3.25/5. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this book!

This story is an absolute rollercoaster of a ride. It starts off giving Reylo/TLH vibes with the brief meeting and secret pining. 3 years later they meet again as grad student (Rowan) and teacher (Julian). The angst is excellent and I love both Rowan and Julian immediately. The story had a really strong start and I loved the first third of the book (was gearing up for this to be a 5 star read). Around 40% is when the story changed for me. Objectively, a really well written and captivating novel. Subjectively, it wasn't my favorite romance. I felt like the relationship development began lacking for me. The plot twists and turns felt out of left field. Without spoiling anything, I do think one of the main plot points of this book that comes as a plot twist may be a DNF moment for many readers. I think this book would have excelled as a novella.

Overall, I binge read this book and was entertained. I will more than likely read another book by this author, especially if there's a standalone follow-up with other characters.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book! The atmosphere, the characters and the slightly forbidden nature of the relationship really drew me in. Sadly, I didn‘t enjoy the second half as much. There was a trope introduced that I don‘t particularly enjoy (staying vague because of spoilers) and I was also a bit surprised by some of the plot development later on (a lot of action, which I didn‘t expect from the pretty quiet and character-driven beginning). A lot of conflict was introduced that was resolved pretty quickly.
I liked the writing style and would pick up something from this author again, but sadly this one didn‘t quite work for me. It is a pretty solid romance though, and I would say if you enjoyed Julie Soto‘s latest book and also enjoy the more unhinged aspects of authors like Ana Huang or LJ Shen, this might be the book for you!
(Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Tork and Azala Press for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

Professor-student romances are my weak spot and I can never get enough of them. Yet this book kind of let me down; there were so many random events thrown here and there, making the plot and pacing weird. I loved the couple, they were adorable (and the spice was so good), but the “insta-love” trope is not something I’m into. I think something slower, with more stakes would have been interesting for this plot, which is so unique with its setting and its two protagonists who have been through so much already.

I always love finding books centered around musicians. It makes it even better when there’s a forbidden love/professor x student aspect too. Rowan and Julian are two characters I rooted for, in different ways, separately. I found myself thrilled over their instant chemistry and watching it build and build over the 3 part story. Rowan chooses to pursue music in honor of her late twin sister, but also because she has true passion for it. Her character growth along with her growth in music was so inspiring to read. Julian has dealt with his own share of heartbreak and grief, just in different ways. His journey to opening up to Rowan and healing and fighting for himself and for her also made this a fantastic story.

This book was a whirlwind! I love a forbidden romance, but I was a little wary about the teacher/student trope as this was my first time reading a true teacher/student romance. Thankfully, Rachel Tork did a great job at not crossing the line (see what I did there) into "creepy" territory, as some age gaps can come across. I loved the first half of the book and watching their relationship come together under extreme circumstances. Julian and Rowan were great characters. Julian was likeable, kind, and intense and protective but not over the top about it. Rowan was strong, showed a lot of character growth as a woman in her mid-twenties dealing with all kinds of life altering events, and stood her own when faced with conflict. It was a joy reading their story. But...
I will say, about halfway through the book things started to get a little out of control. There were so many, what felt like, random events that were thrown in. For such serious events, the detail/context was lacking and the situations felt rushed in my opinion. The plot twist was there, though slightly predictable, but by the time I got to it I was honestly thankful and ready for the book to wrap up.
While this isn't necessarily in my "top picks" for the year, this is a solid romance book for those who like the extreme highs and lows of forbidden romance. I'm definitely interested in reading more of Rachel's work!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Azala Press for the advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable romance read! I like the forbidden romance trope and the first half of this book hit all the right notes for me. I liked the characters and there was the right blend of heartfelt emotion to the story.

The second half of the story went off the rails a little bit and took a turn I did not expect at all; that being said, I still enjoyed being along for the whole ride. The plot lines were a bit far fetched and it definitely wasn’t what I expected but, it still checked all the boxes that I look for in a romance. I sped through this one and would be interested to read other works by this author.

Overall, I’d recommend this romance readers who like forbidden romance tropes and to those who don’t mind a good few ups and downs!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This is the type of romance book I enjoy! The writing was perfection, and I liked the setting for the two main characters to become reunited. It all made for a powerful story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Forbidden
.Student/teacher
.Forced proximity
.Hurt/comfort

The beginning of this book felt like the perfect blend of The Love Hypothesis and Not Another Love Song (two books I adore). Which coincidentally are both originally Raylo fanfics turned into published books. So, naturally, this gave the story strong fanfic vibes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since I do love fanfiction. But, much like many fanfics, this book had its share of over-the-top drama and could have benefited from some heavy editing.

The first half was fantastic. It hooked me right away, with a strong connection between the characters. And nobody can resist a tall, dark, intense MMC.

But then the second half happened. The story veered off course into a storm of unnecessary and poorly explained conflicts. The drama was excessive, and the problems felt random, like they were tossed in just for the sake of it. By the last quarter, I was skimming, desperate to finish without outright DNFing. What started as a promising read fizzled out into a disappointing mess, barely scraping three stars in the end.

In short: not my favourite. A strong start, but it just couldn’t stick the landing.

This was a really good romance ! It hooked me from the beginning. I love a forbidden romance. The tension/chemistry between Julian and Rowan was very well written. The beginning of the book started very strong but parts of the middle towards the end were a little slow for my preference. The ending was really good and had a nice epilogue. I would recommend giving this a read if you enjoy romance with lots of spice.

Thank you Netgalley and Azala Press for the digital arc in exchange of my honest review.

I fear this book will be the romance book of 2025, well done to the author for making this masterpiece.
this book draws you in immediately and never lets you go. this book is also highly emotional and extremely beautiful. I found this book deeply moving.
I loved all the tropes in this book, forbidden attraction/star crossed lovers.
LOVE LOVE LOVE

thank you so much for allowing me to read this book!

This is the romance book of the year -- mark my words!

Draws you in immediately and never lets you go. Highly emotional. Extremely beautiful. Deeply moving.

Recommend 10x over!