About the Book

My boss is the stiff, surly, suited city bureaucrat… and I’m the new teacher of his nightmares.

I’m desperate for a fresh start at a new school. Lucky for me, Oliver Flores, the infuriatingly hot principal of PS 2, is desperate for a new teacher.

He’s forced to hire the Sweaty Albeit Beautiful Trash Siren he found amongst the dumpsters (I had a morning, okay?). I’m forced to take the job.

He’s all label makers and lists. I’m all creativity and chaos.

He needs to loosen up. I need to tighten up.

He demands control. I need freedom.

For right now, I have no choice but to follow my boss’s every explicit directive and not make any waves. No drama llamas. Because he needs his promotion. And I need to keep this job.

But what happens when Mr. Flores’s orders go from “send me your lesson plans” to “see me after school”? What happens when they go from “take it out” to “let me in”?

For the sake of both of our jobs, we’ll need to keep this a secret. It’s a terrible idea…

…but I might just love it when Oliver orders me around.

Review

Beyond the Bell was a strong debut by Ana Kirk Shaw. I’m excited to see how this story goes. The author kept her word that this was similar to ABC’s Abbott Elementary and did her spin on it. I’m confident that any fan of the award-winning television series would enjoy this story. There’s a strong cast of supporting characters. She gives them a decent amount of screen time, and I’m sure as the story progresses, they will be given more.

While reading, it was very clear that Ana is a teacher. That specifically bled through with the characterization of Georgia and her internal dialogue and how she reacted to things. She had such a deep love for what was right and a strong commitment to her students. I loved that about her. Yes, she tended to be a little chaotic. Towards the middle of the book, Oliver comments that Georgia’s chaotic creativity went well with his organization. I read that sentence and found that a perfect way to describe Oliver and Georgia, and their relationship. Their relationship was an A plus.

Final Thoughts

Beyond the Bell was a great start to the Lessons in Love series. Ana Kirk Shaw captured an amazing romance in an educational setting that was not only entertaining but also heartfelt.

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