Neanderthal

This is the second book in the Last Man standing series and it’s better than the first! You will fall in love, laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy this love story.

Griff and Kinsey are two nerds at heart and are not looking for a relationship/love. However, during their first interaction - Griff only needs to hear her voice to fall in love.

Kinsey is beautiful, smart and tough as nails - people don’t take her seriously because of her beauty, but she stands her ground. Griff is a quiet (grunty), nerd who has a love for lego’s - which he worries will turn off women when they find out.

Once again the family steals the show - the love, support, fun and humor will keep you entertained!

This is a great series! I requested an arc and I am leaving my honest opinion/review.

This is book two of the Last Man Standing series that centers around three cousins, Dixon, Griff and Nash Beckett. The cousin’s beloved grandmother recently died leaving one unopened gift with no tag. The cousins devise a bet to see who will get to claim the gift. All of them will join Bramble, a dating website where you commit to six dates with the first woman to answer the ad, and the last single man standing wins the gift. Of course, the other cousins get to plan the dates, so all’s fair in love and war. Dixon lost the bet in book one of the series. Griff is up next, and is the “Neanderthal” of the books title. Initially, I was wary because I don’t typically love the Insta-love trope. So many times with this trope, the protagonists see each other and instantly fall in love and the frequent and graphic physical activities begin. You don’t get to find out why, other than physical attraction, they love each other. That is not the case with this book. Griff works in the family cosmetics business in the R&D department. He gets by through life with grunts and one word answers. When Kinsey walks into his gym, he hears her and realizes that she is the one. Eventually Kinsey agrees to help him out with the bet and answers his ad. Griff uses these dates to try to woo Kinsey. Griff was my favorite part of this book. Normally when you call a man a Neanderthal, he is rude, crude and treats women poorly. Griff is none of those things. He is just painfully shy, and a great guy. I cannot wait for Nash’s book, and I hope the author has another series in mind for Griff’s sister Morgan and Nash’s siblings. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the author for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Griff and Kinsey’s story. They are both extremely smart scientists that work for competing companies, and Kinsey just so happens to be best friends (and roommates) with Griff’s sister. Both struggle with their own insecurities and being judged by others based on outward presentations. They complement each other so well, their chemistry is dynamite, and their families are (mostly) lovely and fun, too. This was my first Avery Flynn novel, and I want to go and read her entire backlist now.
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars for this fun, engaging read!
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing.