I was given a free "first look" at this book in order to gain my honest opinion... loved it, immediately turned around and borrowed it from the library.
Stella is direct and unvarnished, while the ableism and "neurotypical-normative" she's surrounded by is painfully abrasive. (The MMC has a moment or two with stumbling over this, especially with the miscommunication to fuel the third act breakup, so be careful of that.) Deciding to "practice" so she can be intimate with someone for the purpose of grand babies might seem like a silly plot, but it just makes the expectations she's being hemmed in by (so she can fit in the same box as everyone else) is disturbingly realistic. Michael is struggling to stay enthusiastic about his rebellion based job and doesn't believe Stella is for real, especially since he's attracted and drawn to her from the start. They're well drawn characters who each have their own traumas to work through, but they do it better together.
While I roll my eyes at third act break ups (lazy) and miscommunication tropes (gross) this one actually lays the ground work from the start, making it more realistic and thus more tolerable.
TLDR: if you love neuro-spicy romance this is well done. (Just watch the third act miscommunication breakup.)
Stella is direct and unvarnished, while the ableism and "neurotypical-normative" she's surrounded by is painfully abrasive. (The MMC has a moment or two with stumbling over this, especially with the miscommunication to fuel the third act breakup, so be careful of that.) Deciding to "practice" so she can be intimate with someone for the purpose of grand babies might seem like a silly plot, but it just makes the expectations she's being hemmed in by (so she can fit in the same box as everyone else) is disturbingly realistic. Michael is struggling to stay enthusiastic about his rebellion based job and doesn't believe Stella is for real, especially since he's attracted and drawn to her from the start. They're well drawn characters who each have their own traumas to work through, but they do it better together.
While I roll my eyes at third act break ups (lazy) and miscommunication tropes (gross) this one actually lays the ground work from the start, making it more realistic and thus more tolerable.
TLDR: if you love neuro-spicy romance this is well done. (Just watch the third act miscommunication breakup.)