When I say this book lives in my head rent free, I mean that there was not a single moment from which I started this book, that I did not think about it. This book is EASILY the best book I've read this month.

Previously a model student, Lizzie ventured off onto the path of partying, drinking, and boys when she entered college. One night, at a frat party, she receives devastating news of her parents' death. Resulting from this tragedy, she is made the legal guardian of her two younger brothers. She is forced to get her grades (and life) together to avoid having her brothers be thrown into the foster care system. Throughout this, the only person that can help her is Connor. Connor is quick to help her always, from tutoring her, helping her find an apartment, and watching her brothers when needed. She develops feelings towards him and realizes he feels the same, but he's her History TA and that relationship is off limits.

The family-centric theme was so adorable and heartbreaking and seeing all three siblings handle their trauma was so raw and achy. Their interactions were so realistic, and nothing seemed forced. The writing style made it easy for me feel the sense of loss that Lizzie felt. Not ashamed to admit that I definitely teared up one time too many.

The forbidden love story was so heart wrenching. The tension and angst between Lizzie and Connor were delivered on a golden platter. All the longing and little stolen moments had my heart aching for the couple. The romance being so slow-burn just added to the tension, and every time the two fought I wanted to throw my phone across the room.

This was a great listen! The storyline tracks a couple through college romance...but the lovebirds aren’t the usual suspects.

The author did a fantastic job of weaving in real life issues such as family deaths and custody of children. It’s heartbreaking to think through, but she kept it light enough that it wasn’t a depressing read.

I hope to see a sequel out soon!

Thanks to Netgalley and Orange Sky audio for the audio ARC of this! I flipped back and forth between the audio and a library ebook copy.

This was so cute! The cover screamed rom-com to me, and even though I don’t usually pick up romances with taboos, I’d already liked another of Dahlia Adler’s books so I had to give it a try. I really liked the emotional evolution of the relationship and boy was it a steamy read! It had me crying a few times, and I definitely want to pick up the next one!

A college student grieving the sudden loss of her parents strikes up a forbidden romance with her TA. I picked up this book because it was tagged YA, but it struck me as more New Adult than Young Adult due to the college setting, focus on a relationship with a 25 year-old, and the high amount of sexual content. I wouldn't recommend this for classrooms. I'm admittedly not the target audience and it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was well written with a sharp voice, witty dialogue, and compelling exploration of grief and the aftermath of sudden tragedy, and I think college students would probably enjoy it very much.

I really liked this story. It had a good flow and was funny despite the very serious situation that occurs at the beginning. The cover change definitely helped as it was the main reason I gave this story a shot. Wish there was more of a wrap up with her rival but I liked the story.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I don't like going into scathing detail about why I don't like arcs, so I'll try to summarize my issues with this book in a few overarching points. The main issue was that the main character is painfully unlikeable and immature. To make matters worse, in an attempt to make the main character look better, all the female side characters are just terrible people, but rather than this making the main character look better, it just draws attention to the overall quality of writing. Next, the relationship that the main characters had with her TA (aka her love interest), even before they started flirting, made me question if the author went to college. This is not how TA's or even college works. Next, despite this book's premise revolving around the death of the main character's parents, there was no real exploration of her grief or any moments of her struggling to parent her brothers that weren't superficial. Lastly, this book was just too long for the way the conflict was paced. The main character and love interest cycled through the same argument over and over again. Although this book has a new cover and more modern rebranding, I think its ultimate downfall is that it absolutely reads like a product of its time (aka, 2014: the pinnacle of bad New Adult romance).
Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Dahlia Adler for providing me with an ARC of the Ebook.
Firstly- I LOVE the new cover! It's so cute!!!
But onto the story- I did really enjoy the story and the characters.
I think Lizzie is relatable- she makes mistakes just like all of us and that's why I enjoy her character so much
I definitely recommend reading this!

This was a book about a young college student who finds herself juggling school, the sudden death of her parents, the responsibility of caring for her young siblings, and a new relationship with her TA. While the book kept my attention and the writing was solid, both the plot and characters were very one dimensional. The romantic relationship felt rushed and inauthentic. I applaud the effort to rebrand and remarket this book with a cover that matches current trends, as that is what caught my eye. As a whole, though, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

First, this is listed as “teens and YA” but should be moved to a New Adult category; there is profane language throughout, as well as multiple explicit sex scenes.

I found out through Goodreads that this book was originally published in 2014; I want to commend the rebranding and new cover because it definitely caught my eye and made me more interested in picking it up than the original! I was drawn to the storyline of this book based on the description and was disappointed when a lot of the plot boiled down to a sex scandal with a teaching assistant when there were more pressing matters at hand. I also wish the grief from losing their parents would have been touched on more. The ending almost felt like a cop-out of the plot I’d been expecting. However, it was fast-paced and kept me engaged throughout, and I finished it in just a day!