Perfectly Adequate

"I don't mind being me. No one else can do it better."- Dorothy Mayhem

Dr. Elijah Hawkins needs..something. After his wife jumps headfirst into a midlife crisis, he's left with his young son, Roman, and a lot of unanswered questions. That something turns out to be a someone- Dorothy Mayhem, nursing student, patient transporter, reckless driver, and emu owner. Dorothy studies humans, the neurotypical kind, through books and television. Then she emulates their behavioral patterns to fit in with her peers. But nothing can prepare her for Dr. Elijah Hawkins. Single dad. Brilliant pediatric oncologist. And the sexiest doctor at the hospital. When his failed attempts at asking her out turn into a string of play-dates with his son, Dorothy finds herself unexpectedly enamored with the boy and his father. And that's the problem, a huge one, because Elijah's ex wife is a famous plastic surgeon- and Dorothy's idol. Perfectly Adequate is a beautiful, hilarious, and heart-felt journey along the "human" spectrum. 

"The spectrum is human. It's not autism."

I have never read a book by Jewel E. Ann before, I saw a lot of people on Instagram posting about this one, and I was nervous to start it. If you have been following me on the blog you will know that I don't usually have good luck with books that are everywhere. They usually aren't for me. I really liked the synopsis of this one though, and I wanted to see where this story was going. I was not disappointed. This book was unlike ANYTHING I've ever read before, and I have read A LOT of books. I was laughing, I was crying, and I was laughing until I was crying. What a beautiful, well thought out, masterful story. 

Dorothy is not like any book heroine I've ever read. Dorothy is on the spectrum, but she's high functioning. She still doesn't process things like everyone else, and often finds herself in some predicaments. She was fantastic. I loved how blunt she was with everything, I loved how you could clearly tell Jewel took the time to make sure she did Dorothy justice, she nailed this character, and I just fell in love with Dorothy right from the start of the book. 

A simple "I love you" would not feel right coming out of her mouth in this moment. Nope. It has to be six. Six is infinitely better than three. I think I love you too. 

Eli was such a relateable character. He had been through this divorce, and although it had been a while, he was still struggling with moving on. He didn't get the closure he needed, and he had only been with his wife so we hasn't sure how to put himself out there. When Dorothy walked into this life he struggled with figuring out how to ask her on dates, and getting her to want to spend time alone with him. She was like the perfect person for him because he really needed someone to be blunt with him and just tell him exactly what they needed and wanted. I loved the way he loved. He put his all into everything, and the moments between he, Dorothy, and his son were so amazingly well written. 

Also, let it be known that I wasn't a fan of Julie. I know there, at the end of the story, she was supposed to be redeemable, but I just couldn't get on board. I think too many things happened throughout the story that made me dislike her, that I just couldn't find any redeemable qualities in her. 

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty close to finishing the book and I was worried. I didn't know where Jewel was going with the story, and I was in panic. I was crying, I was a mess, and I knew how I wanted it to end, but sometimes you don't get what you want in a book, and I was worried this was one of those times. The emotions and pain were written so well in this story I felt like I was a part of what was going on. I felt like I was being ripped in two and being pulled in two different directions. This book felt so real. 

Because...she Chose. My. Son. Dorothy put Roman above everyone else. And in doing so, she made me love her in a way that rips the air from my lungs, shackles my heart, and claims my soul. 

Overall, I'm giving this one 5 STARS. This really was such a heartwarming, heartbreaking, and hilarious read. It made me feel so many emotions. I'm so glad I took a chance on this story, because it is one I'm never going to forget. What a great read.