After several years in the classroom, fifth grade teacher Owen Gardner is burned out from the daily grind. He's also finding it difficult to balance the demands of teaching with his side hustle, an increasingly popular STEM podcast for teachers. Just as he's making the difficult decision to resign at the end of the school year to focus on the podcast, the school principal announces his impending retirement and asks Owen to consider applying for the job.
Complicating Owen's decision is his close friendship with fellow fifth grade teacher (and secret crush) Sarah Lavely; if he leaves, he'll no longer get to see Sarah every day, but if he stays on as principal, he'll have to give up his podcast. He'd also be giving up any hope of someday being with Sarah because dating a subordinate is against the rules. Sarah, meanwhile, has only recently started to realize that there's a spark between her and Owen - a problem because she has a long-term boyfriend, high school football coach Eli. Her friendship with Owen is too important to give up, but can they keep their feelings from crossing the line?
I loved Sarah and Owen's story so much! Their flirty, playful dynamic was balanced with just the right amount of pining and angst, as well as a delicious slow burn chemistry that built to the perfect payoff. I was rooting for them from the start, no matter the (not insignificant) obstacles that stood in their way.
I highly recommend "Lesson Learned" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. It's a tremendously impressive debut and I can't wait to find out what Cawood comes up with next.
I highly recommend "Lesson Learned" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. It's a tremendously impressive debut and I can't wait to find out what Cawood comes up with next.
*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
About "Lesson Learned"
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 or a shared piece of cheesecake.
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 make: 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 away 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.
Content warnings: sexually descriptive scenes, frequent swearing, alcohol & cannabis use, emotional affair
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