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sireno8's review
2.0
A pleasant if predictable read -- not unlike the romantic comedy movies referenced in the backstory. The author has a real gift for dialogue and creating likable (if slightly familiar) characters. The book starts and ends strong but sags in the middle slightly -- rehashing itself before going where we know it's going to go. Also, some of the plot points are a bit of a reach, but overall the book is cozy, cute and comfortingly romantic.
apostrophen's review
5.0
When I first read 'The Night We Met' by Rob Byrnes, I was stunned: I was reading a gay fiction book, and it was gut-bustingly witty, dappled with comedy, and - amazingly - it was fun. Rob Byrnes opened my eyes a bit to the world of gay literature in that it could be all of those things, and still be well written, smart, fiction.
So I bought 'When the Stars Come Out' with heavy expectations, and again Byrnes delivered.
To oversimplify, this is a love story about a young man, Noah, who might just be falling for "the one" (and he's not sure he even believes in the idea of "the one") while trying to convince a closeted star of the celluloid era to come out. Preferably with a powerful autobiography about the decades of love he has spent with his partner.
The tale is told with Byrne's trademarked witty banter, and a nice dash of hilarity; You will laugh out loud reading passages of this tale, so if you're reading in public, don't say I didn't warn you.
I adored this story (which is probably obvious), and Byrnes delivers characters that are easy to love (and deserves kudos for his duet of truly loveble aged gay protagonists, who take hip replacements, failing hearing, and mid-day physical therapy episodes with a completely realistic flair).
If you're looking for a fun gay love story that crosses a decade or six, give Byrnes a shot. You'll come out a winner.
So I bought 'When the Stars Come Out' with heavy expectations, and again Byrnes delivered.
To oversimplify, this is a love story about a young man, Noah, who might just be falling for "the one" (and he's not sure he even believes in the idea of "the one") while trying to convince a closeted star of the celluloid era to come out. Preferably with a powerful autobiography about the decades of love he has spent with his partner.
The tale is told with Byrne's trademarked witty banter, and a nice dash of hilarity; You will laugh out loud reading passages of this tale, so if you're reading in public, don't say I didn't warn you.
I adored this story (which is probably obvious), and Byrnes delivers characters that are easy to love (and deserves kudos for his duet of truly loveble aged gay protagonists, who take hip replacements, failing hearing, and mid-day physical therapy episodes with a completely realistic flair).
If you're looking for a fun gay love story that crosses a decade or six, give Byrnes a shot. You'll come out a winner.
trin's review
1.0
While sharing several plot points (not to mention a title word!) with [book: My Lucky Star], this book is much more serious—and much less enjoyable. Conversely, it would seem, Byrnes' novel's best parts are some of the more serious ones—toward the beginning, there's some interesting discussion about the politics of coming out, mostly based around the book protagonist Noah Abraham is trying (and failing) to write about closeted congressional staffers. Noah abandons this project, however, when he meets Bart, personal assistant to former movie star Quinn Scott, who Bart reveals is not only gay, but has been secretly living in Long Island with his partner for thirty-six years. Noah must then try to convince Quinn to let him ghostwrite a tell-all, even if it invokes the wrath of Quinn's ex-wife, the Hollywood heavyweight Kitty Randolph.
There are several problems with this book. First, it's too long; everything—Noah meeting Bart, Noah convincing Quinn, Kitty's machinations—takes much too long to occur. Second, none of the characters are really done any justice; Noah is barely in the last third of the book, and Bart remains as flat as a backlot prop. Why do he and Noah fall in love? 'Cause they're there? How very romantic.
And that's the male characters. The female ones, well. Noah's mom is out of the picture. (After several mentions of the fact that she eats her salad in an annoying way. Clearly, she deserves to die! Or, well, move to Florida.) Noah's dad's third wife is a dopey fag-hag lush. Then there are some other bitchy women, and of course Kitty, who is an absolute monster. Which might fly if the rest of the novel were a bit broader, but it can't really seem to decide if it's a wacky comedy or a serious issues piece. To be both requires a delicate balancing act, and whoops, I think Byrnes just got egg on himself.
There are several problems with this book. First, it's too long; everything—Noah meeting Bart, Noah convincing Quinn, Kitty's machinations—takes much too long to occur. Second, none of the characters are really done any justice; Noah is barely in the last third of the book, and Bart remains as flat as a backlot prop. Why do he and Noah fall in love? 'Cause they're there? How very romantic.
And that's the male characters. The female ones, well. Noah's mom is out of the picture. (After several mentions of the fact that she eats her salad in an annoying way. Clearly, she deserves to die! Or, well, move to Florida.) Noah's dad's third wife is a dopey fag-hag lush. Then there are some other bitchy women, and of course Kitty, who is an absolute monster. Which might fly if the rest of the novel were a bit broader, but it can't really seem to decide if it's a wacky comedy or a serious issues piece. To be both requires a delicate balancing act, and whoops, I think Byrnes just got egg on himself.
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