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A review by sophiereadsstories
The Naked Cleaner by Sophia Soames
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was delightfully different from other romance books I've read; it's most definitely a romcom with farcical moments that had me laughing and then surprisingly real moments where both characters were vulnerable enough with themselves and each other to admit how lonely they were.
Pontus must be the grumpiest grump to ever have grumped in a grumpy/sunshine book, and at times he felt really unlikeable as well, especially when Louis was so obviously into him and trying to win his affection (or at the very least his smile). However, the almost stream of consciousness way that Soames shares what her characters are feeling and thinking in the moment humanized Ponuts. He felt like a real person, with very little social skills, out of his depth with this sunny, attractive, naked man who keeps coming back into his life and who he really, really likes.
On his part, Louis is a golden retriever if ever there was one; nothing (and no one) gets him down, and he is determined to get Pontus to like him, or at the very least eat regular, healthy meals and stay hydrated.
The deliberate miscommunication between the two men (mostly from Ponuts, who refuses for the largest part of the book to admit, even to himself, that he really likes Louis) felt a bit weird to me; however, I think it worked out in the end because it felt so weird and farcical. It's almost like an episode of a comedy where you can see the characters adore each other but keep misunderstanding each other, and you're screaming at the characters to just kiss already because you are so adorable together!
The fact that the author keeps the reader clued into each character's inner thoughts and the emotions they feel (more so than any other author I've read) meant that you knew they would end up happily ever after if they could just get their acts together.
What also made this book a 4-star read is how accepting and caring both Pontus and Louis are of each other's weirdness (their term) and idiosyncrasies. Neither of them has ever felt that they fit into what the world wants or expects of them. Pontus has very little social and self-care skills but has a successful business; Louis is caring and social but never feels his nursing degree or his cleaning skills are really what he wants in life. Both are floating around, trying to do their best.
It's only when they come together and Louis can channel his inner caretaker to take care of Pontus, and Pontus can give Louis the structure and discipline that his life lacks, that both men realises what their lives have been missing and how much they can contribute to each other.
Pontus must be the grumpiest grump to ever have grumped in a grumpy/sunshine book, and at times he felt really unlikeable as well, especially when Louis was so obviously into him and trying to win his affection (or at the very least his smile). However, the almost stream of consciousness way that Soames shares what her characters are feeling and thinking in the moment humanized Ponuts. He felt like a real person, with very little social skills, out of his depth with this sunny, attractive, naked man who keeps coming back into his life and who he really, really likes.
On his part, Louis is a golden retriever if ever there was one; nothing (and no one) gets him down, and he is determined to get Pontus to like him, or at the very least eat regular, healthy meals and stay hydrated.
The deliberate miscommunication between the two men (mostly from Ponuts, who refuses for the largest part of the book to admit, even to himself, that he really likes Louis) felt a bit weird to me; however, I think it worked out in the end because it felt so weird and farcical. It's almost like an episode of a comedy where you can see the characters adore each other but keep misunderstanding each other, and you're screaming at the characters to just kiss already because you are so adorable together!
The fact that the author keeps the reader clued into each character's inner thoughts and the emotions they feel (more so than any other author I've read) meant that you knew they would end up happily ever after if they could just get their acts together.
What also made this book a 4-star read is how accepting and caring both Pontus and Louis are of each other's weirdness (their term) and idiosyncrasies. Neither of them has ever felt that they fit into what the world wants or expects of them. Pontus has very little social and self-care skills but has a successful business; Louis is caring and social but never feels his nursing degree or his cleaning skills are really what he wants in life. Both are floating around, trying to do their best.
It's only when they come together and Louis can channel his inner caretaker to take care of Pontus, and Pontus can give Louis the structure and discipline that his life lacks, that both men realises what their lives have been missing and how much they can contribute to each other.