Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score
Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score ($15) follows Marley as she moves back home hoping for a fresh start. Of course, she never would have imagined her fresh start to consist of teaching P.E. and coaching football at her old high school, which is where Jake, her high-school crush, also teaches. Luckily, they strike up a deal to help each other out, and a fake relationship ensues — only the fake relationship starts to feel a little too real.
I came across a comment buried in a thread somewhere raving about this book, and even though it doesn't have the type of candy-coloured illustrated cover I usually go for (yes, I'm that type of reader), I'm so glad I took a chance on it. Plus, with nearly 4.5 stars on Goodreads, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. One thing that sets it apart from the rest of the books on this list is that the story is told from a dual narrative. But the same overarching themes are there: girl moves to small town to get life back on track, girl reconnects with guy from school days, romance happens. I felt like this book had true depth (probably more so than the others), in addition to being laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the progression of Marley's character arc, including her relationship with herself and other supporting characters, was satisfying to read. Bonus: the sex scenes are steamy.