Carpool Crush

Sworn to Loathe You #2

by Rachel John

She’s bad at reading signals. He’s sent all the wrong ones.

Jenny… Of course Noah would come back, and right when my life is a mess. I swear we had the best carpool friendship. Until he asked me out, then changed his mind, and then asked me out again, only to ghost me. I hate him so much. Almost as much as I love him and miss him—the old him before he became the worst ever.

My crush on him may have been obvious and embarrassing, but now that he’s in carpool again, I’m making sure the only thing getting crushed around here are his hopes for making things right.

Noah… I’m the worst. I chose my job and my assignment over the best person I’ll ever know. I have so many secrets I might as well be an international spy. Except there’s nothing glamorous about me. Especially my career. I’m working in phone support just to be in Jenny’s carpool again.

It’s not a great plan, but at least it’s taking me in the right direction—towards a future with Jenny. This time, I’m not going to screw everything up. Hopefully.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Rom Com, Contemporary Romance, Clean Romance, Fiction, Friends To Lovers

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2021

About the author

Rachel John is the author of books filled with awkward humor and sigh-inducing romance. When not burning dinner or chasing kids, Rachel can be found working on family history, writing, reading, or putting off writing by staring at Facebook. She lives in Arizona with her husband, four crazy kids, and her desert tortoise.

Reviews

[Syndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carpool Crush is a very boring. I keep waiting for that punch line or that climax or that memorable conversation, but nothing happened. I feel like riding a car in a traffic, bored to death.
This is my first read by Miss John. I thought it will be interesting plot.

The plot is flat. The story certainly can be improved so much better. More drama/ plot/ character development desperately needed to make the story more interesting.

Anyway... moving on...

2 stars

[Misha Ahuja · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved the second chance romance although i do wish there was more in-depth of how they actually came to love each other

[Pixie Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3qPiu92

I was his unfinished business. That's what his eyes were saying. But I wasn't buying that. I took my hand back. He didn't have the right to hold my hand whenever he wanted to, even as a gesture of friendship.​

I hate that it took me so long to post this review...BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE. Andddd I loved the book, lol. It was such a great mix of friends-to-more, hate-to-love, AND second chance! Both Jenny and Noah had a lot to work through, separately and with each other, but the end result was totally worth the challenges and slowwwww-burn chemistry. I really enjoyed watching them mend their friendship/relationship, even when Jenny tried to keep Noah at a distance.

As far as content goes: No language. Suggestive material/innuendos. Noah had a secret that he wasn't supposed to share with anyone, especially Jenny. Past sexual harassment was mentioned in Jenny's workplace. A "cooking meth" comment was made. Noah assumed that Jenny is sleeping with someone. I honestly can't think of anything else. I would describe the book as a mild "PG-13 romance movie."
​

Time to share some IMPORTANT points!


1: I already love them so much!

2: Ooooh, Denver is backkkkkk

3: Well, I like the dynamic between her and Denver

4: And I actually like it when guys call girls “hon” lol

5: Clark is another side character I approveeee of!

6: So many great side characters lol. I love Dan and Sadie tooooo

7: The café

8: I like Denver way too much...

9: “You could’ve called me”/“I didn’t want to”

10: Noah messed up buttttt he’s pretty freaking sweet

11: Sadie and Denver can get married now, thank youuuuuu

12: “We...love you”

13: Noah frantically looking for the packing tape lollll

14: Awwww Sadie brought tacossss

15: I love Noah’s brothers

16: That LOOK

17: (I got distracted with reading and forgot my notes list)

18: This Justin guy needs to backkkkk off lol

19: (Got distracted again smh 😂)

20: Oh, Denver...

​
All in all, the book was super cute! It had lots of great banter, really good side characters, a different twist on things, and some amazingggg kisses lol.

OH! And that certain near-death experience was just AHHHHHHH!! 😱
​
I am BEYOND excited for Sadie and Denver's book!!!! Like, I can't even expressed how freaking excited I am. 🙌


~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~
​

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, this was extremely boring and flat. And it wasn’t even slightly funny, which was disappointing since the first book had some great humor.

Characters- The characters were uninteresting. The MMC was desperate and dorky. (The whole premise of the carpool was kinda nerdy, too.) Plus he pulled out the “I love you” right away and that seemed very premature. He did so much chasing and groveling, the poor pathetic man. His “bad thing” wasn’t even THAT horrendous, in regards to how it affected the FMC. The conflict was totally blown out of proportion.

Romance- Their romance lacked tension. Their supposed messy past consisted of the MMC flirting with her for a while and then backing off, and apparently that was the ultimate betrayal to the poor, heartbroken FMC. She could never trust him again, yada, yada, yada.

I was so bored that I didn’t bother with the epilogue.


Content-

Language- no swears
Spice- clean. I never even read a kiss. Granted, I was skipping over paragraphs by the end.
Substance abuse- no
Violence- no
Cover- boring
POV- dual POV
Cliffhanger- no
Format- KU

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK cheesy romance. There was something missing to make it stand out.

[kels · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely excited for denver and sadie!!

[Vibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) - Unfinished business!

I've been looking forward to finding out what was going on with hot & cold Noah since Clay & Lauren's story. Initially, I didn't fully understand why he was dragging his feet to explain things to Jenny & just get it over with, but as the details - and ramifications - of what was done began coming out, it became much easier to understand. Frankly, a lot of people wouldn't have said anything & kept it to themselves while feeling fully justified for what they had done. I'm glad Noah was honest, but he sure could have done better at how he worded it, lol.

As frustrating as Jenny's reaction might be for some, it was pretty true to life for someone with her insecurities. Watching Jenny evolve past her non-confrontational, pushover personality was very satisfying.

The secondary characters here are a treat! And Denver & Sadie's story promises to be full of fireworks!

*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic

[Jennalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The teaser Rachel gave for this book in "I Hated You First" was so good that I was excited to read this book. Alas, the main characters were just a little too all over the place for me to really connect with them and enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. Jenny was so hot and cold and back and forth it got confusing. Noah was a great guy who made a few mistakes and was so uncertain of himself. Having both of the characters be so wishy washy just made it difficult to root for them. The story had so much potential, it just got a bit lost in too many plot points. The best part of the book was Sadie and Dan as well as Noah's brothers! They are all great side characters that made me laugh and were more interesting than the main characters. Also, was anyone else confused by Denver? I totally was getting the enemies to lovers vibe from Sadie and Denver and then there was the bit about Denver coming and confessing to Jenny that he had a thing for her. I was confused, but the author's note did clear up that her next book is about Denver and Sadie so I am excited about that and I hope for a bit better story telling for them.

Plenty of good one liners in this book and overall a cute story, just not all I had hoped it would be.

*Favorite parts in the highlights section.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book, though I will say it was an unconventional romance set up since the two characters had been carpooling for a long time, but were separated by some major workplace drama. I really like Noah and Jenny's friendly, bantering relationship as well as all the side characters. I would have appreciated some more description as it did feel dialogue-heavy but other than that, a great room com!

[Avigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I read I Hated You First in a previous TART Reading challenge, and it is a book that I gave it also 3.5 stars. Carpool Crush is a companion series with people we met in the first installment. Jenny & Noah were working together and connected; when Noah got promoted, he had to move to the branch in California. There are a lot of secrets that keep our main characters, but at the same time, this spark keeps wanting each other.
I like how Noah and the carpool party help Jenny escape her shell and become more assertive and confident. They are there to take the first step and let her fly to get what she deserves in her personal and professional life.
Carpool Crush has many miscommunications, which I don't like when it portrays the central issue of the conflict of the love birds. I like the connection between Sadie and Denver, who I believe are the couple in the third installment of the series.
This book and series are for you if you want a clean romance. I am looking forward to continuing with Sadie and Denver's love story.

[Arceli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super fun to read. I loved the second chance trope in this novel. One of my favorite things about romance is that our road trip is just the fact that the characters of force together to really Bond actually accept each other.

I really liked how the hero was all along in love with the heroin and this is one of my favorite things. I am trash for second chance love and secret paining. And also that sizzle of hate when both parties have but really care pulls your heart strings.

The ensemble and the cast of characters are really good. Both characters and the love interest are very very flushed out. I love how they each had their own struggles and really had to work to get over their own insecurities. Plus, the biggest benefit is that the chemistry was sizzling.

The Romans was really good in this book. I like how it was a little less steamier like compared to Other sweet romances but there was so much character development and wonderful moments.

Of course with any romcom there Hass to be a lot of funny and hilarious moments and boy there was. The banter and the arguments between the main characters was hilarious. I was genuinely laughing reading this novel.

In summary, I highly recommend you check out this novel. It is super fun and follows a signature style of all the wonderful books this author has written. I can’t wait for more books he writes. 5/5 stars.

*I have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
I love a happily ever after. I love when they have to work through some problems. I love when a book sets up a great relationship for the following book. I love when a series features different tropes. So, this book is pretty great!
.
Noah is just so great. I need to reread book 1 because I'm not sure I completely understand/remember the whole start of Noah and Jenny. There's also a chance that my personality is so different from Jenny's because I'm not sure I get just why she was so upset. I love the idea of being rescued. (I can rescue myself and I do, but my husband stepping in and wanting to isn't an indication that he thinks I can't. He just loves me and wants to take care of me. I spend all day taking care of people, so I'll let myself be taken care of, too)
Anyways, tangent over. I liked Sadie and I am excited for her book. Denver is fun, I actually wish we got to see a little more of him. But really, Dan. 👌 he's so great. And Noah's brothers. Excellent. Truly excellent.
.
So if like second chance romances with a little enemies to more vibe, strong and funny secondary characters, work place romances and Happily Ever after, I'd absolutely recommend this book!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved I Hated You First so much! So when I saw this new book by Rachel John, I knew I needed to read it. And I’m so glad I did! It made me happy to see Lauren and Clay, even just a little bit in this one.

Jenny and Noah are really funny together. They both like the other, but aren’t willing to let that show, especially at first. Noah has his reasons for that. And those reasons are hid from Jenny for much of the book. I thought he should just tell her up front and let things hopefully work out a little faster. But…he didn’t. And that led to some pretty funny situations.

Jenny…she made me laugh. She’s not really a good judge of character. And she ends up with this roommate. This girl was awful. Smelly and sleepwalking. Those parts made me laugh and feel terrible for Jenny. But the solution opens up some new options for her, and that was good.

I loved their carpool. It’s got Dan, he’s really funny! And Sadie. I’m not exactly sure of Sadie’s story, she seems to hate everyone. But she’s there for Jenny when Jenny needs her the most. I can’t wait to read her story and see this whole group again!

I was sent an e-copy of Carpool Crush as a gift from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Tiffany (Bluestocking) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took almost 2 months to finish this one. Even the audiobook couldn’t help speed things up. I liked the premise and the raving reviews convinced me that the twist would be worth it. It was a little anticlimactic.

Jenny and Noah were mostly exhausting. Their back and forth was more tedious than cute and I felt like everyone (all of Jenny’s friends) carried the story and Jenny was just along for the ride. Like she couldn’t really do anything herself. When she finally did, it felt out of character and unnatural.

I liked Noah’s persistence in pursuing Jenny and how hard he worked just to make amends. However, I wish he didn’t take so long to tell her the truth.

Content: Clean, Kissing only

[April | Aprilsbooknook_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny had a huge crush on Noah and she thought he might have felt the same way- until he just disappeared. But he's back and Jenny is more confused than ever. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, and Jenny has lost complete trust in Noah. But he doesn't give up that easy, because if it's one thing he learned when leaving, it was that the biggest mistake he made was leaving Jenny behind.

I love a book with good banter, a witty heroine, and a man begging for forgiveness 😅 Let's be honest though, Noah was pretty swoon worthy. Its also worth mentioning that Jenny has some really good friends.

Thank you so much for my eARC, Rachel! ❤️

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. Rachel John does love stories so well- the banter, the swoony moments, and the journey. She does so well at drawing you into these characters and story, until I didn't want to put it down until the end! :) I loved Jenny and Noah. I enjoyed how they had struggles and shortcomings, and grew throughout the story. The carpool crew was so fun and delightful! I think the lesson of loving someone, warts and all, is such a beautiful truth. I can't wait to read the next one in this series, and highly recommend it!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[ReadingInThe6ix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet, long slow burn, likeable characters and interesting premise.

Slightly frustrating that Jenny took so long to forgive Noah. The reasons he lied weren’t great (and honestly, that whole set-up was beyond ridiculous), but he seemed genuine and was really trying to earn her forgiveness.

One thing I didn’t like was the whole “she’s so beautiful and every man wants her but isn’t it amazing she has no idea”…over this. As of someone that beautiful could possibly not know when men are falling over themselves to flirt.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carpool Crush what a short book this was. First of all Denver is back... and I was like why?! But it turns out he was just Jenny's friend . I loved that Noah and Jenny got back together even though they had so many things to sort out. He really cared for her but there was moments that I was really disappointed in him.

Sadie, Jenny's friend she is such a good friend. I have a feeling that the next book is going to be about Sadie and Denver,  I'm looking forward to that one.

Rating : ☆☆☆☆

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting it was so good! I loved all the banter! Rachel does a fantastic job with this second chance romance, you won't want to miss it! I can't wait for the next book in the series!

*note can be read as a stand alone

I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and Sweet

I loved this workplace romance. Jenny crushed on carpool buddy Noah, but his hot and cold behavior threw her for a loop. Then he up and moved to California. Now he’s back for Jenny, but can she trust him?

I loved the humor, the chemistry, and the whole carpool crew. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Sadie.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute

Cute read. I can t wait to read the next story. This is a very mild love story no heat but cute nonetheless.

[Laronda · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 24%

This book made me feel like I was reading about high school shenanigans of teenagers and knowing that these were grown @$$ people just didn't feel right. I guess this is not my kind of comedy. I'm done.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet, I appreciated this clean romance with likable MCs. However, the situations and personalities were a bit bland. LOL. I think I like the H’s brothers the best. They were hilarious.

[Melissa Martens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m embarrassed by how long this book took me to finish, but it was soooooooo slow. The last 20% of the book was the best part. There are no surprises in this story. It’s your typical second chance romance.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Chance Office Romance
Jenny and Noah deserved a second chance at love. This was a quick read with a sweet happily ever after. Rachel John was new to me with this and I Hated You First, but now I need to dive into her backlist! I did receive an advanced copy of this book and this is my own opinion.

[victoria_tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still four stars after the second read (an audiobook). I will admit I was a little tired of the MCs' ongoing lack of communication somewhere in the middle of the book, but I think the last part both explains and makes up for it. To me, Jenny and Noah were not quite as attractive characters as Lauren and Clay from part 1 (who are mentioned a couple of times here, so the readers gets some update on them), but still rounded and well written. The secondary characters with their differents quirks were also endearing and memorable, which does not happen all that often. I am so glad the next instalment is already out.

[Lindsay List · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a miss for me. I hate writing negative reviews and from the looks of all the reviews here I’m in the minority! I’m glad others liked it.

The first book in the series was cute and a fun little read. I was excited for this one but was disappointed pretty quickly. The whole drama felt really forced and far-fetched and soured the whole story.

There was very little heat between the characters. (And I’m not just talking about the no sex, I admire this author for writing books without sex in them, but you can still have heat without getting x-rated!)

The side characters were the real stars of the story. Enough that I will likely give the next book a try when it comes out.

[A.A.B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too long, boring, and too dependent on miscommunications between people who are in all other respects both self-aware and perfectly articulate. The reasoning for information withdrawal, whenever it happened, made no sense whatsoever, regardless of the character it came from. The characters are professionals in their late 20's, but their behavior is stuck in middle school, including their sense of humor, behavior towards each other, and overwrought emotional reactions.
The result is a poorly written boring mess. Unfortunately. I liked book 1 better than book 0.5, so I had high hopes that the series would keep improving. Alas.

[Megan (messybun.bookishfun) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in Rachel John’s series is just as adorable as book 1! Who doesn’t love a proximity past crush story? And that they meet every day in the green Chilivan to travel to and from work? And there is a crazy roommate who takes over the apartment forcing Jenny to move in with…nope, not the MMC but another hotty! Oh, tensions sizzle!

This office romance is sweet, funny, and a great weekend read!

[Maisie Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
Love this book, 2nd time reading, literally just sitting giggling and smiling to myself while reading 🤭
Definitely recommend if you want a YA, 100% clean, no spice, sweet romance 💗