Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance, Knitting in the City, Volume 1

I stumbled upon this by chance and thanks to the very engaging story line spent 2 hours walking on the treadmill every day just so I could listen. Not a funny story but a really sweet one. Not so sweet that it was unbelievable but that fuzzy feeling sweet. The characters are likeable & the narrator not annoying. Real writing that is not a story based around sex. Be warned if you are looking for a 'hot' story ,this will not be for you. The sex is discreet which in my opinion is just right for this story. A truly fabulous listen which is so good I am buying the books. A real gem

My first Penny Reid book and I must confess I am hooked...its the funniest and most down to earth romance I have read in a very very long time! Now am gonna have to get started with all her other books😊😉

I have already read this book on kindle and I am a real Penny Reid fan so I have to admit I liked this book even before I listened to it. Be warned, it’s a slow starter, as Penny Reid tries to get us inside the fairly unusual head of the h, who is a real nerd and had a mind that tends to wander to irrelevant topics as a form of distraction from stress. She also tends to spout endless streams of irrelevant facts when nervous and as a result has a reputation for being just a little bit weird.

The book starts with the “worst day in her life” when she dumps her boyfriend for cheating, which, as she lives in his flat, means she is homeless as well. She is then “downsized” at work and escorted out of the building by security guard H, on whom she has a massive crush. The H in this romance lends a whole new meaning to the description “inscrutable”. It made an interesting change to find that everyone (not just the h) found him difficult to emotionally connect to and he is very removed from normal social interaction, which made his constant attempts to connect with the h even more fascinating. You can feel the depth of the feelings between the two growing even though the h is very reluctant to get involved and when nervous spouts out whatever comes into her head – usually embarrassing herself in the process. She is also not a traditional beauty, and feels outclassed by the H who she thinks is just perfect in every way and therefore way “out of her league”. The H is more difficult to understand but it is obvious from his actions that he is fascinated by the h and keeps pushing for a relationship while constantly have to battle her weird way of interpreting facts and her numerous inner conflicts, where she extensively analyses and often misinterprets whatever is happening between them.

There is a minor mystery plot involving her sister which adds well to the story and serves to further explain the h’s obvious issues. She is a complicated and unusual person who is extremely endearing to the reader, and seeing her fall in love with someone who not only understands her but also respects her fountain of knowledge is not only very touching, but also extremely, laugh out loud, funny. Special mention must go to her circle of friends in her knitting group (to which she attends but does not knit!) who are the sort of supportive and understanding friends that we all wish we had.

The narrator in this book had a difficult job, which she does extremely well. There were, on reflection, a few plot issues that I did not notice on my first read. We never do find out exactly what the H’s company does that is so mysterious, and we don’t get much about his background, and what made him into what he is. Nor do we find out what he did to solve the problem with h’s sister. Furthermore I feel that the story of h and her childhood could have filled a book just on its own, and I would have liked more detail about this. There is a follow up book to this one, so maybe some of these issues are clarified there. I look forward to reading it.

This is a book well worth reading if just for the epilogue alone. This is the only part of the book from the H’s POV and Penny Reid manages to write a touching, emotional and satisfying epilogue - in a bathroom fixtures store!

Absolutely loved this book, I could really relate to Janie, what a fabulous character, loved her imperfections, loved that she spoke before she thought, loved her directness, just loved her.
Then we have Quinn, couldn't think of a better match for Janie, he's hot, sexy, rich and just on her wavelength. I love the nickname that Janie and her best friend Elizabeth have for Quinn, McHotpants, oh yeh hilarious. McHotpants manages to save Janie during one of her worst days ever, and he manages to keep saving her during random moments of bad luck. A wonderful story, that I am sure is the start of a wonderful series, can't wait to get to book 1.5.