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Hologram Boyfriends: Sex, Love, and Overconnection
Comedian, monologist, and storyteller Mike Albo takes listeners along on his quest for love in the digital age in this insightful, funny audio original. This program is read by the author and includes live performances and sound effects, creating an immersive and theatrical edge to this unique listening experience.
Told through a series of fast-paced, entertaining vignettes narrated by the author himself, Albo likens his search for fulfillment to shopping for the perfect boneless chicken breast, revealing a world where emotions can be as commodified as consumer products. His observations, both hilarious and profound, echo the insightful wit of David Sedaris, making us laugh while prompting reflection on our shared human experiences.
In Hologram Boyfriends, Albo humorously dissects the intertwining of emotional and sexual desire with the insatiable consumption of social media and apps. From the time he asked a psychic if he would ever find love, and she “Well, I don’t see you alone…forever,” to an early 2000s gig where he tried to convince a major media company that using the term “GayStreaming” was probably not a good idea, Hologram Boyfriends depicts the (lightly fictionalized) emotional roller coaster of the author’s career and romantic love life—and just how, in the end, he has become more tenaciously optimistic than ever.
⭐"Sometimes it’s just not good enough to be fabulous. Mike Albo deserves everything and more. If you can’t figure that out, then you’ll never get to know Mike. In Hologram Boyfriends, he puts it all on the line, so get with the program!” —Sandra Bernhard, actor, comedian, and host of the Sandyland podcast on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy
⭐“A masterpiece of both open-hearted humor and acid cultural criticism. It’s Sedaris, it’s Solnit, it’s better. Hologram Boyfriends also has healing Mike Albo’s stories cleanse the bloodstream of the psychic microplastics we absorb through dating apps and online desire markets. Listen and listen again—it feels so good to be free.” —Virginia Heffernan, American journalist, cultural critic, and author of Magic and The Internet as Art
⭐“Narrator Mike Albo’s accent is perfect for his stories of looking for not just love but also inner peace mostly funny but sometimes quite moving, too.” —Kirkus
⭐"With the humor and self-awareness that [Mike] Albo is known for, he somehow manages to tackle broad themes about the impact of media technologies on our relationships, the timeless search for meaning in an increasingly complicated world, and the very nature of reality, while revealing deeply personal thoughts on identity, sex, and spirituality." —Provincetown Magazine
An audio original from Macmillan Audio.
Told through a series of fast-paced, entertaining vignettes narrated by the author himself, Albo likens his search for fulfillment to shopping for the perfect boneless chicken breast, revealing a world where emotions can be as commodified as consumer products. His observations, both hilarious and profound, echo the insightful wit of David Sedaris, making us laugh while prompting reflection on our shared human experiences.
In Hologram Boyfriends, Albo humorously dissects the intertwining of emotional and sexual desire with the insatiable consumption of social media and apps. From the time he asked a psychic if he would ever find love, and she “Well, I don’t see you alone…forever,” to an early 2000s gig where he tried to convince a major media company that using the term “GayStreaming” was probably not a good idea, Hologram Boyfriends depicts the (lightly fictionalized) emotional roller coaster of the author’s career and romantic love life—and just how, in the end, he has become more tenaciously optimistic than ever.
⭐"Sometimes it’s just not good enough to be fabulous. Mike Albo deserves everything and more. If you can’t figure that out, then you’ll never get to know Mike. In Hologram Boyfriends, he puts it all on the line, so get with the program!” —Sandra Bernhard, actor, comedian, and host of the Sandyland podcast on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy
⭐“A masterpiece of both open-hearted humor and acid cultural criticism. It’s Sedaris, it’s Solnit, it’s better. Hologram Boyfriends also has healing Mike Albo’s stories cleanse the bloodstream of the psychic microplastics we absorb through dating apps and online desire markets. Listen and listen again—it feels so good to be free.” —Virginia Heffernan, American journalist, cultural critic, and author of Magic and The Internet as Art
⭐“Narrator Mike Albo’s accent is perfect for his stories of looking for not just love but also inner peace mostly funny but sometimes quite moving, too.” —Kirkus
⭐"With the humor and self-awareness that [Mike] Albo is known for, he somehow manages to tackle broad themes about the impact of media technologies on our relationships, the timeless search for meaning in an increasingly complicated world, and the very nature of reality, while revealing deeply personal thoughts on identity, sex, and spirituality." —Provincetown Magazine
An audio original from Macmillan Audio.
Audible Audio
Published October 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 8, 2025
Funny and REAL which are really the only two things I want out of a book. Loved listening to this but was surprised that it seems to be audio only (?) and some parts are live recordings with an audience, so it doesn't really feel like a book as much as like listening to a recorded comedy set (?). Still counting it toward my books read this year and still loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
January 11, 2026
Hologram Boyfriends is a sharp, funny hybrid of personal essays and stand-up that works especially well in audio. Mike Albo narrates his own stories, and his timing, warmth, and self-awareness elevate what could have been a standard dating-in-the-digital-age memoir into something more theatrical and engaging.
The vignettes skewer dating apps, media culture, and modern longing with humor that’s both absurd and quietly vulnerable. A few bits feel more like sketches than essays, but the looseness fits the theme—love is messy!
The vignettes skewer dating apps, media culture, and modern longing with humor that’s both absurd and quietly vulnerable. A few bits feel more like sketches than essays, but the looseness fits the theme—love is messy!
July 21, 2025
Mike Albo doesn’t even pretend to have it all figured out - as if there were some way to ‘figure out’ dating in a digital age. He haphazardly stumbles through social media and observations of dating apps. His identity as a gay man only compounds the chaos, wrought with the headless torsos of gay dating apps. Despite it all, he remains snarkily optimistic.
Written and narrated by Mike Albo, this audio original reads like a series of essays, oscillating between humorous and embarrassing, heartwrenching and hopeful. I appreciated the authenticity of Albo’s experiences and the fact that he didn’t shy away from anything. His humor is candid and his narration is entertaining; his experiences feel at once universal but so niche. I wanted to like the overall book more, but personally struggled with the lack of clear narrative focus - and hey, that may have been the whole point, to illustrate the chaos of (gay) digital dating. Some of the audio was recorded in a studio and some at a comedy show (even interacting with the audience in some parts), and I wish it had just been consistently one or the other. That said, it was a relatively quick and humorous read, with some poignant observations that I wasn’t expecting, it might be a fun read for others!
Reviewed as part of #ARC from #NetGalley. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review.
Read this book if you:
😂 like love stories that are just as cringey as they are cute
📱have ever had the misfortune of meeting some “interesting characters” on a dating app
🦄 feel like dating a hologram would just be easier
Follow me on Instagram for more book reviews!
Written and narrated by Mike Albo, this audio original reads like a series of essays, oscillating between humorous and embarrassing, heartwrenching and hopeful. I appreciated the authenticity of Albo’s experiences and the fact that he didn’t shy away from anything. His humor is candid and his narration is entertaining; his experiences feel at once universal but so niche. I wanted to like the overall book more, but personally struggled with the lack of clear narrative focus - and hey, that may have been the whole point, to illustrate the chaos of (gay) digital dating. Some of the audio was recorded in a studio and some at a comedy show (even interacting with the audience in some parts), and I wish it had just been consistently one or the other. That said, it was a relatively quick and humorous read, with some poignant observations that I wasn’t expecting, it might be a fun read for others!
Reviewed as part of #ARC from #NetGalley. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review.
Read this book if you:
😂 like love stories that are just as cringey as they are cute
📱have ever had the misfortune of meeting some “interesting characters” on a dating app
🦄 feel like dating a hologram would just be easier
Follow me on Instagram for more book reviews!
November 5, 2025
I'm very picky when it comes to listening to an audio book so it was a relief to listen to such an excellent voice. Albo is an actor and comedian as well as a writer and that professional performing experience comes in handy when narrating the book. I felt like he was sitting next to me at a bar, drinking cocktails and having a funny yet deep conversation with me.
The book itself is a collection of humorous essays about dating as a Gen X gay man. As a fellow older Gen X member, I too have felt that we just missed the fun filled 1970s with its zipless fucks. AIDS hadn't appeared, the pill had been invented, abortion was legal, there were meds that cured any sexually transmitted diseases. Porn was playing in regular move theaters. Women burning their bras. Gay bars became accepted, with Twin Peaks in San Francisco installing large glass windows in the front to show the days of hiding were over. The DSM removed homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder in 1973. Then, just as Gen X came of age, AIDS reared its ugly head. Suddenly sex could be a death sentence, especially for gay men. Albo does an excellent job discussing the strangeness of being a young man in that scene, feeling like the party had ended just before he showed up.
There is a lot about living and working in NYC, trying to make it in a creative field. It's brutal for sure. The challenges of getting your work published and then working the publicity side of the business are things I didn't really grasp until I had listened to this book. I loved learning about trying to make it as a professional writer .
I'm not going to try and retell any of the many funny parts of the essays. I will do such a poor job. Eddie Murphy years ago had a great bit about how people ruin his jokes by retelling them and to just stop it. Suffice to say, I laughed out loud - literally! - multiple times while listening to this book. Be prepared for strangers looking at you oddly if you are walking around while listening to this because of your sudden barks of laughter.
As well as being laugh out loud funny, the essays are also exceptionally moving at times. Albo is honest about the highs and lows of his life. I related to a lot of what he said. You don't need to be a man or gay or white or Gen X to relate to the deeper emotions he is sharing. Unless you are a sociopath, you will recognize yourself in what he so eloquently speaks of. I love it when an author is able to verbalize my feelings and thoughts in a way that I have not been able to articulate. I feel so seen.
I highly recommend you go check this book out! It's always such a relief to read a book that not only holds my interest but makes me feel deeply AND laugh deeply.
The book itself is a collection of humorous essays about dating as a Gen X gay man. As a fellow older Gen X member, I too have felt that we just missed the fun filled 1970s with its zipless fucks. AIDS hadn't appeared, the pill had been invented, abortion was legal, there were meds that cured any sexually transmitted diseases. Porn was playing in regular move theaters. Women burning their bras. Gay bars became accepted, with Twin Peaks in San Francisco installing large glass windows in the front to show the days of hiding were over. The DSM removed homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder in 1973. Then, just as Gen X came of age, AIDS reared its ugly head. Suddenly sex could be a death sentence, especially for gay men. Albo does an excellent job discussing the strangeness of being a young man in that scene, feeling like the party had ended just before he showed up.
There is a lot about living and working in NYC, trying to make it in a creative field. It's brutal for sure. The challenges of getting your work published and then working the publicity side of the business are things I didn't really grasp until I had listened to this book. I loved learning about trying to make it as a professional writer .
I'm not going to try and retell any of the many funny parts of the essays. I will do such a poor job. Eddie Murphy years ago had a great bit about how people ruin his jokes by retelling them and to just stop it. Suffice to say, I laughed out loud - literally! - multiple times while listening to this book. Be prepared for strangers looking at you oddly if you are walking around while listening to this because of your sudden barks of laughter.
As well as being laugh out loud funny, the essays are also exceptionally moving at times. Albo is honest about the highs and lows of his life. I related to a lot of what he said. You don't need to be a man or gay or white or Gen X to relate to the deeper emotions he is sharing. Unless you are a sociopath, you will recognize yourself in what he so eloquently speaks of. I love it when an author is able to verbalize my feelings and thoughts in a way that I have not been able to articulate. I feel so seen.
I highly recommend you go check this book out! It's always such a relief to read a book that not only holds my interest but makes me feel deeply AND laugh deeply.
November 30, 2025
This book is part memoir, part revue, as Albo recalls past relationships through the lens of a Grindr addicted Buddhist in search of, but not ready for, real love. It focuses on the ways in which the past and current eras of social media shape the way we see queer relationships and queerness in itself. I can't say I agree with all of Albo's views, but I admire his ability and willingness to look back on his own life and interrogate his views and beliefs to try and do better. It's a short listen with some truly interesting insights from someone who dated before and after the social media boom.
January 28, 2026
I often toy with the idea of writing my own biography, only to think, “Who would even read it?” I haven’t won a Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony, and I’ve never been on a reality show. But then I listened to—because you can’t read it—Hologram Boyfriends, and I’ve never felt so seen by something created by someone “not famous” (and I mean that as the highest compliment). Mike Albo’s work is a powerful reminder that you don’t have to be a household name to create something that matters and resonates deeply.
Hologram Boyfriends is a listen-only essay collection that traces Albo’s quest for sex and love over the past 20 years, navigating the ever-changing technologies of connection—from late-’90s AOL chat rooms to today’s Grindr and Scruff. As a comedian, monologist, and storyteller, Albo brings his pieces to life by narrating them himself, infusing each vignette with theatrical flair, live performance, and sound effects. His writing and timing is great, seamlessly blending pop culture references with insights any gay would get.
Part of what makes this collection so relatable is Albo’s ability to capture the peculiar disconnect of modern life. He observes:
As more and more apartments are being built in my neighborhood, more and more people are arriving. But are they really here? They look at their phones while they walk their dogs, and don’t smile or say hello when they pass by. They have no expressions on their faces. There’s this couple on my floor who look through me when I see them. It irks me so much that I force them to say hello to me. ‘Hi! Good Morning! What a nice day, right? RIGHT?’ I turn into an aggressively friendly person. Like someone from Our Town, but on meth. They will faintly smile and then ignore me again.
Albo also addresses the specific anxieties of the queer social scene with candid, self-aware humor that I can relate to:
I hate Fire Island. I am sure I have had some good times there, but I just remember the bad times there, because, well, I hate Fire Island. I am not a dance-with-my-shirt-off person. I don’t care about Kylie... I become my most grasping, pathetic, worst self there, always hungry, trying to afford a $16 dollar Fantasy Island Wrap from the Pines Pantry.
This “audio original” feels like grabbing drinks with a friend—equal parts hilarious and heartrending. Albo’s journey through the digital age is cathartic because we all have been there. Give it a listen, you’ll feel both understood and thoroughly entertained.
Hologram Boyfriends is a listen-only essay collection that traces Albo’s quest for sex and love over the past 20 years, navigating the ever-changing technologies of connection—from late-’90s AOL chat rooms to today’s Grindr and Scruff. As a comedian, monologist, and storyteller, Albo brings his pieces to life by narrating them himself, infusing each vignette with theatrical flair, live performance, and sound effects. His writing and timing is great, seamlessly blending pop culture references with insights any gay would get.
Part of what makes this collection so relatable is Albo’s ability to capture the peculiar disconnect of modern life. He observes:
As more and more apartments are being built in my neighborhood, more and more people are arriving. But are they really here? They look at their phones while they walk their dogs, and don’t smile or say hello when they pass by. They have no expressions on their faces. There’s this couple on my floor who look through me when I see them. It irks me so much that I force them to say hello to me. ‘Hi! Good Morning! What a nice day, right? RIGHT?’ I turn into an aggressively friendly person. Like someone from Our Town, but on meth. They will faintly smile and then ignore me again.
Albo also addresses the specific anxieties of the queer social scene with candid, self-aware humor that I can relate to:
I hate Fire Island. I am sure I have had some good times there, but I just remember the bad times there, because, well, I hate Fire Island. I am not a dance-with-my-shirt-off person. I don’t care about Kylie... I become my most grasping, pathetic, worst self there, always hungry, trying to afford a $16 dollar Fantasy Island Wrap from the Pines Pantry.
This “audio original” feels like grabbing drinks with a friend—equal parts hilarious and heartrending. Albo’s journey through the digital age is cathartic because we all have been there. Give it a listen, you’ll feel both understood and thoroughly entertained.
July 4, 2025
A modern search for love through the eyes of a cis gay man with a sense of humor who meditates and makes his own kombucha.
I had just finished listening to Giovanni’s Room (James Baldwin), a story set in the 1960s about a man struggling to accept his being gay. Fast forward a generation, and Mike Albo knew he was gay from his elementary school days. Yet, he came of age during the AIDS crisis, making it also a very difficult time to be gay. (Not that it is “easy” now with equal rights and protection laws threatened to be overturned by the current administration.)
In this memoir, Albo combines some live standup with written pieces he narrates with some sound effects thrown in for emphasis. He has a great attitude…after listening to all the stories and travails, I just want him to find someone he can settle down with and be happy!
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #HologramBoyfriends for review purposes. Publication date: 4 November 2025.
I had just finished listening to Giovanni’s Room (James Baldwin), a story set in the 1960s about a man struggling to accept his being gay. Fast forward a generation, and Mike Albo knew he was gay from his elementary school days. Yet, he came of age during the AIDS crisis, making it also a very difficult time to be gay. (Not that it is “easy” now with equal rights and protection laws threatened to be overturned by the current administration.)
In this memoir, Albo combines some live standup with written pieces he narrates with some sound effects thrown in for emphasis. He has a great attitude…after listening to all the stories and travails, I just want him to find someone he can settle down with and be happy!
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #HologramBoyfriends for review purposes. Publication date: 4 November 2025.
July 14, 2025
This was a super interesting read. i've discovered that I have a deep appreciation for people being honest about the fact that they still havent gotten life figured out and this author didn't shy away from that topic. It was a bit heartbreaking to hear about AIDS in the 80's/90's through this lens of a coming of age gay man in in the midwest. And eye opening to think about what the author said about big tech companies repackaging and selling our desire back to us. I am still reeling from that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2025
The author can’t critically engage with the privilege white cis gay men have within queer culture.
Other than that, the story was engaging. The exploration of the impacts of technology on romantic queer culture and communication are nuanced and necessary.
Other than that, the story was engaging. The exploration of the impacts of technology on romantic queer culture and communication are nuanced and necessary.
January 19, 2026
Loved this. Sexuality, connection, spirituality, aging, queerness, tech and humor all converge it this perfectly paced . . . oh god, I am trying to hard to write this review because I know Mike is a writer. Just listen to this. It's really good.
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September 23, 20253.5 stars
I struggled with the sound cues in this one, but I recognized a lot of myself in the author’s stories about trying to find and make connections in the digital era.
I struggled with the sound cues in this one, but I recognized a lot of myself in the author’s stories about trying to find and make connections in the digital era.
November 9, 2025
Real. Relatable. Riotous. Relevant...A must-listen, for sure!
Read
November 24, 2025(audiobook) met him at TED. very funny guy
October 28, 2025
This was pretty damn funny and relatable as hell!! I don’t usually listen to my books because I struggle to focus but this was intriguing because of the narrators voice. It added way more to the book and I could relate SO hard with the online dating world being absolutely depressing. I would definitely recommend this to a certain audience it’s super funny!! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the chance to listen to this Audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Happy publication day!!
Read
January 11, 2026super engaging audio, i really loved the way the tape switched from live performance to audio booth. mike is such a funny & engrossing writer. thank you libro.fm & macmillan for the arc💓
staff rec blurb for libro.fm, jan 26: Mike Albo is unlucky in love in the digital age––I'm sure many can relate. The apps feel weird, borderline dystopian. But making the first move IRL? Forget about it! Recorded in-studio and sprinkled with sections of live standup, Hologram Boyfriends gives listeners a taste of the evolving future of audiobooks, the disappointing reality of missed connections, and the Tinder dates that haunt us.
staff rec blurb for libro.fm, jan 26: Mike Albo is unlucky in love in the digital age––I'm sure many can relate. The apps feel weird, borderline dystopian. But making the first move IRL? Forget about it! Recorded in-studio and sprinkled with sections of live standup, Hologram Boyfriends gives listeners a taste of the evolving future of audiobooks, the disappointing reality of missed connections, and the Tinder dates that haunt us.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews