The very first sentence of this book was like the author can read my thoughts:

“Shawn didn’t feel like an adult because adults were married, and he struggled to get through a date.”

I honestly thought a woman I worked with once at a bookstore was older than me when I first started working there because she was married and had two kids. Come to find out later on, she was the exact same age as me.

So obviously, I was definitely intrigued right away. The story was original with the hero, Shawn, being a man with autism, but he was at a very high functioning level. While he did still live with his grandmother, he went to work at an office every day on his own, and actually dated and lived a basically normal life. He did have the same issues with touching and not quite understanding cues from facial expressions, not to mention how he pretty much took everything people said literally, as is a trait of many or most people with autism.

Now the title has to do with another characteristic he had, one that is not something necessarily related to autism, as I know people who are not autistic that have synesthesia. But certain colors or objects made sounds to him. We get to experience a couple of his disastrous dates, and can see how he is struggling. While it seems really romantic that he wants to get married, we do soon find out part of it is because he is worried about having someone to take care of him when his grandmother dies. Which he stresses about because of when he lost his grandfather.

Violet is actually a prostitute, and he meets her at one of his company’s parties. He thinks they are hitting off and sets up what he assumes is going to be a dinner date with her. Not realizing that she is thinking he is hiring her. All of the misunderstandings that follow from that lead to a strange yet unique relationship/friendship developing between the two.

I’m actually looking forward to seeing the movie of this when it comes out next year. The book wasn’t bad, but honestly I think it will work better for me as a movie, but that has to do with my preference for writing styles I think. This was a simple, easy read. I only had a few issues with it. I do have to mention that some of the actual justice system things that we are told about at the end of the book are so unrealistic. There is no way someone like this bad guy would get through a whole trial and sentenced before the characters heal from the injuries he gave them. In the end we did get the happily ever after for Shawn and Violet, and I like how Shawn seemed able to grow and get past some of his issues. I know that he said he was seeing someone to help with that, and I feel like maybe more of that should have been in the book, because it almost seemed like he was cured of them just so easily, and I don’t know if that is realistic either. But it is fiction, and we all want the HEA and for things to work out!

Also, I've seen some people say this is a YA novel, it is not. It's not extremely adult, although obviously one of the characters is a prostitute, so it's not YA either. All the characters are adults.

Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.