One semester. No distractions.Simple, right?On the verge of winning the biggest literary prize at Shelfbrooke, Rex swears off all girls and parties, and prepares for a distraction-free semester.It’s the perfect plan.But when his grades aren’t good enough to participate in the contest, he ends up in tutoring with the new exchange student.Zara’s been banished to a boring boarding school in America … student.
Zara’s been banished to a boring boarding school in America to work on her English.
She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get back to France as soon as possible–even if it means teaming up with the one guy who wants nothing to do with her.
But as the weeks go by and feelings grow, will he realize some things are more important than winning before time runs out?
Love Lessons is a modern retelling of the classic Shakespeare play Love’s Labour’s Lost. It’s a part of the Shelfbrooke Academy series, a collection of retellings that promise to be a lot more fun than the originals!
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Back at Shelfbrooke Academy, students are getting ready to participate in the biggest literary prize this school offers. The rules are changing this year and that definitely makes things rather interesting for our main characters!
Rex has been hearing about this competition all his life. There is a big family history of winning this prize, all except his father. Rex feels the need to win this prize, just because his father didn’t. They have a complicated relationship and this definitely doesn’t help. I loved how driven Rex was and that he loves writing. Characters who love writing and reading are always fun!
I definitely felt for Rex at times though, because I can’t imagine what pressure he was under when it comes to this competition and his father. He has two best friends and in many ways he took them for granted. At times I’d say he was a bit harsh when it came to trying to control them talking to girls and going to parties. It took him awhile to realize how selfish he was at times.
Zara is a new student from France and her parents sent her here to improve her English. She wouldn’t go without her two best friends, so they came along with her. Having two siblings that have done a lot really heightens her own insecurities. She sees the competition as a way to prove to her parents she has improved her English. If she wins, maybe she can go home early.
I know what it’s like to move to a foreign country as a teenager and it’s not easy. Zara is anxious and that’s understandable. I think her wanting to go home so bad definitely made it harder for her to try and make friends. Her best friends were social and enjoying themselves and Zara feels left out. It took longer for Zara to realize her strengths, but I liked how the story turned out for her.
Love Lessons is a fun story with enjoyable characters. I’ve never read the play this is based on, but didn’t feel like I was missing anything. The facts we get about plays and other things definitely made this story stand out. I loved that the romance didn’t take over this story. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing everything develop between Rex and Zara, but friendship was a really important aspect of Love Lessons!
The plot, although quite different, reminded me of Emily Evans’ work. They write in a similar style with some themes that are parallel.
This story takes place in an exclusive, private high school where students compete for an academic prize. One student believes he will win the prize, since traditionally, his family has won in the past. But the newly arrived French exchange student also has a strong desire to win the elusive prize. Both are determined to win and not to get distracted by their attraction to each other. Who will win? And will they be able to stay focused on “the prize”?
This is a clean teen romance. I enjoyed it.