Carry the Ocean

This didn't work for me at all after the first couple of chapters. Of course it's very difficult to get in the mind of an autistic person and write their experience in first person, but we know it's possible to do it effectively. Unfortunately Cullinan imagines Emmet more like someone who is underdeveloped, almost like he's a child, and too often she attempts to explain behavioral patterns using the logic of a “normal” person.

Jeremey is written like he has severe social anxiety, even though we're told depressive disorder is his biggest problem. He has so much wrong with him that Cullinan doesn't know what to focus on from one sentence to the next. There's no personality beyond his condition. He doesn't feel like a real person.

The love story between these two develops way too easily given their challenges, and the quick focus on their sex life is both improbable and inappropriate.

Overall an exhausting read that I struggled to finish. I'm especially disappointed because the rating had given me such high expectations. I strongly disagree with the Goodreads community on this one.