This book was pretty cute you really got to know the characters and their backgrounds. It was barely enemies to lovers though, and most of the story and their relationship was focused on her pregnancy.

Valerie Marquez and Andrew Wexler are rival kindergarten teachers with wildly different styles—she’s loud, creative, and chaotic; he’s buttoned-up, rule-bound, and allergic to glitter (and loud music). After a one-night stand at a school party leads to an unexpected pregnancy, they’re forced to co-teach... and co-parent.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC!

📚❤️ Book Review: Love Lessons by Sidney Halston ❤️📚

Looking for a steamy, heartfelt romance with a touch of nostalgia and emotional depth? Love Lessons hits all the right notes. Sidney Halston delivers a story about second chances, unexpected love, and the power of forgiveness.

After a painful breakup, Mila returns to her hometown and crosses paths with her former high school teacher, now her neighbor. As sparks fly, they both must confront the past and figure out if what they once had can turn into something new—and real.

Tropes You’ll Love:
🔥 Forbidden romance (teacher/student, but grown-up and consensual!)
💔 Second chances
🏡 Small town vibes
❤️ Emotional healing
✨ Slow-burn attraction

Halston’s writing is raw, honest, and incredibly addictive. Perfect for readers who love romance that’s as much about emotional growth as it is about passion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#LoveLessons #SidneyHalston #RomanceReads #SecondChanceRomance #ForbiddenLove #SmallTownRomance #SlowBurn #Bookstagram #BookReview #EmotionalRomance

As a teacher, I couldn’t get past the unrealistic nature of the book. There were SO many things that wouldn’t fly in a real school. It broke my concentration from the book over and over due to the inaccuracies.

On the plus side, the accidental pregnancy was one of the better plots with that trope I read. He was so sweet with it and their connection through that was totally believable.

I guess I just wish they had been given different jobs.

"Love Lessons" by Sidney Halston delivers a passionate and emotionally charged romance that captivates from the first page. Halston masterfully crafts complex characters whose vulnerabilities and strengths make them incredibly real and easy to root for. The narrative delves deep into themes of healing, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to open oneself to love after past hurts. The emotional intensity is well-balanced with moments of tenderness and steamy encounters, creating a compelling and unforgettable journey.

The storyline is engaging, pulling readers into the protagonists' lives and their intertwined destinies. Halston's writing is evocative and fluent, drawing you into the characters' thoughts and feelings, making their struggles and triumphs feel deeply personal. While the plot contains elements common to the romance genre, the unique challenges faced by the characters and the way they overcome them provide a fresh perspective. The pacing is well-controlled, building tension and anticipation throughout. Overall, "Love Lessons" is a powerful and satisfying romance that explores the transformative power of love, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. It's a must-read for anyone who enjoys deeply emotional and passionate love stories.

Love Lessons was super cute. I enjoy the nerdy teacher trope with banter. Especially when the teaching of one class annoys another. The book was also focused on the female main characters pregnancy. Some people don’t like that, but I love it. I have a background as an OB nurse, and the author was well versed on the prenatal visit process. A great, light, contemporary romcom to read in between high fantasy!

*DISCLAIMER: Thank you to the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

OVERVIEW
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Cute plot, but fell a little short. I liked it but I didn't love it. It's a fun story and perfect if you're looking for something fluffy and simple.

CHARACTER REVIEW
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Both characters were fine, I enjoyed the mmc, his character was moody and quiet. The fmc was bubbly and fun but had some commitment issues. They were cute together and I liked their character development.

PLOT REVIEW
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This is one of my favorite tropes, and it was done pretty well. I feel like the story lacked some emotion, but that's ok if you just want a fluffy book. I think the setting of a workplace romance was really fun, and the fact that they were co teachers was SO perfect. The yearning between the characters was done really well and they had lots of chemistry.

ENDING THOUGHTS
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Good book, but I wouldn't read it again. I would recommend it because I did enjoy it, however it was a little bland at parts.

Thanks! Ellie,

I was not a fan of this one. The relationship did not work for me, the characters have zero chemistry and the fmc is weirdly immature. The use of “baby daddy” was WAY over done. This is also marketed wrongly, I don’t feel as if you can claim a book is “spicy” with two small sexy scenes, and definitely not enemies to lovers. They are just rival teachers who simply have different teaching styles and act immaturely about it. I’m sure someone would like this, I just am not that someone.

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy. This was a really cute romance and I can't wait to read more from Sidney Halston.

Love Lessons by Sidney Halston is a light enemies to lovers romance! I liked Valerie and Andrew, but I felt like their romantic relationship could've been expanded on a bit more. It seemed like half the book was focused on her pregnancy. If I had known that this book was focused on pregnancy rather than a teacher romance, I probably would've skipped it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this since I am a huge fan of baby making in my books especially enemies to lovers. However, different teaching styles and maybe three pages of content did not live up to the hype that I was hoping for.

This book felt lowkey more realistic about love than I was expecting. I wish there was more swoon and butterflies with the romance, but it was a good time.


Forced Proximity and Pregnancy aren’t normal it for me especially together. I made an exception because I liked this book so much. The book could have done better about the tropes.

The ending had me in tears! This book intrigued me as a fan of Abbott Elementary and it delivered. I really enjoyed the school environment of the story. My issue with this book is how unrealistic it was throughout the story, but the foundation was there in my opinion. It was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon publishing for sending me an arc!

Writing: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Ending: 4/5
Enjoyability: 3/5

This isn’t a “true” enemies-to-lovers trope as the two main characters weren’t enemies but rather coworkers who hated each other. The plot is realistic but overstretched in my opinion. An accidental pregnancy should allow for character growth but both the main characters seem one dimensional. Also, this wasn’t really a “spicy” book so it shouldn’t be advertised that way. It has spicy SCENES but it has a bigger theme of importance. The overall “lesson” of the book falls flat because I couldn’t overlook the medical inaccuracies. As someone who works in healthcare, I found the medical issues in this book underdeveloped and not researched enough for credibility.

I was left rather… offended and disappointed. This had a lot of potential to be an inspiring book but it was superficial and juvenile.

Unfortunately this was not my favorite read. The premise was cute, however I felt like this book did a lot of telling not showing. As a teacher, it was hard to watch two teachers with very different styles going back and forth because they didn't seem super compatible.

As a teacher, I was so excited for the premise of this one, but it definitely did not live up to expectations.

As a teacher myself I was super excited for this book. But, sadly, it was not a 5 star read for me. I didn't realize that it was a 3rd person POV so that was disappointing for me personally. The pacing was a bit slow and it definitely wasn't spicy in my opinion but it was a nice book to read to pass the time. I would recommend to those who enjoy accidental pregnancy and opposites attract. Thank you to NetGalley, the author Sidney Halston and the publisher Avon, Harper Voyager for this ARC.

this was so cute! i loved andrew and valerie so much! was i a fan of the name of the baby? no, but i did love the meaning behind it!

i loved monique a lot too, honestly, for as little as she was in it. i feel like somehow she knew they would end up together from the beginning!

i read it in one sitting with the audiobook and it kept me hooked the entire time!

This is a perfect example of not judging a book based on Good reads reviews.

3.5 Stars!

As a teacher this was a fun, quirky read. Valarie Marquez is a kindergarten teacher who loves to teach as vibrantly as possible. Then there is her classroom neighbor, Andrew Wexler, who is the exact opposite of her teaching. He has a much calmer demeanor. They are complete enemies and constantly getting scolded for their unwillingness to get along.

Until one night at the end of the school year that turns out with a very steamy ending.

They decide that they will pretend it never happened, that is until the new school year starts and they realize they will be co-teaching together for the whole year. It is an even bigger surprise when they find out there's a consequence to their one night of passion back at the end of the school year.

Together they have to learn to work together and get along, for what now is looking like the rest of their lives. From co- teaching to co-parenting… how will they figure it out?

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed Valarie’s quirky personality and how it contrasted so much with Andrew’s. I do not usually love the surprise baby trope, but this was done very nicely. I loved watching the chemistry continue to build throughout the book and how they slowly became closer.

Kindergarten teachers rival-to-lovers sounds diabolically adorable... it wasn't. it was a cute read, but the advertising for this was spicy and hot and rivals, but none of that happened. it was a cute romance about kindergarten teachers, I enjoyed it but that's it.