This was a strong indie debut friends to lovers, workplace romance. I really love it when the guy falls first and is such a big cinnamon roll like Cameron in this book. It was also a cute idea having the FMC try to go on a series of 50s inspired dating advice outings all the while not realizing her friend has loved her all along. Great on audio narrated by Ariel Royce and Christopher Rourke, with good disability rep (recovery after a stroke at a young age). The book also has good mental health/depression and therapy rep too! All in all I'm excited to read what this author writes next!

Now in KU!

Book Smart is a sweet romance and very upfront about that so if that is not your jam, just skip this one. That said even if sweet romances are or you are good with them this is a SLOW burn. Melanie Hirsch and Cameron Whitacre have been coworkers and friends for five years and both had an instant attraction to each other. However, they seem to be clueless about the mutuality of their interest. They both have had life go in less than intended directions but are not necessarily unhappy, just hoping for someone to share a future.
Melanie has really been hoping to become a published author and when she finds a 1950s article about how to find a husband, she thinks she will use it for inspiration. Of course that means recruiting the help of both of her friends, Ivy and Cameron. This idea was fun and made for some interesting situations. It was almost painful at times to watch Cam and Mel dance around each other. And as frustrating as their advoicence of taking the next step is, it is realistic for two people that have been integral parts of each other’s lives. I wish we would have gotten just a bit more of them as a couple.
This is Amanda Pennington’s debut novel and you can tell that she has taken the time to develop strong characters that are imperfectly perfect. They each have their own things in life to deal with beyond the central storyline.The side characters of Toby and Ivy were very supportive and I could see them getting their own story in the future.

Overall Grade: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amanda Pennington’s Book Smart is a surprising addition to the SmartyPants Romance world. Here’s a bit of a warning about Book Smart:

It is the slowest burn romance I’ve ever read. 90% folks…90%.
This book is pretty clean. There is an allusion to $ex, but nothing really goes past kissing in detail.
This is definitely friends to lovers. It’s almost painful how these two hide their feelings for each other for most of the book.

What did I like about Book Smart:

The camaraderie between Mel (FMC), Cameron (MMC), and Ivy. These three legitimately like each other as friends, and Ivy works hard to stay out of the middle of Mel and Cameron’s journey.
I’m a writing professor at a university, so I live in university/academia politics. I too have been a Writing Center tutor, so I saw my academic experience in Mel and Cameron’s stories.
Cameron’s story as a survivor of stroke. As a young man, Cameron has a devastating stroke that has forced him down a different path. This is not a usual story in romancelandia, much less in general experience. Through his journey, he meets and befriends Toby, who becomes the wizened guide to Cameron. I LOVE Toby. In fact, I’d love a Toby/Ivy romance, possibly.
Mel’s story idea. She reads a 50s advice FB post and determines to enact those guidelines to meet a man in the 21st century. It makes for interesting plot points while also adding a bit of ridiculousness to Book Smart.

What I struggled with:

Cameron’s fear and Mel’s shortsightedness. As a reader, I’m sensitive to story pacing. In my opinion, a slow burn should peak around the 70% mark, but Pennington left us to wait until about 90%. Basically, this story ends with them declaring their love for each other after spending much of the story denying it.
It’s a little too clean for my taste. I like a little more steam than Pennington offers her readers,
The addition of a potential love interest for Mel to potentially complicate things for her and Cameron felt a bit too contrived. This simply added another layer of torture to this book. Book Smart felt a bit drawn out.

I’d love more books in Pennington’s world, however. I could see Toby and Ivy in a romance as I mentioned above. Amanda Pennington laid out possibilities, but I’d like to read a story with faster pacing and a bit more steam next time.

Overall Grade: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amanda Pennington’s Book Smart is a surprising addition to the SmartyPants Romance world. Here’s a bit of a warning about Book Smart:

It is the slowest burn romance I’ve ever read. 90% folks…90%.
This book is pretty clean. There is an allusion to $ex, but nothing really goes past kissing in detail.
This is definitely friends to lovers. It’s almost painful how these two hide their feelings for each other for most of the book.

What did I like about Book Smart:

The camaraderie between Mel (FMC), Cameron (MMC), and Ivy. These three legitimately like each other as friends, and Ivy works hard to stay out of the middle of Mel and Cameron’s journey.
I’m a writing professor at a university, so I live in university/academia politics. I too have been a Writing Center tutor, so I saw my academic experience in Mel and Cameron’s stories.
Cameron’s story as a survivor of stroke. As a young man, Cameron has a devastating stroke that has forced him down a different path. This is not a usual story in romancelandia, much less in general experience. Through his journey, he meets and befriends Toby, who becomes the wizened guide to Cameron. I LOVE Toby. In fact, I’d love a Toby/Ivy romance, possibly.
Mel’s story idea. She reads a 50s advice FB post and determines to enact those guidelines to meet a man in the 21st century. It makes for interesting plot points while also adding a bit of ridiculousness to Book Smart.

What I struggled with:

Cameron’s fear and Mel’s shortsightedness. As a reader, I’m sensitive to story pacing. In my opinion, a slow burn should peak around the 70% mark, but Pennington left us to wait until about 90%. Basically, this story ends with them declaring their love for each other after spending much of the story denying it.
It’s a little too clean for my taste. I like a little more steam than Pennington offers her readers,
The addition of a potential love interest for Mel to potentially complicate things for her and Cameron felt a bit too contrived. This simply added another layer of torture to this book. Book Smart felt a bit drawn out.

I’d love more books in Pennington’s world, however. I could see Toby and Ivy in a romance as I mentioned above. Amanda Pennington laid out possibilities, but I’d like to read a story with faster pacing and a bit more steam next time.

This book started out so well. I love a secret crush and a good friends to lovers.
About 1/2 way through something changed. I really cannot put my finger on it.
I enjoyed the story.