Gemma Townley writes similar books each time, although there are different settings and different names. This book is a quick, easy read. Jen has decided that she needs to make some changes in her life, but isn't entirely sure what she should be doing or how to go about making any changes. She's comfortable where she is, having dumped a boyfriend and having a "normal" life, but doesn't quite know how to say no. So when her mother comes to her and asks her to do her MBA at Bell Consulting, Jen's father's company, she doesn't refuse because maybe this is what she needs to do to change her life up a bit. Plus her mother wants her to look into some possible corruption. Under the guise of being in the MBA program, Jen starts to try to find out what her father has been up to. But that is where things get complicated. She starts to get into her studies because of a handsome lecturer, Daniel. She is found out by her father, she starts arguing with her mother, and her ex-boyfriend slips back into her life randomly. Fortunately for Jen, she has her best friend Angel and her personal tutor, she learns more about herself and business. Things only continue to get complicated for Jen until she finally learns information to sort everything out.
i got this to have a quick, relaxing, cute read. then i started reading it, and it bored me. and i didnt like the characters. my brain turned off when i tried to read it. so i kept reading other books instead. chic lit is supposed to be fluff, and i wouldnt have minded if it turned out to be a serious, yet good, book, but it turned out to be a..i dunno. anyway, i came back to the book and decided to finish it. near the end of the middle, it started to pick up a bit. i never really liked the main girl, or her parents, especially the mom, but it did get some intrigue in there. it turned out ok, but just ok. i wouldnt say anyone should go out and try to read it on purpose. just the writing style, or the characters, or something..it wasnt engaging.
What do You think about Learning Curves (2006)?
I picked this up because it was a romance novel about the business world--two of my favorite things--and quit reading partway through because I thought it was being too obvious about all the deceptions/misunderstandings. I picked it up again a few days ago and discovered that it was being obvious because there was another layer of deception under all the obvious stuff, and that once I got into it I really liked the British humo(u)r and the way the characters used business strategies to try to fix their love lives. The plot was still a little fluffy in spots, but a fun read in the end.
—Sheila
