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Review: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves



Blurb from Goodreads:
Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.

Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game--and his heart--to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.

Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
My Review:
 
This was disappointing, particularly the ending.  The entire time I was reading it, it just felt constrained by the time period (the present is 2001 in this book).  It actually read as though the author wanted to include 9/11 in the book no matter how much the book didn't benefit from such a constraint in terms of the characters and the stories.  It just felt like a cheap ending, especially given all the other unnecessary drama in the book.  

The Girl He Used to Know comes out next week on April 2, 2019, and you can purchase HERE. For other, better romances involving the autism spectrum, you may consider The Kiss Quotient and Flat-Out Celeste.
"I transferred to the Chicago office about five years ago," he says. It astounds me that all the time, as I've walked around the city I now call home, I never knew bumping into him was a possibility. How many times have we been within a certain-mile radius of each other and not known it? How many times were we behind or in front of each other on a busy sidewalk, or dining in the same restaurant?

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