Christie«SHBBblogger»'s Reviews > Neanderthal Seeks Human

To all Bridget Jones fans out there... this book may be for you.

It has several similarities:

A LOVEABLE, SOCIALLY INEPT HEROINE (I say this in bold, shouty, all caps because she is the star of this book. She stole the show for me. She is unique, fascinating, hilarious, endearing, and sometimes awkward and embarrassing.)



A hero who likes her "just as she is"
charm
wit (probably the wittiest I've read all year)
laugh out loud humor

“You’re very big,” he said.
I gave him a cursory smile, “Yes. I ate all my vegetables as a child.” This was my standard response when someone remarked on my size. For some reason it always irked me when people felt it necessary to draw attention to my height as though I wasn’t aware of my larger than average stature. I once responded: “Yes, and you’re very small.” but that didn’t go over very well, even though in that situation it was true.

“You make me want to be less of an asshole.” My lashes flapped at him, “Really? … wow.” I gulped. It was… a confession of sorts; but it was the type of confession which encouraged my sarcasm rather than my appreciation. The statement struck me as the epitome of non-committal, pseudo-subtle, self-deprecation; I was amazed by its definitive tepidness. “That’s so poetic. You should write greeting cards: ‘Dear Dad, thank you for helping me become not as big of a jerk as you are. I’m still a jerk, just not a really big jerk like you.’”

Janie: "It was like throwing Hustler magazines at sex addicts."

“Seriously, big guy, you just need to make like a shepherd and get the flock out of here.”

I went into this book thinking I needed a break from all the angst, drama, and excessively emotional books. I'm just about wrung out dry emotion wise. Is it just me, or is this a growing trend? It seems like more and more books pack an emotional wallop that make you cry, ache, tense up, sweat, swear, and finally breathe a sigh of relief when you get your happily ever after. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy these books, but I've had quite a run of these, and I needed something uplifting and different. And let me say, mission accomplished.



The book starts out with Janie having the ultimate day from hell.

No conditioner leading to crazy, puffy, nest-like hair? Check.
Broken heel of new shoes on sewer grate? Check.
Train station closed for unscheduled construction? Check.
Lost contact after getting knocked in the shoulder as crowd hustled out of elevator? Check.
Spilled coffee on best, and most favorite white button down shirt?
And, finally, called into boss’ office and informed that job had been downsized? Double check.



Not to mention, her discovery that her boyfriend of 5 years has cheated on her and she needs to find a place to live. Today.

Enter: Quinn Sullivan (aptly dubbed "Handsome McHotpants")
He is the "security guard" at her building that she has been crushing on and watching for the past couple of weeks. He is so gorgeous and intimidating to her that she can't even bring herself to look him square in the eye. Quinn shows up to escort her out of the building after she's been let go. They share an awkward elevator ride where they start to converse and then she does what she does best. Spews forth her "verbal diarrhea" of obscure and random facts. This is what she does to her everlasting disgust. When she gets nervous, her mind wanders to strange places and she starts spouting out facts.



As horrible as her Too Much Trivial Information problem is, it's somehow delightful and charming. (Don't ask me how.) She is incredibly smart and analytical and sometimes she even comes up with bizarre philosophies that actually make a lot of sense. This is what I loved most about her. This girl was fascinating. Everything that came out of her mouth either makes you laugh, or ponder what she just said. She is one of the most unique characters I have ever read. She's hopelessly clueless when it comes to the obvious, yet she is extremely intelligent and deep thinking.

Anyway, back to Quinn, he takes her bad habits in stride. Instead of being confused, annoyed, or repulsed, he finds her smart, interesting, talented, and cute. I loved this guy. I love how he accepts her quirkiness and treats her so gently.He questions her, debates with her, and even encourages her to say what she wants to say.

Quinn shook his head, his usually detached hawk-like gaze seemed softer, unguarded, “Janie, what are we talking about?”
“About the idiom: waiting for the other shoe to drop. Did you know it originated in cities like Chicago and New York?”
“No. I did not” He tilted his head, his mouth hooking upward to one side as though he were trying not to laugh. “Tell me about it.” He was teasing me again.
“Well, it did. So…”
He lifted his eyebrows, “That’s all? You’re not going to tell me the specific origin of the idiom ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know it.”
He mimicked me and shook his head in response, “You’re lying. You do know.”
“Nope. I don’t.”
“This is just like the mammals.” He sighed and placed his phone on the table. Before he took a bite from his sandwich he said, “You’re stingy with information.”
My frowned deepened, “No, I’m not-”
His words were somewhat garbled as he spoke between chewing, “You’re an information tease.”
“What?!”

Janie mistakenly thinks that he is a security guard but little does she know that he is actually a wealthy business owner of a security company with a shady past. He's wonderfully Alpha yet vulnerable while exploring uncharted emotional territory with Janie. He doesn't date. He's offered what he needs from women regularly so what's the point? With his guilt over events from his past he doesn't feel worthy to have a worthwhile relationship. Until Janie. There's something about her that draws him in like a magnet and he can't stay away. For her he wants more. He wants to BE more.

I released a slow breath and lost myself in her mossy gold eyes, “I don’t deserve you.” She licked her lips, her gaze lowering to my mouth, and her smile widened, “Oh, you deserve me.” She nodded, her eyes moving back to mine, “You’ve made me fearless.” It was a confession and I felt it like a heavy weight in my chest. I wanted to give her a confession too. I swallowed with effort then brushed my lips over hers. My words were a whisper that only she could hear. “And you make me a good guy.”

What I loved about this book was that it didn't just center around Janie and Quinn's relationship drama. It was fast paced with lots of conflicts that held your interest and kept your mind trying to solve several puzzles.

Janie's cheating ex, Jon who is still infatuated and doesn't want do give her up
Her psychotic, criminal, doppelganger sister who comes to town and brings trouble with her.
Her quirky, sweet, and sassy "knitting group" friends who support her through everything and provide some great funny moments
Secrets
And Quinn's mysterious past which unfortunately comes back to haunt them in a surprising way

I love books that stand out because of their uniqueness and this book definitely does that. It's original and refreshing like a breath of spring air after a long, cold winter. I loved it because of it's excellent characters who weren't like a million others I've read before. And finally, I loved that it was sweet and light but NOT fluffy. This book is perfectly named a "smart romance". You don't want to skim over a bit of it because every page is filled with humor, wacky philosophy, and unknown factoids. You don't want to miss a second inside this girl's brain.