This book was absolutely adorable. The chapter names turning into fruits in relation to the size of the baby was a perfect addition.

The characters are both lovable in their own way, and are the epitome of opposites attract. I loved that even when they push each other buttons, consent is still very clear in the important interactions of their relationship, and that they respect another’s emotional boundaries.

I also appreciated the different relationship styles they both had with their mothers. As someone who has a less conventional relationship with their mother, I can relate to the anxiety that Valerie experiences when talking to her mother. Not everyone has the unconditionally loving relationship that Andrew and his mother share, and I think Sidney Halston did an excellent job at portraying both types of relationships.

This is a quick read that you can immediately get sucked into. I may or may not have ignored all other responsibilities and read it in one sitting because it was just so cute, I didn’t want to put it down.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for:
❤️ Surprise Pregnancy
✏️ Rivals to Lovers
❤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
✏️ Workplace Romance
❤️ Forced Proximity

The publication date is only a few days away on August 6th - so I highly recommend snagging a copy when it’s available!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

LOVE LESSONS – Sidney Halston
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-333988-0
August 6, 2024
Romantic Comedy

Miami, Florida – Present Day

Valerie Marquez and Andrew Wexler are kindergarten teachers at a private school in Miami, and they do not get along. Valerie is quirky and a free spirit, while Andrew prefers to teach his students like he’s a drill sergeant. At the end-of-the-school-year party, they both get drunk and end up having sex. It was good but no way would they admit that to the other. Valerie leaves to go to her summer volunteer job in Hati, but while she’s gone, the rooms where the kindergarten are is destroyed when an old tree falls on them. Space is limited, so Valerie and Andrew will have to teach together in one big room. They can’t stand each other, so how will that work out? Then Valerie begins to be tired all the time and has nausea. She realizes belatedly that she is pregnant. That one night with Andrew is all that it took, despite the use of a condom

LOVE LESSONS has it all. Enemies to lovers. Workplace romance. Grumpy men. Forced to work together. Now a baby may tie them together for a lifetime. After confirming she is pregnant, Valerie knows she has to let Andrew know. At this point, she isn’t sure she wants to be a mother because of how she was raised. He is shocked, of course, but tells her that he will stand by her. After deciding to keep the baby and keep the news a secret for at least a while, they grow closer as he helps her navigate morning sickness and not wanting to eat. Turns out that Andrew is the nurturing type. They still argue a lot, but they now look for solutions and not ways to annoy the other.

Opposites don’t always attract but they do in the quirky and fun LOVE LESSONS by Sidney Halston. In fact, Valerie and Andrew end up complementing each other and it works. Their bantering works well in this tale. Readers will love their back and forth, even as their emotions go sky-high. Finding out they are about to become parents has to be a shock. How will the school react since there is likely a rule against teachers getting romantically involved with each other? Valerie’s pregnancy is not going smoothly but Andrew is ready to jump in to help her. Readers will suspect that falling in love with each other will soon be on the agenda.

Readers who love a romance that is fun to read and leaves you with a smile on your face will surely enjoy LOVE LESSONS. Valerie and Andrew have great chemistry and they keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Be sure to grab a copy today. You won’t be sorry.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I am one of those seemingly rare people who enjoys a good accidental pregnancy trope. And I adore Abbott Elementary so I had high hopes for “Love Lessons”. Unfortunately, this book, while good enough, did not meet my expectations. Separate and apart from the book itself, the marketing is off. "Love Lessons" is not enemies to lovers as much as it is rivals to lovers and it is nowhere near what I would classify as spicy. Turning to the book itself, I just didn't feel romance between main characters Valerie and Andrew. The arc from rivals to reluctant co=parents to friends to friends with benefits was there. But I just couldn't see where that friendship became actual romantic love. The mix of narrative styles also did not work well for me. Viewpoints jumped back and forth, narration went from first person to third person and back again. The book certainly has some cute aspects and I was not so frustrated or annoyed that I thought of not finishing. Three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own,

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || LOVE LESSONS [thank you to @avonbooks and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Love Lessons by @sidneyhalstonauthor
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Valerie Marquez and Andrew Wexler are rival kindergarten teachers with clashing styles—she's fun and free-spirited, he's uptight and by-the-book. Their animosity reaches a boiling point during the end-of-year party, resulting in an unexpected night of passion. When Valerie discovers she's pregnant, their rivalry takes a new turn. Now, they must navigate co-teaching while dealing with pregnancy hormones and the growing realization that falling in love with her baby daddy might be the hardest lesson of all.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I had no idea what this was about going in (other than it was compared to Abbott Elementary) and I was pleasantly surprised by the tender, fun love story here! Now, it’s nothing deep and it’s nothing crazy - but it is absolutely adorable!

As someone who has gone through pregnancy, I thought this was a great portrayal of all the stages and emotions that you go through (especially if it’s a pregnancy you hadn’t been trying for)! I really loved seeing all of Valerie’s cravings, ups & downs, and…you know, the other stuff. Haha. And watching Andrew take every twist and turn in stride! Book Boyfriend goals.

I think if you’re looking for an unlikely romance story where the accidental pregnancy trope is done well, you’re in for a treat!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Workplace Romance
Opposites Attract
Accidental Pregnancy
Hilarious Children
Kindergarten Hijinks
No Third Act Breakup
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.32 ⭐️
# of Pages: 304
Pub Date: August 6, 2024

Dual POV, Spicy (2 very short scenes), Teacher MC's, Accidental Pregnancy, Forced Proximity, Dislike to Love

Valerie and Andrew who are both teachers are at odds as they have different preferred teaching styles. After a wild one night stand results in a positive pregnancy test Valerie and Andrew are forced to navigate co teaching as well as parenting. I wish the pacing of this book had been different, while I enjoyed all the school politics and banter it felt like the romance took a backburner. Furthermore, this definitely wasn't an enemies to lovers story as described, more dislike to love.

Valerie and Andrew are two kindergarten teacher at a prestigious school. They also happen to be enemies. Their professional relationship got off to a rocky start when Valerie started working at the school four years earlier. She was the sunshine to his storm cloud. She was vibrant (in life and clothes!), loud, creative, and a kid at heart. Andrew wore sweaters, loved structure, and trained his students to win the spelling bee every year. While both teachers had stellar reputations, they could not be more different.

After a serious blow up between the two just before the end of the school year, the principal warned them if he had to speak to them again, one of them would be fired. Thankfully, they made it through to the end of the school year. For a brief moment, they got a long, and those sparks of anger turned into sparks of passion for one night. As they say "there is a fine line between love and hate". After a steamy night together, Valerie flies to Haiti for her yearly volunteer work with Teachers Without Borders. During this time, Valerie and Andrew's classrooms were destroyed, forcing them to be co-teachers for one class. This is a disaster waiting to happen, but it isn't the only hurdle they will have to work together on...Valerie is pregnant.

This was such a fun book. Valerie and Andrew could not have been more opposite, but they worked. I liked how they really switched on who was the sunshine and who was the storm cloud. It really did depend on the setting they were in. It works well for them that they teach young kids, because that patience is definitely needed when they are dealing with each other. They seem to bring out the best in each other and take lessons from the other. It was cute that the chapter names coincided with how big the baby was. There are some real life, difficult issues discussed, and I think they made a great pair to work through all of it together.

4 ⭐️
“There is a thin line between love and hate…”

This was a cute and fun novel about two teachers who don’t like each other facing the outcome of one night together. Valerie the main character ends up pregnant by Andrew , her fellow Kindergarten teacher whom she can barely stand. The two of them must navigate this new discovery as well as untangle their complicated feelings about each other. This was a different type of romance novel so it was a palette cleanser for me. I only wish there was more of a build up before that romantic night in the first or second chapter..

I’m going to use this book as my opportunity to fight against the accidental pregnancy haters. I hear you when it happens at the end of the book but to me when it happens at the beginning, it’s just really intense forced proximity and I know yall eat that up! Cause me too!!! And this book was giving everything I wanted! It was so sweet and had great growth and funny banter.

this was cute but also kind of confusing with the POV switches. overall, I enjoyed it and I found it to be cute. I am lookng forward to more

4.5 stars rounded up

Synopsis: Quirky, free-spirited Valerie Marquez likes to make sure her kindergarten class has fun while learning. Uptight, by-the-book Andrew Wexler is allergic to fun, and loud music gives him a migraine, which makes sharing a wall with the other kindergarten teacher who loves to blast music all day his worst nightmare. But during the end-of the school year party, their shared tension morphs into a night of wild sex. What neither expected was the surprise consequence of that night. A baby. And, if sharing a wall with her nemesis was hard, sharing a classroom with him, while she’s feeling hormonal and hungry, is much harder. Turns out that co-teaching isn’t the hardest thing they’ll have to overcome. Trying not to fall in love with her baby daddy is much harder.

Review: I thought this book was incredibly cute. I picked it up after a crazy day spent at the hospital for a family member, and read it the rest of the night. Couldn't put it down. It was cute, sweet, and I just loved the dynamic between Andrew and Valerie. I loved their moms as characters as well. This was the exact kind of book I needed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
🌶️ (1/5)

While accidental pregnancy is not my *favorite* trope, I genuinely enjoyed this one. It’s cute, it’s quirky, it’s fun, and it delivers exactly what the back cover says. When two rival kindergarten teachers have a one night stand and then learn they have to co-teach with each other…yes, that right there is my favorite. Enemies to lovers AND forced proximity?!?! Sign me right tf up.

I enjoyed Valerie and Andrew’s banter, especially because they were complete opposites. The dual POV’s were a nice touch to see their feelings develop for each other over time. I do wish this book was a little longer to provide more insight for their feelings since majority of the story is in the classroom. I would’ve liked to have more moments of them outside of it to truly see them go from rivals to lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

2.75/3 ⭐️

It’s not that i didn’t enjoy this book, because i did. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed the story and the characters but it felt like it was missing something.

It’s marketed at enemies to lovers and it’s more just you’re annoying to surprise baby. I also felt like I wished we got more of their interaction before their night together to build that annoyance. We jumped into the surprise baby rather quickly.

The middle of the book felt very repetitive as well. It didn’t have a lot of “meat” but was a lot of “potatoes.” We continuously heard that Andrew was falling for her - and she didn’t want anything to do with it. I just wanted more angst, more tension and build up to when they finally fell over the cliff.

Overall, it was a cute story but lacked some plot & build up for me to be marketed as an enemies to lovers.

Two rival teachers, an accidental pregnancy, and now being forced to share one classroom, what could go wrong? Two rival kindergarten teachers have a one night stand... which leads to an unexpected nine-month lesson in love. Valerie Marquez is a quirky free spirited teacher while Andrew Wexler is an uptight teacher who is the polar opposite of her. When they have a one night stand and then are forced to share a classroom... while also constantly fighting and misunderstanding one another, these next few months preparing for the baby are not going to be easy. Can they make it work and find love? Honestly this one was not for me, I really tried to like it but it just fell flat for me. Both of the characters were immature and their antics were not fun. They both got on my nerves and honestly, should not be teachers. I didn't care for their relationship and they didn't have any chemistry at all. This really just felt like a book I should have DNF'd but I stuck through it to the end anyways. Overall if you like accidental pregnancy stories between to rival coworkers, maybe this one will be for you.

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

When Valerie gets hired on as a kindergarten teacher, her fellow teacher Andrew, starts to despise her because her salary, was paid for using money that he had earned for his classroom. Their first meeting did not go well, and they had completely different teaching styles, which has always kept the rivalry between them going strong.

However, one day, Valerie and Andrew sleep together, resulting in an accidental pregnancy. Now they need to learn how to get along and get passed their rivalry due to unforseen circumstances forcing them to share a classroom, while also learning how to raise a child together.

This story was quite cute, but a very cliche concept. However, this type of concept can be great if done well and this one wasn't bad. I do feel that the romance aspect of the story was a bit bland, mostly centered around the pregnancy, and we weren't able to see more of the build up of their feelings without the pregnancy blurring the lines and forcing the characters together. Nothing happened, they were still rivals, and then suddenly they sleep together without any build up in their relationship. Then, they barely talked and are then forced together due to the above noted unforseen circumstances (not the pregnancy) and the pregnancy. I do not have any bad feelings about the accidental pregnancy concept, it was what made me request this book in the first place since I do not see books with this trope often, however, I just wish there was more to the story than the pregnancy since it overtook so much once it was introduced.

This book is also pitched as an "enemies-to-lovers" book, however, it was more like "rivals because i was mean when we first met and I felt bad about it afterwards but now I can't backtrack". Also not really spicy. Maybe had one or two short scenes.

This book definitely would have been better if it was longer, and the story line/romance was able to be expanded on a bit more.

Thank you to Sidney Halston, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

This just wasn’t the book for me. I don’t enjoy the accidental pregnancy trope, and I had a hard time buying into the love on the timeline the author was presenting. Plus, the drama of their competing jobs was kind of obnoxious.

I think a different person may enjoy this more, but the plot didn’t work for me. I don’t regret reading it, but I wouldn’t really recommend it to others.

3 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a former teacher, who actually had a music classroom right next to her Kindergarten classroom, I thought the interactions between Andrew and Valerie in their classrooms were funny. I enjoyed that they actually did start out as enemies and didn’t care for each other.

I actually don’t mind the pregnancy trope (if it’s done correctly) and I thought it was well done in this case. We got to read about everything Valerie was feeling, from her nausea to her cravings to just being emotional and hormonal. I liked that their relationship was complicated and it took baby steps for them to build a friendship. This book also talked about the possible complications with high blood pressure that can come with pregnancy. This made the story feel more realistic. I enjoyed the fact that throughout the book we do get to see their working relationship while Valerie is pregnant. I would recommend this book.

Thank you Sidney Halston and NetGalley for this arc for an honest review.

God I really wanted to like this one, but I hate when people who act like absolute children but are full fledged adults, end up having children. Say you have no chemistry without saying you have no chemistry. I think this was possibly the worst trope for these two. Enemies to lovers wasn't enough, so have a surprise baby too? Be so real. The smut was absolutely abysmal, too.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for providing me with this e-arc.

Super cute read. Two teachers with opposite teaching styles get pushed together after a one night stand.

They do act immature at times but they end up growing with each other which I loved.

This was a cute, fun and quick read. I really enjoyed that the accidental pregnancy portion seemed very realistic. I am very interested to read more from this author because I really did like the writing style.

I really wanted to love this book, but he chemistry of the characters just wasn't there for me. Maybe if the book had been a bit longer, the character development could've added the extra chemistry between them.

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The cover got me on this one, not gonna lie! The premise sounded cute, enemies to lovers, kindergarten teachers, I know some people loathe the accidental pregnancy trope, but it doesn't bother me (secret baby though, absolutely not) and I was curious to see how the author went about it. The story was engaging and a pretty quick read but it was hard to see the chemistry between the two MCs, they jumped into bed in the first 10%, and all their interactions to that point had been downright childish and cruel. Even as the story progressed, while I loved Andrew, I didn't entirely love Valerie and I wanted more to root for from them. We didn't see depth in their relationship that grew over the course of the story, we saw him being intentional and we saw her fighting every step of the way, and not in an endearing way. This story could have worked but at the end I just wanted more.


Thank you Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!