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megnut's review
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Stalking, Sexual assault, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
emtees's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
I had a lot of fun reading this book. It definitely falls into the category of what I’d call romance-as-fantasy, where the reader is meant to relate to the main character and be swept up in her experience without questioning how believable the story is. I tend to prefer my romances a bit more grounded but in this case I liked Ruth and Evan so much I was happy to go along with their story.
Ruth is the town pariah. After her last (and only) relationship blew up spectacularly in front of her entire town, Ruth has retreated into her small apartment, where she makes a living publishing a successful webcomic and spends the rest of her time immersed in comic books and online fan culture. Her only regular contact is with her mother and sister, who are about the only people Ruth leaves home to see. And she is content with that. Ruth is autistic, and has built a life that works for her needs. But then she meets Evan, the do-gooder who moves in next door. Evan is a nurturer by nature - he’s dealt with his own tragic past by becoming the guy who steps up for any friend, neighbor or prickly acquaintance who needs it. When he discovers that Ruth subsists on microwave dinners, he insists on cooking for her. The proud Ruth agrees only if Evan will let her lend him a comic book. Pretty soon they are meeting up regularly for home-cooked meals and extensive discussions about the MCU. It’s Ruth’s ideal relationship - but there is always the threat that her reputation will push Evan away eventually.
Like I said, this book leans in heavily to the fantasy element of romance. Ruth is a hermit who dresses only in pajamas, has a blunt (some might say rude) way of addressing strangers, is rarely interested in talking about subjects beyond her special interests - and the hunky, sweet, good cook next door falls for her pretty much instantly. Hibbert does a good job with depicting the attraction between them, physical and otherwise, but she doesn’t waste too much time before getting into it. Once the relationship gets going, there are only two barriers for the couple to overcome before their happily ever after. One is the question of Ruth’s reputation, but Evan was such an obviously good guy that I never really worried that he would take issue with the things said around town about Ruth’s supposed promiscuity. The mystery of what really happened between Ruth and her ex is spooled out slowly and has a few twists I wasn’t expecting, though they were set up well, and I was more interested in finding out what it was all about than worried that Evan would react badly to the revelations. The other barrier comes from the characters’ own inner hang ups. Ruth has a lot of trauma from her past, and like many autistic people has had the experience of being told that she’s too much for others to deal with. So it was very satisfying to see her end up with a guy who was very willing to take her exactly as she was. I loved that while Ruth grew throughout the book and ended up happier and more confident in the end, the narrative didn’t force her to give up anything that worked for her, whether it was her unique fashion sense or her refusal to let anyone in her real life read her webcomic. Hibbert made it very clear that Ruth didn’t need to be “fixed” to find love and that was so nice to see.
There were other elements of the story I liked a lot. The secondary characters, especially Ruth’s family, were all very specific and carefully drawn, which made sense when I realized this is a series and some of them will probably get their own books. The only one who I might say was a little underdeveloped was Evan himself, but that’s part of the fantasy - Evan was pretty much perfect. The depiction of online nerd culture was fun and felt realistic. And the diversity was very natural and wasn’t underplayed - Ruth’s Blackness shaped her as much as her autism.
Ruth is the town pariah. After her last (and only) relationship blew up spectacularly in front of her entire town, Ruth has retreated into her small apartment, where she makes a living publishing a successful webcomic and spends the rest of her time immersed in comic books and online fan culture. Her only regular contact is with her mother and sister, who are about the only people Ruth leaves home to see. And she is content with that. Ruth is autistic, and has built a life that works for her needs. But then she meets Evan, the do-gooder who moves in next door. Evan is a nurturer by nature - he’s dealt with his own tragic past by becoming the guy who steps up for any friend, neighbor or prickly acquaintance who needs it. When he discovers that Ruth subsists on microwave dinners, he insists on cooking for her. The proud Ruth agrees only if Evan will let her lend him a comic book. Pretty soon they are meeting up regularly for home-cooked meals and extensive discussions about the MCU. It’s Ruth’s ideal relationship - but there is always the threat that her reputation will push Evan away eventually.
Like I said, this book leans in heavily to the fantasy element of romance. Ruth is a hermit who dresses only in pajamas, has a blunt (some might say rude) way of addressing strangers, is rarely interested in talking about subjects beyond her special interests - and the hunky, sweet, good cook next door falls for her pretty much instantly. Hibbert does a good job with depicting the attraction between them, physical and otherwise, but she doesn’t waste too much time before getting into it. Once the relationship gets going, there are only two barriers for the couple to overcome before their happily ever after. One is the question of Ruth’s reputation, but Evan was such an obviously good guy that I never really worried that he would take issue with the things said around town about Ruth’s supposed promiscuity. The mystery of what really happened between Ruth and her ex is spooled out slowly and has a few twists I wasn’t expecting, though they were set up well, and I was more interested in finding out what it was all about than worried that Evan would react badly to the revelations. The other barrier comes from the characters’ own inner hang ups. Ruth has a lot of trauma from her past, and like many autistic people has had the experience of being told that she’s too much for others to deal with. So it was very satisfying to see her end up with a guy who was very willing to take her exactly as she was. I loved that while Ruth grew throughout the book and ended up happier and more confident in the end, the narrative didn’t force her to give up anything that worked for her, whether it was her unique fashion sense or her refusal to let anyone in her real life read her webcomic. Hibbert made it very clear that Ruth didn’t need to be “fixed” to find love and that was so nice to see.
There were other elements of the story I liked a lot. The secondary characters, especially Ruth’s family, were all very specific and carefully drawn, which made sense when I realized this is a series and some of them will probably get their own books. The only one who I might say was a little underdeveloped was Evan himself, but that’s part of the fantasy - Evan was pretty much perfect. The depiction of online nerd culture was fun and felt realistic. And the diversity was very natural and wasn’t underplayed - Ruth’s Blackness shaped her as much as her autism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
A main character is subject to some ableist bullying. There is an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship described in a character’s backstory.decameters's review
emotional
hopeful
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: Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault
chronicacademia'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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Death, Ableism, Death of parent, Racism, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Medical content
livreads16'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I love Talia Hibbert, this woman knows how to write a book. Like I cannot get over how well she writes love stories that are so believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Ableism, Bullying, and Rape
weelasswithabook's review
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
CW: Racial microaggressions, cancer, palliative care, death of a parent, ableism, slut shaming, grief, implied rape, previous àbúsívé relationship, harassment/stalking
⭐ Friends to lovers
⭐ Cinnamon roll hero
⭐ Interracial romance
🌈 Black FMC
🌈 ASD representation
Oh. My. God. I absolutely adored this 😭 Cinnamon roll heroes and prickly heroines are like catnip. I couldn't get enough of this, genuinely.
This was just so wholesome to watch unfold, although the darker aspects came as a surprise. Ruth is recovering from an abusive relationship, which has led to struggles with trust and the ability to make herself vulnerable.
We see through her flashbacks, racial microaggressions and ableism from others, so people around her (aside from her sister and her mum) have had a hugely negative impact on her sense of self and her self esteem. This is slowly chipped away at throughout the course of the book and we see her defense mechanisms start to falter as she realises that she's actually managed to meet a good person who wants to spend time with her as a person, as opposed to just a potential sexual partner.
Evan is struggling with grief and trauma from his mum passing away, this manifests itself as him wanting to do everything for everyone else, and just being a pure and wholesome angel. We get to see the impact that palliative care can have on the loved ones of those in palliative care and how it can affect their future interpersonal relationships.
I was 100% invested in these two, adored them both. I loved the sisterly bond between Ruth and her sister, especially the protectiveness from her sister which doesn't veer onto controlling, but remains solidly at concern.
I genuinely believe, if you're looking for something sweet, with a sprinkling of spice, then this is 100% the book for you. As far as my experience goes up until this point, Talia Hibbert has never missed yet, so yeah, pick this up.
⭐ Friends to lovers
⭐ Cinnamon roll hero
⭐ Interracial romance
🌈 Black FMC
🌈 ASD representation
Oh. My. God. I absolutely adored this 😭 Cinnamon roll heroes and prickly heroines are like catnip. I couldn't get enough of this, genuinely.
This was just so wholesome to watch unfold, although the darker aspects came as a surprise. Ruth is recovering from an abusive relationship, which has led to struggles with trust and the ability to make herself vulnerable.
We see through her flashbacks, racial microaggressions and ableism from others, so people around her (aside from her sister and her mum) have had a hugely negative impact on her sense of self and her self esteem. This is slowly chipped away at throughout the course of the book and we see her defense mechanisms start to falter as she realises that she's actually managed to meet a good person who wants to spend time with her as a person, as opposed to just a potential sexual partner.
Evan is struggling with grief and trauma from his mum passing away, this manifests itself as him wanting to do everything for everyone else, and just being a pure and wholesome angel. We get to see the impact that palliative care can have on the loved ones of those in palliative care and how it can affect their future interpersonal relationships.
I was 100% invested in these two, adored them both. I loved the sisterly bond between Ruth and her sister, especially the protectiveness from her sister which doesn't veer onto controlling, but remains solidly at concern.
I genuinely believe, if you're looking for something sweet, with a sprinkling of spice, then this is 100% the book for you. As far as my experience goes up until this point, Talia Hibbert has never missed yet, so yeah, pick this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cancer, Death of parent, Stalking, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
jourdanicus's review
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Wow! Steamy, fun, and clever. Great, realistic representation. The author manages to make a light read out of a pretty serious topic (relationship abuse was an aspect of the plot) by handling it gently and with wisdom. I loved the characters, very believable and relatable. The sex scenes were realistic (and super hot). Can't wait to read more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Racism
cheye13's review
lighthearted
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: Ableism, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
some blackmail and bribery involved, if i recallzabeishumanish's review
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I greatly enjoyed this story. Small town romances where one of the characters is the town pariah tend to stress me out, but the depths of redemption in this story made this a remarkable read. I was fascinated to read about Ruth’s story, an autistic woman recovering from intimate partner violence, is a unique and compelling read. I appreciated that while Ruth’s race was relevant to the story racial trauma was not. After all she dealt with I don’t know that I could have watch Ruth go through more pain. While the intimate partner violence is detailed it is viewed through the lends of time, several years of separation. The violence may still be triggering for some audiences, but Ruth has clearly done considerable process and none of the accounts are first person so I assume many triggers would be less intense. I also appreciated seeing how Ruth’s experiences shaped the small town and her sister, who I assume is the next MC in the series.
My biggest complaint is how abrupt the ending was. There feels like far too many loose endings from the story and while not every element of a story needs be resolved I think very few elements of this story were actually resolved. Perhaps Evan and Ruth’s relationship was actually the only plot point that was resolved. I suppose that sets up the series rather well, but for this story it is incredibly annoying.
My other complaint is sure minor, which is just that we didn’t see more of Ruth’s art. I found what Ruth did describe of her comic fascinating and wish I knew more.
My biggest complaint is how abrupt the ending was. There feels like far too many loose endings from the story and while not every element of a story needs be resolved I think very few elements of this story were actually resolved. Perhaps Evan and Ruth’s relationship was actually the only plot point that was resolved. I suppose that sets up the series rather well, but for this story it is incredibly annoying.
My other complaint is sure minor, which is just that we didn’t see more of Ruth’s art. I found what Ruth did describe of her comic fascinating and wish I knew more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, and Body shaming
Minor: Pregnancy
Ruth is in a secret seven year abusive relationship. Evan’s mother dies of cancer in his late teen years. A side character’s mother has terminal cancer.claudiaswords's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment and Ableism