“I can't get her off my mind. I want to spend every second of the day with her. I want to make up for every day of every year I spent fighting with her instead of loving her. Lately, it's been seeming like she feels the same way too.”
This story follows Emily and Jack, two second-grade teachers who’ve been locked in a fierce rivalry for years. I’m talking about a rivalry that spans everything from where they sit, to where they park, to how they write. It’s literally everything. The tension only grows when Jack returns from Alaska and suddenly becomes Emily’s next-door neighbor—after abruptly ending his engagement. However, as the story unfolds, it’s clear that beneath all that rivalry and antagonism, there’s a connection that neither of them can explain.
Jack and Emily are my favorite characters in the When in Rome series. Emily has so much depth, and I found her incredibly relatable. As the oldest daughter, she carried a heavy responsibility, always taking care of her sisters and making sure they were okay, all while grappling with her own struggles and grieving the loss of her parents. She feels overwhelmingly lonely, constantly believing that nobody loves or needs her and that she’ll be alone forever. Everyone can’t help but love Jack because of his charm, but deep down, he craves validation and approval from others—a coping mechanism he developed because of his narcissistic dad.
Overall: This is a cute, heartfelt romance with the perfect execution of enemies-to-lovers and excellent chemistry between the characters. My only gripe is the slightly abrupt ending, but I’m still in love with this book. I’m already eagerly anticipating Madison and James’s story in the next book!
Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this new rivals-to-lovers romance set in Rome, Kentucky—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Rule Book and Practice Makes Perfect.
Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He’s the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’sreturn at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.
Jack is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited about—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.
With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, he agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?
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