Better Than People

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.