The Anti-Social Season by 
I’ll admit, the title is what lured me into grabbing The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck. I thought it sounded like it would be a cute, grinchy type holiday romance. While it wasn’t necessarily that, it was still nice to read. While this romance was really refreshing to read with the miscommunication being dealt with straight on, it did also read as extremely placating and playing it safe.
Now, this is a book 2 in a series, and though I normally will read even standalone books in order, I didn’t in this case. I don’t know if there’s more of Thea in book one that would make a difference, but she just felt a little flat in this book. She mentions having trauma, she mentions having panic attacks and being in therapy. And yes, we do see part of a panic attack. But it all feels surface level. The turmoil doesn’t hit. I get more off of Simon and his trauma is simply being a forgettable nerd in high school. While being a forgettable nerd in high school could be a good reservoir for angst and issues, Simon mentions at least twice how he was drowning in sex and women in grad school so why the hangup? Sometimes, opposites attract really works. It didn’t really fit here where both characters felt like they belonged to different books.
The romance felt so incredibly safe. Every little thing is discussed, especially the sex portions. And while yes, enthusiastic consent is a must in real life, this is fictional romance. Not every single thing needed a conversation. And then, the things that did need a conversation, didn’t get one until after feelings were hurt, which was annoying. Neither character seemed to change or grow. Thea remained manic throughout the book and Simon stayed insecure and angsty. This is definitely a couple I cannot see remaining together past a year.
I know this sounds like I hated The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck, but I promise I didn’t! There definitely were cute moments, and I really enjoyed the characters. The spice was okay and this was well written. The vibes were just slightly off and despite all the Christmas mentions, it didn’t feel holidayish. I think if you like the first in the series, there’s nothing in this second book that should turn you away. If you’re looking for a holiday romance that has a stronger focus on character development outside of romance, this might be for you.
