Better Than People

This type of story is right up my alley - an equal mix of angst and sweet moments. This is totally a love/hurt story with a HEA. Parrish seems to really enjoy the virgin + mental illness trope as Simon and Corbin Wale were pretty similar characters (without the magical realism) as well as giving one of her leads a dead parent or two. These are so far the only two books I've read from them so it was interesting they were so similar but I feel that if every book follows the same formula I'll have to move on. I liked that it's established they (this book and [...] Corbin Wale) exist in the same world, as Jack is actually a fan of Corbin's work - this obviously takes place a few years after [b:The Remaking of Corbin Wale 39347033 The Remaking of Corbin Wale Roan Parrish https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521734437l/39347033.SY75.jpg 58042835]. I'm glad I read that book first as the mention of him in this book wouldn't have had the same impact otherwise.I'm really enjoying Parrish's writing style including how they write love scenes. There were quite a few moments in this book where I felt like I should light up a cigarette after. However, as some other reviewers mentioned, in hindsight it does seem a bit much because of Simon's personality but, at the time, I didn't mind the scenes or the amount of them. My main problem is Jack is a talker and uses the term “baby” at Simon a lot - but that's just personal preference.Another issue is just how many animals live in what seems like a pretty small house with Jack, especially when he's laid up with a broken leg for iirc 8+ months. That house would be disgusting unless Charlie and later Simon are also doing cleaning on top of their other help. Jack would have to be constantly vacuuming and mopping and brushing while still enjoying a healthy diet of animal dander. THEN he gets Simon a puppy at the end of the book!? I wanted to call the ASPCA.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will continue with Parrish's writing for now. I'm excited to read Charlie's story as he seemed like a really likable character.

Animals Really Are Better Than People. Up front: It took me a month to finish this book, and even then it was a large degree of forcing myself to finish it so that I could get to its sequel, which I have signed up to do a blog tour for. That noted, however, it actually was a strong story of two men both trying to overcome their own limitations - which are largely both in their own heads. (With a physical bone break being one of the only truly physical limitations either deal with.) The main difficulty for me was that Simon's anxiety was portrayed so similarly to some of the more “severe” (God I hate that term) aspects of being an Autistic, with the constant mind-fight of what people are expecting vs what you feel capable of, being a bit of a misanthrope and (in Simon's case, and perhaps not Parrish herself's) not really realizing it. Other than this though, the romance itself seemed to work, and both Simon and Jack were solid characters that worked well together. But the dogs... the dogs damn near stole the show at times. They truly were better than people. ;) Very much recommended.

In a world that is an anxiety-provoking dumpster fire, I thank god for Roan Parrish. Better Than People is a lovely story of two hurt people coming together, made all the more enjoyable by its secondary characters, most of whom have four paws and a tail. I have to admit I am a sucker for a shy, awkward MC, and Simon is all that and then some. He has crippling social anxiety and frequently cannot manage to speak when he's with other people. Despite that, he has developed a successful small business in graphic design, and he has no problem interacting with his recently widowed grandmother, with whom he lives. He's a little bit like the titular character from Parrish's [b:The Remaking of Corbin Wale 39347033 The Remaking of Corbin Wale Roan Parrish https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521734437l/39347033.SY75.jpg 58042835], but less of a social pariah. The other MC, Jack, is grumpy because he is temporarily disabled by a badly broken leg and also because in his opinion most other people suck. At times his misanthropy gets old, but his behavior towards Simon is so utterly perfect that all else is forgiven. He figures out right away what Simon needs and never pushes him, slowly bringing out the sweet, funny, snarky man who is hiding behind the silence. I appreciated the way Parrish portrayed Jack as being professionally stuck because of a deeply hurtful betrayal - but not the kind I assumed at the beginning of the story. I really liked the fact that the inevitable Big Separation/Reconciliation happened with plenty of pages left in the book. So many times after the kiss and make up scene, it's assumed that everything is perfect, but Parrish shows there is still room for the relationship to evolve. Speaking of kissing, there is a LOT of explicit sex in this book. Much of it demonstrates the feelings that Simon isn't able (and Jack isn't ready) to put into words, but I have to admit I skimmed the last few scenes. Then there are the four dogs and three cats who make up Jack's pack. Although Jack apparently sucks at coming up with good names, he is devoted to his animals, and his love for them more than outweighs how little patience he has with people. Parrish is obviously an animal lover because she perfectly captures each pet's personality and the interactions between them are remarkably accurate. Jack's older brother Charlie has an important role to play in the story, and there are hints that not all is well in his world. I'm not sure if Parrish is planning a story featuring Charlie, but I wouldn't mind if she did, even if it's just to catch a few glimpses of Jack and Simon, living happily ever after with what I presume would be an ever increasing number of canines and felines.ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.