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relin's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the way the author played with tropes and allowed these characters to grow. I was a little put off by the jealousy / manly man / kinda controlling part there for a bit with the MMC, but they seem to get to a beautiful place at the end. It was weird that the MMC had that phase, it wasn't something I was expecting going in with these characters. The family building and the interactions were very nice and really neat to see. And having an autistic FMC was really lovely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Ableism, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Moderate: Outing and Stalking
mattiedancer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Writing: 3.5⭐️/5
The writing shined at certain moments and at others, it felt forced and trope-driven. The dialogue suffered at moments as well, reading more like strained conversations than natural communication. That being said, some moments were very well written and kept me engaged until the end.
Characters: 3.75⭐️/5
I loved the inclusion of a woman with autism as the main love interest. The slow reveal of her autism felt nice as well, as the readers become comfortable with her “quirks” rather than just as a woman with autism. I think, while the main characters were intriguing, they did lack a bit of human quality to make them fully believable.
Plot: 3.5⭐️/5
The plot was fun, as long as you don’t think too hard about certain aspects. I felt the backstory of Michael’s dad was both withheld for far too long and also less significant than all the foreshadowing seemed to imply it would be. I did, however, love the handling of the fake dating trope, even if it started from a slightly ridiculous spot.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of romance novels with a bit of heat
- Those looking for a romance novel with a unique narrator
Content Warnings?
- Sexual content, ableism, sexual harassment, toxic relationship, toxic friendship,
Post-Reading Rating: 4⭐️/5
Very fun to read.
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Addiction, Classism, Cancer, and Violence
jazzseeks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I am not a fan of contemporary romance usually but this is certainly the best one I've ever read. What I really loved was how relatable the Main Character was as a woman with Autism and how much <Michael loved her for the ways she was unique and not inspite of who she is>. I found the romance believable, funny, and deeply enjoyable. <Michaels family is lovely.> The only things I didn't like were how horrible a lot of the tertiary characters were such as the parents, the coworkers, the ex clients. Those parts were painful to get through and didn't always feel vital to the story or characters development. Also Helen Hoang is really pro-capitalist and I'm never into that though I enjoyed flipping the trope so that the Woman had the money.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Ableism, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Violence, Vomit, Infidelity, Chronic illness, and Stalking
Pressure to have children, pressure to marry, comment about character looking "barely legal" , comment about "having nipples men and babies dream of"kwimmerle's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Loved the main female character to bits! Main male character swings back and forth a lot and left me feeling icky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
fijibubbels's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Sexism
sam_maree's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Did not expect Stella to hire an escort. Story was super cute. Michael setting standards high. Loved seeing representation of autism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking
marianneiriss's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Stalking, Vomit, Classism, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Terminal illness
quietmarki's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Classism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Cancer
the_vegan_bookworm's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a cute romance, but it has a lot of problematic elements.
I loved the autistic representation of Stella's character, and many elements of her experience resonated with me as an autistic adult. This being said, I was disappointed that her relationship with Michael seemed to be entirely fixated on removing these autistic traits. There was nothing to change about her, but the happier she was, the less she displayed these autistic traits and the more she worked to remove them. This isn't the reality for most (or more likely, any) autistic people, and I don't think it's a good or healthy standard to show.
Stella's ludicrous wealth also bothered me a lot. She just had this never-ending stream of money to throw at any problem (for example, deciding to pay escort boyfriend $50,000 a month and having a $15 million trust fund). That's more money than I can conceptualize for a person. These elements of infinite wealth were both boring and not at all relatable for me. I can't imagine anybody being so rich that money is literally not an object at all, and it felt like it removed a lot of challenge or intrigue for the plot.
I also don't really understand the dynamic between Stella and Phillip. He seems like such an obvious and flat villain (of course he's obsessed with her and then dates someone else in the same breath). I also don't understand why Stella tolerates him as he is nothing but unkind and predatory towards her. Though autistic people do experience higher rates of abuse than allistic people, and maybe this was the point the author was trying to make, I don't understand Stella acknowledging that this guy is awful and still acquiescing to him.
I loved the autistic representation of Stella's character, and many elements of her experience resonated with me as an autistic adult. This being said, I was disappointed that her relationship with Michael seemed to be entirely fixated on removing these autistic traits. There was nothing to change about her, but the happier she was, the less she displayed these autistic traits and the more she worked to remove them. This isn't the reality for most (or more likely, any) autistic people, and I don't think it's a good or healthy standard to show.
Stella's ludicrous wealth also bothered me a lot. She just had this never-ending stream of money to throw at any problem (for example, deciding to pay escort boyfriend $50,000 a month and having a $15 million trust fund). That's more money than I can conceptualize for a person. These elements of infinite wealth were both boring and not at all relatable for me. I can't imagine anybody being so rich that money is literally not an object at all, and it felt like it removed a lot of challenge or intrigue for the plot.
I also don't really understand the dynamic between Stella and Phillip. He seems like such an obvious and flat villain (of course he's obsessed with her and then dates someone else in the same breath). I also don't understand why Stella tolerates him as he is nothing but unkind and predatory towards her. Though autistic people do experience higher rates of abuse than allistic people, and maybe this was the point the author was trying to make, I don't understand Stella acknowledging that this guy is awful and still acquiescing to him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Cancer, and Abandonment
Minor: Stalking and Sexism
bunnybunny_mp3's review
DNF at 73%
This book starts on a VERY serious note talking about sexual assault. Actually, the way that SA is described here is shocking, I really didn't see any warning whatsoever and how it happened is written in a more explicit way.
There are major themes such as consent, life as an autistic person, and sex work. HOWEVER, the way that such serious themes were sometimes poorly exploited made me give up on this story.
The story was cute at first, and I was really cheering for the main couple. But as the story progresses, you start wondering if Michael is really as great as Stella makes him seem to be.
The most basic thing you need to have in a sexual relationship is the safe, sane and consensual rule. The main couple had some issues with some of these aspects, in my opinion. There's no shame in exploring intimacy as a couple, but that has to be made in a safe space, with all people involved being sane and actually consenting. There's no such a thing as "I'm gonna try something even though you said you didn't feel comfortable because I think you're going to like it". Assuming that someone will be ok with something sexual is really dangerous.
There's also that trope of the love interest - that is described as nearly perfect in every single thing - and the main antagonist who wants to have a romantic relationship with the main character - who is described as perverted and basically an asshole, to be honest. Not a super fan of this trope, but that was more of a personal preference.
I think that the main couple should have had more conversations about what they wanted to try, what they didn't want to try at all and establish more communication between them.
Overall I enjoyed the autistic rep and seeing a male sex worker being honest about how his job makes people dehumanize him to the point where he's seen more as an object than a person. Besides that, the story became repetitive and some major themes didn't get as much attention as I think that they should have.
This book starts on a VERY serious note talking about sexual assault. Actually, the way that SA is described here is shocking, I really didn't see any warning whatsoever and how it happened is written in a more explicit way.
There are major themes such as consent, life as an autistic person, and sex work. HOWEVER, the way that such serious themes were sometimes poorly exploited made me give up on this story.
The story was cute at first, and I was really cheering for the main couple. But as the story progresses, you start wondering if Michael is really as great as Stella makes him seem to be.
The most basic thing you need to have in a sexual relationship is the safe, sane and consensual rule. The main couple had some issues with some of these aspects, in my opinion. There's no shame in exploring intimacy as a couple, but that has to be made in a safe space, with all people involved being sane and actually consenting. There's no such a thing as "I'm gonna try something even though you said you didn't feel comfortable because I think you're going to like it". Assuming that someone will be ok with something sexual is really dangerous.
There's also that trope of the love interest - that is described as nearly perfect in every single thing - and the main antagonist who wants to have a romantic relationship with the main character - who is described as perverted and basically an asshole, to be honest. Not a super fan of this trope, but that was more of a personal preference.
I think that the main couple should have had more conversations about what they wanted to try, what they didn't want to try at all and establish more communication between them.
Overall I enjoyed the autistic rep and seeing a male sex worker being honest about how his job makes people dehumanize him to the point where he's seen more as an object than a person. Besides that, the story became repetitive and some major themes didn't get as much attention as I think that they should have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Rape, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Stalking