Stubbed Toes and Dating Woes is a novel by Dahlia Donovan.
Finished on: 30.10.2023
[I won this book in a LibraryThing Early Reviewer give-away.]

Plot:
Niclas has managed to make his passion his profession and is about to embark on a work trip slash holiday to go treasure hunting for the museum he works at. His romantic life is a little less successful, maybe, though he doesn’t mind too much. Being autistic and asexual, he has crushed on his older brother’s best friend Falk, but nothing ever happened. Until his brother suggests that Falk accompany Niclas on his work trip. Falk can use a time-out from the security firm he runs, and that it should be together with Niclas is a bonus in his eyes.

Stubbed Toes and Dating Woes is a super cute romance that explores what it means to date when you’re ace and autistic. But mostly it’s about Niclas and Falk being sweet together.

From what I gather, Dahlia Donovan is autistic herself, though I don’t know if she is queer, too. In any case, this gives much-needed realism to Niclas’ neurodiversity that never feels stereotypical even when he shows the traits one usually associates with being autistic. Probably because Niclas is always more than his autism.

I also really liked that we got two ace characters in a romance, and that it’s not about figuring asexuality out for either of them. Both have known that they are ace forever, they are out and there is still enough for them to figure out without also figuring this part of their lives out. Plus, both have known each other forever – that’s my kind of slowburn romance.

There are a couple of maybe too tropey elements, like the evil co-worker or the over-protective brother barging in at an inopportune moment, but neither of those things really affected my enjoyment of the story. And enjoy it I certainly did.

Summarizing: go for it, especially if you’re looking for ace and/or autistic romance!