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Vicky is an outlier. An outlier in society, an outlier in the business world; she’s even an outlier in her own family. She knows that people find her weird and annoying, and she’s resigned to her loneliness until she sees him. Having never been attracted to any man before, her new obsession with burly, rough and ready Mike and the fact she can’t breathe when he’s close comes as a shock.

Unfortunately, Vicky’s cold beauty doesn’t appeal to Mike. The woman they call the Ice Princess is the opposite of his type, and her obvious crush irritates him. How many times does he have to make it clear he’s not interested before she gets the message?

But there are things about Vicky Mike doesn’t know. Reasons she behaves the way she does. Loneliness, vulnerability and kindness, that she keeps hidden. And information her family should have shared with him. So when the fireworks start, and she screams, he acts on instinct, pulling her body into his. And when she buries into his chest, shaking in fear, for some reason he’s not so annoyed by her anymore…

This is a full-length, enemies-to-lovers romance with a neurodiverse heroine and a grumpy but protective hero.

Trigger warnings for assault and mentions of child abuse and neglect.

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2025

4434 people are currently reading
8328 people want to read

About the author

Susie Tate

26 books2,214 followers
Susie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.

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5 stars
7,601 (55%)
4 stars
4,174 (30%)
3 stars
1,517 (11%)
2 stars
302 (2%)
1 star
81 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,368 reviews
Profile Image for Aya ☕︎.
259 reviews65 followers
August 11, 2025
3.75 ⭐

Kindness should never come at a cost! What do you mean the ML treated the FL horribly until he found out she’s autistic? You should be kind to everyone until proven otherwise.

I absolutely loved the duet narration—especially the British accent! I nearly screamed when I first heard it.

I really appreciated seeing things from the perspective of an autistic person. I’m not sure how accurate the representation is, but it was meaningful to me.

On the other hand, the ML really aggravated me. Why treat people badly in the first place? Being grumpy is no excuse.

I hated her mother and sister—how can any mother do that to her own child? And why would any sister, even a half-sister, treat family like that? It’s heartbreaking.

⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

SKIP CHAPTER: 19, 20, 26

⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

Thank you Good Girl PR for providing me the ARC & ALC 🫶🏻
Profile Image for Brittany Steminist Booknerd.
567 reviews2 followers
August 13, 2025
Reminds me a little of kiss quotient: genius in economics, Autistic FMC, difference in socioeconomic status, spicy lessons, she makes a grand financial gesture.
Susie is the queen of having her MMCs do their FMCs dirty or treat them like trash due to miscommunication or just willful ignorance, and then have to grovel to insane extremes. Don’t get me wrong, we love a grovel, but the level of meanness and derision is wholly unnecessary sometimes. I felt like this was extra cruel with an autistic FMC. Especially the complete change in attitude the MMC has once someone tells him she’s autistic, like he couldn’t just be an observant human and figure it out himself. It’s not like she was masking very effectively. He’s also got the shortest fuse ever, so quick to blow up… I don’t understand why they are together. He’s not emotionally intelligent enough to make her existence less stressful. I’m not quite sure why, after starting the book with such shittiness and the amount of abuse she takes, there needed to be a third act breakup. This seemed extra cruel to Vicky, and then in the end she does this huge financial gesture for him, and he doesn’t deserve it. I’m not sure how we are supposed to believe that they end up happy together in the end after everything that happened. I don’t know, I think that maybe Susie Tate books aren’t meant for me. I don’t like the bullying and betrayal before the groveling. It seems unnecessarily cruel.
I do think that you need to read the first two books on the series to get this one. You get much more background on both characters. It’s well written and has some spice, but the plot is questionable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for PeaceOfGod.
885 reviews373 followers
Want to read
October 20, 2024
i need them deets baby. If some1 has spoilers....give it to me
Profile Image for Maya.
174 reviews40 followers
December 9, 2025
absolutely devastated I have to wait until August for this book are there arcs plssss I can’t wait they were the couple I was most excited to read and ur telling me their book hasn’t released yet nooo 😭😭😭
Profile Image for Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth).
2,257 reviews1,529 followers
August 19, 2025
Cute and angsty

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: brothers best friend
Angst: 😱😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥

This is my 1st book by Suzy Tate that I've read and I really did enjoy it. I mainly picked it because of the heroine, who is autistic , and really enjoyed her and her journey of self-actualization and finding love. I usually read darker romance, so this isn't really my thing, but it was cute and really hit you in the feels.
Profile Image for Shanna Ferris.
612 reviews55 followers
August 3, 2025
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

• Childhood acquaintances
• Neurodivergent rep (ASD)
• Infatuation to love
• Blue collar MMC
• Fiercly strong FMC
• Found family
• PROTECTIVE MMC
• Opposites attract
• Emotional healing
• Childhood mutism
• Childhood ab*se/trauma

It’s been a while since a book has kept me up until 4am because I couldn’t put it down! And this book did that! I finished it in one evening. I was overwhelmingly obsessed. This book will be branded on my heart and soul forever, which seems to be a going trend with Susie Tate's books. I am continuously blown away by the beautiful stories she brings to life!

This one though, my gosh, I have had to sit on it for a few days. It’s one of those books that you wonder, how could I possibly put this book into words in a review? It’s brilliant, it’s stunning, and heartbreakingly perfect.

The way Susie captures these two characters is unreal. Vicky, with her beautiful neurodivergent mind and the silent battles she’s constantly fighting, is written with such perfect descriptions and heart. And Mike, with his grumpy, guarded, fiercely protective personality, is the kind of hero that quietly carves his place into your heart without you even realizing it. At first, I was so angry with Mike for his stubborn behavior (mainly because Vicky instantly stole my heart), but as the book goes on and Susie brings so much in their relationship to light, I was swooning so hard for this man!

Susie has this amazing ability to capture the most beautiful neurodivergent characters and shine a light on the struggles they face daily. This book was unbelievably relatable for me. The way she handled every sensitive topic absolutely blew me away.

She put words to every feeling Vicky faced, like the overwhelming sensory overloads that led to crippling meltdowns. And yet, despite everything she had been through, Vicky was still such an incredibly successful woman. Even in the moments where she couldn’t read people the way a neurotypical person might, Susie gave those struggles a voice with such compassion and grace. It was all so perfectly done.

I am so very grateful for authors like Susie, who are able to write beautiful books like this for us to get lost in and relate to!

This book will be a comfort read for me, which most of you guys know I take my comfort reads VERY seriously! Some people have comfort TV shows. I have comfort audiobooks, which I will listen to countless times and never tire of. I am so excited to have another one to add to the rotation.

🎧 Audiobook review 🎧
Duet Narration
Narrated by Shane East and Zara Hampton-Brown

There couldn’t have been two better narrators to bring this beautiful book to life! Immediately, I remember thinking, Yeap! This feels so right. Shane and Zara sounded so perfect together for these characters. I also love that Susie continues to use these two narrators in her books! I always know these two will deliver such a wonderful performance for her beautiful words. However, this book might be my favorite I have heard them narrate together. Especially in duet!

Shane absolutely blew me away with his performance as Mike! He brought out his protective and possessive personality so well. Mike's character felt so much more lovable and real!!

Zara's performance, just like Shane's, was absolutely brilliant. The way she delivered every struggle, every moment of vulnerability Vicky faced, as so perfectly done, in the most tender way. She brought such softness to Vicky's character.

I can't recommend this audiobook enough! I have actually listened to it two times since receiving it last week! I'm just so blown away.
Profile Image for Irene .
508 reviews69 followers
October 12, 2025
so i never read the first two and not planing to,

book starts with Vicky (fmc) talking to Mike (mmc) trying to ask him out but that coming out wrong him going crazy and insulting Vicky vile which results to Vicky going through very bad shutdown see Vicky here is on the spectrum and Mike doesn't know that even though they have known each other since childhood (he is her brothers best friend) Mike dated a posh girl at 15-16, and she talked down about him so since then he hates posh women and treats Vicky mean (i think something bad happened in book 1 contain his sister and Vicky but i don't want to know yet another reason to not like him so i didn't read it) ever since then virgin Vicky feels something for him and since this is the first time 29-year-old Vicky feels something for other sex book starts,


Vicky is actually my shayla my baby has been treated so bad from literally everyone i actually cried (never mind that i was on my period) imo Mike does grovel and feels incredibly bad so he fixes everything in her life but making such A DUMB DECISION AGAIN!!! Mike has a furniture business that was receiving support from some company that Vickys stepmom owns, he didn't know this, but stepmom says if you still want money woo my daughter, which made me so mad cuz at that point he was after her already just tell her that!!! so that truth comes out and breaks Vicky, he sells everything to pay Margot back etc.

Vicky feels like such a burden to everyone she keeps resisting everyone thinking every interaction with her family transactional because her birth mom uses her as a cash cow, physically and emotionally abused by birth family

this book made me realize i need more nonchalant fmcs, every time Mike tried to ask her out in the beginning she always told him his words to her at the beginning which made me so happy granted she doesn't say them to get back at him, to reassure him saying I'm not your type.

safety,
v fmc, non manwhore mmc, been a while for him (at least 6 months ? i like to think before this series starts) since fmc didn't feel anything for him before it didn't bother me this much, but it still stings

2 minor ow tried to flirt with mmc he said no fmc also put a stop to it.

quotes

Okay, so there was that confession of his as well. I’d replayed it over and over in my head since the weekend. But I knew better than to put my trust in what he’d said then. I knew that, unlike me, people didn’t always say what they meant. I knew that

When Mike picked me up tonight from Buckingham Manor, I’d explained to him, again, that he didn’t need to go through any of this in order to have sexual relations with me. That he didn’t need to lie about liking me. He looked furious for a moment but then cleared his expression before checking if he could take my hand and leading me to his Land Rover.

“I can never take it back, love. What I did that day can’t be undone. It kills me to know that I was one of those stressful interactions that made you sad enough to lose your appetite. But just know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make it up to you. Understand?” “Mike, if I was normal, I could have handled what you–”
Profile Image for Helen Isabel.
505 reviews548 followers
September 9, 2025
This book has such a heartfelt core, and I really loved the way it explored adults with autism and how important it is to support and truly see them. Vicky’s journey was moving, and the found family aspect gave the story so much warmth. I was genuinely happy for her as she came to realize she was worthy of love and acceptance.

The romance, while sweet in moments, didn’t fully click for me since the shift from dislike to love felt a little too quick and gave off an insta love vibe. I would have loved a slower, more gradual build.
Profile Image for Pinky.
641 reviews669 followers
August 12, 2025
Trigger Warnings:

I was almost more obsessed with Mike Mayweather than I was with hedgehogs.

I’ve been anticipating this book for a year, and I’m not gonna lie, it didn’t live up to my expectations. This felt more like women’s fiction rather than romance, since it mainly focused on the FMC’s struggles. While I loved the FMC and was glad to see some representation of a character with autism and being neurodivergent, the book was a bit repetitive. The MMC was meh to me, I liked him more as a side character. We mainly see him focusing on helping the FMC, there’s not much else to him. I didn’t care for the grovel since the misunderstanding was so stupid. The romance pacing was fast. One second, the MMC was rude as hell, and the next, he’s calling the FMC “Baby,” like what? This book had nice family and friendship moments. You do NEED to read the first two books before reading this (I loved the other books a lot more):

Daydreamer
Gold Digger

There is so much background that is vaguely mentioned, reading this without the other books will be confusing. All the books take place during the same timeline.


Vicky is obsessed with Mike, but Mike can’t stand Vicky, he thinks she is an ice queen. So Vicky orders a table from his business to make a proposition to him, but it goes terribly wrong.

Now for spoilers


Stay safe folks!
Profile Image for Mairi Swan.
497 reviews37 followers
October 16, 2025
I know it's a fiction story but my heart ached for Vicky and all those individuals out there trying to live their lives as normal despite being beautiful in their own way.
Once again Susie Tate wrote an amazing story that held my breath from start to finish. I loved Vicky and her selfless character and I loved Mike and his protectiveness, well after he realised how immature and insensitive he was.
Profile Image for Allison.
165 reviews
August 14, 2025
This is the last time I take a rec from the Goodreads suggestions. The final straw.
Profile Image for Amanda Blanche.
365 reviews39 followers
August 14, 2025
Love anything by this author - the drama, the feels, the heartbreak. Complex characters with usually something to overcome. Sensitive and vulnerable. I just devour her stories. I was looking forward to Vicky and Mike’s story - you could see it building in the books previous to this. I wish the ending had a little something more, but overall really enjoyed it.

Vicky and Mike are like oil and water. Or so Mike thinks. Having known Vicky on/off since childhood, his mind is long made up about her. He thinks she is a spoiled ice princess with no real personality who thinks she is better than everyone else. Until one day he learns about her autism. And that behind some of her eccentricities is a massive heart. Vicky has been in love with Mike for years. Obsessed with him. With her autism, she has a tendency to fixate and he’s been hers for years. Trying to approach him to propose some coaching and experience with intimacy goes horribly wrong, so she starts to give up on her crush. But when Mike and Vicky keep colliding, finally Mike starts to understand that he had it all wrong - but with Vicky having longstanding emotional issues stemming from childhood, can she let herself be loved?
Profile Image for Mindy Lou's Book Review.
3,010 reviews800 followers
September 7, 2025
I really love the misunderstood heroine scenario and this one had me all up in the feels. Vicky was such a great heroine who has been either mistreated her whole life or completely misunderstood. I cried for that six year old little girl when we find out where her biggest trauma started. The author did such a good job of making the reader want to save this poor girl and shield her from the evils of the world. And that’s why I loved Mike. Once he found out Vicky was autistic and not just a snobby rich girl, he went full on protective and exactly what Vicky deserved in her happily ever after. This was a swoon worthy ending!
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,714 reviews722 followers
Currently reading
August 12, 2025
Damn you, Susie Tate! It's chapter 3, and I'm tearing up. I don't cry... unless there's a dog.
Profile Image for whatmarissareads .
252 reviews32 followers
August 11, 2025
✨"For all the outliers"
I LOVE THIS DEDICATION SO MUCH

⭐3.75/5 |🌶️1.5/5

This book dives into such an important conversation about neurodivergence, and Susie Tate did a PHENOMINAL job portraying an autistic FMC. and I fell in love with Vicky so fast. She literally deserves the whole world.

Mike is a blue collar, rough around the edges kind of guy who drops “f bombs” like confetti 😆basically Vicky’s polar opposite. But he sees her. REALLY sees her. He fights for her, makes mistakes, and works hard to fix them so he can be the man she needs.

Susie Tate’s writing feels intricate yet warm
full of perspective, wisdom, and heart. I am truly blown away by her writing. I learn so much while also swooning over these characters. I’ve truly become a fan of her work!!!

It was hard for me to forgive Mike at times, but I do appreciate flawed characters because we’re all human

You would like this if you enjoy:
+ brother's best friend
+ she is obsessed with him
+ protective MMC (VERY protective)
+ he literally growls and grovels for her
+ opposites attract
+ neurodiverse FMC
+ tough but also beautiful family dynamics / found family feels
Profile Image for Caroline.
425 reviews3 followers
September 28, 2025
WOW - My first Susie Tate

I did not know that this was a series, so I potentially didn't get the full experience. BUT I want more...

Vicky is absolutely gorgeous. With so much character. It was so hard to read how abused she was. How terribly she thought of herself and her inability to trust anyone's intentions. It was so beautifully heartbreaking.

Mike's character wasn't as developed, which is fine. Really, the story was about Vicky. But I found him hard to forgive. Mostly because he didn't seem to want to understand that Vicky processed things differently for a huge chunk of the book. WHICH, in reflection, was probably very intentional because that is the sad, lonely journey of autism.

I feel Vicky was portrayed accurately, and it was challenging the social norms, which i appreciated.

I haven't stopped thinking about this...so I have changed my 4 star to 5 stars!
Profile Image for iremucka.
319 reviews16 followers
September 20, 2025
Outlier aka Aykırı 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

Ay 3. kitaplar nedense hep en güzelleri oluyor, seri içinde tansiyonu ve merakı tavan yaptırıp 3. ' de golü atıyorlar.. 🥳

Mike (34?), daha önceki kitaplardan bildiğimiz bir karakter olarak marangozluk yapıyor, Vicky (28?- bu sefer yaşlar aklımda pek kalmadı) "özel" bir kız ve değişik travmaları var. Sheldon Cooper tarzı hayatı farklı algıladığı için küçüklüğünden beri önce ailesi; sonra etrafındakileri tarafından zorbalanmış ama kendini böyle kabullenmiş; yaşamayı bir şekilde öğrenmiş. Güçlü yanlarını ortaya çıkarıp ilk milyonunu çok kısa zamanda kazanmış başarılı bir iş kadını. 👩‍💼

Vicky, ilk gördüğü andan itibaren Mike’ a vurulur; ancak bazı yanlış anlaşılmalar sebebiyle Mike Vicky’ i yalnızca soğuk, hesaplı ve çıkarcı bir kaltak olarak kataloglar. 😣

Gel zaman git zaman bazı gerçekler ortaya çıkar, olaylar gelişir. Vicky ve Mike birlikte olduktan sonra gözleri başka hiç bir şey görmez (en sevdiğim); Mike’ ın kızın rutinlerini, hayatı yaşamasını öğrenmek vs aşırı güzeldi, sonundaki olay olmasa da olurdu ama show must go on.

Susie Tate’ in bu kitabını beğendim, kitabın yıldızı Vicky kalbimi güzel kırdı. 💔

https://t.me/theothershelfceviri/2208
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1,406 reviews264 followers
October 16, 2025
Vicky is brilliant at her job and unfailingly kind to the people around her, despite having family that is in turns outright cruelly abusive or just ignorant of the simple accommodations an autistic adult woman might require. Mike is someone she's known her entire life and is attracted to, but his not knowing that Vicky is autistic has left him thinking that she's a snobbish ice queen who disdains his working class background. When she confronts him directly to propose a relationship he reacts badly which has long-ranging consequences, particularly as Mike begins to understand his impressions of Vicky were completely wrong, and just how poorly she is treated by the other people in her life.

"I'm not sure why I like books with autistic characters so much", he said autistically.

This is somewhat similar to The Kiss Quotient, with the difference being that this one has much more outright abuse, with much of Vicky's family being absolutely vile. I do recommend it despite that though because Vicky is wonderful and Mike is absolutely devoted to her once he gets over himself.
Profile Image for ras &#x1f53b;.
56 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2025
there was some good angst at the beginning but i needed more, plus the fmc was too forgiving and the mmc got off way too easy
Profile Image for Debbie DiFiore.
2,724 reviews316 followers
August 19, 2025
This was excellent

I loved this series. Vicki was an incredible heroine. She was autistic and very beautiful and smart. She has had a very hard.life really due to her being.illegitimate and even her own Mother is cruel to her. And her half siblings too. Well not.Ollie and the other two learn their.lesson. she has had horrible damage done to her because of her autism. No child.should be treated that way. But Mike is the perfect hero.for her. At least after the 3rd chapter. At first he's a jerk. I felt so bad for her. She has a really.big crush.on him and wants to.pursue a relationship with.him. I love the way they interacted. There is a lot og.angst but the journey is well worth.the read. And the epilogue!?!? It was priceless. So very cute with children and ponies. So many good things.in this book. I loved it.
Profile Image for Sundy Tr..
251 reviews11 followers
August 20, 2025
Vicky and Mike. I was anticipating their story and it didn’t disappoint. Vicky is Ollie’s autistic sister and Mike one of his best friends.

Vicky is an adorable FMC. I felt so sorry about her so many times in the book and could feel her pain. I also laughed a lot with her boldness, some scenes were hilarious.
I also liked Mike. I couldn’t exactly blame him for his early behaviour since he wasn’t aware of some important facts but he did try a lot to make amends.

The pacing was nice overall, I just felt that it was slightly rushed as we got towards the end. That’s more or less my only complaint.

-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️.5

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️ for me.
8 reviews
August 13, 2025
10 out of bloody 10. Read this in a day guys. Chefs kiss, absolutely brilliant. I love vicky and I love Mike even more, absolutely incredible.
Profile Image for Izzie d.
4,305 reviews362 followers
August 25, 2025
Really good story.
Very touching.
Virgin heroine.
No details of Hero's past, just he has one.
HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lynn.
924 reviews28 followers
August 28, 2025
Going for It

Mike thought that Vicky was a stuck up ice princess. She was so beautiful and part of a wealthy and semi-royal family, she often stared at him but never spoke. One day, she informs him that she would love to have a relationship with Mike, and he thinks she is a rich girl out to get her kicks with a guy from the “other side of the tracks”.

Misunderstanding the situation, Mike barks and walks away hurt and insulted, because he was always fascinated by Vicky. He later finds out that Vicky is a high functioning autistic, and does his best to apologize. That’s harder than it sounds, because Vicky has an excellent memory and takes everything as literal.

This is a charming, if sometimes sad story about a young woman treated badly by parts of her family and about Mike, the man who wants to love her. It’s a little spicy, but very tasteful and a five star read.
Profile Image for Wildflower Reads.
95 reviews6 followers
August 15, 2025
This is such an incredibly special book and I've a fear that no words I have will do a review justice. Here goes...

I've had the privilege of reading 'Outlier' earlier this year and it far superseded anything my own imagination could ever have conjured for Vicky's story.

Susie Tate is a true gem. She blends heartfelt love stories with strong elements of medicine, humor, and emotional depth. A practicing doctor herself, she truly manages to brings a level of authenticity to her medical settings and characters that is hard to find elsewhere in the romance genre. Her writing consistently stands out for its empathy, wit, and well-drawn characters who are often imperfect but deeply relatable.

Vicky is no exception; She was imperfectly perfect. I have never read a character that felt more like home to me before. At certain aspects of the novel I wanted to pluck her from the pages and hold her, if only so she knew that she was understood and perfect just as she was. For me personally, Tate managed to articulate a large proportion of what I feel on a daily basis, what I have felt previously in my life. Through Vicky I felt seen and understood. I don't own any physical copies of books. Reading is how I self regulate and I generally read a book a day. I will however own a copy of this one. If only so I know that Vicky is real and she very much is. She is every neurodivergent person who has felt less than, every neurodivergent person who can not comprehend why they are loved, every neurodivergent person who's delay in processing social situations have led them to be harmed mentally and physically and every neurodivergent person who is worth so much more than the limited understanding of others.

The bonus epilogue was so very apt and gave me such a sense of peace. I loved it, so very much. It rounded out the book perfectly and Tate's dedication, the perfect start.

@susietateauthor thank you, for giving the literary world Vicky. (And thank you to @good.girls.pr for the ALC. It's beautiful)
Profile Image for Kristiej.
1,530 reviews101 followers
November 7, 2025
Upon second reading, what I’ve written below 🥰


[……][……][……][……]




As with the. Other books in this series, this book deserves and gets 5 stars. At least it does from me. We’ve met both Mike and Vicky in previous books and I’ve been patiently and then not so patiently for a while now. Vicky is on the Autism Spectrum and although she really has difficulties dealing with most areas of live, she is brilliant. Our heart breaks for her. She had a very sad and abusive childhood and as a result she has no self assurance. Although she is very good at her job, she simply can’t believe anyone could really care for her. She has no artifice whatsoever and is unable to lie. She has very deep feelings for Mike, the brother and friend of people in her network. Because she’s blunt and open, she’s unable to hide her feelings for Mike. But Mike doesn’t want anything to do with her. The circle she’s in are extremely wealthy whereas Mike isn’t. He makes beautiful custom wood furniture and is definitely blue collar. He’s aware of Vicky’s crush but has no idea of her true situation and thinks she is wanting to go slumming with him and can be quite cruel to her. But he couldn’t be more wrong. Vicky doesn’t have a lack of feelings, she has an over abundance of them with no way to handle them.

This book is everything I was hoping it would be. When Mike becomes aware of what Vicky has had to deal with, he becomes her fierce protector and it’s so heartwarming to watch him become such a strong and powerful guardian. It’s impossible to not love Vicky and to see this guy become what and who she needs makes this book very special and one I will read again and again and again. I’m not sure you need to have read the previous books in the series but I highly recommend it. It’s a progression and we have a full sense of who these people are by the time we get to their story. They are available on KU but I purchased them so I have the reassurance that I can start reading at a moment’s notice. I’m also very strongly considering getting the audio version as well. The highest of recommendation to Susie Tate’s Outlier.
Profile Image for Michelle.
454 reviews4 followers
December 24, 2025
I loved this book. I couldn't get enough of it.
The MMC, Mike, was at times a huge asshole, he had a chip on his shoulder the size of mount Everest, but when he finally had some sense knocked into him he became caring, sweet, and loveable.
Vicky, the FMC, is autistic. Her mother was a horrible mother who constantly belittled her and bullied her, to the point where at the age of 6 she became mute. Her mother refused to have her tested to find out why she was behaving in a non-typical way and therefore was diagnosed as an adult. Her mother's and sister's constant bullying and criticisms convinced Vicky that she was unlovable.
I could maybe see how some would see Vicky as weak--but she thinks differently than a typical person AND throughout her entire life she was made to feel weird, unlovable, and actually easily hateable by people who she should have been able to trust and lean on, and who should have loved her unconditionally. It made sense to me on why she was the way she was, and it wasn't due to being weak. She was conditioned to feel that way--especially since she takes comments and directions extremely literally.
But I loved seeing Vicky grow into herself, learning to love herself. Was her self esteem perfectly healed by the end of the book? No, of course not. That wouldn't be realistic. But was it realistically better? 100% yes.
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