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A review by kt64
The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. This is the second time I've finished the book. The first time I picked it up, I DNF'd it pretty quickly, the second time I gave it 5 stars. I'm settling on 4, final answer.
On one hand, I liked the echos of Pride and Prejudice, and I guess I liked the attempt at autistic representation. There was some witty dialogue and banter. But, on the other hand, it felt...kind of half baked. We want the MMC to hate society events AND be a duke AND a rake AND autistic. He's somehow great in bed but also avoids people. It just seemed like trying to make too many conflicting tropes be true without showing how they all work. Darcy wasn't a rake, either - because it doesn't make sense for the personality type. Anyway. I also thought some of their inner monologue went on a bit too long and skimmed a bit.
Also, towards the end, the"I will reveal my true self to you" felt a bit heavy handed. Like you can just tell her "I tend to get very absorbed in what I am working on and may not hear you but it's important to me to finish my work." I like that he found comfort in horses and sharing that with his wife was great, that wasn't the issue. I think it's more than the vibe is "I am broken and I take care of broken horses just like me" which is, in the end, not great representation. It just reinforced stereotypes. Which, I guess is the real problem I had with the book; all of the neurodivergence/autism that she tried to write in felt very much like a stereotypical presentation and not a true understanding of what it is like to be autistic. The presentation was also inconsistent and she dropped it when it didn't fit with the other parts of the character.
With all that criticism, why am I still marking it 4 stars? I still enjoyed the read, I liked the banter, the side characters were fun (I loved the Aunt and wish we'd gotten more time with her.) I enjoyed their HEAs, and there were some sweet scenes I liked a lot. I liked how the FMC stood her ground, and I liked the growth arc of the MMC. I just wish the author had put more time into creating a more human portrayal of neurodivergence/autism (she never says either way) than sticking to a more stereotypical presentation.
On one hand, I liked the echos of Pride and Prejudice, and I guess I liked the attempt at autistic representation. There was some witty dialogue and banter. But, on the other hand, it felt...kind of half baked. We want the MMC to hate society events AND be a duke AND a rake AND autistic. He's somehow great in bed but also avoids people. It just seemed like trying to make too many conflicting tropes be true without showing how they all work. Darcy wasn't a rake, either - because it doesn't make sense for the personality type. Anyway. I also thought some of their inner monologue went on a bit too long and skimmed a bit.
Also, towards the end, the
With all that criticism, why am I still marking it 4 stars? I still enjoyed the read, I liked the banter, the side characters were fun (I loved the Aunt and wish we'd gotten more time with her.) I enjoyed their HEAs, and there were some sweet scenes I liked a lot. I liked how the FMC stood her ground, and I liked the growth arc of the MMC. I just wish the author had put more time into creating a more human portrayal of neurodivergence/autism (she never says either way) than sticking to a more stereotypical presentation.