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This book was amazing. Will was a neurotic dramatic drag queen who lived life authentically. Patrick was a closeted all-American movie star who gave up his authentic self in pursuit of his dreams. They had explosive chemistry and plenty of tender moments.
Jordan and April were amazing friends. Sure, they had their moments when they sucked, but who doesn’t? They were there for Will when he needed them and made sure he knew his worth.
Audra was also a surprisingly good friend. She had her own issues, but was still able to empathize with Patrick when he most needed it.
I was a little unsure about the introduction of the original authors of the comic in the 40s, but it ended up fitting in so beautifully with the rest of the book. I might have cried a little. I also loved the range of LGBTQIA+ side characters.
In many ways, this book hit close to home for me personally. Coming out is such a process and you have to come out over and over again, never knowing who is going to really support you. Although I can’t relate personally to movie stardom, Patrick’s story was very relatable.
The only thing, in my opinion, that would have made this book better would have been a more complete wrap up of the Omega Issue plot. We got answers, but I wanted more than just Patrick and Will’s responses.
This book was so well done.
Spice: 2,5/5 - not completely closed door, but not very explicit
Triggers: homophobia, transphobia, drug use, mention of doxxing, cheating (not by MCs), drinking, child neglect, mention of death in childbirth, domestic violence (off page, side character)
Jordan and April were amazing friends. Sure, they had their moments when they sucked, but who doesn’t? They were there for Will when he needed them and made sure he knew his worth.
Audra was also a surprisingly good friend. She had her own issues, but was still able to empathize with Patrick when he most needed it.
I was a little unsure about the introduction of the original authors of the comic in the 40s, but it ended up fitting in so beautifully with the rest of the book. I might have cried a little. I also loved the range of LGBTQIA+ side characters.
In many ways, this book hit close to home for me personally. Coming out is such a process and you have to come out over and over again, never knowing who is going to really support you. Although I can’t relate personally to movie stardom, Patrick’s story was very relatable.
The only thing, in my opinion, that would have made this book better would have been a more complete wrap up of the Omega Issue plot. We got answers, but I wanted more than just Patrick and Will’s responses.
This book was so well done.
Spice: 2,5/5 - not completely closed door, but not very explicit
Triggers: homophobia, transphobia, drug use, mention of doxxing, cheating (not by MCs), drinking, child neglect, mention of death in childbirth, domestic violence (off page, side character)
I had a lot of fun reading though this cute and fun romance featuring a closeted actor playing a Captain America-style superhero falling in love with a part-time bookseller, part-time drag queen.
The main story/timeline started out with strong Notting Hill vibes, but evolved into something more like Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. The joyful parts of the story were really nice and though the tougher parts of the story were less enjoyable to read through, I think they made other portions of the story more meaningful and touched a lot on current events. While most of our time is spent with Patrick and Will, the supporting characters and the characters in the secondary timeline all seem very fleshed out and are fun to explore!
At first I was a little confused about how the secondary timeline really was going to weave it's way into the main story and honestly for the first few chapters of Charles and Iris, I thought that it was ruining the rest of the book. That being said, as it progressed, I started to enjoy their storyline and it led to a really rewarding payoff. I would have almost liked the Charles and Iris storyline to be it's own standalone book. While I don't think I would have wanted additional time spent in this book on it, there was so much more to explore in that story that I wish we had gotten a chance to see.
Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books/Penguin for providing an ARC of this book!
The main story/timeline started out with strong Notting Hill vibes, but evolved into something more like Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. The joyful parts of the story were really nice and though the tougher parts of the story were less enjoyable to read through, I think they made other portions of the story more meaningful and touched a lot on current events. While most of our time is spent with Patrick and Will, the supporting characters and the characters in the secondary timeline all seem very fleshed out and are fun to explore!
At first I was a little confused about how the secondary timeline really was going to weave it's way into the main story and honestly for the first few chapters of Charles and Iris, I thought that it was ruining the rest of the book. That being said, as it progressed, I started to enjoy their storyline and it led to a really rewarding payoff. I would have almost liked the Charles and Iris storyline to be it's own standalone book. While I don't think I would have wanted additional time spent in this book on it, there was so much more to explore in that story that I wish we had gotten a chance to see.
Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books/Penguin for providing an ARC of this book!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a fun and emotional queer rollercoaster of a romance <3
I loved the multi generational storylines !! the heart and the culture!!
It made me proud of my community <3
I loved the multi generational storylines !! the heart and the culture!!
It made me proud of my community <3
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5+ Stars!
Thank you NetGalley and Philip Ellis for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was absolutely adorable and delightful! Patrick is a rich, successful movie star who plays the superhero Captain Kismet and has to keep his homosexuality a secret or risk his career. Will is an out and proud drag queen but is a little insecure because he was recently dumped. The chemistry between these two was amazing. I loved the conflict and soul searching. I loved the flashbacks to Charles' story (the creator of Captain Kismet), whose life mirrors Patrick's. I loved the humor which made me laugh out loud many times! Super fun and sweet with dynamic character arcs for the MCs and a charming cast of well developed side characters as well.
This was also the second book with a drag queen MC that I've read this month. I must be in my drag queen era and I am NOT complaining!
Thank you NetGalley and Philip Ellis for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was absolutely adorable and delightful! Patrick is a rich, successful movie star who plays the superhero Captain Kismet and has to keep his homosexuality a secret or risk his career. Will is an out and proud drag queen but is a little insecure because he was recently dumped. The chemistry between these two was amazing. I loved the conflict and soul searching. I loved the flashbacks to Charles' story (the creator of Captain Kismet), whose life mirrors Patrick's. I loved the humor which made me laugh out loud many times! Super fun and sweet with dynamic character arcs for the MCs and a charming cast of well developed side characters as well.
This was also the second book with a drag queen MC that I've read this month. I must be in my drag queen era and I am NOT complaining!
I really liked this book. It has a lot of heart and the audio book was a great listen
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a lovely feel-good romance with something interesting to say about queer culture. It's character-centred - and lovely characters they are, too - with the queer politics as a subtle undercurrent that adds depth. Enjoyable, relatable, and empowering.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I felt in the beginning it was a little slow and clunky with a few different storylines and quite a few characters. But as the book developed, all the pieces fell into place that some may call Kismet.
I enjoyed the added spice too especially if anyone are into Superheroes
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I felt in the beginning it was a little slow and clunky with a few different storylines and quite a few characters. But as the book developed, all the pieces fell into place that some may call Kismet.
I enjoyed the added spice too especially if anyone are into Superheroes
Everything about this book just felt super disjointed to me. There were a lot of ideas that I liked conceptually but the execution was just not there.
As far as pros go, this cover is really fun. I especially enjoy the whimsical comic book style art. Other than that I guess that I like the secret relationship premise cause the drama is very fun.
Now for everything that didn’t work for me. The concurrent story plot with flash backs to the folks writing the comic book just felt disjointed. Conceptually I see what the author was going for, a parallel of McCarthyism and the ways in which modern day famous queer people are forced into the closet for their career. However, all the flashback chapters felt like they were randomly thrown in. To me it felt as if these chapters were added in during a later edit to try and make the ending reveal feel more built up. I think that this disjointedness could have been solved by instead having the boys meet cute/plot revolve around getting the Omega Issue. My core issue with this book I think comes down to there not being a strong enough plot to bring these boys together. Overall just a meh read.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
As far as pros go, this cover is really fun. I especially enjoy the whimsical comic book style art. Other than that I guess that I like the secret relationship premise cause the drama is very fun.
Now for everything that didn’t work for me. The concurrent story plot with flash backs to the folks writing the comic book just felt disjointed. Conceptually I see what the author was going for, a parallel of McCarthyism and the ways in which modern day famous queer people are forced into the closet for their career. However, all the flashback chapters felt like they were randomly thrown in. To me it felt as if these chapters were added in during a later edit to try and make the ending reveal feel more built up. I think that this disjointedness could have been solved by instead having the boys meet cute/plot revolve around getting the Omega Issue. My core issue with this book I think comes down to there not being a strong enough plot to bring these boys together. Overall just a meh read.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.