The Douchebags are back!! The Learning Hours is the 3rd installment in the How to Date a Douchebag series and....my least favorite so far. Here's why:
- Rhett is NOT a douchebag (I'm totally okay with this!) but literally EVERYONE else is. They are shallow (seriously, how many times did characters comment on how ugly Rhett was?) bullies!
- Rhett's "teammates" are horrible people. It went beyond 'douchebag' and into total dickwad territory. Seriously, at this point, if Ney ever writes a book for Gunderson or Johnson, I will never be able to read it because they were awful human beings in this book.
- Laurel says she wants a real relationship with a guy who wants her for more than just her looks and sex. Then she promptly objectifies and demeans Rhett. Yeah, she really seems ready for a mature relationship. Laurel is VERY sure of how hot she is and doesn't mind telling the reader...repeatedly in case we weren't sure.
Now, having said that, let me tell you what worked in the book:
- Ney flips the script on the traditional story. Hot guy meets geeky girl and after being a dick, eventually realizes she is amazing and falls for her. In this case, Laurel is the hottie and Rhett is the unattractive one who is treated like crap. Also, she is the slutty one and Rhett is very inexperienced. I appreciate the total flip on the trope.
- Its kind of a Beauty and the Beast spin. But Belle has the personality of Gaston and the Beast has the personality of Belle. So, in a way, its the story of Gaston and Belle....Come on, you are intrigued.
- There is character growth which I think is always a good thing. This is especially important in New Adult books because college kids are idiots (I can say that because I was one too!). I can appreciate the growth in Laurel and see that it was the journey that was important. Its like seeing what COULD have happened if Gaston had a life changing moment that made him realize he was an ass. Picture it....
Now, since I listened to the book, I have to tell you about the narrators. Both of them were new to me narrators. Muffy Newtown voiced Laurel and, at first, her voice caught me off guard. Its a bit lower pitched than I expected and it kind of threw me off. But, the more I listened, the more I appreciated her narration. I don't think she would be great for some books, but she was great for voicing Laurel. Josh Goodman did a great job with Rhett. With the slight southern twang and the French, the voice for Rhett could really make or break the narration overall. I am happy to say it was well done!
And finally, my thoughts on whisper sync. I borrowed this book with KU and then had the audio (it was a super cheap add on!). I was initially concerned that it wouldn't work great to switch back and forth. I mean, how can the audio skip to where I stopped reading? But, you know what? It works fairly well. Its not perfect. Sometimes the audio would pick up that I had read, but not quite get started where I stopped; however, it never skipped ahead. It might be a few pages behind but that was workable.
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: college, athletes
- Triggers: If douchebag and bitches make you ragey, you might want to skip this.
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: more of an HFN; and quite frankly, I'm still not sure I think Laurel is good enough for Rhett.
Downed by Jen Frederick, Wrong by Jana Aston, The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken...then you will probably like The Learning Hours!
See full review on The Book Disciple