The Cheating Curve

by Paula T. Renfroe

In this dazzling and bold debut that cuts to the heart of modern relationships, Renfroe introduces two thirty-something best friends, each dealing with a different side of infidelity.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Relationships, African American, Social, Romantic

276 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[Book Fiend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good read again quite slow coming, and aftetr the forst chapter i did put it down for a week or so dissapointed that i'd wasted my time even takin it out of the library but i ws definitly suprised on ma second attempt to complete the book that it became very interesting. This explores infidelity in the eyes of the cheat and the victim of cheating, male and female which i was very suprised at actually because women cheating isn't an idea that is explored as much as men cheating. this story explores the life of a female masochist in search of perfect man while in a loving relationship with the man of any girls dreams. And her best friend who's husband is cheating on her! so imagine that friendship and the clashes the conflicting ideas of a monogamous relationship would cause and pick up this book and see what happens! you wont be dissapointed.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. In the discussion package it brought up an interesting question. Why do women forgive cheating easier than man. We can learn a lot from men sometimes. When it isn't right ..let it go.

[Ye'Vell Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a no for me. Who writes a book and feels the need to associate the characters with every high end product on the market? You want to talk about overkill? The name brand dropping was ridiculous, i.e., Polo rain boots, diamond white Escalade, Dior, Cavalli, Prada, Mercedes Benz, Timberlands, Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Range Rover, Platinum American Express, American Express Black and Beyond Black, Nike, Viking refrigerator, name brand water, name brand nail polish, name brand shoes and on and on and on. It got cringy really quick with all of the name dropping; just tell the darn story! Learning just a little about the character’s backgrounds would cause the reader to easily deduce that they were well to do, so there was no need to reinforce it on just about every single page! Let the purse just be a purse, the water can just be water, the refrigerator (for goodness sake!) can just be a refrigerator! Anyway, the storyline was okay, I appreciated the look into how more than one marriage was functioning. It was interesting to see how marriage is viewed from different perspectives and what constitutes cheating. Each character ended up as I suspected, so there were no surprises. I won’t be wasting my time on any more books by this author.

[TyB Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aminah is weak to me. Her husband has been cheating on her their whole relationship. I would be disgusted with a man coming home to me with tainted penis. And after his latest cheating she stays away for a few weeks and then takes him back. No counselling just his weak ass word that he wont cheat again. yea right.
Lang is ungrateful and is too immature to be married. But this book definitively showcased that man can cheat ALL THEY WANT and its expected for the wife to forgive but a man WILL NOT FORGIVE his cheating wife.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty decent. The materialism in here is a little over the top, or should I say the need to drop the designer name of EVERTHING in here was a little too much for me. There is time spent reading a whole paragraph about preferred high end waters that I will never get back. Lol. Seriously, this book is a great discussion about infidelity and on how it affects the genders. It was riveting and a fast read. It was hot at times. I would really have liked an epilogue just to see where they Aminah and Langston ended up. Good book.

[Jaye Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd book. Written by a black person, about black people. I had no idea that it would be so different, but it was. Completely different, I almost felt that it wasn’t for me, that I shouldn’t read it.

lots of pretty full on sex scenes which seemed over the top.

Not overly well written.

Slow starting, but there was definitely a point when I wanted to know what happened to the two main characters.

Wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Sonia Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story and well told

Cheating told from the perspective of two best friends. One is being cheated on and the other the cheater. I really enjoyed this story, my first from the author. Lang & Aminah have a unique friendship. I’d have liked more backstory but otherwise it was great.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cheating Curve by Paula T. Renfroe is an entertaining and extremely frank look at cheating within marriage. The novel also tells the story from the perspective of both men and women and allows the reader to make his or her own decision about how they view what is occurring.

[Trae of BlkBookSwap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly — this book was so freaking good. After taking a break from contemporary fiction or urban fiction, this was a great first novel to read. The author is really good at character portrayal and character development! Also, book 2? The ending left so much to be desired.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

tagged literary fiction? yeah, no.

[Rena · Rating 4 out of 5]

With cheating becoming a par for the course (ie. Tiger Woods) with rich, successful men, The Cheating Curve touches on the subject from male and female perspectives. It also follows best friends since childhood, Aminah Anderson and Langston “Lang” Rogers, as they navigate their marriages rife with infidelity.

Aminah is the doting wife to top producer, Fame, who can’t seem to keep his manhood in his pants. He gets off on the power he wields to do what he wants, especially because Aminah puts with it for the sake of their two children. She loves Fame more than life itself, and let’s face it, their affluent lifestyle can afford her to look the other way. If she could only Fame to stay committed, their marriage would be perfect.

Lang, who’s been the shoulder for Aminah when Fame strays, is guilty of duplicity herself. She’s been stepping out on her gorgeous, attentive husband Sean, the kind of man who’s almost too good be true. That kind of perfection bores Lang, though. While she can't see herself without Sean, she also can’t deny her need for sexual freedom. In other words, homegirl is a freak. Lang thinks as long Sean doesn’t uncover her deeds, what’s the harm?

The Cheating Curve is well-paced and enjoyable novel. It is also great discussion book about monogamy and marriage. I did have a few nits about the characters, especially Sean, who seemed too damn perfect to the point of improbable through most of the novel. Lang was extremely selfish that I wanted to slap her my damn self. The ending unfolds predictably, but I think there’s more to Aminah and Lang’s story to be had.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I picked this--it seems like our library's Kindle collection is mostly bad, and the premise of this book is not promising. It's about two female friends: one is married to a rich guy named Fame who cheats on her all the time. The other is married to a nice guy named Sean, and she starts cheating on him.

I guess I was wondering how this could possibly come to a satisfying resolution--that's why I kept reading. It's a strange book in other ways, too. There's a lot of number-dropping for the sake of impressing the reader: the main characters' measurements(!), the cost of the watch the cheated-on one bought for her husband for Christmas, things like that. There are a lot of oddly specific details. Also, the author occasionally uses a bit of slang that most white people wouldn't know, but when she does, she always explains it! Educational but disruptive.

The cheated-on one wakes up and starts standing up for herself; in that regard, it's satisfying. Otherwise, didn't do much for me.

[AprylJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aminah Anderson is married to a famous Record Executive (someone like Puffy Combs) and Langston "Lang" Rogers is married to a hard working Social Studies Teacher, who is very smart about investing his money. Aminah and Lang are best friends, every other Sunday they have a standard nail appointment at a trendy downtown Brooklyn spa than go to brunch. But when Aminah learns of Lang's affair, it almost destroys there friendship. They both have different view regarding infidelity, which leads Aminah to finally confront her husband. "This is the ultimate test of friendship, marriage, and their self-respect."

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made for a quick read: the plot progressed at a relatively steady rate and I enjoyed the author's writing style, including her word choice. The setting, dialogue, and other details made the story relatable. I agree with another reader that the references to high-end material items became a bit excessive. One of the main characters became a bit intolerable after a while and I did not care for the open-ended conclusion. I would read another book by this author.

[Linda Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book okay, the book is about 2 girlfriends, both married, one of them has a cheating husband, which she overlooks for years until she finally gets fed up and does something about it. And the other girlfriend cheats on her husband. This book seems to reflect real life experiences, and how some people may handle cheating spouses.

[Kesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were parts that were extremely slow, but moving to the late middle was where it really heated up. I enjoyed the discussions on infidelity and the reference to some notable people in our history. I can't say I would read it again, but it is definitely a novel that would open ladies, and some men, up into having very lengthy discussions on monogamy and infidelity.

[LaQuita Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I can say is....you gotta be ready for this one. I wasn't. Infidelity is a devastating event no matter how, who, or what. That's all I have to say. Oh, and I hope the behavior described in this book isn't indicative of what is going on in the world today. Too much excess, too much bougieness for me. But I guess this is what makes RHOA the ridiculous success it is.

[Daphne' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy quick read. I liked that it was close to reality as to how people deal with relationships, friendships, and cheating. I also liked that it wasn't a fairytale happy ending.

[M.C. Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. This was a really hard read. I could not get pass chapter three. From beginning to end the writer drops so many names, places, and details that i found it hard to grasp the idenity of the characters.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never read a book with so much reference to name brand high-end earthly possessions. Was really over the top and brought such a picture of materialism into the story. Was any of it really about love or just possessions and spoiled lifestyle???

[Msbossy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright....

[Shamele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book....easy read!

[Rushbug23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't quite remember what all happened in this book but I know I read it or listened to it (audiobook) But I think I thought it to be allllright.

[SlimmGoodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast and easy read for me, I really enjoyed it! I liked this because it also gave a different perspective on cheating and how it affected these ladies friendship.

[Rhonda Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite insightful. Read in one evening. Renfroe really did her research on this subject.

[Rickeya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow in the beginning but good in the end !

[Vi Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story - good reader

[Shannon B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick chick lit.