This story is quite simple although the author has complicated it a bit in a strange way. That has made one of her protagonists, Mallory, quite absurd in her behavior, which does not help her to be an engaging character. In addition, the significance of her actions cannot be fully understood until near the end of the book, so her attitude is often incomprehensible.

Caitlin, on the other hand, is temperate, tolerant and determined, even when her life is turned upside down and she must start over after a divorce, changing not only her workplace but the type of work as well. She has been a counselor in high school and now she has decided to become a teacher, with all the stress and insecurity that this causes her.

So Caitlin is a great character but Mallory not so much so the story is unbalanced and the relationship between them is difficult to understand. It also seems that Caitlin puts much more interest in general. Also Mallory has a bad relationship with other colleagues and it is not very clear why, she does not do much to be liked.

In the school environment, some interesting aspects are treated a little superficially, a bit of a pity for that too. I think the story had potential but it has not been good enough for me.

I've got a new author to follow! I enjoyed Jackson's first book, "Begin Again", but this one was a definite step up.

I completely enjoyed this book from start to finish. I thought Caitlyn was super charming and I really felt for her when she's trying to get back on the dating horse. Of course she picks a woman who's a bit of an ice queen! They are always the hot ones!! What I loved even more, though, was that Mallory was actually a great equal to Caitlyn. I really felt the ying/yang and their chemistry.

I don't want to spoil it, but there is a bit of angst between the two that I wasn't expecting, but it made it that much more entertaining. And go Caitlyn for calling Mallory out when she was, in part, being lead on. I may have cheered a little.

Overall, a very fun read with great characters, excellent chemistry, and just the right amount of story. Can't wait for the next one from Kat Jackson.

4 Stars

Ok, so I absolutely loved this book. I stayed up until after 2am so I could finish it in one sitting.

Caitlin is recently divorced and is beginning a new teaching job. She meets Mallory, the icy teacher across the hall. Mallory has a reputation for acting like she’s better than everyone else and none of the other teachers like her. Caitlin isn’t ready for a relationship but she finds Mallory captivating and can’t seem to stay away from her.

This is my first novel by Kat Jackson and I love her writing. It was very easy and smooth and readable to me. This is told in third person but it’s told in only Caitlin’s point of view, which I don’t love in romance but it was okay here because I absolutely adored Caitlin. However, not having Mallory’s POV really hurt my opinion of her later and probably could have shed some light on some ongoing issues I had with her.

As I said above, this is told from Caitlin’s point of view and I have such a crush on her. She’s funny and smart and I found her to be completely charming. She lives next door to her best friend and she’s trying to move on from her failed marriage. She’s very human with flaws but she keeps trying.

The reason I’m not giving this the full five stars is all on Mallory. She’s spends a lot of time flip flopping between being into Caitlin and ignoring her. She is unfair to Caitlin and there were a couple instances where I thought she was just mean. It was very hard to root for them as a couple sometimes and not having her POV really didn’t help. In the end, I can’t say I was 100% convinced she was right for Caitlin. It could be that I just loved Caitlin so much that I wanted a lot more from Mallory, because Caitlin was way too forgiving. Her turnaround came too late for me to forgive her completely.

I really loved all the side characters in this which was a new experience for me. Caitlin’s best friend Lina was a standout to me. I loved their friendship and for the few chapters I thought this was about them because of their chemistry. I noticed on Jackson’s twitter that she’s working on a Lina story so I’m thrilled about that because I found her relationship and story to be fascinating.

I recommend this for folks wanting a well written romance that comes with some drama.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books in exchange for an honest review.

Mallory Walker was enjoying her career as a highschool teacher. After being burned by a previous relationship she has no desire to begin a new one. Most of the teachers she works with just don’t get Mallory. She never gets together with her co-workers leading them to think she feels superior to good to hang with them.
Catlin Gregory just got through a divorce that leaves her to be very wary of starting a new relationship. Now she’s moved into a new home and started working again as a highschool teacher. Luckily she makes friends pretty easy. But the teacher across the hall isn’t friendly at all coming across like she’s better than the people around her.
This story isn’t all that new and could have been a whole lot better but I have high hopes for this author. Characters were well rounded individuals with lots to offer but Ms Jackson didn’t make the best of bringing this story together. That being said I still read the whole book and something tells me as an author Ms Jackson has much more to offer. I will be looking forward to her next book. Pretty good read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bella Books

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁.

I feel that this book would have worked better for me if we had a two-sided POV instead of just Caitlin's. Because although both Caitlin and Mallory had been through messy past relationships, Mallory seemed to have more considerations than Caitlin. Plus Mallory isn't exactly the world's chattiest person. So I don't know what goes on in her mind and why she does certain things. Actually, I didn't even know her past relationship affected her that much until Caitlin heard it through somebody else first. So with all these missing pieces, I felt like Mallory wasn't entirely invested in the relationship and I couldn't figure out why Caitlin found her attractive.

The later parts of the book got a lot better when Mallory started talking and the pieces fell into place. I understood her much, much better and I could finally see her trying to make the relationship work.

I actually thought Caitlin's best friend, Lina's story was much more interesting but we didn't get much of it. So if Jackson writes a book about Lina, I'll definitely grab it.

This was a well written book - the writer's style was engaging with some great dialogues, and Caitlin was a wonderful character that I really connected with. Mallory was an interesting character - I like ice queen characters but her behaviour was very strange at times and her treatment of Caitlin really unfair - we got a reasonable explanation for some of this at the end but my opinion of her had already been tainted a little bit at that stage. Lina's storyline was interesting, I wish it had been developed more, I often felt like there was a lot going on there that wasn't really explained and wondered if I'd missed a previous book that focused on Lina and Candice.

This was a nice easy read that I enjoyed a lot.

Caitlin is recently divorced, moved into a new condo next door to her best friend, and about to begin a new job as a substitute English teacher. The only thing she’s interested in right now is work.

Mallory is a history teacher with a reputation for being difficult and unapproachable to the rest of the faculty, but there’s something about her that draws Caitlin to her.

I’ll read a blurb to pick the books I want to review - but after that I don’t revisit them before I start the book, so for the first chapter or so I thought this book was going to go very differently than it did. I’m glad. The book I thought it was going to be would probably have been very good - but I like this narrative more!

I liked the slow burn direction the narrative takes. Whilst Mallory is depicted as cold, and oftentimes pulls away from Caitlin, prolonging the slow burn aspect, I liked that it never felt like either Caitlin or Mallory actually broke from their characters. The relationship progression felt quite natural to me - but perhaps it’s because I’m a bit of an armadillo myself!

One thing for me that I did struggle with was some of the character names. A couple of the secondary characters have names that are very similar to Mallory, and in some of the school scenes I had to slow down my reading in order to ensure I fully kept track of what was going on.

Caitlin’s ex plays a part in the storyline, and I thought Jackson did a good job of keeping this interesting, causing tensions on both sides of the relationship, and providing closure in a way that didn’t set up for any further dramatic conflict.

I also really liked Catilin’s best friend Lina. Their friendship is great and ensures you get to know Caitlin further, plus the way Jackson depicts her experiences, both in the romantic sense, and the military, added to the storyline for me. I wish we’d had a bit more closure on her storyline though.

I’ll definitely be going back to check out Jackson’s first book, and I’m looking forward to what might come next.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kat Jackson's Begin Again was an incredible debut and she became my favorite new author of 2020. Needless to say I was really looking forward to this sophomore effort. It didn't disappoint.

It's a workplace romance featuring two mains with a lot of baggage to bring to a fledging relationship. This story is really told in third person from Caitlin's POV, so we don't really know what's going on in Mallory's head. I really enjoyed following the ups and downs of the relationship and it was hard to tell where it was going. I started reading and next thing I knew, I was finished. That's what I love about a book.

Across the hall was an okay book. Nothing screamed out at me tho. The first book I've read by Kat Jackson and I did enjoy it, although I feel like I've read the story before. I did feel the need for more chemistry, and communication between Mallory and Caitlin and I would have loved to have had more bitchiness from Mallory!


Caitlin Gregory is recently divorced and is trying to get to know herself once more. She's not interested in finding new love, it's the furthest thing from her mind. She scorns the idea of dating because she has all she needs: a new home, a job, her best friend lives right next door to her. But when Caitlin sets eyes on Mallory walker, she soon realizes she may not want to shut herself away from dating. Caitlin didn't expect to fall for Mallory but she starts to feel that unmistakable spark ignite and she's drawn to Mallory, even tho others around her disapprove. Caitlin's emotions are high but Mallorys feelings are the opposite and are singing to a much different tune, The chill emanating from Mallory should be enough to ward off anyone, but Caitlin is nothing if not persistent.

I give Across the hall 3*. I was given a copy for an honest review.

Quite an enjoyable read. Caitlin is an newly divorced from her wife Becca and is starting over fresh. She moves in next door to her best friend Lina and is starting a new job as a teacher at Vanderbilt High School.
She has sworn off dating, That is, until she meets Mallory aka " the Ice Queen" the teacher across the hall that piques her interest. I must say that I enjoyed the interaction between both main characters and thought they had great chemistry. Once you got pass Mallory icy exterior she was actually, funny sweet and compassionate. The story was well written and flows smoothly. I recommend 4.5 stars.

I took away .5 stars because Caitlin was very outspoken and should have confronted Mallory to find out what was the problem..



I received an ARC Via NetGalley from the Publisher Bella Books for my honest opinion. Thank You

Caitlin Gregory, newly divorced, scores a new job as a teacher in a new school. Mallory Walker, school teacher at Caitlin's school is the ultimate ice queen who just happens to pique Caitlin's interest and there's definitely a spark. She also seems to also be dating Caitlin's ex wife!
I really enjoyed this story. I found both Caitlin and Mallory's characters were quite layered which made reading about them quite interesting. Mallory was sometimes hard to warm to but once you got past the prickly exterior she certainly grew on you and was actually my favourite character. There was definite chemistry between Caitlin and Mallory and it was a pleasure reading about their budding attraction with its up and downs and twists and turns. There was an interesting dynamic with Caitlin's best friend Lina and initially I was unsure about the relationship, sometimes they were so brutally honest with each other it was uncomfortable reading but Lina just added another dimension to the story. Overall this was a really enjoyable read. A great debut. 4.5 stars.

This book hooked me in from the first few chapters. My favourite type of books are those that are character driven and this book is definitely that.

I really enjoyed following Caitlin within this novel. I thought she was a well-developed character, who completely engaged me from beginning to end. I think the author did a great job with the character development of Caitlin. Also, her relationship with Lina was lovely to read. I really enjoyed reading the short snippets about Lina, and her forbidden relationship with Candace. As the author didn’t resolve the relationship drama here, I am hoping that there is a follow up novel focusing on Lina and Candace! :)

In regard to Mallory, I was completely rooting for her initially, as she was a gentle ice queen that we saw thaw out at times. However, there were two instances where I was quite shocked at the way she reacted with Caitlin. One of those times, I’m not quite sure if she apologised sufficiently to Caitlin for what she had said and implied. I was disappointed that this wasn’t used as an opportunity for character development, but rather glossed over and then similar actions repeated at a later stage. Thankfully, at the second instance this was resolved well with communication between our mains.

This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy reading this novel, or the relationship that built between Caitlin and Mallory. Overall, I really liked it and I’m looking forward to reading more from the author.

This book was a very enjoyable read. Caitlin has just recovered from a messy divorce from her wife and is looking forward to starting in a new school and living next to her best friend. What she is not prepared for is being attracted to a teacher whose classroom is across the hall from hers (Hence the title). The teacher, Mallory, has a reputation of being an ice queen. Caitlin is determined to win her over no matter what. When the ice queen starts to crack, the attraction between the two of them begins to build.
There are many twists and turns in this book, but it does not deter from the plot.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'

**'Some writers are such phonies: they sometimes are unaware that their storytelling is not enticing to readers.You think that they might know but usually they are messy..'

Okay read!
I'm most often than not giddy whenever a writer choose to incorporate a place, city or town into their storyline as one of their characters which Ms.Jackson did so overwhelmingly because it ended up being read at as an important part in the telling of the overall narrative. Add to this, it also was the perfect backdrop for all the ongoing drama whether it be emotional or exasperating.
Still, 'ACROSS THE HALL' had many moments where paragraphs or sentences just seems way too contradictory -- mainly when it came to the relationship and chemistry between the leading characters (Caitlin & Mallory). I've finished the book and still cannot pinpoint when their romance started because I never felt as if they had any intimate connection. Now when it came to the other secondary and supporting cast, they did make the rest of the storytelling a bit pleasing and could be seen as enjoyable for any interested readers.

I loved Kat Jackson's first book, Begin Again, and I've been not-very-patiently awaiting the release of her second. I was not in any way disappointed! If you're looking for a layered tale of wonderfully flawed people, look no further.

What enchanted me so much about Begin Again, and what runs through Across the Hall is that one of the things that makes humans so interesting is that we are not perfect. Mallory, Caitlin, and her best friend Lina (who I am totally in love with), all have dodgy track records when it comes to the women they have fallen for in the past. Case in point, Caitlin's ex-wife who seemingly manages to insert herself into everything, despite having a minimal 'on-screen' presence. Other brilliantly real and human elements come in the scenes set in school; dickhead jocks wanting to do group work with a girl they know will do 90% of the work, teenage boys thinking everything is phallic and that everything phallic is hilarious, and teachers paying minimal attention in staff meetings! (those last two did make me giggle because they are a large part of my time teaching English to teenagers).

A high school is a brilliant setting for this novel, not just because it flings Mallory and Caitlin together but because schools create their own community and act as a microcosm of society. Jackson highlights how racism, sexism and homophobia are exacerbated by our unequal society, by having Caitlin deal with these within one of her classes. The fact that the class is studying The Crucible, with its themes including power and responsibility, the portrayal of women, judgement, hysteria, guilt etc. (Not to mention the allegory for the Red Peril) is beautifully done. I hate it when books are preachy or polemical but this was pitched perfectly.

I could write pages and pages of nerdy literary criticism on this book but I will attempt to stick to a vaguely traditional review format and say that you should definitely buy and read this book! Mallory and Caitlin are complex characters with great depth, who I alternately wanted to hug and shake. Their stories are carefully crafted, and I am so thrilled to hear that Lina is getting her own book!

I loved Kat Jackson's first book, Begin Again, and I've been not-very-patiently awaiting the release of her second. I was not in any way disappointed! If you're looking for a layered tale of wonderfully flawed people, look no further.

What enchanted me so much about Begin Again, and what runs through Across the Hall is that one of the things that makes humans so interesting is that we are not perfect. Mallory, Caitlin, and her best friend Lina (who I am totally in love with), all have dodgy track records when it comes to the women they have fallen for in the past. Case in point, Caitlin's ex-wife who seemingly manages to insert herself into everything, despite having a minimal 'on-screen' presence. Other brilliantly real and human elements come in the scenes set in school; dickhead jocks wanting to do group work with a girl they know will do 90% of the work, teenage boys thinking everything is phallic and that everything phallic is hilarious, and teachers paying minimal attention in staff meetings! (those last two did make me giggle because they are a large part of my time teaching English to teenagers).

A high school is a brilliant setting for this novel, not just because it flings Mallory and Caitlin together but because schools create their own community and act as a microcosm of society. Jackson highlights how racism, sexism and homophobia are exacerbated by our unequal society, by having Caitlin deal with these within one of her classes. The fact that the class is studying The Crucible, with its themes including power and responsibility, the portrayal of women, judgement, hysteria, guilt etc. (Not to mention the allegory for the Red Peril) is beautifully done. I hate it when books are preachy or polemical but this was pitched perfectly.

I could write pages and pages of nerdy literary criticism on this book but I will attempt to stick to a vaguely traditional review format and say that you should definitely buy and read this book! Mallory and Caitlin are complex characters with great depth, who I alternately wanted to hug and shake. Their stories are carefully crafted, and I am so thrilled to hear that Lina is getting her own book!

Following her divorce from her wife, Becca, of four years, Caitlin Gregory is excited about her new condo, her best friend, Lina, who lives next door, and her new job. She will be teaching English as a long term substitute at a new high school called Vanderbilt in New Jersey. During the weeks prior to the start of school she meets her icy teaching neighbor, Mallory Walker (aka Walker) who resides "Across the Hall" from her classroom. She is attracted to Walker in the first few weeks of the new school year and hopes that she can melt her icy demeanor.

Mallory is guarded and has built walls around herself so other teachers and people resist getting close to her. But Caitlin tries to engage Mallory and isn't too successful at the beginning. Then they begin to work on a school project together where they and their students must work together for a successful outcome. In planning and executing this project, Caitlin slowly starts to see Mallory's guard begin to drop a little. The story revolves around the thing that Mallory and Caitlin have in common regarding some of their relationship issues.

For a story which was more character driven versus plot driven, I found the book interesting and a quick read. The chapters kept me wondering the reasons for Mallory's skittishness and how long that Caitlin would stick around considering her recent past relationship issues that ended in divorce. I was disappointed not to get resolution on Lina's relationship issues with Candace. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like this book!

The story opens with Caitlin Gregory pushing her body through torturous exercise. Yes, she needs to shed the thirty pounds she gained over the course of 4 years - those years she lost herself in that failed marriage. No, she will not quit, she just needs to find herself again, starting with her new job, in a nice condo back in her hometown, with her best friend next door. And also no, she has no plans to start a new relationship but maybe yes, when her eyes land on a piercing pair, ones that belong to her colleague, Mallory Walker.

Mallory Walker is guarded and cold, perched so high in her fortress that none has dared or attempted to scale. Their initial exchanges were short and out of necessity, until they had to work together on a project.

Caitlin saw something in Mallory. Regardless of what Mallory threw her way, she refused to bow and kept reaching out to her. There were many “ouch” incidents where you cannot believe how easily Mallory can make one cringe and how Caitlin will not walk away.

5 stars. The characters were so richly described, it was easy to imagine the pair’s reactions and behaviours during interactions. Hot vs cold, push vs pull, yes and/or no, all that angst, it’s there. When Caitlin slowly cracked Mallory’s steely exterior, the ensuing flirtations and almost smiles felt glorious. The writing was fluid and the side characters made you want to befriend them. First book but certainly not my last for this author’s.

I just reviewed Across The Hall by Kat Jackson.. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC.

This was a nice romance between two teachers Caitlin, recently divorced, and Mallory. The latter comes across as an ice-cold, arrogant woman, but there is a connection there and after spending a few weeks teaching their classes together that connection gets stronger. Yet Mallory is pulling back every time to great frustration of Caitlin.

For a book where not a whole lot happens, I really enjoyed it a lot. I liked the interaction between the two mains for most of the time, but the all of sudden cold shoulder from Mallory, leading to a dejectedly waiting Caitlin got on my nerves a little bit. Caitlin was written as a blunt person without filter, yet she just goes and sits in a corner waiting for a smile without marching up there and demanding to know why the .. Mallory all of sudden basically ignores her? That didn't fit her character in my opinion. Her best friend Lena was an interesting character too, I had hoped to see some ending on her storyline too but it remained a loose end.
Extra points though for avoiding the breakup near the end, instead there was mature communication...yes, you hardly ever see it in these books but it happened!
So if you're looking for an easy read that doesn't require you to work your brain too hard, but does leave you with a good feeling this book is a safe bet to pick up.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

This is my first book by Kat Jackson and when I check this author out I discovered it's the author's second book. This explains some of the bumps this one has.

After her divorce, Caitlin finds herself back in the classroom teaching English as a long-term substitute. After a burnout and the divorce, the different pace at this new school is just what Caitlin needed. She was planning on keeping to herself, just go with the motions and find her own footing. She wasn't planning on being attracted to someone, certainly not her icy colleague across the hall. Mallory teaches history and is as stoic and unapproachable as they come. At some point in the book Caitlin refers to her as Mallor- Elsa, lame but funny, but also not accurate. Mallory isn't icy, she just keeps to herself because she got burned in the past and genuinely seems to like being left alone. Of course, our two mains have a connection and find themselves in each other's orbit, not wanting to let go and ready to discover what it might be, but there are major bumps.

I feel like there isn't a lot of actual communication happening, only when it's already "too late". Caitlin seems to lack a bit of a filter, but when it comes to discussing her feelings and the things she wants she clams up. She doesn't discuss it with her best friend, who she accuses of keeping things from her as well, she doesn't discuss them with Mallory, she just dwells. Mallory is almost Caitlin's polar opposite, never does she discuss feelings, nor do we as readers find out if she dwells. She just explodes sometimes and needs space to process. I do see how these two would make a good couple. Another thing is the involvement of Becca, Caitlin's ex-wife, I feel like this storyline, which I won't spoil, is just a tad too much because it doesn't work with these characters (also because one indicates it herself as well...) One of the secondary characters really got on my nerves, but Caitlin's best friend is a very interesting character. Maybe more interesting than the two mains of this book.
On a positive note, the formulaic late break-up doesn't really happen because there they are actually communicating, double points there! Overall, there are still some newbie writer bumps (most involving the passing of time), but the read is enjoyable and the story is well-paced, the characters are ok, but I could do with a little more info and development of them.
3.25 stars