Don't Fall in Love and How to Break the Rules

by Sally Brooks

When Chrissie walks into her classroom on the first day of term, the last person she expects to bump into is new teacher Nisha, an old flame from the sun-soaked summer of her A levels.

Following her recent escape from a cult and a bad break-up, Chrissie has set herself three rules for her new life.

Rule don’t fall in love. So what should she do when her eyes meet Nisha’s one too many times across the glue sticks?

Rule give back to her Kings Heath community in Birmingham, especially the children in her class.



Rule question everything, especially her growing passion for Nisha when they take their pupils on a residential trip to France.

Will Chrissie overcome her demons and find love? Can she rebuild her life after her traumatic experience? And will Nisha love her back when someone from her past makes her an offer she can’t refuse?

Don’t miss this dramatic, humorous, feel-good story of love and redemption from the author of Swiping Right (and Other Disasters).

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, Contemporary

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2025

About the author

I'm Sally Brooks, a British writer of contemporary sapphic romance. These books are perfect for those of you who love diverse characters, romantic comedy and page-turning fiction.
In my books you will find compelling, funny and heartwarming stories - think all the lols with all the feels.
I love complex queer female characters so that's what I write and I'll keep you guessing right to the end.
I live in Birmingham with my wife, our three children and two cats - Cagney and Lacey, who are surprisingly bad at solving crime.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read!
It's an easy to get through storyline -- a bit stilted at times that involved the ex from book #1 and her ex from her teenage years --

[Misha · Rating 3 out of 5]

(rounded up from 2.5)

I wanted to enjoy this one, I really did. Imagine the potential when one of the MCs is a desi woman and also named Nisha, a letter off from my own name (which is the closest I've ever gotten to seeing my name in a book I read). Anyway, a bit disappointing because of several reasons:

1. There are some interesting side stories that kind of go nowhere. The cult thing was interesting, but ultimately fizzled out. Nisha's issues also kind of feel underwhelming because she doesn't do anything about them but they are suddenly just resolved.

2. Nisha being a POC was super exciting to me, but literally nothing came of it. She may as well be a white woman named Janet, TBH, which is really disappointing to me.

3. The romance doesn't feel to me like the two MCs even like each other or like hanging out. Affection is a big part of a romance for me, and it wasn't there here, so again, a bit of a disappointment.

TL;DR: I expected some cool stuff based on the premise and the previous book in the series, but was disappointed. This was fine, I can't say much more than that.

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐✨3.5/5

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Lesbian MC, Asian Bi/Pan LI, Nonbinary & Queer SCs

This was a quick and fairly lighthearted read considering some of the more intense themes underlying the story. Chrissie and Nisha used to be best friends. More than friends. But then everything went south and they never spoke again. But a couple decades later Chrissie still has no idea why. Nisha is also the last person she expected to see standing in the classroom as the new teacher she would be assisting that year. Chrissie has been trying to start over after she went through a very traumatic experience that completely changed her life. Now she lives by three rules: Don’t Fall in Love, Question Everything, Give Back. But can she stick to rules with her old flame back in her life?

There was a lot of backstory packed into this relatively quick read and the author did a great job of slowly filling in more details and gaps along the way. I enjoyed the relationship and connection between Chrissie and Nisha. Chrissie was a bit chaotic and messy - but with everything she’d been through it was easy to understand why. I was definitely rooting for them to work through their past and find a new path forward together. They could not deny the bond they shared even if they tried. They were just drawn to one other and their chemistry was undeniable from the moment they reconnected. It may have taken them a long time to find their way back to each other, but together is where they truly belong. I also really loved seeing Chrissie grow and learn to trust again. She was not the same person at the end of the story as she was in the beginning. She was finally ready to start living again, not just survive.

There were a few aspects of the story that I just couldn’t get on board with. I’m not sure if things are different in the UK than in America, but as someone who knows a lot of teachers and has worked with children and youth in a lot of different capacities - the bits about the school trip were just not jiving for me. I know it’s fiction, but it was way too unrealistic for me. The trip came together way too fast. They got drunk at night while out of the country with 25 children and were more focused on hooking up than on chaperoning. If not for the school trip part of the story I probably would have rated this a bit higher. It just made it harder for me to connect and get pulled into the story when I kept cringing about their behavior on that trip.

I did not realize the second book in a series when I signed up to be an ARC reader, but while characters from book one make an appearance in this story, it can very much be read as a standalone. There are definitely some ties between the books (the MC in book one being the ex of the MC in book two) and I’m not sure how much of Chrissie’s backstory was included as part of book one, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything while reading this book.

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.

📝Tropes/Themes: Forced Proximity, Second Chance, Only One Bed, Friends to Lovers, Return to Hometown, Workplace Romance, Starting Over, Setting: UK/Paris

⚠️TW/CW: Sexual Content, Mentions of Cults, Divorce, Toxic Relationships, Minor Stalking, Mention of Parental Abandonment and Parental Death

[Siddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chrissie is a teaching assistant in a school in Birmingham, England. Nisha is a teacher employed at the last minute to take a suddenly vacant post.
Chrissie and Nisha were together when they were 18yo, but that ended in disaster. Now twenty years later they meet again.
This is the second book in this series of four planned books, and it’s the first I have read. I loved it.
Chrissie is too much in her own head. “clearly they weren’t meant to be together – Chrissie had her rules, Nisha wasn’t in the right place for it, and they had far too much history. ”Chrissie seems so set in her view that nothing can happen. We don’t get to hear Nisha’s internal monologue, but it seems somewhat similar at times. Sometimes she is “I think it’s best nothing happens between us, because I will just run away again and hurt you” and at other times she seems to want them to try again.
This is a really well thought out story, with very strong main characters, but also some excellent supporting roles, and many noisy children! It contains a small amount of discussion of mental abuse from the past, but it doesn’t detract from the main romance between the women.

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

Experience has taught Chrissie she needs to stay focused and determined to follow her rules of not falling in love, giving back to the community, and questioning everything. When she ends up working along Nisha, someone she used to be very much in love with, those rules are challenged. But also Nisha is offering Chrissie somewhat a second chance, and the chance is a most tempting one.

Although this book follows on from the first in The Second Chance Chronicles, if you haven’t read that yet you can very much enjoy this one without knowing anything further. I have read the first book, so was super excited we were getting Chrissie’s story now, and I highly recommend reading the first book in the chronicles if you can first. I loved the story though, and it was perfect for Chrissie to have a chance to rebuild her life and prove that people can change. She was so disciplined with her rules until Nisha really made her want to give in and ignore them, but her heart was winning out on that and I was along for the ride agreeing at this point.

Nisha was fun and really brought out the best in Chrissie. She was encouraging and once she knew everything Chrissie had been through, she was also supportive and understanding of why Chrissie had her rules and perhaps hesitated to take the chance with Nisha. Chrissie had grown a lot as a character but was also accepting that she had more room to grow and be better. It was Nisha who helped her to realise that she shouldn’t hold back from feeling deserving of her own happiness now though, especially when she’d already significantly been making so much progress. There were lots of cute moments shared between them to balance out some of the more emotional moments, and together they actually had a lot of fun, which really made me smile. And of course being surrounded by children because of their jobs, meant there was always something going on to keep them on their toes, challenge them, and keep things interesting.

I really did love every second of this story and all Chrissie and Nisha achieved. I’m excited for their future, and it might have just been me, but there were a few little things in there that I could relate to an Easter egg or two and I loved them. A great story that I hope everyone will enjoy.

[Leane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chrissie is working hard to get back on track after being conditioned and isolated from her life by a charismatic sect leader.

She has supportive friends behind her and a set of three rules for guidance:

Rule 1: Don't fall in love.
Rule 2: Question everything.
Rule 3: Give back.

These rules ensure Chrissie stays focused and present in the here and now, not distracted by everything that weighs her down. Anxiety, sadness, fear, anger, and guilt.

Working as a Teaching Assistant at a primary school in Birmingham (UK), Chrissie is not expecting the arrival of Nisha as the new teacher. Nisha was her childhood best friend who had become something more one teenage summer. Chrissie had opened her heart, but Nisha had run away.

Will Chrissie's rules be strong enough to withstand the return of her first love?
Will Nisha ever stop running?
Can Chrissie ever forgive herself and allow love to find her?
Can Chrissie and Nisha move on from their pasts and survive leading a school trip to Paris?

This was an easy-to-read and hot romance that touched on some hard-hitting subjects. Chrissie is changed by her past, and this story is for anyone who's had to pull up their big girl pants and get on with starting again while re-learning to love themselves.

It was great to see other returning characters from 'Swiping Right (and other disasters)' such as Clodagh, who finds a new paramour in this second book.

Please note that while this is book 2 of the 'Second Chance Chronicles' and follows on from 'Swiping Right (and other disasters)', it can be read as a standalone.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start. Loads of questions and I love the images the writer has put in my head. I feel I am in the scenes. I am also loving much of the sentence construction, many a chuckle and a fair few wry smiles so far! Then I suddenly remembered the previous book and therefore the background to this. I don't think you have to have read the other first (Tho I really enjoyed it!)
I really liked both Chrissie and the central character. Then I suddenly (when I remembered where I knew her from) was torn. That didn't last long..... due to the skill of the writer.
I loved this book and was coasting towards the end, enjoying things working out, when the writer put another huge hurdle in the mains way. 89% and I am on the edge of my seat!!
I didn't fall off the edge but I did fall in love with this book!

[Monna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chrissie and Nisha are the main characters of "Don't Fall in Love (and how to break the rules)." They will grow on you quickly. They have known each other since childhood but have been out of touch for several decades. Chrissie especially has overcome demons to establish herself as a teaching assistant in a Birmingham school. She gets quite a surprise at the beginning of the new school year. Yep, Nisha is back. Chrissie's friends help her deal with the unexpected reunion, and those very people shepherd both women as they build a working relationship and start to rebuild their personal connection. The supporting characters are integral to the story and very funny. Overall this is a well rounded story with characters you will feel for and definitely cheer for!

[Robin Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amusing tale from teachers point of view of relationships with peers.

Sally Brooks style is a bit different from what I usually read. I wasn’t sure I would finish it but I am happy that I stayed with it. The story is well written with characters that are delightful. The psychological issues of Chrissy and her slow recovery from the abuse she suffered are at times hard to read, yet necessary. The school trip with that age group had me laughing out loud. The developing love and the sex scenes are sensitive but not in your face. The story of recovery and deep love makes this book worth reading.

[Cassie Foxcroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way the book works through her trauma and how that is navigated throughout most of her relationships. The conflict within the main relationship, though, did confuse me a bit when it's started halfway through the book. But, I really enjoy the way the author writes about relationships and how they aren't moving and getting married by the end of the book as most romances I have read do

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

rules are made to be broken

Great second book in this series.
After 20 years our main characters meet again, so much has happened in those missing years. Can they really have what once was? Or is running away the only option…read to find out.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly superficial characters with great potential for a more in depth story with little sparks of possible suspense like Lucian and Jake interactions with the 2 main characters.

[Shannon Luchies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chrissie Anderson is employed as a teaching assistant, and is getting a new teacher to work with. She's rather stunned when 'Mr Rangan' is in fact Miss Nisha Rajan, whom she had had a thing for back in the day.

This is a sequel to 'Swiping Right (and other disasters)' but you don't need to read it to understand this.

Nisha finds herself rather perplexed by Chrissie, whom has seemingly stopped acknowledging her past due to the whole escaped from a cult thing.

Can they move on and figure out what they're doing now...?

Good read, interesting cast of characters and a good romance. Clever insight into what issues Chrissie might have, coming out of the situation.
3.5 out of 5