Anti Social

This is a beautiful romance about two young men who discover each other and in doing so discover themselves. Skylar Stone is going places. He is studying business at Benton University. He has been president of his fraternity and is now their risk manager and he is studying for his law school entrance exams so that he can follow in his father's footsteps and work in the family law firm.

Xander is an art major and well on his way to graduating and going on to grad school. He doesn't have friends except for Zelda, his cats and his land lady Pamela for whom he works occasionally. Alas, before Xander can graduate successfully he needs to produce a show of his art and this means using social media to attract a crowd which isn't his thing at all, because Xander generally dislikes people.

When a mural Xander painted for the university is damaged by drunk frat boys from Skylar's fraternity, Skylar decides the best way to compensate Xander would be to manage the marketing for Xander's art show. Xander would rather not have Skylar"s help but his university lecturers think this is an excellent idea.

As the two young men work together they come to realise that they are attracted to each other and they also realise that they are both interested in manga and in Japanese culture, traditions and spirituality. This draws them closer to each other especially when Skylar realises how deep Xander's interest in manga really runs.

The two young men become close friends and begin to explore this attraction.
Skylar is not sure how to define his sexuality. He used to define himself as ACE, but he is not sure whether that truly describes him or not. All he knows is that when he meets Xander he is deeply attracted to him. He has managed to hide his sexuality, burying it behind a facade of slick professionalism, but this facade begins to crack as he develops a friendship with Xander.

Xander doesn't have a facade. He just doesn't like people and he doesn't like the way he is treated by his stepfather or the way his mother always places him second. In his relationship with Skylar he comes first for Skylar, and he begins to see that Skylar comes first for him too. Both men create a support network for each other which they really need as they seek to free themselves from the control and negligence of family. When family falls short for both of them can their relationship survive and flourish giving them both the love that is missing?

I thought this was a beautiful story of two young men working against the odds to create something together. This involves change, confrontation and courage as they each confront negligent and controlling parents. I enjoyed the way the two men found strength in each other and found strength from their love of all things Japanese.

I did enjoy reading this. I thought it was both creative and different. I listened to the audiobook and alternated with the ARC that I had been given and it was a great reading experience. The narrator was brilliant and brought a good story to life. The story which focuses on the growing relationship between the two men and how this thrives in spite of various obstacles, has a very satisfying conclusion. I don't know enough about being Ace or about Japanese culture to comment on those aspects of the storytelling but I do think the storytelling is beautiful with some really great characters who have both depth and charm.

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was the absolute cutest. Totally recommend.
I was a bit reluctant because all the reviews I'd read had been so good that I feared my expectations wouldn't be met, but this didn't disappoint in the least. I absolutely loved it.

Review shared on Amazon, Goodreads and Joyfully Jay Reviews: http://joyfullyjay.com/2017/09/review-antisocial-by-heidi-cullinan/

Xander Fairchild is a senior art student at Benten College and seriously mad. His sophomore year art mural was defaced by a couple of pledges to Delta Sig, a fraternity on campus. Xander makes no habit of socializing with people in general, and he’s not happy about the golden boy of Delta Sig, Skylar Stone, trying to make reparations that would be suitable to Xander. There is no acceptable repair, to Xander’s mind, and he wants nothing to do with all that mess, fraternities, or Skylar.

Skylar isn’t satisfied unless he’s pleased everyone, including his generally disapproving father, his ambitious mother, or the administration at Benten College. When Xander says he’d rather have his art destroyed than repaired, Skylar’s confused why his charm isn’t working. And, he’s captivated by both Xander and his art, which leans toward a Japanese style. In fact, it’s very much informed by Japanese manga, which is a style of story art we’d called comic book. Xander writes the campus manga, which, because there’s a lot of Japanese influence in this college’s history and founding, is a story of adventure and enlightenment and has Buddhist and Japanese themes.

Xander is an out, gay man who’s never had a boyfriend, because that would mean he had to get emotionally and physically close to someone. His closest…friend…is a genderfluid character named Zelda. This makes Xander a bit nervous, because his senior project isn’t only about his art, it’s about him advertising his show, and building an online platform to promote his “brand.” Skylar, on the other hand, dates all the beautiful people, but connects with none of them. As a business major, he’s very much capable at networking online and IRL. As a way to not only make good with Xander, but to also get close to him and his art, Skylar offers to make advertising Xander’s show a part of his senior project. It’s an offer that Xander’s advisor will not allow him to refuse.

challenge month 2017 copyIt’s hard for Xander not to be sucked into Skylar’s golden glow, but the closer he gets, the more he sees the shiny veneer that Skylar wears to keep everyone at a distance. They build a rapport that is initially founded on their mutual love of manga—and grows as each of them feels more comfortable to be more vulnerable. Xander discusses the apathy of his family, and Skylar reveals he’s not really sure about his sexuality. That he’s a gray-asexual, and it scares Skylar, who thinks he’ll never find a true partner.

For these two, the intimacy is mostly emotion based. I’m no expert on the spectrum of gray-asexual arousal. I’ve read several of these type of books; I’ve found them compelling for their emotional complexity, not their intimate moments. Skylar and Xander are able to find a level of intimacy that suits them and involves some aspects of touching, nudity, and occasional kissing. Their bond is heart oriented, and they support one another without reservation. As Skylar begins to pull away from the demands of his indifferent family, he cleaves to Xander. And Xander is unwilling to accept the scraps of interest he gets from his mother, filtered through his stepfather’s disgust. So, they make a family for themselves, including Zelda and a couple of other comrades, along with the quirky professor emeritus who owns the home where Xander rents an upstairs apartment. They have a deep connection to the Japanese influence of the college, which may be culture-appropriating, but I have many friends who absolutely adore manga, and that has acted as a gateway to further appreciation of Japanese culture. That’s a bit what I experienced in reading this book.

I loved how their support, as a couple and as a group, enabled this collected family to have a far better experience in college and life than was possible before. The end is a happy place, and Xander is far less antisocial by the end, than he was in the beginning.

I chose this book for our Judge a Book By Its Cover Week because the cover is amazing. It’s a manga of Xander (the dark haired one) and Skylar, the well-dressed golden boy dazzled by the cherry blossom petals. I absolutely love it, and the art fits the book so perfectly. It’s young and bright and playful, and that’s how Xander and Skylar are, once they commit to being friends and eventual partners.

I generally don’t get into contemporary romances (I read this one because I’ve been meaning to try Ms Cullinan’s work and I needed it for a reading challenge) but that’s not entirely why this didn’t fully work for me.

Xander Fairchild is the titular antisocial character, a talented artist who is staring at not getting his degree and/or getting into a master’s program because he has to put on a show of his work and that includes doing the promotion and marketing and the social media side. He has not much in the way of friends other than the asexual, aromantic Zelda and a few people on the school’s manga production team (Benten university dates back to the days when places like Japan were romanticized and copied) and Pamela former professor and his landlord.

After some frat boys ruined a mural of Xander’s by painting penises on it, Skylar Stone, a frat officer tries to make it up to him but the mural can’t be saved and all Xander wants is to be left alone. Skylar bemuses him by loving one of Xander’s oils and tries to buy it. Before long their fates are intertwined. Skylar, as part of his pre-law/business degree, has to make a marketing portfolio so makes Xander his project whether or not Xander likes it.

I did like the first half with the exception of Zelda who is so judgmental and non-supportive I wouldn’t see how Xander thought they were his friend. Zelda gets better in the second half but I do find myself agreeing that it felt long and a bit too Japanese oriented and that’s coming from someone who’s been watching manga/anime for over forty years. (Though I agree with Unc and Xander that <i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i> is one of the best manga ever written).

The irony for me here, is that I’m not a fan of insta-love and would like to see a slower unfolding. That’s what I get here and it felt just that: slow. A caveat here, I’m not ACE though I do agree with the in text observation is that there is no one way to be Asexual (or gay or het for that matter). I felt bogged down in Skylar’s angst over his sexuality and his and Xander’s attempts to work around it, thru it, however you want to look at it. My interest began to flag. It wasn’t helped that uber-rich Skylar’s family life felt a little too paint by the numbers rich, disinterested parents out to control their child’s every breath (and it played out just as it almost always does).

I can say there are reasons I prefer to read paranormal or mystery or sci-fi romance over contemporary and this reminded me of why. Even with something I love (manga/anime) this took me forever to get through. It’s not the writing in that case. It’s me. I did, however, love that cover.

This is a romance between two guys in college trying to figure out who they are and what their future will be. Both have issues with their parents and struggle with career choices. Both guys are virgins. One isn't sure what his sexuality is and doesn't quite want to label it for certain. It doesn't contain actual sex, but there are some really erotic moments. One is an artist so some fun with art comes into play. Mostly this is about a diverse group of friends supporting each other and enjoying mutual loves like manga and anything Japanese. Antisocial is a sweet romance with lots of openness and diversity. I'd like to see it turned into an anime.

Tried to read - could not. Netgalley makes me rate a book, even if its a DNF- this review should not be counted in the full rating.

While I normally love Heidi Cullinan's work, this one really didni't work at all for me. I had a lot of problems with fetishizing Japanese culture. It starts off strong but peters out in the end. I had difficulty finishing it and maybe it was just too long. The focus on the relationship didn't stand strong throughout the entire book and I just felt exhausted when finished.

It was just not for me but I'm very much looking forward to more books from Cullinan in the future.

Note that this was an advance review copy for which i thank the publisher.

Erratum: "A had on Xander's knee" about 79% in should read, I think, "A Hand on Xander's knee".

This was one of the most engaging and beautifully-written novels I've ever read. I was sucked in from the start and swept along with it effortlessly. There were times that I hated to have to stop reading to get back to real life because this was more interesting! But you know it was better that way because this novel was such a tease in so many ways that by denying myself the chance to read it all in one go, I felt I shared a little something with the two main characters.

Skylar Stone is the proverbial 'born with a silver spoon in his mouth' (except that it's more complex than that), and that spoon was a very cold and uncomfortable one. Nevertheless he pressed on in life and was doing well, being both extremely popular and much sought-after as an escort to various functions by campus coeds, but he's living solely to please his father, the chill, efficient, lawyer who wants Skylar, essentially, to become a clone of him, and join his law firm - after he gets accepted to Yale Law college and graduates, of course. Therein lies the problem, because Skylar isn't scoring well on his LSAT test papers and is being tutored with little good result. His heart just isn't in it, but he's in denial about that so desperate is he to keep his father happy.

The aptly-named Xander Fairchild, on the other hand, or more accurately, on the same hand, since he's also alienated from his parents but for different reasons, is almost the polar opposite of Skylar, because he is the eponymous recluse, cantankerous and unaccommodating. He wants to do the bare minimum when it comes to interacting with others, but he has to put on an art show to graduate. The two meet almost accidentally but not quite and slowly, both come to realize they both need each other to finish their senior year projects.

This need, at first purely utilitarian, and at first resented intensely and predictably by Xander, develops into something much more personal over time as they discover that there is something more going on here than helping each other out. They're also each helping to meet a need in the other, and it;s one that one of them resented and the other barely recognized he had.

This romance comes about as the most teasing and taunting of slow-burns, and it's a real pleasure to read because you're never quite sure what will happen next. I could list more than a few YA writers who need to read this and learn from it about how real relationships begin, develop, and grow to fruition.

Note that while this author likes happy endings, she certainly doesn't like ones loaded with sugar, so if you've been getting force-fed a debilitating diet of too much sugar and fat with your reads lately, this healthy nutritional blend of wholesome writing and fiber-filled characters should please you immensely. It did me. I recommend it unreservedly. I will be looking for more novels by this author (and secretly hoping she might be contemplating writing one about one of the characters featured in this one: Zelda! I just know they have a story to tell!).

This is going to be more of a thought dump than a review probably but it’s hard to collect my thoughts in a way that makes sense. It's getting a rating in the middle since I did have some issues with the story but overall I liked it. I've started moving away from the younger books - kids in high school or college - because of my age. Because there was really no sex in the story, that helped me get through it.

First, I’m going to get the disclaimers out of the way.
1. I’m heterosexual.
2. I don’t have any first or second hand direct knowledge of or experience with the ace spectrum.
3. I don’t read manga or watch anime and my knowledge of Japanese culture is limited at best.
4. I am 100% unapologetically honest with my reviews. I NEVER read reviews of books before reading the book for two reasons 1) I don’t want to have a bias going into the book and 2) I find that not everyone is completely honest in their reviews so I usually don’t agree with the reviews I’ve read.

I will also tell you that I struggled with reading this and when given the opportunity to switch to the audiobook, I took it and found myself unable to finish quickly enough. I am a VERY picky audiobook listener…and can tell you that there is ONE series I would rather listen to than read and I’m a fan of maybe 3 vocal performers and can possibly name another 3 if pressed. The vocal performance was SPOT ON and he was perfect as the characters of this book. It helped with the pronunciation of the Japanese words and made the flow of the story smoother for me. It’s rare that I prefer audio over reading but in this case I did.

I didn’t find their fetish for Japanese culture off-putting…even considering there are no Japanese characters in the story. I put it in the same box with all other fetishes – ‘to each his own’ and whatever works for you has no effect on my opinion of the story unless it’s something I just cannot read about. Some of it was boring and I didn’t care about it but I found listening to the book made it easier to get past.

As for the representation of the spectrum characters, I can’t tell you if it was offensive or harmful as I don’t know much about those orientations. I can’t put myself in their shoes. Yes, it was fairy-tale like and unusual for someone not on the spectrum – Xander – to quickly know how to be in a relationship with someone on the spectrum – Skylar – but this is fiction and for me it worked. I thought they were great together and I loved how they balanced each other. They were able to bring out the best in each other and get the other to be comfortable being and with themselves.

There are a lot of things in this story that just worked out perfectly for the characters and the story itself. Again, I didn’t find this off-putting as a lot of the books I read are usually ‘too good to be true’ or happen perfectly to end in everyone being happy. That’s the point of fiction – it ain’t real. I was really surprised at the turn of the story. The story starts with the reader believing Xander is the center of the story and the character that will go through the most change. It's actually Skylar with most of the struggles and going through the most change in the story. Xander is actually pretty well-adjusted in his antisocial grumpiness.

As I stated in my reviews of this author’s Roosevelt series books, she is preachy to the point of soapboxy about events/themes in her books. None of that bothered me enough to give this book or those books a bad rating even though I skimmed through a lot of it (that was hard to do with this book once I switched to audio).

This book isn’t for everyone any way so I would read all the reviews and make a decision on whether or not to read it after doing that.

Antisocial by Heidi Cullinan

OK, I admit it, I wanted to read this one based on the cover alone, though I've read and enjoyed some of the author's previous works too. I’m not an otaku, but I have been interested in Japanese animation since the days when shows were often tweaked or reworked for an American audience back in the 1970s and 80s.

I still read manga and watch anime now and again, so the idea of fictional Benton College being a place with a heavy Japanese influence was interesting. I’m a librarian who works with teens who would love that idea. I know some reviewers have issues with this being a fetishization of the culture, but for many American otakus, that's what they do. It's just in the “excessively devoted or obsessed” meaning of the word, not a sexual thing (though I'm sure there's a lot of that too).

The background of the college’s founding was a bit sketchy (in the not-filled in sense of the word), but the reality was the founders couldn’t do exactly what they wanted with an even more intensive Japanese-style experience and have any chance of success in America, so the college is mostly mainstream with Japanese touches left from their original vision. There are language courses and hidden shrines, but honestly, there’s not really that much of the culture left other than it being something most of the characters are interested in and connect over. The only actual Japanese person that I recall is the dead husband of a white woman, and they’d both been professors at the college.

Xander is the antisocial one of the title, because his coming out was not an easy one. He has a limited number of people he’ll allow in his orbit, but even then he doesn’t consider them friends. Along comes Skyler, as the rep from his Greek house trying to smooth things over after some of his frat brothers destroy one of Xander's murals. Skyler is intrigued by Xander, while Xander sees the real Skyler beneath the veneer of what his family expects him to be. Skylar offers his help in promoting Xander's BFA project, because Xander has no social network – real or virtual – and it's a requirement to promote on social media.

There’s some interesting choices by having ace and genderfluid characters. Even people who consider themselves in one of those categories may not agree on whether it is good representation, mainly because everyone's personal experience is different, so their expectations are as well. I do give the author credit for trying, and hopefully getting some people to expand their thinking about the sexuality and gender spectrums. This book may not hold the answers, but if more authors try to represent non-cisgender characters, I think we’ll see a wider variety on the spectrum written in a respectful way.

Even though I read manga and watch anime, I do admit sometimes feeling lost with the references because I only have a mild interest and only vaguely recognized some of the titles the characters are talking about. The author has to tread a fine line between annoying fans who don’t need an explanation, and those who are lost because there isn’t one. I think it's a little bit like fanfiction (not a bad thing) in which you have to already have some knowledge to truly get the full experience.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I think it could have been tightened up a bit in the latter half. I do like a cranky hero who has a reason to be that way, with the other hero chipping away at that hardened shell, not realizing his own protective shell is cracking too. I really liked the “sweet” nature of the story, which normally doesn’t appeal to me, but I do understand issues about cultural appropriation and gender/orientation representation may be huge non-starters for others.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read reviews from several asexual people who have shared that the book has harmful depiction of asexuality. Because I am asexual myself, I have decided not to read this book as to not expose myself to harmful representation. In the future, I recommend looking into hiring sensitivity readers to ensure that representation is as accurate and harm-free as possible.

As other readers have said, the Japanese element of this book is uncomfortable and should be a plus for me but was actually a minus as it was handled in a really awkward way with no actual Japanese characters. The concept of the school and the asexual representation made it sound a lot more interesting than it actually was, sorry.

While I love the romance in this in this book, the discussion of art is so powerful, it often steals the show.

This romance is a slow burn and not just because one of the heroes is asexual. The fall in love is really pretty magical as they take down wall after wall for each other.

It is also a very well done New Adult with the kinds of conflict that have to do with finding new understanding of your family of origins and becoming your fuller self.

The setting is compelling as the circle of friends that builds and the mythology contained in the manga and an exploration of toxic masculinity from all parts of the policatal spectrum that is explored.

The writing is lyrical and lovely and while the pace might be too slow for some, it really worked for me.

At the heart of this book is the love story which is all about intimacy.

So very good! (

There is a lot of this that was wonderful: I learned a lot about manga and Japan and a little about asexuality.

Heidi is an amazing writer and while this wasn’t my favorite story of hers, she always gives us an experience that is totally unique.

For me, it was a bit too long and I wasn’t that fascinated by the subject, but that is all personal preference.

Great book about the love story of two student boys. It was easy and fun to go through the story. The author did a great job describing everything that it's possible to feel everything mentioned in the book. So much detail in everything lo9ved artsy bits and pieces and of course all Japan related stuff was great. Enjoyed happy ending. I liked that it was more sensual than sexualized. Really recommend.

I'm a huge fan of Heidi Cullinan's work. From her "The Roosevelt" series to "Nowhere Ranch", this woman writes some poignant, sometimes provocative, always eye-opening romance. This book was no different. I must confess, this is the first book I have ever read with a lead character who identifies as ace. After reading other reviews on this book the portrayal of the character of Skylar as ace has been a bit polarizing. Some people thought it was done well, while others felt it was done in a way that portrayed him being "saved" by Xander (his love interest). I personally fell that sexuality can be such a grey area that I didn't find any problem, at all, with how the progression of Xander and Skylar's unfolded. It was slow, built on a strong foundation of friendship, and was at the pace that BOTH characters felt comfortable with. The communication between the two was something many people in the real world should aspire to achieve.

I really enjoyed this book, both as an eye-opening look at Japanese culture, and as testament to the importance of friendships and interpersonal connections. If you want to read an unconventional romance with an amazing group of secondary characters, and strong opposites-attract hero's that are figuring out their place in the world, give this a go!

As a fan of anime and manga I was obviously drawn to that cover. Then I stayed for the summary, which looked at the very least promising.

Xander is not good at socialising, but he doesn't really care –he prefers it that way. On the other hand, Skylar is the best at that: forming connections, being liked by everybody. Their paths cross when Xander's mural is vandalised and Skylar is responsible for making amends. In the end they are 'forced' to spend time together since they can help each other with their final projects.

They start to know each other, really know each other in a way no one else seems to know any of them, and they grow closer and closer as they do. Their relationship doesn't go the same way as others might though; Skylar belongs to the asexual spectrum, somewhere on the gray area.

I'm not in the asexual spectrum so my point of view may be blind to some aspects but I think this book treated everything with so much respect and love that I was half-crying at some points who were lovely instead of the hardest ones –where I was mostly filled with rage. But Xander and Skylar's relationship is so pure and beautiful you can focus on that instead of the ugly parts.

Trigger warnings: bullying, some uncomfortable or triggering moments for asexual people, homophobia

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a beautiful new adult story about two young men attempting to grow into their adult selves. At the start of this book, Skylar and Xander exist on opposite sides of university student life. While Xander is reclusive, angry, and obsessed with his art, Skylar hides in plain view behind his money, his fraternity and his perfect smile. When Skylar and Xander meet, they are surprised by the interests they share and the friendship that develops.

This is a book about perception and reality, the conflict between passion and duty, and a story about the power of relationships that don’t conform to social expectations. With at least one of the main characters identifying on the ace or grey-ace spectrum, this story sensitively explores romance without typical sexual intimacy. With such heavy themes and ideas, this should have been a dark, difficult book – but it really isn’t. Something about the cast of new adult characters makes this a hopeful, happy book. These kids still have time to change their futures and to grow into the best versions of themselves.

The romance between Skylar and Xander builds very slowly. It takes time for Skylar to even win Xander’s friendship. Xander is a private person who doesn’t trust easily. Interestingly, Skylar ends up having more secrets than Xander does. Instead of the buildup sexual tension we’ve come to expect in romance writing, Xander and Skylar’s relationship builds on their cerebral connection, their shared passions, and their shared confidences. At times, this relationship felt much more intimate than a typical sexual relationship.

The Japanese culture, language, and art in this story had me conflicted. On one hand, the manga in this book is something that brings Xander, Skylar, and their friends together and it provides Xander and Skylar with a shared focus. On the other hand, the obsession with all things Japanese is a little bit odd. The shared interest reinforces the students’ outsider status but I did get lost at times in long passages about gods and characters I didn’t quite understand.

I have read and loved so many different types of books by Heidi Cullinan. She is one of my favourite authors and I love the diversity in her books. This story is probably closest in style and intensity to her very special ‘Roosevelt’ books. More than a new adult romance, this is a coming of age story and Xander, Skylar, and their friends are unique and wonderfully crafted characters.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
What an amazing story, major book hangover here. Such depth, such intensity, and such profound issues dealt with in a truly gentle, caring, and genuine way, mainly by the two men, but also by many of those around them. The struggle, the love, the disappointments, all described so effectively and shared with us in such well curated writing. I am not a manga fan, yet found myself writing down names to look up and research, so that I can see whether my imagination conjured up the right types of images.

Whilst this is written about college students, they are somehow so mature due to their experiences, yet so innocent in their sexuality. An incredibly arresting mix of serious and then sometimes playful – much like the description of the wave painting... the message is not what you might first imagine, and the richness comes from the attitude of the fishermen, maybe not the impact of the wave.

Give yourself plenty of time to read this book, because it is a weighty read, but I did not find a word which was unnecessary (and I am picky) in the telling of the story. This is for sure now in my special books to be reread pile, because I know I will find it even more rewarding on a second read, when I am not so desperate to know what happens next, but visiting old friends.

Thank you, Ms. Cullinan, thank you.

Okay to preface this review, I just wanted to say that I’ve seen a couple of great reviews from readers in the lgbtq+ community discussing the ace rep in the novel. And it’s come to my attention that the representation is extremely inaccurate and even harmful. As a result, I’ve decided to lower my rating, but this review will still contain my original thoughts. I will also link a few reviews that describe the problematic rep in my review.

I won’t lie, I recently got into manga and anime so I was automatically drawn in by the cover. However, I was very wary of possible cultural appropriation, so I looked up more information about the author/book and found out that one: she’s white, two: this book was apparently patreon funded, three: her dedication was to Yamamoto and Kubo (the creators of the anime Yuri on Ice). The last one was a huge red flag because that just screeches “Weeaboo” to me. But honestly, I thought I would give it the benefit of the doubt because I’m an anime fan myself so I get it, you know? But there are so many ways to show appreciation for other cultures without crossing over to the point of appropriation.

Aside from Xander’s love for manga, I was initially interested in this book because of an ace mc. I’m a huge champion of diverse novels, so I was so excited about this since I haven’t read very many books featuring a character on the gray spectrum. That being said, I feel like I can’t speak accurately about its representation so here are two reviews in particular that thoroughly discuss the problematic content:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2077458714?book_show_action=true
https://bookstogetlostin.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/review-antisocial-by-heidi-cullinan/

Since I’m talking about rep, I’ll go ahead and add in my thoughts about the inclusion of Japanese culture here. I think it would’ve been alright if the main character was just fascinated in manga and wanted to pursue art as a result, but the fact that the college was “Japanese culture-soaked” yet no character was Japanese had me questioning so many things. And the random shrines and background history of the town were completely unnecessary. In fact, it was a bit weird and really didn’t add anything to the plot except to remind the readers that “hey! It’s full of Japanese culture, remember? Cool stuff!!”
Also, *sighs* the use of Japanese language. Again, I totally understand when you discover a new culture and become fascinated and want to learn its language. That’s fantastic, learning new languages is a great thing, and I’m a huge proponent of learning about different cultures. But it’s one thing to appreciate the language, and another to straight up fetishize it. There’s literally zero reason for Xander and Skylar to speak Japanese, especially just randomly in a conversation (that’s lowkey Weeaboo 101). Anyway, before I start ranting, I’m going to switch over to things I liked.

Problematic content aside, I actually liked Skylar and Xander originally and enjoyed their interactions and relationship. I thought they were really cute together. I liked the minor characters as well, especially Unc and Zelda. The overall story arc was a bit cliché but cute. I think it did contain solid themes like acceptance and self-identity. In terms of plot, I felt like the “plot twist” at the end was unnecessary. It was really added drama that didn’t need to be included in the first place. The book is already 400+ pages long which is more than usual for a romance novel. The plot didn’t really drag, but it did feel noticeably long (as in I felt like I had been reading it for a long time). I think a lot of parts could have been cut without dramatically affecting the plot.

Overall, I think that Antisocial has some bad representation which overshadows what could’ve/would’ve been a really cute contemporary romance. I think people can still read and enjoy this novel, as long as they also note the problematic content.

There are so many firsts for me with this book. Most importantly, it’s the first book I’ve read by this author…which after reading it has led me to berate myself for not reading her before this even though I have several of her books waiting for me on my e-reader. Needless to say, all of her work has just shot up to the very top of my TBR list…after all, Antisocial has just become my absolute favorite book of 2017 (which, hey-spoiler-means 5 stars and a Top Recommendation in case you're wondering).

Another first—I’ve never been into manga or anime or really anything like that, though I’ve long admired Japanese art in general, and this is the first book I’ve read that concentrates so heavily on these aspects. I found myself intrigued enough to start looking into the culture on my own. I know there are elements that are idealized/romanticized and not necessarily true to everyday life, but just the idea of the cultural aspects presented is soothing and put me in a very positive headspace.

A rather interesting and unexpected first…reading a new adult romance where there’s absolutely no sex. I love sex in romance books because when it is not overused it can be an emotional and provocative way to advance the intimacy between the characters—and I mean relationship-wise, not just sex-wise. Here in Antisocial, the first “intimate” encounter between Xander and Skylar is done with their hands, and it was more sensual than a lot of regular sex scenes I’ve read, distinctly more emotional, and actually almost erotic—without a single piece of clothing coming off. There’s more to sex than intercourse, and it’s passages like this that show this is an undeniable fact.

There’s a lot of symbolism; this story is very much Skylar's journey from the fake, plastic person he pretended to be to who he really is-which is not something he knew when Xander first met him. Skylar was whatever everyone else wanted him to be and who he truly was...that person was lost inside him and Xander helped bring him out. Self-discovery at its very best, and I personally found Skylar’s journey incredibly moving. I became thoroughly absorbed in this book, even more so after the first touch scene between Xander and Skylar. 

The story may seem long and drawn out to some readers, but the way it is told is necessary to really uncover the root of Skylar's torment and help him become who he really wants to be. It is descriptive and really helps the reader feel how the characters feel. If you are the type of reader who appreciates a deeper meaning in a story, not just for the characters but for you personally, Antisocial is definitely one that should be on your must-read list. And the amazing characters—main and supporting—who all had so much depth and meaning, they continued to pull me further and further into the Antisocial world with every page.

Five stars is not anywhere near enough for Antisocial, this story has clearly earned the top spot of all the books I’ve read so far in 2017 (and that’s just over two hundred so far), and is now sitting atop my Top Recommendations list for the genre.