Carole Hart, Pleasure U

Pleasure U

Carole Hart

Berkley, Aug 2008, $14.00

ISBN: 0451224132

Lila is stunned when her high school boyfriend Tad drops her because he says she puts him to sleep in bed as she is boring. Appalled and humiliated, Lila, believing Tad never lies, decides she needs to take a drastic step to improve her performance as she built her entire life dream centered on pleasing Tad.

Lying to her parents about a job in Colorado, Lila the desperate enrolls in Babylona Institute of Sexual Professions, better known as Pleasure U. After the initial shock of the various relationships out in the open, Lila, who thought she would have only Tad, finds her classes are fun and learning how to give and receive pleasure has proved enlightening. However, practical sex education with her peers from both genders looks so yesterday when she wants to go monogamous with big Ben, but only if she gains his heart.

Although superbly written, readers will have problems with the basic concept of a school whose entire curriculum is a degree in sex for young adult twentyish age students; credibility and accreditation aside. The story line actually is a fabulous coming of age tale starring a likable depressed teen whose entire life was planned around the boyfriend she met when she was fifteen. However, at least this reviewer had problems with a school for scandal.

Harriet Klausner