I really enjoyed this book. It's been many years since I watched Casablanca, so though I recognized basic similarities, I was not bogged down with comparisons. I found John Michael Curlovich's telling, totally engrossing and bringing alive the local and time period in vivid pictures. I often felt like was was right there, in Frank's head, experiencing it as he did. The supporting characters are so intriguing and colorful-- I totally bought into the magic that was created on these pages. It's not all gay though, lots (and I mean LOTS) of hetero pining and engagement. If you are looking for a strictly gay romantic telling of this classic story, you may be a bit disappointed. I thought is was wonderful.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*thank you to Netgalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars.

I loved the old classic black and white movie so I thought that I'd really like this aswell. While it was OK, I wasn't a huge fan of it. There were just too many parts that did not interest me though it was nice to relive my feelings about certain scenes. I guess I also expected it to be more 'Gay' themed. Nothing heavy but just a bit more clean romance. Still the book is not a write off.

I struggled to finish this book. I found the story quite info-dumpy at the start and there was a lot of telling which made it hard to connect with the pov character. The MC shifted between being in love with a variety of characters at startling speed, yet I didn't feel a connection between any of them and I certainly didn't understand why he ended up with the person he did at the end of the story, because there wasn't enough chemistry between them.

I'm a huge fan of this author and have really loved his previous books. This book is a super easy read and I enjoyed it more than the original Casablanca.

In Marrakesh in the midst of WWII, everyone comes to Frank's American Cafe - movers, shakers, expats, German officials, the Marrakesh police, refuges - where they listen to the piano player Dan, Frank's fellow American..

The plot of this book mirrors the movie for the most part and Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman in the movie) is now the Swedish beauty Lilli Lindstrom, who Frank met and fell madly in love with in Paris. Their theme song is "Isn't It Romantic?" Lilli's husband is Paul Thierry, the famous freedom fighter and they desperately need the diplomatic passports Frank has in order to get to London. Stephan Decae is the corrupt Prefect of Police (Captain Louis Renault in the movie, played by Claude Rains).

The subtitle of this book is "A Gay retelling of Casablanca" and I read this book thinking it might be an interesting perspective for this classic story. Frank and Dan were lovers who met in the Army and have an on-and-off relationship. Dan's lovers include male/female "twins," Frank is torn between his love for Lilli and his yen for men, Paul Thierry and Stephan are gay, as well as many of the German officers (as we learn in a bizarre M/M orgy / knife fight). However, IMHO, having these characters gay or bisexual really didn't affect the story materially nor impart any new insight.

This book just did not work for me and I gave it 2.5 stars.