Maybe if we met at another time—another life—he could’ve been mine. Maybe if I were older. Maybe if he wasn’t my brother’s best friend. Maybe if he wasn’t my teacher. Maybe.Maybe.Maybe.Having my dirty little secret living down the hall had me obsessing over alternate endings and happily ever afters. I’d never wanted someone so badly, but his hot and cold behavior was giving me emotional whiplash. … behavior was giving me emotional whiplash. In the classroom, he practically ignored me. But here? In my brother’s loft? It felt like we were a thick rubber band, pulled so tight we’d snap.
Falling for Decker Harris made me realize that life wasn’t as serendipitous as everyone liked to think. We weren’t just a collection of maybes thrust into the world with hope and good intentions. Everything started with a choice, and somewhere between grief and redemption, I chose to make him mine.
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This book got me right in my heart. The characters fight their attraction for so long and then at the end it all comes together in this perfect conclusion that just made me smile and cry. I loved every second of it. I can’t think of a more talented author than CoraLee June.
A fat dose of taboo and wrecking of emotion this student/teacher/best-friends-sister romance was extra and unique on story-telling. I wasn’t clear about the meaning BURNOUT, my brain says losing calories 😀 and my lazy self googled the meaning only after finishing the book. Facing trauma and getting your expectations trampled by your loved ones – Burnout is the perfect book with a HEA.
‘Luck was a cruel, petty bitch that didn’t visit me often. Karma, though? She and I were best friends. She spoke with my depression and knew all my dirty little secrets; she knew I bred skepticism in my mind and taunted me with the idea that I didn’t deserve happiness.’
Blakely Stewart (18), recently found out that she has a brother who was given up for adoption. After buryng her mother she left behind her old life and went out to search her brother, Lance.
‘There was something about Decker Harris that got under my skin. He was persistent and observant.’
Decker Harris (24), is a teacher and Lance’s best friend. Upfront rude and protective of his best friend, Decker is hard to be friendly with.
“I want to be a doctor.”
The smoke cleared. The screams faded. “A doctor, huh?” I choked out.
“Don’t think too highly of me. It’s not because some doctor changed my life while Mama was in the hospital. I just think it’s the only profession that’ll fit with my terrible handwriting.”
“Wait, what? You’re picking a dream job based on the fact that your handwriting is bad?” I asked while shaking my head, all previous thoughts fading from existence.
“That’s why it’s a dream job, Decker.”
Ahem, those on GR who are about to be doctors or who are doctors I have a request, please maintain your handwriting!
Blakely is totally judged by Decker on their first meet. Expecting Blakely to be like her mother who depends on others to live. Decker is proved wronged how different Blakely is from her mother. She grew up living out in a trailer with a mother who never cared about her. Lance is a sweet, humble soul. He wants to look out for Blakely. Proposing her to stay in his house so they can get to know each other and also help her stand on her own feet. Both Blakely and Decker who is temporarly living with Lance face situations which is forbidden because,
“Lance has a point. I don’t want other students knowing that we live together. I’m hoping to stay invisible at this school, and arriving with my ultra hot biology teacher is bound to start some rumors.”
“You think I’m ultra hot?” His question was paired with a smirk, and I realized my mistake.
“You know you are. This isn’t news, Mr. Harris.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” he asked.
“Just testing it out, feeling the roll of it on my tongue.” Said tongue rolled out to taste my bottom lip, earning a nearly inaudible moan from Decker.
The sexual tention was unrestrained but there are few barriers which Decker is adament to hold. I’ve read reviews where most readers are upset with then end. I thought the ending was surprising and it didn’t ruin for me except Lance’s behaviour towards Blakely made my feelings towards him drop down a notch.
It was an interesting read. I highly recommend this book.
I really loved this story, I think it had to do with the fact I had a huge crush on Decker – he was a complete jerk but soooo hot! A slow burn forbidden romance is right up my street – and the author told the story beautifully. Brother’s best friend is immediately off limits, teacher/student romance – off limits; the relationship development was really well told not only between the two main characters but also between Blakely and her brother Lance. A really well written story with all the feels, a solid five stars and I would recommend to anyone to read, you won’t be disappointed.
Wow. I was not expecting the plot twists at the end! I love how this story really elaborates on the disfunction this would truly cause, without making it less of a fantasy.
Taboo, angsty, sexy, and emotional- with a deliciously soapy ending that both shocks and entertains.
Blakely is one of my favorite Cora heroines- tough as nails, soft and squish and vulnerable beneath her bravado, and a character just craving connection. She’s persisted through a lot of adversity, and now finds herself in a familial situation both unfamiliar and jarring in its sincerity and safety. And, she finds herself surrounded by a more elite situation thanks to her brother’s financial security- a new reality that no only makes her feel out of her element but also is the source of her brother’s best friend, Decker’s, distrust of her intentions. Cue all that steamy, angsty push-pull tension that Cora is so great at writing. And soon these two can not deny their attraction- only issue is that he’s not only her brother’s bestie, he’s also their roommate, older than her (but not a huge age gap) and her teacher. Yowzers- all the drama.
The relationship side of this is amazing- forbidden, emotionally complex, tense and captivating. The chemistry is fantastic, and the characters are both flawed and empathetic. Our story catapults into an ending this is a bit surprising (came a bit out of left field for me) and one that I wished we gotten to swim around in more, but is also beautifully showcases these two characters in all their complexity, and it made for a super dramatic ending to this angsty and yummy story.
I couldn’t put this book down!!!
Holy hotness batman, this is one helluva forbidden hot-for-the-teacher book that once started I couldn’t put down!!!
Even neck deep in other scheduled reads, Author Coralee June’s characters, Blakely Stewart and Decker Harris had me ensnared in their self-combusting chemistry, even as they were entrapped in each other’s. A six-year age difference isn’t a lot, but when your heroine is 18 and a senior at the high school where your 24-year-old hero is a teacher, then the relationship in question most definitely is forbidden. And for Mr Harris, the temptation is even worse when he was temporarily living with his best mate, Lance Trask during renovations and his previously unknown little sister comes to live with them.
Blakely hasn’t had the easy affluent upbringing that Lance, her adopted older brother had. Her mother was neglectful and narcissistic, so she grew up way too fast, became sexually active way too early and dated older men. So, an attraction for the hot ‘temporary’ room-mate of her brother’s wasn’t necessary out of the ordinary for her, but as she became serious about her schooling and her future, he was one chemistry ridden complication she didn’t need.
She was a sassy genius who loved school, so being eligible to enrol in the prestigious school where Decker taught was a dream come true, but a family like hers had a past that always come calling, so situations got dangerous and complications become more than sexual. Add in the brother’s best friend dynamic and this was one amazing book.
This is my first read from Coralee June, and I absolutely loved the intense slow-burn forbidden chemistry between Blakely and Decker. I don’t believe any review I write could do a justice to this book or adequately describe how I felt about the developing trust and romance between these two, even as they tried so hard to do the right thing by each other, and damn it, they seriously tried. In any other situation, the six-year gap would be meaningless, but in Decker’s case, careers are lost over it.
And while theirs is the main relationship, this book is also a written study about the relationship between adult siblings who had no previous awareness of each other, who grew up in vastly different fiscal and social situations and who each had to discover what the meaning of family meant to them as they got to know each other. Ms June did this beautifully.
Just wow. I loved everything about this book, and I’m telling you now that I highly recommend it as one amazing romantic read. Absolutely 5 Stars
Blakely moves in with her stepbrother Lance after mother dies. Blakely and Lance don’t really know each other to well so its an adjustment for the both of them. Lance has a roommate Decker and he immediately does not like Blakely. When Lance has to leave on out of town trip Blakely and Decker have to deal with each other. Sparks fly and tension is high! I loved the forbidden secret relationship!
Burnout is an unpredictable and oh so sexy forbidden romance. It’s emotional, raw, and heartbreaking at times with strong characters and a fantastic storyline. I loved it and highly recommend it!
not sure if dark highschool romance was an accurate description of this story but it was a great read that had me tear up in the end. this is more accurately a forbidden romance that just had all the labels under its belt and, in my opinion, a touch of dark. the trouble thats normal when going through blakely’s life but it was realistic considering the situation and i absolutely loved it. great side characters also!
romance, steam, anxiety, heartbreak, witty jokes, and again – steam haha. this story was very well written
3.5 stars
Narration: 2 .5/3
Okay.
I didn’t care for the female narrator…at all. The southern accent was Over the top and at times made me cringe. The male narrator was fantastic though!
Story: 3.5
I wouldn’t say this is a dark high school romance, as it’s advertised. Forbidden love slow burn? Yes! I was expecting more dark themes/bully type stuff to go on and that wasn’t the case.
I still enjoyed this story mainly because of how both main characters were so reluctant to engage in a relationship. They resisted each other as long as possible before caving and that added tension was my jam. I just wish the forbidden aspect had been fleshed out more. Yes, they were resistant to their attraction but there wasn’t as much sneaking around as I would’ve liked. Not to mention the main conflict/turning point ends up not even being about the couple themselves or about them getting caught. It was actually kind of random.
Hmmm oh! I loved Decker and Lance. I liked how protective Decker was of his best friend, Lance. Their friendship was sweet.
Overall, good but not quite what I was expecting/looking for.
*Audio Code provided in exchange for an honest review*
So much more than a forbidden student/teacher romance. This is an incredible love story with an unexpected love triangle thrown in there. The relationships between the characters in this book are so well developed. The story emotional. I love Lance and Blakely and Decker so much (oh and Rose too wish there was more of her) This was so it the book I thought it was going to be, it was so much more.
Burnout is an entertaining High School Romance/Brother’s Best Friends and Taboo story. Blakely and Decker are great characters. Blakely is wonderful, strong and independent. Decker is handsome, and protective. He is Blakely Brother’s best friend, and her teacher. The supporting characters are great. Lance, Blakely’s brother is a great character. Blakely’s father is intriguing. The storyline has twists and turns, and a little suspense. I enjoyed it. Amber Bray and Tyler Darby did a good job with the narration.
Burnout
A Dark High School Romance
By: CoraLee June
Narrated by: Amber Bray, Tyler Darby
What happens when you fall for your brother’s best friend? Coralee June’s book, Burnout takes us into a taboo, enemies to lovers story with every emotion. Blakely goes to live with her brother Lance after the death of their mother. His best friend Decker is living with them too while his new home is being built. Blakely and Decker get off to a rocky start, but when their relationship takes a romantic turn, things are about to become complicated. Decker is not only her boyfriend, but her high school biology teacher, and Lance’s best friend. How will this all play out? June features an array of issues in this one, each problem dealt with care and compassion. As you find out the history of Decker, the truths that are spoken and the way each is handled, you too will fall for this couple.
Narrated by Amber Bray and Tyler Darby. This team is perfect for a new adult genre, each finding their niche with Blakely and Decker. It is dually narrated and their voices were a great fit. I enjoyed their performance.
https://adbl.co/2KGWfgT
A burning read!
Maybe if they met at another time—another life—he could’ve been hers…
Maybe if she were older…
Maybe if he wasn’t her brother’s best friend…
Maybe if he wasn’t her teacher…
This book was packed with heat, chemistry, attraction and everything in between. A book that will always have a place in your beating heart. A book that will leave you craving for more. A book that will keep your attention. This book was everything and more.
Full of family, friends, truths, trust, chemistry and romance.
Perfect for readers of forbidden romances.
O.M.G. Burnout is filled with so much sexual tension that I’m surprised my kindle made it through alive. Decker and Blakely are everything! We get the classic brother’s best friend with a student/teacher twist put on it.
After just burying her mother, Blakely travels to Memphis to meet her long lost brother, Lance. When she gets there though, she’s greeted by the broody, protective, and insanely hot Decker, who doesn’t trust her intentions with Lance. Despite the immediate dislike between the two there is also an immediate and intense attraction. Try as they may to fight it the tension continues to build from a spark to an inferno.
I highly recommend Burnout!! It was amazing!!
So we are currently in the midst of the COVID-19 Virus and many authors have been kind enough to deeply discount or list their books as free to download. I was perusing one such list and came across this book. I had not heard of this author before but that cover and the blurb drew me in so much that I knew I had to read it immediately. And all I can say is WOAH!!!!
I love taboo romance and this one had it in spades. Brothers best friend, student teacher romance and another secret that will have your mouth agape.
OMG Decker is one of those guys that has his best friends back through everything and even his newly discovered sister isn’t safe if she thinks she can take what she wants from Lance and then leave. He’ll make damn sure his friend doesn’t get burned. The last thing he expected was the unimaginable draw to her. It felt like she owned the biggest part of him and he did not give his heart permission to do that.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered. “You shine like the whole universe is right there at your fingertips.”
Blakely was forced to start over, to find the brother she had no idea even existed. But here she was at his door face to face with a God, that is until he opened his mouth to inform her she wouldn’t get away with using her brother. If he only knew how much she wanted to run. But the idea of him and the feelings she was falling under couldn’t make her leave even if she tried, even if they both burned in hell for what they were about to do.
“Decker was like oxygen to me. Our plane was crashing, but I just wanted to breathe him in.”
While you’re quarantined or social distancing take a chance on a new author. You might just find your next favorite read <3
This was an entertaining story, a forbidden romance with heartbreak and drama.
The tale has angst and emotion as they attempt to come to terms with their confusing lives and an added twist to the story made me gasp.
A very enjoyable read.
I went into this book blind so I wasn’t exactly sure where the story would take me, but the journey to the end kept me interested and engaged to see how everything would turn out for the characters. The character development is well-defined, the story moves at a good pace, and it’s descriptive without being overly wordy. Blakely, Decker and Lance each have their own issues to deal with, and their interactions with each other was fantastic.
I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. Honestly, I kept putting it off because I wasn’t sure if it was the book for me. Oh when am I going to learn…
I was WRONG! I could not put this book down. From the very first paragraph all the way to the very end… THIS BOOK OWNED ME!
Burnout is the story of Blakely and Decker and it is a whirlwind of a romance novel. Forbidden, little sister romances usually aren’t really my jam, but y’all Coralee seared my soul with her writing.
Blakely has been torn down in the world by her narcissistic mother who shouldn’t have been a mother. In the final moments of her mother’s life, she learns she has a brother out in the world somewhere. Her life was not easy as she was constantly overshadowed by her mother. When she moves in with her brother and his best friend, the walls are built high because she learned not to let anyone in because it only leads to disappointment.
You never really know someones truths until the secrets are out. But will their secrets cause them both to just burnout before they ever really get started?
Five beautiful stars! Worth the read and a re-read! This is definitely going on my list of books that HAVE to be in my Kindle library and if I get lucky enough, I will eventually own a signed copy of it on my shelf.
5 tell-me-a-truth stars! OMG!! Lurrrrved this forbidden romance.
“He made me feel like a question he wanted the answer to.”
Blakely Stewart is just eighteen and about to enter her senior year at high school. After the death of her mother, she’s come to live with her recently discovered half-brother, Lance. She’s unsure and tentative about this arrangement, and when a sexy-as-sin but scowling stranger meets her at her brother’s apartment, she really questions her decision.
“There was more between us. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but we were like a chemical reaction boiling over in one of these beakers.”
Decker Harris was ready to warn off the young woman who has come to live with his best friend. There’s no way he’d let anyone take advantageous of his big-hearted friend. However, he’s pretty much blindsided by his attraction to the beautiful girl who turns up and, as he gets to know her, not only is he fighting the physical attraction between them, but he also has to fight to keep his heart safe.
“We stood there like statues, poised in the nothingness of our promises while aching to leap into something.”
This was such an exciting and riveting read! I love a forbidden romance, especially where the chemistry and connection between the two main characters is absolutely sizzling! Blakely has an old head on young shoulders and she struggles to trust. I loved how Decker drew her truths out of her and became a confidant of sorts for her. Decker himself is sweetly protective of his childhood friend but I loved how obsessed he became with Blakely – she was a puzzle he wanted to solve. The age difference between wasn’t massive but their circumstances dictated that if they were found out, there’d be hell to pay! Totally loved this hot, angsty, gorgeous read!