Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Girl begins to hate job.
Girl quits job.
Girl goes to college for the experience and degree she never had.
Girl matches wits with professor.
Girl and professor… might… like… each other?
Though this is an extremely simplified summary of Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon, if you’re interested in forbidden romance and age-gap romance tropes, you should consider this five-star (in my humble opinion!) romantic comedy!
Ramona is a young adult, in her mid-20s, who is done with the music scene. She started as a child star who rose to fame on a TV show and broke into music and has been on a tight touring schedule ever since. She has not had much time to herself and has been managed by her parents. She is, simply put, exhausted, and her mental health is in the toilet.
Finally, she’s had enough. At the conclusion of her tour, she just… retires. With no notice. She’s done.
After some back and forth with her management (ahem, her mother), she hides in her house or works out with her best friend, who is also her personal trainer. But she’s largely away from the public eye. Until she decides to enroll in college – her dream, as she had been unable to attend at a regular age due to her touring schedule.
Enter Nick Navarro, her psychology professor. Nick had been prepped on Ramona prior to the beginning of the semester. No special treatment required. Don’t draw attention to Ramona. Treat her like a regular student.
And Ramona doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. But it happens anyway. The other students notice her. And she has things to say in class.
A Lesson in Love and Second Chances
Nick is rattled. Initially, he is irritated. Ramona is baffling. She is clearly intelligent. But she doesn’t turn her assignments in on time, and she isn’t doing well in class. Until one day, she calls him after finding his name in a directory for students to contact when needing help. He finds her having a panic attack in a public bathroom. He talks her through the panic attack.
After the panic attack, a tentative friendship (and maybe more?) builds. Nick finds that Ramona never built study habits or good computer skills, which is why she’s having a difficult time with the basics of college, and once she masters these things, she begins to excel in class.
I’m generally a fan of first-person narratives, and this book is written in third person. However, this did have a dual POV, which is my preference in a romance. I feel that it helps to build the story, and in Extracurricular it absolutely helps. The reader can insert themselves into the lives of both characters – to see how Ramona is feeling as she is having a panic attack in the public bathroom and to empathize with Nick as he is navigating his worries about his job as a professor as his feelings grow for Ramona.
Something else I loved in Extracurricular was the use of text messages throughout the book. As our reliance on technology grows, text messaging in our own lives continues to replace phone calls, and I love that Solomon added text messaging between Ramona and Nick into the dialogue of the book. It added an element of reality, but also of sweetness, that I really appreciated.
A Romance That Earns Every Beat
Having not (yet!) read any of Solomon’s other work, I thoroughly enjoyed Extracurricular’s exploration of the forbidden romance as well as the age-gap romance trope. In my opinion, both tropes can be difficult to get right, particularly forbidden romance, and Solomon handled both with finesse and grace. I can only assume that she researched and spent time with those in academia to ensure that the professor-and-student romance was handled correctly in this novel.
Fun fact about Solomon: she was once part of a Guinness Book of World Records group for the most natural redheads in one area at the same time! She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in journalism and worked for various media outlets such as The Seattle Times and KUOW Public Radio. She now lives in Amsterdam with her husband and writes adult and YA romantic comedies.
“She feels a bit like a sunflower, her face tilted in his direction.”
An absolute gem of a book; you’ll want to read this before the summer ends on a beach blanket or a hammock, then take it home with you to finish under your covers before the night ends with a glass of wine or mug of hot tea! And if you’re like me, you’ll want to read the rest of Solomon’s books as well!
About Rachel Lynn Solomon:
Rachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Weather Girl, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater.
