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issymaae's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, and Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia, Blood, and Animal death
not_another_ana's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Alcoholism, Animal death, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Gun violence, and Bullying
simonlorden's review
adventurous
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
4.0
I received an ARC through NetGalley, my review is voluntary and honest.
This book should be tagged with horror for the amount of Tech Bro/Influencer cult bullshit I (and Brian) had to sit through.
I admit I was drawn to this book by the title. It's catchy, and it already gives you a vibe about the book. Brian is a gay werewolf. He is also bored, although depressed would be more accurate. The book is painfully real at times, going into the ugly sides of not having the energy for self-care and the awkwardness of Grindr hookups.
Brian's life changes when he meets Tyler, who is also a werewolf, and quickly talks Brian into his feel-good inspirational corporate-vibes start-up... thing. Tyler is the perfect satirical (?) representation of the typical Tech Bro - that is to say, he's insufferable. I'm not saying this negatively though, since him being insufferable is kind of the point.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot - it was a very interesting story of a depressed gay twenty-something being sucked into what is essentially a cult, which slowly alienates him from his real (queer) community. Nik and Darby were amazing, and in fact Darby, my nonbinary love, is one of my favourite characters this year.
major tws are blood, murder, depression, sexual content
This book should be tagged with horror for the amount of Tech Bro/Influencer cult bullshit I (and Brian) had to sit through.
I admit I was drawn to this book by the title. It's catchy, and it already gives you a vibe about the book. Brian is a gay werewolf. He is also bored, although depressed would be more accurate. The book is painfully real at times, going into the ugly sides of not having the energy for self-care and the awkwardness of Grindr hookups.
Brian's life changes when he meets Tyler, who is also a werewolf, and quickly talks Brian into his feel-good inspirational corporate-vibes start-up... thing. Tyler is the perfect satirical (?) representation of the typical Tech Bro - that is to say, he's insufferable. I'm not saying this negatively though, since him being insufferable is kind of the point.
Overall I enjoyed this book a lot - it was a very interesting story of a depressed gay twenty-something being sucked into what is essentially a cult, which slowly alienates him from his real (queer) community. Nik and Darby were amazing, and in fact Darby, my nonbinary love, is one of my favourite characters this year.
major tws are blood, murder, depression, sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, and Blood
grets_reads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, and Blood
e_r_q's review against another edition
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
3.5
"Brian liked learning about the moon, how astrology and folklore brought a magic and queerness to the werewolf stuff that was otherwise always so carnal and aggressive."
Personally, I believe Werewolves have always been an inherently queer concept, as they disrupt the binaries of gender, sexuality and even humanity. But, in Bored Gay Werewolf, through his very witty and engaging writing, Tony Santorella brings the concept back to its queer (and matriarchal) roots, whilst also criticising the toxically masculine heteronormative alpha trope that has plagued the werewolf genre.
🐺🏳️🌈
Bored Gay Werewolf is not only a genuinely relatable portrait of the modern queer experience, but it also explores an incredibly creative"Werewolf business/pyramid scheme" concept. The main cast of characters are also extremely lovable and well-crafted.
It's a very well paced novel, however some stuff feels a bit too rushed or glossed over. It honestly could do with being a bit longer, so it has more room to flesh things out and explore some ideas further. But it ends on the note that suggests the potential for sequels, so hopefully there will be the opportunity for expansion in those books.
"He tries to remember how he came out to his parents. Maybe he could use that as a template ... although there is no werewolf equivalent of finding gay porn on the family computer."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia
ophycore's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Cursing, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Drug use, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, and Infidelity
fanboyriot's review against another edition
funny
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
Read For:
Found Family
Happy Ending
Self-Discovery
Good Friendships
Werewolves (duh)
This book had such a great mix of fantasy and contemporary. Following the mundane life of a relatable—and sarcastic main character who is also a confused werewolf who doesn’t really know what he’s doing.
Brian was a great MC, he was flawed and realistic—and his sarcastic comments were always on point. His path for self-discovery was aggravating, yet, all so satisfying. He really fell into some toxic ‘friendships’ only to be slapped to reality by his actual friends. Which was super satisfying in the end but the poor customers that had to deal with him before then.
The found family really shined in this book. There wasn’t this big push for romance for Brian, sure he had hookups but nothing more than that. I think it really worked well for this book. The plot has more of a focus on the friendships to family relationships. Darby, Nic, and Abe were all so loveable. Darby’s dialogue had me laughing so hard.
It was an entertaining listen with a great narrator who brought the book to life. Thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
(Third Person POV)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rep: Gay MC, LGBTQIA+ SCs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Cursing, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Classism, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Fatphobia, Murder, and Blood
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Alcohol, Drug use, and Toxic friendship
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