Desperate to find a soulmate in New York City, Shawn goes on one awkward date after another until he encounters the alluring Violet. He starts dating her, but his autism prevents him from understanding she’s actually a prostitute. Drawn in by his kindness, Violet appreciates Shawn’s quirky nature but conceals what she does after dark. This comedic tale of two misfits takes a dramatic turn when … turn when they are forced to make life altering choices. Their only hope for a future is to discover the courage that comes from loving someone deeply.
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Spoilers below and some ranting
Let me just start out saying that this book is nothing and I do mean nothing like I thought it would be. The plot sounded so good. I knew going into this book that the heroine was a hooker and the hero was autistic. I was prepared for the heroine to have been with many men and for her past to maybe follow her and cause problems in her and Shawn’s relationship. I was okay with that. I wanted so much to like this book. I really did. The writing style is good. But a lot of things didn’t work for me. It was just an okay read , but this story just made me sad almost the whole book. Like depressed sad. Maybe it just hits to close to home for me, having a autistic niece and all, but this book just made me sad to think that someone could treat my niece the way everyone treated Shawn the hero. I feel like he was treated badly, hurt and kinda taken advantage of the whole book. Let me just tell you all the things that I liked about this book then I will say why it just didn’t work for me. I loved Shawn. I thought he was realistic and sweet. I like the fact that this book brings to light the human trafficking problem and 10% of book sales went to helping stop human trafficking. That is all I liked about this book. Now on to all the things that didn’t work for me.
First off I feel there isn’t enough character and relationship development. I felt so bad for the way everyone treated Shawn. His parents abandoned him. Everyone at his work ignores, and or mocks him. At one point a worker is passing out invites to a work party, and gives everyone, but him one. When he asked for one she says the boss Jack doesn’t want him there. He tells her that if she gives him a invite he won’t eat or drink anything. Feeling sorry for him she sneaks and gives him one while telling him loudly so the whole office can hear that he can’t come. He doesn’t get the hint because he is autistic so she whispers to him to come but hide from Jack. Really???? Poor Shawn. Then he meets Violet at the party and asks her out on a date. She thinks he is a John shows up realizes that he didn’t know she was a prostitute and thought it was a real date. So she texts her pimp and he tells her to get to her next trick. Shawn thinks she is a actress and she lets him believe that telling him that she has an audition. She lets him walk her to her next trick goes has sex with someone else and then lets him walk her to her next trick over and over. That is their relationship. Him walking her to her next trick and waiting while she has sex with her johns. And yes I know her pimp makes her go, but it bugged the crap outta me. It was like she was taking advantage of the fact that he was autistic. He is just sitting down waiting like a chump thinking she is the one for him and she is having sex with some other guy. At one point she comes out of a johns place swishing some mouth wash and spits. Really???? CTFO! Maybe if she told him the truth that she had a pimp and she couldn’t get free, but that she wanted to be with him, and he still wanted to be with her I could have handled it better, or if she tried to leave, or maybe more time together loving special moments to develop the relationship it would have helped. I don’t know. All I know is it drove me crazy and made me feel like she was using him. Then he asked her to marry him, she says yes and still hasn’t told him she’s a prostitute. She marries him then they go to meet up with his grandma and brother to tell them the good news that they are married and it’s his grandma and brother that has to tell him she is a prostitute and instead of talking about it she runs. When he gets to her apt she is getting into a car with another man Really? a few days later he comes to her home again to talk to her to tell her he misses her and she says the meanest things to him.
WTF! Then he tries to buy her from her pimp. When he comes back and tells her he could only come up with 7,000 dollars of the 15,000 the pimp wants for her freedom, she has been beaten by her pimp and tells him that her pimp will never let her go. So now they finally decide to run from him and hide her. With a plan to fake break up in front of the pimp so he won’t look for her at Shawn’s place. Which ends with Shawn getting the crap beat outta him by her pimp. Poor Shawn. Then they meet up go to the hospital and then to Shawn’s place. Where his grandma tries to pay Violet to leave her grandson with 20,000 and Violet is like no my husband is priceless, and that’s it now grandma is totally cool with their relationship. Just like that. From hating her to it’s cool I like you now with one sentence. Sorry I don’t buy it.
All this book did was make me sad and feel sorry for Shawn. My God he got the short end of the stick. Then the fact that I didn’t like the book makes me feel like a jerk because Violet is a prostitute not by choice and is being forced by her pimp. All I can think about is that she is sleeping with other men while with Shawn so now I feel like a insensitive prick on top of the sadness. So yea not the book for me .