Leaning In

by Charlotte Watson

Claire Robinson has spent most of her life trying to earn approval she never quite gets. At the marketing firm where she works, she's constantly overlooked. In her family, she always falls short of her parents’ impossible standards—and fails to impress the parade of 'suitable' men her mother keeps supplying. Each date is somehow worse than the last and leaves Claire wondering whether love is just another test she’s destined to fail. Which would be easier to accept if she could stop thinking about Tom, her best friend’s older brother, and someone she’s had a crush on since she was a teenager.

Tom Ford—the history teacher, not the designer—is everything Claire’s status-obsessed mother would dismiss before he’d finished introducing himself. His idea of wealth is a Sunday coaching football in the rain and a truly terrible French Revolution pun—he’s also been quietly gone for Claire for years. So when one impromptu pizza dinner ends in an unexpected-yet-life-altering kiss, Tom's ready. But Claire’s not: she panics and buries her feelings (and Tom) under weeks of silence.

When her firm is hired to rebrand the school where he teaches, Claire runs out of ways to avoid him. But letting Tom in means learning that sometimes the hardest thing isn't falling in love—it's leaning into the belief that you're worthy of being loved back.

Leaning In is a best-friend’s-brother romance with awkward British humour, forced proximity, and ten too many history jokes

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 16, 2026

Reviews

[Luana DaRosa]

ah I’m so glad to be back in this universe, what a treat <3 Claire and Tom are soooo delightful, and of course I loved the Sam and Kath cameos, it’s always nice to meet old book friends.

It’s such a tender romance, pick this book up if you feel like lots of tenderness with the occasional emotional struggle bus.

[Emi]

I love a good best friend’s brother story 🤭 But on a serious note, I really understood where Claire was coming from. I’ve experienced and seen a lot of people go through what she went through, especially having an overbearing mother who nitpicks every little detail of her life 💀.

Tom… YOU JUST DON’T FIND MEN LIKE HIM. I absolutely fell in love with him 🤭. He was so patient and supportive of Claire, and I loved that he also had a backbone and was willing to walk away when things weren’t working out. This man can do no wrong in my eyes 🤣.

Who knew history jokes could be pick-up lines because I fell for every single one 🥵. I’m already itching to reread this book 🥰

[Amanda Lindsey]

Another winner from Charlotte Watson. Having an overbearing mother of my own, I identified hard with Claire. Her journey from obedient daughter to an assertive woman capable of setting boundaries is admirable. Tom is a walking green-flag of a man. I get so annoyed when characters talk around things instead of addressing them head-on, so I was over the moon to see him initiating difficult, frank conversations like a full-grown adult. The spicy scenes are *chef’s kiss*. If you dig cozy fall vibes with realistic characters, I definitely recommend it.

[Adeline Aimes]

Per usual, Watson has brought us another book full of angst, drama, witty banter, and ALL the feels! I never thought I would've found a history teacher book boyfriend to be so LOVABLE! But Tom delivers! The history jokes, the way he cares for his students, and the way he adores our FMC but isn't willing to let her family make him feel less than! Yes! I am officially team Tom! A fantastic fall read!

[Morgane Gey]

I adored how Charlotte Watson craftly wrote a book that was sweet yet steamy yet hilarious yet so rooted in familial issues that most of us can relate to. Tom Ford was absolutely charming and all green flags it was REFRESHING. Claire was a sister I wanted to hug and protect.
Also -- the UK background?? I have a huge soft spot for books set outside the US and this one did not disappoint.
Another top read for me after Diving In!

[Everett King]

I adored this novel.

Tom is more than a swoony book boyfriend. He's my fav book baby daddy. I love his cheesy history jokes. I'm such a sucker for a hot nerd!

And Claire is all of us with weird mommy issues. My mom is wonderful and I STILL identified with her. She's just a super well drawn FMC. I was rooting for them the whole way. Love love love.

[S.C. Allen]

I absolutely loved this!

These two were great in book 1 but now that I got to meet them…🥹 I felt so bad for Claire and she I think her character, inner monologue and her environment and relationships were so well done! And Tom was just the perfect man to love her through all that!!

Love love love! Can’t wait for book 3

[Ellie Saints]

This was amazing just like the first one! WOW

I loved Claire so much and i loved being able to see her background and why she is the way she is🥹

And i love that Tom was willing to fight for her despite that♥️

[JLH12345]

I received this book as an ARC.

This was such a fun and sweet romance. MMC was so kind and patient, and a total history nerd. I loved him. FMC was dealing with some major self esteem issues due to her mother, and I enjoyed how that was handled. Her personal growth and setting boundaries with her mother resonated with me. Another great story from this author!

[Sandra Martins]

This was such a fun read. Tom is the perfect understanding boyfriend and Claire has lots of mummy/family issues. It's was great to see Claire taking steps to change and improve her life, and Tom being supportive. Loved so much wanted more chapters. Excited for what's next... Thank you Ever After PR for the ARC

[Mac]

I’m so happy I found this author thru socials because I love her books! This one was perfect for autumn, with a total green flag in Tom. Tom is an ideal book boyfriend, always thinking about Claire’s wellbeing and encouraging her at every turn. Claire is such a sweetheart, and I felt for her as she navigated issues with her mom. This book will be going on my Fall Romance rereads 100% - loved!

[Alyssa Cummings]

I loved Watson’s first book, Diving In, and her sequel does not disappoint! The banter, the longing, the yearning, the heart and depth behind the humor — a perfect read for your fall collection! I’m a forever fan ❤️

[Sophie Wisedale]

A really cute, easy-to-read romance with forced proximity, class differences, best friend’s brother and a golden retriever MMC.

There was plenty of British humour, some complicated family dynamics, and a good balance of romance and emotional moments. The only one tent situation was definitely a highlight!

I also loved the history teacher MMC and the overall cosy, autumnal feel of the story. It was a fun read that kept me entertained, even if I didn’t completely connect with every aspect of the romance.

Overall, a sweet and enjoyable romance with plenty of tropes to get stuck into!

Thank you Ever After PR & the author for the ARC.

[Amber aka Crystal Coast Bookworm]

I appreciated the level of spice in this standalone. I’ve been reading more contemporary romance and standalones lately, and I’ve found that once the spice is introduced, some books start to deviate from the actual story and focus more on the spicy scenes. That wasn’t the case with this book. The spice was introduced around the 60% mark, with maybe one or two additional spicy scenes after that.

Speaking of spice, the scenes were open-door, but they weren’t overly vulgar or excessively descriptive, nor did they take up multiple chapters. I felt like the spice complemented the story rather than taking it over, and I really appreciated that!

Going into this book, I knew there were some potentially triggering themes involving mental health challenges and difficult family dynamics. That said, I don’t typically find myself triggered by what I read. However, the FMC’s mother in this book hit a little too close to home.

As a recovering people-pleaser, particularly when it comes to my own mother, this one hit square in the chest. I actually had to set the book down for a day because I found myself becoming enraged by the FMC’s inability to stand up to her mother. And the thing is, that reaction had everything to do with how much I recognized myself in her.

Reading those scenes felt like looking in a mirror. I’m in my forties, and I still find myself shrinking away from discussing certain topics with my mother or telling her certain things.

And that’s what made this part of the story so impactful for me.

As painful as it was at times, this was also a point of connection between me and the FMC. Her struggles made her feel incredibly relatable, and I appreciated the sensitivity with which the author handled this particular subject. I especially loved how she built the FMC’s character arc around it. Watching her grow and navigate those challenges was beautiful, and I thought her character development was incredibly well done.

I also loved how understanding the MMC was of her struggles, even when he was dealing with his own difficulties. I appreciated the maturity these characters displayed and the way they navigated their relationship. Of course, there was still a bit of miscommunication that made me want to spit nails, but overall, I loved seeing the understanding and emotional maturity between them.

Unfortunately, I did find myself wanting to skim a bit toward the end. I was ready for the story to progress a little further, and just when I thought it was going to, it sort of… ended. I thought ending with a flashback was really cute, but I would have loved a little more of their story in the present. I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to these characters yet!

This book is part of an interconnected series, and I’m definitely interested in going back to read Kath and Sam’s story while also looking forward to moving on to Sophia’s. I love when a book leaves me wanting to spend more time in its world, even when I have a few things I wish had been handled differently.

Overall, this was a relatable, emotionally resonant read that gave me a lot to connect with, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of this interconnected series

[Nolia Reads]

When I saw the tropes in this book, I knew I absolutely had to sign up for it. 🥰🥹 And I’m happy to say that I enjoyed it more than I expected to!

Tom and Claire have known each other for years and have secretly had feelings for each other. But between Claire’s insecurities, her mother’s influence and her family’s disapproval of Tom, admitting their feelings is only the beginning.

I’ll be honest, the story started slowly, and for a while, I wasn’t sure where it was headed. However, once things picked up, I found myself getting more invested until I was completely drawn into their story.

Now, let’s talk about Tom because this man deserves his own paragraph. 😭❤️ He was such a green flag, and I loved how patient and supportive he was with Claire. He didn’t always understand her thought process, but he made an effort to understand her, stood by her and gave her room to grow. I especially appreciated that he didn’t have to be perfect to be a good partner. He simply showed up for her, and that meant a lot to me.

Claire frustrated me at times with her communication and people pleasing, but I could understand where some of it came from. I appreciated seeing her gradually realise that she couldn’t keep living to satisfy everyone else. Her journey towards standing up for herself and making decisions that were right for her was an important part of the story.

Another pleasant surprise was how much I enjoyed the side characters. 😂 Some of them tested my patience, but they brought their own personalities and dynamics to the story instead of feeling like they were only there to fill the pages. I particularly enjoyed Tom and James together. Their interactions gave me some genuinely funny moments, and I appreciated the way the supporting cast added to the overall reading experience.

Overall, Leaning In won me over despite its slow start. I enjoyed the romance, the humour and the characters, and Tom was definitely one of my favourite parts of the book. It might have taken a little while to get going, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

This is the second book in the Going All In series, and now I’m going back to read the first one because apparently, I’m not ready to leave this world just yet. 😂❤️

Thank you to @charlottewatsonwrites and @everafter.pr for the gifted eARC. ❤️

[Bookworm]

Review of advanced copy received by the author.

I love best friend’s brother/sister tropes and that’s what made me pick this up. This was a first time read by the author and I’d love to go back and read the first book of this series. This is Tom and Claire’s story. They’ve known each other for years and had a secret crush on each other but never explored it. Claire’s mother is overbearing and in order to please her Claire dates all the people her mom suggests. Tom isn’t approved of as a boyfriend and this is the story of how all these dynamics change.

This book had me at the dedication. Sometimes all we need is a few words to be felt seen. I liked how the story started off slow inspite of the lead characters harbouring a crush on each other. The conversations they had or didn’t in Claire’s case initially set the scene for the plot instead of the instant love that we usually read about.

Tom was such a loveable character. It’s so hard to not like him. I don’t think I’ve read such a green flag character in quite some time. I loved how he stood by Claire despite all her insecurities even when he initially didn’t understand them completely. Loved his rapport with James. The sense of humour especially in a few scenes when James catches Claire and Tom together was very well written. Made me laugh out loud at times.

Claire seemed to be so real. All her thoughts and feelings and actions were so relatable. Though it was hard to get over her ghosting Tom I loved how she realised she needed to change her way of thinking and took the needed steps to do so. Also loved how she stood up for Tom against her family. That was very much needed.

[Chloe Edwards]

Thank you so much to Charlotte Watson for an advanced review copy of this book!

I ADORED Tom and Claire in the first book and this carried on into their own book. I loved delving deeper into their minds <3 This book was SO frustrating, Claire’s inner monologue was very irritating to read at times and I just wanted to shake her, but it was so integral to the book and SO real - which is why it was so frustrating. The way Claire thought about herself was so, so sad and it offered insight into why she acted the way she did. I love a complex female character <333 The introduction of Sophia was perfect!! I cannot wait for her own book :))
TOM!!!! The man that you are, when I was reading the first book I was hoping he would get his own book (along with Claire <3). He was such a green flag and the way he loved Claire was incredible <3333
The story between these two was beautiful <3
If I read this first I probably would have rated it 5 stars, but nothing could capture the magic of Kath and Sam’s book for me, I loved reading about them again :’) Josh is AMAZING, loved him in the first book and loved his cameo in this one, I’m really hoping he gets his own book 😭
The way Charlotte writes is so real and her characters are complex and lovable!! I’ve read 2 books of hers and devoured them both <3 I will read ANYTHING she writes :))))
Overall, INCREDIBLE <3333333

[Libby]

I've spent all summer looking forward to Leaning In, and Charlotte Watson delivered tenfold. May we one day all find a man that yearns like Tom Ford (not the designer) 🙏🏼 I really loved the book, and fell deeply in love with both Tom and Claire. I rooted for them, not only as a couple, but also as individuals. I think that's what's done particularly well here - there's such a good balance of romance and the other parts of life. I liked seeing how their careers advanced, how Claire worked through her relationship with her family (also, how Claire worked on herself too!) and how they both became better versions of themselves for each other. And big up Claire for the dyslexia representation! All in all, really enjoyable book that I tore through and that I've found myself going back to several times since finishing. It was lovely seeing Sam and Kath from Diving In too! Bring on book 3 :) 

Many thanks to Ever After PR for the advanced copy!

[☆Laura☆]

3.5


Claire vive para hacer feliz a su mamá, incluso si eso significa dejar sus propios deseos de lado. Está acostumbrada a escuchar lo que debería hacer con su vida, qué tipo de hombre debería elegir y qué decisiones serían más convenientes para su futuro. Por eso, cuando vuelve a encontrarse con Tom Ford, lo último que debería hacer es enamorarse de él.

Tom es el hermano de su mejor amiga, un hombre al que conoce desde hace años y que siempre ha estado cerca, aunque nunca se había permitido verlo de esa manera. Ahora, después de una noche que cambia la forma en que se miran, resulta cada vez más difícil fingir que solo existe amistad entre ellos.

Pero enamorarse de Tom significa enfrentarse a su madre y no sabe si podrá dejar de lado a su familia por él.

_____


Gracias Ever After por el ARC.

[Stephanie Villanueva]

This was such a good book! At first I wasn’t sure where it was going to go since they got together pretty early on in the story, but it then ended up taking me on an emotional roller coaster. BFF’s brother is one of my favorite tropes and this story not only touched on that, but other relatable issues as well. I loved how there was no 3rd act break up. I loved their banter so much and how they just get each other. Tom is suuuuch a green flag!!! I found the ending to be satisfying and tying up all the loose ends. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because the FMC wasn’t the best at communicating and her need to people please was infuriating, but it definitely went well with the story. Plus Tom tried his best to compensate for her lack of communication so there’s that. Overall I enjoyed this book and devoured it!

[Kira]

*Arc Review*

Leaning In is a friends-to-lovers romance featuring the ever-popular best friend's older brother trope.
While romance is at its heart, Charlotte Watson also explores the pressure of family expectations and the helplessness that can come with trying to live up to them.

Although I found the beginning a little slow, once the story found its footing, I couldn't put it down. Tom is the perfect book boyfriend. Claire frustrated me at times and made me want to bang my head against the wall, but only because her thought processes felt so relatable and realistic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to the sequel.

[Lacey Louise]

I adored this book. I am such a history nerd and a history teacher mmc had me DROOLING. Their relationship was so intimate and he was the sweetest man ever. Tom ford u are so cute. It was such a fun lighthearted read despite the family tension and I honestly hold it as one of my favourite books now. I also didn't change my opinion on Claire's mum by the end but can appreciate her reasoning. Claire was such a quietly complex character and she was written so well. I felt quite sorry for Tom at times and I'm glad it worked out well because you can sense the genuine love between the characters. I will definitely be reading more by Charlotte! :)

[Nifer Waters]

4⭐3🌶️ ARC Dual POV First Person 323pgs
Going All In series, book #2
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Author, characters, and setting
Claire and Tom
Claire goes through a lot of growth while finally setting boundaries with her overbearing mother. Tom is a hot history nerd who is sweet and supportive.

"To those of us who thought they had to shrink to fit in the margins. May your fu-ture include someone who reminds you that you're a main character, not a footnote.

This is also dedicated to all the amazing teachers out there, including my mum, the world's most enthusiastic maths teacher."

[Samantha Boothe]

SO GOOD!!! Review soon!

[Carla]

Arc Review✨

Loved reading about Claire and Tom. Tom was a lovable character and so sweet on Claire. He was adorable with his history jokes, and seeing some of their past was nice.
It was nice seeing Kath and Sam from the first book as well.
Excited to read about Sophia and what her journey will look like.