Yes, after being rejected twice already this was my third-and final-attempt to get an arc from Avery Flynn. Her titles and blurbs kept attracting my attention. so, I was very happy to receive the arc for Neanderthal. And although it is the second story in the Last man standing series, it was very easy to read as a stand alone. The thread through these three books is the bet that Griff, Dixon and Nash have made in order to decide who will be the one to unwrap the last present from their late grandmother care you already melting into a puddle of goo? It is just so sweet!) The bet is simple: take a girl out on six dates without falling in love. Easy peasy right? Well not when your cousins are determined to help you fail the bet!

Fortunately for Griff, his sister’s friend Kinsey is happy to help Griff with his six dates bet. Kinsey is the total opposite of Griff: cheerful and chatty, talking a mile a minute and always getting comfortable in new situations. Griffis responses are usually monosyllables and grunts. This doesn’t seem to bother Kinsey though.

Sometimes Kinsey gets tired from people reacting to her pretty face and her big boss om. As if a cute girl can’t have a decent brain.

So, it is actually kind of a turn-on to have the sexy, and grumpy bad boy with tattoos everywhere grunt at her. Because griff, unlike most guys, is mainly interested in her brains. So, offering to help him out with his bet, to go out six times, is no hardship at all. But when Kinsey starts falling for the broody guy, she must remind herself, he is only dating her because of a stupid bet.-..

Funny, cute and hot. What’s not to love? And hopefully I’ll be granted an arc for the last part of the series: Mansplainer.

Thank you Netalley for providing the arc. Five out of five stars from me.

Oh. Em. Geeeeeee!!!! Griff is my favorite of all time basically. I can’t even handle how much I love him!!!


I’m such a sucker for the MMC who barely talk but open up to their lady like no one else. Kinsey is such a perfect complement to Griff. She’s smart, she holds her own, and she’s also super sweet.

I’m dying for Nash’s book! I can’t wait to see him fall!

Oh how I loved Griff and Kinsey. I loved how he fell at first sight and tried to prove it to her without scaring her off! A great series and a great book!

Cute romcom.

This is fun, entertaining with the guy pursuing the gal. Griff is a man of few words, but has to work at it to get Kinsey to give him the time of day.

Fake dating might have started it, but there is nothing fake about Griff's feelings.

Entertaining, light-hearted fun.

I voluntarily requested and reviewed an advance reader copy.

Avery is a new-to-me author but one who I have been recommended so many times I've lost count. And I get it now—why all my bookish friends wanted me to read her stuff. Neanderthal is the stuff of dreams for light-hearted lovers like me. And Griff? Oh, Griff is the epitome of gruff on the outside, soft on the inside, with a dirty mouth and the skills to back it up. It's incredibly easy to read—and fun, too—and much like Griff, I found myself falling in love within the first few pages. A very accurate summation on why Mel and Sue reign supreme when it comes to Great British Bake-Off hosts will do that to a girl.

(Full post at https://ververomance.com/app/article/54120)

Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Wow. That's pretty much all my brain will come up with right now. I am in such awe of this book that I don't even know where to start.

I guess that I will start with craft because Avery Flynn sure knows her craft and knows it well. She can write a story that will reach deep down into you and mess with your wiring. She can dislodge things inside you that you didn't know could be reached. Her writing style is by far one of my favorites. Her writing is so polished and smooth and I fall so hard every single time I pick up one of her books. She is so clever in creating the plots of her stories and so talented at connecting all the dots. Her stories pull you in until you look up and realize that you missed supper and see that it's three in the morning. Her stories will engross you that much and it is worth it every single time.

One of the things about this book in particular that has me all in a tizzy is that I felt such a deep personal connection to both main characters. I could chalk it up to coincidence that the female main character is a nerdy southern girl like me or that the male main character was a nerdy tattooed heartthrob, a combination that normally flicks all my switches, but it isn't just that the characters had such similarities to me and my preferences. Flynn really knows how to make her readers form a connection to her characters by giving them distinct personalities and excellent character growth. The book is also filled with secondary characters that add so much depth to the story. These are secondary characters that you form a connection with just as much as the main characters. Since many of Flynn's books and series take part in the same world, there are many character crossovers. I really loved the mentions and appearances of some of my favorite Flynn characters from other books. I am also silently wishing that some of the newer secondary characters will eventually get their own stories in Flynn's ever-growing Harbor City world.

The romance in this book had one of the tropes that I absolutely cannot stand in romance novels. Yep, the dreaded instalove. That said, I still COULD NOT stop reading anyway. That is a testament to Flynn's writing because instalove is usually a hard no for me but she was able to engage me and make me believe in this romance. The hero may have fallen in love with the heroine instantly but he was able to back it up with how perfect she was for him. Not because of her looks, but because of her mind. And it's not like they fall into the sack right away declaring their undying love after just meeting. Griff has to work for it and show Kinsey just how much he cares about her. Instalove aside, Griff and Kinsey had amazing chemistry. It was clear to see that they were truly two peas in a pod. They complimented each other perfectly.

Overall, this book blindsided me in all the best ways. I am hooked on Flynn's immersive brand of storytelling and I am so stoked for the last book in this series! If you are a romance fan that loves multi-dimensional characters, a compelling plot, and enough humor and steam to balance everything out then this is the book for you! In fact, any Flynn book is for you! Wet your toes with Flynn's unputdownable romcoms and never look back.

I have enjoyed many of Avery Flynn romance books and this one was right with the others. Griff is a grumpy, grump with a great family (except his crap head of a father) and Kinsey is a ray of science sunshine and together they are great.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, however I did like the first one in the series better. Some thing about this one ended up falling a little flat for me. But it’s still a fun romcom and an enjoyable read. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC and all
Opinions on my own.

Delightfully fun read!

I had so much fun reading Neanderthal and adored Griff and Kinsey. The laugh-out-loud moments, heart-felt emotional moments, and absolutely hot and steamy moments all played well together.

I did not know Neanderthal was part of a series, so it can absolutely stand-alone, but now I'm excited to read the rest of the books in the Last Man Standing series!

4.5 stars

A steamy, fun rom com. Grumpy hero, curvy science loving heroine. Checks the boxes for favored tropes. Some repetition throughout the story and the relationship feels more lust filled than true love, overall it was a quick, easy read that delivered a good time.

Avery Flynn is a little bit hit or miss with me. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Mama's Boy, and this one was fun too, although not as much, for me personally. I loved the nerdy-but-super-fit grumpy hero and the STEM curvy heroine. The premise is fun, but also demands you suspend reality, which I generally expect in a rom-com, but I can't help but cringe at "the bet". Overall, a fun rom-com read!

I have read a couple of books by Avery Flynn before and I always really liked them. Neanderthal was no different. It's a fun Rom-com with depth and wonderful characters. Griff and his family are what romance hero dreams are made of and Kinsey fit right in. He also gave me a lot of Cletus Winston vibes with his background scheming and over the top intelligence and I'm not mad about it. He is a lot less vindictive and a lot more self conscious, but no less fun and adorable. Kinsey matched him perfectly and probably had him beat in the intelligence department, which I appreciate. I think the southern sayings and comparisons were a little over the top after a while, but they were entertaining so I could overlook it. I'm glad for how their story turned out and that they both came to some realizations about how relationships should work. The only thing that irked me a bit was the "dumb southern blonde" thing. While I am 100% certain this would be an issue in the real world, it was brought up a little too much. I appreciate it was talked about and acknowledged more than once, but I don't think I needed to be brought up as much as it was. It was made into Kinsey's main character trait and in my opinion she had so much more that defined her. Overall I still really liked the book and highly recommend it if you are looking for a spicy rom-com with overthinking main characters.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fun read. The words on the plague play out in your mind as you read about all of the craziness that Griff and Kinsey get into. How is a guy who never speaks going to win over the girl he just can’t imagine his life without!

After meeting this author a couple of years ago I could just feel her vibes bouncing off the page! The characters Avery Flynn has created are unforgettable!

Neanderthal is the second book in Avery Flynn’s Last Man Standing series, but you don’t have to have read the first book in the series, Mama’s Boy, to love this story. It’s funny and sweet and oh-so likeable.

This story follows Griff, the tough-looking but highly intelligent scientist, and Kinsey as the beautiful but incredibly genius chemist working for a rival company. Kinsey is Griff sister’s best friend and now roommate, and they happen to live right next to Griff. Right from the start we find that Griff is in a competition to be the last one to fall in the game of love in order to beat his cousins to something their dearly departed grandmother left for one of them. When Kinsey finds out, she decides she’s going to help Griff win this bet, but things take a quick turn when neither of them can resist their real feelings and attraction for one another. This story follows all the ups and downs they encounter as their relationship moves from fake dating to something more.

I love how Griff is a character that comes off as less than what he really is, which is truly sweet and smart. I found his complexity endearing, and I was totally in his corner. And Kinsey? Who doesn’t love a cute but seriously brainy heroine that’s capable of all the witty banter you’ll want? I liked her from the get-go and loved seeing how these two made it all work out for themselves. The way their characters play off each other is fun and sexy.

I was apprehensive about this story when I found out that it’s a love-at-first-sight kind of tale, but my mind was quickly changed. I so wanted what was best for Griff and Kinsey and their dynamic made so much sense that the instant love/infatuation totally worked for me. The story writing of this trope had such fluidity to it, and the order of events, including the tension between the characters and events that resulted in a major conflict, moved along at a good pace.

Reading this story simply made me happy. It’s lighthearted and funny, and it’s the perfect story when you’re in the mood for a book that’s going to make you smile.

**I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Oh boy. Griff is going to make your heart go pitter patter all over the place! He's alpha, quiet, and a complete dating disaster. Kinsey is a sweet southern belle that is beyond brilliant. The chemistry is sizzling. The sex is steamy. And the romance sweet and frustrating. There's also humor, angst, a bit of tension and more. I was up all night zooming through this one. I couldn't put it down! I can't wait for Nash's story. I want to know if my suspicions are right.

Kinsey has graduated and is off to Harbour CIty to start her dream job as a junior research chemist for a perfume maker. It just happens that she's been an online friend to Morgan for years and guess where Morgan lives? Anyway, due to a lack of suitable affordable apartments, Morgan invites Kinsey to be her roommate. And that's how she meets Morgan's brother Griff, a bit of a silent type who mostly communicates in grunts. By the way, Griff is head of research and development at the competition to her new company. Nothing can go wrong there, right?

The setup is pretty good in this story. Kinsey is a determined and strong woman who has a plan in life. But she's had some challenges so far and one of them is she's blond, large-breasted and speaks with a southern accent. Nobody takes her seriously with these attributes and she wants to be accepted without questioning her credentials every step of the way. Kinsey does talk quite a bit but she's always thinking a step or three ahead of things and is on the ball most of the time. On the other hand, Griff is kind of the strong silent type and doesn't share much of himself with anyone.

Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with the overall book. The romance wasn't really romance but a massive lust fest. The relationship doesn't really develop much at all. Also, the time frame of the book seems to shift depending on the page. At one point towards the end, Kinsey has been there just a month but a little later it's mentioned Griff has been in love for months now. I can't help but feel this is the result of a rushed book. There is also a lot of repetition in the book, including a part of a plotline that is repeated but for a different character. The whole villain part of the story is also is lacking and I don't feel like much time was taken to work out that part of the plot at all. It just isn't developed enough to be believable. One last issue is the constant reference to Legos when it seems most fans call it Lego instead. (Based on my interactions with a big Lego fan.) This one is kind of minor but it does pop up several times.

I've read a few of the author's earlier books and really liked them but this just didn't work for me. It felt hurried and lacked much development. I rate this two stars. I would like to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an advanced reader copy with no obligation. I wrote this review voluntarily.

Pros:
- Fun and sexy. Lots of good internal monologue from both the MCs.
- Good banter.
- I loved the characters, especially Morgan... who is a top-notch BFF.

Cons:
- There was a lot of repetition throughout the book, which was a bit annoying.
- You don't get a true sense of how much time has passed.
- I also don't like how they didn't button up the Christmas gift issue and reveal what it was (even just quickly in an epilogue).

Overall, this is a fun and quick read.

I didnt love this as much as the other avery flynn books i have read.. and i think its becuase its my first actual book and not audio hahaha. So i will come back to this once the audio is live. Avery writes the perfect man and woman that are just pushovers. i love the comedy and the strenght of these characters

Oh my oh my! This book is absolute fire and chemistry! You have two highly intelligent lead characters who are both entertaining and fascinating. You never know what is going to come out of their mouths. Throw in some crazy, hilarious family members and you have all you need for several hours of escape.

I must say that I truly loved both Griff and Kinsey. He is this huge, tough, badass alpha, man of few words with a heart of gold and knows who he wants instantly. That had to have been one of my favorite scenes. Griff will melt your heart, get your romantic feelings running, and just make you want that perfect hug.

Then there is Kinsey. She is a genius, ball buster of a Southern spitfire. She knew who it felt to be alone and an outsider, and made sure she helped others not feel that way. She and Griff were pure magic together. They just made my face smile and heart swoon.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

The smart girl and the quiet guy but full of sexy moments and cute, funny banter! I loved it and can’t wait for the next book