There are relationships galore in this M/M rom-com! I especially liked Noah's female best friends—Kiara in New York City (his adult ride-or-die), and Melissa in Plainview, Illinois (a high school bestie). [Insignificant aside: Plainview, Illinois, is four-plus hours south of me. I don't recollect ever visiting the town, but I've visited several other small Illinois towns, so it was fun envisioning Plainview.] Noah's mom, of course, plays a big part. I appreciate that Luke and Noah's first kiss happens at around the halfway mark—I do like a slow burn. Beyond the obvious main relationships, there is a great deal of character development and background for various of the Plainview players, and some of these intertwine. I was invested in the side stories, as well.

While there is evidence of decades of trauma—for Noah, including his distant relationship with his dad, high school bullying, career disappointments, and more; but also for other characters—there is even more humor. If you like sassy characters and repartee, there's plenty of both to be found here. Much of the humor is snarky, as one might expect from a gay theatre nerd and his people; but some is self-deprecating, especially as Noah's perspective grows during his time in his hometown.

Extra touches that greatly amused me include reference to a Theremin (how often do you see that?!) and use of the exclamation “boy howdy” (which I, inexplicably, have picked up in recent years).

This unbiased review is based on an ARC supplied by the publisher—Penguin Books. Publication is expected October 1.

This is a cute read, a bit of a palate cleanser for me, as I read so much crime fiction. I liked the characters and the plot was fun escapism. Recommended!

Chad Beguelin’s Showmance is the cutest, most adorable m/m romance I’ve read since The Guncle (and it’s blurbed by Steven Rowley too!)!

That’s the best and most honest introductory sentence I can give it. But this is a book review so let me tell you some more!

Noah Adams is a Broadway playwright, or so he hopes, who sees a show he wrote bomb on the same night he gets a call that his father had a heart attack in his tiny Indiana hometown. So Noah goes home to the town that never really understood him, or he it, but where he learned to love the stage. And he takes his fancy British theater agent boyfriend with him. But Chase has to go back to New York and kind of colludes with Noah’s precious, hilarious mother to get Noah to stay to make sure his father is alright and to help the local theater company put on the show that just bombed on Broadway.

But things aren’t all that they seem, Noah realizes, and he finds more camaraderie and even family in the local theater group than he ever had in New York. And they change him in ways he never expected. Even more than that, there’s Luke Carter… the man he thought was his homophobic nemesis in high school and now works for his father.

Luke won’t stop flirting with him either.

So all isn’t as it seems and Noah’s journey of self-discovery is absolutely perfect to read and explore.

But that’s all the summary you’ll get from me because if that much sounds like the sort of book you like to read, you need to go on the journey with Noah to discover why Chase is an ass and why Luke is everything and how Elton John plays a role in it all!

I absolutely will be reading this novel again! It’s everything I didn’t even know I needed right now!

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I received an advance copy of Showmance through NetGalley and Penguin Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this advanced copy. You can pick up Showmance on October 1, 2024.

While I'm sure this book is delightful, romantic, and chock-full of theater shenanigans, I found very quickly that the writing was not for me. Some of the writer's choices immediately turned me off and made me set down the book, and I'm afraid I don't have a desire to pick it up again.

Synopsis: It’s the opening night of playwright Noah’s Broadway debut and the stars have seemingly aligned. He has a show debuting, with his best friend and perfect boyfriend/agent present. Then the review comes in and the floor plummets out from underneath Noah as he gets a call that his dad had a heart attack. Heading home to Plainview, IL, and his hometown community theater surprises him with an amateur production of the musical that bombed and they want him to stay and direct!

As if things couldn’t get any more cringey for Noah, his longtime rival and high school tormentor, Luke, is working on his parents’ farm and getting super close to Noah’s dad, with whom Noah’s relationship is complicated at best. AND he’s grown up to be even more handsome and kind of perfect in every way. Will Noah follow through with the newfound maturity he’s trying to put into practice or will the floor plummeting continue?

Review: Ok this book was just downright adorable! For those who loved The Guncle and When in Rome, this book is for you! Small town romance meets the magic of theater plus oddball (literal) cast of characters and dramatic family dynamics coming to a head in the hospital room. I enjoyed this book fully and read it over a long weekend. Highly recommend!

Thanks to @NetGalley and @penguinrandomhouse for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Everyone go out and get this one on 10/1!

A delight! Noah thought he had it all and then poof- he's back home at his parents' place with the people who do love him but don't quite get him. And then there's Luke, who was awful to him. Luke's working for his parents and, as it turns out he's not the bad guy Noah thought he was. And neither is anyone else in this small town that's more open and welcoming thanNoah thought. Staging his play. the play that tanked big time in New York opens his eyes. Luke's great as are all the other characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A generous one that made me smile.

On the heels of his first big Broadway flop, Noah returns home to Plainview, Illinois after his father has a heart attack. There he finds his feisty Midwestern mothers and his high school jock nemesis working on his father's farm. The local theater troupe has gotten special permission to put on his failed play, not seeming to care about its lackluster reception and only how proud they are of their hometown hero. But Noah doesn't feel like a hero and is convinced to stay in town to be with his recovering dad and help put on the show. During the rehearsal process, the cast and crew suggest small changes to the play that Noah realizes are what he should have done with it all along. And Luke, who he thought was a mean jock, turns out to be helping his father a lot and not the person Noah remembers. Will Noah find redemption and love in his hometown?

This book is songwriter Chad Beguelin's debut novel, but he is well known for Broadway musicals The Prom, The Wedding Singer, and helping adapt Aladdin and Elf for theater. So, he is not new to storytelling. I loved the witty banter and all the musical references and as is a theme with the show in the book, it has a lot of heart. If you like rom com's set in theater or gay rom com's, this one is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Some Broadway, some queer, some romance equals a fantastic story. I’m excited to see what this author does next.

I wish I could say my Broadway heart loved this but unfortunately it’s lacking to much, like depth in character development and romantic chemistry. After his musical's flop, Noah returns to his small town where the local theater wants to stage his show. Reluctantly, he agrees to direct, encountering a range of one-dimensional characters: his charming but inconsistent boyfriend Chase, a distractingly attractive high school bully Luke, and several plot-serving friends and family. Despite some touching moments and personal growth, the romance feels underdeveloped and unclear. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the digital review copy.

A cute m/m rom-com that was a little short on character development and romantic chemistry, but full of heartwarming moments and Broadway vibes. Noah's musical has opened and closed on the same night, and he returns to his podunk small town feeling like a failure. The community theater that he grew up with wants to stage his musical, and Noah reluctantly agrees to direct it. In the mix: Noah's charming boyfriend (and agent) Chase, whose character seemed to be pushed whichever way Beguelin needed it to go for the story he wanted to tell, Noah's high school bully Luke, who seems to be everywhere Noah is and is distractingly hot, a high school friend who is convenient for plot purposes but not much else, a NYC bestie who is convenient for plot purposes but not much else, a distant father Noah struggles to connect with, an over-the-top mother who is !zany! and loving, lots of people in the community theater who help move key plot points along... I just felt like most of the characters were cardboard cutouts, and Noah wasn't engaging enough to carry the story on his own. There are lots of little aha moments of revelation and growth, and that was nice, but in a romance I need to understand why the character fall for each other, and that was missing for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a digital review copy.

This was a fast-paced, fun and entertaining rom-com, set in a small town in Illinois (for the most part).

Noah Adams, a playwright whose first Broadway musical was just panned by critics and shut down after one show, returns to his hometown for a family emergency with his boyfriend/agent Chase. After his musical has flopped so badly, he's hoping to hide out for a bit to lick his wounds, even though being back home, a place he's never felt entirely comfortable and where he experienced bullying for being gay, has him on the defensive. Chase returns to NYC, while Noah stays behind, having been volunteered to direct an amateur production of his musical. A distraction, certainly, but one that allows him to reflect on where he went wrong and perhaps change his musical for the better. And learn a few things in the process.

Noah is high-strung and rather dramatic in words and actions. He can also be very cutting and snide with his comments, which seemed a defense mechanism to mask his insecurities, but also came across as hurtful on occasion. Thankfully, he realized this most of the time and tried to make amends when he hurt people's feelings.

Luke was Noah's high school nemesis, though Noah's recollection of Luke bullying him don't seem entirely based in reality. Luke's a good guy, he's been helping Noah's dad a lot, and he's nursed a crush on Noah for some time, it turns out.

I laughed a lot, but I also rolled my eyes at Noah's antics. I did enjoy that Noah got a chance to be a bit introspective and learn that his memories and expectations of the people in his town aren't what he thought they are. He learns quite a bit, and grows as a person.

The characters, including the supporting cast, are well-developed and believable. They felt realistic in their actions and reactions, and Noah and Luke's romance developed in sufficient time to be believable. The HEA is implied, and perhaps we'll see them again in a future novel by this author. The writing is engaging and immersive, and I didn't want to put the book down for any length of time.

Overall, this was a great read, and I'd recommend this to anyone who likes M/M rom-coms. I'd definitely be interested to read more from this author.

Showmance is a cute, sweet book with some good humor, a lot of theatre references, second chances, and a whole bunch of heart.

Noah Adams is a failure. Or at least he feels that way after the Broadway musical he wrote is panned and closes on opening night. Now he finds himself back in his hometown in Illinois helping the amateur community theater where he got his start put on a production of that very same musical.

The story was almost there. I felt that some sort of spark was missing. The build up to the relationship between Luke and Noah felt rather sudden and was missing tension. Luke, as a character, felt too perfect. Noah finds himself at one point saying that it was like he put all his hopes and dreams for a boyfriend into a generator and it created Luke. That is how it came across to me as a reader. I personally prefer a character with a bit more personality.

I did enjoy Noah’s continuing journey of self reflection and reshaping the way he sees himself, his relationship with his parents, the town he grew up in, and the people who live there.

The pacing felt a little strange to me. So much happens in the month that this book covers. Sometimes a day in the book would span a whole chapter, and other times multiple days would be glossed over. It felt very rush rush slow rush rush.

My favorite part was actually the supporting cast of characters, from Noah’s BFF Kiara, to the townspeople who help put on the musical. They helped bring some life, light, humor, and heart to the story. At one point Noah calls them a lovable band of misfits and I felt that was exactly right.

Overall, this was a good showing from this debut author. I would be interested I hearing more from them.

Solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads

An engrossing and fun read! Full of romance and humor. I could not put this book down, as I stayed up late racing to see what would happen next. More than once, it made me literally laugh out loud. Highly recommend to those looking for the next great queer rom-com read.

This is closer to a 2 but I can't bring myself to do it, so we'll settle for 2.5 rounded up.

As a lover of musical theater, I was thrilled to receive the ARC of this novel. Unfortunately I immediately took issues with a lot of the first half. The main character is like...nearly irredeemably awful, dripping with entitlement and ~woe is me~ while completely shrugging off everyone else's feelings. Misogyny, constant judgement, and I especially take umbrage with the idea that the folks from his small town don't...understand Shakespeare? It's a big to-do for Noah to explain what King Lear is about (seriously?). "Could this community theater amateur who works in a factory actually have a point?" - eugh.

Credit where it's due, the cast of characters is enjoyable and by the 2/3 mark, they were making up for a lot of the bad taste I had. The ending of the book was sweet, and Luke is undeniably a swoon-worthy love interest.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

I just couldn’t make myself enjoy this. I disliked the main character A LOT and all the dialogue felt over the top and quite clunky.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books | Penguin Books for the ARC! *Showmance* by Chad Beguelin is a lighthearted and entertaining rom-com centered around Noah Adams, a down-on-his-luck Broadway playwright who returns to his small hometown after his first Broadway show flops. While dealing with family issues, Noah gets roped into helping the local community theater stage his failed musical. To his surprise, the amateur cast offers some insightful suggestions, and Noah begins to see his hometown in a new light. Along the way, he reconnects with his old high school bully, Luke, who has since grown into a charming and beloved figure in town. The book is full of humor, romance, and snappy dialogue, making it a fun and charming read with a satisfying feel-good ending.

If you like Bobby from the musical Company, you will love this. Noah is a train wreck of a human. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hit a rough patch. But he’s an ass. He is quick to anger. He takes his feelings out with cruel remarks. (He admits it!) These beats are mere seconds on stage or screen, but we are in them for pages in a book. Watching a character be mean to others is not my favorite. This is definitely a personality trait people enjoy, but not me.

The cast of characters around Noah is the best part. The people in this town to come together because they love him, even when he doesn’t deserve it. The quirks of the townsfolk make Noah's NY sass stand out even more. They are almost the greek chorus to his tragedy. They provide perspective not just for the show they are remounting, but for Noah's life.

Luke is the best of cinnamon rolls/golden retrievers. I adore him. I can't say more without spoilers, but he is just too good for this world.

Overall, I feel this book is well written. The ability to write diverse characters with depth to them was the start of the show to me. I would love to see a book or story from Luke's POV. He has my heart.

3.25 stars - Showmance is a heartwarming tale of community, love, and of course, musical theatre. After another crash and burn situation with his latest musical, and his father's recent heart attack, Noah Adams finds himself of a flight back to Plainview, Illinois, the small town he escaped from as soon as he graduated. A trip that was originally only going to last a few days - enough time to check on his family and lick his wounds - turns into a month long stay where he's to direct an amateur production of the very show he's convinced just ruined his career. Throw in a gossiping mother and emotionally stunted father, a (temporarily) long distance boyfriend, and one high school bully who's apparently his father's right hand man, and Noah's not sure how he's supposed to survive these next four weeks.

Noah is one of those characters that comes on strong and can be a bit off-putting - for while he's funny, witty, and charming, he's also stubborn, conceited, and lacking a filter at times. Though I do think these flaws make him real in a way that makes you root for him as often as you want to shake him in frustration. This story was an absolute joy to watch unfold because you could see the character growth happen. As much as I enjoyed the sweet romance, I couldn't help but be drawn even more to the delightful cast of characters and their impact on Noah and his work.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As former theatre kid (and still a theatre adult 🤪) and a lover of rom coms, this was such a treat! I had such a wonderful time with this story and characters.

Wow, this was an incredible book. From start to finish, it had me reading way into the night to see what would happen next. The author did a fantastic job in handling a few plot twists, and the character development was fantastic. Hghly recommended.

I did receive a copy of the eArC from NetGalley.