Adrienne meets Casey after an accidental dousing with a garden hose. The rough beginning doesn't stop Casey from visiting her neighbor hoping to catch his granddaughter visiting again. Despite Adrienne's insistence that she doesn't date Casey continues to pursue her, sensing a connection developing out of their friendship. Adrienne though is gun shy after issues with ex girlfriends not dealing well with her quirks for very long.
This was a cute romance that I really enjoyed. There were lots of light hearted moments mixed in with deep emotions from past trauma and family dynamics. Adrienne is also Neuro diverse and I really enjoyed seeing an MC on the spectrum. The end came a few pages to soon for my liking and I felt like there was just that little bit missing from their ending but overall it was a great book. Also was a new author for me and is love to give some of her other work a try.

Adrienne knows she is different and accepts herself. She is neurodivergent having both ADHD and autistism. Adrienne is a college graduate and works in a library. On weekends she spends time with the grandfather Pops, who helped raise her. While visiting Pops she meets Casey who has befriended the man. Casey loves her work as an animal groomer but is taking classes at the local college because her parents support that. Casey is intrigued with Adrienne wanting to understand her. As they become friends the possibility of more grows too.

The first half of the book focuses on Adrienne and how understanding her thinking process. It shows how things like sounds, tastes, crowds, smells, etc can impact her. This isn’t the first romance I’ve read with an autistic lead and I appreciate understanding these facets of Adrienne. I also like the author mentions that Adrienne has had to go through lots of extra types of therapy, and socialization to help her be independent and interact with others. Casey is sweet and endless patient as she learns about and loves Adrienne. Some parts of the romance are tricky because, particularly in the first half, Adrienne comes off as very young and naive. She does have at least one past relationship. At times I was more frustrated with Casey for squandering her time in college. If she wants to be a professional groomer there are still classes that could help her learn to run and market a small business. I’m not saying she needs a degree but somehow were suppose to support her because her parents aren’t that interested in her. That part of the story feels weak.

Overall the book is good as a new adult romance, especially representing a neurodivergent character. The continual talk of the neighborhood peacocks were at times funny but eventually felt overused. I’ve read most of the author’s books and I did enjoy Remi from Cure for Insomnia making an appearance as Adrienne’s friend. Thank you to Netgalley and Bella Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

I don’t know a lot about the autism spectrum so am not sure how accurately this has been portrayed. From some things I have read about autism some of it is certainly accurate. The story itself is amusing at times as well as telling a nice story about Adrienne and Casey’s romance.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Adrienne always known she was different but she ok with that she feels no one wants to deal with her quirks so she content with her life. She meets Casey who is a neighbor to her grandfather who she calls Pops who helped raise her along with her father. Casey who befriended Marv is intrigued by his granddaughter and wants to know what makes her tick. As they get to know each other Adrienne tries to work through her quirks as Casey knows they can be something great. This was a good read Adrienne and Casey has great support I like how Casey tries to get Adrienne to see the beauty in the birds even though Adrienne thinks they are nuisance.

Exploring a f/f romance with neurodiversity
I have read most of Villeneuve‘s romances and esp. enjoyed those set in nature and small towns/communities. This novel veers away from the beaten path of romances. One of the main characters, Adrienne, is on the spectrum and as a reader I learned a lot about falling in love with someone neurodiverse from both perspectives - the inside and the outside. If I understand the foreword correctly, it is own voice, i.e. the author and/or her wife walk the spectrum. Besides having a keen focus on the spectrum, this is a coming-of-age romance where Casey has to face her future and her parents.
The first half is a very careful exploration into unknown (or for Adrienne known) territory. It is well-written and interesting. The second half is where the attraction turns into romance and I wondered a bit how someone so sensitive to auditory and sensory input could so easily cope with sex.
The theme of a peacock plague didn‘t thrill me as much and did nothing for my reading enjoyment. Two cute dogs and some great friends are welcome additions.
Villeneuve again pulls off a vivid, life-like writing with an interesting focus.