Overall Grade: B-
Tropes: second chance romance; single divorced dad; close proximity – neighbors; soulmates
Nora Everly has been a staple of the Smartypants Romance world. Her Oh Brother! Series is a favorite, as it’s easy to fall hard for the Monroe brothers. Everly continues this world in her newest story, Passing Notes, book 1 of the new Teachers’ Lounge series. In this book, Nick and Clara are high school sweethearts, split apart by some manipulations, only to be reunited years later. When Nick moves next door to Clara, their latent chemistry is ignited, and they must decide if they want more.
Clara is the sister of the FMCs in the Monroe brothers’ stories, and I love that Everly found a space for her to inhabit. I loved her edginess; she’s the grump of this story. It’s Nick’s almost golden retriever, pining characterization that humanizes her. My issue with Everly’s book, however, is her choice to delay a talk about the past. In my opinion, it was delayed too far into the story, and it felt manipulative to me. Instead, for me, there was a repetition of Nick and Clara’s struggles. As they grow close, one or both of them push the other way, which grows tiring after a while. They simply needed to talk, and Everly kept that from happening with too much delay.
Does Passing Notes have the charm of Smartypants Romance’s small-town world? Indeed. Am I looking forward to more stories in the Teachers’ Lounge series? For sure. Do I think Nora Everly could have taken Nick and Clara in a different direction, granting us more spice and more development of their relationship? Absolutely. She wrote a beautiful ending for this couple, and you’ll end the story with a swoony sigh. It’s the middle of the book that needs a bit more focus.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 