Hi y’all!

It feels like winter around here. But we hope some spring weather will come our way soon!

Today I am excited to share my review of Compared by Kortney Keisel. This is an absolutely delightful sweet romantic comedy. I loved this sweet, contemporary love story with a fun twist. Meg is a teacher and Tyler is a single parent of one of her students, Krew. Plus, is this novel is the start of a new series which I am so excited about!

Book Summary: “Meg. Confession: I’m attracted to my student’s dad. Let me give you Tyler Dixon’s resume: thoughtful, manly, father of the year, widower, ridiculously attractive (basically the opposite of a dad bod). This might sound like good news for someone like me—someone who dreams of getting married and becoming a mom—but it’s not. Getting involved with a parent is grounds for immediate removal at my school, and right now, my fragile heart can’t handle being fired. My mom just died. My boyfriend broke up with me, and to top it all off, my dad started dating again. Stable employment is the only good thing I have. Risking my job and my heart is the most foolish thing I could do.

Tyler. Being a widower isn’t like the movies. There’s not a block of women knocking on my door, bringing me casseroles every day. No, real life is work, laundry, and groceries—all while being both the mom and the dad. I’m pretty much failing at this single-parent thing. I don’t have time to date. Which is good since the only woman I’m interested in keeps pushing me away: Miss Johnson. Emphasis on the Miss—as in, my son’s teacher. It’s hard to convince a woman to go out with you when she’ll get fired. But it’s either pursuing Meg, despite her job, or the never-ending depths of loneliness—no big deal.

Compared is a witty, heartfelt rom-com with a teacher/parent romance, an irresistible single dad, & swoony chemistry that will have you rooting for a happily-ever-after while keeping the romance closed-door.”

Both Meg and Tyler are great protagonists. I loved seeing Meg as a teacher and how much she cares for her students. Tyler as a dad was a fun twist on your classic romcom, and I enjoyed seeing him in that role. It was fun to get inside both their heads as they get back into dating. Over analyzing everything, worrying about how dating works, awkward moments and romantic ones. Loved their first kiss. And enjoyed the secret dating. Their love is unexpected and so passionate. I was cheering for them from their first awkward encounter on the pier.

I really liked how deeply we get to know them both. They both are grieving close family (his wife and her mom) throughout the story. Reading about their different experiences as they work through that grief was really meaningful. I appreciated that their grief is different; there is no one right way to grieve. I also loved how close they both are to their families. Tyler is a great father and cares so deeply about Krew. While he focuses on his mistakes, I love how Meg sees how much he loves his son. And Meg loves her widowed father and her siblings so much. Even as she struggles with her mother’s death, she loves her family. I was impressed by how well Keisel creates the struggles these characters face. Meg has a hard time with her father meeting new people and dating again so soon after her mom’s death. Tyler struggles with feeling inadequate. And the deep questions: can you replace a lost love? Will a second love always feel like second best? Can you find true love more than once in a life?

The romance is so sweet and slow burning in this novel. I loved the electricity between these two throughout. They are so good together despite the obstacles in their way. I love how easily they fit into each other’s lives even when it seems like it should be hard. Tyler is so kind to Meg. And Meg helps fill a void that Tyler has had since Kristen’s death. I love all the little moments–the forgive me cookie, getting take out to eat with her, apple passing game, pancakes on Saturday morning, movies and snuggles, kissing behind bushes, checking him out at work, and more. I love the ending and how they both choose each other over everything else.

Such a fun novel! I love the witty banter and the characters that are so easy to cheer for. The supporting characters are also fun and I am excited to get more of their stories in the series. Loved this one!!

What are some of your favorite tropes in novels?
Any sweet romcom fans reading today? Which are your favorites?