4.5 ⭐️

There isn’t a book Karla Sorensen can write that I so t love and this was not exception! Coming out of her Washington Wolves universe was tough but this was an incredible introduction to a new set of characters. Surprisingly poignant and emotional, but full of so much swoon!

4.5 🌟

I have been waiting for this series to start, hearing about it on socials, and was very excited to dive right in!

This new series is football themed, and has twin brothers who are estranged. The first book is about Griffin, the fun and cheeky twin, who bumps into a childhood friend in the off season. Ruby Tate is a firecracker who won’t take any shenanigans from Griffin and it was fun to watch them interact.

Whether it was me or the book, the first couple of chapters felt rushed but after that I was hooked completely. A few times I had tears and a lot of times I was laughing along with them. For someone who didn’t want to fall in love and had no idea about romance, Griffin did an amazing job. My heart went out to Ruby, I can’t imagine what she went through with her health but I’m so glad she took a chance on Griffin. I adored him a lot and loved his nicknames for her. I am walking away with a huge smile on my face, especially after the two epilogues.

Karla Sorenson is an auto read author for me and will continue to be even though I am lukewarm on this particular book. It was a perfectly fine read but I never got invested in the characters or the plot. They all seemed copied from other books I have read before. There were some lovely moments of humor ( the hand flex discussions alone would be enough to make me recommend this book) that kept me reading and it was easy to pick up after a long day.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Karla Sorensen once again gives her readers what they have come to expect with her writing: beautifully written characters, a storyline that will have them on the edge of their seats and a perfect balance of heart break, angst and love. Ruby and Griffin are an unlikely pair but with their layers open and their walls cut down, they become stronger together. Cannot wait to see where this series takes us.

“There would be a certain poetic justice to you being my first. First boy who teased me about how I was always reading.”

I loved this book from start to finish. This is my first Karla Sorensen book and it won’t be the last, I can’t wait for Barrett’s book.

Ruby’s sense of humor and all the banter between her and Griffen were seriously what had me just flying through this book. All the tension building from it, I love a man who falls for a woman who’s snarky. And the fact that she was so exasperated by him was the icing on the cake with his comments and his ideas. I love them so much.

My love for Jane Austen was definitely brought back to the forefront in this book. The fact that Griffen and Marcus were watching these movies were my most favorite parts. The fact that they were learning what the hand flex was and the subtle ways to woo a woman were priceless. And Griffen telling Ruby what he was reading, gahhhhhh. I cannot right now. I loved that he wanted to tell her and she was so enraptured.

Lauren and Marcus in this book just added to how good this book was. Love a reverse age gap.

But this book with all its building blocks of Ruby being comfortable with a man was also about looking at love in the face and coming to the realization that you would spend whatever time you had with it. These two people were scared for two different reasons but the way they felt was valid. This was such an amazing book.

Librarian asks football star for dating lessons, it's a trope as old as time but Karla Sorensen knocked it out of the park (or I guess, scored a touchdown to not mix metaphors) with this one! Ruby bumps into her childhood neighbor, Griffin, and mistakenly thinks he's the escort she hired to coach her through her dating fears. Except whoops he's not, but now he can't stay away much to Ruby's mortification. I honestly could not find a single fault. The book is funny, sweet, and there's real stakes for Griffin and Ruby falling in love that is often missing in other romances. I couldn't put this book down and I can't wait for the next King brother installation (hopefully with cameos).

Wow, this was so much more than I was expecting 🥹🥹🥹. Every once in a while, I go back to my roots and read a bad-boy x good-girl romance, even better if it has the "I'll teach you" trope, so once I saw this one, I knew I had to pick it up. Here's how it goes: Ruby's tired of being clumsy and inexperienced about flirting and intimacy, so she hires an escort to help her. What she doesn't expect is for her former neighbor (now a super famous pro football player) to appear at the accorded meeting; except he isn't the person she hired, but will offer to give her lessons in whatever she needs.

At first sight, Griffin and Ruby were pretty much the perfect cliche of the playboy MMC and shy FMC, but once I learned more about them, I realized that so many sides of them were often brushed aside or ignored by their peers. Yes, Griffin has a past full of parties, getting drunk, and doing silly and irresponsible stuff immortalized on camera; and yes, Ruby is shy, insecure, and wants a soft and quiet life, but they're so much more than this. There's a reveal halfway through the book that changes everything, and even though this isn't hinted in the synopsis, I do want to mention it because it changed how I felt about some previous actions and lines from one of the characters. Their feelings and restraints indeed made more sense the more they revealed and opened up to each other, but I need you guys to know that if there are any moments or specific lines in the beginning that don't land the way they're supposed to, I promise it'll make sense later.

What can I say about them as a couple other than I loved them so so much? 😭💗 Their chemistry is present from their first interaction. But with all the lessons in confidence, dates, and any other moments Ruby and Griffin spend together, their connection strengthens to the point it makes me teary-eyed to even think about it. The love, care, softness, and trust in and with each other made them one of my favorite couples of the year so far. I adored seeing Ruby open her heart to love and gain the confidence she so needed. I loved seeing Griffin learn how he wanted to live his life and gain control over how he's perceived. They had all these soft, heartfelt, and hot moments, but their conversations flew with such ease that they had me giggling at times. And the secondary characters don't stay behind. Lauren (Ruby's best friend) and Marcus (Griffin's best friend) weren't only the comedic reliefs for lots of scenes but also showed how much of a ride or die they are for Ruby and Griffin.

I'm really in awe of this book, not only because it turned out to be more than I was expecting but also with how easily it grabbed and kept me glued to the story. I stayed up until almost 2 AM reading this and then woke up the next day at 6 AM to continue and finish it. That's how good it was. I can't believe it's only my first Karla Sorensen book, but it definitely won't be my last.

Thank you to Montlake and Netgalley for the ARC ♡

Lessons in Heartbreak is classic Karla Sorenson – loads of feel good moments; slow burn/deeply connected romance; tons of laughter and tears of joy and sorrow. Ruby and Griffin’s story is so well written about two very different characters on the outside but so very much the same on the inside. I loved everything about their journey which is kind of surprising because I’m not a fan of football romances, but being it was Karla Sorenson, I didn’t think twice and I’m so glad I did! This read is so much more than a football “player” falling for the shy librarian. It’s thought provoking and emotional and why did I think it wouldn’t be? That’s the whole reason this author is one of my favorites – she nails it every time and Lessons in Heartbreak is no different. The extended epilogues were the cherry on the top too – couldn’t have been a better way to end this read. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a heartwarming and emotionally intense read. I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

The dual-narrative centers around Ruby, who was a reserved and well-intentioned child and carries that reserved energy into adulthood. Her reluctance to venture beyond her comfort zone keeps her from truly experiencing all that life—and romance—has to offer.

A surprising encounter—and a slightly awkward situation—leads Ruby to reconnect with her childhood neighbor, Austin King. Seizing the opportunity, Ruby boldly asks Austin to help her shed her fears and embrace the excitement of building her confidence around men.

What starts as a mutual agreement rooted in shared childhood memories gradually evolves into a deep, affectionate bond laced with desire. The steam scenes are fire. You can almost feel the heat off these two characters.

I find a lot of romance novels are too short and lack plot development but this one was nice and long with a lot of meat to the story. Austin and Ruby were able to support one another which depended their connection. This is the first novel in a series about the King brothers and I definitely want to check out the next one.

Every time I open a Karla Sorensen book, I know I am in for a great time, and that's exactly how it went with Lessons in Heartbreak.
This story has everything that I love: layered characters, angsty and breath-hitching moments, charming secondary characters, and most of all, protagonists who work through their fears and hangups to find their happiness.
Ruby and Griffin's story went in directions that I was not expecting, which made for a great all-the-feels ride. Plus, the author peppered this one with enough crumbs that made me immediately add the next book to my TBR.
Karla Sorensen writes the most wholesome, make-you-believe-in-love, feel-good romances, and I cannot recommend her books enough!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this. I was expecting a quick fun read, and this book over delivered. There was depth and side-characters who give actually good advice, and character growth, and unexpected twists.
While I was worried Ruby was going to be an autism caricature, this was very much not the case and I was happy to see how she developed and grew as the story went on. I was sold on Griffin from the get go and loved him even more as we learn more about him. The chemistry and banter between the two was the perfect balance, and crafted a fun book that pulled on the heartstrings.
I will happily be looking into Karla Sorenson's backlog and reading more in the future.

Lessons in Heartbreak by Karla Sorensen was one of those reads where from the start I could picture myself in the main character. Ruby's shy and quiet nature resonated with me. The writing was descriptive, which made it easy to picture the setting and fully visualize the characters in each scene.
I also appreciated the structure of the book - the chapter lengths were nice, making it a comfortable and enjoyable read without it feeling overwhelming. One of my favorite components of the book was the dynamic between the two main characters. On the surface, they seem completely different, yet as we get to know them on a deeper level we see they struggle with similar emotional struggles. I also liked that they book had an actual plot and the characters grow within it. That said, the ending did feel a bit weird with the car accident - I think the ending could've been written differently. Overall, this was a heartfelt read and I would definitely recommend.

Wow… I got this as a net galley arc and was hooked from the start! Normally I have time to sit a binge books but work and life was busy this week and I didn’t have time to sit and read in one sitting. Every time I had to stop reading my mind stayed with this book! So sweet and endearing… The tension and anticipation amazing! Loved this book from start to finish!

I've been a loyal fan of Karla's for years. Logan Ward is one of my top book boyfriends. So I was beyond excited to see that she was writing another sports romance but this time featuring a timid librarian who wants to get out of her shell. This one was pretty slow to start but I did eventually get into it. Their banter was pretty great, I loved that she didn't fall at his feet like he was so used to. But I didn't really feel the chemistry between them? I'm okay with a slow burn as long as I can feel the tension building but in this case I didn't really see it. It was much more emotional than I was anticipating and I thought she handled it well. Just not my favorite from hers. And because I can't help myself - it bothers me when a book is marketed as a sport romance but it's the offseason and we never once see the MMC playing said sport.

I have read some of the authors' previous work. Lessons in Heartbreak was a little hard for me to folllow at times. The pace of the story was a little slow to compared to Ms. Sorensen's other books.

This book 🔥 😍

The chemistry between these characters was off the charts and drew me in from the start but the depth & vulnerability in the character development was perfection 👌

If you enjoy romance, you definitely want to read this one!🙌❤️👏

Ugh first off, the cover is gorgeous! I knew I was going to love this right off the bat. There’s just something about Karla’s books. Highly recommend!

What an amazing read! Griffin and Ruby were such an amazing couple and I loved their dynamic. I thought that they did a great job of contrasting each other bringing out the best in each other. The ensemble cast made the story better and I enjoyed the conflicts that arose between the characters. I wish that we had spent a little more time hashing out thr relationship between Griffin and his brother, but I did like the amount of time we spent with Ruby and Griffin.

4 stars

Ruby needs advice on her love/sex life, but lives in a small town without a ton of options. Her friend encourages her to enlist professional help, but she mistakes her hot childhood neighbor Griffin for said professional. Griffin is a professional football player in need of an image improvement. Ruby and Griffin have an instant connection and teach each other a lot about life and love. I really appreciated the characters journeys over the story and getting to see multiple glimpses into the future.

I usually really enjoy the dating coach trope, but feel like the use of a Las Vegas sex worker as the intended coach was unnecessary and didn’t add to the plot. love. There were a few tear inducing moments during the book that had me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you Karla Sorenson and Montlake for providing this ARC via NetGalley. Comments and opinions above are my own.

#LessonsinHeartbreak #NetGalley

Another fun read from Karla Sorensen! Fans of her work will enjoy this new title and series filled with witty banter, fun tropes, and steamy scenes.