I started out enjoying this book as a contemporary, lighthearted rom-com. I loved the STEM focus and academia setting. But I can’t get past these flaws:

The hero doesn’t have a fully formed character. He’s “tall” and “big” and fit (we know this, because it’s constantly mentioned every time he enters a scene), but his personality is just a series of reactions to the manic-pixie-dream girl heroine. 

He’s grumpy, she’s sunshine… I get it, but I wanted to know more about Adam, and Olive’s quirkiness was over the top. I wish she could’ve demonstrated more competence in the story.

Shitty communication. Adam explains why he failed a student’s project, and his explanation is reasonable and valid, if harsh. But Olive wants him to be more sunshine I guess? And she ends their text conversation with a “fuck you”… and that’s it? That’s a shitty thing to say and deserved some follow up. 

I enjoyed the author’s style and would definitely read her again. But… this hero deserved more than just being a foil for the heroine. 

When I realized this was Kylo Ren/Rey fan fiction, I quit the book. The fanfic origin helps to explain why the main character had such limited character development.