⚽ Lessons in Forgiving by Selina Mae
Hall Beck University #2

If you love a sports romance that hits you right in the feelings, this one is your next obsession.

Paula wants her life back. Henry wants another chance. And fate aka an assignment that forces them into close proximity, decides neither of them is done with each other yet.

This book gives you:
✨ Second-chance angst
✨ A broody soccer golden boy who’s still soft for his girl
✨ Forced proximity + one-on-one interviews
✨ College vibes + career pressure
✨ Emotional growth and forgiveness arcs
✨ That delicious “we shouldn’t but we still feel everything” tension

What makes this one stand out is how real the characters feel. Paula is ambitious, tired of letting heartbreak derail her, and so easy to root for. Henry? He’s the kind of quietly tortured athlete who messed up once and has been paying for it ever since. Their chemistry is still electric, but so are their unresolved wounds.

📚 Read this if you love:
• Second-chance romance that hurts in the best way
• Athlete x journalist dynamic
• Lots of internal conflict and soft longing
• Slow rebuilding of trust
• New adult stories with emotional depth

If you’re into Elsie Silver’s athletes, Anna Todd’s messy love, or any romance that blends sports, longing, and personal redemption then this one deserves a spot on your TBR.

#LessonsInForgiving #SelinaMae #SportsRomance #SecondChanceLove #NewAdultRomance #Bookstagram #HBUSeries #LYX

i HATE second time romances, but somehow i couldn't put this book down.

the plot line was consistent and very realistic like it could actually happen in real life and you could feel how conflicted paula was since it was described so well.

you can feel the tension they have through the screen is all i'm telling you, it had me yelling "get back together" every chapter, i swear to god i can visualise the way they look at each other.

the spice? amazing i mean it was exactly what the book needed and it followed that same current of emotion.

this is the type of book that will keep you up reading all night because you simply cannot stop.

Thank you LYX and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5/5 stars!

LESSONS IN FORGIVING is a heartfelt page turner that makes the reader fall in love with Henry and Paula’s relationship. I read this book so fast, and wanted to keep turning the page! Selina Mae has a powerful voice, and I highly recommend reading this book!

I loved this book. I am not usually a fan of second chance romance because I feel like if you broke up there is a reason. You could feel he still loved her and regretted breaking up. I loved watching them work through things and seeing how everything fell into place. He learned Spanish for her and continued to eat Vegan foods and have them around so she could have snacks when she got hangry. I can't wait to read more from this series.

After I read book 1 (and loved it!) I was so excited to find out book 2 is about Henry and Paula! I love second chance romance and this one did not disappoint, especially with it being a college sports romance as well.

The past/present time changes were done so well and the timelines matched up to create a good level of yearning and slow burn. I love how these characters’ story played out. Can’t wait for book 3!

Lessons in Forgiving kept me hooked from start to finish. The plot revolved not only around the relation between Paula and Henry but on the anxiety that exists around growing up and finding your place in the world.

I loved the character development that was seen through Paula’s eyes and it was refreshing to read a book that focuses on the female main characters ambitions beyond being in a relationship.

Lessons in Forgiving was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

After reading Lessons in Faking, I knew immediately that I needed to continue this series. I absolutely adore the way Selina Mae writes, her stories are so sweet, and genuinely impossible to put down.

That said, second-chance romance is usually not my favorite trope. I tend to have issues with them as a personal preference, so I was a little nervous going into this book. However, I loved Henry in book one so much that I had to see his story through. And I’m so glad I did!

This book did not disappoint. It was incredibly sweet, and I completely fell in love with both Henry and Paula. One of my biggest frustrations with second-chance romances is that when the breakup is revealed, it often feels overly dramatic or extreme, to the point where I end up disliking one or both characters and questioning why they should even be together. Thankfully, that was not the case here. The reason behind their breakup felt realistic and understandable, and I actually found the ending really heartwarming.

While this book wasn’t rated quite as highly for me as Lessons in Faking (simply because this is my least favorite trope) I still genuinely loved it. Honestly, the fact that Selina Mae managed to write a second-chance romance that I truly enjoyed is a massive accomplishment. She has officially become an auto-buy author for me.

I am beyond excited for the next book in this series, as I’m enjoying it so much. If you love second-chance romances, I have no doubt this one will hit home for you. And even if you’re like me and don’t usually gravitate toward that trope, this is still a very sweet and satisfying romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and LYX Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lessons in Forgiving is a super cute and emotional second-chance romance. I loved the dynamic between Paula and Henry. They work so well together, and it was amazing watching them find their way back to each other.

This is the second book in a series of interconnected standalone. I have not read the first book, but I did not have any issues following the story.

Actual rating: 4.5 ⭐

I liked this book much more than the first one in the series, although based on the description and the tropes, it would seem like the first one is more to my taste.

The writing style definitely appealed to me more than the last time; this time it really worked for me. I liked the characters, I think they were well-developed, and they were really well “explained,” for lack of a better word. The chemistry between them was high-level, and I really enjoyed the slow-burn aspect. I was eagerly waiting for them to get back together. The plot also really appealed to me; I found it interesting to follow, and I literally didn’t want to put the book down, chapter by chapter.

I also really enjoyed the two timelines aspect - I'm always a fan when that’s in books. The only small complaint is that I could’ve used a little more of their sweet moments from the past. I missed having a bit of a deeper understanding of their relationship.

But even with that small issue, I was very close to giving this book 5 stars. Why didn’t I? Because it had the misfortune of coming after a book that completely blew me away and deserved 6 stars, not even 5. So I had to make a small distinction and subtracted half a star here. Nevertheless, I definitely recommend it and look forward to reading the third book.

This book was a great fun romance and even had me laughing out loud at times. It was cute and I loved the dynamic between Paula and Henry. It was all in all a great romance with good emotional scenes and fun ones as well and I can’t wait for the next book to come out or get it as an ARC. Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC.

"Lessons in Forgiving" is the second installment to the Hall Beck University series. It was surprisingly a step up from the first title, "Lessons in Faking." In this book, the story follows Paula Castillo, a struggling college journalist trying to catch a break after a year of being benched by her school paper, and Henry Parker Pressley, the type A, going-pro, soccer playing twin brother of Athalia Pressley (main protagonist of "Lessons in Faking"). This is a second-chance romance that heavily leans on the miscommunication trope.

When I first started this book, I didn't realize Henry was the same Henry from the first. I hated him in "Lessons in Faking," he was so controlling of Athalia, so dismissive of her feelings, and so incredibly full of himself, so reading about him from the perspective of Paula really changed how I view him as a character. He's still pretty cocky and a terrible communicator, but when you see how well he treats Paula, you can't help but see his merits as a love interest.

What really made this book stand out was Paula as a character. In comparison to Athalia, Paula is a full person outside of her romance and friendships. She has a goal in mind and that's to be a journalist and she's willing to do whatever she can to make that dream a reality. I rated "Lessons in Faking" much lower because Athalia felt like a self-insert character because she didn't have much to her other than her love for her brother, for Wren, and for Dylan, so to see Paula be this character with flaws, and dreams, and goals, really shows growth from the first to the second book.

I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and I am very much so looking forward to the third.

⚽️ARC review⚽️

Lessons in forgiving by @seselinamae
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What a story about redemption and second chances. I loved the first book because enemies to lovers is my favorite but this one captures the true essence of giving people a second chance. This was so beautifully written and so emotionally charged. Like these two just could not stay away from each other and when they were together, man the tension could be cut with a knife. Completely perfect for each other. Never did they forget the little things that made them fall in love in the first place. Ugh sooooo freaking cute. I loved this soooo much. Cannot wait to read the next one. 💥

Just when I think that this series couldn’t get any better, I’m yet again proven wrong. Paula and Henry are literally so cute together. Typically second chance romance isn’t my go to trope but the way Selina Mae does it is just phenomenal. I love the angst, the tension, and the yearning. And a man who takes the time even after a break up to learn her first language to impress her and her family?! YES! Hand it over. 👋
This was not just all romance, but the plot was giving as well. This book did not disappoint nor did it undergo my expectations! Loved Lessons in Forgiving and will be adding it to my book trophies! 💜