Leading Man

by Benjamin Svetkey

In the tradition of David Nicholls and Nick Hornby comes a hilarious, bittersweet, heartwarming debut novel about love of all first, unrequited, delusional, obsessive, and, ultimately, the kind that lasts.

At 26, Maxwell Lerner thinks he has his whole life figured out. He's got the girl--his high-school sweetheart Samantha. He's got the job--low-level reporter for a prestigious national magazine. He even lives with aforementioned girl in a walk-up studio apartment in the West Village. Life is sweet. Until his aspiring actress girlfriend leaves him for his childhood hero, Johnny Mars, who, as action adventurer "Jack Montana," features in some of Max's favorite movies. Getting dumped for one of his idols sets Max off on a dual to get inside the glamorous world Samantha left him for, and to win her back. But when Samantha's perfect life takes an unexpected turn, Max gets more of an education, in life and in love, than he bargained for.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Benjamin Svetkey interviewed celebrities and wrote about pop culture for Entertainment Weekly for more than twenty years, serving as the magazine’s LA bureau chief from 2004 to 2007, and as an editor at large until 2012. Svetkey has also published stories in The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Time International, and Spy magazine, the famous satirical monthly of the late 1980s, where he started his career in journalism.

Svetkey grew up in Edgemont, New York, attended the University of Vermont, and received his master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. He currently lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife, Lenka, and their three-year-old daughter, Chloe.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars? Maybe 3? Still unsure...

Hmm. I... Don't know what I think about this book.

It didn't interest me at first, and it wasn't as awe inspiring as all the blurbs made it sound, but it wasn't a bad read. I didn't find it as charming or funny as I was led to believe, but it wasn't terrible.

Honestly? It was a coming of age story. It was a story about growing up and coming to terms with your life. It was about accepting things that aren't going the way you want them to go. It's about seeing the world that you really live in and not the world you wish it was. (I really did enjoy that part of things!)

This was a good book, it did have meaning, it just wasn't an AMAZING story. I didn't connect with the main character until too late and I didn't find all the celebrity chatter and Hollywood nonsense appealing. It was quirky and rather sad.

I think what I'm trying to say is this; If I hadn't won this book I would have stopped reading about 50 pages in. I'm glad I didn't stop, but only because the main character started to grow up towards the end of the book. Overall I found it an average read that lacked the depth I was expecting.

**10/4/13 - Woohoo! Finally received my copy! Glad to have it, and can't wait to jump in!***

**9/28/13 - A little bummed... Still have not received my copy in the mail. Maybe it's just a bit behind?**

**8/24/13 - Just received notification that I've won this book from GoodReads First Reads! Yay!**

[C.S.R. Calloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I started off loving this book, got to being frustrated with it, and finally put it down far more satisfied than many recent books I've read.

First, I'm all about the entertainment world, so I was enticed by what I thought would be a fairy-tale of sorts with the main character, 26 year old Max, and one of the first famous performers he interacts with. This book isn't exactly a fantasy, though the scattering of fake films based on real movies and fake stars based on real actors and hilarious mock events (the Betty White name drop SLAYED me) was certainly up my alley.

The moment I began rolling my eyes says more about my expectations than it does about the novel. Learning about Max's past away from the glamorous 2D movie environments was not exactly how I wanted to spend scene after scene, but eventually I began caring about Max and the characters that scattered his very real and very three dimensional world.

When we finally understand how intricately the two differing worlds are connected through Max's DNA, the cruise control is set and the finale is more than expected. I was pleased with Max's journey, and Benjamin Svetkey writes him sweetly at turns, cluelessly at others, but never falsely. A true triumph of character development and writing.

[Paullette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would that the possibility of half-stars existed for ratings! While I feel that 4 stars is a bit generous for *Leading Man,* giving it 3 seemed unforgivably stingy for a book whose only crime, really, was in not being quite as good as I'd hoped. And high hopes I did indeed have--the novel promised a complete checklist of the very few things in life (speaking from the depths of middle-aged complacency) that I still care anything about: fame, 90's-era celebrities, romance, and pop culture of the past 30 years. Oh, and Prague. The tossed-off book jacket comparisons to Nick Hornby sparked both shameful interest and instant protectiveness on my part; this is neither the time nor place to go into my deep, unholy love of Mr. Hornby, but suffice to say I have learned not to look for Nick Hornby anywhere other than Mr. Hornby himself (at least until that restraining order took effect). And I guess this is really where the novel disappointed me--not in *not* being *High Fidelity,* but in lacking a distinctive, winning voice for its protagonist. A consistent degree of narrative distance in the text minimized the emotional stakes for Our Hero, leaving just the arguably pleasant diversion of a trip down Entertainment Weekly Lane. And don't get me wrong, I was *all* over that; I read the book cover-to-cover in a span of 28 hours, so I don't know what the hell I'm complaining about, it obviously kept me turning pages. It also contained many startlingly beautiful and original descriptions: snowflakes like cotton balls, swans so large they could be saddled, Los Angeles pictured as a town without adult supervision. Bottom line? I liked the book; I just didn't *love* it. I will totally read Svetkey's next one, though--I think it'll be a doozy.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really give the book a 3.5 star, but I'm ok with giving it 4.
I found the book humorous and I enjoyed all the nods to pop culture - especially from the earlier days. There seemed to be more of these comments about old tv shows etc at the beginning of the book and I often found myself smiling as it conjured up memories from my younger days.
Mas as a character was well developed (well, in the book - in his actual life, Max was not very actualized!) I enjoyed watching him grow and was glad to see that he had a pretty major transformation by the end of the book. But, I don't want to give too much away.
Read it for sheer entertainment value and maybe learn a life lesson along the way...

[wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy reading pleasurable experience about a man who lets the love of his life slip away - and to a Hollywood superstar no less. Then he finds a second possible life mate and this one seems to slip through his hands also even while he maneuvers to get into the good graces of his first love when opportunity knocks again on that front. This book is funny in spots and heartfelt in others as this Mr. Everyman struggles to find the girl of his dreams. It reads like your most comfortable pair of bedroom slippers feel on your feet. I really liked it.

[Pamela Hovanec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I FOUND MAX FUNNY, GOOFY AND NEEDED A ATTITUDE REFRESHER ON WOMAN.. ALL IN ALL I LIKED THE BOOK VERY MUCH, WE REALLY NEVER GET OVER OUR 1ST LOVES AND IM GLAD IT ENDED WITH HIM FINDING LOVE AGAIN AND NOT W/ SAMMY. HER AND MR MARS, WELL, HE WAS THOUGHTFUL FOR "HIMSELF" BUT IT WORKED OUT IN THE END FOR ALL. GREAT JOURNEYS TO EXOTIC, FUN PLACES , EXCITING PEOPLE, A GREAT READ! THANKS

PAMELA

[May Hui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes long winded about describing stuff but entertaining.

[Molly]

This book is about a journalist who follows fame because he is fascinated by it. His girlfriend goes off with a famous man. I read it because I, too, often ask myself about fame. I was not particularly enlightened by the book. I did find out about a certain kind of journalism, the writers who follow celebrities and write about them. The book has a romantic story running through it that is not bad.

[Roberta G. Mower · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh?

Good writing, story was pathetic with no ending. I do not think that I will bother to look for other books by this author.

[Sondra Stark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay

I was promised witty and didn't really find it. Main character not very engaging and it took way too long for him to find "the real meaning of life", if indeed, that was the whole purpose of this book.

[Nick Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is from my blog about the book

Just finished off another good read, this one by Benjamin Svetkey a former writer at Entertainment Weekly who took his past life experience and turned it into a really great little book called Leading Man. It is a quick read at only 230pgs but he manages to cram a lot of humor, sympathy, tragedy and revelation into this short little novel. The main man in the novel is Max a writer at KNOW a magazine that seems to be a catchall for news and entertainment. We meet Max as he is looking back at his relationship with the love of his life Samantha. She is a beautiful young girl when they met and they have been together since they where children. He thinks they are destined to be together and until she meets his childhood idol Johnny Mars they are. Then before he evens knows that the two of them are together she is being photographed with Mars out on dates. This is a hard way to learn about it but he holds on to the pipe dream of them being together even after Johnny and Samantha get married.

I am in weird situation here, I so want to tell you all about this book but if I give away one thing it leads to wanting to give away the next step so here is what I am willing to say about this book. Mr. Svetkey gives great examples of the interviews and parties he has attended over the years while never giving away who these people are. It was an interesting almost first hand look behind the veil while also getting to read a really great love story about an adult man struggling to come to terms with love, loss, growing up, and whole bunch of other mature topics when he is really ill prepared to do so.

The other thing I will tell you is this, if I haven’t given you enough information to read this book then just ignore me and do it. I don’t usually like these kinds of books and don’t read them but was very pleasantly surprised by this one, if I had any one complaint it would be that it could have use a bit more in the character development department where the minor players were concerned but aside from that pick it up. it will be at my local library shortly as my wife is reading my copy now and when she is done I will be donating it to them so that more people can enjoy this excellent book. On my rating scale I would give 4 and half pieces of bacon out of 5.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love pop culture and anything that has to do with movies. I love movies so much, I even have a film studies minor at school. Needless to say, when I read the synopsis for this one and saw that the author was a writer for Entertainment Weekly, I couldn't wait to read it.

Max feels like nothing in his life can go wrong- he has his high school sweetheart by his side, a job reporting on the world's television celebrities, and home he loves in New York. But when his girlfriend lands a part in a play acting besides Max's idol and televisions superhero, everything falls apart. Max finds himself losing his girlfriend to his hero and has no idea what to do. Burying himself in his work and obsessing over pop culture, Max tries to figure life out, which involves finally getting over his girlfriend whether he wants to or not.

Normally I don't like books that have a lot of talk and not a lot of actually action, but I loved this one. Max's life is just so interesting and I loved how much he talked about pop culture and made references to different movies. While his life may seem perfect and amazing, there are obviously bad parts and he learns a lot throughout the years that pass through this book.

The other characters that make up this read were great too. From the other celebrities he interviews to his best friend, you couldn't get a cast of characters more perfect for the book. I even liked Samantha with her insomnia and need to still be friends with Max, even though she's the one who broke his heart after dating for years.

Max changes and learns so much throughout the book. I think about 10 years passes from beginning to end, and the entire journey is definitely an interesting one. I even laughed out loud at some points (seriously, ask my sister) and it was a pretty quick read. If you're looking for an entertaining book about the entertainment world, you better pick up a copy of Leading Man. You're in for a fun look into a world of fame, celebrities, and a little bit heartbreak.

[Neil McCrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Max's twenty-something dreams for his future are dashed when his childhood sweetheart leaves him for a famous action movie star. In response Max directs his writing efforts towards entertainment journalism and tries to uncover the appeal of celebrity. What follows is twenty years of rom-com shenanigans interspersed with musings on celebrity culture.

The only thing that differentiates Leading Man from any other dick-lit, Nick Hornby lite novel is the extended look at the entertainment industry. Benjamin Svetkey wrote for Entertainment Weekly for several years and would seem to be in an excellent position to shed a different light on our celebrity obsessed culture. Sadly, his observations are facile at best.

The novel could have been saved if it had enough wit, but the humor usually falls flat. It varies from the tedious, a running gag about an action movie franchise wherein the hero tosses the antagonist off of a famous American landmark at the end of every film, to the superficial, something difficult would be likened to working with Lars von Trier. Some of the film parodies are just . . . off. The source of humor in the Mike Leigh parodies is supposed to be how ridiculously sad they are, but they in no way resemble any movie Mike Leigh has made exaggerated or not. Most annoying of all, Max is supposed to be a pop culture obsessive, but he regularly gets his trivia wrong. At one point he describes the slave Leia costume as having come from The Empire Strikes Back rather than Return of the Jedi, and this is NOT part of some running gag. Max really IS supposed to be knowledgeable about film trivia and yet he either gets things wrong or expresses his knowledge in the most banal way possible. It is as if Svetky had a checklist (Woody Allen reference . . . check, Marx Brothers . . . check, etc) without any heart behind it.

Leading Man is a quick, breezy read, and I can think of quite a few people who would enjoy it, but I was hoping for at least a little bit more substance.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: Leading Man by Benjamin Svetkey Note: I received this book from A GoodReads GiveAway.
 
I am doing a 'Pass It On' with a Book GiveAway on my blog's Facebook page!
All you need to do is 'Like' my Facebook post and comment HERE!  I will be numbering your comments and then using the True Random Number Generator to choose the book giveaway winner.  If this book interests you head on over to the Facebook post to enter!  Please share with your friends who you think may be interested as well!
(United States entries ONLY please!)
 


Max Lerner has always been caught up in the lives of the rich and famous. It began with his childhood idol, Johnny Mars. The book takes a look back at Max's relationship with his one true love, Samantha, and the devastation he faces when she and Johnny Mars marry.Max is a writer for KNOW magazine, which is a great fit for him since he is infatuated with those who are famous. He interviews celebrities, travels to exotic locations and tries to get over Samantha (with little success.) Benjamin Svetkey, the author of 'Leading Man', was a writer and editor for Entertainment Weekly magazine for two decades and definitely draws upon his experiences for material in this book.Although I found the ins and outs of movie set life, celebrity interviews, pop culture and traveling interesting, after awhile it seemed to be a bit monotonous. I really liked the meet-ups that popped up between Max Lerner and the actor Alistair MacLean. Alistair's character seemed to be the smartest in the book. I would've liked more dialogue between them.All in all, this is a quick read and the story line has you wanting to find out what happens in the end.  Thanks to GoodReads & Vintage/Anchor books for this giveaway! 

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is sweet.

Max is living the dream. His high school sweetheart Samantha is an aspiring actress. He is working for a prestigious national magazine. They are living together in an apartment in the West Village.

Then Samantha is swept off her feet by another actor, Johnny Mars, who Max idolizes himself. His Jack Montana movies are some of Max’s favorites.

Max spends years trying to win Samantha back only she doesn’t know it. He is working in the glamorous world Samantha left him for interviewing A List actors trying to make himself so important she’ll leave Johnny and come back to him. Will it work?

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This is a true coming of age story, but I really had a hard time with the fact that a seemingly very intelligent man just couldn’t get on with his life when his high school girlfriend moved on with hers. I know first loves always hold a place in our heart but this was just a little hard for me to swallow.

It is well written in that much of the back story was very interesting. The jetting around the world to movie sets and interviewing the actors, but the main character Max was lost to me in this story. I pitied him, I was not rooting for him. The cover say this story was funny and they may have been a couple of moments of humor I wouldn’t call it funny.

I like a main character that even when the chips are down you see them rally. Life is not all rainbows and happy endings but it is what you make of it and frankly Max did have a fabulous job and couldn’t have evolved and grew but he just fell flat on these pages. The book gets better near the end and there is a twist the changed my feelings about Max just a tad but not enough to give this book more than 3 stars.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book enormously. It is very funny, has some very shrewd observations to make on modern celebrity and is a very involving story.

The tale is narrated by Max, a successful journalist whose subject is celebrity, film and popular culture. He is a very engaging protagonist: self-deprecating, witty and sometimes waspish, but also touching in his depiction of his own broken heart over Samantha, his One True Love whom he lost many years ago. There is some wisdom among the wit and this combination makes it a very enjoyable story.

It is very readable. To give a flavour, there is a great little paragraph which begins Chapter 4, beginning, "Interviewing celebrities is not as easy as it looks. It's a delicate process, not unlike coaxing a frightened kitten out from under a bed...Whatever you do, avoid asking questions that require any serious thinking. You don't want to startle them." Or talking about the aftermath of his break-up with Samantha, "I tried to fall in love again. Really I did. I sure dated a lot. Or maybe "dates" isn't the right word for what went on. They were more like drive-by fondlings." If you like this, you'll like the book.

The prose is crisp and very readable and characters exceptionally well-drawn and believable. There were a lot of references to US popular culture, not all of which I got, but I didn't mind that. It's not especially original and is a bit like High Fidelity mixed with a rom-com, with digs at celebrity culture and musings on the nature of fame thrown in. All this was just fine with me; it made me laugh, it made me think a little, it was genuinely touching in places and was a terrifically enjoyable read. I recommend this very warmly - it's a real treat.

[Alex M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real rating is probably 4.5 but I decided to round up.
I got this as an ARC back in September, and then I just did not have the time to read it (or anything else, sadly) until now.
I have to admit that I was also putting it off, dreading actually having to read it. I don't know what I was thinking when I entered the contest for this book, but when I got it, I hated the both the title and blurb on the back. It sounded dull, like a regular light romance that was all about feeling good about life and everyone being happy blah blah blah. Needless to say, romance novels are not my thing. (Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone; this is merely an opinion.)
But I knew I had to read it, since I was fortunate enough to get this one, and I must say that I was so pleased with it when all was said and done.
This story is full of characters that are interesting and totally human in the sense that none of them are perfect. The main character, while I pitied or liked him sometimes, really irritated me other times. And I love characters like that.
Yes, there is kind of a romance story in here somewhere, but I think it's more about self-discovery and a reflection on life and love and fame. Maybe it's not a super deep, philosophical look at all three, but it's enough to make you think (or, it was enough to make me think, anyway). I love the wit and the pop culture references, real or not. And the ones that weren't real were so well-crafted that in a few cases I believed they were.
Honestly, I really liked this book, and I am so glad that I got it and finally just read it.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

This exploration of the many aspects of love, self-discovery, and fame is really very engagingly written. The narrator practices a humbled chagrin on his voyage through finding meaning in love and growing up that immediately makes him sympathetic. In fact this was the first book by a male author with a male narrator that I have read in a long time that I could actually identify with.

On it's surface, it is the story of a man who loses his girlfriend to his childhood hero and all of his attempts to get her back, through careful patience and support. In the end though, it is a journey of self-discovery, a sort of coming of age tale for those of us who have already come of age and are struggling to find love and meaning in life as adults, proving that every year is a formative year, not just the ones when we were children.

This book packs a punch, and is aided by its length. Many authors would have felt the need to drag out this story which actually spans many years, over hundreds more pages than it's succinct 240. But I think it is more impactful because it's not a long drawn out saga. (I also think it would make for a great film adaptation). The author makes his case, establishes his points and knocks it out of the ballpark before the reader ever has a chance to ask why? It is a quick read but not a stupid read.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to almost anyone.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading Leading Man, but to be honest I'm not sure what to think about it. I won my copy through First Reads, so I wanted to provide a fair review - otherwise I don't think I would've necessarily finished the book. I completely agree with another reviewer here that pointed out that there seems to be a disconnect between the cover copy and the text. I kept anticipating the promised "ridiculously fun read" with heartwarming charm, but in my opinion it fell a bit short. My other problem is the protagonist was so incredibly shallow and hung up on the past that he refused to move forward in his life. He was stuck repeating the same destructive patterns, unwilling to do anything to change them, yet at the same time disliking his choices. I understand that the author's intent was to highlight the shallow world of fame and all it entails, but I seriously wanted to yell at Max to grow up, quit his incessant pouting, and get over himself.

Fortunately, through the course of the book some of the issues that drove me batty were resolved, and by the end I finally was beginning to have some sympathy for Max (hence my rating of 3 stars). I actually enjoyed the author's writing style. It was a quick and easy read ideally suited to a bit of escapist reading. If you are a star-obsessed follower of celebrities or a devotee of the latest supermarket gossip rags then Leading Man could be an ideal read for you.

[Jes Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Interested in pop culture, and want to thinking philosophically about fame? Then this book may just be for you - if you don't mind a prolonged love obsession.

Let me start with what I liked about the book: Eliska. I loved her character. That, and I liked certain aspects of the friendship between Max and Sammy. Other than that, I had a hard time staying interested in the plot and, afraid to admit, actually skimmed through some parts. I didn't understand a majority of the pop culture references, apart from some actors' names that I recognized. Mix that with names of places (restaurants, hotels, or cities/streets) that I couldn't pronounce (much less know about) lead to a very irritating read.

I can't believe that Max maintained an obsession with Samantha for as long as he did (about a decade or more) with the hope of getting her back. Most people would just take the emotional issues, and relationship damage and just take that with them throughout their life - as opposed to staying friends and enduring masochistic pain chasing after unrequited love. Two of the main twists in the plot came from Johnny Mar's developing cancer, and Samantha's death and that's where most of the excitement of the book lies, unfortunately.

Overall, the reader needs to have an interest in celebrities, fame and pop-culture to start otherwise the book won't be overly appealing to read.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of this from Vintage Books/Anchor Books for review as part of a GoodReads giveaway. Thank you to these publishers!

I paused in reading Bill Bryson's "One Summer: America, 1927" in order to read "Leading Man". Interestingly, in Bryson's book, he was discussing 1927 society's love of celebrity and occasion how dozens would gather for events. And here is another book that centers around ideas of celebrity and fame. What ho, fellow readers! It's fun to discover a similar thread or theme in books, isn't it?

This book is easy to engage with and entertaining. It's also full of several cliches and has a particular lack of depth. But, is that intentional? Is that meant to parallel the cliches and particular lack of depth in (or at least perceived in) celebrity? I'm unsure. My close reading skills are naught today (I was up late last night at a concert. For music, not celebrity, though I am a huge fan of the band members. I digress...)

At the end of the day, this book is largely the average 3 stars because of ordinary, not particularly great characters. Their story was fairly interesting, their personalities were not. As a huge fan of character-driven books, I have to knock off a few stars for that. I think of this being, at best, a good travel or beach read.

[Katey Lovell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmmm. Where do I start here?


I thought this would be right up my reading alley. I love books set in glamorous locations full of celebrity and debauchery. I love books with good humour, and romance and first love.


But I seriously struggled with this one.


Do you know how long it took me to read? Eight months. Yes, you read that correctly. EIGHT MONTHS. I read a few pages and then couldn't stand any more, but for some reason I wouldn't let this book beat me. I kept slogging on (and it was a slog), waiting for it to pick up pace. But it didn't.


So, what did I dislike? Firstly, as mentioned above, it had an incredibly slow pace. I am not someone who needs constant entertaining when reading. I can accept passages, chapters or even whole books where not much happens. But in order for me to enjoy a book I an engaging writing style and I didn't feel this offered me that. Secondly, I couldn't tell if this was satirical or not. At times I thought it must be, but even as I finished it I was left confused about just how seriously (or not) this book took itself. Thirdly, I couldn't relate to the characters at all. Max was self centred, and childish and generally an all round irritating man.


I hate writing bad reviews as I know how hard authors work, but this one just wasn't for me. I wish I hadn't persevered.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Svetkey has a very poignant, interesting style that really appealed to me in this story. His use of the English language shows a definite understanding of humor, drama, conversation, and scene setting. I doubt anyone could write this story any better; it just wasn't that much of a story to me.

Max Lerner is a writer for an entertainment magazine. Within the space of not too many years, he goes from living with the love of his life and working his dream job to losing both her and his passion for his trade. As a result, he bounces from meaningless relationship to meaningless relationship, and is often empty and hollow even as he surrounds himself with the excesses of life. Through some meaningful experiences coupled with some random happenings, he learns that he can take control of his life and his happiness, and resolves to "take the shot."

I did like how the author weaved in real celebrities and real media with fake celebrities and entertainment titles necessary to create the story. Again, Svetkey shows a real talent for using language to make the combination believable and meaningful.

Loved the writing, liked some of the characters, just found the story a bit flat.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Goodreads.com not only because I can explore the great new books that entice my very eclectic interests, but also because the site provides opportunities for me to read about and occasionally win a book outside my usual focus, and, therefore broaden my horizons. I was delighted to win Benjamin Svetkey's Leading Man from Goodreads because I had never before read a modern romance from a male point of view. Yes, the book is a love story of sorts, but it is so much more. The protagonist is Max, whose girlfriend dumps him to date and then marry the actor who starred as Max's childhood hero. Max blames the lure of fame and begins a quest to learn the nature of fame with the hope of winning back the girl. He learns a lot about fame, but even more about himself. I enjoyed the book immensely. The characters are well drawn and believable, the hero is charmingly flawed, the plot contains surprising twists, and the answers to the protagonist's quest are food for thought for us all. Thanks to Goodreads, I have found another writer to watch for and read. Leading Man is a fun yet moving read.

[Arlene Hayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having received this story as a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway novel, I found Leading Man to be a rather charming story about Max, a reporter at a prestigious magazine who falls in love with Samantha, his first high school sweetheart. When Samantha meets Johnny Mars, a famous actor, and joins the celebrity world, Max continues his unrequited love for Samantha throughout the ensuing years.
This story interested me from two perspectives. Because I know someone who is similar to Max in being unable to make a commitment to one special woman, I was curious about Max’s character and how the story would play out. Additionally, because the story presented insight into celebrity and the movie-making culture, I was intrigued by the concept of fame and how the media industries cultivate that concept.
Aside from that, I don’t think that the writing was incredibly engaging, and I somehow thought that the author could have drawn the reader further into the story by developing Max and Samantha’s characters even more.
Reading Leading Man was kind of like reading a cozy mystery, with limited suspense or allure, but nevertheless, providing the reader with a satisfactory experience.

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leading Man is a fun and easy to read contemporary focusing on fame, the famous, and love, love, love. While it does have a lot to do with love, this isn’t a mushy-gushy kind of read with tears and moments of swooning, and that made me enjoy it all the more. The main character really got the raw end of the deal when his girlfriend starts dating one of the most famous movie stars and the one that’s his favorite star as well. Luckily for us there are lots of fun bits and pieces about the entertainment industry from a journalist’s point of view, so that breaks up what could be utter despair.
The author knows his stuff and is aware of the lifestyle and culture within the acting community and portrays it in a realistic and charming way. While his character may not have wanted to be the writer that he is, it’s clear that the author picked the right path of his own.

Book Received: For free from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewer: Jessica for Book Sake

[AM H · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is kind of like chick-lit but written from a guy's perspective. So would that make it guy-lit? Anyway, it's basically about Max's love life. How he had a girlfriend named Samantha but he was totally selfish & took her for granted so he lost her to his idol an actor named Johnny Mars. Max's journey is about self-discovery, that he was a real asshole of a boyfriend and as a person in general. He never really considered other people's feelings or desires. It's not until he gets older that he realizes how he lived his life was pretty crappy. And in the end he also realizes he never really deserved Samantha.

Well, this book is extremely wordy. And because Max is such an asshole during much of this book it wasn't that fun to read. No woman likes a guy who basically uses women like a kleenex: one use then throws them away. That's what Max was like. He would do anything to sleep with a woman and then turn around and never call her or see her again. Pretty selfish. I just liked that at the end Max realizes how horribly he treated Samantha.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leading Man was a light read, and I thought it was okay but I wanted to like it more. I never got too attached to any of the characters, and the plot was slow at times. It felt like the main character, Max, was learning life lessons much later than anyone ought to, and it was easy to get frustrated with him. It was a story about our obsession with fame, and Max's journey of learning how to truly love someone; I couldn't help but think that those two points would have been better explored from Sammy's point of view, which would have lead to a deeper and more interesting story.

Despite my problems with the story itself, I enjoyed the author's writing style and found the book easy to read and humorous at times. It would be a good book for vacation or any time you need an amusing read that doesn't require a whole lot of mental energy.

I received a copy of this from Vintage Books through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Lerner's life is perfect. He is an entertainment reporter at a magazine and he has girlfriend that he loves. But then, he finds out that his girlfriend is now dating his action start hero. Max's life begins to take a downward spiral, even though his career is taking off.

The main thing that I love about this book is that it is a coming of age story about someone in their twenties. Since the main character is within my age range, I found his thoughts and feelings to be very relatable, even though our circumstances are totally different. Another thing that I liked about the book is that it spans about ten years of Max's life, so you get to know him and grow/learn with him.

Overall, I liked Leading Man because it was a fun, fast read.

(I won this book through First Reads)

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. It was a light read and didn't necessarily grab me, however, there were parts of it that were interesting. I liked the main character at first, he seemed to be an honest guy, not the brightest when it comes to women. Eventually though, I did get a bit annoyed by him. He was so caught up in one unavailable women he couldn't get out of it. I realize he was in love, but eventually you have to move on. It was kind of sad really. I hope the author did not base this on a true life event. :-)

I was amused by the insight into Hollywood and the celebrities. It is hard to believe people are that self absorbed. Oh wait, maybe not. Anyway, for a simple quick read and something you don't want to get too vested in, I do recommend this book.