Love love loved it! This book was exactly what I was looking for. Funny, full of heart, perfect for a theatre nerd like me, it made me laugh and want to burst out into song. I've already recommended it to so many people. If you need a light-hearted but moving book to lift your spirits, this is it!

This is a charming and entertaining rom com which reminded me of Sweet Home Alabama. Noah is a dramatic grown-ass theater kid living in NYC. A medical emergency (an a flop of a musical) requires that he go back to his small-town home and spend some time there, reconnecting with so many people he was more than ecstatic to leave behind. I absolutely loved seeing Noah's growth throughout the book. But mostly I loved the fun and funny dialogue. A huge thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Showmance by Chad Beguelin

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5

Things I loved:
*Fallible memories
*Different communication types
*Navigating difficult parent relationships
*Musical references
*A surprise celebrity cameo
*Nancy Kay Adams

This book is a delightful little romcom with serious Sweet Home Alabama vibes. Noah is a down on his luck writer of musicals who visits home after his latest failed musical and father's heart attack. He reunites with his high school nemesis Luke and the local amateur theater company.

I really loved Noah's growth in his relationship with his father. It's clear they both have very different communication types and misunderstood each other for a long time because of it. With Noah's extended stay at his childhood home, they are able to work through their differences and strengthen their relationship, and its absolutely beautiful to see.

I loved the fallable memory aspect of this story, too. Noah remembers Luke as one of his biggest bullies in high school and acts accordingly as an adult. Luke remembers high school differently and is hurt by Noah's words and actions when he returns home. I would have loved to see Luke's perspective to be developed more, though.

A couple of things kept me from giving this book a 4 star rating. The first is that a lot of things seemed a bit too convenient for Noah. When his heart is broken, he has friends who take care of everything. He has a new man lined up right away, and we don't really see any grieving (it mostly happens off page). On that note, I would have loved more development of Luke as a character. Though there were some beautifully intimate moments, their relationship started quickly and felt a bit rushed.

This book definitely delivers on the comedy; between Noah being an overdramatic grown-up theater kid and his kooky mother, there's no shortage of laughs. If you are a fan of Linda Belcher, you will LOVE Nancy Kay. I loved Noah's dramatic declarations of love to his two female best friends and all the musical references sprinkled throughout the story. The theater group was also full of some huge personalities, and each one made an impact on reviving Noah's failed musical and giving him much needed perspective.

What I loved about this story definitely outweighs any critiques I have. Any former theater kid is sure to love this little romp. And many will be thrilled with the celebrity cameo at the end!


*I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun romcom! As a huge reader and theater lover I was excited when I came across this one! Writer Noah Adams has finally achieved his dream of seeing one of his musicals performed on Broadway, but the show completely bombs, and opening night becomes closing night. Noah returns home to visit an ailing family member; he is completely horrified to learn that the town's community theater will be staging his show as a tribute to him and they want him to direct it! He’s even more horrified to learn that one of his high school bully’s, Luke, is his parents, employee and friend. But as he starts working on the show, he discovers that things aren’t what he expected. The locals' suggestions for his show are surprisingly good and Luke is super likeable and kind and seems to have caught feelings for Noah.

I love a grumpy/sunshine romance, and this one was so cute. I loved seeing Noah journey of realizing that his small town may have more to offer than he originally thought. Noah was so relatable and funny. I listened to the audiobook and was able to read it in a day! It's an easy quick read! You could tell that the author actually had a background of working in theater which I really appreciated. This is a solid 4.5 for me!

A delightfully lighthearted romp through the world of Broadway, with witty humor, romance, and self-discovery. After his musical is dropped from Broadway, playwright Noah heads back to his small town who encourages him to remake the musical at the local amateur theater. Noah was initially hard to root for, given his elitist snobbery and poor self awareness; however he undergoes a wonderful period of growth and his entitlement softens. The novel's pacing leaves something to be desired with several subplots feeling and resolved too neatly. In the end, I appreciated this story for the celebration of love, empathy, and familial bonds.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this cute romcom! Noah was hilarious and Luke was his perfect match, in a way that complemented them both. Noah’s parents were wonderful and his mom was absolute perfection! I love the way the cast and crew embraced Noah’s musical and brought his attention to things he never would have noticed had it not been for their insight. I wish I could see and hear the musical because the author did such a great job bringing it to life for the reader. I look forward to more books from this author!

Chad Beguelin’s Showmance is a delightful mix of humor, heart, and theatrical charm. This sparkling romance captures the highs and lows of life on and off the stage, with characters you can’t help but root for. Witty dialogue and heartfelt moments make this story as endearing as it is entertaining. Perfect for fans of romance and Broadway vibes!

This story was just ok for me. Much of how Noah was portrayed didn't work well in my opinion. I did appreciate the overall story.

Witty, charming, heartfelt, what’s not to love about this book? Growing up as a theater geek in a small town, much like our main character, Showmance scratched every itch I have to read about that beautiful, quirky community. This book is so much deeper than its cover gives it credit for, as we follow Noah’s path to self discovery. You know that old saying about how you can never go home again? It turns out that “home”, and all of its oddball characters is exactly what Noah needs to succeed. When Steven Rowley recommended it, I knew I had to read, and he was one million percent correct about this little gem of a novel. Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for my gifted ARC!

Huge thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for granting me access to this delightful rom-com! I absolutely loved diving into Showmance, a hilarious and heartwarming story about second chances, self-discovery, and the transformative magic of community theater.

Noah Adams is in full retreat mode after his Broadway dreams take a nosedive, but heading back to his small hometown comes with unexpected surprises: a theater cast full of quirky locals, a town far more supportive than he remembered, and Luke, the high school nemesis who’s now the gorgeous, beloved heartthrob of Plainview.

This book is packed with witty banter, swoon-worthy romance, and laugh-out-loud moments. Watching Noah grow alongside his amateur theater cast was both inspiring and endearing, and the chemistry between Noah and Luke? Chef’s kiss 😍! It’s a perfect blend of snark, sweetness, and small-town charm.

If you love messy-but-lovable protagonists, enemies-to-lovers vibes, and feel-good stories about finding beauty in unexpected places, Showmance is for you!

Sometimes you just have to go home to find what's truly important. This was a really fun story of second chances at family relationships, friendship, love and life. What a great book! Thanks #NetGalley #PenguinBooks

Noah went from living his dream to watching it implode. Opening night becomes closing night and he is beside himself. When he heads home to both visit an ill family member and hopefully to get away from the big failure he is shocked and in his opinion, in the absolute worst way. The small town he is from decided to stage his show and they want him to direct it. What else could go wrong? Umm. in his opinion everything starting with his high school bully Luke, being front and center and he is not amused. How did this happen and why? He just wants to continue to be his cranky self and be left alone. The best laid plans. It’s an easy read to a fun and well deserved HEA.

I loved!!! The way this made me feel like sweet home alabama and couldnt put it down! I loved the two characters and getting to know them on a deeper level. I am a big broadway fan so that made everything more fun!

I was absolutely charmed by this book. Noah was so endearing and sassy I wish I was him lowkey. I also love that the author actually knows what he's talking about when it comes to Broadway. His deep knowledge of and love for the theatre industry shines through clearly.

I really wanted to like this one but the sense of humor was odd to me. I couldn't sink into the romance because the corny banter and musical trivia charm was distracting. The name and description is incredibly fitting for this book. It just wasn't my style of quirky, unfortunately! Still thankful I had a chance to read it since now I know!

I was able to read this through a copy from Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. Showmance by Chad Beguelin focuses on Noah Adams who finally has one of his musicals (not plays) on Broadway. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned and he returns home to step away. While at home he confronts his feelings towards his hometown, his family and an unexpected blast from the past in a former nemesis Luke. While this does have romance in it, this also focuses on family and those who are there for you through the good and the bad. I absolutely loved Noah’s mother, his friends both from NYC and his hometown, but his relationship with his father is what stood out for me. This relationship was something so complex and beautifully written. Ok back to Luke and Noah, the tension between them was so fun, I looked forward to their interactions and Luke won me over in that hot air balloon also, hello tight fitting shirts! This was a pretty quick and fun read, I’ll definitely check out more work from Chad and plan on getting a trophy of this book for my collection.

So cute! I loved the community and seeing their stories. Noah reminded me a bit of Patrick from The Guncle

This was an absolute delight. On the opening night of Noah’s Broadway musical, the musical is declared a flop and Noah’s father suffers a health emergency, which results in Noah rushing back to his hometown, Plainville, Illinois. On his trip home, Noah is accompanied by his agent boyfriend, and Noah comes back to Plainville wondering what’s next for him career wise. Turns out, his agent boyfriend has licensed Noah’s flop of a musical to the community theater where Noah grew up performing and said agent boyfriend encourages Noah to stay and direct the musical. Noah stays and readers will delight in the closed door, enemies to lovers, small town, theater romance that ensues.

When Noah goes back to his hometown he is not expecting to make friends with old high school enemies. He is a writer / director of his hometowns play. When he notices his high school enemy works for his father Noah is not happy. However, once Noah’s boyfriend chase breaks up with him little does he know his enemy is a soon to be lover. Luke is a hometown boy who didn’t know how to express his feelings as he was growing up. Luke and Noah have a cute wonderful relationship that grows throughout everything. I give this book 4/5 stars

*4.5

This book is an absolute gem. The only flaw I can find is that is a little too much predictable, but it’s normal in a romcom. Aside from this, I very enjoyed this story. I fell in love with Luke and Noah (especially Luke, I have to admit it) and ship them hard.
I’m not a fan of bully romance so I was a little bit worried about that, but the themes is written with competence and in a delicate way. Love it.
And I laugh a lot. Really a laugh. I will definitely re-read it sometimes.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.