I fell in love with the magical bestie duo of Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone when they published their first book together, A Merry Little Meet Cute [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM]. I was so bummed when they wrapped up the Christmas Notch series at three novels and two novellas, but they comforted me with the knowledge that they would continue writing together. Now, we get to celebrate their jump into the world of academia.

The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] may be a college town rom-com, but it starts where all the best college stories come from: a bar. Bram and his friends are enjoying a night out, even after a girl cut him off and took his parking spot…. and then gets a piblic birthday spanking session. He sneaks off with her for one night of fun, easy peasy.

Or… not.

When the new childcare provider shows up for her first day watching his kids, he’s shocked to find it’s Maddie from that one night stand. Making matters worse, she’s also an adjunct professor at Astra University, where he also works. It’s a sticky situation, but she negotiates a raise to stay and keep quiet about their night of fun. It just can’t happen again. But when Bram finds out she’s living in her car, he invites her to move in.

In a surprise twist, this book connects to the Christmas Notch series! Maddie is related to one of the members of INK, the boyband in their first trilogy. The first reference to Nolan got me to raise an eyebrow, but when it confirmed the connection, I got so excited. So, if you love the gang, you’ll love getting a little peek into their lives beyond those three books.

I definitely want to know how they divided up the work this time. Initially, they each took a character POV and I could usually pick out who handled which perspective. This time, their writing feels more unified (probably not the right word, but it’s what I’m rolling with), and it was more challenging to pick who wrote what. I have a guess, but I’m not confident at all, and will be asking next time I see them.

This novel is full of spice, as you’d expect from them, but also tons of depth. These characters have been through it in their past and have a lot of healing to do through the story. Plus, there’s a dollop of angst and yearning.

Can’t wait to see where this series goes next!