Teach Me

(4.5, probably, rounding down.)

I don't mind cute/cartoonish covers, and it makes a lot of sense with this story and its lightly comic touches, but the clipart for the male figure's face here is just weird and doesn't match well with the rest of the cover for me, or with the description of Martin in the book. This is kind of a silly complaint, especially considering I read this on Kindle, but there it is anyway.

I haven't read this author before, or much contemporary like this (i.e. no one is royalty), but I really enjoyed this book a lot! There's not a lot of conflict, at least not between characters, so if you want romance with high drama, this probably isn't for you. Even the closest thing to a villain in the story doesn't appear very much and is dealt with pretty easily (and mostly off-page, which is a little unsatisfying, but not a big deal). I really like both the main characters, especially that they're a little older (mid-40s, so certainly not ancient, but not young, either) and settled in their careers. I also loved Rose's ex-in-laws and Martin's daughter, who were all a lot of fun, and the weird little side characters, like the all-goth girls' softball team and the English teachers who are just a little bit off (though they're right that Wuthering Heights is NOT a romance). It's not really magical realism, but it's just off enough to add some extra humor and fun. I'll be looking out for the next book in this series for sure!

(2019 summer romance bingo: “someone wears a costume,” (twice!) though it would also work for “prom” and possibly a loose interpretation of “sassy grandparent”)