Spoilers removed. Full review on the site.

As the first book I have read by Penny Reid, I really wanted to love it! While I did enjoy the humor (she had me laughing before I finished the first page), I just couldn’t go all in with this book. The the storyline of Janie and Quinn was solid; however, it was the subplots that consistently pulled my attention away, causing my interest to dip until we were finally able to get back to the heart of the story. Understanding Neanderthal Seeks Human was Penny’s debut novel, I believe her writing was still finding its footing and the rest of the series may be more formulated and awe-inspiring.

To say Janie has had a bad day would be a gross understatement. First, she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. Next, she spectacularly destroys her work outfit and has to borrow a variety of items to resemble a partially functioning/half decent human being. But it doesn’t stop there! Of course she is also fired once she gets to work, conveniently being part of a downsizing of one. You would think mercy would be taken on her at some point but the icing on the cake, the extremely hot security guard – Sir McHotPants, the man she can’t even look in the face, has been assigned to escort her off the premises. What has she possibly done to deserve all of this?! Out of the three sisters, she was the good one, the calm one, the one who always did the right thing. Taking a deep breath (after hiding in the bathroom post firing and pre McHotPants), Quinn leaves with her head held high and resolves to get her life back on track. After sulking around the apartment and embracing her new reclusive way of life, her roommate and best friend Elizabeth suggests a girls night out. Not knowing what she signed up for, she definitely wasn’t expecting to run into McHotPants – i.e. Quinn! She also didn’t expect to wake up hungover, in her underwear, and in a strange bed the next morning! Quickly to reassure her nothing happened, Quinn offers to help Janie snag a job where he works. Going full circle and back where it all started, Janie finally feels like things are working out. Now if she can just figure out her love life. Lucky for her, Quinn has an answer for that too!

Janie was unlike any character I have read in book! Her trivia knowledge alone below me away. She was gorgeous but didn’t see it. Deserved the world and yet felt so undeserving of the love and attention from anyone. Everything that made her special was viewed as a hindrance or made her a “freak”. I did love her scathing sense of humor and moments where she showed that she could hold her own.

As mentioned initially, I had waxing and waning attention with this book. There were times where it was so good that I couldn’t put it down but other times that anything but reading it was appealing. When the story stuck with Janie and Quinn, it had my full attention. When it started to focus on the family dynamics, dark history, and a sub story, it pulled focus. It made a lighthearted story a little too dark.

The book walked the line of a heated closed door romance. The lead ups were sizzling and the post recaps where clean but didn’t leave the reader in the dark of what happened “off camera”. If you prefer spice, it is slight frustrating. If you prefer steam but keeping it clean, it does an excellent job!

I would say more in an indirect way, the book focuses on stereotyping, perspective, and the ways of viewing the world. Just because one person is one way doesn’t mean that everyone else who exhibits the same characteristics should be labeled and treated the same way. We are all uniquely different and each situation should be taken into consideration for what it is. Should past experiences influence our perspective? Sure, but we should still be open minded about the elements that are different and impactful.

While I don’t see myself reading any more books in this series, I do highly recommend it for those who love a steamy romance with humor, suspense, drama, and a quirky group of characters that keep you smiling, guessing, laughing, and loving from beginning to end. ( )

The writing is crisp, at times funny. The characters are a pickup artist’s delusion: flat, but even without depth they somehow find ways to be inconsistent. The lead character had a promising start before turning into a Big Bang Theory-shaped caricature. Salt in the backstab wound. ( )

Well that was wonderful! A fun kissy book. With a smart girl and a hot guy. Not to mention there's a Knitting group!!
There was some serious LOL moments in this book. I really enjoyed it. ( )

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Neanderthal Seeks Human
4 Stars

Janie Morris's life has taken a nose-dive into Hell. In one day, she has lost her boyfriend, her apartment and her job. To make matters worse, the sexiest man in the universe is witness to it all. So noone could possibly be more surprised than Janie when said hottie makes her an offer she cannot refuse . . .

Janie and her quirky idiosyncrasies are an absolute delight. Her tendency to ramble on like a walking Encyclopedia Britannica whenever she gets nervous, which is often, is both informative, hilarious, and endearing.

Quinn Sullivan is seriously sexy and can give Kristen Ashley's hot alpha male heroes a run for their money. In fact, this book is similar in tone to some of Ashley's books, and (I hate to say it) better written - more concise, less repetitious, and without any annoying TSTL moments on the part of the heroine.

The slow-burn romance between Janie and Quinn is excellent although the fade to black sex scenes are disappointing given the intense build-up. There is also a very minor suspense plot that adds another layer of tension to the story and results in one of the most hilarious scenes ever - I will never look at knitting needles in quite the same way ever again.

Overall, a charming read, and I am eager to continue with this series and its various spin-offs. There is a lot to look forward to.
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