Passing Notes

de Nora Evely - SmartyPants Romance (à paraître le 25 avril 2024)

Résumé : When the one who got away moves in next door…

Clara Hill wants to be left alone. Sitting on her porch watching everyone else’s lives go by is way more fun than dealing with her own problems.Or at least that’s what she thought. Now that her secret high school sweetheart is her next door neighbor, she’s not so sure anymore.

Being back in Green Valley was hard enough without having her first love right there within touching distance.Especially when he’s so stubbornly determined to flash his unforgettable smile at her every chance he gets and reminding her of when she thought she’d found her happily ever after.

Once upon a time, Nick Easton thought he had it all.A football scholarship, his dream girl, and a future so bright he couldn’t wait to get started.But, like everything else in his life, it all came toppling down.Now he’s content to raise his kids, teach English, and coach football at Green Valley High.He has no time for things like romance, and dating, and starting over…He’s fine being alone. Who needs love ?

But when he catches a glimpse of his new neighbor his quiet little world turns upside down, lighting a fire that makes him determined to reclaim all he thought was gone forever.After all these years, can he convince Clara to give him another shot?Or will their love story stay hidden in their past?

Note : 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

Clara et Nick étaient adolescents quand ils ont eu le coup de foudre l'un pour l'autre, venant de milieux sociaux différents, ils ont tenu leur relation secrète. Un concours de circonstances (que je ne peux pas spoiler) les ont fait partir chacun de leur côté vivre leurs vies.

15 ans lus tard, leurs routes se croisent à nouveau et leur amour reprend vie, d'ailleurs ils n'ont jamais cessé de s'aimer. Ce roman raconte leur seconde chance, comment les blessures du passé affectent toujours les choix du présent et comment accepter ce qui ne peut être changé.

Je ne voudrais pas en révéler trop sur cette romance que j'ai beaucoup aimé, alors je ferais court pour une fois. L'auteur a su très bien mettre en place la tension romantique en Clara et Nick, on sent que ces deux-là sont faits l'un pour l'autre, c'est juste une histoire de temps et et communication.

Mention spéciale pour tous les personnages secondaires : les enfants de Nick qui sont adorables (de toute façon, c'est pas le propos d'avoir des gosses compliqués) ; les soeurs de Clara et spécifiquement Gracie ; et c'était pas mal de voir un peu l'évolution des soeurs Hill avec leur maman (dont on suivi les problèmes dans d'autres livres).

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Clara and Nick were teenagers when they fell in love, coming from different social backgrounds, they had to keep their relationship a secret. A combination of circumstances (which I cannot spoil) made them each go their separate ways to live their lives.

15 years later, their paths cross again and their love comes back to life, but they have never stopped loving each other. This novel is about their second chance, how past hurts still affect present choices, and how to accept what cannot be changed.

I don't want to reveal too much about this romance that I really liked, so I'll keep it short for once. The author knew how to set up the romantic tension in Clara and Nick very well, we feel that these two are made for each other, it's just a story of time and communication.

Special mention for all the secondary characters : Nick's children are adorable (in thi story, there's no point of having complicated kids) ; Clara's sisters and specifically Gracie, and it was good to see the evolution of the Hill sisters with their mother (whose problems we followed in other books).