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A review by wc4
The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
4.0
Usually, I avoid teacher-student romances, as it's not a trope I like to read. However, after reading good reviews from people here on GR that I trust, decided to give this a go. This story is set in 1997 when Ellen took the huge step of coming out kn her sitcom. I remember the hubbub surrounding this. However, being not woke then, I wasn't very aware of how big an impact this really had. This was also the time of Monica Lewinsky/ Bill Clinton scandal. (Side note: I appreciate the author making note that Monica got the short end of the stick then. She became the butt of jokes when she was just a young intern who was taken advantage of by a man in a powerful position.)
These events are prominently mentioned since the main character, Molly, is a 30 year old political science grad student, with a heart for activism. We see her as she starts the term and meets Carmen, the Statistics professor with a reputation as a ruthless teacher. They're both in a conservative college where sexist, homophobic behaviours amongst the faculty and students are not unusual. Understandably, Carmen is very deep in the closet and very private and detached from her colleagues and friends as a result.
I enjoy this book a lot. The romance is slow burn, since Molly is Carmen's student. The chemistry is there though, simmering as it is under the surface. When they started working together to pick apart this other homophobic professor's research paper, we get to know both of them more personally. There's statistics jargon that I don't understand but that's okay. It did not detract from my reading experience. Overall, a wonderful read from a promising debut author.
These events are prominently mentioned since the main character, Molly, is a 30 year old political science grad student, with a heart for activism. We see her as she starts the term and meets Carmen, the Statistics professor with a reputation as a ruthless teacher. They're both in a conservative college where sexist, homophobic behaviours amongst the faculty and students are not unusual. Understandably, Carmen is very deep in the closet and very private and detached from her colleagues and friends as a result.
I enjoy this book a lot. The romance is slow burn, since Molly is Carmen's student. The chemistry is there though, simmering as it is under the surface. When they started working together to pick apart this other homophobic professor's research paper, we get to know both of them more personally. There's statistics jargon that I don't understand but that's okay. It did not detract from my reading experience. Overall, a wonderful read from a promising debut author.