If you’re new to Hide Your Wallet, this is where we list new releases we’re pretty excited for in the coming month.
Each reviewer has a book maximum (five per person), and we’ve separated HYW into two parts. The first HYW of the month will cover books that release from the 1st to the 14th. The second HYW will cover books released from the 15th to the end of the month.
We also think this will help us feature books from smaller publishers who don’t have buy links up as early as the bigger trade houses.
As always, if we missed any books that you’re particularly looking forward to, tell us all about them in the comments.
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Ana María and the Fox
Author: Liana De la Rosa
Released: April 4, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Luna Sisters #1A marriage of convenience between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd London politician makes for a scandalous Victorian bargain.
Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna familia. So, when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge during the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.
Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now as a member of Parliament, Gideon’s on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all–a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore.
But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection…but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?
Elyse: This historical romance looks really great.
Shana’s pick!
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Before We Were Innocent
Author: Ella Berman
Released: April 4, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerA summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman. . . .
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.
While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .
Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.
Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?
Elyse: A crime from 10 years ago comes back to haunt two women. I love a thriller where the events of the past are questioned.
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The Cuban Heiress
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Released: April 11, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: AmericanIn 1934, a luxury cruise becomes a fight for survival as two women’s pasts collide on a round-trip voyage from New York to Havana in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s page-turning new novel inspired by the true story of the SS Morro Castle.
New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the Morro Castle leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead—and why.
Elena Palacio is a dead woman. Or so everyone thinks. After a devastating betrayal left her penniless and on the run, Elena’s journey on the Morro Castle is her last hope. Steeped in secrecy and a burning desire for revenge, her return to Havana is a chance to right the wrong that has been done to her—and her prey is on the ship.
As danger swirls aboard the Morro Castle and their fates intertwine, Elena and Catherine must risk everything to see justice served once and for all.
Aarya: Love Cleeton’s writing.
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Divine Rivals
Author: Rebecca Ross
Released: April 4, 2023 by Wednesday Books
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Letters of Enchantment #1When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Shadow and Bone meets Lore in this epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Amanda: Magic and rival journalists!
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The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
Author: Hester Fox
Released: April 4, 2023 by Graydon House
Genre: Gothic, Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/FantasyIn post–World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets…
With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she’s descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.
The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.
Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey’s previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library’s mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever.
Amanda: I’ve enjoyed Fox’s Gothic novels before, though this seems slightly less ominous as some of her others.
Elyse: I’ve really enjoyed Fox’s previous books.
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Molly Molloy & the Angel of Death
Author: Maria Vale
Released: April 4, 2023 by Wild & Ashe, LLC
Genre: Paranormal, RomanceDeath needs a do-over.
Azrael—grim reaper and devourer of worlds–has messed up. Instead of taking Molly Molloy’s soul, he patted her on the back and saved her from choking on an atomic chicken wing.
Now she can see him. Talk to him. Touch him. Say ‘no’ to him. And make him question the assumptions he has held for an eternity.
Molly is sick of Death capsizing her life. He’d taken her parents, then her grandparents, then her first great love.
Now, just as she was on the verge of getting her life together with a job that paid enough and a NYC apartment that didn’t cost too much, Death interferes again in ways she could never have imagined.
The Powers that Be want Azrael to fix his mistake but before he can, Death makes one more.
He falls in love.
Aarya: Interested to see a new series from Vale.
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The Nanny
Author: Lana Ferguson
Released: April 11, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceA woman discovers the father of the child she is nannying may be her biggest (Only)Fan in this steamy contemporary romance by Lana Ferguson.
Suddenly unemployed and on the brink of eviction, Cassie Evans is left with two choices: get a new job (and fast) or fire up her long-untouched OnlyFans account. But the job market is terrible, and as for OnlyFans. . . . Well, there are reasons she can’t go back. Just when all hope seems lost, an ad for a live-in nanny position seems like the solution to all her problems. It’s almost too perfect—until she meets her would-be employer.
Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie was imagining. He shocks her when he tells her she’s the most qualified applicant he’s met in weeks, practically begging her to take the job. With hands that make her hindbrain howl and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous, but with no other option, she decides to stay with him and his adorably tenacious daughter, Sophie.
Cassie soon discovers that Aiden is not a stranger at all, but instead someone who is very familiar with her—or at least, her body. Given that he doesn’t remember her, Cassie is faced with what feels like an impossible situation. As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling Aiden the truth, and the more terrifying possibility—losing the best chance at happiness she’s ever had.
Amanda: I’m always interested in romance novels that feature sex workers. I’m just hoping there isn’t too much internalized misogyny!
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Romantic Comedy
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Released: April 4, 2023 by Random House
Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Literary Fiction, RomanceA comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions. Romantic Comedy is a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from New York Times–bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld.
Sally Milz is a sketch writer for “The Night Owls,” the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.
But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actor who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the “Danny Horst Rule,” poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.
Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder whether there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy; it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her…right?
With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.
Elyse: I’m a sucker for celebrity romance.
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The Summer We Fell
Author: Elizabeth O'Roark
Released: April 6, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceAn Angsty, Second-Chance Forbidden Romance
He was my boyfriend’s best friend—and the bane of my existence. I wanted to hate Luke Taylor. I did hate him. I just never hated him enough.Now, a decade later, tragedy has brought us back to the place where it all happened—my best times, and my worst.
Our lives have changed, but that pull between us is just as strong as ever.
Only this time, it’s more dangerous too.
Aarya: Cautiously excited.
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If Only You
Author: Chloe Liese
Released: April 11, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Bergman Brothers #6A longtime good girl and unapologetic bad boy score the love of their life when they least expect to in this swoony, slow-burn sports romance.
Ziggy Bergman is tired of being underestimated. Sure, she’s the youngest player on the National Soccer team and the baby of the family, but that doesn’t mean she still deserves to be treated like a kid. It’s time for her angelic image to get a makeover. What better way to do that than hanging out with trouble incarnate and her brother’s best friend, Sebastian Gauthier?
Sebastian has hit rock bottom. His hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy of ending if something doesn’t give. Seb’s not willing to actually change his destructive ways, but he’s happy to pretend he’s a reformed reprobate by faking a friendship for publicity with sweet, shy Ziggy Bergman.
When faking starts to feel real, Ziggy and Seb discover an unexpected friendship they’re happy to hold on to. At least, until their once-fake friendship becomes the most loving, empowering relationship they’ve ever known, and the end goal—for both of them—changes.
Aarya: Not totally caught up on the series, but I’ll probably skip ahead since I like Ziggy.
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Some Desperate Glory
Author: Emily Tesh
Released: April 11, 2023 by Tor.com
Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/FantasyFrom Astounding Award Winner and Crawford Award Finalist Emily Tesh
“Masterful, audacious storytelling. Relentless, unsentimental, a completely wild ride.”—Tamsyn Muir
While we live, the enemy shall fear us.Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the majoda their victory over humanity.
They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. When Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.
Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr escapes from everything she’s known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.
A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.
Amanda: A queer space opera from Tesh! Very interested to see their post-Greenhollow duology projects.
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Something Spectacular
Author: Alexis Hall
Released: April 11, 2023 by Montlake
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Something Fabulous #2From the USA Today bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a riotous Regency romp full of art, expensive hats, and a love that is nothing short of spectacular.
Peggy Delancey’s not at all ready to move on from her former flame, Arabella Tarleton. But Belle has her own plans for a love match, and she needs Peggy’s help to make those plans a reality. Still hung up on her feelings and unable to deny Belle what she wants, Peggy reluctantly agrees to help her woo the famous and flamboyant opera singer Orfeo.
She certainly doesn’t expect to find common ground with a celebrated soprano, but when Peggy and Orfeo meet, a whole new flame is ignited that she can’t ignore. Peggy finds an immediate kinship with Orfeo, a castrato who’s just as nonconforming as she is—and just as affected by their instant connection.
They’ve never been able to find their place in the world, but as the pair walks the line between friendship, flirtation, and something more, they may just find their place with each other.
Aarya: The sequel to Something Fabulous from last year.
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To Swoon and to Spar
Author: Martha Waters
Released: April 11, 2023 by Atria Books
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Regency Vows #4The Regency Vows series that is “sure to delight Bridgerton fans” (USA TODAY) returns with this story about a viscount and his irascible new wife who hopes to chase her husband from their shared home so that she can finally get some peace and quiet—only to find that his company is not as onerous as she thought.
Viscount Penvale has been working for years to buy back his ancestral home, Trethwick Abbey, from his estranged uncle. And so he’s thrilled when his uncle announces that he is ready to sell but with one major caveat—Penvale must marry his uncle’s ward, Jane Spencer.
When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a scheme: to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband’s company all that much.
With her trademark “arch sense of humor and a marvelously witty voice” (Entertainment Weekly), Martha Waters crafts another delightful romp for all historical romance fans.
I know some of you are loving this series!
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Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jimenez
Released: April 11, 2023 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceA novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
The next contemporary romance from Abby Jimenez!
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I didn’t have anything on my first part of the month list, but here you all are with plenty of books to give me grabby hands. It’s going to be expensive, as only one of them is available at the GBPL. C’est la vie tax return.
Molley Molloy and the Angel of Death gives me serious Meet Joe Black vibes, I’m curious to check it out.
ANA MARIA AND THE FOX was my BOTM selection for April. I’m really looking forward to it!
I’m kind of tired of ASD representation where the characters don’t really have to deal with the difficulties autism actually presents. They have supportive families (not perfect, but generally supportive), good educations, good jobs, friends, no co-morbidities, and they never seem to have to work that hard for diagnoses or accommodations (or they don’t need them). This is just not the case for most of us. They don’t seem to have occupational therapists or speech language pathologists or social skills groups. In short, they’re not autistic; they’re quirky and socially inept.
@Michelle – Chloe Liese has autism, and her previous book Always Only You has a FMC who is autistic but isn’t supported by her family. Helen Hoang and Talia Hibbert are also autistic, and have written MCs who are autistic and have varying levels of support. While I don’t remember specific scenes with therapists (other than in The Heart Principle when the FMC is having a breakdown), I do remember mentions of therapists where the therapy is off page (the focus is on the romance after all). Both Liese and Hoang were diagnosed as adults (not sure about Hibbert), so their experiences with autism may be different than someone diagnosed as a child and that may be reflected in their writing. I don’t read YA or middle grades, but it may be that younger characters have more of the experience that you’re looking for. I’ve seen good reviews of Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde (YA) and A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (middle grades); both authors are autistic and write autistic MCs.
I have a late entry for March. Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin came out on March 28. The heroine owns a bookstore, has a chronic illness, and flirts over the phone with a mysterious customer. I read the sample and immediately bought the book. So far, it seems like Byrne’s usual over the top plot (which I love) in a contemporary setting.
@Michelle: To echo Glen’s recommendation of Always Only You, in that book the heroine helps a side character, an autistic teenager, with managing texture and environmental sensitivities, including doing online shopping for clothing. In the beginning, the teenager is having a very hard time and her family isn’t sure how to help and support her. Because the heroine doesn’t have family support, she’s determined to help, and it’s a really lovely subplot in the book.
@Glen
The biggest issue I have is that MCs are typically very high achieving. Most autistic and other neurodiverse individuals SERIOUSLY struggle with education and employment. A lot of people end up being diagnosed because they have such a difficult time in those areas.
Oooh, some good ones here; everything’s on my TBR except for the Waters which I can happily report is a solid B.
Not much on the April TBR, but two of the books are my most highly anticipated books of the year, plus there’s a new Cate C. Wells that I knew nothing about until a few days ago—so April is shaping up to be a great reading month!
Since January, I’ve been squeeing like a fan-girl over KD Casey’s m/m baseball romances, and Casey’s DIAMOND RING (April 11) is my most anticipated book of 2023 so far. DIAMOND RING, the third in Casey’s Unwritten Rules series, is a second-chance romance between two players who blame each other for a bad pitch/bad catch that cost their team the World Series ten years ago.
HERO WORSHIP (April 11) by Amelia Wilde appears to be a “next generation” book about the now-adult children of characters from an earlier Wilde series where characters & storylines were loosely inspired by Greek mythology. The MCs of HERO WORSHIP are cousins—but the hero was adopted later in life, so they’re not technically related and didn’t grow up together; still, I’ll be interested to see how Wilde handles that aspect of the storyline.
REBEL AT HEART (April 23) by Zoe York is, after DIAMOND RING, my second-most anticipated book of 2023. It’s the fifth and final installment of York’s Kinkaid Brothers series and features one of my favorite (and, in my opinion, most underutilized) tropes: a couple, long divorced, discover their divorce was never finalized and “Ooops, we’re still married!” Is the spark still there? You know it!
Although A. Zavarelli wrote one of my all-time angsty & melancholy favorites, TAP LEFT, the rest of her output has been hit-or-miss for me (she can get extremely dark). However, CONTEMPT (April 25), the third book in her Sin City Salvation series of rock star romances, has an interesting concept: a rock star encounters the woman he loved years ago and thought was dead; apparently, she faked her own death—but why? Anyway, the plot seems intriguing enough for me to give CONTEMPT a try.
A new Cate C. Wells is always cause for celebration: HIS CURVY REJECTED MATE (April 27) is the fourth book in Wells’s Five Packs series, and the title seems fairly self-explanatory. Wells always brings a interesting & feminist take to her shifter romances, and I’m looking forward to how she will incorporate that into her latest.
KING OF PRIDE (April 27) is the second book in Ana Huang’s Kings of Sin series of New Adult romances. This one includes the opposites-attract trope. I usually don’t care much for N/A, but Huang’s books feature MCs (especially heroines) who are just that little bit older, often with more life experience, than most MCs of N/A.
Oooh, new Emily Tesh!
That new Maria Vale book sounds quite intriguing as do a couple of other books! Thank you for this list.
@DiscoDollyDeb – thanks so much for bringing the new Five Packs book to my attention – I loved all the first three. I went to pre-order it and so far the only option is ebook – hopefully the print version becomes available for pre-order soon!
@MaryK — I enjoyed the hell out of NEVERMORE BOOKSTORE. Over the top is exactly the right phrase. The main character, Cady, is endearingly quirky, and her romance with Fox is ridiculously heartwarming. I look forward to discovering more OTT goodness in Byrne’s back catalog.
I don’t know the spacing of the Five Packs series but I was not expecting book 4 so soon! It feels like book 3 just came out.
I’m looking forward to the new Maria Vale, but I’ll note for others that the author is saying ‘this is a love story, not a romance’
Ana Maria and the Fox is top of my list! Abby Jimenez is auto buy and I’ve enjoyed the Martha Waters books. I’m really looking forward to Romantic Comedy. Curtis Sittenfeld is an amazing writer. Eligible, her take on Pride and Prejudice is probably the best of best.
@madscientistnz: I’m guessing the new Vale is a love story without an HEA/HFN. I’ll be interested in how she makes (or doesn’t make) that work. The only time the lack of an HEA/HFN really worked for me was Taylor Fitzpatrick’s THROWN OFF THE ICE—which had a heartbreaking ending, but worked perfectly for the storyline and the characters.
I know this is jumping ahead a little, but two of my favorite authors have books coming out later thus month that I’m hoping will break the months long reading slump I’ve been suffering through – R. Cooper with A Suitable Bodyguard on April 22 and Catherine Cloud with Caught Off Guard on April 29. Both will be just in time for my vacation so I’m extra excited.
I read an arc of Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death and it was fantastic. Echoing that it is a love story and not a romance, but it is one of the best love stories I’ve ever read.
There’s a New KJ Charles out on April 14th, for those who didn’t get the audiobook – a Thief in The Night which is a companion novella to The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting featuring Rob and Marnie’s long lost brother Toby. I listened to the Audio and the narration didn’t quite work for me (in part because I recognized one of the narrators from another book, and couldn’t quite get that character’s voice out of the way) so I’m excited to read it in print.
Am tentatively looking forward to my library hold for Diamond Ring by KD Casey. I ADORED Fire Season, and really liked One True Outcome, but Unwritten Rules was hard for me as I am not an enormous fan of ‘second chance’ romances, which Diamond Ring also is.
And finally, while I can’t really recommend Eden Finley and Saxon James’ Puckboy series (they have a lot of the issues that hockey M/M tends to have – no real connection to hockey as it is actually played, way too much handwaving over the stressors of coming out publicly, etc.), I will still totally download Foolish Puckboy from KU and inhale it in a day.
@omphale – “while I can’t really recommend …, I will still totally download … from KU and inhale it in a day.”
The story of my reading life lately.
@Michelle
If you haven’t try Talia Hibbert – while most of their job struggles are off page, she probably handles this the best (especially in Act Your Age, Eve Brown, and in A Girl Like Her). Still high functioning, but she addresses the FMCs struggles with holding down jobs. I can’t think of a book with a less high functioning autistic person (maybe The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley, although the author has said Ian has Asperger’s, so my brain may be misremembering). But, yeah, 20 years ago, most if not all of these MCs would have been labeled Asperger’s.
I get the frustration – my own experience with panic attacks (I don’t feel like I’m “having a heart attack” or “sweating profusely’ or “frozen in place”, I just get stuck in a panic loop in my head, not really any outward signs) is rarely reflected in books, but it’s so affirming when it is.