Learn to Fly

Double Blind Study #1

by Heidi Hutchinson

Alternate cover edition, ISBN:9781310603815


Lenny Evans felt like her life was suffocating her. She would do just about anything to change that, which is how she ended up taking a job that landed her on tour with the biggest rock band in the world.

The plan was simple: get a job, get out of town, don't get attached. But Lenny has never met anyone like the members of Double Blind Study and they easily adopt her into their makeshift family. Now, Lenny finds herself caring far too deeply for these tattooed misfits, daily bringing them closer and closer to revealing Lenny's true past and everything she's running from.

Sometimes crashing headlong into the unknown isn't the worst thing.


WARNING: contains foul-mouthed rock stars, irritating exes, loud music, an overworked tour manager and random shenanigans.

Genres: Romance, Music, Sports, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Fiction

486 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2013

About the author

Heidi Hutchinson writes slow burn rock star romances for contemporary readers who like humor with their hotties. She has both open and closed door series filled with relatable characters and swooney yumminess. Double Blind Study, her go-to series, is closed door and follows a band in emotional turmoil and the women who love them.

When she’s not writing about wild hearted women and hunky heroes, she’s watching Doctor Who or trying to find the perfect gluten free pizza crust for her pizza shaped celiac heart. She lives in the Black Hills with her alarmingly handsome husband, their fearless child, and a rather large (and spoiled) dog.

She’s fueled by messages from her readers and too much coffee.
And a whole lotta love.
Visit her website or social media for upcoming releases!

heidih.net
Email: heidih.writer@gmail.com



IN BETWEEN DUET SERIES (IN PROGRESS)—
Book 1: In Between the Earth and Sky
Book 2: Love of a Wild Thing (TBD)
Book 4: TBA

DOUBLE BLIND STUDY SERIES (IN PROGRESS)—
Book 1: Learn to Fly
Book 2: In Your Honor
Book 3: Tectonic
Book 4: Deepest Blues
Book 5: The Hope That Starts
Book 6: Brand New Sky
Book 7: Into the Night We Shine (Bonus Novella)
Book 8: Born to Resist (Bonus Novella- in progress)
Book 9: Matter of Fact (holiday novella)

DOUBLE BLIND STUDY WORLD CROSSOVER
Things That Shine (written with Bria Quinlan)

SOARING BIRD SERIES (IN PROGRESS)—
Book 1: Like the Back of My Halo
Book 2: Sushi and Sun Salutations
Book 3: Puppy Love and Peanut Butter
Book 4: Rope a Dope
Book 5: Caught a Vibe (May 2024)
Book 6: TBA

IN COLD MUD SERIES (IN PROGRESS)—
Book 1: Stubborn Hearts (prequel to DBS book 6 Brand New Sky)
Book 2:


THE DOUBLE BLIND STUDY SERIES is an exciting romance series about rock stars in recovery. The Double Blind Study band has already lived the rock and roll cliché. This is life after. Full of humor, heart, and slow burn romance. Each book can be read alone but it is best if read in order. Cliffhanger free.

THE SOARING BIRD SERIES follows a group of extreme sports enthusiasts as they navigate life and love living on the California coast. Slow burn romantic comedies that can be read individually, but best if read in order. Cliffhanger free.

THE IN BETWEEN DUET SERIES is a slow burn unconventional romance that explores the connections of science and poetry. Occasionally intense moments of personal clarity and heartfelt confessions. Filled with touches of humor and real world obstacles. Cliffhanger free.

IN COLD MUD SERIES is a small series revolving around the politics and relationships of horse racing. Not a romance series. Definitely family drama.

NOTE: All of Heidi Hutchinson’s books take place in the Double Blind Study series. Each series can be read on their own but there are often crossover characters you may recognize.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really, really good. Until it wiped out. Yes, that was a snowboarding allusion (because Lenny is a snowboarder. See what I did there?) Sigh.

Anyway, this kind of rocked (LOL, another allusion! Because Luke is a rocker! I am on a roll!) I enjoyed getting to know Lenny and the recovery she's trying to make. Yeah, Hutchinson holds that close for a bit, but not unreasonably so. And meanwhile, we get to understand her character and strength and that was pretty cool.

Luke is all kinds of sweet, too. I love the protective, take-charge type and Luke had that in spades. Frankly, all the guys in the band were fun to get to know and I really enjoyed how they both respected Lenny, following her lead, and were also willing to be there for her if she needed them as well. It was a great dynamic and I got completely worried when the relationships seemed to solidify so well at about the midway point.

Fortunately, the story continued good with the natural tension of being on the road and needing to maintain discipline so things don't fall apart. Lenny learning to let the others into her struggles and learning to take her life back was a graceful note to the story and one I really enjoyed.

And then everyone took crazy pills and things fell completely apart and I kind of hated them both. Luke and Lenny both decided that rationality was for suckers and jumped into various forms of denial and stupidity and it took for-freaking-ever to get back to anything with even a slight resemblance to sanity. I kept reading because I kept thinking that they couldn't possibly maintain this level of dumb indefinitely and they'd get back to the good parts. Nope. It really does last to the end when they finally pull their heads out. Just. Ugh.

This was heading for five stars until that last quarter or so. Seriously, I was loving it. Which is why I didn't DNF when the monkeys escaped the circus. I'm glad I got to the end because I really wanted them to work it out. I just wish it hadn't taken so very long to get there.

A note about craft: Hutchinson does a lot of head-hopping in this book. It's never unclear, but it's a bit odd, even for romance as a genre. It's mostly Lenny and Luke, but she also jumps into band members and friends and occasionally enemies. It felt strange, but not off-putting once I got used to it.

A note about editing: This book has some really weird editing issues. It's all either dropped words or duplicated ones—a disproportionate number of them articles (definite or indefinite) and conjunctions. I lost count of the "the the"s and even "and and"s. There were one or two near-homophone problems but mostly it was dropped or doubled words. Which was strange.

A note about Chaste: Lenny has been an active, but somewhat isolated woman all her life and is a virgin during this story. So no sex. There's lots of kissing, but no fooling around. One of Luke's more charming attributes is that this was never an issue or even a question for him. He liked (and then loved) Lenny and he simply followed her lead. And that totally worked for this story.

[Heidi Boyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't know how to convey to you how much I LOVED Learn to Fly. I stumbled across it by accident and am so happy I did. When I first started, I assumed it was your typical 'Rock Star' novel, but LTF is anything but. Yes, you had your Rock Star moments, but they were far and few between. Instead you got a story. One about friendship, brotherhood, true love and yes, a little angst as well. I fell in love with the characters instantly. Heidi had such a way of introducing them, giving you just enough information that it left you craving more. Another plus was how well Heidi told the story. LTF isn't just a Love Story, it has so many other layers that you can't put it down because you HAVE to find out where she's going to go with it. I can only hope the next book comes out soon!! I'm already missing the characters! Talk about a book hangover!! Thank you, Heidi for telling us Lenny and Luke's story!! It isn't one you want to pass up! I guarantee it!!!

[Asma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh!!! I really laughed my heart out with this one :D that I got all this crazy stares at home, laughing and smiling without a reason, well as they thought, obviously it wasn't the case :P Lol
Even my brother went off saying "Your daughter is turning nuts!! No one will marry her now.." Lol.. well, my future husband must get it when I cry or laugh over a book :D <3

Such a funny, sweet novel..

[RaeWho · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The book was cute. Nothing revolutionary, but then again I read romance to be entertained not to have my mind blown. The writing was pretty rough around the edges, which I found distracting as I kept stumbling over awkward sentences and/or auto-editing in my head. The characters still skirted the 2 dimensional range for me. I felt at times their actions didn't line up with the person Heidi had told us they were. I'm hoping the next books help flesh them out a bit more. The biggest plus, however, is that the book is completely clean. It's very refreshing to be able to read a clean romance.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/12/2019)! 🎁

[Ness · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I can't believe I finished this book. I almost DNF'd at 90% and was like "no, I want to see the happy ending, I'll finish it." Premise is fine, fun. Execution doesn't live up. I really should have DNF'd it, but it rocked along okay until nearly the end, where it really feel apart, very annoyingly.

Female and Male Protagonists were all happily in love and all was well, and then COMMUNICATION ISSUE! leads to nonsensical breakup, we get the hint of BIG GESTURE! but it fizzles immediately, even before truly underway (which was so weird), and then there's STUPID DRUNKEN IDIOCY! and really, I can't even rant about how the book just utterly feel apart, because it just was so stupid, and so unnecessary. The author had them in a good position, she could have honestly ended it with "And they had a conversation and decided that yes, they could make it work, and so they lived happily ever, following her in the snowboarding arena half the year and touring with him the other half. The End." and sure, it would have been a bit sudden, but still a hell of a lot better than the author stupidly being like "oh, no, I forgot to add a bunch of unnecessary plot devices and drama, let me just ruin the whole book throwing that all in randomly when readers are expecting it wrap up happily at this point." And then she added some sudden, heavy-handed Christian judgery out of left field at the very end, and changed the rest of the band mates into unbelievable cardboard characters. Really the last 20% of the book is just a whole lot of "WTF just happened?!?!". Really disappointing. Left me wondering why I wasted the time.

I will never read another book by this author.

Free Kindle download on Amazon. Honestly, not a good move on the author's part if she's trying to drum up new readership.

[*The Angry Reader* · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 29%. Merp!
So this book had smart writing. And characters who weren't idiots. And then they became annoying as all hell.
Lenny is running away from something. So she somehow becomes the assistant to a super big deal band.
Luke is in that band.
Thus far they've spent the entire book in their heads. They think. And they angst. And they agonize. Action words are limited. And their feelings don't seem real bc it's all in their heads.
The pace is glacial. Lenny's hesitation in being with Luke is that she's awful and he deserves perfection. Puke.
I was doing some skimming for a while but finally gave up when Luke's ex joins the tour. She's physically perfect and hateful and wants Luke back. In her first meeting with Lenny she literally calls her a whore. So we have no background on this woman - no relationship btw her and Luke. She just shows up and calls our heroine a whore. I guess the author thinks so little of women that if you're attractive you must be a catty angry bitch ready to fight over a man. Well fuck that noise.

[Sarahi Hanscom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a wonderful book! For starters, is highly addictive right from the beginning. I could not put it down and it just had me hooked, instantly. Moreover, I found it super enjoyable getting to know the characters in it. I just can't get over at how great the chemistry between each character was. The flow of it was simply wonderful. I highly recommend it!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really enjoy the way Heidi writes a story. She always takes you on and adventure and gets you surfing or flying off jumps or singing on stage in a rock band. Her books are just fun. This should have been called Lenny and all her men:} Shezzz this girl is a man magnet and they all can't help but fall in love with her. This is her story and it was a good one, I enjoyed it. These are great books for me because they add real life into what was my kind of real life and I think is a lot more of reality for people. Her characters choose to not sleep with every guy they see, they don't get drunk every night and party and play all day. They swear but not every other word and they live with morals and integrity because they have learned either the hard way or by life that living with morals just makes life a little sweeter. I love the tone of her books, lots of play but lots of learning and growth.
These are 16 and up. There is no sex but plenty of talk of it and swear words and just guy grossness.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooooo much unnecessary drama... if only there was this thing called COMMUNICATION... parts of it I really liked so 3 stars

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5

This book sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions and honestly, I can't decide if I love it or not. So I figured...time for a handy-dandy pros/cons list!

(The rest of the review from here on out will contain spoilers)

PROS:
—I LOVED Lenny and all of the members of Double Blind Study. I really, really liked most of the other characters as well...aside from Cody, of course (Shane grew on me towards the end). All of the characters definitely felt like real people overall.
—I loved all the detail. The stories about DBS's background, and the backgrounds of all of its members...I have a feeling a lot of thought went into that and it worked out extremely well.
—I have a favorite DBS member! (*cough*Mike*cough*cough*)
—The author is extremely good at world-building and I think that's definitely what pushed me to finish it as quickly as I did. All of the characters' problems seem very real and definitely sucked me in

CONS:
—This feels like a fanfiction turned into fiction for publication. The fact that there are characters named Luke, Mike, and even Ashton (like 3/4 of 5 Seconds of Summer....#LashtonConfirmed?) only backs up my theory. And the name 'Harrison' reminds me of George Harrison. Plus, how they met up seemed very fanfictiony: Lenny bumps into them on a plane and is offered a job as their 'assistant.' Not to mention Lenny was a DBS fangirl and she and Luke eventually hooked up.
—The relationship between Luke and Lenny was pretty predictable, and not just because their names sound good together. (Confession: I ship Mike and Lenny. Whoops)
—Lenny has like, a thousand guys falling over her??? Like, I get she was pretty, but...first Shane, then Luke, then Duke, then Ben. Damn girl. For a virgin, she sure did attract a lot of attention. (Yet MikexLenny couldn't be a thing?? Smh)
—There were a LOT of typos and editing mistakes. But that didn't influence my overall rating, just an FYI

...I believe that's everything. So, with the pros only just slightly outweighing the cons, I decided to give a 3.5/5 and round it up to 4. It was an entertaining read, but I do think it could use some polishing up.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a promising beginning. I found the third person povs written in a refreshing way. I liked knowing the thoughts of more than two of the characters in any given scene. I felt like it was a smart way for the author to convey a lot of information without having the book be too long. Sometimes the ping ponging between all the povs was a little distracting and detracted from the main emotions and thoughts of the MCs, but that's just my opinion. Overall, this was a nice read.

What I liked:
1) The various third person povs
2) The relatively low drama of the entire story
3) How strong Lenny was. She didn't need to have everyone notice her, adore her, and fawn over her. She was very level headed.
4) How clean the story was, language wise and sex wise. It's refreshing in an NA book.
5) All (or at least most ) of the big mistakes or bad lifestyle choices were made off scene, before this book takes place. It makes me sad and sometimes mad to read about that.
6) I'm glad some of the side characters for their own happiness.

What I didn't like:
1) Luke. To be honest, I know that he's a good friend and helped his bandmates out a lot, but I felt like what Lenny said was true towards the end. If he really loved her, he wouldn't have fallen back on his old habits. He seemed like a really weak character to me. And the chemistry between him and Lenny was middling.
2) I know that Lenny's gorgeous, kind, talented, and all kinds of awesome, but it was a little ridiculous how many guys wanted her.
3) The epilogue seemed more like a plug for the next books in the series. I would have liked to known more about what happened between Luke and Lenny. How were they really going to work on the every day things?
eta: 4) This book needs to be edited again as there were quite a few errors.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, you start reading a book and you know that you’re going to enjoy it. For me, this was one of those books.

Right from the start, each of the characters is endearing, and each for their own reasons. It is difficult to describe this book adequately in a review, without giving any spoilers, hence the somewhat shortened review. However, what I will say is that the relationships which develop between Lenny and the band are expressed so beautifully that I defy you not to feel for them as the story progresses.

It’s not a smooth ride for Lenny, not by a long chalk, but the strength and determination she shows, proves that she is more than a match for the macho antics of the band.

In my opinion, this is a glorious, many faceted, love story which hooked me. I cannot wait to read the next in the series.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

[United Indie Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from United Indie Book Blog in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. The characters are developed in such away that you feel like they are real and I the room with you. The story flows unbelievably well, and several times I thought oh here is where she's ending komodo find another page. I is book 1 so the author used the time to explain who each person was without dumbing down the story. I can't wait to read the other books and find out what happens next. If you don't read this book you will kick yourself later. It is an awesome story!

Reviewed by Jenni

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect much but this book is quite a surprise. I really enjoyed this and it wasn't just a typical rockstar romance. It could also be a sports novel which made this book stand out among the other rock star novels.

Another thing is that I really love the dynamics between the characters, esp the band. I'm really looking forward to get to know them more and read the next books in this series.

One complain is this novel could benefit from another editing.

Learn to Fly could be read as a standalone, no cliffhanger! ;-)

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it was recommended as a "clean romance." I think the problem with the storytelling is there is more telling than showing, and the story is convoluted by the lack of sex (not even fade to black). The rock stars do not behave as rock stars, and the main couple (20-something girl and 30-something rock star) stops at first base. Also, if you leave your partner at the airport to go your separate ways, you can't count it as cheating when he moves on (also first base).

[April Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story!

What's not to love about This book. The characters are great! The story plot is great! I laughed through certain parts of this book. I especially loved what she did to Ashton and Cody.This is my first time reading a book by Heidi Hutchinson and I can't wait to read her other ones in this series. I couldn't put it down. Once I started reading Learn To a Fly, I couldn't put it down. Thanks again Heidi!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book..the only prob I had with it was that when her mind was made up the book was over. I really got involved with Luke and Lenny, and I didn't want it to end..and I want to know what's going to happen to the rest of the band..but I would totally recommend this book to everyone..a must read..

[J. Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will show you a beautiful truth. Relationships can make us better. People who invest in us and love us and care about us make us better people. I love this book and I seldom even read fiction. I enjoyed this book, just get it and read it.

[Lori R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored everything about this book! It is a well-written, fun story with characters that are SO lovable - I miss them already. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more from her.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, entertaining romance novel. Engaging. I learned so much about snowboarding culture, winter sports, extreme sports competition & camaraderie. Also the tour experience for popular bands.

[Angie Hulsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book!! So refreshing to read a CLEAN rocker romance!!

[Vonnielynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was okay and all but the plot never really caught my attention and it somehow took me what felt like ages to get through

[Kami Dodson-Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would of thought a snowboarder and a rock star would work

Lenny is a kickass snowboarder who is trying to hide from some recent problems. Lenny decides to hide on a tour bus with her favorite rock band.

She quickly feels like part of their family. The rockers love Lenny and decide they cannot live without her. She is a huge help.to them and they love being around her. When more about her past comes to light and she has to return home due to obligations that she cannot avoid the rockers all want to go with her for support.

Luke is taken by Lenny at first glance and the two resist the urge of given in to their attraction to one another. Upon doing soon they become great friends.

Duke adds to a little competition with Luke but we quickly love Duke and see him deal with his feelings for Lenny and see him adapt and even maybe fall in love with another.

Lenny goes through a lot of life changes, her best friends loyal has failed, her ex boyfriend wants her back (no thank you), her new family of rock stars fitting into her snowboarding family, Duke's confession of his feelings on the situation she is in, and Luke's love and the future that could be.

Nice story of a girl trying to figure out who she is outside of her normal world. Trying to figure out her feelings and what she wants her future to look like.

Rating: 3.5 stars

[Ta`Mara Hanscom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this book is completely out of my genre, I'm giving it 5 stars because it is so incredibly well-written. The story draws you in immediately and keeps you reading until you find out what happens at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, the character development was outstanding. It was easy to put faces with the names and even hear their voices within the dialogue.

The fun part of this book is it's fictional quality. The "what if?" I would dare only dream about when I was a much younger woman, Hutchinson has successfully put into the pages of this novel-which is probably what addicted me at the first page.

**Please note, (for any of my evangelical followers reading this) there is some rough language in this book, and what I consider to be quite a bit of "heat." Also, the author assures me that the lady on the cover is, in fact, wearing a top!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lenny Evans was looking for an escape. Lately, she has been good at running away from her problems. She is presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. She has been hired to be a personal assistant for her favorite band while they were on tour. The band members realize she is running from something. They help her to overcome her troubles. She helps them overcome theirs. Bonds are formed.

I was drawn to the personalities of the characters. The book is filled with excitement, humor, and romance. You will not find any sex scenes. We see true friendships formed. We learn that family is more than blood relatives.

This book will appeal to young adult readers and to those who enjoy a good romance. The story touched my heart. My favorite band, Foo Fighters, was the inspiration for the fictional band. I am looking forward to reading this author’s next book!

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After falling in love with the guys and gals of DBS in "Things That Shine", this was the first full DBS book I have read.
I love the "family dynamics" between band and crew members, as well as the slow burn romance.

[Melissa Granata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. ..

I absolutely loved reading this book. But my favorite part of it was that they didn't just have one obstacle to over come to truly find each other they had many Olympic hurdles. Must read...

[Megan Asmus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love!!!

Fast pace quick read that was extremely enjoyable!! Cannot wait to read more about all the members of DBS. Great read!