It’s been a while since a demolished a book in a single day (I had help by way of the audiobook)

It’s like this book was written just for me. Camp and absurd in the absolute best way. Like the unhinged woman books I love so much- but make it a gay guy.
I loved the illusive plot, the take on toxic masculinity, the tone. All of it!
Reminded me a lot of A Touch of Jen which was one of my favourite books of last year.

First thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review, even though I did forget to read it until now.

This book follows Brian who is in his 20s falling apart and a werewolf who is stuggling to find himself in more than one way. I thought this book to be fine. It made laugh in a few places but it didn't stand out. The ending felt a bit rushed. I'm glad I read it but would not reach for it again.

This ends up being a fun look at how people can fall prey to charismatic predators and scammers, through the lens of being gay and a werewolf, and full manipulative bro bullshit. Focuses on the power of community, and also having a Van Helsing descendant on your side when the real wolf shows himself. Fun little read.

I fortuitously started reading “Bored Gay Werewolf” at the same time that I started listening to the “Sounds Like a Cult” podcast. Little did I know how fitting that pairing would be.

“Bored Gay Werewolf” is basically a queer horror story about a paranormal MLM. A wolfish multi-level-marketing scheme, if you will.

It centres on Brian, the aforementioned BGW, facing extreme loneliness and feeling appropriately vulnerable as he struggles to control his monthly changes. Enter Tyler. Tyler is a fellow werewolf and a business entrepreneur who encourages Brian to join his enlightened vulpine team in order to reach his potential.

Of course, it’s not long before his nefarious plans come to light, and Tyler has to race against the clock to get out before it’s too late.

For me, this was a case of a phenomenal premise with a just OK execution. For a book with a culty werewolf antagonist, I at times found myself disappointed and, for lack of a better word, little bit bored.

Still, it’s always nice to discover a promising new voice in horror.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book!

This was such a lovely time. I don’t usually like “funny” books, but this one made me cackle! It’s as if That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon’s writing style got crossed with the communist manifesto and brainrot memes… yeah! The found family was so wholesome and the whole pyramid scheme thing was… interesting to say the least. I would highly recommend it to anyone needing a cheering up!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of "Bored Gay Werewolf" in exchange for an honest review. The book's title and cover immediately caught my attention, making me eager to dive into its pages. The premise of the story—following Brian, a werewolf struggling with his new identity, and his journey under the guidance of Tyler, a charismatic leader of a werewolf start-up—was both unique and engaging.

The diverse cast of characters was one of the book’s strengths, adding depth and variety to the narrative. Brian’s character, in particular, was relatable as he navigated the challenges of adjusting to his werewolf life. Tyler's mentorship added an interesting dynamic, contrasting Brian’s aimlessness with Tyler’s ambition.

However, my enthusiasm waned somewhat towards the end. The introduction of a secret mythical investigator who swoops in to resolve the conflict felt somewhat disjointed. It seemed to detract from the growth and development of Brian and his friends, making the resolution feel less earned and impactful. This twist overshadowed the personal progress Brian and his companions had made throughout the story.

Despite these issues, "Bored Gay Werewolf" still offered an enjoyable reading experience. While it didn’t completely hold my attention as I had hoped, it provided a fresh take on werewolf lore and delivered some entertaining moments.

I was really excited about the concept of this book. The title and cover grabbed my attention and I picked it up immediately. The cast of characters was interesting and diverse. I enjoyed the story of aimless werewolf Brian, failing to adjust to being a werewolf, being brought under the wing of werewolf start-up leader Tyler, only for Brian to discover that this new pack may not be as good as it seems. The very end of the book introduced a secret mythical investigator that came in and helped save the day, which I felt took away from the growth of Brian and his friends. Overall, Bored Gay Werewolf did not hold my attention as much as I had hoped, but was still a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want a predictable, queer urban fantasy that reads like an after-school special?

On the do not read list.

Pre-reading:
I don’t know anything about this book. Picked it up for the lols of the title.

Thick of it:
Well, the voice is already charming.

We’re starting early with the detritus sins.

Wow, is this gonna be chronic illness leads to being a college dropout commentary because I’m down. (Zero commentary.)

Jesus, this is eerily relevant to my life at the moment.

A piney boy

Lol, that’s straight out of the Incredibles.

Tyler is an out-of-touch himbo Capricorn and I love him.

Abe is like definitely gonna be a werewolf hunter, right?

I’m bored. I don’t wanna pick this up. I feel like I know where it’s going.

Sarah literally seems so nice.

OK, yeah she’s uneducated and it’s not nice to ask about people how they like to have sex off the cuff, but he had already decided that he hated her before she did that. She was just trying to be friendly. I don’t think it’s coming from a bad place. It feels very like the author had to insert this conversation to justify his character’s opinion and to do a little author revenge for something that happened in his own life.

All his insights about his friends just read like a heavy-handed therapist transcription insert.

I am bored. This reads like an after-school special. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be getting from this. Like if platitudes just worked, people would be doing them. Where’s the nuance? Where’s the depth?

Abe’s def some sort of werewolf hunter.

Everything’s just so easy. Nothing has any stakes.

A Van Helsing. God, this book is getting one star. I’m so bored. I don’t care. (I mean, it’s readable, and I save my one stars for the truly offensive so-)

Post-reading:
Is it readable? Yes. Will I be recommending it to anyone? No. It kinda just reads like Buffy fanfiction. The plot is predictable. The characters are standard diversity archetypes. While it nails the voice of a depressed and aimless twenty-something in the beginning, the book doesn’t go anywhere. It ends up reading like a self-help kitten poster, all hang in there, baby. The book concludes like it’s supposed to be the start of the series. I have no interest in picking another one up. This storyline has absolutely been done to death.

It’s not horror. It’s not satire, although the humor almost suggests it’s trying to be. It’s dime a dozen urban fantasy.

It’s not particularly offensive to read, it’s just that it’s so bland and familiar that I’m positive you’ve read this before. Don’t waste your time. It’s going on the do not read list.

Who should read this:
No one?
Queer urban fantasy fans

Do I want to reread this:
Nope.

Similar books:
* Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake-the same book in a different font, Angel fanfiction, urban fantasy romance
* The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis-urban fantasy romance, cringe humor
* Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon-queer YA magical realism
* Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro-historical retelling, urban fantasy garbage
* The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond-predictable, magical realism heist
* Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison-main character is a server, magical realism, thinks it’s doing religious and social commentary, but is amazingly tone deaf
* The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo-generic YA fantasy romance, preachy
* Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond-predictable urban fantasy romance
* Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker-queer YA urban fantasy, preachy

I really, really tried to stick with this book, but ultimately ended up DNFing at 60%. I found the pacing to be a bit too slow to hold my engagement, and this was likely just a case of right book, wrong reader. I would definitely still encourage others to check out this book if it sounds interesting to them. This one just wasn't for me!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Bored Gay Werewolf was an enjoyable and interesting read. The cover and title really caught my attention and I feel it fits the wild story inside. It was quite fun while covering themes such as toxic masculinity and how insane the self-improvement and coaching industry are. Brian was such a messy character but I loved him for it and I enjoyed him stumble through trying to figure himself out and realise who really mattered in his life. I'm always a sucked for found family.

Only surprise is I was for some reason convinced this would be a stand alone so was caught off guard when the ending was approaching but the story wasn't done. I'm not too sure about the plot twist at the end honestly but I'm still going to read the next one when it comes out!

“Bored Gay Werewolf” – Tony Santorella

My thanks to @netgalley and @atlanticbooks for sending me an eARC of this many months ago, I finally got around to it!

A wide-ranging and often biting satire (pun intended), “Bored Gay Werewolf” focuses on Brian, an aimless twenty-something working as a waiter in a restaurant, while also hiding his big secret: he’s a werewolf. His transitions so far have only led to more laundry and dead raccoons (plus the occasional jogger), but his life is set to change when he runs into Tyler, another werewolf with wealth and a plan: to turn the werewolf world upside down.

I was constantly entertained by this book, and there’s plenty of things that I like about it: it has non-binary representation that isn’t just there to be quirky, it takes jabs at the monetization of Pride events, toxic masculinity, and social media. It has an overly obnoxious if fairly one-dimensional villain with some great lines, and it has scenes of cringe that are very effectively written (and probably come from experiences of the author). It’s very “now” and probably would have connected much better with a younger version of myself.

I guess that my “criticism”, as such, is that I’m not the audience for this. The writing style lacks the literary touches that I like whilst also including traits that I hate (brands are NOT descriptive adjectives, sorry), and a few of its metaphors and allusions are very heavy-handed, not least the link between werewolves and the LGBTQ+ community. Again, that’s probably because it might be aimed at a younger audience than myself, but something to be aware of.

A lively read, but not one that is going to change my world. I can’t say I was ever bored, but I also could have lived without it easily. It screamed “3 star read” to me.

Have you read this? What did you think?

I read this as an audiobook mostly on my commute and i had a great time. It’s great as a pallet cleanser or to listen while you’re doing something else as you don’t need to pay a lot of attention to understand what is happening.

Such a unique premise and I was hooked from start to finish, but ugh I genuinely hated some of the characters so much — that’s good writing for you, though!

Brian is struggling at adulthood. It doesn’t help that he is secretly a werewolf. When he meets Tyler, another werewolf, he thinks things are starting to look up. However, he realizes that Tyler might have more nefarious ideas.

I really liked the premise here, but the way it was written wasn’t for me. I also found Brian hard to cheer for as a protagonist.

There were aspects to the book I enjoyed but the whole alpha male things got a little trite by the end. It's a very fun concept and I do enjoy books that are able to put a spin on classic supernatural stories but I wish the story had a little more nuance.

As a member of the LGBT+ rainbow and a huge werewolf lover I thought this book was going to be everything I have ever wanted. Unfortunately I found myself confused and unable to slog through this novel. I wasn't very intruiged by the story line or the characters and DNF this book at 25%.

Thank you regardless to the publisher and netgalley for a chance to read/review this book.

I wish this had been longer! But for what we got, this is a straightforward and hilarious tale of a young gay werewolf trying to find meaning in his existence and juggling his self worth of what he wishes he was and what he already has. The cast of side characters was great, I loved Nik and Darby, and Darby's partner Abe. Brian's narration is entertaining and his aimlessness in his early 20s is relatable. I just wish we had more, but I enjoyed what we got.

Thank you Netgalley and Alantic for the E-Arc.
I absolutely loved this book! It had it slow moments but overall a great story! It's a nice refreshing take on a gay main character and werewolves! I am excited to read more from the author and hope there's more in this universe!

So, I don't usually dive into werewolf stories because they often lean into that whole alpha male thing, which isn't my jam. But "Bored, Gay Werewolf" caught my eye with its quirky setup. Picture this: Brian, a twenty-something guy stuck in more than one sense, dealing with the usual life stuff... plus monthly werewolf transformations.

Our protagonist is getting by, struggling with his werewolf side, and then this mysterious stranger shows up, offering him a way to manage it. To thrive, even, while being part of a community. Of course, things aren't as simple as they seem.

One of the highlights of the book is the portrayal of friendships, particularly Brian's bond with Nik and Darby, which adds a layer of sweetness to the narrative. There are also some cool nods to performative masculinity and the pressure to fit in, all woven into Brian's journey. And I enjoyed the clever commentary on modern life and, including capitalism and wellness culture.

I thought it was going to be on the comedic, campy side. And it does have a campy tone, but it doesn't entirely lean into it, which threw me off a bit. I like my campy stories the most over the top possible 😅. Also, there's a certain type of emotional detachment in the writing that didn't allow me to emotionally connect with the story. I understand what the writer was going for, but it's not something I vibe with. But those are personal preferences, so it may be different for some readers.

Overall an interesting reading experience