Angie is a chatty American woman who is always upbeat and a little bit quirky. Jace is her reserved but gorgeous Australian landlord and neighbor. When Angie finds out her Visa application to stay in the country has been denied, she is determined to find a way to stay in town and avoid the embarrassment and traumatic memories that await her back in the States. When she realizes that marrying a native is probably her only chance to stay, she begins the search for love, hopeful that she will find it with Jace. But after battling emotions leftover from his own past and his doubts about his future, can he open himself up to love again?

I really enjoyed this book! It was my first romance with a main character on the Autism Spectrum, and it was very interesting to see things from Jace's perspective and how he struggled with even minor decisions. I love that more authors, including Stefanie, are writing about real issues and opening the eyes of the world through fiction.

I'm a character driven reader and generally love books with a lot of character development. I thought Jace and Angie were very well developed and followed a natural arc, both individually and together. I also love romance with a happily ever after and plenty of witty banter with a relationship progression that we can experience with them, rather than always insta-love (though that also has it's place, sure). There was plenty of relationship progression in this book as well, so here again, I loved it!

But, The Aussie Next Door is more than just a love story... it's about overcoming perception and trauma and becoming the person others already see in you. Both Jace and Angie overcame their own personal traumas to be there for each other, even when they weren't really sure what that meant.

Of course, it's also got the sweet but steamy romance aspect.

I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts an opinions are completely my own.