The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy strikes the perfect balance of sweet and spicy with this lighthearted romantic comedy. Set in the same universe as the Christmas Notch series, this age-gap romance is mired in academic spirit with all the delightful humor and fiery spice this author duo does so well.
It all started with a parking spot. On a wild night out with all his best friends, Dr. Bram Loe spots the beautiful brat who stole his parking space and decides someone needs to teach her a lesson. What follows is an incredible one night stand, something unusually reckless for the steady Bram, whose life revolves around being a good father and good professor.
When he discovers the girl from the bar, Madelyn Kowalczk, is not only the new adjunct professor in the political science department at Astra University, but she’s also been assigned by an agency as his new childcare provider, his simple, stable life gets a whole lot more complicated.
After leaving California and a terrible ex-boyfriend, Maddie is living in her car, just trying to rebuild her life. She desperately wants to find out who she is outside of her ex, and the last thing she needs is to lose herself in a new relationship.
The attraction between Maddie and her new boss refuses to go away, though. It’s a bad idea to give in. They both know it. He’s too old for her. She’s his employee. She’s not ready for anything more than just sex. But if they keep it a secret, what harm could it do?
The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl is truly hilarious, with lots of funny little moments and quips, with dialogue and internal musings that made me laugh. The entire book is filled with these great, humorous footnotes in keeping with the whole academia theme, and it’s such a unique and fun detail.
And maybe a person can only go so long before they say fine, fuck it, if I can’t be a good girl the way I am, then I’ll be a bad girl the way I want to be. Like Milton’s Satan with a thwarted praise kink.*
*Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, and such.
This story is such a page turner, and it feels tangible somehow, like all of this could be really happening at some university somewhere. The characters’ backstories feel so relatable.
The authors do a great job of building a rapport with these characters that allows the readers to really get to know them.
Maddie’s growth and character development are amazing to read. She is a character who is truly finding herself, not just finding love. Bram is an all around good guy, approaching his parenting and his professorial work with genuine care, with a truly fascinating past. He’s a top-tier book boyfriend for sure.
There is so much insane sexual tension between Maddie and Bram. I loved their dynamic, the chemistry, and the care between them.
It’s such a nice change of pace to read kink in something that’s not a dark romance (not that I don’t love those too, don’t get me wrong). The spice in this book is just downright enjoyable, and so well written.
The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl is spicy, intelligent, and infused with sharp wit, and I adored every single page. In another universe somewhere, I am living the post-graduate academic life, and this book spoke to that side of my soul. It’s the first in a planned series, all surrounding the academics of Astra University, and I can’t wait to read them all.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book, which officially hits the shelves on January 13th.
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