A review by lisaluvsliterature
Past Tents by Stacy Travis

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.25

So this book started out with one of the most hilarious scenes I’ve read in a while. When Ally decided to surprise Clay by running up to him on the track, and she was going to do a hurdle and splits in the air, and yeah, that didn’t go anything at all like she planned! I was laughing so hard. It wasn’t a meet cute, since they already knew each other so well, but it fits that type of scene perfectly.

I really adored so much about these characters, as well as the school they work in. They had some great banter and some really major sexual tension going between them. Both had pasts and family history/issues that made them not sure about being in a relationship at all. There was a lot of humor in all the different situations that Ally ended up in. I loved her worry about bears, and how Clay got her to overcome her apprehension when she was assigned to help him chaperone a camping trip with the students. I also loved the way Clay worked with his students. And when Ally was talking with a student going through some things, it was just perfect in how that went, in my experience as an educator. 

What kept me from giving this a full 5 stars is the frustration of the two of them going back and forth about why the other one obviously didn’t like them, or didn’t mean something in the way it seemed to come across. Or why they weren’t the right person for the other one. It was one of those things where I began to skim parts because it was kind of the same thing. However I felt this was a great addition to this series, and overall it was a really fun read!