One mistake cost him everything. One moment changed her life.
After five years, Blair Stephens is back in Harvest Hills as the substitute kindergarten teacher at Sweet Pea Academy. Blair is ready to enrich the young minds of her students. What she’s not ready for? Running into her ex on the first day.
Five years ago, Shawn Cooley lost the love of his life when she walked out on him. For five years, he’s waited for Blair to come back. He never expected her to come back and work at the same school as him though.
With unresolved feelings simmering between them, old wounds and new sparks collide. And as the school year unfolds, Blair and Shawn must decide if they’re ready to put love back in session.
Love a second chance love story. Blair coming back to her hometown was bittersweet. However, when she learns her ex is working at the school she just accepted a position at; she is shook. 😲 Shawn and Blair broke up, but the love remained. As they navigate becoming friendly again, they find out a hater played a part in their relationship demise. Once that information is revealed, they both let out a sigh of relief, then anger at the time that was lost. No worries because Shawn was ready, willing, and able to make Blair his again.
I loved this. There was so much fun banter, and rich dialogue. I think having so much dialogue helps you to really get to know these characters and build a good connection n with them. That plot twist 55% in, like I knew it but seeing it come to light. Whew. Also the author says this is a slow burn, and it is. If you’re looking for a lot of hunching early on in the book, this ain’t the book for you. This slow burn was sweet and necessary and it felt like a realistic second chance romance. I do also like that outside of the romance there was a small subplot of healing from parental trauma and how our parents’ relationships sometimes negatively affect how we can view love as well.
This is my second book by this author and my critique remains the same that I wish the book was longer because I loved the story and the characters and I was sad when it was over.
This was such a sweet, quick, but meaningful read. At only 163 pages, it’s the perfect length for a one-sitting romance, but it still had depth and heart.
Blair and Shawn’s story is a small-town, second-chance romance full of humor, healing, and love. Shawn’s determination to win Blair back made me root for him the whole way, and their chemistry was undeniable. Their journey felt real and relatable—sometimes love means doing the hard work and learning to grow together.
As an HBCU graduate, I also appreciated the nod to that experience woven into the story—it made it feel even more authentic.
This is part of a 6-book interconnected standalone series, but you can easily read it on its own. For me, it was a 5-star romance that balanced sweetness, depth, and just enough humor to make me smile all the way through. Highly recommend for fans of second-chance love stories!
**ARC REVIEW** First thank you to the author for allowing me the privilege to read this as an advanced copy!
I LOVED this story! 🥰 I’m typically not one for slow burns but this one was WELL WORTH THE BUILD UP! The story had so much depth for it to be under 200 pages. The pacing was great for the storyline and the characters were relatable! We all need a friend like Justice! This author always writes the BEST FMC BESTIE! They are always so funny and outspoken! I would love to get a further look into Blair and Shawn down the line 👀👀. This is one of my faves from the Sweetest Lessons series so far. I’m from the same city as the author and loved her nods to some of our fave foods and drinks that we have! Good job sis!
The chemistry between Blair and Shawn was top tier, and that second-chance vibe mixed with all that parental trauma…yeah this was good. I didn’t realize it was apart of a series but the stories can be read out of order, thankfully.
Shawn’s setup completely changed his life. One bad decision had him paying for it in ways he didn’t expect. However, seeing him own up, grow, and try to make things right was appreciated. My boy was down bad though lol My girl Blair was doing her best to figure life out, even when everything felt uncertain. Truly is something when your upbringing shapes your perspective, both good and bad. Her homegirl Justice stayed being that friend who’d have your cackling through your mess but still call you out.
Honorable mention to little Elijah! So cute with all his churchy mentions lol
All in all, this story had a great balance of heart, humor, and a little healing too. Definitely a solid read that reminds you love can come back around when you least expect it.
Okay, okay, okay now! This was a cute, slow-burn read. However, I was a little confused because there’s another book by a different author set in the same town with the same characters. As in, like, legit the same names and everything. Even the cabin Vayce had was mentioned in that book, which is actually what led me to this one. That’s when I realized the authors were different, and I was definitely side-eyeing that for a minute.
That said, I really enjoyed the story. I do wish we’d gotten the proposal and marriage, but I can live with where it left off. I never believed Shawn cheated, so I was glad everything finally came to light and they got their happy ending.
ARC Review Blair and Shawn A beautiful slow burn, second chance romance. The type of read that will have you home under the covers smiling to yourself and kicking your feet. A past mistake that could have caused a forever pain of love lost. Blair a teacher moves back home to teach at Sweet Pea and bumps into the love of her life Shawn (her college sweetheart), the school resource officer. The pain from their past is still lingering but will the sparks be enough to ignite their love again? Sometimes, relationships we watch as children/young adults aid in our mindset when it comes to our own future relationships. And assumptions make a fool out of us all!
This was as decent read. The overall story was good and I plan to check out some of her other work.
I will offer some advice to the author: in the future you may want to use fake fraternities and sororities. Divine 9 orgs are very protective of their intellectual property and brand. While you didn't mention them by name, they were still identifiable. Moreso, the story made accusations against people in the frat commiting a crime. I'm sure that fraternity wouldn't want to be associated with that, even in a fictional sense. As I suspect the author may be a member of an organization, they still may not understand the potential consequences as many don't.
Blair and Shawn’s story was beautiful and gave me all the feels! The couple had a wrench thrown in their plans of forever. However when Shawn sees his opportunity again he is on bended knee begging for her back and I love that. I love that they were both ready to heal and go on this journey together.
I loved this book down! My girl Erica never disappoints me! I’m here to say Shawn is my man idc idc what he did in the past mmkay so keep it cute. I love how Erica let you feel the characters growth in this book. If you into second chances this is the book for you
Blair and Shawn were super cute together. Shawn was determined to make things right with Blair and get his girl back. I enjoyed the best friend and the chemistry with these characters. Good read.
the perfect slow burn! love a good story of love and redemption! my man shawn loved him so me…i mean some blair!😍 he got what he wanted back! loved this story and can’t wait for the next book!🤎