Best Men is a cute and fluffy rom-com in the best possible way. It's sweet and silly and perfect for those that enjoy their fluff without steam! .

This is the worst book that I have read in a minute. Every single character is unlikable and annoying as hell and there's not a single redeeming quality about any of them. Do you know how hard someone has to work to make every single character terrible? I'm a little bit impressed but I am more frustrated at the fact that I continued to listen to this despite not liking it and I really should have stopped at the 30% mark when the aphobia hit.

So recap about this book. There's this guy named Max who is the gay best friend to his straight best friend Paige. Max works at some stupid HR firm and he fires people and you'll know that he fires people because there are legitimately multiple chapters that are him firing people. It was quite pointless. Anyway, Max's a bit of a mess and he somehow thinks he's still in a relationship with his ex-boyfriend despite multiple times saying that they're fuck buddies but then turns around and gets upset that his ex-boyfriend is seeing someone else. So he makes the decision to go out and have a one-night stand which is fine whatever go you but it goes really terribly and is super awkward and he basically runs away because yeah I would too. Then he finds out that his super duper awkward one night stand is the other best man at his best friend's wedding. Not only is he the other best man but he is the brother of his best friend's fiance. Did you follow all that?

So both Max and Chasten, yes his fucking name is Chasten, are assholes. But the big thing is that they're on different sides of the gay stereotypes. Chasten is very much more the sassy gay and fits the gay best friend stereotype more than Max does So Max gets all butt hurt and jealous and is extra assholey. I still am not quite sure what the whole point of this book is but from my understanding it's that these two guys who had an awkward first meeting then lie about it and say they didn't know each other and then become enemies because they're opposites and everyone wants Paige's attention for some reason and they try and plan a bachelorette party and a bridal shower etc while also planning the wedding and end up falling for each other.

If you're going into this looking for a romance you should turn right around and walk out the door. Their " romance " happens at like the 90% mark of the book and consists of a blink and you'll miss it declaration and then they're dating. I actually missed it the first time because by that point I had so zoned out and I had it sped up very quickly cuz I was absolutely done with his book and I had to go back and listen to it again and then go back in my physical copy that I received from Berkeley to see if I could find it. There's no discussion about what they like about each other because they're both so insufferable the entire book that it is hard to imagine what they see in each other.

Now we have to talk about the gay best friend angle. If you want an actual quality book that delves into the harmfulness of the GBF I would highly recommend The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio. It's also about a gay guy who his best friends are getting married and keep putting him in the middle but there is legitimate discussions about why that's harmful and how to change it and how they can move forward without being toxic.

This book has none of that. The straight best friend Paige is the most annoying of all of them I think. Not only she's super homophobic because the only queer people she cares about are the sassy gay men and the drag queens, but she is selfish and fat phobic and exhausting. One of her little quirks that they have is that she cannot make a decision to save her life and I swear to God if I ever encounter someone like that I could not be held responsible for my actions. Figure out what the fuck you want in your head and then make a decision like an adult. No you cannot have something off the menu. You don't get to sample wines at a sports bar. You can't just cancel your floral arrangement days before your wedding and then be mad about it. Those are just a handful of the incidents that would send me into a rage induced homicide.

The only reason I really kept reading after I had hit the 50 60% mark was that I wanted to see if there was going to be a confrontation between Max and Paige and there technically is but it is so horrible in terms of nothing actually getting solved that I immediately regretted all my decisions.

Beyond just a terrible plot and horrible characters, there are so many problematic moments in this book and I am pissed for one and sad that it's receiving so much hype and that people think that this is what constitutes a good queer rom-com.

I briefly mentioned aphobia at the beginning and this happens in a sentence where the main character says something along the lines of "I was basically asexual" and this is referring to him not having sex as a teenager. That is not what asexuality means and I'm really going to need other queer people to know what the heck it is. If you don't know, one you should look it up but two you should shut the fuck up.

There are multiple instances of biphobia referring to people as a little bit bi. There is a Harry Potter reference which we all know is transphobic and can we freaking not? It is 2023 God damn it do fucking better. There is rampant fat phobia throughout the entire book in terms of gay stereotypes about bodies but also with the straight best friend Paige talking about how much he needs to go on a diet and how often Max has to tell her that she's not fat and she looks great etc. It is very 2002-esque and is exhausting. I lived through that I don't need to listen to it in a book too.

Then because yes there's more, the only other queer person in this book besides the three white cis gay men, is a sports loving lesbian who is Max's boss and she is ruthless. She is mean and toxic and gets enjoyment out of firing people. She does not listen to anything that anyone else is saying and is so self-absorbed in herself that she is incapable of feeling any sort of empathy for all of the people that she's firing / having Max fire including her supposed beloved secretary of years.

This book screams vapid toxic gay masculinity. It is everything that the queer community despises about gay men and I will not get on board the train of "oh well I'm gay so I can't be queer phobic" You absolutely can and you are. This author is very clearly stating his opinions on other members of the queer community and it's not a good look. You can tell that he believes that only gay or lesbian are valid and that gay men are still superior. It is also intensely clear that he would, in a heartbeat, make fun of a trans person, anyone who identifies as bi or pan, and immediately discredit any aces or aros.

This type of white cis privileged gay man gives off the same energy as Christians regarding the rainbow. This is the same energy that they think that the rainbow is their flag despite their being a separate Achillean flag. This is the same energy that screams "why are there so many letters now?" This is the same energy that says "pronouns are too difficult". This is the same energy that gate keeps and harms the larger part of the queer community that are not white cis gay men.

If you are a white cis gay man reading this and are taking offense I highly suggest that you take a step back and shut up and evaluate how you're feeling. Because chances are you're going to say something misogynistic or fat phobic or queerphobic and it's going to be better for everyone if you don't. Put the freaking microphone down.

Max and Paige have been best friends since they were neighbors in a suburb of Chicago. Max has always been the romantic one and Paige was the complete opposite, until she wasn’t. She shakes Max’s world when she announces she’s engaged. He accepts the position of Man of Honor and wouldn’t you know it but Austin’s best man turns out to be super handsome and sparks fly between the bridal party members. This is a fun one and I especially loved the relationship between Max and Paige.
.
Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This wedding romance between the two best men was a struggle to get through. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration to be a bit over the top. Paige is a central character in the story as the bride and is given so much attention that the romance between her friend and almost brother-in-law seems secondary. The little side bars in between chapters felt distracting and took me out of the story. I can appreciate the effort that went into writing this novel, but it didn't work for me.

I was drawn in immediately by the fact that Max is not a perfect character. He feels bitterness to his friend Paige for getting her happy ending after his own engagement fell through. From the start, this is already a way more relate all character trait then most writers allow their main characters to portray. Chasten is adorable and charming, but I did find the circumstances of their start up to be a little too convenient for my tastes. As Max grows as a character, the convenient plot falls to the wayside as the romance heats up. Side note: Paige is the bridezilla character of my dreams and I was obsessed with her everytime she was in the page

This was good, but not excellent. I liked the main character but it felt a little forced. Was a fine read, but probably wouldn't purchase it for myself!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩.

📍 Read if you like:
• Music References
• M/M Romances
• NYC Settings
• Humorous Moments

I had such high hopes for this book and really wanted to love it, however, I felt let down at times. The book itself started out super interesting, but as time went on the characters began to become unlikable.

I liked the New York setting and many references to music, however, I didn’t care too much for the characters - main and side characters.

I struggled so much with Max’s character, he felt very unbearable and he made so many poor choices where you just can’t really root for him. I also never felt a connection towards Chasten because we don’t get his POV.

Also, while I did say I enjoyed the music references, I do feel like there were too many references - there’s a point when it just gets too chaotic and repetitive.

The romance wasn’t super strong IMO, it also felt very slow. There were so many unnecessary moments in this book that just completely pulled me away.

I really wanted to enjoy this book and the characters more, but it just felt very slow and they were too unlikeable. I enjoyed the idea behind this, but overall, it felt like a middle-of-the-road romance.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Alcohol and Minor Gaslighting

awful just awful. i had really high hopes and it wasn't really enjoyable. i just wanted to get it over with asap!

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to write my review for this absolutely delightful and fun book! Best Men by Sidney Karger will not be my last Karger book! I loved the characters from the jump and that's because they are flawed!

Max Moody is loving his life. He's got his bestie Paige with him and the two are inseparable. They are the kind of friends who finish each other's sentences, have all the inside jokes, and their presence makes you want to join their duo. Max thinks the world of Paige, but when she announces she's engaged their dynamic feels like it's been thrown off kilter. Of course Paige wants him to be her best man! Her fiancé, Austin is fine, but his best man, Chasten is truly the antithesis of Max. The two are like oil and water. They do not mix...but is that true? Perhaps, it's the sparks opposites create?

I enjoyed how freakin' flawed Max was. He was going through it and it was putting stress on his normally thriving friendship. Max has to figure out how to make room in his life the couple version of Paige with Austin, while also reassessing his own life and how it wants it to look. Perhaps alone isn't all it's been cracked up to be.

Berkley Romance absolutely nailed it with this one! It was one of my favorite's so far this summer! A huge thank you to Berkley Romance for granting me access to this title and to PRH Audio for allowing me access to the audio too! I highly recommend both. You'll want to just keep reading!

I simply loved this book. The Characters we so well written. This was a fast pace book that was so sweet and wonderful.

I enjoyed this book. It has plenty of humor and sarcasm. It was weird to read a book with only 1 POV. I'm just not used to only getting one perspective! Max and Chasten have sort of a rivalry of sorts in trying to create the best wedding for Paige (Max's best friend). Overall, the story wasn't anything really unique, but it was fun and enjoyable! Overall, I thought it was a good escape.

Good book, cute concept. Like the modern romcoms, however, there were a lot of runoff sentences. I'm assuming this is a sylistic choice on behalf of the character's first person telling of his story, but it could be frustrating to read a whole paragraph that was just one sentence. Other than that, I did enjoy the book and the story line.

The first thing you really must know about Best Men is that, despite the marketing, it is not a romantic comedy or even a romance novel. It does have a romance, but it is a side dish and not the main course by any means. If you can adjust your expectations accordingly, you'll find it's a wryly introspective narrative from a 30-something gay man trying to figure out life, love, and friendship. There are many tangents, and being inside Max's head can be exhausting, but it's a well told tale of growing pains and uncertainty. Recommended for fans of Gilmore Girls and My Best Friend's Wedding.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While the premise sounded great, the execution was just not there. I really didn't like any of the main characters, the tired GBF stereotypes made me sad, and I'm still trying to find the 'romance' this was marketed as having.

2.5 stars rounded up

A chaotic stream of consciousness liveblogging style book loosely disguised as a romance wherein the point of view character is a dude who is almost 40 but constantly drinks, never sleeps, has way too many inside jokes, eats diner food at all hours, and is generally Bad at Life. The book gave me a lot of sympathy heartburn and made me want to sit on my couch and talk to no one.

The title is apt as the two main characters are both Best Men in the same wedding. Max, the POV character, is bad at wedding planning but is a huge baby about being left out, and Chasten is good at wedding planning and is a Grown Up and shenanigans ensue! Like, a LOT of shenanigans. Too many shenanigans. I needed this whole thing to be turned down like 10 or so notches. The word "gay-xpectations" was used. Approximately four hundred songs were mentioned by name, artist, and song lyric. Every office plant Max obtained from people he fired at his job was listed in exhaustive detail. And sooo many inside jokes. I appreciate committing to the bit as much as the next person pretending they're doing improv comedy but goodness.

Because of all that other...stuff, the romance really took a backseat. I would have preferred to see some of that space given to the relationship development between Max and Chasten. I mean, a thorough description of the things they told each other about their respective childhoods is great and all but I'd rather read the list of office plants again than that boring crap. The romance needed to be brought UP 10 notches instead of crammed in at the end between other stuff i didn't care about.

Overall, the book needs less nonsense, more romance, and to get rid of every inside joke and song reference and then it might just be a pretty good story.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book and its debut author, Sidney Karger. What I discovered was a fun, breezy, sometimes poignant story with laugh-out-loud humor and a surprising amount of depth. While the book is a rom-com, it's not all romance and comedy. Primarily, it's a story of fractured relationships, enduring friendships, personal growth, and endearing romance. It made me smile. It made me feel like these characters were my friends. It made me feel like I had an active investment in their happiness.

While the three main characters - Paige, Max, and Chasten - are all well drawn, with layers, and varying degrees of growth throughout the book, it's Max whose evolution takes center stage. This introverted, soft-hearted, romantic, slightly awkward thirty-something who hasn't quite found his path in life yet, either professionally or romantically, wormed his way into my heart and had me in his corner, cheering him on pretty much the whole way. His frequently awkward and rocky road to self-discovery hit me right in the feels. All the feels.

Karger does a good job of showcasing the thirty-year friendship between Max and Paige, imbuing it with realistic ease, inside jokes, shared memories, and the knowledge that enduring relationships of that length still have the ability to shift and grow.

I wasn't sure about Chasten at first. In fact, I was initially not a fan. However, once the author began slowly peeling back his layers to show us - and Max - the man underneath the social butterfly persona, my affection for him began to deepen. Enough that by the end of the book I was actively rooting for good things to happen for these two.

The book has a slow start and a few too many wordy descriptions that I found myself skimming. However, once it hit its stride a few chapters in, I was happily flipping pages all the way to the end...though I still skimmed some of the more lengthy descriptions. I enjoyed the witty banter, laughter, and sarcasm that had these relatable characters leaping off the page. I liked the realism of the friendship between Max and Paige. I chuckled, even as I cringed, during Max's awkward moments. I drooled over Chasten's cooking, baking, and chocolate making. And, by the time I reached the sweetly endearing conclusion, I couldn't stop either the happy tears or the ear-to-ear grin.

It was interesting to read my first male-centered rom-com written by a man. It definitely gave this book a different vibe and perspective, one that I enjoyed. I'll be watching to see what Sidney Karger brings to readers next.

*ARC received from publisher. Fair and unbiased review

This book was really fun! I enjoyed the personalities of the main characters so much. I thought the inserts between chapters was a cute touch as well!

Best Men has a few funny lines, but overall is lack luster. The book has no real conflict and no romantic chemistry between Max Moody, the 1st person narrator, and Chasten, his love interest. The “conflict” is supposed to be Max and Chasten competing over planning a wedding, but throughout Max just comes across as whiny, insecure, and both jealous and possessive of his best friend, Paige.

Max also feels too much like a “I’m-not-like-other-gays” type character. He spends time mocking well-off WASP-y characters but is basically the same as them in terms of status and opportunity. He describes how “different” his preferences (cheeseburgers, The Smiths) are from other gays, who all like crowded venues, booze, and drag.

These preferences and traits could have helped established Max’s character but instead always felt like they were used to show how “unique” he was. All the other characters are likewise two-dimensional.

Max, 35, is Old. He tells us so himself. As I am damn near twice that age, I got right tired of hearing that nonsense. Max has a disastrous love-life. Max has one friend, Paige, for most of his life, and she is what I would call a collector: someone who gets a lot of people into her orbit and then keeps them there without paying a lot of attention to them. Max himself points this up by mentioning their friendship habit of going to a specific diner and Paige does the same trick of focusing all attention on herself with even the waitstaff...who, like Paige, basically ignore Max.

I am familiar with this kind of "friendship." It happens to a lot of gay guys I know, not the best-looking, not the most outgoing, but who still crave affection and settle for this dark twin of it because it's obvious that the friend is doing them a favor. It's so pervasive in Max's life that he has a friends-with-benefits deal going with his ex...who literally makes the booty call and then tells Max he just needed to get off before his date with the new guy in his life so he wouldn't come across as too sexually demanding!

It's all Max knows, being second-best, so he rolls with witty sarcasm as his defense mechanism. There are lists and texts and all sorts of not-story documents larded in to this too-long but very relatable story of modern friendship among the generation where gay is just a thing you are. These are the people who piss off the old white men who wear traitorous flags to show what patriots they are the most. It's not important that anyone is gay until Paige gets among the older people she needs to make herself different from.

I liked the snark, I liked the honesty about Max's Paige-provided employment and its soul-sucking banal cruelty...which Max is a big part of delivering!...and I liked the scene on Fire Island with Max as the very, very obvious fish out of water. I got no chemistry to explain why Max and Chasten were into each other, it seemed to take forever before anything happened and then it was as though they'd never been at odds or felt aggrieved by the other's presence in Paige's court of admirers. Shall we say there's no real tension resolved and be as discreet as Max himself is about details of his more lurid energies. The narrative is all-Max all the time and for over 300 pages it's a kind of strange thing that we never once see anything but the barest surfaces of Max's responses to anyone.

Self-loathing ≠ introspection.

I'd've preferred a shorter version of the story, or more delving into the real feelings behind Max's witty, bitchy narration. It's okay as a com, but the rom part left me wondering what more there was to all these characters. What makes the read fun is the snark; what needed moe thought was the length. I'll be on the lookout for Author Karger's next book with high hopes.

✨Bridesmaids Meets Fire Island (Kinda)✨

Listen, this is about as close to a movie as a book can get. The pacing, the beats, the relationship development—it all led to an extremely cinematic romcom experience. I think it works extremely well as a romcom viewed through a movie lens, but I can definitely see where it didn’t quite feel like a romcom/ romance novel.

It makes so much sense knowing that Karger is a screenwriter. It also really helped that another reviewer mentioned that this was similar to Bridesmaids, as that’s the perfect lens to view it through. It did some things I’m not a fan of in romance novels, but I don’t mind in romance movies? Like when there was a large gap between the couple seeing each other or the characters in the main relationship see other people during the span of the book.

As long as I enjoy the book I don’t much mind if I was led astray, but I do understand why people are confused in reviews. So while I think the book is just contemporary fiction with strong friendship and romance themes, it just really really worked. I cared equally about Max’s personal growth/journey as I did about the main relationship, which is rare and I’m definitely giving flowers where they’re due.

Don’t get me wrong, would I have loved more Chasten content? Absolutely! He’s a hot l-chocolatier-cum-excellent-cook and I would definitely love a full on romance novel between him and Max. Also throw in an epilogue too because I need to see them all happy and in love buying groceries or something. But even then, I still really really had a great time reading this book!! I liked the friendships, the summer of sad plant collection, and especially Max and Chasten together. The content of them on Fire Island was so good.

There was just so much heart!! I can see where Max comes across as jealous or petty or whatnot, but come on we have ALL been there! I really enjoyed seeing his HEA because he felt like family by the end. I just felt so happy for him!! The relationship just seemed so lovely and adult and I think he really deserved that type of peace.

Overall, this was a perfect book for the summer, wedding season, or when you really want to see someone good win (and have a horribly awkward one-night stand with a chocolatier who happens to be the brother of your best friend’s fiancé).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️*/5

*There was talk of sexual content but the one sec scene between the main characters was extremely vague and fade to black. I’d have loved the spice to deliver just a bit more, but as a whole I think it worked for the book and I wasn’t disappointed. The romance was definitely slow burn after the failed one-night stand.


Note: Max’s career is in HR and he basically fired several people throughout the book. He hates it, but it’s definitely talked about. I definitely think the constant laying off and witnessing the stress of the employees can be considered a content warning. I didn’t hate it as it was unique? But it definitely stresses me out.


Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.