This was a different sort of fish. The story is told alternately in first person past tense from the 21 year old single mother of a genius child and in third person present for the POV of the Asperger's man who saves them both during a gas station hold up.

There are several relationships playing out in various stages during this book but I would not classify it as a romance. I didn't care for some of the characters but I loved others.

There were a couple of twists. One of them I really enjoyed watching play out and the other was hidden so deeply that I felt it came unrealistically out of nowhere. I realize the author was saving the fact that the hero's wife was still alive for a surprise but telling us that she was dead was not fair. You owe it to your reader to leave enough hints to give the reader at least a chance to guess that it might be possible. This just came out of nowhere like Bobby in the shower.

Still I found the whole thing almost totally charming and riveting. ( )

Recommended for: people who like oft-used tropes, and massive plot upheavals with a side of heavy-handed morality.
I first read this book four, possibly five years ago. I've grown and changed a lot as a reader, and as a person. I let a -lot- of things slide when they showed up in certain books, and was so used to certain tropes that I came to expect them. I reread the book last night. It was -weird- reading it the second time because I remembered several enormous plot twists, and was very unhappily preparing for them. I forgot a bunch of other stuff, though. Like the fact that the author uses rich imagery and ties it deftly into characterization. The dialogue flows, and the characters act their ages. The author can write.
Unfortunately, the author chooses what I understand are now tropes, and I understand now that they are tropes I hate. Rape as Backstory, All Babies Are Perfect Miracles, Women Hating Women (any time Shandi and Paula interact), All Irish People are Redheaded Deeply Observant Catholics, You Must Convert to Marry Me, Interfaith Relationships Are Evil, One Black Person Means It's Diverse, Dead Wife Comes Back to Life, My Evil Jewish Stepmother Seduced My Less-Obeservant Daddy, and Evil Mommy. I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

I despised Shandi for a variety of reasons. Sophie Scaife she is not, and I gritted my teeth every time she tried to resemble Sophie Scaife. Shandi mostly flipped between "nineteen=nimrod" and "young mom=world-wise." Both can work, but not when thrown together, and so, so did not in this book. I recoiled in disgust when I found out this was turned into a series. When I read the synopsis for the prequel, I burst out laughing and had nothing to worry about. Wow. Is Shandi a teen mom or a five-year-old? The synopsis has me wondering. ( )

An inspiring story about the intersection between faith and science and how the answers to life are staring at us at all times. A book I wish I had written! ( )

cute and overwritten faith and family exploration

alternative romantic comedy - Asperger's/Autistic scientist saves lives of single mom and child in Atlanta minimart robbery gone awry, but that is only where the story begins. ( )