real people. There was small and big gestures but not over the top, impractical gestures which just made them appeal even more. They were a lovely couple and a cute little family together and that was shown frequently.
This book felt so hopeful and honestly made me cry at one point. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders