To move forward, she just might have to take a step back… hometown, everything will fall into place. So, she does…and it doesn’t.
Her grandfather is sick, job opportunities are nonexistent, and Zack Durbin, the ex-boyfriend she never really got over, is still in town. If not for the long-abandoned schoolhouse she’s determined to save from demolition, she’d be tempted to leave Hickory Grove in her rear view again—this time for good. But she’s not ready to give up—on her passion project, or on Zack—just yet…
Can Becky convince the city to stop their demo plans and get Zack to give her a second chance? Or are some foundations simply broken beyond repair?
Anne of Green Gables meets You’ve Got Mail in The Schoolhouse, a sweet and wholesome, mature, second chance romance featuring a determined single mom searching for a new purpose while working to win back the love of her life.
more
I would recommend The Schoolhouse to sweet romance listeners who don’t mind a lot of miscommunications and like a story that reveals the complete picture through flashbacks throughout the book. I personally found the flashbacks to be distracting and hard to follow, but I know there are people out there that like the slow background reveal. This book is for them. I also think I expected to have more in common with the protagonist and I found myself confused by her actions. There’s one point where a character said something like “You need a reality check, Becky”. She does. She totally does. I had higher hopes for the results of that conversation.
I listened to the Audible version. The narration was good in that there was good inflection and distinct, consistent voices for the different characters. My personal preference would have been to have a lower pitched voice for Becky as she talks a lot.
#AudiobookObsession
The Schoolhouse
Hickory Grove, Book 1
By: Elizabeth Bromke
Narrated by: Cecily White
Elizabeth Bromke’s The Schoolhouse grabbed me by the title. I saw the picture, and immediately fell for the Little House on the Prairie view! The story features Becky, coming back to her hometown after her son leaves for college. She has always fancied the Schoolhouse and sees herself using it for sharing her love of books. But coming back has other incentives too! Her old high school boyfriend, Zack is back too and their is still that old chemistry. Will this second chance romance get off the ground? Will she achieve her dream with the old Schoolhouse? While there were times I was frustrated with Becky, I could feel the charm of the town and her desire to create the atmosphere she was looking for. The story is sweet, has some good old town politics, busybodies and gossip. It’s a fun listen.
Cecily White is wonderful, and she brings the town to life. A beautiful voice, with an ability to change from male to female with ease, she created a hometown feeling.
https://adbl.co/3eLaVYI
I was disappointed.
Becky!!! A whiny heroine who gets an unrealistic, lucky break is how I would categorize this character (she cannot be called a heroine.) Why oh why such an unlovable character? She is a model of the real-world hubris in today’s society, I suppose.
The writer is able to capture a scene beautifully.
The narrator was Awesome!
I received an audio advanced listening copy of this book from Storyorigin.
(3.5 stars) – Lost and found dreams
Becky left town for college many years ago, and since then has been buffeted around by life’s unexpected events that cropped up without regard for her plans.
She finally has an opportunity to return to her hometown & reconnect with her family & friends – and ex-boyfriend.
It’s a sweet 2nd chance romance. Becky is a bit more passive than I like in a heroine, but it’s a tender story about regrounding yourself & searching for a new direction after life takes you on an unexpected journey.
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
Wonderful ending
Tedious
I liked the book. It was any easy read. I would have given it 5 stars but I found the lead character annoying. Her persistence to live in the past was hard to take sometimes. And coming back to her hometown and wanting everyone to see it her way after being gone for 20 years was a little too much at times.
Becky Linden moved away from Hickory Grove, Indiana 18 years ago to attend college in Arizon. She’s never been back to visit because of a lack of money due to the fact that she’s a single mom who never finished her degree. Her son Theo is going to college and Becky’s moving to Hickory Grove to help Memaw and Grandbern. She visits the old schoolhouse where she and her bestfriend Maggie used to hang out when they were kids, and she and boyfriend Zack used to meet. It was abandoned even then, but holds so many fond memories for Becky she can’t let the town tear it down. Saving it becomes her mission.
This is not only a girl-moves-back-to-the-small-town-where-she-grew-up-story, it’s also a second-chance-at-love-story when Becky runs into her high school boyfriend Zack. Is he going to help make her schoolhouse bookstore a reality or destr.oy her dream? It’s also a woman-is-at-a-crossroads-in-life-story because Becky basically put her life on hold to raise Theo. She needs to decide what she wants to do with her life and where she wants to live it.
We meet all kinds of characters in this book that will have their own story down the line.
This is the 3rd book I’ve read written by Elizabeth Bromke; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the chemistry between the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
Heartwarming, second chance romance between a forty-something, divorced, empty nester and her old high school sweetheart. When the abandoned schoolhouse brings them back together, will their old feelings for each other reignite? No spoilers here and I can’t wait for more from this series!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a sweet second chance romance and starting over story. Becky returns home to Hickory Grove after 18 years to find her grandfather in ill health. Becky quickly falls in love again with the old school house where she played as a kid and her dream was to turn it into a bookstore. Becky finds out from her old boyfriend, Zack that the old schoolhouse is to be torn down. Will Becky be able to fulfill her dream? Will Becky and Zack renew their love?
Great steady pace, keeps you reading. Author Elizabeth Bromke has another great hit!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Grandbern was her anchor. Meemaw the wind beneath her wings. Becky and her twin Ben spent their summers and most of their spare times growing up on the farm with their grandparents. A tiny one room schoolhouse just up the way was where they met.
Becky and her friend Maggie spent a lot of time in that same little schoolhouse growing up. It was a bit of a clubhouse/ getaway for them – and her first love Zack would spend time with Becky at the schoolhouse too.
Becky went off to school in Arizona the best scholarship she could get. Zack had been accepted there too, but wanted to go to college where he thought his parents met.
Her son Theo was a now grown result of an ill advised pregnancy and marriage with a bland man. Her custody arrangements and limited income prevented her from visiting her hometown.
Back now, Becky wants to try the remnants of what she left behind for a fresh start.
Stubborn, sweet and challenging book about personal and local re-invention .
Intense KU read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Bromke is an author who writes such sweet, heartwarming stories that anchor a nostalgic feeling deep into my soul. THE SCHOOLHOUSE takes place in a small town and although Becky has been gone for over 18 years, this town has claimed a piece of her and she fits right in when she goes back. I love the small town feels–the eccentric characters, the charm of the historical schoolhouse, the memories from the past that assault her, and the love that still awaits.
Becky is the type of character who devotes her entire life to her child and I loved watching her discover what she’s truly passionate about and the length she goes to in order to fulfill her dreams. I also enjoyed watching her grow into the person she’s meant to be, even though she’s a little older, and especially as she struggles through hardships and setbacks. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
Zack is a solid character who complements Becky well and he’s no puppet. Although she’s love to pull some strings, he has his reasons for contradicting her wishes, which makes for some fantastic romantic tension. I love a great, feel-good, second chance romance and this one has all the feels. I’m looking forward to more amazing stories in this series.
Content: mild romance
*I received a complimentary copy through Booksprout. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
I really enjoyed this sweet second chance romance set in the town of Hickory Grove, Indiana. A single mom, Becky, heads to her old hometown after seeing her son off to college. She hopes to make a life for herself there but did not expect to have a second chance at romance. This is a charming story with wonderful characters and a well-written storyline. The flashbacks to the one-room schoolhouse are well done.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A book in the A Hickory Grove Novel series. A second chance for single Mom Becky Linden and Zack Durbin, they are now in their forties. A well written sweet story that held my interest throughout, once I started I was not putting this book down. The schoolhouse in their hometown of Hickory Grove is a major part of their story.I see this series has a Christmas story which I have already pre-ordered. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Becky leaves home for college and even though her marriage didn’t work out and everything and everyone she loves is in Hickory Grove, she stays away. 18 years later she returns home and besides her family and friend, her two loves are also still there. Good read with a touch of nostalgia.
I received a free ARC of this book; this is my honest, unbiased review.
Becky returns to her home town of Hickory Grove after divorcing and sending her son off to college with the dream to open a bookstore in the old abandoned schoolhouse, only to hear from her old high school boyfriend, Zach that the school is going to be torn down. This is a sweet second chance romance and a story of starting over. The characters are strong and the scenes are brought to life with the authors descriptive writing. It moves at a steady pace and I enjoyed and would recommend reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
Clean second chance romance. Takes her 18 years to return home. She quickly renews her love for an old school house where she played as a child. Will she renew her love for her first boy friend who is in town and single? Will her failed marriage keep her from trying?
Wonderful book.