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sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had a pretty good time reading this overall but I just don't think the book had too much impact on me outside of the autism representation.
The start was cute, then I got about halfway where it was mostly sex and little plot, then the plot returned just for it to be a third act breakup due to miscommunication...
I liked Stella's character and it was refreshing to see an autistic character and a woman in STEM at the centre of a romance. Michael's character just didn't feel right to me, I couldn't figure out if he was a nice guy or a "nice guy". I think the book was trying to play on the idea of if we are like our parents and how there are multiple sides to people but it felt jarring when he suddenly swapped from being a good dude to (in my opinion, unnecessarily) sexualising women. I just felt that, overall, the characters could've been a little more fleshed out.
The middle of the book didn't do much for me, as I'm not a huge smut fan, but you may enjoy this more if you do like smut and sex scenes. In saying this though, the book was not completely sex scenes as some reviews suggest, the storyline itself does basically revolve around sex, so consider if this is something you're interested in.
The end also felt a little rushed to me after the conflict, but I guess that's to be expected when the conflict revolves around miscommunication and all it takes is one conversation to resolve it. I'm also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope so the conflict just frustrated me.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read but I don't think it impacted me too much. There are parts that are done well which I enjoyed and parts that could be done better or just weren't for me. This is definitely one to check out the blurb and see if it's for you, cause it's not going to be for everyone but I would still be interested in reading some of Helen Hoang's other work, even if just for the women in STEM.
The start was cute, then I got about halfway where it was mostly sex and little plot, then the plot returned just for it to be a third act breakup due to miscommunication...
I liked Stella's character and it was refreshing to see an autistic character and a woman in STEM at the centre of a romance. Michael's character just didn't feel right to me, I couldn't figure out if he was a nice guy or a "nice guy". I think the book was trying to play on the idea of if we are like our parents and how there are multiple sides to people but it felt jarring when he suddenly swapped from being a good dude to (in my opinion, unnecessarily) sexualising women. I just felt that, overall, the characters could've been a little more fleshed out.
The middle of the book didn't do much for me, as I'm not a huge smut fan, but you may enjoy this more if you do like smut and sex scenes. In saying this though, the book was not completely sex scenes as some reviews suggest, the storyline itself does basically revolve around sex, so consider if this is something you're interested in.
The end also felt a little rushed to me after the conflict, but I guess that's to be expected when the conflict revolves around miscommunication and all it takes is one conversation to resolve it. I'm also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope so the conflict just frustrated me.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read but I don't think it impacted me too much. There are parts that are done well which I enjoyed and parts that could be done better or just weren't for me. This is definitely one to check out the blurb and see if it's for you, cause it's not going to be for everyone but I would still be interested in reading some of Helen Hoang's other work, even if just for the women in STEM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, and Sexual harassment
Minor: 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"bexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Cancer, Classism, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Stalking, and Violence
marleywrites's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.5
I thought this book was so funny and honest about what it’s like to date with autism. I loved Stella so much and loved Michael’s fierce protection of her. I’m not sure if I want to read anymore about them because I love how it ended so much. I don’t want it to be messed up 😂 If anyone can tell me if they’ll be safe in the next two books, lmk!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol
This book does mention an absent father figure quite a bit.saukittome's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
lara_r's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Medical content, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
justovereherereading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
4.25
This book was steamy!!
I really enjoyed it & loved the whole ‘pretty man’ (as apposed go pretty women) vibe.
My only criticism would be that it did feel like it was about getting as many sex scenes in to the book as possible!!
Having said that I found Stella and Michael adorable and loved their individual stories and how there insecurities and lack of communication shaped their relationship.
I really enjoyed it & loved the whole ‘pretty man’ (as apposed go pretty women) vibe.
My only criticism would be that it did feel like it was about getting as many sex scenes in to the book as possible!!
Having said that I found Stella and Michael adorable and loved their individual stories and how there insecurities and lack of communication shaped their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Cancer
Minor: Violence
toofondofbooks_'s review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.5
I thought this was for the most part a solid romance that had me swooning and laughing and sometimes crying throughout. It was so heartfelt! It was not only so nice to see an autistic leading lady, but to know that said leading lady was written by an autistic author just made me so happy. Stella jumps off the page and I can see how her character resonates with so many women on the autism spectrum. The only time I ran into trouble with this book was when it began having the tendency to lean a little too hard into the miscommunication trope. If it made a single appearance, I maybe would have been able to look past it, but it was kind of all over the place and coming up a lot. Overall though, I did love this book and I think if you want to read a unique romance novel with an autistic heroine, this is the one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Classism, Abandonment, Ableism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Vomit, Cancer, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape and Stalking
wendy_05's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Terminal illness, and Ableism
Minor: Cancer and Stalking
bash5617's review
funny
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Violence