Lesson Learned

by Katie Cawood

Never fall for the teacher across the hall.

Sarah is a fifth-grade teacher whose heart is even bigger than her favorite oversized coffee mug. With unwavering determination, Sarah makes it her personal goal to help Bentley, the class bully, find a sense of belonging—even if it means giving up her prep time to sponsor yet another school club. Helping Bentley make friends proves to be an even bigger challenge than she expected. Thankfully, she has Owen, her teacher bestie across the hall, who's always there for a vent session.

This year, Owen is struggling to balance teaching with his increasingly popular STEM podcast. When the prospect of becoming principal falls into his lap, he has a difficult decision to should he play it safe and accept the position, or take a risk and make the podcast his full-time gig? Becoming principal would take any possibility of turning his crush on Sarah into something more completely off the table. Forever.  
 
Owen and Sarah's friendship is complicated. Everybody seems to have an opinion about their closeness—from Sarah's boyfriend, Eli, to meddling students trying to play matchmaker. But nobody is as confused by their relationship as Sarah and Owen themselves.  This year, things start to get a little messy, forcing them to address their unspoken feelings once and for all.

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Fiction, He Falls First, Contemporary, Workplace Romance, Contemporary Romance

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2023

About the author

Katie Cawood is a romance author with an affinity for slow burns, soft MMCs, and happy ever afters. She is an indie bookstore enthusiast and is never far from a tall cup of iced coffee.

Katie lives in Indiana with her husband, son, and a small army of cats.

She can be found on Instagram at @authorkatiecawood.

Reviews

[Heather Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not often that I get to read a romance book set where I live (Indiana) so this was a pleasant surprise. I love watching movies and being like “I’ve been there” and apparently the same is true for books.

Also shoutout to the author for the warning. She warned about the emotional relationship between the two MCs so I was prepared for it. But I still felt all the emotions.

Finally, as a former teacher, just an A+ depiction of teachers. I had to read the first page of the book to my best friend (also a teacher) and we were both like “this author GETS IT). BRB gonna go suggest this book to any current/former teacher that reads spicy books.

[gabriella ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Katie for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

THIS WAS SO CUTE???

I haven't read many (okay, any books that are about two teachers. But as an avid lover of shows like Abbott Elementary, and as someone who works in a school, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

This book follows Sarah, an English teacher, and Owen, a Science teacher (WITH A PODCAST? LOVED THAT) who work across the hall from each other. Sarah has a (loser) boyfriend and Owen, is, of course, hopelessly in love with her. I won't go into more, because I don't want to spoil anything, but Owen may or may not have to try & stay away from her......

I was so surprised to learn that this was Katie's debut. Like, the writing was so beautiful! I am so, so, so excited to read whatever Katie puts out next!

If you're a fan of Janine & Gregory from Abbott Elementary, you'll love this book!! Also, if you're a fan of The Office and you love Jim and Pam, it's basically them but like as teachers. So you'll love this one too!!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this in a Facebook group and had to get it because the guy on the cover looks like Jim Halpert😂 A science teacher (Owen) and English teacher (Sarah) plus THEIR PODCAST!! I have never read a cute story about friends to lovers in a teachers setting and this was so dang sweet!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars founded up! ⭐️

“You are the highlight of my day, every day. Your name comes up in so many of my pro and con lists.”

Sarah and Owen’s 6 year friendship begin when they started working across the hall from each other with Sarah as an English teacher and Owen as a science teacher. They are definitely best friends, but Owen is also in love with Sarah. Sarah is in a long term relationship with her on again/off again high school sweetheart, Eli, who is less than enthusiastic about all the extra school projects Sarah creates and her friendship with Owen. As career decisions must be made and things get stressful, feeling start spewing out and things change between them forever.

If your favorite TV show is The Office and often think “man I would love to read a book about Jim and Pam but like what if they were teachers?” Then this book is for you. (It’s me. I love the office)
I, like Sarah, love to take in more projects than I should so I love that about her.
And Owen 🥵😫 Obsessed. Something about that funny, sarcastic, guy that everyone loves gets me every dang time. He is just a genuinely great guy who was content in letting Sarah go if it made her happy even if it made him miserable to do so.

This book seriously has all of my favorite things including side characters that pulled on my heart strings, the flirtiest banter and the slowest (almost painfully slow but in the best way) slow burn! In the end, I’m proud of Sarah for standing up for what she deserved in her life including how she should be treated in a healthy relationship (because that relationship with Eli was noooot it 😬)

This is a debut novel from Katie and I am just blown away because it was SO GOOD. I cannot wait to read anything she writes in the future!!

[Eryn McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The banter in this is exceptional! The setting works perfectly: as a teacher I can confirm. I think the chemistry between the two worked well: they were clearly made for each other! Sarah should have dumped Eli on that disastrous double date: he was insufferable.

[Lauren Flatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t great. It had a lot of potential. I love friends to lovers and guy falls first/pining hero but this book could have been wrapped up in 2 chapters of Sarah and Owen would have just talked to each other. The miscommunication in this book was so exhausting I almost DNF’d like 5 times. I didn’t like that Owen used Kendall and I didn’t like that Sarah took so damn long to finally dump Eli’s sorry ass. That guy was a prick! But what I HATED was that sarah and Owen didn’t wait until Sarah had officially broken up with Eli to sleep together. I don’t like cheating even in books. And I’m sorry but just saying “I’m done” wasn’t good enough for me. So anyways 3 stars for this book and that’s being generous.

[Carolyn Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

So the ongoing emotional affair was not ideal because in general it’s not a trait I love in humans, this book was sweet.

Owen and Sarah were adorable and I think so many people have (platonically) a work friend they are attached to like that. Seeing it develop while they were both otherwise attached was painful at moments but that added to the depth.

I also need to know Bentley is good because his mom sucks.

[Kelsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I loved the tension and friendship between Sarah and Owen. It was a very bingeable book! The only part that I wasn’t a huge fan of was the affair aspect. It definitely had Jim/Pam/Roy from The Office vibes but I thought the lines were blurred a little too much for my liking.

[gie ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

mira this was such a binge worth book bc i wanted to know if they cheated which they clearly did pero anyway. this was so bad that it was good it felt like i was reading a telenovela. like a steamy abbott elementary book so a banger

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah and Owen are 5th grade teachers at the same elementary school. They're best friends who constantly share banter and the occasional flirting as they work across the hall from one another. The issue is, Sarah is engaged to her high school sweetheart and Owen is struggling with what to do in his career- and he's been in love with Sarah for years.

This book is a slowwww burn loaded with tension. I was definitely expecting more of a cozy vibe from this but I was pleasantly surprised at how angsty it was. I was in a constant state of wondering when - and IF Sarah and Owen would really get together. Their journey to their happily ever after is quite messy, but certainly entertaining. I appreciate how natural all of their conversations are as it makes the characters and story seem more real. Katie does an excellent job of establishing their dynamic and chemistry at the very start of the book with their fun dialogue and quick witted banter.

It's so clear that they're attracted to each other. Owen is such a sucker for everything Sarah does, he'll do anything to support her and her career successes. Sarah is headstrong and passionate about helping her students, she'll go out of her way to ensure they feel welcome and supported in the classroom. These two are both so passionate about what they set their mind to, there's no stopping them from getting what they want.

I really liked this debut from Katie Cawood - if you love a best friends to lovers story with some angst, read this one. Thank you so much to Katie for the arc, and congratulations on your debut!

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen and Sarah are 5th grade teachers at the same elementary school and they are also best friends. The problem is that Owen is in love with Sarah but Sarah is already in a relationship with her high school sweetheart…

I absolutely loved these two, they had the perfect chemistry and the best banter, I found myself smiling constantly whilst I was reading. I really enjoyed the dual POV’s too.

Owen stole the show for me he is an absolute cinnamon roll. He is funny, kind, smart, tall and has no clue how cute he is. He’s actually oblivious to how girls react to him.

What to expect:
🍏 Dual POVs
🍏 Workplace setting/romance
🍏 Friends to lovers
🍏 He falls first
🍏 Slow burn

This story was such a cute and fun read. It had the perfect mix of flirtatious banter, sarcasm, drama, cuteness and slow burn tension. Katie you wrote this to perfection!

Thank you Katie Cawood for the opportunity and for generously sending me this ARC. It was honestly a pleasure to read and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future 💗

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so badly wanted to like this more but I thought that both main characters were insufferable. I love the friends to lovers trope which kind of saved this book, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I do not enjoy the miscommunication trope🤷🏼‍♀️

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuuuuuute

This book is such a cute little rom-com for those that are in education! It goes through the ins and outs of teaching in everyday life while also seeing friends to lovers romance!

[Jessica's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons Learned (Woodvale #1) by Katie Cawood is a cute workplace romance where the lead characters cross so many lines. This is a giant buildup of a book! The two characters do not physically cheat but they are definitely dealing with an emotional affair. Trigger warning for those that do not like to read of cheating.

Sarah and Owen are best friends. They are 5th grade teachers and talk about everything! They flirt and text constantly. Sarah is living with her boyfriend/fiancé Eli. He is a major douch canoe! Owen is in love with Sarah and this school year things feel even more different and the lines are blurred even more.

Nothing physical at all happens between these characters until 80% in. While that is a long time for anything to happen. I was still on the edge of my seat! The buildup was killing me and I wanted Sarah and Owen and Sarah together so bad.

It was a little awkward reading of the flirtatious behavior between the two and near kisses. Only for them to go home to their actual boyfriend & girlfriend. I didn’t want to read about Owen having sex with his girlfriend. I wanted him and Sarah to have it! So I can see why some readers do not like that aspect of the book.

I overall enjoyed this book. I loved the workplace romance/affair aspect of it. While the buildup was long. I appreciated the fact that Owen and Sarah had to figure things out and didn’t just physically cheat on their significant others. It made the ending for these two even better.

I give Lessons Learned (Woodvale #1) by Katie Cawood 3.5 stars

[Katie McNeese · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


This was seriously adorable and so funny. I love it when people are oblivious to what’s right in front of you (this was literally me with my husband).

Sarah is the teacher that we all want to be or have in class. She wants the best for everyone and goes above and beyond to make it happen. She just takes almost an entire novel to do that same thing for herself. Owen is the witty one who has an abundance of dad jokes for every occasion. Their friendship is so sweet, and it takes them on quite the journey throughout the story. The Kendall situation gave me a tad case of the ick, and that’s really the only part that brought it down a half star. Oh and Eli has made it onto a special list of fictional characters in my book…iykyk.

The story moved pretty easy, and you get a great sense of where the MCs come from and how it brings them to the situation they end up in. Love the teacher bestie vibes and would recommend to my fellow book buds! I’m so excited to start the next one!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I opened the book and didn’t close it until I was done. Plain and simple - this made the most exciting Monday night ever!!! This book hooks you at the beginning and you cannot help but to continue it chapter after chapter. So many have always had their work bestie or “work wife/husband” and this author captures that relationship, ups downs, dreams, desires, and all that falls between. I came into this with immediate DYING for the two to get together. I found myself laughing aloud, gasping, thinking the author was going one way and she went somewhere different. It kept me engaged. It kept me interested. I read it in one setting and am currently on my third cup of coffee due to it - totally worth it!

[Kristin Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I was scrolling through Facebook, and the author's niece was talking about how good she thought it was. I'm glad I did. It's a cute little rom-com, where the MMC pines for the FMC for years, only problem is, she's engaged to someone else. It reminded me of The Office, where Pam was with Roy (but not entirely happy about it), Jim is in love with Pam but dates Karen in the interim. There are some very funny lines, where I actually laughed out loud. Perhaps that's because the setting mostly takes place in an elementary school, and I used to teach before my kids were born. But all in all, I'd definitely give it a read.

[Madison H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really felt this was like 2.75, but here we are.

This book was a whole lot of nuffin'. Guy likes girl. She's taken. He tries to get over her. Girl likes guy. Now he's taken. They have an affair, if you will.

I know the cheating part of this has some people in a tizzy, but it does happen in the real world.

I just felt like there was a lot of repetitive build-up and then like 5% was them actually together. This book could have been shorter. Knock out 50 pages of pining because we got it. They both like each other.

Don't even get me started on them being teachers- it really added nothing to the story for me. Short version of how I feel lol.

[Caristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, hands down, the most unrealistic book I’ve ever read, and I read a lot of fantasy. Dragons, Fae princes with tails that turn into snake monsters, and Bat Boys (to name just a few) are more realistic to me than having a Jim & Pam style relationship with my super hot and nerdy co-teacher. These men do not exist in any school I’ve ever taught in. If they do exist somewhere, please let me know and I will immediately look into transferring.

(Also, while I love a good friends to lovers, I hate the miscommunication trope and there was a lot of that here.)

[Emily Petrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic slow burn, forbidden, guy falls first, friends to lovers, romance. This sort of cheesy, hallmark type shit got me giggling and kicking my legs like no other as per usual. The banter was so cute, I didn’t hate the characters (except Eli, you’ll get it), and it was a little predictable but in a good way. And when I tell you I fuckin LOVEEEEEE a guy falls first trope, I mean it and it makes it so much better that it’s some slightly spicy forbidden sizzly stuff. The author has two bonus chapters that you kinda have to maneuver around to get to if you decide it’s worth it. I personally was binge reading and didn’t want it to end. So naturally I maneuvered. It was worth it.

3.75/5 ⭐️

[୨୧ ∘ ˙ kinzie : talia ︴ଓ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good read! Although her choice was kind of obvious. She was with some jerk football coach who treated her like a dog while continuing to question whether she liked him or the better option, Owen, who is sweet, caring, and obviously loves her. Smh. But other than Sarah being a dummy it was a great book!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If The Office and Abbott Elementary had a cute, spicy book-child, this would be it! Katie has done a fantastic job writing a story that is sweet and endearing, while also being steamy and smart. I couldn't put this book down!

[Natalia Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, this one may not be every romance readers cup of tea. There is an emotional affair, and the MCs sleep with other people in the book before getting together, and there's even some questionable cheating.
BUT.
It's got complicated and messy characters that I would argue are very much real life. Are they making questionable decisions? Of course they are! Because we all do! It's full of emotion and heartache and the slow burn is a delicious burns-so-good kind of slow burn.
The happily ever after feels really earned. They fought for it and they got it and I just loved it.
Also, I don't *want* a man to get into a fight with another man over me, but like, also I do? Because it's hot. Thank you.

[caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

i normally don’t like the tropes included in this book, but it was so messy i couldn’t stop. also, it was so jim and pam season 2-3 complete with a roy (eli) and a karen (kendall)

[applepie :P · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es que tenga mucha trama pero es divertido, entretenido y fácil de leer

[Thalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day. Low angst, funny, cute, and just the right amount of spice. It was exactly what I needed when going through a writing and reading slump.

[Jordan Montalvo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my typical genre at all, but I am obsessed. Spot-on teacher jargon. Loved the characters. Can't wait for her to publish more work!

[Christine D'Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

love a teacher romance, don’t love friends to lovers

[Kelsey Painter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in a day because it was that freaking good. The drama, the tension, everything! If you love Jim and Pam on the Office, you’ll love Sarah and Owen! I literally could not stop reading and I’m starting the next book immediately!

[Rachel Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was super excited to get an ARC of this friends to lovers teacher romance. It’s Katie Cawood’s debut novel and it’s out in the world as of last week!

Sarah and Owen are best friends who both teach 5th grade in classrooms across the hall from each other. They are both at pivotal moments in their lives: her with a long term relationship, and him with a career decision. They find themselves turning towards each other as friends, but there is more hiding under the surface.

The sexual tension between these two was simmering, and kept me reading. There was pining and banter, and I was there for it. The school setting was fun, too. I didn’t love a few decisions they each made along the way. Other people in their lives ended up being collateral damage, and that didn’t feel great to read. It made me slightly less enthusiastic for their happily ever after, even though they were obviously good for each other. I thought the writing was good quality. Just keep in mind there is some cheating adjacent behavior if you pick this one up. Overall I enjoyed it!