Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Check out my book review of Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone to see what I think of their latest release together!

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Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl: Summary

Maddie Kowalczk is ready to be a bad girl. When the rookie lecturer lands at Astra University, she’s looking to start fresh after a messy breakup. But her first night in town takes a twist when she bumps into Bram Loe—a reserved but incredibly handsome single dad she (not so accidentally) stole a parking spot from earlier that day. The unspoken chemistry as he locks eyes with her while she gets a birthday spanking at a local bar is hotter than a Bunsen burner at full flame.

Bram is looking for a break from his hectic life as an ecology professor and dad to rambunctious twins and a busy teenager. So when his college friend’s divorce celebration brings him face-to-face with the same delectable brat who stole his parking spot, he’s ready for a night to remember. But the next morning, Bram’s world turns upside down (and that’s not just the hangover talking). His new nanny? None other than Maddie, who also happens to be the new poli-sci adjunct at the university where he teaches.

Maddie is desperate and broke, so when Bram offers her a raise and the chance to set some ground rules, she can’t say no. As the two settle into their new roles, the normally unruffled Bram finds that no one riles him up like Maddie does, which is a problem when every argument feels like foreplay. Of course, Bram is an educator first and foremost, and he very quickly finds he can’t resist the temptation of instructing Maddie in the fundamentals of being a good girl.

And it turns out Maddie’s a hands-on learner…

Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl: My Review

I was so excited to learn that besties Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy were teaming up once again for a new series that this book instantly went on my most anticipated new romance books of 2026 list. I love their Christmas Notch books and if you read them then you know that these two can bring the laughs, the steam and the naughtiness that I love so much.

And while I think this book has all of the above, it’s also just A LOT.

So here’s what I loved – Maddie is a woman picking herself up from a bad breakup and essentially starting over. She’s starting a new adjunct teaching job, nannying for a single dad AND living in her car. I loved how she learns to stand up for herself and ask for what she wants as the book goes on. I also loved how devoted she is to political change but the storyline of her possibly running for office was a lot in addition to her teaching, getting over her ex, etc.

Then there is Bram who I anticipated would be this alpha male set on some BDSM light kink but he actually turned out to be this sweet cinnamon roll scientist who liked to spank Maddie and call her a good girl (or bad girl depending on the circumstance). Despite being different than what I expected, I really enjoyed watching him being a doting dad and fall first for Maddie. I get that his past illegal antics is what caused the third act conflict between him and Maddie but was it really necessary? Again – a lot going on!

I also really liked the college campus atmosphere, their initial hookup (though very off page) and the way that Bram supported Maddie. The steam kind of took second fiddle for me surprisingly. I also really loved the shout outs to the Christmas Notch characters since Maddie is Nolan’s sister.

What didn’t work was just that there is almost too much going on (have I said that yet?!). Not only in Maddie and Bram’s life and backstories, but in all the characters and side stories that were included. I imagine that this is going to turn into an entire series because we were introduced to a number of people in Bram’s friend group. And while I like some of them, I was getting so confused at the beginning with their interference and yet not really seeing what that brought to THIS story. That being said I’m looking forward to Sloane and Leo’s stories for sure.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and recommend it, and yet I also felt like too much distracted me from Bram and Maddie to totally love it.

*I received an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

More Books by Sierra and Julie:

• A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
• A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
• A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Related Book Lists:

• Best Nanny Romance Books
• Best Forced Proximity Romance Books
• Best Single Dad Romance Books

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