Let me be honest. I love my life. I’m a successful writer with a smash hit debut novel. I live in Hollywood where sex, drugs, and alcohol, three things I live for, can be found here to excess.
When I’m asked to go home and give a commencement speech at my former university, I don’t mind using the time away to finish up my follow-up novel. I don’t expect to fall in love with a woman from my past, but I do, my former teacher.
Claire.
I’d love nothing more than to show the older woman who owns my heart just how hard I’ve fallen. Fate doesn’t agree and keeps us apart, much to both of our dismay.
Will we be able to fight the forces that separate us and be together? Or are we destined to never find our happy ending?
~ A raunchy and hilarious adventure from start to finish! ~
Jason Handler is an American poet, writer, and author. He has spent time traveling with a band he used to play in and has always enjoyed writing. If songs he wrote didn't work as songs, he'd repurpose them into poems. Today, he enjoys spending his free time with his family and writing books that are relatable to his readers.
For me this is a coming of age/mid-life crisis tale of sex, fuck ups and growing up!
Right off the bat he’s giving me Patrick Bateman vibes. I think I’m supposed to hate him a little because he’s so misogynistic. I suppose only time will tell.
I had to laugh to myself when his mom asked that his next book be less raunchy. It reminded me of my brother who was always pushing me to write horror.
I love the inclusiveness, especially with the trans characters. Love is love!
You’re really mad about what Amanda did at the movie premiere? Double standards much?
I can’t tell you how much I wanted Dan and Casey’s story. I haven’t seen a lot of romances with trans women as the FMC and they’re just so sweet and Dan is so respectful, even when he had his fears.
I’m so relieved that Jason decided to pull up his big boy pants and get his life together. Perhaps doing it for a woman wasn’t the most honorable reasoning but a win is a win.
You certainly saw his growth, that he held himself to another standard until he was worthy of Claire. Btw, I loved Claire, especially that she was in her early 50’s and her character showed that.
Overall an entertaining story. The pacing was good and the plot was full of enough shenanigans and endearing moments alike. My favorite part was Jason’s harem of eclectic women.
I blame the author for staying up past my bed time to finish this book!😂
I enjoyed this book for so many different reasons, but, first, this is a debut novel!?😱 Wow, I can’t wait to read more of Jason’s work. This was my first male-written romance I’ve read, and I must say, I really liked it! If you’re looking for a fun, sexy, quick read…look no further!
Now onto the reasons I enjoyed this book so much:
-FUNNY: I laughed out loud no less than 32 times while reading this book, and those are just the times I counted in my annotations!🙌🏻😂 Here’s just one line towards the beginning that had me giggling: “My mom insisted that she loved my first book but asked that the second one not be so raunchy and 'maybe something more family friendly' as she put it.” LOL
-RELATABLE: This has to be one of the most real and relatable books I’ve read to date. I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself, “true that” “100%” and “omg so relatable.” Like when our MC was struggling with public speaking…yup been there!💯
-REFERENCES: All of the pop culture references were seamlessly scattered throughout the entirety of the book and I loved them!🙌🏻 Fifty Shades, FRIENDS, Blink 182, Breaking Bad, and so many more good references!
-SPICEY: The spice was great, and I honestly wouldn’t have minded if there was even more of it!🔥
-SWEET: Oh man were there some really sweet parts!🥹 I don’t want to spoil anything, but one of my favorite parts is when Jason offers to step up for a friend in need on their wedding day.💍💗
I also loved that we got a really great HEA in the end with all of the loose ends tied in a pretty bow!🎀 Even though I yelled a few profanities at our main male character a few times like he could hear me…I was rooting for him in the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this story following a young writer through the ups and downs that come with living.
This was the first book I’ve ever written by a man and I really enjoyed it. It was a super cute romcom with cute sex scenes. They were not over the top and some male fantasy of what women should be like. There are two strong female characters that I really liked. The main guy character really grows on you. I read this book in one sitting and loved it.
Through Being Cool is written in first person and entirely in the voice of the main character. It tells the story of Jason Lago, a writer who is impressed with his successful writing career and dazzled by Hollywood and its possibilities. When invited to give a lecture at the university in his hometown, he meets his high school teacher and falls in love with her, starting to review his life's values. Jason is a 35yo still acting like a horny teenager, where after the success of his book on the big Hollywood screens he can’t say no to the women who throw themselves at him looking for fame and money. It’s interesting to see the main character’s attitude change as he falls in love with Claire, his former high school teacher, 15 years older than him. Claire is a WOMAN, pretty, smart, with a solid career and no time for frivolity. She needs a real man by her side, not a horny teen, drowning in booze, who can’t see a piece of ass. That’s where the interesting title of the book comes in. Claire gives him an ultimatum, and he decides he’s Through Being Cool. A lot of things happen when he gets his life right (I won’t spoil it), leading him to grow as a man, his morals and values, the way he leads his life and career. His dreams and aspirations. The book has a slight critique of the petty way of life in the Hollywood environment. How people are treated for their appearance, position, and money. Claire, as the female lead, got lost in the middle of the story. Her character was very interesting, but there was no character development for her, and I missed that. She had great potential to shine in the story, but not this time. It was an easy, enjoyable and interesting read. Not too spicy and with a few laughs.
An interesting novel focusing on an age gap relationship between a former teacher and student. It is written from the male perspective and also written by a man which is nice to see. It is a whole new outlook that I haven’t experienced before, and I have to admit I love seeing through a man’s eyes Jason is a man who cant say no to any of the women throwing themselves at his feet, following the success of his writing career. Good character development for Jason is key in how he begins to mature after he bumps into his old high school teacher Claire. Ultimately, after a number of drastic revelations and turning points, Jason decides hes Through Being Cool, and wants to pursue a more serious, mature relationship with Claire who needs a man to be able to handle her. The life of Hollywood and cost of success is also a part of Jason’s personality that shaped him, as much as he hates to admit it. Parties, girls and alcohol are part of his daily norm and success has turned him into a bit of a narcissist. What I particularly love about the inclusion of the Hollywood lifestyle is that but is realistic but also incredibly sarcastic. A man who both loves and hates the life success has brought, Of course we cant forget the fact it has some good sex scenes, which again are so interesting to read from a male perspective. Overall a very good debut novel
The writing style is straightforward and easy to understand. Through his story, we follow Jason, a successful writer. Unfortunately for me the writing style does not work and the sentence structure is jarred and wordy. Jason, a man who still acts like a horny adolescent, won't say no to anyone, especially for money.
Wow! Jason Handler is a literary star. He is definitely an impending best selling novelist. I could not put the novel, Through Being Cool, down once I started reading it. It's a true page turner. Mr. Handler kept me wanting more. It is a spellbinding book. Through Being Cool is a MUST READ!
I love a good age-gap story, and the author did not disappoint!
Jason Lago is a successful writer living in Hollywood, but his life is actually a hot mess. Between the parade of wrong women and the alcohol and partying of the Hollywood lifestyle, Jason has a lot of growing up to do.
When he comes home to give a commencement speech at his alma mater, Jason runs into his former teacher Claire and falls for her hard.
Claire is the attractive older neighbor that Jason can’t get his mind off of. She’s mature and honestly way too good for Jason. But mistake after mistake keeps them apart and forces Jason to fix his life or risk losing Claire for good.
In what seems to be a theme with this author, I wanted to slap the MMC and yell at him to get his shit together throughout this book. But we eventually see his development and maturity as he finds love. Jason finally decides he’s 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓑𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓸𝓸𝓵 and changes himself into the man he needs to be for himself and to deserve Claire.
If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining story with some good spice, check out this book!
How much trouble can one man get into just by going home for the summer! Jason soon finds out life jumping from bed to bed isn't all that great.
A quick paced, dramatic tale of a writer nearly losing it all. Jason's irresponsible and down right cocky behaviour has him hitting rock bottom in the name of Love, he can't seem to do anything right without making a mess.
This book has great potential to be a fantastic series, expanding on all the different characters & following Jason & Claire into the next chapter of their lives together.
I've always been a fan of romance male writers, this story takes you through the mind of a compassionate reflection on relationships, it shows the nature of love with all its forms and flaws, but it makes it fair and easy to embrace it all. I truly enjoyed every line, the writing style and the plot twists, I could read this book again and again for the sake of joy and peace it holds within the pages.
(Taking some deep breaths before starting) I loved this book so much!without a doubt my favorite one from this author. The way I felt in love so fast with Jason (the male character of this book) .The way I wanted to hug that man while I was reading the book, and the way I cried in the end🥹he definitely deserved that end. The spicy was so so good and the plot just as perfect! A 5 starts reading for me. Totally recommend this book.
Wow. Jason Handler is a phenomenal author. I loved this book so much. I won't say more because I don't want to post spoilers. Trust me! Through Being Cool is a must read!
I was suggested this book by a friend who knows I love Bret Easton Ellis. Their suggestion was right on. Cool story with relatable characters. I think this is a really interesting debut novel.
Having recently found this author, I was unsure at first, but once I got into this book. I could not put it down. Hopefully there's more to come. Will definitely read whatever he writes.
We have Jason that is a famous author that goes home to do a speech just to find love in his hometown. Now he has to decide whether he stays or goes. This book was a sweet read.
This was the first book I have read by this author and I can assure you it won’t be the last.
This book had its small issues but nothing I couldn’t over look. From the beginning all I could think about was how this characters actions would eventually catch up with him.
I’m glad that in the end he was able to redeem himself and see the picture around him. Ultimately, he got the woman of his dreams.
Great job to this author! I cannot wait to read more!
I want to thank the author for the opportunity to read this book. I really appreciate it.
With that said, I want to get the issues out of the way first - mainly the inconsistencies included. I don’t want to spell them out because they make their way to spoiler territory so just know there are inconsistencies in this book. The other big thing is a main character is a douche. I can’t even with the nonsense that comes from his brain. I wasn’t prepared for that. But knowing it, I can classify it as that type of romance and move on - because douchey main characters should just be an actual subgenre I swear.
Naturally he redeems himself in the end and I don’t feel like that’s a spoiler because this book is labeled as being HEA. If he didn’t redeem himself, he wouldn’t have gotten one. Is he still a douche? Probably. But that’s okay - some people just are.
There are some sensitive topics in this book that I don’t have the experience to comment on but I will say that some of the scenarios definitely played out like I’ve seen personally. Is that the norm? Man I hope not - but it could be. I’m sorry if it is.
Overall this is a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️. I’m not mad at it, but it felt pretty choppy and almost incomplete I think? It’s weird because it felt like it could have been 2 different books but also needed beefed up. Idk.
First of all, I really love Jason's writing. He's got such talent and great potential. This is my second read from him. And honestly, I just want more and more and more. There simply are not enough male romance writers in the world.
Onto the review. This book gives a pretty scathing critique of the Hollywood party scene and superficial beliefs. Looks above all else. Drugs and alcohol galore. I love the absolute honestly with which Hollywood is portrayed.
I also truly love the MMC's development throughout the story when he finally finds love. It's so incredible to see character development. Jason definitely did it right.
The only thing I really missed was Claire. Not that she wasn't there, but I felt that she was kind of lacking. She started out so strong and sort of got lost in the rest of the book. The main focus was the MMC, but I really, really, wanted a little more focus on the woman who stole his heart.
Overall, this book is so good, just like Jason's other work. I'm so here for all of the rest of the stuff he has to offer. I want more!
So after reading Jason's book. This is the first book I have read by him. I was surprisingly surprised by it. Being told from a writers perspective on how the life of a famous writer can be it was a fun read. I am giving this a 4⭐ for the content and sure charm of the book. As for someone that reads smexy (don't want to get banned for the other word) books I have to give this a 2🌶 there was a lot of smexy time in here but it wasn't a lot of spice. Will I read it again absolutely. I throughly enjoyed it. ❤❤
in Jason Handler's book you can enjoy what it would be like if you were a famous writer. ( women all you want also steamy moments!!!) Jason who returns to his hometown because he has to give a speech in Princton. And there she bumps into Claire who is a few years older but a very beautiful woman. He is immediately sold on her but because of his many women's stories he has a chance with her? The story is refreshing to read and definitely recommended !!!
I immediately loved Dan and Claire and Casey!!! One of my favorite parts were when his mom asked that his next book to be less raunchy 😂
Dan was so sweet and respectful throughout the book, which you don't see much. I loved the character growth throughout the story, and the progression of the storyline! I loved the writing technique and it was really an entertaining story!
This is the second time I’ve read TBC. No spoilers, so I’ll say reading this from a male’s perspective is interesting. I love Claire. She resonates with me.
This is my first book by this author and I have to say. I was surprised. I loved every moment of the book and didn't want it to end. This is definitely a book to read.