Textbook Romance is a heartfelt story that will give you all the feels. The two main characters are so such kind individuals that seem to have chemistry and fit together from the beginning to end. I really enjoyed this romance, and enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded. I also enjoyed the sexy scenes.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was performed by one narrator. I thought the narrator did a great job. I listened at 1.75x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75-2x speed).

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for this advanced audiobook copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, and Kristen Bailey for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Age gap romance with palpable chemistry- I mean THE BANTER. ***heart eyes*** I enjoyed all of the intricacies of their conflict- managing family, children, exes and the work environment- among other natural roadblocks in all relationships.

The supporting cast added so much color to the book. Zoe's kids & sister, Jack's nephews and brother, the coworkers- they brought so much joy, support and reality to the story.

The story of the age gap relationship was captivating and rich with intriguing obstacles. The characters were deeply engaging, making the narrative worth the effort of following. However, the audio format presented challenges, particularly in distinguishing between characters and their perspectives. The frequent shifts in viewpoints added to the difficulty, often requiring a pause after each chapter to clarify who was speaking or acting. Despite these hurdles, the emotional depth and complex journey of the characters shone through. The story's resolution, affirming that true love can overcome difficulties, provided a satisfying conclusion. If you appreciate character-driven stories and can navigate through audio challenges, this tale is definitely rewarding.

I listened to the audiobook of this one and while it was done well, I do think it would be more beneficial to have different narrators for the male and female characters. It was at times hard to decipher which point of view we were following as both characters featured within the same chapter and the narrator did not change her voice for either character. Overall this age gap romance was a fun read.

3⭐️

This was just okay. It was a bit too instant love for me to feel plausible. I know that everyone heals from trauma differently, but the relationship between Zoe and Jack seemed to happen very quickly after she found her husband had been cheating on her. It felt like that the author was trying to hard to prove that Jack was the one despite being 14 years younger than Zoe by making him good at everything or willing the sacrifice everything for everyone else in his life.

The third act breakup also felt pretty weak. They had only been seeing each other for a few months. At the bare minimum, an actual conversation should have been had about the possibility of a dream job in a different country. In no way would I pass up an opportunity like that for someone I had only known for a few months.

I did appreciate how selfless Jack was with everything and I feel like he really did a lot of good for Zoe. His twin nephews were also adorable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing the ALC for me!

Funny and sweet, while still exploring some deeper themes.

❤️Single parent
❤️Age gap (43F, 29M)
❤️Slow burn
❤️Friends to lovers
❤️Insta-love
❤️HEA

Jack was just so sweet and thoughtful, mature and loyal. I loved that someone as wonderful as Zoe could experience that in the wake of her life being turned upside down. However, I really don’t love a third act breakup. But it was well intentioned in this one, and didn’t bother me as much as others.

I did love Zoe’s constant love for her kids and standing by them and protecting their feelings. She seemed like a wonderful mother. How much do we all despise Brian?!

Overall a really sweet lighthearted read. The narrator did a wonderful job as well.

Thank you Dreamscape and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ✨I really enjoyed this one! I can’t say it was ground breaking, but it was cute! A cute little story about a recently divorced teacher and a substitute teacher that teaches her to love herself again. If you need something light it’s worth the read or listen (I listened). The spice was not spicing though it was all of the lead up until the point that it started and then it would fade to black, such a teeeeaaaase.

A cute + fun age gap romance. The narrator didn’t really change her voice for different characters so it was a bit hard to follow at times. Overall an enjoyable read!

This was a fun romcom. Would make an excellent date-night move. I really enjoyed that the FMC was the older person in the age-gap.

3 ⭐️

43-year-old math teacher Zoe Swift finds herself going through an unexpected divorce. Enter 29-year-old Jack, who is kind, sweet, and available.

While the premise was right up my alley, the book felt unnecessarily long, especially toward the end. The main characters were well developed, but I felt the development of the minor characters, especially the friends/co-workers, were a bit underdeveloped. I kept forgetting their names and positions.

The book is told from the perspective of both main characters, which I enjoyed. However, the single female narrator made it difficult to keep track of whose perspective I was reading. I had to go backwards multiple times to figure out what was happening in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Textbook Romance by Kristen Bailey
Release Date: 7/29/24
Format: audio
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kristen Bailey writes such cute romcoms and this book was no different! I fell in love with this author after reading Five Gold Rings this past winter and was so excited to see she had a new book coming out!

Textbook Romance tells the story of a woman whose children find out their father is cheating on her and have to break the news to her while she is at a wedding. Another wedding goer gets her home safely and that fall, she realizes that kind man is now also a teacher at her school! While this book is primarily light and fun, I really appreciated how Bailey handled the heavier topics of being cheated on and finding yourself questioning what you really want in your 40s.

This romcom has fun banter, cute dates, awesome teenage children, and a she’s older age gap romance that shows a lot of vulnerability on both ends.

While the narrator does a fine job, I would recommend skipping the audio for this book. There is no differentiation between the FMC and MMC’s POVs from chapter to chapter and it did leave me slightly confused pretty frequently. Highly recommend checking this story out though!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy on exchange for my honest opinion!

Rom-Coms are the best, especially on audio, and this one was no different. I laughed and cried. The characters were amazing and reach told their thoughts.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

"Textbook Romance" is an absolutely adorable love story that warmed my heart! I devoured it in just one sitting—it was that captivating. Set in the charming backdrop of England, this beautiful, slow-burn, age-gap romance follows Jack and Zoe on their journey to finding each other. Zoe, learning to trust again after her husband's betrayal, and Jack, with his unwavering support, create a love story that's as touching as it is genuine. Their cute banter, moments of heartbreak, and raw vulnerability made their love story all the more special. It had everything you could want in a romance novel and more.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Kristen Bailey for the ARC of this delightful book!

This book was such an easy read.

Zoe and Jack’s relationship was so exciting and very spicy! 😳 I love how the characters built up their relationship

I dont want to give too much away to those who have yet to read it but I’d definitely recommend if you like romantic comedy stories!

Story wise I loved this book, is enjoyable , fun in a lot of part and extremely heartfelt . The story is very well develop and the two main characters were relatable and enjoyable. This is a book that i would definitely need a physical copy . Bow the audio left me a lot to desired for, for once the voice from the fmc and mmc you cannot differentiate and that was deiving me up the wall, that would be my only complain. Overall enjoyed a lot.

this was such a joy of a story!!! I loved Jack and Zoe's relationship from start to finish-- it is full of so much patience, trust, excitement, and love. Zoe is such a sweet character, being a good mom to her two teenage kids and learning to stand up to her ex-husband, all while learning she deserves all the love and fun a new friendship and relationship with Jack has to offer. and Jack is THE SWEETEST I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!! he's so incredibly kind, patient, supportive, fun, and loving not just with Zoe but also her friends and kids.

the narration was perfect, imo. the narrators made this story come to life for me, allowed me to immerse myself so fully in this story.

I loved their whole story so much, this was such a joy of a read, thank you so much for the ALC!

The book opens at a wedding where two strangers, Zoe and Jack, meet and enjoy a nice, platonic night together. Zoe’s night is interrupted when her daughter calls her and shares a photo of Zoe’s husband with another woman. Jack takes care of Zoe in her sorrow and then the book cuts to 4 months later.

Jack is at a point where he needs a change in his life and decides to return to education as a teacher. Of course, his job is at the same school as Zoe. The attraction is obvious, but Zoe is the one who needs convincing as she is still recovering from heartbreak and navigating single mom status.

The story skips ahead a few months at a time as they work to discover themselves and each other together.

The narration wasn’t my favorite. I had a hard time distinguish the male from female voice and felt there wasn’t enough difference to keep it straight. Either should have had two narrators or changed male voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date: 7/29/24

This was a fun read. As a mom, I found a lot of the story very relatable, and was cheering Jack and Zoe on from the beginning! And oh my gosh, the kids! I adored all of the kids in this book! ESPECIALLY Zoe’s kids! Her daughter is such a little spitfire, and her son has a heart of gold! While the book may have been a bit predictable, I found it to be a great fluffy read.

I also like the change of pace when it comes to spice. A lot of books REALLY make it a point to throw spice in at every opportunity, and I think the author did a great job using it in a way that complements the actual plot of the book.

Listening to this book on audio was a bit awkward at first. The narrator was great, but I did find it a little difficult to tell when Jack’s chapters were happening due to the lack of vocal fluctuations. Perhaps this book would do better with a dual narrator type situation.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I’d give it 4 stars because I felt the character development was great and it was a good fluffy romance.

🧚🏻A big thank you goes out to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and author Abigail Hardiman for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

A cute, heart-warming rom com. It was funny and emotional all at once. These characters were so easy to fall in love with and so relatable. If you’re looking for an easy, entertaining romance, this is it!

Thanks NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy of this audiobook!

It sort of felt like she was being flirty with him prior to the divorce-causing situation, which was... strange. The oh-so-fun insta-infatuation that I don't think I'll ever be a fan of.

Audiobook: British narrator, unfortunately she does not change her voice at all for different characters, ages or genders. With a lot of dialogue, this makes the story much harder to follow.