I did my PPL in 3 weeks, along with a friend who qualified the day before me. Both of us had a background in avionics and I had previously flown hang gliders. We went solo after 5 hours and by the end of the second week, had done a 300 mile cross country triangle with a land away.
We went to Texas, primarily for the good weather and the school knew that we were there for a limited time, so made instructors and aircraft available for us. It was also significantly cheaper, even accounting for flights and accommodation.
It certainly helped to have someone to compare notes with and the studying for the exam. Neither of us found the course too challenging and we did it around the 45 hour mark. As has been mentioned above, because we were doing an intensive course, we didn't have to spend a lot of time going over what we had learned in the previous lesson. This was done just before the internet kicked off and there is now lots of on-line learning to help prepare, so it should make thinks easier now.
Coming back to the UK, it took several more lessons for me to go solo again as there are differences in the way some things are done and I needed to get to grips them before I was signed off.
I did understand that just because I had a piece of paper saying that I was a pilot, I still had a lot to learn, so I was more than happy to continue with an instructor and keep practicing circuits and drills.
So I would recommend an intensive course if you can accept that there is still more to learn. In the early years, you need to fly regularly and there will be periods that you will just not be able to fly because either the weather is bad or you have other commitments. In that case there is nothing wrong with going up with another pilot and going over things. I was fortunate to have a colleague who was hour building, so he was always happy to come with me as PIC.
With the current Covid situation, it might be some time before you can start a course (Social distancing is not easy in a 152!), so I would make the most of your time by preparing and also getting the exams out of the way. That way when the time comes, your mind will be clear and ready to take in the flying experiences.