Justin Myers
Author of The Last Romeo
Works by Justin Myers
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The Last Romeo: A razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud debut by Justin Myers
https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2021/06/2021068-last-romeo-justin-myers.html
❧ audiobook review
‘If only men knew how charming, how attractive it is to admit fault. To say they fudged it, to confess they don’t know something, to be willing to learn. It’s hot. Refreshing. […] It is all powerful. But men must come to this conclusion themselves. They can’t be told. They don’t like to be told.’
The Last Romeo is an utterly charming novel! It follows James on his quest to find love and the problems that come from being too open on the internet. After his breakup with his long term beau Adam, he begins documenting his attempts at navigating the dating world on a blog, vaguely keeping things anonymous but not quite as anonymous as he probably should have been. Along the way, he meets numerous kinds of men. The dates range from the utterly awkward, to the gross and uncomfortable (the description of one man’s bathroom will stay with me for ETERNITY), to the heart-fluttery and love-struck.
James, or ‘Jim’, makes a lot of mistakes in his quest for the perfect man. He gets bitter, even mean in his blog posts, but the other characters are quick to point out his bitchy moments and don’t shy away from telling him when he’s in the wrong. I quite liked the background characters as well, which is hugely important for a story. His friends Bella, Richie and Nicole, and little Hayden are all awesome; Nate, the (closeted) sports star, was adorable and totally stole my heart; then there’s Finn, the writer, and Luca, the blog fan who James gets to know over months of posts. They’re all very well rounded. You get more characters on the dates, but those really stick out in my mind. There’s also James’ rival at work and his dealings with his boss, both of which come up quite often throughout the novel.
I adored Nate especially. PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS. But James does spend a good bit of time thinking about his actions and reflecting; he admits his faults and tries to change. There’s good character growth. He acknowledges enjoying the fame his blog eventually brings him and how it negatively impacted his own view of things. He also gets some very sage advice: ‘If you don’t give your critics any meat, they can’t tear it from your bones.’
My prediction of the ending changed a few times and I kept wanting him to end up with different characters at different points. Ultimately, I quite liked the ending! If you’re looking for a fun rom-com novel, I totally recommend this one. And I’m definitely adding the author’s new novel The Magnificent Sons to my list.
Review also on my blog.… (more)
‘If only men knew how charming, how attractive it is to admit fault. To say they fudged it, to confess they don’t know something, to be willing to learn. It’s hot. Refreshing. […] It is all powerful. But men must come to this conclusion themselves. They can’t be told. They don’t like to be told.’
The Last Romeo is an utterly charming novel! It follows James on his quest to find love and the problems that come from being too open on the internet. After his breakup with his long term beau Adam, he begins documenting his attempts at navigating the dating world on a blog, vaguely keeping things anonymous but not quite as anonymous as he probably should have been. Along the way, he meets numerous kinds of men. The dates range from the utterly awkward, to the gross and uncomfortable (the description of one man’s bathroom will stay with me for ETERNITY), to the heart-fluttery and love-struck.
James, or ‘Jim’, makes a lot of mistakes in his quest for the perfect man. He gets bitter, even mean in his blog posts, but the other characters are quick to point out his bitchy moments and don’t shy away from telling him when he’s in the wrong. I quite liked the background characters as well, which is hugely important for a story. His friends Bella, Richie and Nicole, and little Hayden are all awesome; Nate, the (closeted) sports star, was adorable and totally stole my heart; then there’s Finn, the writer, and Luca, the blog fan who James gets to know over months of posts. They’re all very well rounded. You get more characters on the dates, but those really stick out in my mind. There’s also James’ rival at work and his dealings with his boss, both of which come up quite often throughout the novel.
I adored Nate especially. PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS. But James does spend a good bit of time thinking about his actions and reflecting; he admits his faults and tries to change. There’s good character growth. He acknowledges enjoying the fame his blog eventually brings him and how it negatively impacted his own view of things. He also gets some very sage advice: ‘If you don’t give your critics any meat, they can’t tear it from your bones.’
My prediction of the ending changed a few times and I kept wanting him to end up with different characters at different points. Ultimately, I quite liked the ending! If you’re looking for a fun rom-com novel, I totally recommend this one. And I’m definitely adding the author’s new novel The Magnificent Sons to my list.
Review also on my blog.… (more)
❧ audiobook review
FIVE STARS FOR THESE DISASTROUS CINNAMON ROLLS
If this book isn't on your list, I must insist you add it! I really liked Myers' first book, [b:The Last Romeo|36267904|The Last Romeo|Justin Myers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513032279l/36267904._SY75_.jpg|57923576], but this is definitely my favourite of the two. I loved Jake. He's definitely the heart and soul of this story. It's so nice to get a bi mc, which is something not enough novels do.
Okay, this review gets SPOILERY from here so beware. Also, it's just a WHOLE LOTTA THOUGHTS, so apologies if it's ramble-y.
The story follows Jake, who's been closeted his whole life and his little brother, Trick, who has always embraced his true self. After Trick has a coming out party that leaves Jake reeling with uncertainty, he comes out to his girlfriend and breaks off their relationship because he's not happy and he's never been himself. When he decides to come out to his family, none of them, including Trick, have a great reaction. In fact, Jake experiences a lot of biphobia throughout the novel which was really hard to get through. My heart ached for Jake throughout the entirety of the story. His loneliness bleeds through the pages.
This scene is basically,
The two brothers spend the novel defining themselves by their differences, rather than their similarities, and butt heads as a result. Jake is understated, reserved, stoic and uptight; Trick is flamboyant, extroverted, chatty and seemingly the life of the party. It's something Jake's deeply jealous of: jealous that Trick knows who he is, jealous that everyone embraced Trick easily, jealous of his energy, jealous of how he never had to face the constraints Jake faced. On the flip side, Trick doesn't understand why Jake can't be happier that things were easier for him and doesn't get why his brother harbours less than open-minded views on clothing and self-expression. Jake, for example, gets easily embarrassed by Trick, which hurts Trick on a fundamental level. And that's honestly what's so heartbreaking about the story. Both sides are entirely sympathetic. Jake should have been able to grow up being himself, just like Trick, but being born a decade later hasn't erased Trick's problems and insecurities and fears.
I really appreciate that Myers addressed biphobia and how it can often be found in people who otherwise believe themselves to be open-minded, even though those scenes were hard to get through. One of the first things Jake's parents ask him, having never had an issue with Trick's being gay, is why can't Jake be 'normal'. It's gutting. I wanted to reach into the book and hug Jake throughout that entire scene. There's a later bit where Jake's straight friends accuse him of 'lying' to a girl he's flirting with because he must be 'secretly gay'. And his own brother even thinks he's lying about being bi.
THIS SCENE. IT WRECKED ME. PROTECT JAKE AT ALL COSTS. ;_;
This book is basically a coming-of-age bro tale and I wholeheartedly recommend it. (And I went for the audiobook and the narrator is class!) ^_^… (more)
'Is my life a picnic? Am I, you know, privileged?'
The trouble with this question, in Kia's experience, was that people having to ask it undoubtedly were and also usually preferred to remain ignorant of that fact.
FIVE STARS FOR THESE DISASTROUS CINNAMON ROLLS
If this book isn't on your list, I must insist you add it! I really liked Myers' first book, [b:The Last Romeo|36267904|The Last Romeo|Justin Myers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513032279l/36267904._SY75_.jpg|57923576], but this is definitely my favourite of the two. I loved Jake. He's definitely the heart and soul of this story. It's so nice to get a bi mc, which is something not enough novels do.
Okay, this review gets SPOILERY from here so beware. Also, it's just a WHOLE LOTTA THOUGHTS, so apologies if it's ramble-y.
The story follows Jake, who's been closeted his whole life and his little brother, Trick, who has always embraced his true self. After Trick has a coming out party that leaves Jake reeling with uncertainty, he comes out to his girlfriend and breaks off their relationship because he's not happy and he's never been himself. When he decides to come out to his family, none of them, including Trick, have a great reaction. In fact, Jake experiences a lot of biphobia throughout the novel which was really hard to get through. My heart ached for Jake throughout the entirety of the story. His loneliness bleeds through the pages.
'When Mum was pregnant, I hoped someone else like me in the family would come along. Prove I wasn't a weirdo, maybe. Then there you were, a star is born. You were like me, but nothing like me. [...] This isn't about you being gay or me being bi, not for me. No, I hated that you didn't seem to need me. Not at all. You seemed to be doing well on your own. I felt even more of an outsider.'
'I thought you hated me because I was camp.'
This scene is basically,
The two brothers spend the novel defining themselves by their differences, rather than their similarities, and butt heads as a result. Jake is understated, reserved, stoic and uptight; Trick is flamboyant, extroverted, chatty and seemingly the life of the party. It's something Jake's deeply jealous of: jealous that Trick knows who he is, jealous that everyone embraced Trick easily, jealous of his energy, jealous of how he never had to face the constraints Jake faced. On the flip side, Trick doesn't understand why Jake can't be happier that things were easier for him and doesn't get why his brother harbours less than open-minded views on clothing and self-expression. Jake, for example, gets easily embarrassed by Trick, which hurts Trick on a fundamental level. And that's honestly what's so heartbreaking about the story. Both sides are entirely sympathetic. Jake should have been able to grow up being himself, just like Trick, but being born a decade later hasn't erased Trick's problems and insecurities and fears.
I really appreciate that Myers addressed biphobia and how it can often be found in people who otherwise believe themselves to be open-minded, even though those scenes were hard to get through. One of the first things Jake's parents ask him, having never had an issue with Trick's being gay, is why can't Jake be 'normal'. It's gutting. I wanted to reach into the book and hug Jake throughout that entire scene. There's a later bit where Jake's straight friends accuse him of 'lying' to a girl he's flirting with because he must be 'secretly gay'. And his own brother even thinks he's lying about being bi.
As he left the kitchen, he turned back. 'Just ask yourselves why Trick's life is one great big gay picnic and mine is inconvenient because you've run out of straight sons and don't have a spare.
THIS SCENE. IT WRECKED ME. PROTECT JAKE AT ALL COSTS. ;_;
This book is basically a coming-of-age bro tale and I wholeheartedly recommend it. (And I went for the audiobook and the narrator is class!) ^_^… (more)
I really struggled through about half of this, but I enjoyed the beginning and the ending and that has to count for something. While this was funny, it might be better for people who care about "dating" and are familiar with that world - which I am not, and don't ever plan on being.
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