I struggled to rate this because I think nearly all the issues here had to to with my specific turn-offs and not with the quality of the writing or the construction. In fact I liked the interactions of many characters, and am up to read another book by Penny Reid, who though a very popular romance writer is new to me. The two main characters here were extremely awkward. Both had childhood trauma, and Byron has some sensory processing problems which explain some of the awkwardness, but not most of it. Reid tried to make Byron into Darcy, and she failed badly at that. There is a whole thing where the taciturn and rude Byron essentially says he likes the people pleaser Winn against his will and better judgment. Reid is not subtle with the P&P references. The problem is that these two keep missing each other because of miscommunications (a trope that really needs to be used sparingly and is on every damn page here) and the miscommunications are willful, especially on the part of Winn. Her twisting of Byron's clear statements of adoration as indicators he does not like her reads like a parade of passive aggression. I felt so bad for Byron who has serious communication problems and who gets up the courage to clearly tell someone he has been crushing on her for years, and she just blows it off and leaves the scene. The burn was too slow, the miscommunications too plentiful, and both parties are too insecure for this to work for me. ( )

Got this pretty much becaue it is Penny Reid. I found it slow going in the first half of the book, but the second half became far more interesting. ( )

Penny Reid’s Kissing Galileo is smart and funny and re-readable, but I'd read a few of her other books and they didn’t appeal to me in the same way (or at all). However, I’m glad I gave this one a go.

Winnie, a science teacher, wants to increase the audience (and thus, the earning potential) of her Youtube science channel. Her roommate suggests doing some TikTok romance challenges. When Winnie needs a bestfriend/crush, her roommate’s friend Byron volunteers to play the part.

I liked the portrayal of -- and the discussions about -- teaching, internet culture and neurodivergence. I also like the POV approach -- mostly Winnie, with the occasional Byron chapter. It means for whole sections of the narrative, there’s the tension of not knowing, just as Winnie doesn’t know, exactly what’s going on with Byron, interspersed with insight into his perspective.

(There were a few occasions when I was surprised that Winnie didn’t mention a critical piece of information a paragraph or three earlier, some key detail which I’d expect to be given precedence over whatever it had just followed. Some tighter editing could have helped the narrative flow better. But for the most part, I was caught up in the story and didn’t notice.) ( )

Swoony Slow Burn that is Real

Byron and Win are an enemies to friends to lovers couple with such relatable issues, wonderful chemistry and fantastic dialogue. Penny Reid is my fav contemp author, and her ability to weave a wonderful HEA into the lives of real people and relationships is her superpower. She creates meaningful female friendships and great side characters. I live in the world she creates in her books while I read. I love visiting her worlds. The people feel like friends and have lives outside the relationship. Her writing is real to me. The depth of this relationship was remarkable. Thanks for another remarkable work, Penny! ( )

I struggled to love this as I do all of Penny Reid's other work. These two just didn't fit well in my mind. Her usage of him felt wrong, and yet not. I was sad for him, even though he may not have felt that way. I still liked it more than most books I read but wasn't blown into my happy place. I love her writing and am glad to see her try new things. I hope other enjoy this ( )