Jennifer and Marcus are from Sterling, a small town in Virginia where everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business. Jennifer grew up witnessing and hearing rumors about the antics regarding Marcus. As much as she wanted to dislike the town’s bad-boy she’s always been secretly intrigued by him; but she was always the mousey good-girl type who would never catch Marcus’ eye, let alone turn his head. Now adults, Marcus seems to have turned his life around, but Jennifer never seems to let his past-life reputation go.
Jennifer and Marcus both work for the same small university in Milford and when Jennifer experiences car troubles and doesn’t have a way to make the forty-five-minute commute from Sterling to Milford, herr only hope is Marcus, so she has to swallow her pride and ask for help from the last person she thought she’d ever need help from.
So how does one build a story around a car commute? That was my primary reason for reading this book, I had to know.
Things started off very well in this book, the interaction with Marcus and Jennifer was really good. The awkwardness they felt towards each other was very palpable. I was really impressed with that because I don’t think having the readers feel the awkwardness between the characters is an easy feat.
During the commutes the two begin to learn more and more about each other and as it turns out, Marcus was just as attracted to Jennifer as she was to him. Soon the two take their relationship to the next level. This is where the story started to lose steam for me. At some point it just didn’t hold me as well as it did in the beginning, but it was pretty good read.

This is the first in a series and the next book involves Jennifer’s friend Beck. A little excerpt from Office Mate is provided at the end of Carpool. I liked Beck’s personality and I’m curious to read about her story. One of thing that has me curious about Beck is the town she’s from, Farmville Va. Now this intrigues me because while I might be a Jersey girl, born and bred….my family hails from a small town right outside of Farmville!! While the story will more than likely take place in Milford, I’m wondering if any of places I’m familiar with in Farmville be mentioned or visited (Longwood College, Charly’s, Macado’s, and Twin Lakes to name a few).
So while the story did lose it’s steam for me, I still enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

When Jennifer's car is in the shop for repairs, she asks her neighbor Marcus for a daily ride to work. Jennifer has always steered clear of Marcus and is horrified to realize he is the only one to help her get to work almost an hour away. Marcus, of course, is surprised, but agrees-after leaving Jennifer hanging a bit!

What happens when two people have preconceived notions about the other, stuck in the car daily, and find out they really aren't like they thought they were? Chemistry that's what! These two have a rather slow burn as they get to know one another. Awkward and rather frustrating at the beginning, these two slowly find common ground. Regaled as total opposites-good girl/bad boy, these two sizzle once some of their barriers are dropped.

You can always count on Noelle Adams to give you a fun, sweet, and sometimes spicy story! Carpool is a cute and entertaining read from start to finish! I liked Marcus and Jennifer together! This is written from Jennifer's pov, but I really wanted to know what Marcus was thinking from time to time! I think it would've given me a much more rounded storyline by having his imput. I definitely enjoyed Carpool and look to the next book in the Milford College series!

For those who love romance with characters with love hate relationship. Quite fast summer read that once it is finished you had a feel good moment to a long day. The story is nothing new and honestly it just what it appears to be.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Noelle Adams Carpool

4 stars!
I liked this simps story by Noelle Adams. It worked for me. Maybe because, at one point, we lived in a small Vermont town like this one. I know how hard it is to get from point A to B. Carpooling with someone is a necessity when there is no public transportation. The story Jennifer and Marcus was a slow burn, but worth it. You see Jennifer open and grow when it comes to giving Marcus a real chance.

Growing up in a small town, you get to know your neighbors and the kids around you. You also grow up knowing which ones are good and the ones to avoid. For Jennifer, growing up she always had a thing for Marcus Greene. The thing though Marcus was a bad boy and one of those bad seeds that her grandmother and others warned her not to get involved with. As they grew older, she watched him from a distance as she loved him but knew she could never be with him. Now they are both older and working at the same college - Milford College. She is in the financial aid office and he is the Maintenance Director. When Jennifer's car ends up conking out, she is forced to ask Marcus for help as he is the only one who lives close to her and they work the same hours. The pair start carpooling to work and within the forty-five minutes there and back, they start to get to know one another and eventually you see the sparks fly and that makes Jennifer nervous as she cares what others think as to her - the small town of Sterling is her family. Can Marcus in order to be with Jennifer prove to her and the town that he has changed and that he is no longer the resident "bad boy" they still perceive him to be? Find out in this cutesy quick-read instalove novella by Noelle Adams today.

Jennifer was raised by her grandmother is a small Virginia town. She put herself through college and works at as a financial aid advisor at a private college. She doesn’t feel financially secure as much of her income goes to paying for a nursing home for her grandmother. She longs for a loving and secure relationship but fears that she may never find one.

Marcus spent years honing a reputation as the small-town bad boy, but eventually outgrew that phase, becoming the director of facilities at the same college that employs Jennifer. Unfortunately, many people in their small community still see him as the irresponsible boy of his youth.

When Jennifer realizes she will need to carpool to work due to transportation issues, she asks Marcus if he would be interested. This is their first real interaction despite being neighbors. Eventually, they form a genuine friendship, opening up to each other in ways they haven’t with others. Can the good girl and the bad boy find happiness together?

What is good about this novella is really really good. Noelle Adams is a master at managing to fully develop a relationship within a small number of pages. Marcus and Jennifer get to know each other beyond their years' worth of misconceptions on their daily drives together. Their attraction to each other is palpable as is their uncertainty about each other's feeling. I really liked them both and the beginning half of this novella had me so hooked that I could hardly bare to put it down and head to work. The second half worked a little less well for me. The writing flowed less smoothly and the emphasis on being "bad" or "good" felt so juvenile. The lack of communication that resulted in more than one scene of angsty misunderstanding wore on me as well. I still enjoyed being along for the ride (I know, I know... horrible pun) and Adams is someone I always look forward to reading.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to author for providing this copy through Netgalley

So, "bad boy" Vs "good girl".
I was angry with Jennifer, the heroine, through all the book: she was "good girl' (really?? ), judgmental, coward, annoying, she was angry that their little community knew about their relationship and wanted to hold it in secret, like she was ashamed of hero... Didn't like her!

Hero was a good man: caring, vulnerable, not at all alpha, I really missed a bit of alpha in him, I'd like him to put a claim in her sooner!!. He was almost a manho some time before they hit it off with Jennifer. But thanks to author we don't get any ex of his.
Safe read. Both experienced

Carpool was a sexy and fun novella. It is the first in the Milford College series and what a great start it was. This novella follows the enemies to lovers trope. Jennifer and Marcus have known each other since they were kids. They just never became friends because they lived different lives. It’s not until Jennifer needs a ride to work because her car needs repair that connection is made between them. They start a very bumpy ride. They liked to push each other’s buttons, but they were actually presenting their true self to each other. They both believe they only want a physical relationship since both are afraid to admit to what they really want. Lots of sexy times, but also some sweet moments.

I look forwards to the rest of the series!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review.

Review will be shared on Goodreads now and on Amazon on release date.

When good girl Jennifer’s car breaks down, she has no choice but to ask Marcus, her nearest neighbor and hottie bad boy from her childhood, if she can carpool with him to their jobs at small Milford College nearly an hour away. Growing up, her grandmother warned her away from him, and she’s always felt that he treats her with disdain, so the thought of having to spend so much time with him over several weeks fills her with dread. Is it because she doesn’t trust he’ll behave or that she really doesn’t want him to?

When you pick up a Noelle Adam’s book, you generally know what to expect: a short, sassy, steamy novella full of either second-chances, friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, or any other number of familiar romantic tropes. This story is no exception, and is a delight to read. Fans will eagerly await book two featuring Jennifer’s colleague and friend Beck.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Victory Editing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

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I was first introduced to Noelle Adams when she wrote under the name Claire Kent. I loved her book “Escort.” Even though “Carpool” is not an erotica like Escort, Adams still had me captivated by the main characters and I wanted to see how they would resolve their conflict. Marcus Greene and Jennifer are opposites. Where she was the good girl, Marcus was the legendary bad boy. They always had a bit of conflict between them. Jennifer always saw Marcus as unnecessarily difficult although very attractive. When Jennifer needs a ride to work he becomes her only option. Jennifer hates to ask Marcus for the help but other than moving out of town and closer to their common place of employment she has few other options.
During their shared commute they slowly start to peel back their layers. During the 45 minute commute back and forth they begin to get to know each other. Marcus confesses that his reputation sometimes frustrated him but he stuck around his hometown to help his parents. In a similar situation, Jennifer is in a similar situation. She is also taking care of her grandma who is in a nursing home and facing health issue. Although Jennifer is attracted to Marcus she is not aware of his attraction to her. Marcus takes it slow until he is sure that Jennifer is open to taking their friendship to the next level.
Overall, this was a short and fun read. Adams provided enough tension and chemistry between the main characters. She also added enough substance to their personalities to make them likeable. The conflict that arises is small but enough to help them see that they both have strong feelings for each other. Another aspect that I really like is that even though this is a short read, I am already looking forward to the next story in the series, “Office Mate”. “Office Mate” is about her friend Becky and her new office mate, the new English Professor. The immediately dislike one another and I immediately wanted to read the story!

Another grat read from Noelle Adams

Jennifer is having car trouble and needs a lift to work until her car is back on the road. She ends up having to ask Marcus for help, given he lives nearby and works at the same college as she does. They have never been friends, she is a good girl and he has a bad boy reputation. They get to know each other on the journey to and from work, and soon are more than friends. Will Jennifer take any notice of the town gossip about her or will she give Marcus a chance?

A short, fast paced and enjoyable read.

Looking forward to the rest of this series.

I really enjoyed this one. For a short story, it felt complete and I felt like I understood the characters and had enough back story to be invested in them. Great writing. My only issue is that I don't feel like the cover matched.

You learn a lot about a person when you’re stuck in a car with them day after day - even if you think you already know everything there is to know about them to begin with. That’s the premise behind Carpool, a sweet and steamy novella about two neighbors who have known each other for much of their lives but don’t really see each other completely until they are forced to carpool to work. The story follows Jennifer, a good girl who was warned to stay away from bad boy Marcus in her teens. He seems to love picking on her and though they’ve never really spent any time together, they live in a small town where people know each other’s business. When Jennifer’s car breaks down and she asks Marcus if they can carpool to work together for a few weeks, they break down the walls between them and have open and honest conversations that dig deeper than surface level.

I loved the first half of this novella - Jennifer and Marcus’ banter is great, and the chemistry between them is apparent. The story is told exclusively from Jennifer’s point of view, and every time I thought it was obvious what Marcus was thinking, the author threw me for a loop. When the focus of the book shifted off of the carpooling and onto what follows, that’s where the story lost me a little bit. Their conversations and chemistry are really the selling point of this novella, so I was hoping that would be the focus of the story. I think seeing things from Marcus’ perspective would’ve really enhanced the book and taken this to another level, though I understand why the author chose not to go there. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed reading about these total opposites who found that they’re not so different in all of the ways that count. This story has a little bit of everything and leads off a promising new series.