Last Will and Testament

Dahlia Adler’s „Last Will and Testament“ is a steamy romance novel perfect for fans of the forbidden love trope. Valedictorian turned partygirl Lizzie Brandt’s life is turned upside down when she learns that her parents have unexpectedly died and left her as the sole guardian of her younger brothers. Only eighteen and currently not the most responsible person in the world, Lizzie has to turn her life around in order not to lose her scholarship and to keep her brothers out of foster care. She never could have expected that her unapproachable TA would be the one to help her the most – both academically and as a shoulder to cry on. Suddenly, not falling for Connor becomes a challenge in and of itself, a challenge that if lost could have horrible consequences for both of them. I am not opposed to the forbidden love trope, but am not particularly a fan of student-teacher romances. Somehow, I didn’t realize that’s exactly what „Last Will and Testament“ is all about. I have very mixed feelings about the main character, Lizzie. On one hand, I love how she steps up and tries her best to do what’s expected of her. In caring for her brothers and bringing up her grades, she shows a lot of responsibility and character growth, which I really like. On the other hand, she is a rather jealous young woman who tends to make mountains out of molehills a lot, which just annoyed me. I guess, considering the recent tragedy, I should cut her some slack, but her hot and cold demeanor really got on my nerves at times. Her love interest, Connor, is an absolute sweetheart and I just adored him. He is a dedicated, reliable and driven person and not at all someone who would take advantage of others. I think that’s also the reason why I did not immediately put this book down upon finding out about the student-teacher relationship. The story itself wasn’t particularly innovative, but entertaining nonetheless. I liked the mix of drama and romance, even if some of the drama (I am looking at you, Sophie) was largely unnecessary. To be fair, Sophie plays her part as the unlikeable and petty nemesis pretty well. What I absolutely did not enjoy about this book was the frequent use of crude language. Of course, people swear and don’t always use the prettiest words in real life either, but I am not a fan of unnecessary profanity, especially in books that should make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. All in all, „Last Will and Testament“ is a solid choice if you are in the mood for a romance novel that’s a quick and easy read. I especially recommend it to fans of books like Colleen Hoover’s „Slammed“.