A Wheelie Awkward Romance by Tess & Corby Campbell

Book Synopsis:

Tess wasn’t searching for love—and she definitely wasn’t looking for a man with a power chair and a penchant for dad jokes. But when Corby’s clever and correctly punctuated dating profile caught her attention, one message turned into two, then twenty, and suddenly, her carefully predictable world was tilted on its axis.

This story is more than a tale of love. It’s a wildly witty, refreshingly honest look at what happens when an intensely logical woman and a quadriplegic man collide online and discover something neither of them expected: a perfect match. It’s a candid, unfiltered glimpse into the beautiful mess of relationships—where doubts meet hope, where disabilities meet abilities, and where humor, patience, and persistence turn awkward encounters into extraordinary memories.

Tess’s sharp sense of humor and unflinching honesty paired with Corby’s trademark "wheelnote" footnotes make for a story as endearing as it is unpredictable. From evening wheelchair rides to scarf knitting galore, Tess and Corby’s story redefines what it means to find "the one" and reminds us all that love isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up, being seen, and rolling with whatever comes next.

My Review:

Note: I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley

4.5/5 stars. This was a very great book about disability. I always love learning about different disabilities than my own. I didn't know much about quadriplegics and spinal cord injuries, but I learned a lot from this book. There was also some good informative content about sensory processing disorders. The book had a good amount of humor, but it wasn't overdone. The author wrote in a very engaging way that made me forget I was reading a real story at times.

This book first caught my attention because it was about a guy in a wheelchair, and I always like disability representation. But this book features two different disabilities. You find out halfway through that Tess has an extreme sensory processing disorder, which also affects her emotional processing. Right from the start, I could tell there was something like that, like she possibly had autism. That explains a lot of the frustrating elements of Tess and Corby's love story.

Speaking of that frustration, although her SPD had a lot to do with it, Tess was kind of infuriating throughout this story. She would go from being super happy with Corby to not knowing how she felt about him. They were "together" without her ever actually committing. But as annoying as it was, I also appreciated it. It was realistic and yet still romantic. Real love stories aren't perfect.

Because both Tess and Corby have disabilities, there were a lot of short informational chapters spread throughout that explain how quadriplegics do certain things or how someone with an SPD react to stimuli. Those were very interesting. Similarly, I loved seeing how Corby adapted things like his car and video game controllers to be accessible to him. The book talked a bit about how a lot of places are inaccessible, but mostly you just saw how naturally he made things work in the way he needed.

I enjoyed Tess and Corby's humor. This book was pretty funny, but it never felt overly quirky in a way that distracted from the narrative. I loved Tess and Corby's email banter when they first met; it was super cute and showed their personalities.

This book was well-written. It was very engaging, and I got through most of the second half in one day. I was invested in their love story. Even though I know they are married, so it would work out, I was curious to see how they finally got there. Another aspect of the writing I appreciated was the lack of "inspiration" language or an "overcoming" narrative. They even made fun of the concept of someone with a disability being inspiring, so they clearly don't like it.

There was some faith content, like them praying and saying that God put them in each other's lives. I liked that, although they are Mormon and not Christian, so I disagreed with some of it on a theological level.

Content:

Language: None

Sexual Content: Lots of physical touch like cuddling and sitting on laps; kissing; a hickey; a short chapter about sex, but in a very clinical and explanatory way, and after they are married

Violence/Gore: None

Drugs/Alcohol: None