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Invisible String
Two rival teachers must work together to save their after-school clubs. The solution to the fiery tension between them? A (supposedly) no strings attached one-night stand.
Olive Davis, a high school art teacher, has reached her breaking point.
After the loss of her mom, she’s been feeling burnt out. But when her beloved after-school club is threatened, she's more lost than ever.
That is until her nemesis, annoyingly hot and entirely arrogant science teacher, Ben Bennett, comes with a plan to work together.
The two have been at odds since they first met but now, with his own club also on the chopping block, he's determined to find a way to save it, even if it means calling a truce with Olive.
Working with the enemy is expectedly unbearable… until a work social turns into a steamy night— adding new meaning to the term team bonding.
Invisible String is a contemporary romance novel, featuring rivals to lovers, one night only and the caretaking trope and also focuses heavily on mental health and healing from grief, all the while finding love.
Olive Davis, a high school art teacher, has reached her breaking point.
After the loss of her mom, she’s been feeling burnt out. But when her beloved after-school club is threatened, she's more lost than ever.
That is until her nemesis, annoyingly hot and entirely arrogant science teacher, Ben Bennett, comes with a plan to work together.
The two have been at odds since they first met but now, with his own club also on the chopping block, he's determined to find a way to save it, even if it means calling a truce with Olive.
Working with the enemy is expectedly unbearable… until a work social turns into a steamy night— adding new meaning to the term team bonding.
Invisible String is a contemporary romance novel, featuring rivals to lovers, one night only and the caretaking trope and also focuses heavily on mental health and healing from grief, all the while finding love.
503 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2023
61 people are currently reading
2389 people want to read
About the author
Meg Jones
6 books253 followersMeg Jones lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, home to the world largest and most aggressive seagulls, with her partner and two cats.
When she isn’t writing steamy romance she desperately wants her parents to avoid, you can find her on the sofa with the perfect expresso martini (equal parts expresso, vodka and Tia Maria) watching sports, quiz shows and musicals.
Meg can best be found spending far too much time on Instagram at @megjoneswrites.
When she isn’t writing steamy romance she desperately wants her parents to avoid, you can find her on the sofa with the perfect expresso martini (equal parts expresso, vodka and Tia Maria) watching sports, quiz shows and musicals.
Meg can best be found spending far too much time on Instagram at @megjoneswrites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
January 30, 2023
I was beyond impressed with this fabulous debut book. Olive and Ben were adorable and I loved how the characters were forced to work together to save their clubs.
I also feel like this book sends the important message that sometimes the career can feel right for now but then change with time. There is nothing wrong with changing career fields and if something doesn’t feel right anymore, you should do something about it.
Join author Meg Jones & I for a live virtual event on April 2! Sign up here: https://www.chicklitistheshit.com/eve...
My thoughts when it was first added to Goodreads:
GO MEG GO!!! Give us the smut and rivals to lovers story we NEED 🤩💗🤩
I also feel like this book sends the important message that sometimes the career can feel right for now but then change with time. There is nothing wrong with changing career fields and if something doesn’t feel right anymore, you should do something about it.
Join author Meg Jones & I for a live virtual event on April 2! Sign up here: https://www.chicklitistheshit.com/eve...
My thoughts when it was first added to Goodreads:
GO MEG GO!!! Give us the smut and rivals to lovers story we NEED 🤩💗🤩
March 4, 2023
“Invisible String” by Meg Jones
3⭐️/5⭐️
2.5🌶/5🌶
“I finally looked at him again, and the way he was looking at me wasn’t the way you look at your enemy, wasn’t the way you looked at the co-worker you worked closely with. It wasn’t even the way you looked at a one night stand. It was something else entirely.”
Olive and Ben are workplace rivals. Teaching alongside in a school district that is continually facing budget cuts, they are told the extracurricular clubs they run are no longer being funded. Desperate to continue running their clubs, they decide to join forces and seek out funding another way: winning a rigorous STEAM competition. Along the way, Olive and Ben realize they work better together than apart. Meanwhile, Olive is mourning the recent passing of her mother. “Invisible String” is a story about love, healing, and finding new purpose in life.
-I really wanted to love this book; it’s been on my TBR for months. There are many aspects I enjoyed, I want to make that very clear. However, the elements I disliked or found distracting overshadowed the positive feelings I experienced early in the book. I’ll start with what I disliked, and move on to what I liked. **There are some minor spoilers in this review, but I will do my best to tag them**
-There were a few inconsistencies with the story that were very hard to overlook. Some were small, like the color of Ben’s shirt being dark green, and then three paragraphs later he’s wearing a white shirt. Others were bigger, like Ben knowing Olive’s mother was a music teacher, and then wondering to himself where she learned to play piano. Obviously she learned to play piano from her mother.
-I was very confused as to where the story took place. I spent about 50% of the story thinking it was in America, but then I began picking up on some British vernacular and assumed it was actually in the UK. But after finishing the epilogue, which talks about celebrating Thanksgiving, I know it’s America. It would have been nice if the setting was more clear to readers.
-
-At times it felt like I was reading two different books, and they weren’t compatible with each other. There’s Olive’s mental health journey, and then there’s her romantic relationship with Ben. It seemed like the two stories didn’t mesh well together; it’s very hard to explain, but they would have worked better as separate books.
-The big conflict between Olive and Ben didn’t make any sense.
-Despite what I mentioned prior, what I disliked the most (and it pains me to say this) was Olive’s character. I struggled with rating this book, because I normally love damaged and flawed MCs. For example, Nesta in the ACOTAR series is my favorite FMC. She is very prickly, divisive among fans, and experiences a mental health journey in ACOSF. Am I being unfair toward Olive, because I like Nesta so much? Ultimately, I don’t think I am. A key difference between the two characters is that people call out Nesta on her bad behavior, but no one would call out Olive on the mean things she said. I was so frustrated with Ben, Olive said so many purposefully hurtful things to him, and he let her get away with it. Yes, she apologized a few times, but it was immediately swept under the rug until the next mean comment she made. And I get it, she’s experiencing grief and depression, she’s in a very bad place mentally. I don’t think her mental health is a justifiable excuse for her actions and words.
Now onto the parts that I enjoyed:
-I think Meg did an excellent job describing how devastating experiencing grief can be. Grief affects every part of a person’s life, it feels suffocating and relentless. Reading Olive’s POV when she described how sad she was reminded me of a period of time when I was grieving a loved one, all the feelings described were 100% accurate.
-The smut scenes were really fun to read. I loved the dialogue between Ben and Olive during those moments.
-The beginning of the book reminded me of “The Hating Game”, but in many ways even better. The workplace setting taking place in a school, and between teachers, is much more enjoyable than reading about a publishing company. Sorry, it just is!
-Final thoughts: I desperately wanted to love this book, but in the end there were too many aspects I didn’t care for. It might be an ‘ it’s not the book, it’s me’ situation, because the writing itself is not bad, my issues lie with the execution.
3⭐️/5⭐️
2.5🌶/5🌶
“I finally looked at him again, and the way he was looking at me wasn’t the way you look at your enemy, wasn’t the way you looked at the co-worker you worked closely with. It wasn’t even the way you looked at a one night stand. It was something else entirely.”
Olive and Ben are workplace rivals. Teaching alongside in a school district that is continually facing budget cuts, they are told the extracurricular clubs they run are no longer being funded. Desperate to continue running their clubs, they decide to join forces and seek out funding another way: winning a rigorous STEAM competition. Along the way, Olive and Ben realize they work better together than apart. Meanwhile, Olive is mourning the recent passing of her mother. “Invisible String” is a story about love, healing, and finding new purpose in life.
-I really wanted to love this book; it’s been on my TBR for months. There are many aspects I enjoyed, I want to make that very clear. However, the elements I disliked or found distracting overshadowed the positive feelings I experienced early in the book. I’ll start with what I disliked, and move on to what I liked. **There are some minor spoilers in this review, but I will do my best to tag them**
-There were a few inconsistencies with the story that were very hard to overlook. Some were small, like the color of Ben’s shirt being dark green, and then three paragraphs later he’s wearing a white shirt. Others were bigger, like Ben knowing Olive’s mother was a music teacher, and then wondering to himself where she learned to play piano. Obviously she learned to play piano from her mother.
-I was very confused as to where the story took place. I spent about 50% of the story thinking it was in America, but then I began picking up on some British vernacular and assumed it was actually in the UK. But after finishing the epilogue, which talks about celebrating Thanksgiving, I know it’s America. It would have been nice if the setting was more clear to readers.
-
-At times it felt like I was reading two different books, and they weren’t compatible with each other. There’s Olive’s mental health journey, and then there’s her romantic relationship with Ben. It seemed like the two stories didn’t mesh well together; it’s very hard to explain, but they would have worked better as separate books.
-The big conflict between Olive and Ben didn’t make any sense.
-Despite what I mentioned prior, what I disliked the most (and it pains me to say this) was Olive’s character. I struggled with rating this book, because I normally love damaged and flawed MCs. For example, Nesta in the ACOTAR series is my favorite FMC. She is very prickly, divisive among fans, and experiences a mental health journey in ACOSF. Am I being unfair toward Olive, because I like Nesta so much? Ultimately, I don’t think I am. A key difference between the two characters is that people call out Nesta on her bad behavior, but no one would call out Olive on the mean things she said. I was so frustrated with Ben, Olive said so many purposefully hurtful things to him, and he let her get away with it. Yes, she apologized a few times, but it was immediately swept under the rug until the next mean comment she made. And I get it, she’s experiencing grief and depression, she’s in a very bad place mentally. I don’t think her mental health is a justifiable excuse for her actions and words.
Now onto the parts that I enjoyed:
-I think Meg did an excellent job describing how devastating experiencing grief can be. Grief affects every part of a person’s life, it feels suffocating and relentless. Reading Olive’s POV when she described how sad she was reminded me of a period of time when I was grieving a loved one, all the feelings described were 100% accurate.
-The smut scenes were really fun to read. I loved the dialogue between Ben and Olive during those moments.
-The beginning of the book reminded me of “The Hating Game”, but in many ways even better. The workplace setting taking place in a school, and between teachers, is much more enjoyable than reading about a publishing company. Sorry, it just is!
-Final thoughts: I desperately wanted to love this book, but in the end there were too many aspects I didn’t care for. It might be an ‘ it’s not the book, it’s me’ situation, because the writing itself is not bad, my issues lie with the execution.
Want to read
November 13, 2022um this sounds so good omg- ALSO INVISIBLE STRING HELLO???
February 10, 2023
An absolutely incredible debut!
Invisible String made me swoon, made me sweat (she steamy, folks!), broke my heart a little, then put it back together again.
It would be easy to wax poetic about how delicious Ben Bennet is and how obsessed I am with him (because he is DELISH and I am OBSESSED), but even more, I was blown away with how Meg tackled grief and burn out.
Olive felt incredibly REAL. The pain of losing her mom, her struggle to properly process it plus experiencing burn out from her job - it was all incredibly relatable. There were so many times I was desperate to reach through the pages to give her a hug. I loved that Meg gave her space to heal and grow away from Ben, especially because it made their reunion that much sweeter.
And okay, we can’t review this book without mentioning the steam, because PHEW! Olive and Ben’s chemistry is off the charts. We love a “good girl” moment in this house. 🥵 And for those who like their books a little less steamy, check out the handy-dandy DICKtionary at the back of the book to find out which chapters to skip. (Or, yknow, which chapters to skip TO… if you’re so inclined!)
Highly recommend this book when it releases on February 28th!
Invisible String made me swoon, made me sweat (she steamy, folks!), broke my heart a little, then put it back together again.
It would be easy to wax poetic about how delicious Ben Bennet is and how obsessed I am with him (because he is DELISH and I am OBSESSED), but even more, I was blown away with how Meg tackled grief and burn out.
Olive felt incredibly REAL. The pain of losing her mom, her struggle to properly process it plus experiencing burn out from her job - it was all incredibly relatable. There were so many times I was desperate to reach through the pages to give her a hug. I loved that Meg gave her space to heal and grow away from Ben, especially because it made their reunion that much sweeter.
And okay, we can’t review this book without mentioning the steam, because PHEW! Olive and Ben’s chemistry is off the charts. We love a “good girl” moment in this house. 🥵 And for those who like their books a little less steamy, check out the handy-dandy DICKtionary at the back of the book to find out which chapters to skip. (Or, yknow, which chapters to skip TO… if you’re so inclined!)
Highly recommend this book when it releases on February 28th!
April 17, 2023
I would not call this a romcom. It’s a romance, but one more on the gloomy side.
For a debut this was pretty strong but i had some slight icks about the story itself, let’s talk about those first.
The book is about Olive and Ben, 2 teachers who supposedly hate each other but have to work together to save their after school clubs. But after a night out and too many shots of tequila sparks fly and the night complicates things.
The thing that irked my the whole book long is that we never got a deep dive into why Olive didn’t like Ben, and if Ben even hated Olive to begin with. Did Ben love her all along and is it a one sided enemies to lovers? Was Ben also indifferent about Olive? The explanation was very muddled and it bothered me immensely lol.
It just felt like i missed a huge chunk of the book with information about the characters, which made them less three dimensional.
The 3rd act problem was also blown out of proportion and i quite honestly felt like Ben was treated immensely unfair the whole goddamn book😭
anyway, now we got the negatives out of the way, on to the good ones:
✨Ben Bennett was such a lovely man. i loved him. the only character well fleshed out tbh😭
✨The setting. I loved the old house Olive was living in with her dad, the school, the way they didn’t have any money to cover anything, it brought on vibes
✨The romance scenes were great
✨Ben Bennett accepting boundaries which should not be romanticised as it’s the bare minimum but yet here we still are bc it’s hot🤷♀️
✨The talk about grief was very relatable, loved the inner monologue
All in all, i enjoyed it, and maybe it’s the mood i’m currently in that i got way more criticism on a book i was very excited for, but it lowkey disappointed me :((
it started out very good, but then i found myself having to push through.
It was a very solid read, for sure pick it up if you like the more melancholy romance reads🫶
3,5/5
For a debut this was pretty strong but i had some slight icks about the story itself, let’s talk about those first.
The book is about Olive and Ben, 2 teachers who supposedly hate each other but have to work together to save their after school clubs. But after a night out and too many shots of tequila sparks fly and the night complicates things.
The thing that irked my the whole book long is that we never got a deep dive into why Olive didn’t like Ben, and if Ben even hated Olive to begin with. Did Ben love her all along and is it a one sided enemies to lovers? Was Ben also indifferent about Olive? The explanation was very muddled and it bothered me immensely lol.
It just felt like i missed a huge chunk of the book with information about the characters, which made them less three dimensional.
The 3rd act problem was also blown out of proportion and i quite honestly felt like Ben was treated immensely unfair the whole goddamn book😭
anyway, now we got the negatives out of the way, on to the good ones:
✨Ben Bennett was such a lovely man. i loved him. the only character well fleshed out tbh😭
✨The setting. I loved the old house Olive was living in with her dad, the school, the way they didn’t have any money to cover anything, it brought on vibes
✨The romance scenes were great
✨Ben Bennett accepting boundaries which should not be romanticised as it’s the bare minimum but yet here we still are bc it’s hot🤷♀️
✨The talk about grief was very relatable, loved the inner monologue
All in all, i enjoyed it, and maybe it’s the mood i’m currently in that i got way more criticism on a book i was very excited for, but it lowkey disappointed me :((
it started out very good, but then i found myself having to push through.
It was a very solid read, for sure pick it up if you like the more melancholy romance reads🫶
3,5/5
Want to read
December 8, 2024i think i got this for christmas!! i got a package in the mail from b+n and i thought it was a gift i bought for someone and i started to open it but it was this and i didnt order it so i gave it to my mom and she said that its probably from one of my cousins eeekk!!
October 17, 2023
I will preface this review by saying I DNF’ed this book approximately
172 pages in to a 364 page book, about 48%.
I became aware about this book on IG. I don’t remember if it was an ad or someone I follow posted a very interesting quote that drew my attention. Immediately I was sold, the premise, the tropes, definitely right up my alley.
Unfortunately this book missed its mark with me. I was lead to believe that this was a contemporary romance, when in reality this book reads much more as a women’s fiction novel with a subplot of romance. Obviously this is Olive’s story and how she overcomes the grief of losing her mother, her romance with Ben take the back seat. Not a bad thing that it’s more women’s fiction, but it is misleading and that’s where it becomes an issue. If people are walking into this book thinking it’s a cute little spicy contemporary romance, and that’s not what they’re getting?
There are so many things I did not enjoy about this book one of them being Ben. There are several things he says that I did not like one bit. He is a physics teacher and inherently believes that maths and sciences are much more important and value able to students/and the school than art.
He says things like:
“What cuts do you think we expect from the arts and crafts department this year?”
“Or maybe we can just gut the department entirely. You guys can do your little doodles with pencil, right? Do you even need other supplies?”
“Well, I’m sure there’s an argument for keeping physics, considering it easily leads to a paying job.”… “Art can lead to a paying job,” “Oh sure it does, Ms. Davis.”
“Besides, there are other benefits to art, Mr. Bennett …Development of fine motor skills, expression of creativity–”
“I’m yet to be convinced of its usefulness. Seems like a waste of time to me,… You know what I would do if I was in charge?…I’d cut it completely, no hesitation. Math has been looking for a new classroom, and they could have yours.”
“Even since that first day he’s (Ben) never treated me or my department with any respect. He’s constantly making snide little remarks, singling my department–and music–out for cuts or to give up resources because either he doesn’t think it’s important, or because they are the only two departments with female heads.”
And I get it there was supposed to be some character arc where he realizes that he’s wrong and he apologizes for being condescending and overall a huge dick. But neither one of these things happen (at least not up to the point i decided to stop reading). Oh but I guess he does kinda apologize but this is the best he could do?
“It was never personal, Olive. It was never supposed to be, anyway. And..” (as for taking her funding she was saving for the field trip) and “I’m sorry if it ever felt that way. If I made you feel that way.” (For the rest of it?) I’m sorry you don’t just be so condescending that physics and the sciences are better than art and the arts several times and just “sorry if it felt that way, sorry if I made you feel that way” you meant to say those things bro. And growing up in a family of only STEM people does not excuse it.
Don’t get me wrong, Olive is her own piece of work. I didn’t get to know how old Ben is but Olive is 27.
We obviously have a reason as to why Olive doesn’t like him.
“Ben had been my rival since day one. He’d sauntered into the school two years ago, immediately acting like he owned the place. Within hours, he’d already got his grubby hands on the funding I’d set aside for the annual department school trip, reallocating the funds to his own department, which was–even worse–the math department.” (Sidebar: since when is physics, you know a SCIENCE class, part of the math department?)
“Not to mention, his attitude was awful. He was rude. He’d barely look at me, cut me off in the parking lot, and speed away like he had no care in the world. And worse yet, on more than one occasion, he’d taken the last baked good left out in the teacher’s lounge before I could even get one.”
Enemies to lovers rarely is executed well in a contemporary setting. And this is an instance where it just doesn’t work. Her reasons for hating him are quite frankly very childish. Since we only (this far) got Olive’s POV she is written much younger than we are told she is, in the way that she speaks, acts, and even her inner monologue. I think this book would have benefitted from having Ben’s POV, because it seems as if Olive is an unreliable narrator and we only get her stance on anything. And since we do not get Ben’s POV we don’t know why he hates her. There is an instance when they are with the school principal and he mentions bringing out the complaint register and Ben says that he put in a complaint that she was too joyful, it was annoying, and Olive says she put in a complaint that he was too moody. 🙄
Another instance to get back at Ben for taking funding she had been working hard to get for a school trip to an art museum, Olive, “wanted to take something from him, and I had thought it would be ironic to take something of his, something he loved, and turn it into art.” and then literally destroyed the school’s entire beaker supply.
I’m pretty sure I could keep going, but I just don’t want to. I had high hopes for this book and it’s a flop for me.
172 pages in to a 364 page book, about 48%.
I became aware about this book on IG. I don’t remember if it was an ad or someone I follow posted a very interesting quote that drew my attention. Immediately I was sold, the premise, the tropes, definitely right up my alley.
Unfortunately this book missed its mark with me. I was lead to believe that this was a contemporary romance, when in reality this book reads much more as a women’s fiction novel with a subplot of romance. Obviously this is Olive’s story and how she overcomes the grief of losing her mother, her romance with Ben take the back seat. Not a bad thing that it’s more women’s fiction, but it is misleading and that’s where it becomes an issue. If people are walking into this book thinking it’s a cute little spicy contemporary romance, and that’s not what they’re getting?
There are so many things I did not enjoy about this book one of them being Ben. There are several things he says that I did not like one bit. He is a physics teacher and inherently believes that maths and sciences are much more important and value able to students/and the school than art.
He says things like:
“What cuts do you think we expect from the arts and crafts department this year?”
“Or maybe we can just gut the department entirely. You guys can do your little doodles with pencil, right? Do you even need other supplies?”
“Well, I’m sure there’s an argument for keeping physics, considering it easily leads to a paying job.”… “Art can lead to a paying job,” “Oh sure it does, Ms. Davis.”
“Besides, there are other benefits to art, Mr. Bennett …Development of fine motor skills, expression of creativity–”
“I’m yet to be convinced of its usefulness. Seems like a waste of time to me,… You know what I would do if I was in charge?…I’d cut it completely, no hesitation. Math has been looking for a new classroom, and they could have yours.”
“Even since that first day he’s (Ben) never treated me or my department with any respect. He’s constantly making snide little remarks, singling my department–and music–out for cuts or to give up resources because either he doesn’t think it’s important, or because they are the only two departments with female heads.”
And I get it there was supposed to be some character arc where he realizes that he’s wrong and he apologizes for being condescending and overall a huge dick. But neither one of these things happen (at least not up to the point i decided to stop reading). Oh but I guess he does kinda apologize but this is the best he could do?
“It was never personal, Olive. It was never supposed to be, anyway. And..” (as for taking her funding she was saving for the field trip) and “I’m sorry if it ever felt that way. If I made you feel that way.” (For the rest of it?) I’m sorry you don’t just be so condescending that physics and the sciences are better than art and the arts several times and just “sorry if it felt that way, sorry if I made you feel that way” you meant to say those things bro. And growing up in a family of only STEM people does not excuse it.
Don’t get me wrong, Olive is her own piece of work. I didn’t get to know how old Ben is but Olive is 27.
We obviously have a reason as to why Olive doesn’t like him.
“Ben had been my rival since day one. He’d sauntered into the school two years ago, immediately acting like he owned the place. Within hours, he’d already got his grubby hands on the funding I’d set aside for the annual department school trip, reallocating the funds to his own department, which was–even worse–the math department.” (Sidebar: since when is physics, you know a SCIENCE class, part of the math department?)
“Not to mention, his attitude was awful. He was rude. He’d barely look at me, cut me off in the parking lot, and speed away like he had no care in the world. And worse yet, on more than one occasion, he’d taken the last baked good left out in the teacher’s lounge before I could even get one.”
Enemies to lovers rarely is executed well in a contemporary setting. And this is an instance where it just doesn’t work. Her reasons for hating him are quite frankly very childish. Since we only (this far) got Olive’s POV she is written much younger than we are told she is, in the way that she speaks, acts, and even her inner monologue. I think this book would have benefitted from having Ben’s POV, because it seems as if Olive is an unreliable narrator and we only get her stance on anything. And since we do not get Ben’s POV we don’t know why he hates her. There is an instance when they are with the school principal and he mentions bringing out the complaint register and Ben says that he put in a complaint that she was too joyful, it was annoying, and Olive says she put in a complaint that he was too moody. 🙄
Another instance to get back at Ben for taking funding she had been working hard to get for a school trip to an art museum, Olive, “wanted to take something from him, and I had thought it would be ironic to take something of his, something he loved, and turn it into art.” and then literally destroyed the school’s entire beaker supply.
I’m pretty sure I could keep going, but I just don’t want to. I had high hopes for this book and it’s a flop for me.
April 9, 2023
This book is a walking Taylor Swift reference and I ate it up in one sitting. No regrets.
I truly enjoyed the romance, but the way depression and grief were described and handled was definitely the biggest highlight. For once, the third act conflict seemed rational and expected, and the ending was just so painfully sweet.
I had some problems with the pacing, as it was never clear how much time passed between certain events in the book. Also, I would've preferred to get either the entire book in dual POV or just Olive's side. As it was, the introduction of Ben's POV at the 70% mark was a bit sudden and off-putting. However, these are minor flaws that are easy to overlook in light of everything else.
Ben... Why aren't real men like this? I want to throw myself off a cliff.
4.75⭐
I truly enjoyed the romance, but the way depression and grief were described and handled was definitely the biggest highlight. For once, the third act conflict seemed rational and expected, and the ending was just so painfully sweet.
I had some problems with the pacing, as it was never clear how much time passed between certain events in the book. Also, I would've preferred to get either the entire book in dual POV or just Olive's side. As it was, the introduction of Ben's POV at the 70% mark was a bit sudden and off-putting. However, these are minor flaws that are easy to overlook in light of everything else.
Ben... Why aren't real men like this? I want to throw myself off a cliff.
4.75⭐
November 7, 2022
4.5 stars
Absolutely loved being a beta reader for this amazing book!
The chemistry, the characters and writing is fantastic
Definitely one to add to your list 🥰
Absolutely loved being a beta reader for this amazing book!
The chemistry, the characters and writing is fantastic
Definitely one to add to your list 🥰
February 18, 2023
What an incredible debut! There was so much to love about Invisible String, which I thought had a little bit of everything from cute and funny moments, to sad and serious ones.
I really loved Olive and Ben as the main characters and loved the supporting characters from Olive’s dad and Meatball to her supportive friend in Hanna. This one was described as a fast burn and I completely agree - at times it almost felt too fast for me, but I enjoyed the banter and the chemistry between Olive and Ben. You’ll be adding Ben Bennett to your list of favourite book boyfriends too - he was just so swoony (a care taking scene, spicy moments and I think I died just a little bit every time he called Olive Miss Davis). On another note, I’ll also be starting a petition for every book to include a playlist because who doesn’t love a book with a playlist?! Also loved seeing the content warnings included at the beginning of the book as well as a dicktionary (aka list of steamy chapters) included!
There were also some heavier topics in this one, as two main themes that this book focused on were grieving the loss of a parent and how that impacted Olive’s mental health. Olive’s character felt so real and I loved following her on her journey. I enjoyed how these elements were incorporated into the story and thought they were handled well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and rated it 4.5 stars! If you are looking for a steamy rivals to lovers workplace romance (they’re teachers) where it was only supposed to be one night that also has its serious moments, check out Invisible String (out Feb 28 & will be on KU!).
I cannot believe this was a debut and can’t wait to see what Meg does next! Thank you to the author, @megjoneswrites for the opportunity to read and review an arc!
I really loved Olive and Ben as the main characters and loved the supporting characters from Olive’s dad and Meatball to her supportive friend in Hanna. This one was described as a fast burn and I completely agree - at times it almost felt too fast for me, but I enjoyed the banter and the chemistry between Olive and Ben. You’ll be adding Ben Bennett to your list of favourite book boyfriends too - he was just so swoony (a care taking scene, spicy moments and I think I died just a little bit every time he called Olive Miss Davis). On another note, I’ll also be starting a petition for every book to include a playlist because who doesn’t love a book with a playlist?! Also loved seeing the content warnings included at the beginning of the book as well as a dicktionary (aka list of steamy chapters) included!
There were also some heavier topics in this one, as two main themes that this book focused on were grieving the loss of a parent and how that impacted Olive’s mental health. Olive’s character felt so real and I loved following her on her journey. I enjoyed how these elements were incorporated into the story and thought they were handled well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and rated it 4.5 stars! If you are looking for a steamy rivals to lovers workplace romance (they’re teachers) where it was only supposed to be one night that also has its serious moments, check out Invisible String (out Feb 28 & will be on KU!).
I cannot believe this was a debut and can’t wait to see what Meg does next! Thank you to the author, @megjoneswrites for the opportunity to read and review an arc!
March 29, 2023
A very gloomy romance ✨
I thought this was gonna be an adorable hating game vibes cute little teachers rom com but it wasn’t….at all 😅 It’s more on the rom dram/ women’s fiction side. It’s very heavy on mental health topics of burn out, depression & panic attacks with emotional scenes of grief. I appreciate these topics being represented but I just expected a different kind of book with more funny banter and cuteness but this was just full of sadness.
I loved ben 🥹 he was cute and I loved how in love he was with olive. The enemies with benefits was good and I liked the spice but i found Olive hard to like. she was so mean to Ben for like no reason. I felt for her situation but i wasn’t deeply connected to the story.
The writing was okay but sometimes inconsistent. The world building needed work cause I didn’t really know where we were outside of the high school setting. I can’t remember if a city or county was ever mentioned 🤔
Overall, a solid debut but it just lacked for me in certain area.
I thought this was gonna be an adorable hating game vibes cute little teachers rom com but it wasn’t….at all 😅 It’s more on the rom dram/ women’s fiction side. It’s very heavy on mental health topics of burn out, depression & panic attacks with emotional scenes of grief. I appreciate these topics being represented but I just expected a different kind of book with more funny banter and cuteness but this was just full of sadness.
I loved ben 🥹 he was cute and I loved how in love he was with olive. The enemies with benefits was good and I liked the spice but i found Olive hard to like. she was so mean to Ben for like no reason. I felt for her situation but i wasn’t deeply connected to the story.
The writing was okay but sometimes inconsistent. The world building needed work cause I didn’t really know where we were outside of the high school setting. I can’t remember if a city or county was ever mentioned 🤔
Overall, a solid debut but it just lacked for me in certain area.
March 8, 2023
What to expect: enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, "just this one time", care taking while sick, mental health rep
For a debut novel, Meg did a fantastic job! I thought the mental health rep was fantastic with Olive dealing with the recent passing of her mother. The enemies to lovers starts from page one and there's so much tension. One of my favorite scenes was the first pizza scene, iykyk.
The playlist for this book is perfect, and I love all the of Taylor Swift
Overall, I think this book could have used another round of editing and didn't capture me as much as I wanted it to. I also wish we had gotten Ben's POV more than just the last bit
Spice: 2.5
For a debut novel, Meg did a fantastic job! I thought the mental health rep was fantastic with Olive dealing with the recent passing of her mother. The enemies to lovers starts from page one and there's so much tension. One of my favorite scenes was the first pizza scene, iykyk.
The playlist for this book is perfect, and I love all the of Taylor Swift
Overall, I think this book could have used another round of editing and didn't capture me as much as I wanted it to. I also wish we had gotten Ben's POV more than just the last bit
Spice: 2.5
March 9, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up. Overall, I think this was a strong debut novel. There were things I liked and things I didn’t, and I hope the author uses the constructive criticism from this and other reviews on her next novel.
Things I liked:
- Ben. I liked him as the MMC and I feel like he was the most fleshed out character.
Thinks I didn’t like:
- this book is in desperate need of an edit. There were so many spelling and grammatical errors, and there were parts that just straight up didn’t make sense. For instance, toward the end of the book Olive is talking about how it’s her third visit to Ben’s apartment but it’s her fourth. There was a sentence about seeing Ben that morning in a meeting with Rob, but the meeting had happened a week ago. I think the beta readers did a disservice to the author by not pointing more of this out, and I would encourage the next group of beta readers to provide more meaningful editing feedback.
- this book is marketed as a romance and based on Meg’s Instagram I thought I was getting a completely different book. I would classify this more as women’s literature with a romance subplot. The book dives heavily into grief and the loss of a parent and is lighter on the romance side of things.
- it’s never specifically stated where the story takes place but I’m assuming America based on spelling (favorite vs favourite) and it reads like it was written by someone who doesn’t quite know how American high schools work, especially budgets. I’m not sure about the rest of the country but in my state it’s extremely difficult for contracted teachers to just quit mid-semester. I understand suspending disbelief and that not everyone is familiar with school district budgeting, but I expected a bit more realistic plot in this sense. It seemed like things were thrown in just to make the story believable when in reality that’s not how it works. Write what you know!
Things I liked:
- Ben. I liked him as the MMC and I feel like he was the most fleshed out character.
Thinks I didn’t like:
- this book is in desperate need of an edit. There were so many spelling and grammatical errors, and there were parts that just straight up didn’t make sense. For instance, toward the end of the book Olive is talking about how it’s her third visit to Ben’s apartment but it’s her fourth. There was a sentence about seeing Ben that morning in a meeting with Rob, but the meeting had happened a week ago. I think the beta readers did a disservice to the author by not pointing more of this out, and I would encourage the next group of beta readers to provide more meaningful editing feedback.
- this book is marketed as a romance and based on Meg’s Instagram I thought I was getting a completely different book. I would classify this more as women’s literature with a romance subplot. The book dives heavily into grief and the loss of a parent and is lighter on the romance side of things.
- it’s never specifically stated where the story takes place but I’m assuming America based on spelling (favorite vs favourite) and it reads like it was written by someone who doesn’t quite know how American high schools work, especially budgets. I’m not sure about the rest of the country but in my state it’s extremely difficult for contracted teachers to just quit mid-semester. I understand suspending disbelief and that not everyone is familiar with school district budgeting, but I expected a bit more realistic plot in this sense. It seemed like things were thrown in just to make the story believable when in reality that’s not how it works. Write what you know!
March 13, 2023
I’ve been following Meg for so long so when I saw she was releasing a book, I was so excited I knew I had to read it.
Let me first say that this was marketed as a Romcom… it’s Not! It’s really a book about overcoming grief and depression with a subplot of romance.
I’m disappointed with it unfortunately but I’m also disappointed in her friends and editors who beta read/ got early copies and instead of being honest with her, they completely gaslit this story. The mass amount of grammar/spelling issues, along with the amount of details that weren’t kept up with and completely seemed to change every paragraph was bad. (Example: his shirt would be one color, but then 2 paragraphs after would all of a sudden be another color? | He would be standing in front of her talking, but in the same sentence would be to her right? | There was a 2
Month time jump, clearly stated in bold letters by the chapter title, but then in the next paragraph was referred back as 1 month and then “a few weeks”🤦🏽♀️)
Also the ending? I understand it. I understood her needing to quit being a teacher because she was literally becoming a shell of a person, but to UP AND LEAVE and we didn’t even get to see her say goodbye to these kids she supposedly loves and fought so hard for her was so disappointing. It’s stated in the book how AWFUL of a cook she is, but ending with her going to culinary school to idk? possibly become a chef maybe? 🫠Lol
Honestly so must didn’t work for me (the plot, the ending, the characters).
Hopeful for her future books 🤞🏽
Let me first say that this was marketed as a Romcom… it’s Not! It’s really a book about overcoming grief and depression with a subplot of romance.
I’m disappointed with it unfortunately but I’m also disappointed in her friends and editors who beta read/ got early copies and instead of being honest with her, they completely gaslit this story. The mass amount of grammar/spelling issues, along with the amount of details that weren’t kept up with and completely seemed to change every paragraph was bad. (Example: his shirt would be one color, but then 2 paragraphs after would all of a sudden be another color? | He would be standing in front of her talking, but in the same sentence would be to her right? | There was a 2
Month time jump, clearly stated in bold letters by the chapter title, but then in the next paragraph was referred back as 1 month and then “a few weeks”🤦🏽♀️)
Also the ending? I understand it. I understood her needing to quit being a teacher because she was literally becoming a shell of a person, but to UP AND LEAVE and we didn’t even get to see her say goodbye to these kids she supposedly loves and fought so hard for her was so disappointing. It’s stated in the book how AWFUL of a cook she is, but ending with her going to culinary school to idk? possibly become a chef maybe? 🫠Lol
Honestly so must didn’t work for me (the plot, the ending, the characters).
Hopeful for her future books 🤞🏽
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2023
This book was weak, corny and FULL of spelling and grammatical errors. That’s not to mention the tense errors and characters who can change outfits three times in one scene because someone clearly forgot what they were wearing. It was hard to immerse in the story with the number of cringe moments and errors. I really wouldn’t recommend it.
February 7, 2023
Actual rating: 4,5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.
This was so good!
I was excited as soon as I saw 'teacher romance' and have been really looking forward to reading this book, and luckily it did not disappoint!
Ben and Olive are 'rival' teachers, Ben teaches physics, Olive teaches arts, and while they may not understand each other's respective subjects, but they have a shared passion for their afternoon clubs and care a lot about their students. So when they are affected by budget cuts, they reluctantly work together to save them.
I am not a big fan of enemies/rivals to lovers in contemporary romance. I know romance novels do not have to be realistic, but there's just no scenario in which I would even remotely want to do date someone I am currently hating. But that's just me, and it's a general issue I have, so while I didn't enjoy the 'rivals' part of their love story, I don't really want to comment on it because I'm biased and can't really be objective.
So instead, let's talk about the 'lovers' part, which was so good!!
One thing I do love about rivals to lovers is the inevitable banter that comes with it, and it's so much fun when they start falling in love but can't quite let go of their old ways.
I also loved the balance of lighthearted banter, smut and the way heavier topics were handled.
The FMC's mother died earlier in the year, so obviously trigger warning for that (speaking of which, loved the detailed trigger warnings at the beginning, it's not something I see a lot in romance).
It happens way too often that the death of a parent is really just a plot device or feels like something that's added to give the main character more depth, and I am so glad it wasn't the case here.
The grief was present throughout the story, and I loved the support that the FMC was getting.
The FMC has a lot to deal with, the grief, uncertainty about her professional future and just a general tendency to avoid dealing with those topics. The MMC was there for her, encouraged her to open up, to seek out a therapist, and he respected her need for space.
The FMC was lashing out and said she needed time on her own, and I was so happy to see the MMC really respect that (while still caring of course), and when she was ready again, he didn't hold a grudge or made her feel guilty for pushing him away, and continued being supportive.
I really appreciated how Ben was definitely your classic grumpy male main character, but when they fell in love, he didn't only do the bare minimum (again, something that happens too often in romance, are men really that trash that you can't even imagine being actually dreamy in the work of fiction you're publishing???), but he was actually a love interest worthy of the 'title'.
Overall, this was a great debut that did have some small issues and some minor things I didn't love, but nothing really major. I definitely recommend reading this, and I'm excited to read whatever the author publishes next.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.
This was so good!
I was excited as soon as I saw 'teacher romance' and have been really looking forward to reading this book, and luckily it did not disappoint!
Ben and Olive are 'rival' teachers, Ben teaches physics, Olive teaches arts, and while they may not understand each other's respective subjects, but they have a shared passion for their afternoon clubs and care a lot about their students. So when they are affected by budget cuts, they reluctantly work together to save them.
I am not a big fan of enemies/rivals to lovers in contemporary romance. I know romance novels do not have to be realistic, but there's just no scenario in which I would even remotely want to do date someone I am currently hating. But that's just me, and it's a general issue I have, so while I didn't enjoy the 'rivals' part of their love story, I don't really want to comment on it because I'm biased and can't really be objective.
So instead, let's talk about the 'lovers' part, which was so good!!
One thing I do love about rivals to lovers is the inevitable banter that comes with it, and it's so much fun when they start falling in love but can't quite let go of their old ways.
I also loved the balance of lighthearted banter, smut and the way heavier topics were handled.
The FMC's mother died earlier in the year, so obviously trigger warning for that (speaking of which, loved the detailed trigger warnings at the beginning, it's not something I see a lot in romance).
It happens way too often that the death of a parent is really just a plot device or feels like something that's added to give the main character more depth, and I am so glad it wasn't the case here.
The grief was present throughout the story, and I loved the support that the FMC was getting.
The FMC has a lot to deal with, the grief, uncertainty about her professional future and just a general tendency to avoid dealing with those topics. The MMC was there for her, encouraged her to open up, to seek out a therapist, and he respected her need for space.
The FMC was lashing out and said she needed time on her own, and I was so happy to see the MMC really respect that (while still caring of course), and when she was ready again, he didn't hold a grudge or made her feel guilty for pushing him away, and continued being supportive.
I really appreciated how Ben was definitely your classic grumpy male main character, but when they fell in love, he didn't only do the bare minimum (again, something that happens too often in romance, are men really that trash that you can't even imagine being actually dreamy in the work of fiction you're publishing???), but he was actually a love interest worthy of the 'title'.
Overall, this was a great debut that did have some small issues and some minor things I didn't love, but nothing really major. I definitely recommend reading this, and I'm excited to read whatever the author publishes next.
March 19, 2023
This was an eagerly anticipated read for me having followed Meg Jones for quite awhile and often laughing my ass off at, or feeling personally attacked (in a good way) by her brilliant book memes.
Olive and Ben are true enemies. She HATES this man. Her after school club is being defunded and she's being forced to work alongside him to keep their respective clubs afloat. All this rage and frustration, on top of the heavy weight of grief that Olive's dealing with, reaches boiling point and Olive and Ben agree to one night together. Just one. Or is that enough?
I loved this book. The enemies to lovers story was one of the best I've read. So much anger, tension and angst, but watching Olive soften to Ben was everything. And it's clear he's had it bad for her for a lot longer (who doesn't love a he-falls-first!). Ben. Oh, Ben. I spent the entire book picturing John Krasinski, just as Meg intended, and that alone should sell this book to anyone. I actually gasped when I got to his chapters. He seems like bit of an ass; arrogant, cheeky and infuriating. But he's so much more 😫
What I wasn't expecting was how this book ripped my heart out at times. Tears were shed (there are some content warnings at the beginning of the book). Poor Olive was just falling apart piece by piece, but Ben was there. I loved Olive's character, her passion and her vulnerability. What I did know was the spice would be just right and Meg delivered - you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.
I highly recommend this one and I can't wait to see what Meg Jones does next!
Olive and Ben are true enemies. She HATES this man. Her after school club is being defunded and she's being forced to work alongside him to keep their respective clubs afloat. All this rage and frustration, on top of the heavy weight of grief that Olive's dealing with, reaches boiling point and Olive and Ben agree to one night together. Just one. Or is that enough?
I loved this book. The enemies to lovers story was one of the best I've read. So much anger, tension and angst, but watching Olive soften to Ben was everything. And it's clear he's had it bad for her for a lot longer (who doesn't love a he-falls-first!). Ben. Oh, Ben. I spent the entire book picturing John Krasinski, just as Meg intended, and that alone should sell this book to anyone. I actually gasped when I got to his chapters. He seems like bit of an ass; arrogant, cheeky and infuriating. But he's so much more 😫
What I wasn't expecting was how this book ripped my heart out at times. Tears were shed (there are some content warnings at the beginning of the book). Poor Olive was just falling apart piece by piece, but Ben was there. I loved Olive's character, her passion and her vulnerability. What I did know was the spice would be just right and Meg delivered - you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.
I highly recommend this one and I can't wait to see what Meg Jones does next!
February 27, 2023
"Will you still be mine tomorrow?"
"I will be. Will you still be mine?"
"I was always yours, Olive."
thank you to Meg for the arc!!
I'm always gonna stan a swiftie author!! never had one let me down and Meg has kept that streak going!
as soon as I saw the title and tropes for this I was sold! one of my fave songs as the title?? rivals to lovers?? forced proximity?? art teacher x science teacher??? I was instantly hooked! Because of all that, I went into this expecting a fun little romance but what I got was so much more and it had me in tears
the way Meg wrote about grief and Olive's journey with it was so real and I just wanted to take care of her, that's my best friend right there and I need to make sure she's okay!!
Ben was so annoying I love him he's so ideal, he just wanted to be there for Olive and help her out and he was always rooting for and his selflessness made my heart hurt a little!!
I adored the romance and the relationship between Olive and Ben but the real beauty of this book came from Olive's journey of dealing with loss and finding herself
I was crying for the last like 20% of this book, it hurt me way more than I thought it would but the ending was so lovely and so worth the pain
this was an amazing debut and I can't wait to see what Meg writes in the future!!
It was like we'd always been tied together, never managing to pull apart, fate pulling at the puppet strings to keep us coming back.
February 23, 2023
4.5⭐️
What a debut novel! Well done Meg Jones and thank you so much for the e-ARC your fabulous book!
The setting and storyline to this book was so unique and fun. I’ve personally never read a teacher rivalry book and I was here for it. It was giving me such Bad Teacher vibes 😂 really great way to show the enemies/rivals to lovers trope!
I loved Olive and really related to her. She was at a constant battle between putting herself and others first and i was so proud of the steps she took, to put herself first. Ben is such a wind up but also a massive simp for Olive and I loved it. Filthy mouthed science teachers? This is now a kink. Plus he blushes.
I couldn’t stop laughing at the banter and pettiness between Olive and Ben. They both gave as good as they got, but honestly Olive’s internal thoughts about Ben and plotting his murd3r 😂
Meg did a really good job at representing the ups and downs of someone’s mental health, whilst dealing with grief. Big message = always look after number 1 ❤️
This book releases on 28th Feb and you can preorder now, so get going!
*𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬*
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: contemporary romance
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: enemies/rivals to lovers, workplace romance (teachers), caretaking scene, forced proximity, one night stand…
What a debut novel! Well done Meg Jones and thank you so much for the e-ARC your fabulous book!
The setting and storyline to this book was so unique and fun. I’ve personally never read a teacher rivalry book and I was here for it. It was giving me such Bad Teacher vibes 😂 really great way to show the enemies/rivals to lovers trope!
I loved Olive and really related to her. She was at a constant battle between putting herself and others first and i was so proud of the steps she took, to put herself first. Ben is such a wind up but also a massive simp for Olive and I loved it. Filthy mouthed science teachers? This is now a kink. Plus he blushes.
I couldn’t stop laughing at the banter and pettiness between Olive and Ben. They both gave as good as they got, but honestly Olive’s internal thoughts about Ben and plotting his murd3r 😂
Meg did a really good job at representing the ups and downs of someone’s mental health, whilst dealing with grief. Big message = always look after number 1 ❤️
This book releases on 28th Feb and you can preorder now, so get going!
*𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬*
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: contemporary romance
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: enemies/rivals to lovers, workplace romance (teachers), caretaking scene, forced proximity, one night stand…
January 31, 2023
This debut novel by Meg Jones is a stunner, serving up rivals to lovers excellence with a ton of heat and heart.
The chemistry between Olive and Ben was *chef's kiss*, I adored their banter and the progression of their relationship, which was messy in the best possible way because Olive's just out here trying her best and it's impossible not to root for her to get her happy ending. I found her struggle with mental health relatable and I'll forever scream about how important it is to have that kind of representation in books. And of course I cannot forget about Ben, who is the absolute worst driver with a filthy mouth and the kindest heart. He is the ultimate book boyfriend.
The chemistry between Olive and Ben was *chef's kiss*, I adored their banter and the progression of their relationship, which was messy in the best possible way because Olive's just out here trying her best and it's impossible not to root for her to get her happy ending. I found her struggle with mental health relatable and I'll forever scream about how important it is to have that kind of representation in books. And of course I cannot forget about Ben, who is the absolute worst driver with a filthy mouth and the kindest heart. He is the ultimate book boyfriend.
March 30, 2023
This book was equal parts witty and emotional. I love how Meg painted grief while also incorporating a romcom aspect. Really enjoyed this story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2023
Really wanted to like this more. Cute, feeling story but I saw a few spelling errors which tend to annoy me, especially in published work. Beyond that, some of the decisions made by characters simply didn’t make sense to me. The author does a good job of describing grief and how it can be all-encompassing. Good first book by an author. Looking forward to reading what this author writes next.
February 5, 2023
Congratulations on smashing your debut novel Meg! Thank you for the ARC!
Olive and Ben are super loveable characters that you can really root for and the chemistry between them is palpable. You could cut the tension with a knife. There were deeper topics covered too, with Meg struggling with grief after losing her mum and dealing with the mental health struggles she’s facing. My fav thing about this story is that Ben didn’t save her. Yes, he was a big support but Meg knew she had to take steps on her own to look after herself and get help.
Overall, a really great debut with sweet, funny and heartbreaking moments. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next Meg ♥️
Olive and Ben are super loveable characters that you can really root for and the chemistry between them is palpable. You could cut the tension with a knife. There were deeper topics covered too, with Meg struggling with grief after losing her mum and dealing with the mental health struggles she’s facing. My fav thing about this story is that Ben didn’t save her. Yes, he was a big support but Meg knew she had to take steps on her own to look after herself and get help.
Overall, a really great debut with sweet, funny and heartbreaking moments. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next Meg ♥️
February 21, 2023
Omg…. Ben! He was so hot, dreamy and plain spicy!
It helped that spice appeared very quickly in comparison to other books. And what hot spice it was!! It was fantastic and hot as hell.
They agreed it was only for one night… sure! Their situation was going to be different, of course… not!
Olives pain and depression was so painful to read. I really connected with her depression and her pain. It was so beautiful written despite the
And to top it all off, Ben comforts Olive with anxiety. What more could a book boyfriend do?
Thank you Meg Jones for an eARC for an honest review.
It helped that spice appeared very quickly in comparison to other books. And what hot spice it was!! It was fantastic and hot as hell.
They agreed it was only for one night… sure! Their situation was going to be different, of course… not!
Olives pain and depression was so painful to read. I really connected with her depression and her pain. It was so beautiful written despite the
And to top it all off, Ben comforts Olive with anxiety. What more could a book boyfriend do?
Thank you Meg Jones for an eARC for an honest review.
April 1, 2023
I struggled with this. I love enemies to lovers but these two were just rude to each other. It wasn’t the cute banter like typical enemies to lovers, they were just mean.
I didn’t care much for Ben. He was too wushu washy with his feelings. One moment he was sweet, then said something mean. The spice scenes I felt were out of place every time. They were written well, i just wasn’t into it cause they happened at what I felt like the wrong times.
The idea behind the book was fun with them being teachers and trying to save their programs. My mom was a teacher so I understand the struggles they had.
Overall, was just alright.
single POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️
I didn’t care much for Ben. He was too wushu washy with his feelings. One moment he was sweet, then said something mean. The spice scenes I felt were out of place every time. They were written well, i just wasn’t into it cause they happened at what I felt like the wrong times.
The idea behind the book was fun with them being teachers and trying to save their programs. My mom was a teacher so I understand the struggles they had.
Overall, was just alright.
single POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️
November 8, 2022
I had the pleasure of reading the beta version of this book and I LOVED it. It reminded me of The Hating Game and Book Lovers but steamier! The smut is👌
March 4, 2023
Olive’s mind was not a fun place to be and I couldn’t connect to her relationship with Ben as much as I wanted to.
March 2, 2023
Title: Invisible String
Author: Meg Jones
Hero/Heroine: Ben & Olive
Tropes: Rivals to Lovers, Workplace,
TW/CW: Anxiety, depression, grief, death of a parent (off page),
THE GOOD 😀
This is one of very romances I’ve read where one or both main characters are teachers, and I have to say that I think it might be my new favourite trope (micro trope?). People are always quick to say that teachers get paid to take thirteen weeks holiday a year, but the actual effect the job has on their mental health is outlined in this beautiful and heartwarming, if at times sad, story.
Ben and Olive have been at each others throats ever since Ben started as a science teacher at the school where Olive works. When both of their after school clubs are at risk of being axed due to budget cuts, they’re forced to work together to come up with a way to keep them both, without actually killing each other. Let me just tell you the sexual tension in this book was next level. Right from the first time where they appeared on page together, I knew that the two of them would be pretty damn combustible.
I loved Ben and Olive’s characters; their complexities and attitudes complimented each other so well, I just wanted them to have their happy ending. Even when they were swapping insults, you could tell that there were some seriously deep feelings there. I loved how Ben was so caring and supportive toward Olive, and I loved how Olive could admit when she was wrong and would clearly communicate with Ben.
This book definitely introduced me to a new thing that should now be included in all romance books going forward: topless blokes in grey joggers making Nutella on toast. Specific but effective I must say.
I adored this rivals to lovers story, especially witnessing Ben and Olive trying to deal with their ever growing feelings for one another. Sweet, funny and, at times, very spicy, Invisible String was a thing of beauty, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
THE BAD ☹️
Not a goddamn thing.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this to read. This is my honest review.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Sweet and steamy, this rivals to lovers story was epic
STEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥
STAR RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Meg Jones
Hero/Heroine: Ben & Olive
Tropes: Rivals to Lovers, Workplace,
TW/CW: Anxiety, depression, grief, death of a parent (off page),
THE GOOD 😀
This is one of very romances I’ve read where one or both main characters are teachers, and I have to say that I think it might be my new favourite trope (micro trope?). People are always quick to say that teachers get paid to take thirteen weeks holiday a year, but the actual effect the job has on their mental health is outlined in this beautiful and heartwarming, if at times sad, story.
Ben and Olive have been at each others throats ever since Ben started as a science teacher at the school where Olive works. When both of their after school clubs are at risk of being axed due to budget cuts, they’re forced to work together to come up with a way to keep them both, without actually killing each other. Let me just tell you the sexual tension in this book was next level. Right from the first time where they appeared on page together, I knew that the two of them would be pretty damn combustible.
I loved Ben and Olive’s characters; their complexities and attitudes complimented each other so well, I just wanted them to have their happy ending. Even when they were swapping insults, you could tell that there were some seriously deep feelings there. I loved how Ben was so caring and supportive toward Olive, and I loved how Olive could admit when she was wrong and would clearly communicate with Ben.
This book definitely introduced me to a new thing that should now be included in all romance books going forward: topless blokes in grey joggers making Nutella on toast. Specific but effective I must say.
I adored this rivals to lovers story, especially witnessing Ben and Olive trying to deal with their ever growing feelings for one another. Sweet, funny and, at times, very spicy, Invisible String was a thing of beauty, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
THE BAD ☹️
Not a goddamn thing.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this to read. This is my honest review.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Sweet and steamy, this rivals to lovers story was epic
STEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥
STAR RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 15, 2023
4.75/5
this was so, so good!!!
i follow this author on instagram and when she announced she was writing a book i was super excited, then she titled the book after a taylor swift song and my excitement level rose much higher! i’ve been watching a lot of abbott elementary lately so a teacher romance is just what i needed! ben and olive were amazing!! i love me some rivals to lovers and they were great! ben was the biggest sweetheart and i’m obsessed with him! i also love how this book dealt with so serious topics without it making me incredibly depressed. i would’ve liked to see more of olives recovery, maybe one therapy scene or something but i did appreciate the chapters in bens pov. the writing was really good, i didn’t know what to expect because this was a debut but it really blew me away. the one complaint i would have is the setting, i have no idea where this book took place. maybe i’m stupid but no town was mentioned and sometimes you need one to imagine the story, even if it’s a made up town. but other than that i was very pleasantly surprised by this book and am very interested to see what meg does next!!
this was so, so good!!!
i follow this author on instagram and when she announced she was writing a book i was super excited, then she titled the book after a taylor swift song and my excitement level rose much higher! i’ve been watching a lot of abbott elementary lately so a teacher romance is just what i needed! ben and olive were amazing!! i love me some rivals to lovers and they were great! ben was the biggest sweetheart and i’m obsessed with him! i also love how this book dealt with so serious topics without it making me incredibly depressed. i would’ve liked to see more of olives recovery, maybe one therapy scene or something but i did appreciate the chapters in bens pov. the writing was really good, i didn’t know what to expect because this was a debut but it really blew me away. the one complaint i would have is the setting, i have no idea where this book took place. maybe i’m stupid but no town was mentioned and sometimes you need one to imagine the story, even if it’s a made up town. but other than that i was very pleasantly surprised by this book and am very interested to see what meg does next!!
February 26, 2023
Thank you so much for the ARC!
When I say depression loomed over this book, I mean it in a good way. Depression was so accurately represented in this that I felt it deep in my gut. The fact that Olive's journey with depression and grief so perfectly mirrored my own personal story made it hard to read. Meg Jones doesn't sugarcoat it. Sometimes, you feel nothing. Sometimes, you want escape. And sometimes you just don't know if your brain is processing anything correctly at all. Ben and Olive finding love made this a hopeful novel. Out of everything in this book, I love that the pain didn't exactly end when the book did. Problems didn't go away. Visiting her mother's grave didn't solve everything. It was real, and it was honest. 5 stars.
When I say depression loomed over this book, I mean it in a good way. Depression was so accurately represented in this that I felt it deep in my gut. The fact that Olive's journey with depression and grief so perfectly mirrored my own personal story made it hard to read. Meg Jones doesn't sugarcoat it. Sometimes, you feel nothing. Sometimes, you want escape. And sometimes you just don't know if your brain is processing anything correctly at all. Ben and Olive finding love made this a hopeful novel. Out of everything in this book, I love that the pain didn't exactly end when the book did. Problems didn't go away. Visiting her mother's grave didn't solve everything. It was real, and it was honest. 5 stars.
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