Lessons Learned Review

Lessons Learned  by Sydney Logan

Book description...
A young girl needs to spread her wings, but a young woman needs roots.
English teacher Sarah Bray never thought she’d return to Sycamore Falls, but a traumatic event at her inner-city school leaves her desperate for the sanctuary of home. By returning to her roots, an older and wiser Sarah hopes to deal with the demons of her present and confront the ghosts of her past.
She discovers a kindred spirit in Lucas Miller, a teacher from New York with demons of his own. They quickly become friends – bonding through Lucas’s culture shock and their mutual desire to build new lives. When they open their wounded hearts to each other, their friendship effortlessly evolves into romance.
Their love is put to the test when Matt, the quarterback of the football team, shares his deepest secret with Sarah. When the conservative community finds out, Sarah and Lucas – along with the town of Sycamore Falls – are schooled in the lessons of acceptance, tolerance, and love.

My Sister in Law who happens to be just as obsessed with reading as I am, told me about a new book that was going to be published soon - Lessons Learned by Sydney Logan... So I added it to my Goodreads TBR shelf because it not only looks fantastic but my sis in law let me know how Sydney is one of her favorite writers.  Well, a week or two later we were chatting, most likely about some book... okay numerous books... but she asked if I had seen a post on Sydney's blog about looking for honest reviews, of course I hadn't so, of course, I checked it out and what do you know?  I got super lucky and received and ARC of Lessons Learned... Awesome right?  So I owe a big thanks, not only Sydney Logan for allowing me to read her book early but also to my sis in law for pointing me in the direction of one fantastic author who wrote this amazing book that literally touched my heart (I ♥ you Mary!!!)

Sarah returns to her hometown of Sycamore Falls after witnessing a horrific event at the high school she taught at in Memphis.  She is a broken yet beautifully strong woman.  She may limit her emotional connections to people but she stands up for what she believes in and encourages people to be themselves regardless of what society will view as "normal" or "acceptable".  I adored Sarah... I mean absolutely adored everything about her.  The situations she finds herself in she handles with grace and courage, she puts feelings before judging, and even though she may not agree with their choice she supports them... because when it all comes down to it they are human beings and deserve to be treated as everyone else.  

Her strength is what impressed me the most.  Considering what she witnessed at the previous high school she taught at, most people would give up... but not Sarah, yes she switched schools, and for that I don't blame her.. too many bad memories.  But she continued with her teaching career and good thing she does because the students see something in her they feel they can somewhat connect with... they feel they can confide in her, share their problems or just seek advice. 
  
Sarah meets Lucas... who let me tell you is quite an amazing man who has moved to Sycamore Falls after dealing with a few problems of his own.  He's not that typical alpha male that I seem to gravitate towards, but he's definitely something special.  He's sweet, caring, more than understanding, and he knows that Sarah is the woman for him.  So he works at becoming her friend in hopes that it will turn into something more... from the very beginning their relationship was beautiful.  The way Lucas supports Sarah is amazingly beautiful in the way that she has never had before... it gave me that urge to stand up and cheer for them because they both deserve all the love and happiness they can fit in their lives.

I want to talk more about this book, I want to share what made me mad, what made me happy, what made me laugh, and what made me cry.... but it will just give it all away and I just can't do that to you.  So I'll say this.... This was one of THE best books I have read this year. I cried, laughed, smiled, and got mad as all get out but seriously it was an absolutely fantastic book that shares the valuable lesson of understanding... of agreeing to disagree.... of realizing that life is too important to bring others down just because we don't like their choices.

Lessons Learned by Sydney Logan is one of those books I think every romance reader should at least check out.  Sydney has the amazing ability to make you laugh at just the right moment... you know that point where you feel like it's all going to come crashing down and your praying for that sigh of relief that something good will come from everything?  Her writing style is addictive and pulls you into the story.  She is definitely an author to watch out for!  I look forward to reading more of Sydney's work!

Happy Reading!