LEARNING CURVE
Series: Dickson University #1
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Max Monroe
Release Date: August 16, 2024
She’s the virginal cheerleader, and he’s the tortured bad boy. Their worlds are different, but college life at Dickson University brings them together in a passionate, angsty, fiery collision.
Finn Hayes is what girls my age would call “stupid hot.” He’s handsome, has brown eyes that remind me of warm chocolate chip cookies, and a tall, muscular build that makes marble sculptures jealous.
Green flag, right?
Wrong.
He’s also broody, closed off, and so complex that it feels like I need a decoder to crack him.
He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met and fights like he came out of the womb swinging, taking down both my ex-boyfriend and an ex-UFC fighter with ease.
But the underground society at our college known as Double C has nothing on him in the secrets department, and it’s that mysterious edge that keeps me coming back for more.
This is more than the story of how Finn and I fell in love.
This is proof that love has a learning curve. Sometimes you succeed, and sometimes…it destroys you.
Author Note: Learning Curve is a New Adult Romance standalone that is book one in the Dickson University Series. This highly-addictive series will follow the grown-up Billionaire Bad Boy kids and long-lost Winslow siblings as they navigate college life and relationships. Buckle up for all the college drama, romance, spice, angst, and humor. You do not need to have read the Billionaire Bad Boys Series or the Winslow Brothers Collection to read Learning Curve. It is a complete standalone.
Body and soul and mind, I’m so deep in Finn Hayes, I don’t know if I’ll ever dig my way out.
If you know me then you know that I love the drama and angst when it comes to my romance books. So when you see this author’s note:
Imagine… being wrapped up in the comfort of visiting a dear friend while simultaneously being lit on fire while season one of Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill (the most addictive seasons of both shows, in our opinion) and every episode of Friends play at full volume at the same time. But, like, you can concentrate?
You know you’re in for a good time.
If you’ve read Monroe’s Winslow Brothers series, you would really appreciate the connection in this book. But if you haven’t, don’t worry, because this is also a standalone in a new series. It’s also a bit different from Max Monroe’s usual more lighthearted romance with a bit more grit and angst. I didn’t find it to be overly angsty to be honest. It was mostly teenage drama with some grittiness, but I can’t be mad at it because it was definitely entertaining.
Keep in mind that the characters are college freshman so the drama is definitely matching the age, which I enjoyed. This is the bad boy meets good girl trope and I was here for it.
Scottie is a good girl who has been dating her douchebag boyfriend for two years. But then she literally tumbles into Finn’s life and things take an interesting turn. She begins to see that her boyfriend is not good to her and I loved that she wasn’t the cliché virgin heroine who takes her boyfriend’s bs constantly. She stood up for herself and knew her worth, and I loved that about her.
Finn is the quintessential bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks that fights their connection because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for Scottie. Their romance is a slow burn full of ups and downs that had moments where I wanted to slap both of them. But it was also quick paced considering the length and I enjoyed their dynamic and their friendship group so much.
I gobbled this up in the span of a day and definitely hooked on the series. Admittedly the last 15% of the book took me a bit off guard and I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t super necessary to the story considering everything else that has already happened. But in the same breath, it did drive the plot in a direction I enjoyed so again, I wasn’t too mad at it.
I really connected with both Scottie and Finn and while I had some small frustrations they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of their story. It was emotional with some heavy subject matter, and while I didn’t find it super angsty, it definitely brought delicious drama which kept me more than entertained. But when I tell you that I am absolutely FERAL for Blake’s story, I mean this man stole the show for me as a secondary character. I cannot wait for his book!
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