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Groomed
Groomed is a dark comedy coming-of-age story about Myles "Mylo" Gunn, a middle-aged man turning 50 during the 2020 global pandemic and #MeToo Movement. With nothing but downtime with his thoughts, Mylo reflects on what's next in this new chapter of his life. Little does he know that watching a news exposé about an older politician grooming a teenager to be her husband is going to give him an unexpected reality check. The exposé sounds awfully similar to how his first marriage went, and Mylo realizes that he was groomed, too. Completely shocked by this new revelation, Mylo takes a deep dive into his past. But his trip down memory lane takes an unexpected detour. Groomed is a humorous, intriguing look at how misperception and manipulation can influence growing into ourselves.
152 pages, Paperback
Published November 29, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 2, 2025
Jody Paschal’s first novel Groomed is a witty, mordant and self-reflective dark comedy about a middle-aged man’s painful journey of self-discovery and reflection during COVID-19. His self-analysis ultimately reveals disturbing secrets from his past that continue to reverberate into his present.
It’s a story that unveils the power dynamics of being groomed as a young man, and the guilt and shame that come with the shocking realization that he’s being manipulated into a loveless marriage designed to entrap him into the role of lifelong caregiver.
Paschal’s captivating writing brings this sexy and raw modern-day fable to life, plumbing the depths of human despair as well as the uplifting power of love that brings healing and redemption to this character I truly cared about. If you pick on book to read in 2025, this is the one!
It’s a story that unveils the power dynamics of being groomed as a young man, and the guilt and shame that come with the shocking realization that he’s being manipulated into a loveless marriage designed to entrap him into the role of lifelong caregiver.
Paschal’s captivating writing brings this sexy and raw modern-day fable to life, plumbing the depths of human despair as well as the uplifting power of love that brings healing and redemption to this character I truly cared about. If you pick on book to read in 2025, this is the one!
March 17, 2025
3/15/2025 Convincing first-person voice that has me fascinated with the author's background and the blanket of mystery around it. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
3/17/2025 The global COVID-19 lockdowns were a tough time for millions around the globe, in no small part due to the confrontation many people had with whether or not they actually enjoyed living with themselves. One such person is Mylo Gunn, a fifty year-old Black American whose extra time for introspection butts up against the burgeoning #MeToo movement, exposing parts of himself he'd thought long buried.
Back when Mylo was seventeen, he met and fell and love with the beautiful twenty-five year-old April Barnes. While many of the people around him told him to be careful with her, nobody really tried to stop him from pursuing a relationship with a woman who was definitely not respecting the "half your age plus seven" years rule of dating suitability. Over time, April groomed Mylo into being the boyfriend, and later husband, she desired. Tho Mylo knew that the way she treated him was wrong, he didn't know how to permanently extricate himself from a woman he thought he loved and, eventually, owed.
Fast-forward several decades, and Mylo is happily married to his second wife, Traci, as they ride out the lockdowns together. Looking for an athletic release when restrictions eventually ease, Mylo takes to open-air training with a group of guys he meets at a nearby track. When one of them encourages him to explore the feelings he's started having regarding his first wife and their tumultuous relationship, he makes the first tentative steps to putting his story down on paper, little realizing the hidden connection that will later rock his world.
Told primarily from Mylo's blunt first-person perspective, this is a fascinating look inside the mind of a Black man as he comes of age and finds himself tangling with a very toxic relationship. April is a nightmare, but young Mylo is too sexually enthralled to see the warning signs until it's too late. She manipulates and abuses him in almost every way possible, leading him to act out in unhealthy manners, too. Luckily, he eventually figures out how to overcome his trauma and become a better person: not everyone is this slender book is as fortunate.
Based on a true story, this is absolutely the kind of book that makes you want to know more about the (in this case, rather mysterious) author. Mylo is wounded and crass and kind of a jerk sometimes, but still a decent person at heart. I do think that this book would have benefited from more stringent editing, particularly in the beginning where Mylo's voice is first being established. While the roughness of the prose suits the story it tells, the suggestions as to how to encourage healthy relationships later on feel underdeveloped. Mr Ruffin, Traci and even Gia all feel underused despite being interesting characters who serve as touchstones for Mylo as he grapples with his past.
Overall, I'm impressed with Jody Paschal's willingness to tackle this topic and drag these taboos kicking and screaming into the light. No twenty-five year-old of any gender has any business romantically or sexually pursuing a seventeen year-old, a truth which is plentifully underscored by this debut.
Groomed by Jody Paschal was published November 29 2024 by Paschal's Prose and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
3/17/2025 The global COVID-19 lockdowns were a tough time for millions around the globe, in no small part due to the confrontation many people had with whether or not they actually enjoyed living with themselves. One such person is Mylo Gunn, a fifty year-old Black American whose extra time for introspection butts up against the burgeoning #MeToo movement, exposing parts of himself he'd thought long buried.
Back when Mylo was seventeen, he met and fell and love with the beautiful twenty-five year-old April Barnes. While many of the people around him told him to be careful with her, nobody really tried to stop him from pursuing a relationship with a woman who was definitely not respecting the "half your age plus seven" years rule of dating suitability. Over time, April groomed Mylo into being the boyfriend, and later husband, she desired. Tho Mylo knew that the way she treated him was wrong, he didn't know how to permanently extricate himself from a woman he thought he loved and, eventually, owed.
Fast-forward several decades, and Mylo is happily married to his second wife, Traci, as they ride out the lockdowns together. Looking for an athletic release when restrictions eventually ease, Mylo takes to open-air training with a group of guys he meets at a nearby track. When one of them encourages him to explore the feelings he's started having regarding his first wife and their tumultuous relationship, he makes the first tentative steps to putting his story down on paper, little realizing the hidden connection that will later rock his world.
Told primarily from Mylo's blunt first-person perspective, this is a fascinating look inside the mind of a Black man as he comes of age and finds himself tangling with a very toxic relationship. April is a nightmare, but young Mylo is too sexually enthralled to see the warning signs until it's too late. She manipulates and abuses him in almost every way possible, leading him to act out in unhealthy manners, too. Luckily, he eventually figures out how to overcome his trauma and become a better person: not everyone is this slender book is as fortunate.
Based on a true story, this is absolutely the kind of book that makes you want to know more about the (in this case, rather mysterious) author. Mylo is wounded and crass and kind of a jerk sometimes, but still a decent person at heart. I do think that this book would have benefited from more stringent editing, particularly in the beginning where Mylo's voice is first being established. While the roughness of the prose suits the story it tells, the suggestions as to how to encourage healthy relationships later on feel underdeveloped. Mr Ruffin, Traci and even Gia all feel underused despite being interesting characters who serve as touchstones for Mylo as he grapples with his past.
Overall, I'm impressed with Jody Paschal's willingness to tackle this topic and drag these taboos kicking and screaming into the light. No twenty-five year-old of any gender has any business romantically or sexually pursuing a seventeen year-old, a truth which is plentifully underscored by this debut.
Groomed by Jody Paschal was published November 29 2024 by Paschal's Prose and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
July 4, 2025
It’s never too late to begin the healing process.
Mylo’s character development was strong and nuanced. One of the things I found most intriguing about him was how his abusive relationship stunted his social and emotional development and how he tried to heal from that terrible experience. He was a fifty-year-old man who still sometimes acted like the seventeen year old he’d been when the grooming began. It is not easy to write a character who has this many layers to his personality, especially since the author allowed so many of those layers to be revealed subtly through the way the protagonist reacted to small irritations in life or reminders of his past. The care and concern that was taken with making sure every aspect of Mylo’s life was represented and that his pain never overshadowed his honest and hardworking personality is something this reader noticed and appreciated quickly. Bravo for making this look so effortless and trusting one’s audience to notice these brief but important moments!
I did find myself wishing that the secondary characters had been given more time to be developed, especially when it came to April. Her reason for targeting Mylo made sense, but I would have loved to see it explored in greater depth. For example, knowing what sort of logic she used to justify the manipulative and cruel way she treated him and other people in her life would have been helpful whether it might have been due to how her personality formed, any past trauma she may have experienced, or something else entirely.
One of the biggest questions I had when I began reading this book involved what the responses of the people closest to Mylo were going to be when they learned he was dating a twenty-five year old woman while he was still in high school. Shouldn’t they have all been alarmed and disgusted? The answers to this question kept me reading as his friends and family members each came to their own conclusions about what was going on and how they should best respond to it. No, I can’t spoil anything by going into detail there, but I thought these passages were equally well written and an intelligent snapshot of what different parts of society thought of such things in the 1980s when society was generally less aware of or sensitive to the ways in which young men can be abused by the women in their lives.
Groomed was a thoughtful take on an important topic.
Mylo’s character development was strong and nuanced. One of the things I found most intriguing about him was how his abusive relationship stunted his social and emotional development and how he tried to heal from that terrible experience. He was a fifty-year-old man who still sometimes acted like the seventeen year old he’d been when the grooming began. It is not easy to write a character who has this many layers to his personality, especially since the author allowed so many of those layers to be revealed subtly through the way the protagonist reacted to small irritations in life or reminders of his past. The care and concern that was taken with making sure every aspect of Mylo’s life was represented and that his pain never overshadowed his honest and hardworking personality is something this reader noticed and appreciated quickly. Bravo for making this look so effortless and trusting one’s audience to notice these brief but important moments!
I did find myself wishing that the secondary characters had been given more time to be developed, especially when it came to April. Her reason for targeting Mylo made sense, but I would have loved to see it explored in greater depth. For example, knowing what sort of logic she used to justify the manipulative and cruel way she treated him and other people in her life would have been helpful whether it might have been due to how her personality formed, any past trauma she may have experienced, or something else entirely.
One of the biggest questions I had when I began reading this book involved what the responses of the people closest to Mylo were going to be when they learned he was dating a twenty-five year old woman while he was still in high school. Shouldn’t they have all been alarmed and disgusted? The answers to this question kept me reading as his friends and family members each came to their own conclusions about what was going on and how they should best respond to it. No, I can’t spoil anything by going into detail there, but I thought these passages were equally well written and an intelligent snapshot of what different parts of society thought of such things in the 1980s when society was generally less aware of or sensitive to the ways in which young men can be abused by the women in their lives.
Groomed was a thoughtful take on an important topic.
January 14, 2025
Groomed by Jody Paschal is a gripping book that dives into the complexities of manipulation, trust, and healing. It offers a deep look at how grooming works, its lasting psychological effects, and the journey to regain control and self-worth.
Paschal’s witty writing brings the story to life, highlighting the troubling power dynamics of grooming and the emotional toll of manipulation. The main character’s journey from denial to self-awareness is both heartbreaking and inspiring as he faces the guilt, shame, and emotional traps of his unhappy marriage.
This is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the effects of manipulation or seeking hope on their own healing path.
Paschal’s witty writing brings the story to life, highlighting the troubling power dynamics of grooming and the emotional toll of manipulation. The main character’s journey from denial to self-awareness is both heartbreaking and inspiring as he faces the guilt, shame, and emotional traps of his unhappy marriage.
This is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the effects of manipulation or seeking hope on their own healing path.
October 21, 2025
April was an entire mess throughout this book, but it made for a great read! I think what I enjoyed most about this book is having the opportunity to read it while I watch this current season of Reasonable Doubt. With both themes highlighting a young man being groomed by an older woman, it brings attention to a topic that isn’t talked about enough. Jody did an amazing job of taking such a tough topic and making it digestible for the reader. This was a great debut novel!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews