This book was not what I was expecting at all. It was full of angst, drama, and twists. I was so invested in the found family and this book pulled way more emotions than I was expecting. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions but definitely worth the ride.

Wow, wow, wow what a story.
From tears to laughter to tears from laughter, it was everything I had imagined it to be🥹
The drama, the secrets, the heartbreak, it gave it all!

The moment I read the opening Authors Note to this story where it mentioned the blend of my favorite shows of all time, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Friends I knew I was going to fall inlove with this story and these characters.

Many times I found myself comparing characters with characters from those shows like Ace for example gave me skillz+chris keller vibes and I LIVED for his character (he was honestly my favorite).

Although I didn’t live through the experiences Finn or Scottie lived, the characters felt relatable and familiar. Finn keeping love out of arms reach because of his fears and struggles of his past made me sob too many times to count.

Overall this story I would say is a story about love. Unconditional, non restricting, all accepting, love!
It’s about learning to love others, while also learning to allow others to love on you and loving yourself enough to let love in💕

A whole lot of loving and learning!

I first need to get my thoughts on their "Trigger Warning" off my chest. A statement that says "TW: This book does contain sensitive topics" is useless. "Sensitive Topics" could mean anything from drug use to domestic violence to sexual assault. If you're going to bother putting a TW statement, then you need to actually give some sort of list of possible triggers. Personally, I didn't find anything triggering but there were topics others might find uncomfortable like alcoholic family members, revenge porn, and an abusive relationship/ex. Max Monroe used the same unhelpful TW for their last book (which truly needed them), so I was hoping they'd learn from comments about it then. Guess they didn't.

With that being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part but I connected more to the side characters than the main characters. I thought Ace was hilarious and loved seeing characters from previous series like Thatch. I was pleasantly surprised to see an older Lexie as well! As far as Finn & Scottie went, I just had so many issues with their decision making skills. And I understand this is a college setting and growing up with the parents/families they both did, probably lead them to make the choices (or NOT make some choices) but I was just really frustrated. Why Scottie kept the texts and everything secret, I'll never understand. She had friends who would've helped her!

The amount of drama in this book was a little bonkers at time. I feel like one or two things could've been removed and it might have might the story a little tighter. This was a long book and I don't think it needed to be as long as it was. The Scottie twist at the end wasn't really needed. This girl has been through enough and then that happens? I'd honestly label this book as a "Happily Ever After For Now" because I don't feel like the relationship between Finn and Scottie is settled in a truly HEA way. It's one of the reasons this book is only 3-3.5 stars for me. I could overlook a lot of the wild stuff that was happening because ya know, it's a book and I just want to be entertained but the ending just kinda did it in for.

I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series but I hope the drama is taken down a notch.

THIS BOOK! this was my first max Monroe book and I devoured it. It was so good. I loved the character development and each of the supporting characters were great. I cried a bunch towards the end. Five stars! I can’t wait for the next one!

📣 learning curve 📣

This one was really a learning curve.
What a twist. I didn’t expect it. I mean at this point I should because Max Monroe really write emotional books.

I really didn’t know this book is the second generation from another series (Billionaire Bad Boys) I don’t know when but I’m definitely reading it because of how wonderful the side characters were. Finn and Scottie's friends’families were *chef kiss * 💋. I’m so happy for the support. And their little group of friends were amazing too🤩.

This is a beautiful story about growth. I’m amazed by how wonderfully Finn and Scottie characters were written. It’s incredible the beautiful message that the authors give us.

Max Monroe have this particular way of writing that I’m not surprised by their successful career. If you haven’t please check What I Should’ve Said too, I still can’t forget it.

Learning Curve as beautiful as the romance story was it was also heartbreaking. Finn and Scottie’s life hadn’t been easy. They had lived through so much pain and trauma that even after they are happily together life teaches them how everything can change. Because life’s unpredictable and it doesn’t guarantee anything.
== what an unexpected twist ==

Don’t be afraid, they’re living happily now but it hasn’t been easy for them.

So yep, wrapping this up I highly recommend Learning Curve ♥️.

Thank you to netgalley and Max Monroe for the arc.

Max Monroe does it again! These two are amazing at what they do. I ate this book up.
This is the story of Scottie, who is a freshman cheerleader with her high school boyfriend at Dickson University. She is going to her class while it is raining, and her boyfriend is yelling at her from the safety of an awning. She trips and is saved from face planting by a stranger who is kind. She feels immediately drawn to him and looks up to see he is gorgeous. Her boyfriend is yelling at her and has no care for her well-being. When she gets into class, her boyfriend and another cheerleader are flirting relentlessly in front of her. She moves to the front since she forgot her contacts and sits next to none other than the boy who saved her from her fall. They exchange notes, and she learns his name is Finn.
What ensues is a beautiful story of growth, love, and determination. I highly recommend this!

Max Monroe was right when they said this book was drama. It was so much dramaand that drama was all over the place. Just when I would think things had finally calmed down for the characters, they would explode again. It was a lot of fun. Max Monroe's writing was a good and funny as ever, bit they also made me tear up a bit at times.

Scottie and Finn were great characters. I really liked them when they were together. I hated the things that kept them apart. They grew throughout the book, like college freshman do when they're on their own for the first time. That being said, there were a couple of times I wanted to impart some wisdom to them. Luckily, they had friends and family to do that for them.

Max Monroe have them support in the form of the kids of characters from past books. Ace (Cassie and Thatch) and Julia (Georgia and Kline) were great support and fun to get to know. Lexi Winslow was another fun one to have around. I also loved the new characters.

There were only a couple things that I'm still not sure I loved. The first was the length of this book. I thought it could have wrapped up sooner. 70-100% of it was a shock and I don't know if it was truly necessary for these characters. The other thing was sometimes college felt more like high school, but that wasn't a huge deal.

Overall, I enjoyed the start to this series. I'm really excited for the next book.

Could not put it down..2AM!

Wow! First came, “What I Should’ve Said” and we learn that Max Monroe can write a story that can tear us apart and put us back together and here we go again. Though no relation to that book, “Learning Curve” had a similar effect. A beautiful story that is heartfelt, raw, funny, everything!

So, this is an interconnected series. Dickson University series is the second generation to characters we love in Billionaire Bad Boys and Winslow Brothers. We now see their kids in college and I don’t think it’s a secret that we get a glimpse of their parents, which is amazing. This is a standalone but I recommend you read the others at some point. You will understand the kids better..especially Thatch’s kid, Ace. Like father like son.

Finn grew up with four siblings and they have had a difficult life. Home life has not been good but Finn had to get away and has to work extremely hard to get in and stay in college. Everyone around him is a rich kid. Entitled, wealthy, have had such an easy life..so he thinks..and he is bitter about it.

Scottie grew up with one sister and an amazing dad. Her mom is a different story. She’s going to Dickson U. on a cheerleading scholarship so she can’t do anything to mess that up. Otherwise, she nor her father could afford school.

Young hearts will tear, be challenged, grow, and be put back together. Bitterness will turn to understanding and growth and love will be learned. Beautiful story!

This book had all the clichés that really threw me back to my WP roots. It delivered exactly what I expected from a good girl/bad boy romance and I loved it.

It is worth noting that Finn definitely isn't like the typical bad boys - he's so sweet, actually. Though his back and forth attitude did become a tad annoying at some points...

Can't wait for Blake and Lexi's book :)

I would like to thank Hambright PR and Max Monroe for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Learning Curve is a new adult stand-alone novel in the new Dickson University series by Max Monroe. The first line of the book blurb is “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.” This book is about Finn and Scottie who were both freshman college students who meet on the first day of classes and share an instant attraction. Both had secrets about their home life that they were too embarrassed to share. Their relationship and their school year was a rollercoaster of experiences, some good and some bad, but it was the best book Max Monroe has ever written. I adore their romcoms, and this is still one with frequent appearances from the Billionaire Bad Boys and the Winslow Brothers Collection. The book had me laughing out loud over and over again, the authors went much deeper than their average romcom. We saw some of this with their last book, and they are growing as writers in leaps and bounds. The book had all the anyx of new adulthood compounded by numerous difficult and traumatic experiences both in the past and in present. Finn and Scottie were both immensely likable but flawed human beings who both showed so much growth through the book’s journey. This one is going to stick with me for a very long time. If you enjoy emotional contemporary romcoms that deal with serious issues, then you are going to love this book. I would give it more than five stars if the scale went that high.

Quick Summary: A tug of war NA with angsty heart-love romance

My Review: Learning Curve by Max Monroe is book #1 in the Dickson University series.

About the Book: The cheerleader and the bad boy unexpectedly meet and become aware of each other. Circumstances are such that they enter into a push-pull relationship. Internal and external struggles contribute to a rocky course. Who ever said the road to true love is never easy certainly knew what they were talking about. Facts!

My Final Say: I can always count on a slamming emotional arc and textured characters when it comes to Max Monroe's books. They always take me on a journey. This was no different. I am 100% all in for this new series. It started out just right and I know amazing stories will continue to come with this colorful cast.

Other: This would be superb as an audiobook. (With stories like this one, I really like to hear voice actors portray the characters. It hits in a different way.)

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💗

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author/publisher (Max Monroe LLC) and to NetGalley. Thank you so much for granting access to a digital ARC of this title. It is always a pleasure to read and review your books. I am grateful for the opportunity.

DNF at 50% this book is soooo long and I couldn’t get invested in the characters. The love story seemed immature? More high school than college. I wasn’t interested enough to keep it going. I might’ve cared more if I had read the series prior to this one to know familiar characters but I did not 🥲 I have DNF this author a few times so I think it’s possible they just aren’t for me.

Finn and Scottie take you on a roller coaster of emotion throughout this book. Finn is set to wreak havoc on his brothers life and he’s out for revenge. He’s a powder keg waiting to explode because he feels like professor, Ty Winslow and his family had the better end of the deal where their father was concerned. The last thing he expects is defined the girl of his dreams and Scottie, but that’s exactly what happens.

Finn keeps trying to push Scottie away because he doesn’t believe he deserves to be loved or have someone like her in his life. Scottie falls fast and hard for him, but she also knows he is pushing her away and doesn’t know why. When she sees him leave a note on Professor Winslow’s desk, she backtracks and steals the letter, which sets off one of their many strained parts of their relationship.

Even though I understood we both were coming from there were times when I felt like maybe they shouldn’t fight to be together. Her ex and a teammate on that cheer squad wreak havoc on her life. Finn and professor Winslow‘s dad also wreaks havoc on their lives, and I was happy to see how the entire Winslow family opened up their arms to Finn and his family.

You will need a box of tissues because this book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. Just when you think things are looking up for them, a tragedy occurs and could rip them apart forever. The way they stand by each other in the hardest of times proves how strong they are as a couple, I couldn’t put this book down.

I liked the Winslow family series, and this first book of the series is proving to be a wonderful starter. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Lexi and Blake. I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

An angsty in parts, new adult romance from the writing duo that is Max Monroe with some fun cameo appearances thrown in that readers will be familiar with as the next generation reach college age resulting in Learning Curve as Finn Hayes and Scotty Bardeaux meet when they both attend Dickson College. Scotty is there on a cheerleading scholarship while tortured bad boy Finn…. well, his motives for attending this particular school are a little more personal and involves unknown families rather than his education. Full of the trials and tribulations of that strange inbetween age where you no longer feel like a teenager but you’re not quite an adult, this book was a rollercoaster for Finn and Scotty as they navigated the waters of young love and college and of course secrets and just as things were looking up for them, a tragedy swept them off their feet in more ways than one, leading to some emotional scenes. But don’t think it’s all doom and gloom, any story that has appearances from Thatch Kelly is going to have you laughing out loud and if the prank king extraordinaire’s activities in Learning Curve were anything to go by, if this book should be the start of a series, then I can’t wait for Ace’s story and more from the Kelly family

This is a tough review to write....when I first started the book and for a good portion of the book I was really into the story. I really liked Finn and Ace was awesome. Scottie was a little bit of hit and miss for me but overall I found the story line engaging for the most part.

This book is FULL of drama....there is no way around it. Scottie couldn't practically breathe without there being more drama, and while some of it she brought on herself, after a while it was just too much. A lot of the drama was WAY over the top.

I felt like the story was too long....it just seemed to go on and on and not in a meaningful way that added anything good. It was really just filler or more drama.

I enjoyed the moments between Scottie and Finn that were good and when their relationship was growing. I enjoyed Finn and Ace's friendship and I liked reading about Finn and his siblings and the positive relationships that Finn and his siblings were able to finally experience.

Overall I wish the book went a little differently but there were still some enjoyable parts but overally it was not my favorite.

Thank you to Max Monroe and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Learning Curve has reminded me of why I enjoy this author books. I absolutely loved Scottie and Finn with their undeniable attraction to each other and just couldn't get enough of them. Their pranks were absolutely hilarious and made me laugh out loud more than a few times, but their story was also one that had drama. The author's writing style was one I enjoyed as there was never a dull moment in this story and I completely devoured this book. The ending left to this standalone college romance story left me happy and excited to read more books from this author. This is a story I will be recommending to all of my college romance book loving friends.

Learning Curve
by Max Monroe

“𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

I WAS BEYOND IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK. The characters, setting, and plot were phenomenal and had me flipping the pages faster and faster to find out more about Dickson University. This book had an amazing storyline and I was so obsessed with Scottie and Finn’s story! 💕

Finn is a bad boy on the outside but on the inside he has a heart of gold. His character grows and matures so much during the book and I was so satisfied to see him at peace. He’s so willing to take care of his family and Scottie! The scene with the cupcake had me 🥵

Scottie is so sweet and an amazing friend. She goes through entirely too much in this story but comes out stronger each time! I’m in love with her love for Finn! 📣

The entire friend group and family at Dickson is amazing! I honestly would say they are all my favorite characters, but Ace has a special place in my heart! I’m so ready to read his story because he’s the perfect golden retriever and such an amazing friend! His pranks and dialogue had me giggling the entire book! 🃏

Amazing, perfect book by Max Monroe! ⭐️

5 ⭐ 2 🌶

That... That was so unexpected... And so amazing. Just everything really. I don't cry often in books, but Learning Curve had literal tears coming from my eyeballs twice and them threatening a few other times. This was a rom-com with dark and heartbreaking vibes with this ending that had me absolutely stunned. I loved it so dang much.

I adored this cast of characters so much. Not just Scottie and Finn, but Ace, Blake, Kayla and Julia too. This little found family group was so amazing. Both Scottie and Finn have a parent that is just utter trash and I was really impressed with how they both handled it. Finn was definitely a little angry and vindictive at first, but watching him grow and take in his new family was the best.

I could probably go on for hours about how much I loved this book tbh... But I think I'll spend that time heading back to the backlist and reading more about Finn, Ace and Julia's families while I await Blake and Lexi's story, which I know is going to be frick fracking incredible. I can't wait.

“I’ve never felt this trusted by anyone. This valued. I’ll never forget what this means, and I hope you won’t either, Scottie. This wasn’t just something. It was everything.” - Learning Curve by Max Monroe

This was the first book I’ve read by Max Monroe and it definitely won’t be my last!

Before picking up Learning Curve, I had heard amazing things about Max Monroe and their ability to write romcoms.
Turns out the writing duo can also write amazing angsty books that deal with heavy topics and are filled with drama!

The Learning Curve definitely had me on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, stressed, cried, and swooned. The twists and turns in this book were wild! Finn was a fantastic broken bad boy and I loved how strong Scottie was.

I can’t wait for this series to continue!

I've loved the previous books by this pair of authors. The last one, Things I Should've Said, had me in tears because I was so emotionally involved.

This book is filled with lots of college Freshman hijinks. Characters, although some of them, have had difficult lives, still act very young. One of the main characters is trying to shock his half brother, who has no idea that their father has another whole family.

There are a lot of things happening in this book. The rich kids lead a charmed life and the poor kids, for the most part, seem to have the rich kids eager to share their bounty. It's partially a fantasy world, and partially a heartbreaking reality with cruelty shoving it's way into their lives.

True love does seem to shine through and bad guys seem to get their just rewards. But this book just wasn't my cup of tea.