[ARC Review] Dear Mr. Brody by A.M. Johnson

Release date: 8/5/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided by: A.M. Johnson via Gay Romance Reviews

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Usually with the professor/student relationship taboo, I can guess what the issue will be before the romance even ramps up; surely, they will get caught and the professor’s career will be on the line. So I was pleasantly surprised to read Dear Mr. Brody and discover that A.M. Johnson wrote a more unique take on this taboo.

Donovan, newly divorced from his high school sweetheart, may be an agent at a publishing house by day, but he’s got a passion for teaching and is enjoying his new part-time job adjuncting a creative writing course at the local college. He especially loves reading the work that his gorgeous student Parker keeps turning in. But when his first attempt at online dating brings his personal and professional life together, Donovan realizes that putting it all on the line to explore his feelings with Parker may just make him feel more complete than he ever has before.

While I don’t hate the professor dating a student taboo, I also don’t read a ton of it anymore because the plots were getting too predictable. I can only read so many stories where the professor secretly dates a student, only to be discovered and then has to decide if they love their career or their student more. So much of those plots are taken up by sneaking around. I was pleasantly surprised that there was actually very little sneaking in Dear Mr. Brody. Both Donavan and Parker played it safe, so most of their story was about the emotional toll of having a secret lover. Donavan was having his bisexual awakening, not sure how to share that news with his family, ex-wife, and daughter. And Parker was just coming off of four years in the Air Force where he had to stay closeted, swearing he would never hide like that again. While there were plenty of hot scenes between the two of them, I enjoyed this book the most because of the personal and romantic journeys they went on together. Johnson’s writing is well done, and the cast of characters, both main and secondary, each have their own, distinct personalities. I loved Parker’s best friend, Marcos, and would definitely read a story featuring him. While I thought there were a few plot devices that would have used a bit more resolution, I enjoyed Dear Mr. Brody for the plot, the characters’ internal and external struggles, and the romance. I liked Johnson’s take on this taboo relationship and I look forward to reading more by this author.