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cassie7e's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Flirtatious and charming Makes consent and tenderness sexy and romantic! But full of unspoken insecurities, assumptions, and failure to take people at their word. Also found a lot of Stella's reactions and thought processes very relatable, even if our specific insecurities and anxieties differ. Seeing elements of myself in a romance made this (and Michael's kindness and respect for boundaries, mostly) even sweeter. I also appreciated how Michael's family being unaccepting was not one of the sources of conflict.
Probably realistic but drives me nuts when two people assume the worst of each other because of how past people made them feel, especially when everything seems to be going well otherwise! I also could do without the aggressive protective jealous instincts.
As lower-rated reviews have suggested, a few things feel shallowly explored or ignored: the weight of blame for Stella's experiences and anxiety being placed on autism instead of people treating her terribly; the belief that she's bad at sex rather than taken advantage of and/or assaulted by prior men; Philip's words and behaviors amounting to workplace sexual harrassment at the very least; and the idea that autism is hereditary and may extend beyond Stella and the singular other character defined to be autistic.
Probably realistic but drives me nuts when two people assume the worst of each other because of how past people made them feel, especially when everything seems to be going well otherwise! I also could do without the aggressive protective jealous instincts.
As lower-rated reviews have suggested, a few things feel shallowly explored or ignored: the weight of blame for Stella's experiences and anxiety being placed on autism instead of people treating her terribly; the belief that she's bad at sex rather than taken advantage of and/or assaulted by prior men; Philip's words and behaviors amounting to workplace sexual harrassment at the very least; and the idea that autism is hereditary and may extend beyond Stella and the singular other character defined to be autistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
skbat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking
heather667's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, and Infidelity
Minor: Stalking and Vomit
rencollins's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.0
Super super cute love story. I loved that disability and sex work were parts of the character's identities, but were not the ONLY thing we learned about them. They were super nuanced characters with a variety of perspectives on a variety of things.
It is a super adorable love story and the dirty bits feel the perfect amount of salacious. There were moments where the pace of the book felt a little fast in that it skipped weeks of time in a page, but this is necessary and adds to the realism of the story.
It is a super adorable love story and the dirty bits feel the perfect amount of salacious. There were moments where the pace of the book felt a little fast in that it skipped weeks of time in a page, but this is necessary and adds to the realism of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault
skupdawg426's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book and story were just ok. It made a lot more sense once I read the author's note what she was going for, but I don't think it was successful.
The gender-swapped "Pretty Woman" plot was totally lost here, because the book didn't focus enough on him, and crucially, he didn't need to go through any social refinement to "fit in" to upperclass society. While you claim that's the punchline, he spends a lot of the book feeling sorry for himself and doesn't really have the necessary character arc of personal betterment to achieve the plot (even if he doesn't have to change, Stella should be showing him how he's good enough...this does not happen to a significant enough degree).
I am all for representation and own-voice stories, but the author seemed to use Stella's autism as a plot device - not a genuine dimension of her character. There was also a heavy does of "tell" instead of "show".
I really liked how Michael insisted on consent...until he didn't (most upsettingly, the bathroom scene after the incident with Philip).
The dirty talk also was weird to me and the writing of the sex scenes was not particularly good or satisfying, though that's more a matter of personal taste than literary criticism.
In all, I don't feel like we earned our HEA. It was just handed to us because that's the romance novel formula. There wasn't enough conflict (especially external conflict) to keep it interesting or make you root for them.
P.S. I hope Michael gets some therapy.
The gender-swapped "Pretty Woman" plot was totally lost here, because the book didn't focus enough on him, and crucially, he didn't need to go through any social refinement to "fit in" to upperclass society. While you claim that's the punchline, he spends a lot of the book feeling sorry for himself and doesn't really have the necessary character arc of personal betterment to achieve the plot (even if he doesn't have to change, Stella should be showing him how he's good enough...this does not happen to a significant enough degree).
I am all for representation and own-voice stories, but the author seemed to use Stella's autism as a plot device - not a genuine dimension of her character. There was also a heavy does of "tell" instead of "show".
I really liked how Michael insisted on consent...until he didn't (most upsettingly, the bathroom scene after the incident with Philip).
The dirty talk also was weird to me and the writing of the sex scenes was not particularly good or satisfying, though that's more a matter of personal taste than literary criticism.
In all, I don't feel like we earned our HEA. It was just handed to us because that's the romance novel formula. There wasn't enough conflict (especially external conflict) to keep it interesting or make you root for them.
P.S. I hope Michael gets some therapy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
skan's review against another edition
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? N/A
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
friendofhayley'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? It's complicated
5.0
I could not put this book down! That says a lot. I loved it and the spice was amazing, even if it was het. There were some SA moments that made me queasy, but I mean, of course that means it was written well. I can't stop thinking and talking about this book and just found out it's a series! Seriously loved the Asian culture aspects, the autistic MC, and everything else!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
hayleyvem's review against another edition
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Ableism, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Stalking and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, and Pregnancy
brichneyfloss'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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Ableism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual assault