The Aussie Next Door (Patterson's Bluff, 1)

After reading the description of this book I had really high hopes for it. I wanted to love this book, but I couldn't. I honestly had to force myself to finish it, and that does not happen often. So needless to say, this book is not my cup of tea.

The pacing was slow, the arguments were circular, the characters one-dimensional, and for being as long as it was, the story was not fleshed out in the least. There was so much potential, and yet it fell short. I'm particularly upset that such a sweet romantic gesture was wasted on this book. The end to the comic was beautiful. This story could have been so good.

In my opinion, one (or two) major plot point(s) should have been included in the description, but they were not. So semi-spoilers ahead, but things that I think people should know going into this book.

Where do I begin? I'm going to start with Angie, since she is mentioned first in the description. We were told "American Angie Donovan has never wanted much. When you grow up getting bounced from foster home to foster home, you learn not to become attached to anything, anyone, or any place." Now, her story is not that she was bounced from home to home. No, this is a gross understatement. It's that she was horrifically abused, had a very public trial, and fled the States. We never do get her full story, and yet somehow, it is literally the only personality trait that she has. She is so painfully (and annoyingly) one dimensional, and I'm so sick of this female-characters-must-be-treated-terribly-in-order-to-have-a-personality trend. There were so many ways her side of this story could have been done, but it was just. so. bad.

Now, for the plot point that readers should really be made aware of: Jace has autism. But what are we told in the description? "Jace Walters has never wanted much—except a bathroom he didn’t have to share. The last cookie all to himself. And solitude. But when you grow up in a family of seven, you can kiss those things goodbye." If you want to write a story about a lone-wolf type character, do that. It really and truly felt like the author took every cliché stereotype she has heard about individuals with autism over the years and attributed them to her character whenever it was convenient. It felt so disingenuous, ill-researched, and insincere attempt at representation. It left such a sour taste in my mouth.

With there being other own-voices books being released in the last couple of years that have been beautifully done, it made it painful to read this book. I was so put off that I truly don't see myself reading other books by this author; with how poorly everything was handled in this book, how could I trust her to handle other situations/characters in other books?

I would go so far as to recommend people not read this. I'm sure that the author did not write the story this way intentionally or with ill wishes in mind; and her other books could be lovely. I don't like to be this blunt and harsh in my reviews, but that's just how bad this book made me feel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong this book, at all. I had a very hard time getting through it, though. It was a "me" issue, not a book issue. The characters were great and the story was good, I just couldn't get into it. It didn't keep me interested. I, personally, have been through a lot in the last month and I just didn't have it in me to want to get into it.

Like I said, the characters were great and the story line was good. I liked that a main character was "different". It was fresh and put a spin on things. It's not part of the norm and I liked that.

Patterson's Bluff #1, I've never read Stefanie London before now and let me tell you it was like a change of scenery. Normally when there is an Aussie in books they move to the US in this it's flipped the American is the transplant. Told in alternating first person the narratives are clear, you definitely can tell who's narrating at the time. I love that she tackled the autism spectrum, Jace is a high functioning what use to be referred to as Asperger Syndrome. He likes his schedule but every now and then his mom will shake things up for him like at the beginning of the book where she volunteers him to dog sit two very different dogs, and aging GSD and a younger hyper Chihuahua. It's bad enough Jace's new tenant breaks his schedule as it is but now dogs.

Angie fell in love with Patterson's Bluff, she had been all around Australia and even though she loved the whole country Patterson's Bluff called out to her as home. Angie's Visa is expiring and it's too late to file for an extension she's desperate to stay, but no so desperate that she'd marry the smarmy lawyer, but it does give her an idea. Angie doesn't just want to get married she wants to fall in love and get married in three months.

Jace didn't realize how much he enjoyed having Angie in his life until he knew she was going to be leaving. Sure he knew he was attracted to her but after a disastrous engagement he was hesitant to feel any of those feelings again, but the thought of Angie falling in love with anyone but him sent nervous butterflies through his gut and upset him. Angie would have asked Jace first but when she previously asked about marriage he rejected the notion of marriage so emphatically she never even bothered to ask him, so he asks her. Jace offers a thirty day engagement and if they can work it out they will go through the marriage. But they have so much baggage and insecurities between the two of them and even though they were having fun at first it's only a matter of time before one of them snaps.

Overall, I really did enjoy this read. I loved Jace and his whole family. Angie and Jace balance each other out perfectly the sexual tension between them was well done and their romance was emotional and so funny at the same time. It was really nice for a change to have a book take place in Australia. The writing was fun and those dogs so freakin' cute. Thank you to Entangled for this copy, as always this review is Honestly and Voluntarily Given.

The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London

An adorable contemporary romance set in Australia. First of the Patterson’s Bluff series.
An American trying to stay beyond her visa limit falls for her landlord. Can she find someone to love her with only a couple months to spare when her crush makes all other men in town boring?

Jase is set in his habits. He surfs in the morning, has plain porridge for breakfast then works at home drawing his famous comic strip. He’s been diagnosed as highly functioning on the autism scale. He’s enamored with his tenant and can’t seem to ignore her. So much so that maybe he can change some of his habits just for her.

A lovely romance with rom-com notes (literally in old VHS movies that are discussed or watched) and sparks of learning for the people in the retirement community and well as lessons learned by the couple.
Touching and satisfying.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

The Aussie Next Door is a heartwarming, humorous story that introduces us to Angie, a single, American, young woman who needs to get married but wants to fall in love; and Jace, a reclusive, handsome, cartoonist who prefers routines, order, and living alone.

The writing is light and authentic. The characters are genuine, intriguing, and supportive. And the plot is an appealing mix of friendship, family, compromise, independence, witty dialogue, awkward moments, tricky situations, swoon-worthy romance, and the intricacies of high-functioning autism.

Overall, The Aussie Next Door is a timely, fresh, uplifting tale by London that is a wonderful start to the Patterson's Bluff series and an enticing introduction to the Walters family.

This story plucked my heart strings something fierce. Jace and Angie's story took me by surprise, in a really good way. Jace Walters lived his life by a regimented timetable that always suited him and served his purpose in his life. He craved being by himselfand in his own world. Coming from a family of seven, he yearned for alone time. As soon as he was able, he moved out of his family home to seek quiet solitude, and to live the hermit lifestyle. No fuss, no muss.

Jace's world was hit by a force that went by the name Angie Donovan. Angie was American, hot and sexy. She was extroverted with a capital "E", in other words the total opposite of him. Angie came from a tumultuous past that had her moving to Australia soshe could start a new life. But starting a new life does not always go to plan. The sand in her hourglass was running out in the form of her Visa expiring and sending her back to her rocky past. Angie develops a plan but it isn't as easy as she anticipates.

I found this romance more than ordinary. It was emotionally powerful. Once in a blue moon, if we are lucky we find a gem of a story that impacts your life. This one definitely did that to me.