Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Bored Gay Werewolf

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Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella

11 reviews

issymaae's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.0

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not_another_ana's review

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adventurous challenging funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher

Brian is going through a rough patch. A minimum wage job as a server, a bad relationship with his family, an unifinished degree, oh yeah and the fact that every month he transforms into a werewolf and mauls people to death. One day he crosses paths with Tyler, a fellow werewolf and entrepreneur, who seems to not only be in control of his lycanthropy but is also willing to help Brian out. But Tyler's ideas of how to manage the change take a concerning turn that will put Brian in a difficult and dangerous position.

I liked the main concept of this book but I just couldn't get into it. It's a satire of toxic masculinity, the grind, and the monetization of all facets of life. Tyler is a caricature of a white cis straight male entrepreneur, the kind that talks big game yet never says anything. The book confronts what happens when these kind of people get told no and I did enjoy that, it made me laugh at times while also ringing quite true. I think it's the werewolf bit that disappointed me. It was one of the main reasons why I picked it up so I was frustrated that the author rarely went into the specifics of it. The transformation, the pros and the cons, the loss of control, etc.

The tone of this book felt odd at times. It had all these funny moments and little quips that were well done but clashed with these supposedly serious situations. It came across as a Marvel movie at times, the crucial plot points never had time to breathe and unfold. I did enjoy the characters, though I liked Nik and Darby more than our protagonist. Other than that it was fine but predictable, I saw the big plot twist at the end coming from a mile away and was incredibly displeased with the closing scene. Bottom line if you were interested in this because of the werewolf aspect I recommend you skip it.

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mooncxrx's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i want to not be a hater but this book really was not for me.. the plot sounded intriguing but it really just fell flat. i appreciate it for what it wanted to be, a critique of capitalism and toxic masculinity and systemic problems, a modern day fight club...... but i feel like the author was focusing too much on trying to be relatable with jokes (?) and pop culture references that the plot got lost. i do also think that darcy's or abe's perspective would have done better for the story </3

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grets_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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atomicbritt's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ophycore's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.75

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snootle's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.0

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firstsiren's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Bored Gay Werewolf obviously jumped right off the shelf to me. Brian and his friends (Nik and Darby, how could I not name them?) are such loveable characters and I found myself growing quite defensive of them over the course of this bad boy.

I love that it doesn't take itself too seriously but also forces you to accept the off-kilter world that these people live in and take that seriously.

I would say that this book could benefit from a little bit of added length to tie up some loose story ends and better transition through some of the later pacing and theming but I'm hoping that a prospective sequel deals with that!

Final note: It was so nice just how gay Brian was, which sounds silly given the title of the novel but I really appreciated how his sexuality felt tangible and consequential to his situation.

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readthesparrow's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

SUMMARY

Brian lives in a disaster apartment, sleeps on a floor mattress, and spends most of his wages on getting drunk. He’s also a werewolf. He has no idea how to handle any of this.

When his lycanthropy catches the attention of Tyler, a rich entrepreneur looking to create a werewolf wellness program, Brian is skeptical. As a gay man working double shifts as a waiter, Tyler’s weird masculine self-help startup bullshit is off-putting. But his weird schlock actually kind of helps: not only can Brian better handle his monthly transformations, but he’s also drinking less and working out more.

His co-workers and only friends Nik and Darby are worried about him, but Brian doesn’t buy it until he discovers exactly what Tyler actually wants, and soon he’s in a hell of a lot deeper water than he’d ever meant to swim in.

REVIEW

Be warned: there may be minor spoilers!

Writing

The prose is snappy and sharp, written with a dry, sarcastic wit. I normally don’t go for sarcastic narrative voices—I usually find them obnoxious and painfully unfunny—but Santorella’s prose gets its sarcasm on point. The jabs are often self-depricating yet relatable or are aimed at straight culture, toxic masculinity, and/or shitty customers, meaning they hit a deserving target.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing Brian and the rest of the cast to life. I usually shy away from reading audiobooks for the first experience with a story, since I sometimes struggle to pay attention, follow the plot, or figure out which character was which. However, not only was the prose and plot consistently engaging enough to keep my attention, but the narrator (Anthony Nyro) did such a fantastic job at bringing character’s voices to life that I was never confused as to who was speaking.

Characters

Look. Is Brian an awful person? Absolutely. He’s a trashfire who

hooks up with married men and doesn’t get all that upset when he accidentally murders someone during his monthly wolf-outs.

Is he relatable? Oh, yeah. He may be a trashfire, but he’s a gay trashfire who works in the service industry and helps his friend Nik study during their shifts and defends his nonbinary femme coworker Darby from asshole customers.

His character is engaging, and the character development over time—especially as he is coming out of his brush with the manosphere—is an excellent exploration of the intersections between manhood, queerness, and community, both the good and the bad.

The side characters, too, are so well-written. Nik and Darby, Brian’s friends, are supportive and understanding. They’re not doormats, though: they both tell him off when he’s being a douche, and hold him accountable. Their reactions to Brian’s shift in personality is realistic.

So too is the representation both characters provide. Nik is a Filipina nursing student, while Darby is a non-binary performance artist. As a non-binary person who is always looking for well-written non-binary characters, I adored Darby, especially since they reminded me a bit of a friend of mine.

The only characters that are stereotyped are done so with intention. Tyler, for example, and the kinds of people he is friends with all fulfill a particular stereotype of rich, white, cishet people who have no clue what it’s like to live in the real world. Even so, they feel realistic.

For example,

one cishet women, Sarah, latches onto Brian’s identity as a gay man, expecting him to act as her gay best friend then badgering him about whether he is a top or a bottom in a stereotypically, painfully straight woman manner that any gay will recognize. Brian’s angry outburst in response is satisfying, but also painful. Because he did not play along, Sarah is perceived as the victim by the rest of the group, and Brian’s self-help ‘friends’ do not stand up for him at all.

As a gay person who has experienced that same frustration regarding straight perception of gay culture and identity, this scene—and several others—were deeply relatable.

Thematics

In an age where self-help for men is inundated by personalities like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson, a novel like Bored Gay Werewolf, which explores how and why men are sucked into these schemes and what it does to their personality, self-image, and perception of manhood and the world, is vital.

It is especially vital due to the phenomenon of members of the queer community—particularly white members—joining alt-right or conservative movements. Bored Gay Werewolf bluntly exhibits that these movements will only ever use queer people. Joining that movement will offer no respect, protection, or understanding.

Bored Gay Werewolf not only explores how men are sucked in but also how they can get out, placing emphasis on a supportive, diverse community, openness, and emotional regulation. Genuine self improvement is possible, and that it’s not found in a self-help grift but in the people who already love and care for you.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While there were some aspects I wish had been explored more in-depth (such as Brian's relationship with his parents), I nevertheless count Bored Gay Werewolf as one of the best queer books I've read. I was already recommending this book to friends before I finished it. As someone who fits one of the three titular words (I’ll let you make an educated guess which one), I thought the jabs at straight culture, Silicon Valley types, and toxic masculinity were so spot on and absolutely satisfying.

If you want a book that is unabashedly, authentically, messily queer, Bored Gay Werewolf is for you.

Thank you to W.F. Howes Ltd for providing a digital audiobook ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in Bored Gay Werewolf, it is available now! Find more information from the publishers. If possible, I suggest supporting an indie bookshop with your purchase.

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reeeno's review against another edition

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I find the main character unlikeable and I'm not a huge fan of drugs and alcohol being such a prominent theme. Just not for me at all, unfortunately.

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