| Title | : | The Low Notes (Wexley Falls, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | 299 |
| Publication | : | First published May 15, 2012 |
After caring for his dying father, Kevin Reed, returns to his hometown of Wexley Falls, bereaved, unemployed and exhausted at the thought of starting a new life. Kevin meets young singer, Nina Jordan, who takes his breath away with the sound of her voice. The connection is instantaneous and mutual on their first date, but both are crestfallen when they discover days later, to their horror, Nina is Kevin's student at the local high school.
Deciphering between notions of love and lust, fate and coincidence, Kevin and Nina find themselves unable to turn their backs on what they can't deny is a once in a lifetime feeling.
The Low Notes (Wexley Falls, #1) Reviews
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*2.5 Stars*
A sweet and tender forbidden romance...
I had a little difficulty in rating this book. The beginning was excellent and I immediately connected with the characters. But as the story progressed, it became a bit monotonous and left me wanting more. Although this story was sweet and interesting, and I read through it rather quickly, I felt it ultimately did not live up to the intensity level promised by its intriguing beginning. That said, I did very much enjoy this book.
The Low Notes is a touching story focused on the forbidden love between a teacher and his student: a highly trending topic lately in books. Twenty-seven year old Kevin comes into town mourning the death of his father, when he meets the beautiful and talented Nina one summer night, at a bar where she sings. The two are immediately drawn to one another but the topic of 'age' never comes up. Needless to say, they are both beyond mortified when Nina's first day of her senior year brings her face-to-face with her new love interest and teacher — Kevin. This begins the hurtful denial of feelings, the sneaking around, and the emotional tug-of-war between what feels right versus what is right.
This story had many elements that I very much enjoyed, Nina's talented singing being one of them. Kevin was not the typical brooding, alpha male—which I normally prefer, but this was a nice change. He was sweet and sensitive, but also very sexy. I feel the author successfully tackled such a 'taboo' topic realistically and with class. She also captured the budding attraction, confusion, and excitement of a forbidden love perfectly, and the relationship between these two always felt completely genuine. All things considered, this was a sweet, gentle read that held my interest from beginning to end.
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: New Adult/Romance
▪ Steam Caliber: Moderate
▪ Romance: Forbidden. Complex and emotional.
▪ Characters: Very well portrayed. Sweet hero.
▪ Plot: A teacher/student relationship. Setting: Highschool
▪ Writing: Tender and classy. Sometimes monotonous.
▪ POV: 3rd Person Perspective
▪ Cliffhanger: None/Standalone
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One of the sweetest romances I have ever read.
A story so beautifully written. A man and a woman unable to contain the love they have for each other. The absolute pain of the forced separation. A trick of destiny submitting them to constant torture but nonetheless bringing them together. Nina and Kevin. A love so heartfelt stripped of annoying situations usually encountered elsewhere. Her voice brought them together. And her voice reunited them once more.Beautiful.She moved in close to him, sliding her hands in his thick dark hair, keeping his face inches from hers.
He tried to avoid her gaze, looking anywhere but her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks silently. But
as Nina held onto him he was forced to look at her. For an instant he took in her beauty, her dark hair,
porcelain skin, heather gray eyes and perfectly pink lips. Her face mesmerized him from afar once then by
pure luck, she’d become his for a time. He knew he’d never find anyone quite like her and maybe he’d
never even try. But he had to say goodbye. He refused to keep her from being happy.
*****
His shoulders slacked and he melted in her arms,
relieved he hadn’t yet had his last kiss from Nina.
Their mouths separated again and Kevin felt a horrible tension in his chest. Once more she told him she
loved him and his mouth went dry. His stomach was twisting in knots and he wanted to scream.
Instead his voice came out a soft, sweet whisper, his breath warm against her cheek. “I love you, too,
Nina. I’ll love you the rest of my life.”
Not caring who saw, knowing there were no repercussions, Kevin and Nina each leaned closer to each
other and shared a tender kiss much like their first, back when they were just two people who’d found
each other. After all of the months of fighting and yearning, hiding and denying, loving then leaving, they
were just two people in the end. Two people--at the beginning.
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Ya leí tres libros más sobre EXACTAMENTE la misma historia (
Losing it ,
When Summer Ends y Teach Me) . Aparentemente es el mes de "Amar al profesor"
Hasta ahora , este es el mas tierno y él más creible . -
It took me a while to review this book, I have finished since Sunday but the fear of me writing a wrong review is what has kept it on my currently reading shelf for so long.
First off, I just have to say that the cover got to me, I am really a cover person and I thought it was so simple yet so elegant, blew me away.
The story itself was breath taking; the concept of Forbidden Love is so attractive to me as I always want to imagine myself in their shoes and try to imagine how on Earth I would react, and this book was no different. I thought it was quite unpredictable because both Nina and Kevin had really bad mood swings (in a good way) so I never knew if the relationship would move forward or backwards so this kept me on my toes a bit.
I thought the story was very fast paced, especially in the beginning because in the first few chapters we already knew pot loads about Kevin, and had already begun to really love him as well as empathise with his situation and that was great. Towards the middle he annoyed me a bit because of the decisions he was making that was not just affecting him, and through he was showing signs of guilt and remorse, he was doing them anyway.
I adored Nina; her maturity, her confidence, I had to keep reminding myself how old she was. She really is an amazing character. Also James, I like how there is no stereotypical overweight best friend who has to always be a cheerleader for the main character, instead we have James, who is so adorable and he is so damn harsh, but let’s face it, what’s a best friend if they can’t tell you the truth.
I really enjoyed this book; it was an honour to review it, and I really hope that I have done it justice. -
I just couldn't get into it. Couldn't relate to any of the characters. It was too slow. Read about 15 chapters and then gave up. Sorry.
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OMG, I absolutely ADORED this book. Nina and Kevin are my newest favorite couple! I'm really hoping the author will continue on with their story! There's so much more to be written!
Highly HIGHLY recommend! -
You know the best thing about not knowing anything about a book before you actually start reading it? The utter joy when it’s not what you thought it would be because it’s so much better.
When Kevin and Nina first meet, I was reminded of when Allie and Noah first met in The Notebook. I know it’s a pretty bold statement, but it’s the way it came across to me. It might have been Nina’s original nonchalant demeanor, or Kevin’s eager text message, but something about these two characters together had me holding out hope for a great love story.
Fast-forward a couple of chapters, and I was knocked down a few pegs because as their circumstances unfold, I realized that this book had serious potential to bruise my HEA-seeking heart.
What made this book really (REALLY!) good for me was the sheer desperation of Nina and Kevin wanting to be together. Their reality was the constant obstacle, but the intensity of what they felt for each other never seemed to waver. Even in those moments where I thought ‘this is it – they’re done’, I could literally feel their heartbreak as they tried to put some distance between themselves.
I think that some readers might initially be skittish about this type of ‘forbidden’ romance and the subsequent age gap. But I found that Nina was written more like an ‘old soul’, so any grimacing moments I thought I might have never materialized. Had she been nonsensical and flippant, I would have despised this story.
Though I love a happily-ever-after like it’s no one’s business, I don’t like it when it comes on a silver platter. Having had the ending draw out the way it did just solidified to me that what Kevin and Nina had was not a ‘you want it because you can’t have it’ type of affair. It was grounded in something deeper that, even with a valiant effort on both parts, neither could live without.
The beginning captured me, the middle gutted me, and the end mended my heart. This is one of those stories that I need in paperback. And if you know anything about me, you know that’s saying a lot. -
It was everything it should've been
Everything it would've been
Had we met another day
You're so charming and amusing, see
Blinding me with fantasy
Now the cruelest joke's on me
Can I wait
Can I be strong
Can I change your mind
With a song
Now it's nothing like it could've been
We are nothing like we should've been
But I'm glad we met that day
When it's meant to be,
it's meant to be.
It feels right and easy.
Don't let me go,
just say you'll stay,
all I need is one more day.
Can I wait,
can I be strong,
can I change your mind with a song?
I know you're scared,
but you've got to choose.
Baby we've got nothing left to lose.
Let's be everything we could've been,
everything we should've been,
had we met another day.
These are the lyrics Nina wrote for her relationship with Kevin.The first parts are also written in her creative writing essay,a class where Kevin teaches.
Nina and Kevin met an August night.Nina was singing at the place where Kevin went for a blind date.The moment he heard her sing he forgot about his date and focused on her.They go on a date and everything is fine.Then the school year starts and Kevin discovers that Nina is 17 years old and his student.From that point their relationship have many ups and downs.
The end was good and I can tell the same for the book.It had 73 chapters(not that it matters but still 73 are a lot chapters for a book).I finished the book with the feeling that I saw Kevin and Nina's story and don't need to read another book because this one left me unsatisfied. -
OMG I LOVED this book!!!! It reminded me a little of Slammed - which I also love - just without the really sad parts.
Basically, this book was pure perfection!
Kevin moves into his old family home after his father dies. One night he goes to a local bar where Nina happens to be performing. He falls in love instantly. Completely head over heels/love at first sight, etc. He picks her up and pretty soon they go on an amazingly perfect first date. After that first date Nina is totally smitten as well.
Monday rolls around and it's the first day of Nina's senior year. Low and behold she walks into first period and her creative writing teacher is Kevin, the new hire.
I'm sure you can imagine how shocked they both are... The romance, flirting, struggling, and debating ensue. It's a roller coaster of emotions as you fall in love with them falling in love. You can't help but want them to work out in the end. And the ending does not disappoint either.
This is such a fun and romantic book with amazing characters, great alternating points of view, and one of the best love stories ever! I'm already looking forward to re-reading! -
Wow. That hit me harder then I expected. I was a little uncomfortable at the beginning of the story - I've read a few of the teacher/student love stories - but none of them had this kind of age gap and it took me a while to work past it. That said, I think it actually added a lot to the story. It allowed me to feel just a little bit of the strain that Kevin and Nina felt. I loved Nina. Without a doubt she was far more mature than her years. Half the time I felt like she was handling everything with more grace than Kevin. That said, Roth did a good job with making you understand why Kevin might be behind the times as far as his love life was concerned. I loved that Kevin and Nina were so real. There were no cliched or recycled characters here - and I felt like I really knew them by the time the book closed. Their story was hear wrenching- without any manufactured drama, or extended and frustrating waffling. It was all very organic. I really really enjoyed it from start to if finish. I'm really looking forward to reading more of Kate Roth's work.
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I really like this kind of forbidden love, even don't getting why people do such a fuss about it!
Let's get both main characters here, as an example.
Nina is seventeen, but very mature for her age. And I mean it in everything!
Kevin is thirty, but not so mature as Nina. Like, every time he sees her, most of his thoughts is about her body! And when she tells him that she loves him, he backed out!
But even so, I enjoyed this romance. Reminded me a lot of Kinkyori Renai. Yamashita Tomohisa, for me, is forever the hottest english teacher in love for his student.
Anyway, the writer was very sutil and with no super big confusions between the characters' life because their forbidden love.
And a great point here is, a happy ending to them. -
Hmm, read this book it was useful to realize how much I'm addicted to Alpha male's romances. I mean Kevin is a sweet guy, very honest and trusty, but he is so slow and innocent (for a 27 old guy), have so many insecurities and issues. Nina is a common character we already used to read in the YA romances, and that's why I missed a strong character or even the strings, the desires could be more painful, more forbidden, you know? Just to push ahead the story... And, no, I don't feel like the characters could be real ones, there are a lot of fancy and Pretty Little liars's coincidences involved in this plot XD
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Le pongo 3.5
El libro es muy tierno aunque a veces se me hizo un poco pesado. Otro libro mas sobre la alumna que se enamora de su profesor, aunque para mi no supera a mis amados "Slammed" y "When Summer Ends". -
Una historia de amor narrada con mucha nostalgia, ver cómo los protagonistas atraviesan situaciones para ocultar su amor y sentir su miedo y a la vez su madurez para enfretar al mundo me conmovió mucho
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What a sweet teacher/student read. I am a huge fan of this genre and appreciated the time these characters took with this so called relationship thing.
Kevin is moving back to his childhood home in Wexley Falls. He has spent the last 5 years caring for his father and now that he is gone, Kevin needs to decide what the next step is for him. While hanging out with his cousin Jeff and Jeff's wife at a local bar, Kevin sees the most beautiful girl on stage sining. He is instantly mesmerized by her face and her voice.
Nina is seventeen going on 25, which helps in this situation. She lives with her absentee father and older sister, so she has quite a bit of alone time on her hands. She is going to be a senior in high school, her best friend is a guy named James and she has a job at the bar. Not really looking for much more right now, Nina is flattered when Kevin approaches and asks her out.
As quickly as the date is over, the dream is shattered. The minute Nina walks into her first class Monday, she sees that Kevin is her teacher. They are both shocked as with only the one date under their belt, they didn't get a whole lot of background on each other.
Kevin is torn, naturally. While he wants to keep seeing Nina, he knows he shouldn't. Sure she is a mature seventeen, but she is still his student and it's also illegal. So this tragic couple now has to figure out how to turn the attraction for each other off until they decide what is best for them.
The brushes in the hall and looks across the class aren't helping Nina and Kevin's situation. The have just about talked themselves blue in the face trying to figure out what they should do. She wants to take the chance, he doesn't as he has much more to lose. So we are in quite the back and forth for a while waiting to see how this was all going to play out. Nina's character was written as a mature seventeen, however Kevin's was a bit immature for twenty-six. Maybe that is what will make this relationship work. It seemed as though she was constantly talking him down or making more sense of the situation than him. Kevin was a bit of a hot headed, moody guy.
The Low Notes is a good teacher/student romance. I liked that Kevin and Nina didn't jump right into a relationship without a care in the world. The danger factor is what draws me to this genre and I felt this one had plenty of close calls. I would say the book is pretty innocent, which works because of her age. The gap isn't super creepy and of course she was on the cusp of eighteen, so that helped as well. Great read, high on the angst. -
I really, really enjoyed The Low Notes. Even more so - dare I say it? - than Slammed by CoHo. **gasp!** Both books have a similar story line ; however I enjoyed K Roth's protags Nina and Kevin more than Lake and Will. While I love Slammed for other reasons , I love The Low Notes for the romantic leads. Kevin had me at page one, and Nina did not come across as overly emotional (with the exception of one part during the last quarter of the story). The angst in The Low Notes was plot-driven and not contrived. I was rooting for the couple, even when some of their more intimate moments put them in a precarious spot. I was torn, wanting things to happen between them but not where they were happening. I think I said "Yes, but no! Not here, not now! You'll get caught!" more than once. Kevin and Nina's connection felt real, and I didn't want it ruined.
Another thing I enjoyed about The Low Notes was the level of intimacy. Again this felt real, without the dirty talk and explicit description. I'm all for that from time to time, but here, the way the author described these scenes, I felt a deeper connection to the characters. I also liked the secondary ones, although I had a few issues with James .
I'm glad I read The Low Notes and will be recommending it to fellow readers. Kate Roth can write, and I'm glad she chose to tell this story. I have more of her novels on my TBR, and I know I'm in for good things when I get to them! -
Okay, I just finished it and I think I need to pour out some lovin' in this book. At first, I find the book a bit to slow first and frustrating because of the characters BUT I started to adore Nina's courage. What more I like about this book is I'm actually excited and always looking forward for her to sing in 'The Black Jewel' and Monday's with Kevin. Well, I'm adding a new shelves for re-read books and one of the reason is this book. I love love this. I hope I can see more of Kate Roth's work soon. :)
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I liked this book because it wasn't a sappy everything will be fine book, yes don't get me wrong they had their happy ending, but I like how Kate Roth dealt with the reality of the situation Kevin and Nina were in. but it was beautifully wrote and funny. I adored the characters and as usual , as i do all the time with good ending of two characters destined to be with each other for good, Kevin and Nina forever :) x
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This is one of the cutest romances I've read. The story is written beautifully. Two people who have an undeniable attraction and forced to be separated. It is one of the cutest student-teacher relationship reads. I like the characters. Kevin may be an idiot sometimes, but he is really sweet at other times. Also, Nina is one of the most talented singers. Her voice moves people. It is something great. Overall, a great read.
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Estuvo bien, solo eso. Diálogos bastante clichés, escena repetitivas y tediosas, la linea general de la historia era siempre la misma, ningún giro inesperado. Algunos momentos entretenidos, pero eso fue todo. Nada memorable. Solo quería terminar con el rápido.
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Great ..I loved!!
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This book was okay - too much like the beloved Slammed - which I loved so much.
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3.5 Sweet Stars!
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~ I was given this book in exchange for an honest review ~
It would be very difficult for any woman to read this book and not have some fond (or not so happy) remembrance of her high school years...the awkward time when you grow from an insecure teenage freshman to a young woman in her senior year, ready to conquer the world!
I was immediately grabbed by the heart and pulled into Nina's world and I felt from the very first time we meet her, shyly playing piano at a restaurant, that she was wise beyond her years. Girls tend to mature faster than boys and at 17, she is way ahead of her male classmates in terms of how she handles herself and the poise she exhibits in adult situations.
It is after her performance that she meets Kevin, (an older man, but not so much older that he is unattainable) and of course they are drawn to each other.
What follows is a classic boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy discovers girl is way younger than he thought and surprise, surprise, she is also his student. However, in this case, we don't get your typical cheap little made-for-television after school special. Instead Kate Roth has written a gorgeous and very sensitive and beautiful coming-of-age tale about finding love with the right person, though not necessarily at the right time.
I really liked how she took the time to develop her characters slowly, and their falling in love took a natural course over time with just the right amount of physical/emotional balance. This isn't a case of a predatory male authority figure having his way with an underage girl, but rather two people who happen to take the time to learn about/care deeply for each other first before anything sexual happens.
I loved the characters surrounding and supporting Nina and Kevin...Kevin's cousin and wife, Nina's gay best friend, her older sister and even her indifferent and absent father (Nina's relationship with dad really gives us insight as to why she is as grown up and confident as she is at her age).
I recommend this amazing and at times gut-wrenching book to all lovers of romance novels. It is a realistic story of a student and her teacher...although at times you will question who really taught who in this sweet story of love, fate and learning that good things really do come to those who wait.
***** 5 ***** "singing straight to his heart" stars
~ Review has been done in conjunction with Platypire Reviews ~
www.platypire.com -
I loved this book. I totally felt for Nina and Kevin as they struggled with how to deal with their feelings for one another in their precarious situation. When Kevin first sees Nina singing at a club he's immediately drawn to her. They talk after she finishes her set and her asks her out on a date. At the end of their date they know that there is something special between them that goes deeper than mere attraction. They kiss goodnight, go their separate ways both looking forward to seeing each other again. Come Monday morning it's a total shock when they do see each other when they lock eyes as teacher and student. Nina is 17 and very mature for her age. She's basically been left to raise herself and has had to grow up fast. Kevin is struggling after having his world rocked when his father died of cancer causing him to move back to his childhood home that his dad left him in the small town he grew up in. He takes a job as a substitute English teacher teaching creative writing and ends up being Nina's teacher. His angry at Nina for not telling him she's 17, yet at the same time he's also hurt because of the feelings that he has for her but now can't act on them for fear of going to jail and having both their lives destroyed. It's such a sweet story of forbidden love and the struggle and heartache of loving someone you can't be with.
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This was a really engrossing spin on student/teacher relationships. It was so romantic that I felt a little conflicted reading it because naturally it's against the law for teachers to engage in romantic relationships with students! But Nina is a very likable, admirable main character. It's very easy as a reader to believe that a 17-year-old girl who has been left to take care of herself would seek out a mature relationship with a man not too much older than her who seems very eager to emotionally invest in someone. Kevin, her teacher/love interest, is similarly likable and credible as he struggles with the loss of his father and upheaval of his life, finding himself unexpectedly and uncontrollably drawn to a captivating young woman who just happens to be in his English class. The supporting characters of Kevin's cousin (another teacher at the local high school) and her husband, and Nina's gay best friend, add even more credibility to this very realistic love story.
Kate Roth leaves no emotional stone unturned in this enjoyable, sexy read with an ending that will surprise you! I am very excited to read more by Kate Roth in the future. -
I read the low notes because it was suggested to me by a friend who has read many other books I have enjoyed. The plot of the story was good and the characters were easy to get connected to from the start of the book. I really liked how the characters seemed new and different and it was apparent that the author had spent time making sure the reader felt like they knew both Kevin and Nina. I felt like the large age gap between Kevin and Nina added emotion to the struggle of a teacher student relationship. One thing that bothered me about the book was all of the grammatical and punctuation errors in chapter 3. I felt like these mistakes ware easily picked up by the reader and I found them to be distracting. One more thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars was towards the end of the book character interactions started to become repetitive and predictable. The story would have been better if the characters had a change of scenery every once and awhile. Overall this book was enjoyable and an easy read and I would recommend it to other readers.
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3.5-4 Stars.
This book is hard for me to rate. The author is an amazing writer. The writing was smooth, not choppy. There was not too much inner dialogue. The book was written in dual POVs.
My problem was that I could not get past the age difference in this teacher/student relationship. I LOVE teacher/student stories, but the age difference bothered me a lot. I thought I could get past it, but I didn’t. I have read other books were the girl was in high school and the guy was in college, etc., but the age difference in this book bothered me. Nina is a senior in high school and she is very mature for her age, but that did not change the fact that she was Maybe it was that her family situation that made me feel like she was vulnerable. I really don’t know.
I did not want to rate this book low since, like I said, it is written well and I will look for more books by Kate Roth. -
This book didn't disappoint. It brought all I was expecting. As opposed to other teacher x student books I've read so far, this one realistically portrays the tension and complexity of the relationship. And the author went bolder by having the 9 years age difference.
I will admit some things were a bit ridiculous between them and Kevin acted sometimes like more of a child than Nina herself. But that aside, the author did a good job in slowly building up all the tension and all the repercussions this secretive and bold relationship brought to them.
Kevin's actions can still be considered felony so I personally would have done some things different. Overall, it was an enjoyable story and I enjoyed it more than other books I have read with the similar plot. Slammed is very similar to it but I feel this book successfully portrays better the complexity in a teacher x student romance. Although Slammed by far has better writing.
