Fun, funny and very entertaining

I loved this book. It’s another one of those billionaire meets regular woman and falls madly in Love for eternity but it has twists that make it a fun and funny ride. I loooved our heroine Janie. She is just so weird and full of facts and trivia (there goes the “smart romance” part). It felt like one of those romantic comedies you love to hate.
Steam factor: someone in Audible decided to rage this story o-o-omg in the steaminess scale. There is 0 sex description in the whole story. No description at all. How can a story be at the top of the steaminess scale when the steamiest thing it describes is a kiss and then implies that the couple had sex? That’s just strange to me. It should be rated sweet.
The narrator is very good and I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her. Recommended listen for those looking for a funny romantic story without much heat.

93 people found this helpful

What am I missing?? Meh.

*2.5 stars*

I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer over here, but with all the hype with this story, I was just expecting... more.

This book is described as a "smart romance," when in reality it is simply the typical trope of the billionaire/millionaire player guy with baggage who doesn't want to settle down for anyone but makes an exception for his special snowflake, who happens to be a naive, virgin-esk young girl. (aka, Fifty Shades of Grey) And Jane is too tall (!) with too big of a butt and boobs that are too big (!), but doesn't realize she is attractive at all... of course.

I'm not saying that this book is bad, because it isn't, but it isn't anything out of the ordinary, even including putting a geeky, socially EXTREMELY unaware girl as the MC. I couldn't understand how she didn't pick up on her security guard (view spoiler). No one could be that dense, especially after the 100s of clues.

My main issue is that this story dragged on and on. I listened as an audiobook, which was nicely narrated, and I felt like nothing happened! It is a loooong audiobook, over 14 hours, and I literally couldn't take it anymore at about 10 hours. It was too much, too much of a TSTL female MC and the bossy male MC that I've seen before. It felt like it needed to be edited down by 100 pages (or 4 hours) to be cohesive and well-paced, and it felt VERY self-pubbed to me.

I guess I'm just not seeing what everyone else did. Sure, I enjoyed when Jane spouted some obscure facts and was entertained by her oddities, but that can only take a book so far.

90 people found this helpful

a dumb book

But how can it be dumb when it says "a smart romance" right on the cover?

The heroine is made to sound like a Wikipedia spewing robot with social anxiety, and the hero rarely says more than 2 words at a time, but seems to quirk the corner of his mouth an awful lot. Ironically, the author makes the kind of mistakes that dial back the whole 'smart' thing even more, with poor word choices and nonsensical plot points.

Wording example: "a piece of fruit donned the rim of the glass". I think you mean 'adorned'.

Plot example: She is basically mute, except when she goes on an anxiety induced rant about tree frogs. Yet, the hero decides that THIS is the kind of intellect he's been searching for to run his accounting department. In fact, she's such a genius that it takes her more than half the book to realize that he's the CEO, not just a security guard.

Unbelievable characters, poor plotting, and bad editing make this an un-smart buy for me. I'll be returning it.

55 people found this helpful

Disappointing

I was looking for fluffy laugh out loud romance and other silliness with this. But I hated our Hero... he never got better and eventually I couldn't finish. Maybe when I was younger I would have liked to be whisked away by a rich liar who thought he could control everything *for my own good* but now I value honesty and partnership, even in fantasy.

I appreciated our heroines tangential thoughts although sometimes the mental ramblings bored me instead of entertained. It would have been an easy thing to move past if she wasn't so clueless about obvious things and her love interest less of a douche canoe who's only redeeming quality apparently is his god-like looks

55 people found this helpful

Could Not Stop Listening.....

This is a really fun listen. On the surface this is a nerd-gets-hot-guy story, but Janie is not a typical nerd and the author does a good job making her character's insecurities believable and not annoying. Janie is a 26 year old, smart girl that is insecure and querky due to her background. She starts out having a bad day but meets Quinn, the good looking building security guard, that helps her land a new job. They develop a relationship despite Janie's insecurities, ex boyfriend issues and family dramas.

There were parts of the story that were predictable (Janie not realizing Quinn's position in the company), but there is enough other stuff going on with the characters to keep me engaged and listening. I also enjoyed the humor of this story, I liked the eccentric trivia and Janie's internal dialogues.

Over all this is a very solid contemporay romance/ chic-lit story and a highly enjoyable listen. I highly recommend this one - especially at $6 with the Whispersync.

38 people found this helpful

Pure joy

So smart Janie definitely has aspergers like my son. Made for a fascinating and fun read. My second read was even better than the first. Penny Reid is so creative with her complex yet delightful characters.

13 people found this helpful

Loving this series! This is book 1

I am loving this series! It has all the elements that I love, romance, mystery, adventure, and humor! Only wish audible didn't have the book numbers all mixed up! This is actually book 1!

9 people found this helpful

Smart Romance Says It All

What did you love best about Neanderthal Seeks Human?

I loved Janie's knowledge of random things and her curiosities -- robot companions was too funny because it was too random. I loved that Quinn could take Janie's wiki facts in stride!

What other book might you compare Neanderthal Seeks Human to and why?

I think that if someone has read and enjoyed Alice Clayton, specifically Wallbanger, then that same reader will enjoy this series!

Which scene was your favorite?

There are too many scenes I thoroughly enjoyed to limit to one favorite! Let's see.. the kisses at the concert, the afternoon at the concert in the park, all scenes when Quinn asks Janie what she's thinking and she tells him random factoids or random ideas for an invention or out-of-the-blue curiosities!

If you could take any character from Neanderthal Seeks Human out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I think most female readers would want dinner out with Quinn (and it is hard for me to not want dinner out with him, too, he's almost too yummy to resist and I love that he orders for Janie), but I think I'd love to chat with Janie!

9 people found this helpful

JANIE AND QUINN ARE TOO CUTE!!!!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Always is, but I only listened!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Neanderthal Seeks Human?

Janie and her black out in the beginning!

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Grace – was your favorite?

Janie!

Who was the most memorable character of Neanderthal Seeks Human and why?

Janie! she is so awkward and adorable!

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, Janie is a brain, she has a wonderful heart and a spectacular mind...she has a bad day, she loses her relationship, job and home all at once...She meets Quinn by chance...but it is meant to be! Janie doesn't know that her sister who is a criminal is around and that Janie is in danger...Quinn is trying to protect her and when things get a little too crazy it almost all goes out the window....but they end up as they should...and it was a wonderful story!

8 people found this helpful

A romance with an IQ - cute!

This is a cute and clever romance. The narrator was great too. The two drawbacks are: 1) the excessive use of the word "however" and 2) lack of XXX content. If you're looking for a contemporary romance with no smut but good dialogue pick this one up.

8 people found this helpful