My review
The story as the name suggests, goes henceforth. James (Jim as he is known as) breaks up with his dominating boyfriend and joins an online dating app to try and find a new boyfriend, a new life. At the behest and encouragement of his best friend, Bella, he starts a blog about his disastrous dates, using an alias One More Romeo, searching for his last Romeo…
Till Jim blogs and tweets about his Olympian swimmer date, and the entire rigmarole of the wrong swimmer being named, the real date knowing about the blog, twitter community in a furore, and Jim being sandwiched between all this.
This is the debut novel by the author and fellow blogger, Justin Myers. And what a fabulous entry to the land of published literature. This was my first book where the main character is a gay guy, and I definitely got an eyeful of information. I am still blushing…
Jim is quirky, insecure, and does not know his real potential. It is through his dates and o boy.. some of them were major catastrophes (worse than my dates), that I slowly got to know him. It took me time to warm up to his character, and then it was smooth sailing. He is so much fun, most of the times, and his dates or rather the blogging of his dates were so humorous…
Like all his followers, it didn’t take me time to follow him, his life, and his alter ego Romeo. I like the fact that the author, Justin Myers, has slowly merged the real and the online virtual life so well, that Jim starts losing the real values to the virtual adulation. It takes a swift kick to his awesome arse for him to come back to real life.
Justin has made the main character very lovable, and Jim comes across as a genuine guy who is trying to find his way to life and love. Sometimes like all of us, Jim trying to swim against the current… It is just too difficult. Jim’s friendships with all the other characters was very authentic, and some of them were quite outlandish too.
As in any book, there are a few niggles; in the beginning of the story, it feels as if he just sails through life doing the bare minimum. I couldn’t identify with a thirty four year old just barely hanging on to his career and not even doing it well. There seems to be no fire in Jim. I know I am being old fashioned, but there is a lot of sex (though not described in detail). But those come across as funny eccentricities.
Finding love after a certain age is quite difficult, and I understand when Jim panics. But the river of life always finds its way out and so did Jim/Romeo…
I end the review with a quote from the book where Jim realises the truth of his life
Everything I’d done, the men, the mistakes, the fans, the haters, the writing -— they’d all brought me here. I’d changed so much, some of it for the worse, but I’d come out the other side…
This is so true, Justin Myers, this is all we can do. It is definitely entertaining to see Jim going through all the emotions and stages, from immaturity to growth, from fear to strength, from routine to different, and from despondency to courage. A wacky, hilarious read with generous sprinkles of emotions, on a bed of hope..
P.S. If you want to know if Jim found his last Romeo, maybe he did, maybe he didn’t… For that you’ve got to read this book to know…
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher, Little Brown Book Group, UK and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating : 3.5 stars
About the Author
Justin Myers is a writer and editor from Shipley, Yorkshire, who now lives in London. After years working in journalism, he began his popular, anonymous dating blog The Guyliner in 2010, which soon led to his role as dating and advice columnist in Gay Times. He joined British GQ as a weekly columnist in 2016 and his work has appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed and the Irish Times.
Book blurb
James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she’s moving to Russia. Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.
After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he’s always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises maybe, in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. Seriously, wherefore art thou Romeo…
Product Details
Publication date :
Publisher : Little Brown Book Group Uk
Language : English
Available on Amazon
40 Responses
Good work Shalini on many fields. All the best for great success. My support is pledged
Kurian, seriously from your mouth to God’s ears. Fingers crossed
Lovely Shalini. Like I said my support in any which way
I am feeling too emotional today Kurian. I have tears in my eyes, with your lovely words
Oh my God! That’s the sweetest I have heard for a long long time.
And by the way I cry easily for joy and it’s moist 😍
Awww… Same here. I don’t cry.. But sometimes I do
By the way I just messaged my friend Ankur Mittal to join Digital Reads. I am going to ask many, including Neetha Joseph, blog friend based in Australia who posted me her book which I liked very much.
I am planning to send a copy to you
Cool
👍
I have a wonderful support on you
👍😊
Nice review 👍
Thank you, wrote it in February, didn’t even remember I had this review scheduled
Oo, how is ur health now
Down with sore throat and fever
Get well soon
Fantastically written review. Drew me in, right away.
Really… Thank you so much. I wrote it months ago. Maybe last year as the publisher wanted it to be posted today.
Thank you for another great review, Shalini! This story sounds really interesting. A relationship between gays, i also never before read about this. Michael
My first such book. It was fun, a bit scandalous
Scandalous? Equal to “Shades of Grey”? 😉
Hahaha… No not so descriptive… But by my standards🙈🙈
Oh we should discus you standards. Should we? 🙂
Hahahaha yp… I am the innocent babe😉😉😊😊
I will believe! 😉
I am glad you do
🙂
You are so amazing! Thank you! Michael
Aaah that is so sweet of you. I need a favor Michael. Would you reblog my today’s post. I am starting a blog tour. So I need book bloggers for the tour. Please
Yes, no problem! With a great pleasure. You also can inform Sally. She will make a note to over 20000 bloggers. Here is the address:
https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com
I am a little scared of her, no idea how to approach her. Will mail her tomorrow
No problem Shalini. She is gentle and also amazing (like you). Here i have a second address for you: thestoryreadingapeblog.wordpress.com. Chris has also a lot more followers, and actually my blog is “privaticised”, because i have some fear about this new european data protection rule. Something inside wp.com – some cookies – i think are not allowed. But i am airing all reblogs and posts automated to twitter,facebook and a lot of rss-feed-reader. 😉 Michael
Thank you so much. I will contact her. But she does free promotion, still will mail her
Yes, i think there is no problem. They (Sally and Chris) are always engaged in helping other authors and writers for free. Dont stress your brain. Michael
I won’t. I sleep it is 1 30 am.. Thank you once again
No problem Shalini. I will ask em. Wish you good dreams. Michael
Good night. Thank you for your help. No idea what good deeds I have done that I have friends like you. Heartfelt gratitude, your words gave me courage that I can pull off this blog tour
However i will roll the drums! 🙂
Thank you. Much appreciated
I saw it and deleted.