Lucy Score does it again! I love the characters and predicted most of the plot but what a great feeling book! ( )

Might be my favorite Lucy Score book to date. ( )

A little whisper of 'potential' in the back of my head kept me reading. Until 32%, when I decided this isn't working for me.

In one of the first encounters between the (unlicensed) soccer coach and teacher and teacher/XC coach, he was slapping her and calling her a dumbass in front of students. While he was slapping her for her to stay conscious and avoid heat stroke, I really get that it's all dramatic (and probably not medically worthwhile) but "dumbass?" to another teacher in front of students? No. He then proceeded to take her into the girls locker room-with girls in it (and the warning of testosterone) so yeah. I hate him (though med emergency blah blah). And then the mansplaining began.

But what's worse, is this hot mess heroine needed it. Because her decisions were shit. She was living in the past, and I just didn't understand her. Again, taking your students to prank a fellow coach along with some light B&E? No.

The bright spot was Marley's friend, Vicky, who had great one liners on middle age, marriage, and sex in marriage. But she just wasn't enough.

The voices in the chapter were indistinct. Both characters use "knocking on 40" to describe their age. Marley doesn't act 40, and is frankly carrying all kinds of baggage about her hometown that just feels pathetic at this point. (I KNOW it can be jarring to run into old high school people and turn corners and be weirdly assaulted by memories, but I don't BUY that you become a complete ass because of it)

Basically, I feel like score wanted to write a high school novel but for 40 year olds. There's still the mean girl, gloating about her marriage to Marley's ex. Jake claims (also from her high school, and he was the 'bad boy') her publicly-in front of staff, students when Marley is accused of the prank (that she did do) saying he was with her all night without giving her a choice. Not my kind of thing there.

Worse, however, maybe, I don't know, is the constant reference to how beautiful, hot, sexy Jake is. Let's take this apart a bit. I love an attractive hero-a runner no less-yum. What I don't love is having his level of attractiveness validated by the 60 year old desk staff at school, and WORSE, the various students who fall just short of throwing themselves at him.

Let me tell you a story. In my senior year, when I was 18, we had a student teacher. This is awkward. He would've been 21 to 22. And he was indeed, hot. But you know what happened? He took control of the classroom, and the majority of the students that thought he was attractive(yeah, I'm sure *some* didn't) dropped the conversation about his looks, treated him like an authority and never swooned again. It becomes an academic assignment. Yes, this person is good looking, but that's no longer his prominent identity.

By all accounts, Jake was a cool teacher apparently . I'm pretty sure at about 40, most students would see him in that academic kind of way-meaning a distanced evaluation of looks, not 'hot for teacher' way. When I was 16-18, I really didn't consider how good looking most 40 year olds were (is my aversion to age gaps showing) and so NONE of this rings true. It's just evidence to me of shortcomings of the author. You can't give us anything other than attractiveness and so it's substituted for motivation, intimacy, etc. All the students want him, rather than respecting him as a teacher cause that's easier to write?

Also, after 20 years if an old boyfriend said to me "Jesus woman where'd you learn to kiss like that?" I'd knee him in the nuts, because what a douche. (I mean, maybe I was meant to think so because his music choice was highly questionable.)

Anyway, there are things in contemporary that I can't do. And inappropriate teachers are among them. Look elsewhere for teacher romance. ( )

Who doesn't regret some things about their high school years? Well, Marley left her hometown without looking back to escape what she felt was the worst period of her life. What she doesn't realize is that people don't remember her time in high school the same way that she does. She also finds out that all in the past and the present is not what it seems. People who look like they have it all together may have just as many problems as she does. She is not the only one who struggles to figure out life.

I loved how Marley interacted with her soccer players and how they came to love and respect her as a coach and teacher. I felt her pain when she truly felt that it was entirely her fault when her team experienced failure.

Her re-connection with Jake after so many years was also fun to read. Everything about Jake was perfect. I loved how patient he was with her. I was very satisfied with the ending.

This was a fun read and I truly enjoyed it. ( )

3.5 stars

I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, I was disappointed. There were many funny parts of the story but those were overshadowed by the parts of the story that seemed to drag on forever. I struggled at times to stay invested in the story. Certain aspects of the characters seemed outlandish to me. For example, if Jake was so put together as a teacher and coach then why wouldn't that have carried over at home?

My favorite part of the book came at the end when Zinnia, Marley, and Amy Joy all came together. I desperately wanted more of what happened when Travis and Ralph came to get their women. I wanted to see more of where that went in the future in regards to their friendship.

Bottom line, Cute story that had so much potential. I still like this author immensely, however, this book fell short for me.
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