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A prequel to Jennifer Weiner’s bestselling and beloved debut, "Good Men" takes us into the world and mind of Bruce Guberman, on the night of an ill-fated bachelor party, when Bruce and his friends decide to kidnap his girlfriend Cannie's rat terrier Nifkin. A tender, riotously funny short story, "Good Men" is about five men and their unlikely friendships and also about love, marriage, and what gives two people the courage to link hands and jump off the cliff.

47 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2013

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3974 people want to read

About the author

Jennifer Weiner

71 books24.7k followers
Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, most recently, That Summer. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

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5 stars
340 (22%)
4 stars
368 (24%)
3 stars
513 (33%)
2 stars
210 (13%)
1 star
87 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
Profile Image for Megan.
571 reviews5 followers
December 28, 2013
another short story prequel. interesting choice for weiner to focus on bruce who really isn't a main character in "good in bed." it really made this more of a fluff piece than an intro into the book that follows it. didn't make me want to read good in bed either...so I hope people read good in bed first, because its a great book and much better than this short story!
Profile Image for Tiffany Heater.
87 reviews50 followers
October 1, 2013
This is a one chapter prequel and the first chapter of Good in Bed to make you want to buy Good in Bed. I thought I was downloading a new book, but Amazon tricked me. Make sure you don't pay a dollar for this.
Profile Image for Nora.
277 reviews31 followers
June 7, 2015
Drinking for fun is not my idea of a good beginning. There is no real reason for these immature people to get marriage. None of them are ready. So much for this romance.
Profile Image for shreeya.
59 reviews1 follower
Read
May 21, 2025
don't see the need of this anywhere in the storyline. not an honest prequel to what the story ahead holds, for sure.
Profile Image for Jackie.
3,956 reviews128 followers
October 4, 2013
Okay a group of friends out for a bachelor party for one of their group, these guys are drunk, stoned and just a tad shy of manic when they decide it would be a good idea to do away with Cannies' terrier.

As a way to supposedly introduce a series this fell a bit short as Cannie was basically mentioned in passing as Bruce's girlfriend whose 10 pound terrier got on his nerves.

End of the bachelor party takes a weird turn when the guys drive to Cannies' apartment to kidnap the dog and Bruce cannot go through with it.

Best part of this free story was the sneak preview to Good in Bed which was much more to my liking as it showcased Cannie herself as main character. The series has promise but is not quite to my taste.
Profile Image for Michelle.
208 reviews2 followers
November 26, 2013
That was a wast of 10 minutes......I didn't know it was a prequel. It made no sense and I wasn't interested enough to even look for the full book.....
Profile Image for Helen.
269 reviews9 followers
May 5, 2019
No idea what the purpose of this little story is supposed to be. It was meh.
Profile Image for Magpie67.
933 reviews114 followers
May 17, 2017
The prequel to Good in Bed and strictly about the men at a bachelor party for their good friend. Bruce thinks he is next to get married... he loves Cannie and at the end professes his love to her, but she is asleep. Tom on the other hand is a nightmare of a friend, cynical, depressing and hating his life.... Neil the bachelor declares he is in love with his betrothed and sees a future. All the men reflect on their younger years growing up with their parent's marriage years. Some are fine, others are bleak.

They get drunk, get stoned and party all night long.... that in itself didn't impress me, listening to the guys talk about relationships with each other seemed plausible... I would love to interview this age group and get a response to dating, love, marriage, and staying in a committed relationship. Late twenties.... settling down, careers and what they desire from a relationship. Because life is tougher these days and paths do change, as we travel down them... into our thirties and forties.

So the next book is about Cannie and obviously Bruce because they are on a break and he has written an article about relationships with fat girls. He crosses a line with Cannie, but does his article also prove he loved her just as she was? I say he could have soften it up a bit, but if you read between the lines... he is bitter because she called the break.
Profile Image for Erin.
447 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2017
Based off this chapter, I don’t know if I would read the actual novel. I didn’t really connect or care about any of these characters. But I have been told that the novel itself was a lot better, so here’s to hoping.
Profile Image for Andrea.
1,795 reviews12 followers
November 24, 2017
This little novella/prequel to Good in Bed was interesting. It gives readers the perspective on Cannie's boyfriend prior to his introduction in Good in Bed.
Profile Image for Jamie Itokazu.
42 reviews11 followers
August 8, 2018
This story actually made me hate Bruce a little less. Though I still think that he's a dumb dumb
Profile Image for Jacqueline.
245 reviews6 followers
August 20, 2018
Prequel to Good in Bed and Certain Girls. POV of Bruce. Yeah, that Bruce.
Profile Image for Joan.
2,796 reviews101 followers
July 4, 2019
Okay, as short stories go.
Profile Image for Noelle.
64 reviews2 followers
February 7, 2020
A waste

I love Good In Bed so I was excited to find this short story, but it is barely a story at all. It ends abruptly.
135 reviews
June 25, 2020
I have no idea what this book was about except a bunch of drunk guys at a bachelor party and they weren't very good men either. WEIRD
Profile Image for Lecy Beth.
1,833 reviews13 followers
February 21, 2020
This was apparently the prequel to Weiner's bestselling novel, Good in Bed. It's a short story about one of the male characters who is at a bachelor party. I like the idea of doing a related story that takes a look at a character who is not the main focus of the original novel, this particular short story felt cheap. I didn't understand the point of it.
Profile Image for Amanda Wagg.
275 reviews
March 15, 2017
Short and sweet...I sure am happy that this book was free. It was very short, yes i know it says short story but still it was a little too short. also its actually the 1st book of the series not the 2nd as its listed on Amazon. the story is actually about what happens before the craziness of Good In Bed. (which is a great book btw). pleased with the story, one more book added to my goal this year
Profile Image for Carole Rae.
1,614 reviews43 followers
January 2, 2015
This is a short story prequel to the book 'Good in Bed' by Jennifer Weiner. I randomly found this at the Amazon store as a ebook freebie and I am certainly glad that it was a freebie, because I would be rather upset if I spent money on this.

This takes place before Bruce and Cannie break-up and Bruce decides to write that article that is the catalyst to the beginning of Cannie's story. Ugh, Bruce. I only read this because I was curious about who he was and what he was all about. Yes, he loved Cannie. But no...I would not date him if I was Cannie. He is a man stuck in his early twenties and refuses to give up weed and make something of himself. He refuses to finally write his dissertation to finally get his masters (or whatever) and get a great paying job. Why did Cannie stick around? Ah, right, because she felt she could do no better even tho she is successful herself. I am glad she finally moved on to find the man right for her. I wish the short story did cover the break-up event, because I am curious.

Why did the author leave off the story with hope for Bruce and Cannie? It was annoying, because I knew there was no hope for them, because Bruce is a loser.

Meh. This was an okay prequel, but I do recommend skipping this until you actually read 'Good in Bed'. I hated the ending and that the author left us with hope for the couple. No, there is no hope, he is a loser and I did not want them together. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 1 star.

Favorite Character(s): Cannie (even tho she is touch cra-cra) and Nifkin (puppy!)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Bruce (a huge loser)
Profile Image for Darlene .
337 reviews18 followers
January 12, 2014
I have enjoyed reading Jennifer Weiner but this didn't come up to her usual standards. I have not read The Guy Not Taken and if I had manybe I would have liked this better but it was free.
This summery is from Sony Store.
Good Men" is one of readers' favorite stories from the collection The Guy Not Taken, available for a limited time as a free download!
A prequel to Jennifer Weiner's bestselling and beloved debut, "Good Men" takes us into the world and mind of Bruce Guberman, on the night of an ill-fated bachelor party, when Bruce and his friends decide to kidnap his girlfriend Cannie's rat terrier Nifkin. A tender, riotously funny short story, "Good Men" is about five men and their unlikely friendships and also about love, marriage, and what gives two people the courage to link hands and jump off the cliff from Sony Store.
Profile Image for A Reader's Heaven.
1,592 reviews28 followers
August 8, 2014
Another novel promotion masquerading as a short story. While I understand the thinking behind this marketing idea, I don't think authors do themselves a favour by annoying their readers.

The story itself? To be honest, I really have no clue what it was actually about. A bunch of mates are getting drunk and stoned at a bachelor party for one of them. After sitting around talking about love and marriage (cos men really do that at bachelor parties), they decide, in their inebriated state, to kidnap the terrier of Cannie, Bruce's girlfriend, as he can't stand the dog.

They drive, inebriated, to Cannie's house and Bruce can't go through with it.

A bit of a waste of time, really.
Profile Image for Samantha Carter.
61 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2015
Here's the thing...
I read this because I spent a week on vacation, and managed to miss the fact that my library Ebook had expired, and I was left with nothing to read.
Not wanting to delve into a big read, since I'm technically in the middle of a book already, I decided to read this on the plane since I had downloaded it (for free) eons ago.
It wasn't terrible, but it was one chapter. About a guy I didn't like in the original book.
And it did nothing to help explain Bruce to me. I had hoped that it would.
All in all, it was something to read on an airplane, and it was mildly entertaining.
Profile Image for Freda Mans-Labianca.
1,294 reviews123 followers
June 28, 2015
Fun!
A short and sweet look at the last night of a bachelor and his friends. They did the bachelor party, as you might expect, but there was so much more. It's the more that makes the story interesting.
In that more, some of the bachelor's friends learn the value of love, marriage and being grateful for who and what you have.
I liked this short story a lot. Enough so, that I plan to read, Good In Bed. It's the full length novel that follows this story.
Always nice to read from a new perspective. Lots of you will appreciate that in this story too. It's not always about the bride, sometimes the focus is the bachelor.
Profile Image for Arlena.
3,480 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2016
Title: Good Men
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Cannie Shapiro 0.5
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Good Men" by Jennifer Weiner

My Thoughts....

This author gives the reader a decent short story prequel to the novel 'Good in Bed.' I had read the novel before I read this read "Good Men" and really I was able to understand a little more about Bruce along with his childhood friends. One thing for sure that I did learn was that at time I believe Bruce really did loved Cannie and that's all I have to say on that issue.
Profile Image for Judy Collins.
3,264 reviews444 followers
January 7, 2014
A prequel to Jennifer Weiner’s bestselling "Good in Bed" (which I read a few years ago). The e-book is about Bruce Guberman, on the night of a bachelor party, and they kidnap his girlfriend Cannie's rat terrier Nifkin. If you have not read "Good Men" --about five men and their unlikely friendship, love, and marriage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews

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