- i’m disappointed by how compliance she became - also the repetitiveness of the writing; a lot of the speech and monologues and internal thoughts r r- i’m disappointed by how compliance she became - also the repetitiveness of the writing; a lot of the speech and monologues and internal thoughts r regurgitated from book 2 - also how she has no hobbies other than being a mob wife??? - i don’t like how rapid fire everything else it’s like instead of rk letting things come naturally - as she was given many opportunities in book 2 - she is now shoving in our throats in the first 10 chapters of all the answers and suddenly revealing their emotions as if they haven’t been hiding it for the past 400 pages ...more
- love winter—she was shown as this kind and resilience character and it was shown through actions rather than tells - her relationship with jeremy mad- love winter—she was shown as this kind and resilience character and it was shown through actions rather than tells - her relationship with jeremy made me adore her so much - unfortunately i fear i did fuck with the smut i love the turning point - the writing was good; strongly paced and gave enough details and i love the characterizations - i have so many questions; what DID she see when she walked up there? how she form a whole new identity as winter? IS yan associated with this???...more
**spoiler alert** What truly stood out about this book was the incredible writing. Rich with details and imagery, strong word choices—it made the stor**spoiler alert** What truly stood out about this book was the incredible writing. Rich with details and imagery, strong word choices—it made the story come alive with its setting, characters, and plot. I don't know if it was because of the font I was reading with (Iowan), or the writing itself, but some of the juvenile aspects of the story weren't so deterring because of how the writing presented itself. It was the reason why the rating of the book stayed as high as it did.
³§³Ü³¾³¾²¹°ù²ââ€� Learning Curve followed two characters: Scottie and Finn. Scottie was a virginal cheerleader while Finn was the "bad boy," on their campus of Dickson University. It followed their trials and tribulations as they dealt with their individual demons—Scottie and her detrimental relationship with her alcoholic mother, and threatening texts about her past; Finn with carrying the weight of knowing his father had a whole set of other children, one of which was a professor at Dickson, and the depth of his abused past—while they navigate their love for one another.
Writing, Plot & Pacing� As I said, the writing was the strongest reason for me to continue reading. It was rich and riveting, and it didn't feel juvenile as a lot of other college romance authors made their stories feel. There was a professional touch to it—not in a way that was off-putting but rather strengthened the way the story carried itself. However, there was a juxtaposition in how strong the writing was, versus how the plot developed. It was weak, nearly non-existent, saved with for a couple of reminders between several chapters.
While I loved the college setting, and how Monroe creatively demonstrated how their New York City campus—as if you were in the city itself!—it bordered a lot of unrealistic tendencies. There was a secret club called Double C where they hosted a bunch of excursions, from a boxing match against an ex-UFC fighter to running through the maze-like catacombs underneath their campus, to a poker night, to a library scavenger hunt for old love letters. It was an odd mix, and with how much they were doing, while it was developing the bond of their friend group, it felt unrealistic and so much. This, in combination with their soap opera-esque of plot twists and turns, felt so unrealistic, that it felt like a Hallmark movie on crack.
Another thing with the writing was it felt slow and fast at the same thing. There would be several chapters dedicated to one scene, which attributed to how long the book was (91 chapters + epilogue). I believe Scottie's and Finn's first time together spanned over three to five chapters. At first, I thought with how short the chapters were, it would be a breeze to read back, but at some point, during the 70s, I thought it was getting ridiculous with how Monroe cut their scenes in half. Sometimes in the middle of important conversations. However, I will admit, before that 70s Mark, I thoroughly enjoyed how short the chapters were and how easy it was to read.
Another thing was how character-driven the story was. Despite the plot, which was loose and flimsy at best, especially with Finn's plots, it was focused primarily on building the relationships between Finn and his friends, Scottie and her friends, their entire friend group as a whole, the side characters that are definitely going to be the MCs for one of the next books in the series, and the cameos of Monroe's previous series. In addition, the development of their romance was slow, but fast at the same time. But I can't necessarily classify them as a medium-burn, it was weird. More on this later.
Lastly, the story felt more high school than college. How they met, how they fell in love, how every little turbulence in their lives caused them to push-pull each other away, and how they felt like it was the end of the world when one bad thing happened to them. It felt like I was reading teenagers, with their reactions to melodramatics, then college students who are navigating their lives as new adults. Especially with Scottie's arc and her mother coming onto her campus. What happened was her mother came to her campus, drunk, and had sex with a college student. It was recorded and posted on social media, but Scottie reacted as if it was the end of her world, especially with the setting around her navigating this traumatic experience. People were gossiping about it weeks after it happened, which does not happen in college, and people were making fun of her when none of it was in her control. It felt very high-school-esque with how it was handled and approached. As a college student right now, I can assure you, people would definitely talk, but it would fade away within a week at most because our lives are not centered around reliving the drama of people's lives.
°ä³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õâ€� When it came to our main characters, Scottie and Finn, I found that both of them were two-dimensional at best. This wasn't meant as a harsh critique, because I genuinely liked reading in their POVs, and it wasn't annoying nor a complete drag to go through. The issue I had with them was they did not have a personality outside of each other.
Scottie was a cheerleader, but I couldn't see any of the personality traits outside of her being a normal girl. She went to class, did her practices, and hung out with her friends. She didn't have many hobbies outside of that. It wasn't shown if she was truly dedicated to her classes—scenes of studying, or worrying about her tests—but rather it was just mentioned in the passing how she maintained her 4.0 GPA and how she passed her classes. The only true characterization we got from her, I believed, was how she waa a klutz, but that was only shown in the beginning of the story. Afterwards, it was never brought up again.
Finn was the "bad boy," of the story, which was disappointing, to say the least. I did like how there was a new approach to how the bad boy was perceived—rather than being brooding, grumpy, and hotheaded, he was just a reclusive who wanted his own space. It was difficult because he had a social butterfly as a roommate-turned-best friend who dragged him to everything. However, a true disappointment I had was how I assumed, with the synopsis, that Finn would be more stereotypical and was a boxer, or fighter, or some sort that had a stronger purpose. That there would be weight behind his self-proclaimed title. Perhaps he would be a fighter for the Double C events more often. However, that did not happen. Yes, he fought, but it was only because he was defending Scottie. Yes, he fought, but it was mentioned in the passing of how he would defend his siblings from his abusive father. Other than that, the fighter in him came out very whimsically.
But truly, what I think irked me about their characterizations is how the plot moved them as characters, rather than them being characters moving the plot. Every time there was a twist or turn in the story, I could never concretely say "Finn would've never acted like that," or "Scottie would never say that," because I didn't understand them well enough to know exactly what is their morals, or personalities, or hard boundaries. They were vessels for the plot, to move in whatever direction the plot told them to go, and acted accordingly to that. In some ways, Finn and Scottie felt like self-inserts for the readers to put themselves in, because they don't have true strong emotions on anything. They just acted, how any normal person would react, in a given scenario.
¸é±ð±ô²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ³ó¾±±è²õâ€� I did like their relationship. There was one scene that got me crying, screaming, and kicking my feet, which was where Finn just finished his match with the ex-UFC fighter and Scottie got up to the ring, shoved his chest, and kept scolding him for giving her a heart attack, and he kissed her. That was adorable. I even made a TikTok about them. However, because of their characterization, they did have some faults as a couple.
It was so fast. And so slow. At the exact same time. Let me explain. They kissed, I believe, in the 30s, and they didn't fully get together until the 60s/70s, I believe. It was a tale of first love, because despite Scottie's previous relationship with her ex, she never cared and felt this much emotion for him, and Finn had previous sexual adventures. However, despite the slower side of how they got together, they also slept together for the first time and said "I love yous." Now, pause. Stick with me.
They barely knew each other.
At this point, in the 30s, Finn knew nothing about Scottie outside of her being a cheerleader and someone dedicated to her studies. He didn't know about her family, he didn't know her favorite colors or food (at least, it wasn't demonstrated on-page), and he didn't know anything about her traits, favorite things, hobbies, NOTHING. All he knew was that she was gorgeous, kind (how?), and funny (where?). In the same vein, Scottie knew absolutely nothing about Finn. She knew he fought, knew he was more of the bad-boy type, and a bit about his relationship with the half-brother professor—because she took a note he left on the Professor's desk—but other than that, NOTHING. They knew absolutely nothing about each other, things with real substances, for me to truly believe that they were in love. It truly felt like it was more so out of convenience, their love story, rather than genuine connection. This brings me back to how it was so high school. When you're in high school, your dating pool were the people in your class. You fall in love with a terrible ex because he was conveniently in the same space as you. That's exactly how Scottie fell in love with Finn. He wasn't terrible. Not by any means—he was protective, he cared about her from a distance when she was struggling, and when she pushed him away, he stood his ground to let her know he would stay—but their development of a relationship felt lackluster and unfulfilling.
There were good moments about them, don't get me wrong. Finn was terribly in love with this girl, to the point that he took care of her without getting credit because he wanted to know she was safe and healthy. He was extremely protective, not in a way that didn't leave room for her autonomy, but a silent bodyguard of sorts. He loved her, truly. I believe that from the screen. But I don't believe I can understand why he loved her. What about Scottie was different from the rest? What did Scottie do to you—other than fall in the rain, to which you helped her up—caught your eye? What did Scottie provide for you—as a safe haven, an emotional support, something no one else could give—before you decided you loved her? I didn't believe why they fell in love.
Additionally, let me break down how their romance developed. They met each other; she fell in the rain in the courtyard while he helped her up � He learned she got a boyfriend and iced her out because he, decidedly, didn't want to be involved with someone like her and because he wasn't "good enough for her" � Hot/Cold pushing her away ensues � They make up, especially after the Double C with his fight against the ex-UFC Fighter � He left early in the morning, because of his family, without telling her, making her upset � Hot/Cold ensues again � They're finally at a better place, to which they sleep together on Halloween � He finds out about her taking his journal entry he left on his half-brother Professor � Ignores her, again to which she decided he wanted to leave her alone and she does � They okay, again, but something happened with her mother, to which she isolated herself for a good THIRTY chapters � Finally, after weeks of not talking to anyone, they sleep together again, to which they're finally a couple � Everything was good until something happened to Scottie at her cheerleading nationals � She pushed him away, but he refused to go � They finally get together again.
It was exhaustive. There was so much push-pull without valid reasons, just lackluster communication. I think when they got to the last Hold/Cold, done by Scottie, I was out of it. They always, always confessed/reiterated how much they loved each other every time they caught a bad break—from Finn pushing her away after learning she stole the note from the Professor's desk he left, to after her bad accident during cheerleading nationals—which, to me, was also. Bleh.
Who I Would Recommend This To� Honestly, everyone. Even the mainstream college romance authors nowadays. This was the standard I'm going to put everyone through when it comes to their writing, in terms of actual writing. The word choices. The dialogues. The pacing. However, to be more specific, I would recommend it to people who can handle a bit of unrealism and like One Tree Hill. You know how that one scene in OTH where Dan needed to get a heart transport, or something like that, and the box of the heart transport dropped and the fucking dog ate it? This book felt similar to that. It was fun, it was short (relatively), and you don't have to think too hard. Also, the side characters are everything.
I would recommend this book, in terms of tropes, for those who liked: bad boy/good girl, family dramas/issues, shenanigans, the MMC is protective of the FMC, and found family.
°ä´Ç²Ô³¦±ô³Ü²õ¾±´Ç²Ôâ€� Woah. I did not mean to write that much. I just had so many thoughts I wrote in my Notes app, I had to let you all know. I want to let it be known, that I do like this book, despite the things I highlighted, and I do plan on reading the second book, which I believe is a sports romance between two of the side characters in this book, but there were some things I noticed I needed to point out. It was not as bad as it sounded, but because it was aggravated, it sounded way worse than it was. It was little details but it wasn't overwhelming and would deter anyone from reading the story. It was nearly unnoticeable if anything. However, there are some parting notes I didn't know where to fit in, so I'll just bullet-point them here.
� There were attempts to appear contemporary, especially with Gen-Z slang, that I thought were a bit cringy. Most didn't make me outwardly cringe, but one specific one did, which was when Monroe attempted to use the slang, "salty," but in the context it was used, it felt awkward. In the exact words, it was, "Your salty is showing." Hello? What? Also, so were scattered mentions of TikTok, trends, and even the song “Expresso� by Sabrina Carpenter was played in the background of a frat party.
� Throughout the story, it was focused on building Finn's relationships than Scottie's. What I mean, Finn's relationship with his siblings, his new siblings (including the Professor), and his relationship with Ace, were more developed and intimate than Scottie's relationship with her girl friends, Kayla and Julia.
� Their monologues are decent, and not repetitive in a way that made you groan every time you read them, but it was getting to a point where every three chapters between his POVs, he had to remind the readers why he wasn't good for Scottie, simply for his past; how undeserving he was of her; why he was so fucked up. Man, if you were fucked up, SHOW us.
� There were also a lot of assumptions about what the other person would or would not do. Like, Scottie would be like "Finn wouldn't do that," and Finn would be like, "Scottie isn't like that," First and foremost, how do you know? People are unpredictable, even if you're in love with them. You can't read their heads.
� From Chapters 40�67/70, Scottie was just grieving. Grieving the event of what happened to her with her mother was understandable, but it was so teenage melodramatic. It also happened again from Chapters 80-90, where Scottie was grieving again. This girl has been through so much shit, God, please double it and give it to Dane (her ex).
� Their plots ended so nicely with a bowtie. Like, Finn's whole issue with his father went away because his father got arrested for, bear with me, armed fucking robbery and he got life in prison. That was neat.
� However, what I really loved was the ending. It was when Scottie (view spoiler)[got into a cheerleading accident and got paralyzed, but instead of finishing the story with her regaining back feeling in her legs and walking again, she continued to be paralyzed by the epilogue, exemplifying that your life does not end when you are disabled, which I fucking loved. (hide spoiler)] That was one of my favorite parts of the story.
� Lastly, honestly, the book could've ended in 70% and it would've carried the same depth and satisfaction. It was way too long, and if they just ended on a happy note for Scottie's cheerleading nationals, it would've been as perfect.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
RTC, and while I like it, I think it’s a little pretentious of the author to create an annotation section when her writing is mostly cente3.5 Stars �
RTC, and while I like it, I think it’s a little pretentious of the author to create an annotation section when her writing is mostly centered around romance. This doesn’t mean romance cannot be annotated, but the themes she asks if the annotations are weak because the narrative doesn’t focus on portraying those themes—just the romance. IMO. ...more
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