Review: Funny and sweet!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 22, 2013
I apologize in advance; this book has turned me into a giddy schoolgirl. I'll try my hardest not to squee.Have you ever been so excited for a book that you were nervous to the point of sweaty palms? Have you experienced that fear of disappointment? Hesitated to read something you really wanted to since you knew that it would be devastating if it didn't fulfill expectations, because you were so ridiculously looking forward to enjoying the hell out of it? NOT A PROBLEM HERE!The blurb had me convinced that I was going to love this. I'm ecstatic that I was right.Kelly is starting his freshmen year at Hope University. He finds himself with an unexpected roommate, Walter Lucas, the campus Casanova. Kelly believes in love and happily-ever-afters. Walter doesn't believe relationships.This book was pretty much made for me. It had so many things for me to love:Roommates, check.Slow burn, check.Great dialogue: check.Fluffy adorableness, check.Sugary goodness, check.True wuv, check.Sexual tension, CHECK.This book is sweet, funny, and hot. I was not expecting that last bit but it was really freaking hot. I mean, there isn't a lot of sex. There doesn't need to be. It doesn't take anything away from the book. Still, I was overheating reading this. My ovaries may have quivered. Oh, delicious unresolved sexual tension, you get me every time. It's a tricky thing, but there was the perfect amount. Precious balance, that. Not too much, not too little. It was just right.Have I mentioned that this book made me feel like Goldilocks? No. Well, the "just right" thing will come up again.It was kind of scary how much I related to Walter. Heidi Cullinan did an amazing job on her portrayal of all the internal conflict that results from having a manic depressive parent. I thought that was really well done. I fell in love with Walter immediately. At first he made me laugh, his POV is definitely amusing. He's a little broken, a lot vulnerable, and just about the sweetest bad boy. He's definitely not what he seems initially, and learning about his hidden depths as the book progressed was great. The way he grew as a character was even better.Kelly is a cutie pie, a shy, idealistic cutie pie. Like a teddy bear, he is impossible not to love. Or snuggle. Walter and Kelly are clearly opposites. It's what ends up making them so perfect for each other. I don't want to give too much away about either of them, or them together. Because, for me, the best part was in learning about them, in watching them fall for each other, in watching them grow, in watching them work at a relationship. I thought it was so perfect, the way they were together. Their interactions and dialogue were so sweet. I just loved them, together and apart. My heart felt full while reading this.It seems clear at this point. This book has turned me into a sap.I pretty much smiled my way through Love Lessons. It was amusing, it gave me a severe case of the warm and fuzzies, and it made my heart melt. The book is cute, sweet, romantic, and I suppose you could say it's a light read. Although, there isn't a lot of external conflict but there is a lot of internal, a lot of self-reflection and growth, introspection that had me introspecting. So, it's light but it's got substance.On to the epilogue, which I thought was perfection but some will loathe. I am a closet romantic. I mean, it shouldn't surprise given that I am a romance novel junkie. Still, I like to pretend I'm all bitter and jaded but sometimes a writer can lull me into admitting (and reveling in) my sugar addiction. This is one of those times. I'll admit the epilogue is sugary sweet. However, I thought it was the perfect amount, the "just right" amount. It had me drowning in warm fuzzy feelz. Perhaps I was hoodwinked and bamboozled by Kelly. Him, and his Disney happily-ever-afters sucked me in, and I found flawlessness in the tidy ending. Or, perhaps I was riding high on my reading buzz. Doesn't matter. I loved it. Kelly's words are actually purrrfect to describe the epilogue: "It was almost too cheesy, which was why It was so good--almost too cheesy. Right at the edge, which made it glorious."Do I recommend this? Without a doubt, yes!.*ARC has been generously provided in exchange for an honest review.5 Stars