This is a good book. The two main characters are Andy and Luke. Andy works for Luke Surf shop as part of management. There is an instant attraction. Andy is autistic. Luke offers to give her surfing lessons. They start dating and fall in love

This is the story of Andy, who is on the autism spectrum and trying to break free of her helicopter parents. She has a secret spot where she watches a Henry Cavill look-a-like surf. She admires him from afar with her binoculars and fantasizes about them being a perfect match

It was the blurb that got my eye on Netgalley. The not your neuro typical girl comment, to be exact. Having a non-neuro typical son, I can relate a lot to Andy. And I was very happy to see, how Luke and Andy grew together, despite all of Andy’s triggers and routines.

And, unfortunately, also very recognizable how she is bullied and called a freak. So yeah, Dorothy definitely knows how to hit the right tone in this story. And yeah, I really hope my son will find his other half, who understands him and let him be him.

Thank you for this wonderful story. Five out of five stars and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Andy has a crush on a surfer boy. So she goes to the beach every day so she can look at him.
One of his friends, Luke, offers himself as a surf teacher. He thinks Andy could have a real shot with Kyle, the surfer boy, if she learned how to surf.
But as they spend more time together, things start to change.
Ok, the story was ok. Andy has a uniqueness that makes her fun and lovely.
But this book was too slow and some of the conversations were really dumb. I have to push myself to finish it. Although I must say I liked the ending

Okay, let me start by saying that this was my first exposure to Barrett's books so I didn't realize that Kory had her own series before this. Like, I got to that part where it casually mentioned something about her past and I was like, um hold up, why are we just glossing over this? She needs her own book. Oops, too late, she already has one.

Anyway, THIS book was fantastic. I won't lie, it took me a few chapters to get into it and I wasn't sure I was going to stick, but I am SO glad that I did. Everything about it just made my heart melt. Andy was such a wonderful character, so likable and important, and I think her ASD was really well represented. Luke was also amazing, so patient and kind, and the two of them together was always a blast. They were so funny, so sweet, so affirming to each other. The story was really well-paced and I had such a good time following it. I'll be recommending this to so many people.

I don’t like when one mc teaches the other how to get a different person. There’s always this weird tension when they like each other but there’s denial because the goal was to impress someone else.

This book definitely took a bit to get into. I had a hard time getting into this and put it down a few times, but I am really glad I pushed through. Andy and Luke were a cute couple. I really like how the author portrayed Andy and her ASD. I’ve definitely read some books where there is some cringe at the way an autistic person is described and developed.

In the end, this was pretty good. I could’ve done without the spicy scenes. There wasn’t too much drama and but just enough tension.

I loved this book! It was a change for me to read about someone who is on the autism spectrum and I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the characters!

A slightly cheesy rom-com with a neurodivergent representation in the FMC. I loved the depiction of her struggles and that even with those struggles she was still a strong character with a good sense of self worth. I feel for Luke hard and found the spice just right.

Him Lessons is a great story if you love movies like The Duff or She’s All That! Andalise and Lucas’ story is a quirky, lovable romance with lots of witty banter! Lots of heart strings pulled in this adorable story! D. Barrett knocked it out of the park for her debut novel!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Andy is neurodivergent and works at her family's sports store, "The ManCave." (cringe). When she realizes she's only getting promotions because she's the boss' daughter she decides to find a job on her own merit.

This is where the story should have started for me. The first six chapters were silly - spying on her crush, Dylan, watching his friend, Luke (who she calls Mr. Freaky-deaky, another cringe) have random sex through her binoculars. When Andy lands a job managing a surfer shop and realizes she'll be seeing Dylan, Luke agrees to give her lessons on how to attract his best friend. Andy wants to be independent and is determined to make her own choices. She's been sheltered by her family long enough and I admired that in her character. Honestly, if the story focused more about that, with Luke supporting her choices, this rating would be much higher. But instead it's just another cram-as-many-sex-scenes-as-possible-and-infantilize-the-female storyline.

A cutesy, cheesy romcom-like romance book with neurodivergent representation and some spicy scenes in the mix.

Honestly I thought that it was too cheesy for me - I could not stand the bird nickname and references to 'bird' at all (they made me cringe every time sorry). But the characters were super interesting - Andy being neurodivergent and navigating new experiences showed me a different perspective. Luke on the other hand is suuuper confident and brought a bit of spark to the lessons he taught Andy. Their banter was quite fun! The little twist at the end that triggered a lil conflict (not between the MCs) threw me for a loop for a minute there.

Overall the writing and storyline was super easy to follow along - if not also predictable like many other romances.

“What does Little Bird mostly feel when she’s with him?” “She feels big things… REALLY big things.”

I will be totally honest; I was not expecting much from this book, but I am so happy to say that I LOVED LOVED LOVED every part of this it!!! Sure, there were SOME cringey bits, but they were so far and few between, they almost didn't amount to anything. Him Lessons is a unique and touching story with fantastic representation! It is so fun, and heartwarming and I was engrossed the entire time. Also, there was a slightly suspenseful portion of the story near the end that caught me off guard, but I didn’t mind it, as we got to see how the characters reacted in a very tense situation and see how they dealt with the strain on their relationship.

The FMC, Andy, has autism. I myself am not autistic and I don’t know that world as well as someone who has autism, but I felt that the representation was done so tastefully. Andy having autism, her routines, her sensory struggles were all a part of what made her such a great character. These things about her weren’t just some cute and silly and quirky personality traits. These were key qualities to what made Andy, Andy and she is the main reason I loved this book so much. Getting to know her character through her thoughts and feelings is what made this book come alive. Another amazing thing that I really enjoyed was there was no miscommunication! Because Andy is pretty straightforward there was no room for any misunderstandings. There may have been confusion at times, but it wasn't annoying at all, and it flowed with the pace of the story. Andy is a character that you learn to love slowly but deeply just as Luke did.

And Luke… ahhh I loved him so much! In the beginning I found it a LITTLE hard to like him but as soon as Luke and Andy had their tiff about the Tweety (IYKYK) I was Team Luke allllll the way. (tbh even though Kyle was the one who was described as a Henry Cavill lookalike - in my head he was dead ugly, and Luke was the super cute handsome one!) One of the reasons I started to love Luke too was that he was GOOD as a person. He treated Andy with the respect she deserved, stuck up and protected her even though his admiration for her grew slowly, and was so KIND to her. He respected her boundaries, stepped in when he noticed she was uncomfortable, always asked for permission to touch her, and never teased her about things she did differently. Plus, the MOUTH on him!!! Woof woof.

I've already read Him Lessons 3 times since downloading it. I love the cast of characters and the friendships that are formed along the way. I adored the way that we get to see the growth of the main characters evolve over time and how their feelings start to influence how they think and act around each other. Again, I really felt that the representation in this story was so well done and tasteful. I think that everyone can find something they like in this book. And this book gives the ultimate summer vibes because it primarily takes place on the sunny beaches of San Diego! I can’t wait for the continuation of the series!

If you enjoy beachy reads, found family, with NO miscommunication, and a sweet and flirty romance- this is for sure a must read!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Andy is a young woman plagued by issues that make her feel disconnected from the world around her. That being said, she has enough self-worth to stand up for herself and to realize that she wants to forge her own way. That's how she ends up asking Luke to help give her lessons to win the heart of Luke's best friend. As they spend time together, they learn that maybe what they are looking for is right in front of them if they are just willing to take a chance.

Andy starts out the story very insecure. Her journey through to greater self-confidence is huge and amazing. Some of the situations that occur made me want to cry for her, but she always looked to positive and pushed forward. Seriously, what the bad guy did to her was just horrible, but she was so strong that she worked her way back to happiness without others trying to fix her. Luke is happy with his single life. He's got a job he loves. At first, he thinks Andy might be trying to take advantage of his best friend but soon realizes Andy is absolutely genuine in her desire to learn how to win Kyle's affection. Luke falls for Andy by small degrees as the story progresses. His journey of discovery is also large but isn't the same kind of emotional hit as Andy's. I loved the epilogue. The author made a great choice in showing how Luke changed in the near future after the end of the main story. There are excellent side characters in the book. I am hopeful that some of them will get their own stories. At the end of the day, Him Lessons is a beautiful story of two people who might seem to be complete opposites realizing that they just might be perfect together.

This is a contemporary love story set on the beaches of California. If you've made it this far then you've earned a little spoiler. Andy is on the autism spectrum. The author does a find job of showing Andy's personality and how it is impacted by being on the spectrum. Luke's journey of learning about Andy and how to love her the way she need to be loved was really well done. I believed at the end that Luke was a perfect fit for her. I will read more from this author in the future.

Unenjoyable characters - did not enjoy the story - would not give to friends or recommend - do not enjoy

This book was very unique and different from your typical book. In the beginning I was not sure how the book was going to go, or if I would even like it, but the more I read the more I got invested in the story, and the characters. Andy was likeable. I like how the author went about showing she was autistic, and how she told others, and delt with things in such a subtle way that didn't throw it in your face. It was just a fact of life, not glorified or anything. I loved how sweet and supportive Luke was. He was open, honest, and real. There were some parts where I felt like he did treat her a little childish. The suspense aspect also came out of no where and I liked it but didn't think it was necessary. I love the found family. I really hope we get a book about Dylan, and maybe one with Kyle and Mary? Overall, this was a good book that makes you want to be on the beach with a great group of friends.

Thanks Netgalley and Dorothy Barrett for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book and was engrossed the whole way through. I liked the characters, and I liked their romance. A few scenes were a bit off for me, some of the word choices were off and one scene in particular portrayed the heroine Andy like she was very child like. I appreciate a book that explores inclusivity and have unique characters. Overall, a good book. *I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

A great contemporary romance read!

The story follows Andalise "Andy" Rhodes Whittenbalm who has a major crush on Kyle, the hottest surfer at Pacific Beach. One day while she watches Kyle surf, definitely with some creeper vibes, she unexpectedly meets his best friend Luke. Another hot surfer covered in tattoos. Eventually she enlists Luke into giving her "Him Lessons" so that she can get to know Kyle. One of the main lessons is to learn how to surf so that she can impress Kyle, even though Andy has a slight aversion to sand. As the lessons with Luke turn steamy, she slowly realizes that maybe Kyle might not be the guy for her.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this story when I first started reading it. I don't know what it was that made me think that but I kept reading and once the "Him Lessons" started I got sucked into the story. There were a few choice words and phrased that made me cringe, but that's up to the reader to decide.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dorothy Barrett for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book!

This book was very graphic. Right out of the gate. The characters were meh. The writing style was a little weird, almost as if you were reading about the character reading about themselves....

I received an arc in exchange for a fair review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"If he were being honest, he was starting to really dislike the fact that her thoughts were so frequently on his best friend."

Him Lessons is the first book in a series and, while I probably won't read book two, I would pick up book three if it focuses on Dylan (the best character so far).

Despite the atrocious name, Him Lessons is a cute, quick read that probably won't stick with me for long. The story focuses on Andy, a neurodivergent girl with a crush on a Henry-Cavill-Look-Alike-Surfer, and Lucas, a surfer dude and BFF of pseudo-Cavill. I know The Kiss Quotient is a popular romance with a neurodivergent heroine but I haven't read that so this was a novel concept for me (see what I did there?). Both MCs have their own storylines; the hero's was alright but the heroine's was dragged down by cartoonish antagonists.

This sounds mean, but I found parts of this text pretty cringe. Specifically the "big emotional reveal" and the steamy scenes had me grimacing in my seat. The cheeky flirty parts were cute but, once a moment pushed past that, the vibe just didn't land. This is largely down to personal preference, and I didn't factor it into the rating.

There was a ton of exposition that didn't add much to the narrative, the prose was fairly repetitive, there were some narrative inconsistencies, and there were numerous typos, so this probably could've used another round of editing.

Random thought - While I appreciate the female-constipation representation, it was kind of an odd thing to include in a romance novel.

I absolutely loved reading about someone on the spectrum.
I’m not one to read much about a new book so at first I was a bit confused.
After about 5% it got to me where I couldn’t stop reading.

Andy’s story is amazing. It starts with her slightly stalkerish crush which then speeds up to so much fun, laughter and passion.

Imagine learning to surf in San Diego California. Hot Hot Hot surfer dudes, a surf shop, a nightclub and a bird named Petals. You’ll be hooked right into the emotions and stories of each amazing character as they find themselves in new chapters that life takes us through. It’s such a beautiful story, I highly recommend reading it!

Thank you so much to Netgally & Dorothy Barrett, I really enjoyed reading this. I'm ready for book 2 please I can answer the question as to who is under the T.