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fanboyriot's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
♡ Small Town
♡ Rivals to Lovers
♡ Workplace Romance
Such a cozy entertaining read. The rivals to lovers was done nicely and the workplace romance did not disappoint.
Ava being turned down after suggesting they start a bowling team at the school then things get worse when she meets the new AP Science Teacher. Grace moving back to the small town and learning the history between them was just as awkward as expected.
The only thing I felt lacking was the reveal as to why they didn’t work out in college. It fell a bit flat for me. I did really enjoy this book though, this really played into the slow burn trope, and the ending was great.
Thank you to the author, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (2/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: Duel, Third Person
Release Date: 21, May 2024
Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters), Gay (Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Cancer, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
bookishmillennial's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
A sweet sapphic workplace rivals & sports romance!
Ava and Grace advise the new bowling team at their small town high school (where Ava has taught for years, & Grace became a teacher recently), & must lead them to victories to ensure the success of the club. However, they used to be best friends a long time ago, but after sharing a kiss, they are now rivals & deeply upset with the other. Their new close proximity gives them a second chance at whatever went wrong last time, & they must finally confront their feelings for one another.
This was a super quick read, and since it’s set at a high school, it felt familiar and cozy. I hadn’t engaged with a bowling romance or even story in general since Alley Cats Strike! So this was quite delightful for me. I felt similarly about why they stopped talking as I did with Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (sorry to spoil the book for anyone), because I was like, “really?!” But I also can’t judge because I recognize it rings true to so many situations so I feel conflicted about my feelings 😂
Overall, it was cute and I’d read more from Karmen Lee in the future. I think this would be a cute romcom on a made-for-streaming-service movie.
Steam rating: 2.5/5
A sweet sapphic workplace rivals & sports romance!
Ava and Grace advise the new bowling team at their small town high school (where Ava has taught for years, & Grace became a teacher recently), & must lead them to victories to ensure the success of the club. However, they used to be best friends a long time ago, but after sharing a kiss, they are now rivals & deeply upset with the other. Their new close proximity gives them a second chance at whatever went wrong last time, & they must finally confront their feelings for one another.
This was a super quick read, and since it’s set at a high school, it felt familiar and cozy. I hadn’t engaged with a bowling romance or even story in general since Alley Cats Strike! So this was quite delightful for me. I felt similarly about why they stopped talking as I did with Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (sorry to spoil the book for anyone), because I was like, “really?!” But I also can’t judge because I recognize it rings true to so many situations so I feel conflicted about my feelings 😂
Overall, it was cute and I’d read more from Karmen Lee in the future. I think this would be a cute romcom on a made-for-streaming-service movie.
Steam rating: 2.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cancer
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