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The Disaster Gay Detective Agency
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From award—winning, critically acclaimed crime writer Lev Rosen comes a punchy, hilarious mystery—thriller. Meet the disaster gays: They're messy. They're queer. And they're about to solve a murder… Or die trying.
Brandon is a hopeless romantic. So when a handsome stranger named Jon checks in at the hotel he works at and invites Brandon to his room, Brandon ignores the advice of his crew—a group of loveable and messy queer twenty—somethings—and accepts. What follows is a tale as old as time: they hook up, Jon promises to text, Brandon falls in love, and Jon ghosts. Case closed—or is it?
When Jon checks out early, leaving behind a bag of belongings and his cellphone, Brandon takes the phone and sets out to find him, thinking that this must at last be his Cinderella story.
But he gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a murder—and sees Jon fleeing the scene.
Determined (and not in over their heads whatsoever), Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide to solve the mystery of the murder and uncover Jon's true identity…they just have to figure it out before a target falls on their own backs.
Brandon is a hopeless romantic. So when a handsome stranger named Jon checks in at the hotel he works at and invites Brandon to his room, Brandon ignores the advice of his crew—a group of loveable and messy queer twenty—somethings—and accepts. What follows is a tale as old as time: they hook up, Jon promises to text, Brandon falls in love, and Jon ghosts. Case closed—or is it?
When Jon checks out early, leaving behind a bag of belongings and his cellphone, Brandon takes the phone and sets out to find him, thinking that this must at last be his Cinderella story.
But he gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a murder—and sees Jon fleeing the scene.
Determined (and not in over their heads whatsoever), Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide to solve the mystery of the murder and uncover Jon's true identity…they just have to figure it out before a target falls on their own backs.
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
11183 people want to read
About the author
Lev A.C. Rosen
19 books1,231 followersLEV AC ROSEN sometimes is sometimes known as L.C. ROSEN. He is the author of books for all ages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
I would not say that this was quite a disaster, but it certainly left much to be desired. I haven't read a Rosen novel since 2022, but I thought this might be a fun change of pace. I can't say I had a nice time exactly, but it was a quick read - just marred by some complaints. I did not mind that it was a quadruple multi-perspectives. 🙆🏻♀️ But, I did mind that I had to read particular scenes from each perspective, so as to better comprehend what exactly transpired between certain characters. It was exhausting and did not alleviate the reading.
The blasé way in which the mystery was dismissed and even depicted --- I would not say irked, but it did not feel realistic. Which, yes, fine, I've seen more unbelievable things, but even the way the pieces aligned did not make much sense to me. Let alone a narrative that was included without preamble, and I was left wondering if it belonged to a book or some inner dialogue, until it was finally revealed to be something else entirely. A break in the format would have made it less confusing, rather than misguiding. 😣
“The more you interrogate a bad decision, the harder it becomes to justify.”
The diverse representation in the cast is strong, it was just difficult to like or even care for any of them. Brandon, who fell in love too easily and then behaved so flippantly, Nicole who aspired to be more appreciated, but still could be a bit snappish, Ian who carried a lot of bitterness over their breakup, but still acted rather oddly, all things considered, and Ollie who wanted them just to be a group again, with his valiant, but often times one-tracked efforts.
I liked how each of the four friends were willing to go out on a limb to help each other out - even if for bizarre reasons - but I also felt that their dynamic was very mean-spirited. They had good intentions, but it was flaked by their thoughts that weren't all that nice. 😕 I did not get a friendly vibe from any of them, with some of their selfish antics clouding their good sense.
“What do you want your life to be?”
There is still a little something that everyone can connect and relate to. The desire to change and embrace a new side of oneself from this strange happening was portrayed convincingly. Despite this bizarre coincidence that they all escaped unscathed, it still gave them a chance to find themselves along the way. 🥺 Love is a confusing thing, ain’t it? I just wish the writing style and tone could have been more impactful or even engaging. And maybe a little less chaotic!
Sometimes it felt like I was on spin cycle, the way the characters kept popping in and out, repeatedly cuz of the repetitiveness of a scene, that I would get confused as to if the plot is progressing or I'm yet again reading another take on a scene, not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times! 😵💫 That's a lot of unnecessary action that just could have been condensed in a tighter way to be a more compelling read.
“Love is stupid a lot of the time.”
I would not say that this was quite a disaster, but it certainly left much to be desired. I haven't read a Rosen novel since 2022, but I thought this might be a fun change of pace. I can't say I had a nice time exactly, but it was a quick read - just marred by some complaints. I did not mind that it was a quadruple multi-perspectives. 🙆🏻♀️ But, I did mind that I had to read particular scenes from each perspective, so as to better comprehend what exactly transpired between certain characters. It was exhausting and did not alleviate the reading.
The blasé way in which the mystery was dismissed and even depicted --- I would not say irked, but it did not feel realistic. Which, yes, fine, I've seen more unbelievable things, but even the way the pieces aligned did not make much sense to me. Let alone a narrative that was included without preamble, and I was left wondering if it belonged to a book or some inner dialogue, until it was finally revealed to be something else entirely. A break in the format would have made it less confusing, rather than misguiding. 😣
“The more you interrogate a bad decision, the harder it becomes to justify.”
The diverse representation in the cast is strong, it was just difficult to like or even care for any of them. Brandon, who fell in love too easily and then behaved so flippantly, Nicole who aspired to be more appreciated, but still could be a bit snappish, Ian who carried a lot of bitterness over their breakup, but still acted rather oddly, all things considered, and Ollie who wanted them just to be a group again, with his valiant, but often times one-tracked efforts.
I liked how each of the four friends were willing to go out on a limb to help each other out - even if for bizarre reasons - but I also felt that their dynamic was very mean-spirited. They had good intentions, but it was flaked by their thoughts that weren't all that nice. 😕 I did not get a friendly vibe from any of them, with some of their selfish antics clouding their good sense.
“What do you want your life to be?”
There is still a little something that everyone can connect and relate to. The desire to change and embrace a new side of oneself from this strange happening was portrayed convincingly. Despite this bizarre coincidence that they all escaped unscathed, it still gave them a chance to find themselves along the way. 🥺 Love is a confusing thing, ain’t it? I just wish the writing style and tone could have been more impactful or even engaging. And maybe a little less chaotic!
Sometimes it felt like I was on spin cycle, the way the characters kept popping in and out, repeatedly cuz of the repetitiveness of a scene, that I would get confused as to if the plot is progressing or I'm yet again reading another take on a scene, not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times! 😵💫 That's a lot of unnecessary action that just could have been condensed in a tighter way to be a more compelling read.
Did not finish
March 23, 2026DNF at 24%.
I’m a huge fan of Lev AC Rosen’s Evander Mills series, a HUGE fan, but somehow the pacing in this story just didn’t work for me. Even though the short chapters moved quickly, the same moments kept repeating, and that’s something I’m not a fan of. Rather than pushing through and ending up giving it a low rating, I decided to DNF.
I’m a huge fan of Lev AC Rosen’s Evander Mills series, a HUGE fan, but somehow the pacing in this story just didn’t work for me. Even though the short chapters moved quickly, the same moments kept repeating, and that’s something I’m not a fan of. Rather than pushing through and ending up giving it a low rating, I decided to DNF.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was excited to get offered this ARC, as I enjoyed the Evander Mills book I read (reminder to self: read more of that series) and I was curious to see how Rosen wrote a contemporary. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. Way too quirky and shenanigan-filled for my tastes, one of those books where every single character makes the worst possible decision at every single opportunity, which makes it hard to invest in the idea of them being smart or even, you know, functioning adults.
That said: the book was very well-written and cleverly resolved (even if, in order to reach that clever resolution, we had to stagger through hundreds of pages of dumb decisions and incomprehensible behavior); and while I might have dnf'ed it were I not stuck on airplanes/ in airports all day -- not that I don't have a couple hundred unread books on my kindle, but traveling always induces a kind of petulant inertia in me, such that the prospect of picking a new book was a greater hurdle than just pushing through -- the fact that it managed to mostly hold my attention despite airplanes/ airports is testimony to Rosen's pacing and skill. If you like hijinks, great queer rep, hopeless friend groups, and characters doing stupid shit that makes you feel like a fucking genius by comparison, then you'll probably enjoy this. If, on the other hand, the much-maligned (by me) Last Picks series pushed up against your "how much 'quirkiness' can I endure before I throw my e-reader against the wall" threshold, then: run, friends, run!!!!
I got an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
That said: the book was very well-written and cleverly resolved (even if, in order to reach that clever resolution, we had to stagger through hundreds of pages of dumb decisions and incomprehensible behavior); and while I might have dnf'ed it were I not stuck on airplanes/ in airports all day -- not that I don't have a couple hundred unread books on my kindle, but traveling always induces a kind of petulant inertia in me, such that the prospect of picking a new book was a greater hurdle than just pushing through -- the fact that it managed to mostly hold my attention despite airplanes/ airports is testimony to Rosen's pacing and skill. If you like hijinks, great queer rep, hopeless friend groups, and characters doing stupid shit that makes you feel like a fucking genius by comparison, then you'll probably enjoy this. If, on the other hand, the much-maligned (by me) Last Picks series pushed up against your "how much 'quirkiness' can I endure before I throw my e-reader against the wall" threshold, then: run, friends, run!!!!
I got an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2026
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
I’ve loved Lev AC Rosen’s books for a while now, and seeing he had a new contemporary mystery I knew I needed to get my hands on it. And this does not disappoint! It’s such a delightful, chaotic mess of a book, and I love the main characters so much.
Brandon is a gay Jewish man living in New York and working for a hotel on overnights. One evening this hot guy checks in and flirts with Brandon. Even though it’s against policy, when Jon calls down asking for a towel, Brandon is ready for it to take a porno turn - which it does! But the next day, Jon has checked out early, leaving behind his bag and a cell phone. Brandon snags the cell phone, thinking he can make it into a Cinderella moment by finding Jon and returning the phone. He ropes his best friends in, but instead of returning the phone, Brandon witnesses a murder!
There is so much chaos going on with each of the four friends. Ollie is a trans man still reeling from the death of his father while being a dog walker and house sitter for rich people. He also loves true crime podcasts, so when he witnesses the murder with Brandon, he thinks this is a perfect opportunity to start his own podcast - but first they have the solve the mystery. Nicole is a Black lesbian lawyer who used to be big into activism, but the job and demands have ground her down where she doesn’t even think she can go out with the cute barista because the partners may talk, but maybe she can become a high profile crime lawyer like Ellen. Ian is nonbinary drag queen slash bookstore employee who is always so angry, and has spent the last year hate-stalking their ex who cheated on them and periodically keying his car. The four of them try to be there for each other, but also have so much of their own mess going on, getting roped into possible spy shenanigans forced them closer than they’ve been in a while.
I had so much fun with this, and Rosen’s writing is so engaging. My biggest complaint was how a lot of stuff felt repeated between POV shifts, especially with the way the text conversations were used to situate the timeline. I understand the intent and execution, but across four perspectives, it would start feeling repetitive reading the same chat over and over again. That aside, this was an absolute delight and I especially loved that it was so bonkers and chaotic. I really hope there’s going to be more cuz I already love Brandon, Ian, Nicole, and Ollie so much!
I’ve loved Lev AC Rosen’s books for a while now, and seeing he had a new contemporary mystery I knew I needed to get my hands on it. And this does not disappoint! It’s such a delightful, chaotic mess of a book, and I love the main characters so much.
Brandon is a gay Jewish man living in New York and working for a hotel on overnights. One evening this hot guy checks in and flirts with Brandon. Even though it’s against policy, when Jon calls down asking for a towel, Brandon is ready for it to take a porno turn - which it does! But the next day, Jon has checked out early, leaving behind his bag and a cell phone. Brandon snags the cell phone, thinking he can make it into a Cinderella moment by finding Jon and returning the phone. He ropes his best friends in, but instead of returning the phone, Brandon witnesses a murder!
There is so much chaos going on with each of the four friends. Ollie is a trans man still reeling from the death of his father while being a dog walker and house sitter for rich people. He also loves true crime podcasts, so when he witnesses the murder with Brandon, he thinks this is a perfect opportunity to start his own podcast - but first they have the solve the mystery. Nicole is a Black lesbian lawyer who used to be big into activism, but the job and demands have ground her down where she doesn’t even think she can go out with the cute barista because the partners may talk, but maybe she can become a high profile crime lawyer like Ellen. Ian is nonbinary drag queen slash bookstore employee who is always so angry, and has spent the last year hate-stalking their ex who cheated on them and periodically keying his car. The four of them try to be there for each other, but also have so much of their own mess going on, getting roped into possible spy shenanigans forced them closer than they’ve been in a while.
I had so much fun with this, and Rosen’s writing is so engaging. My biggest complaint was how a lot of stuff felt repeated between POV shifts, especially with the way the text conversations were used to situate the timeline. I understand the intent and execution, but across four perspectives, it would start feeling repetitive reading the same chat over and over again. That aside, this was an absolute delight and I especially loved that it was so bonkers and chaotic. I really hope there’s going to be more cuz I already love Brandon, Ian, Nicole, and Ollie so much!
Want to read
January 29, 2026E-ARC generously provided by Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
So glad to have this galley!
So glad to have this galley!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I usually hate books that are written from more than two POVs, and even then, much prefer books written with just one main character or at least in third person. Had I realized the format the author chose, I would have passed on the book, which would have been a horrible mistake. This was an amazing mystery, and I am so upset that there aren't more books out in the series. I hope to see a million more books in this series!
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
January 18, 2026
ARC Review: The Disaster Gay Detective Agency was a quirky, amusing read with a lot of heart. I really appreciated the diverse cast of characters — it was refreshing to see such a wide range of personalities and identities represented. The humor landed well in many places, and there were moments that genuinely made me laugh.
One thing I especially enjoyed was the strong sense of friendship throughout the story. The characters clearly had deep bonds and truly had each other’s backs, which added warmth and emotional grounding to all the chaos. That found-family dynamic was one of my favorite aspects of the book and made the characters easy to root for.
That said, the story didn’t always keep my attention completely. While the premise was fun and the banter entertaining, the pacing dragged at times and I found myself less engaged in certain sections. There were moments when it felt like the story was building momentum, only for it to slow again before fully pulling me back in.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read with humor, representation, and strong friendships at its core — just not quite as gripping as I hoped it would be. Still, readers who enjoy LGBTQ+ stories with a comedic, character-driven focus will likely find a lot to like here.
One thing I especially enjoyed was the strong sense of friendship throughout the story. The characters clearly had deep bonds and truly had each other’s backs, which added warmth and emotional grounding to all the chaos. That found-family dynamic was one of my favorite aspects of the book and made the characters easy to root for.
That said, the story didn’t always keep my attention completely. While the premise was fun and the banter entertaining, the pacing dragged at times and I found myself less engaged in certain sections. There were moments when it felt like the story was building momentum, only for it to slow again before fully pulling me back in.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read with humor, representation, and strong friendships at its core — just not quite as gripping as I hoped it would be. Still, readers who enjoy LGBTQ+ stories with a comedic, character-driven focus will likely find a lot to like here.
February 3, 2026
I am a fan of Lev A.C. Rosen’s 1950s detective series (Evander Mills), so I was excited to read his new contemporary mystery. The Disaster Gay Detective Agency follows four friends who get caught up in a shady situation when two of them witness a murder.
It had a decent plot, and the characters were pretty well-developed. They truly were a bit of disaster, some more so than others. At times, I got a little frustrated with their bad decisions and/or obliviousness to reality, though I suppose that’s fairly true to real life. (To be honest, I was reminded of a few of my friends more than once.)
We get to see all of the friends’ points of view throughout the narrative, and I thought that worked well at first. The use of their group chat to anchor them all to the timeline was clever; the same text messages would repeat across multiple POVs, showing what each character was doing at the time of the message.
However, this conceit wore a bit thin for me when the same exact scene, a party they’d all attended, was described repetitively from four different perspectives (no brief text messages tying things together, just repeated dialogue). I totally understand why it was presented this way, but I didn’t love sifting through the same words over and over to find the small differences. That section dragged for me a bit.
I did enjoy this book overall. There was a solid beginning and ending, and it had lots of humor. Even the secondary characters were entertaining. Some of the four friends showed a bit of character growth by the end, but there was still plenty of dysfunction left over (enough, I daresay for a sequel or two). This is a fun read, especially if you’re looking for a mystery with an imperfect found family, humor, and LGBTQ+ representation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
It had a decent plot, and the characters were pretty well-developed. They truly were a bit of disaster, some more so than others. At times, I got a little frustrated with their bad decisions and/or obliviousness to reality, though I suppose that’s fairly true to real life. (To be honest, I was reminded of a few of my friends more than once.)
We get to see all of the friends’ points of view throughout the narrative, and I thought that worked well at first. The use of their group chat to anchor them all to the timeline was clever; the same text messages would repeat across multiple POVs, showing what each character was doing at the time of the message.
However, this conceit wore a bit thin for me when the same exact scene, a party they’d all attended, was described repetitively from four different perspectives (no brief text messages tying things together, just repeated dialogue). I totally understand why it was presented this way, but I didn’t love sifting through the same words over and over to find the small differences. That section dragged for me a bit.
I did enjoy this book overall. There was a solid beginning and ending, and it had lots of humor. Even the secondary characters were entertaining. Some of the four friends showed a bit of character growth by the end, but there was still plenty of dysfunction left over (enough, I daresay for a sequel or two). This is a fun read, especially if you’re looking for a mystery with an imperfect found family, humor, and LGBTQ+ representation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
February 1, 2026
4.75 ⭐️s rounded up.
‘But it was so good to feel like he was special. He starts to cry again a little, collecting beer bottles, and Nicole wordlessly hugs him tightly, and then Ian and Ollie surround him too. He’ll be okay.’
I had a great time reading The Disaster Gay Detective Agency!! I found it so easy to be able to connect with the characters and understand each of their personal perspectives on the situation as it unfolded.
***Sort of spoilers ahead?***
I really liked the bit nearer to the end where you were getting the same scene from all the different perspectives, and you could see how each character had their own unique voice. It was very interesting to pick up on the few times (I believe intentionally) that they didn’t mention certain things. For example, at one point, Nicole apparently screamed “Oh, shut up, Ollie”, but this isn’t shown/said in her perspective, and yet it is in both Ollie and Ian’s.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC!
‘But it was so good to feel like he was special. He starts to cry again a little, collecting beer bottles, and Nicole wordlessly hugs him tightly, and then Ian and Ollie surround him too. He’ll be okay.’
I had a great time reading The Disaster Gay Detective Agency!! I found it so easy to be able to connect with the characters and understand each of their personal perspectives on the situation as it unfolded.
***Sort of spoilers ahead?***
I really liked the bit nearer to the end where you were getting the same scene from all the different perspectives, and you could see how each character had their own unique voice. It was very interesting to pick up on the few times (I believe intentionally) that they didn’t mention certain things. For example, at one point, Nicole apparently screamed “Oh, shut up, Ollie”, but this isn’t shown/said in her perspective, and yet it is in both Ollie and Ian’s.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC!
February 21, 2026
I am an absolute sucker for a murder mystery. Add in a chaotic found family and a group of messy queer twentyish year olds trying to solve said murder? Lol I was ready to binge this. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint.
The story follows Brandon a hopeless romantic who works at a hotel and falls way too fast for a handsome guest named Jon. They hook up Jon promises to text, Brandon starts imagining his Cinderella moment and then Jon ghosts. Except when Jon checks out early, he leaves behind his phone and a bag of belongings. Brandon takes that as a sign to track him down only to witness a murder and see Jon fleeing the scene. So obviously Brandon and his equally chaotic crew Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide they’re going to solve the murder themselves and uncover who Jon really is before they end up as the next targets. I loved the balance between humor and genuine stakes. The friendships were everything. The found family dynamic felt real and warm and chaotic in the best way they’re messy, they make questionable decisions, but they love each other deeply. That emotional core made the mystery even more engaging because you actually care about what happens to all of them.Normally, multiple POV can be very hit or miss for me. Sometimes it just feels like too much. This book It absolutely worked. I genuinely wanted to be inside each of their heads. Seeing how each character processed clues, danger, and their own insecurities made the mystery feel layered instead of repetitive.Overall this was adorable hilarious and mysterious like a queer Scooby doo gang. If you love murder mysteries with strong queer rep, chaotic detective energy, and a found family you’d absolutely want to join, this is such a fun ride. I had the best time reading it.
The story follows Brandon a hopeless romantic who works at a hotel and falls way too fast for a handsome guest named Jon. They hook up Jon promises to text, Brandon starts imagining his Cinderella moment and then Jon ghosts. Except when Jon checks out early, he leaves behind his phone and a bag of belongings. Brandon takes that as a sign to track him down only to witness a murder and see Jon fleeing the scene. So obviously Brandon and his equally chaotic crew Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide they’re going to solve the murder themselves and uncover who Jon really is before they end up as the next targets. I loved the balance between humor and genuine stakes. The friendships were everything. The found family dynamic felt real and warm and chaotic in the best way they’re messy, they make questionable decisions, but they love each other deeply. That emotional core made the mystery even more engaging because you actually care about what happens to all of them.Normally, multiple POV can be very hit or miss for me. Sometimes it just feels like too much. This book It absolutely worked. I genuinely wanted to be inside each of their heads. Seeing how each character processed clues, danger, and their own insecurities made the mystery feel layered instead of repetitive.Overall this was adorable hilarious and mysterious like a queer Scooby doo gang. If you love murder mysteries with strong queer rep, chaotic detective energy, and a found family you’d absolutely want to join, this is such a fun ride. I had the best time reading it.
February 27, 2026
I just love Lev AC Rosen’s writing; his Evander Mills series is one of my favourites of all time, and whilst very different in tone, I really enjoyed this fun romp into contemporary mystery!
It’s told from the POV of four friends - Ollie, Ian, Nicole & Brandon. They are a diverse group (gay, lesbian, trans, non binary, diverse ethnicities) and each and every one of them is a complete disaster 😹 Ollie is a couch-surfing dog walker who is grieving his deceased father, Ian is a drag artist and bookstore employee who recreationally vandalises their cheating ex’s car, Nicole is a trainee lawyer whose blood is mostly coffee and misery and Brandon is a hotel clerk who just desperately wants to find love.
When Brandon has a one night stand with hot hotel guest Jon, his friends all tell him it’s a bad idea. But Brandon is definitely in love, and how can that be wrong?! But things do start going very quickly wrong when Jon disappears from the hotel leaving nothing but a smartphone. Spurred on by his love of true crime podcasts, Ollie agrees to help Brandon track down Jon, but they quickly find themselves tangled up in a web of murder and corruption.
This book was very tongue-in-cheek and does read like a true crime podcast; the mystery had me guessing and I loved the way it was wrapped up neatly in the end. Each of the characters was clearly defined and had their own ‘thing’ going on which they were dealing with outside the main mystery. I loved all their messy moments, but also how devoted they all were to each other. Plus special shoutout to Pete the pug, what a guy 💕
The reason this looses a star for me is simply because there was a lot of repetition when we see scenes from different characters’ perspectives… I felt it made the book, which was otherwise quick and snappy, really drag. Annoyingly, I don’t know how the author could even avoid that, as it was key that we did see each of their perspectives but eh… but that’s literally my only gripe.
Read for:
✨ Four friends solving a mystery
✨ Diverse rep; lesbian, gay, non-binary, trans
✨ Diverse ethnicities & backgrounds
✨ For fans of true crime podcasts
✨ Funny & tongue in cheek storytelling
✨ A twisty mystery based on a missing hookup
✨ Maybe it’s true love, maybe he’s a murderer?
Thank you to the wonderful folks at Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book! It’s available on 2nd June 2026 🐶
It’s told from the POV of four friends - Ollie, Ian, Nicole & Brandon. They are a diverse group (gay, lesbian, trans, non binary, diverse ethnicities) and each and every one of them is a complete disaster 😹 Ollie is a couch-surfing dog walker who is grieving his deceased father, Ian is a drag artist and bookstore employee who recreationally vandalises their cheating ex’s car, Nicole is a trainee lawyer whose blood is mostly coffee and misery and Brandon is a hotel clerk who just desperately wants to find love.
When Brandon has a one night stand with hot hotel guest Jon, his friends all tell him it’s a bad idea. But Brandon is definitely in love, and how can that be wrong?! But things do start going very quickly wrong when Jon disappears from the hotel leaving nothing but a smartphone. Spurred on by his love of true crime podcasts, Ollie agrees to help Brandon track down Jon, but they quickly find themselves tangled up in a web of murder and corruption.
This book was very tongue-in-cheek and does read like a true crime podcast; the mystery had me guessing and I loved the way it was wrapped up neatly in the end. Each of the characters was clearly defined and had their own ‘thing’ going on which they were dealing with outside the main mystery. I loved all their messy moments, but also how devoted they all were to each other. Plus special shoutout to Pete the pug, what a guy 💕
The reason this looses a star for me is simply because there was a lot of repetition when we see scenes from different characters’ perspectives… I felt it made the book, which was otherwise quick and snappy, really drag. Annoyingly, I don’t know how the author could even avoid that, as it was key that we did see each of their perspectives but eh… but that’s literally my only gripe.
Read for:
✨ Four friends solving a mystery
✨ Diverse rep; lesbian, gay, non-binary, trans
✨ Diverse ethnicities & backgrounds
✨ For fans of true crime podcasts
✨ Funny & tongue in cheek storytelling
✨ A twisty mystery based on a missing hookup
✨ Maybe it’s true love, maybe he’s a murderer?
Thank you to the wonderful folks at Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book! It’s available on 2nd June 2026 🐶
January 14, 2026
This one started so strong. Group of LGBTQ+ friends end up wrapped up in a dangerous mystery after they witness a murder. I love a found family in NYC and parts are really funny. The last 1/3 of the book though there is a lot of repetition. Like literally dialogue and texts are repeated multiple times. It took away from the momentum of the plot and made the book feel long. Still was a fun read! Their 20-something chaos was delightful and liked the multiple POVs.
3.25/3.5 rounded down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this advanced copy. Pub date 06/02/2026.
3.25/3.5 rounded down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this advanced copy. Pub date 06/02/2026.
January 23, 2026
ARC REVIEW
I was a fan of Lev AC Rosen’s books when I was younger so getting this contemp mystery as an ARC was pretty exciting! It was a quick read and I genuinely enjoyed it. The characters are great, the plot is absolutely wild and the writing is accessible and entertaining.
My only complaint is the fact that we got the same scene from every characters point of view. It bored me and each pov added nothing to the last in my opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!
I was a fan of Lev AC Rosen’s books when I was younger so getting this contemp mystery as an ARC was pretty exciting! It was a quick read and I genuinely enjoyed it. The characters are great, the plot is absolutely wild and the writing is accessible and entertaining.
My only complaint is the fact that we got the same scene from every characters point of view. It bored me and each pov added nothing to the last in my opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!
February 15, 2026
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC. Brand new series from Lev AC Rosen involving 4 best friends from college who are at different stages in their lives, but still need each other as family and perhaps maybe start a detective agency together? This first title shows promise for a cozy amateur sleuth series.
Want to read
December 2, 2025One of my favorite authors!! I can't wait to read this!!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Read
January 14, 2026This was fun! RTC
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Received the ARC from the publisher, does not influence the rating. Thank you Sourcebooks for the copy.
This cute LGBTQ+ rom com merges with a cozy mystery. There's a little spice, lots of "whodunit," and plenty of smiles. The protagonists have a great friendship and would truly do anything for each other, including risking being murdered. A fun read!
This cute LGBTQ+ rom com merges with a cozy mystery. There's a little spice, lots of "whodunit," and plenty of smiles. The protagonists have a great friendship and would truly do anything for each other, including risking being murdered. A fun read!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC provided by NetGalley and this is my honest review:
This really pleasantly surprised me! I knew it would be a fun read, but it was actually really good too!! Fun characters, an engaging plot, and some laugh out loud moments. I loved these truly disaster gays. I was a bit skeptical seeing there were four POVs, but all the characters had distinct feels and developments. I really liked seeing scenes from multiple perspectives. Was there true character development? Not really since they are all still complete disasters at the end. But, disasters with self awareness.
Really hope we see more of these characters in the future. Excited to see what Rosen can do with this mad little world he created.
This really pleasantly surprised me! I knew it would be a fun read, but it was actually really good too!! Fun characters, an engaging plot, and some laugh out loud moments. I loved these truly disaster gays. I was a bit skeptical seeing there were four POVs, but all the characters had distinct feels and developments. I really liked seeing scenes from multiple perspectives. Was there true character development? Not really since they are all still complete disasters at the end. But, disasters with self awareness.
Really hope we see more of these characters in the future. Excited to see what Rosen can do with this mad little world he created.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: 4 ⭐
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a refreshingly fun and chaotic queer mystery that follows four messy, lovable friends—Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian—as they stumble into a murder investigation after Brandon's one-night stand with a hotel guest named Jon turns into something far more dangerous.
The book switches between four character perspectives, and for the most part, the narrative juggling works beautifully. Each character feels vivid and fully realized with their own messy lives, struggles, and growth arcs. Brandon is the hopeless romantic who falls hard and fast (sometimes frustratingly so). Ollie, a trans man dealing with grief and loneliness, became my absolute favorite—his emotional depth and relatability hit close to home. Nicole is the overworked lawyer sacrificing her present for a future that keeps slipping away. And Ian, a nonbinary drag queen with anger issues and an ex they can't stop hate-stalking, delivers some of the book's funniest and most chaotic moments.
Lev A.C. Rosen handles LGBTQ+ representation phenomenally. The queer identities feel authentic and central without being tragic or stereotypical, which as a gay man myself, I deeply appreciated. The dialogue is sharp, hilarious, and full of iconic moments—Ian's interactions with men had me laughing out loud multiple times.
The mystery element takes a bit to get going, but once it does, it's engaging with clever twists and some genuinely surprising reveals. The tone strikes a great balance between fun, campy humor and real emotional stakes. It reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars but with political intrigue, espionage vibes, and a lot more queer chaos.
That said, the pacing does stumble in the middle. There's an 80+ page game night confrontation sequence where the same events replay from each character's perspective with only minor new details added. While I appreciated the inner monologues and individual motivations, the repetition became draggy and pulled me out of the story. My ADHD brain desperately wanted to move forward. The author could have condensed this section significantly without losing impact.
Despite that pacing issue, the finale was satisfying with some surprises I didn't see coming and others I'd pieced together earlier. The character growth throughout the book is strong, and the friendships at the heart of the story are what make it truly special. These are characters I genuinely cared about and rooted for, even when they made questionable (or downright dumb) decisions.
Overall, The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a quick, entertaining read with fantastic queer representation, memorable characters, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. If you're looking for a mystery that's fun, messy, and unapologetically queer, this is absolutely worth picking up.
Spoiler Section
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an advance copy of The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen in exchange for an honest review.
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a refreshingly fun and chaotic queer mystery that follows four messy, lovable friends—Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian—as they stumble into a murder investigation after Brandon's one-night stand with a hotel guest named Jon turns into something far more dangerous.
The book switches between four character perspectives, and for the most part, the narrative juggling works beautifully. Each character feels vivid and fully realized with their own messy lives, struggles, and growth arcs. Brandon is the hopeless romantic who falls hard and fast (sometimes frustratingly so). Ollie, a trans man dealing with grief and loneliness, became my absolute favorite—his emotional depth and relatability hit close to home. Nicole is the overworked lawyer sacrificing her present for a future that keeps slipping away. And Ian, a nonbinary drag queen with anger issues and an ex they can't stop hate-stalking, delivers some of the book's funniest and most chaotic moments.
Lev A.C. Rosen handles LGBTQ+ representation phenomenally. The queer identities feel authentic and central without being tragic or stereotypical, which as a gay man myself, I deeply appreciated. The dialogue is sharp, hilarious, and full of iconic moments—Ian's interactions with men had me laughing out loud multiple times.
The mystery element takes a bit to get going, but once it does, it's engaging with clever twists and some genuinely surprising reveals. The tone strikes a great balance between fun, campy humor and real emotional stakes. It reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars but with political intrigue, espionage vibes, and a lot more queer chaos.
That said, the pacing does stumble in the middle. There's an 80+ page game night confrontation sequence where the same events replay from each character's perspective with only minor new details added. While I appreciated the inner monologues and individual motivations, the repetition became draggy and pulled me out of the story. My ADHD brain desperately wanted to move forward. The author could have condensed this section significantly without losing impact.
Despite that pacing issue, the finale was satisfying with some surprises I didn't see coming and others I'd pieced together earlier. The character growth throughout the book is strong, and the friendships at the heart of the story are what make it truly special. These are characters I genuinely cared about and rooted for, even when they made questionable (or downright dumb) decisions.
Overall, The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a quick, entertaining read with fantastic queer representation, memorable characters, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. If you're looking for a mystery that's fun, messy, and unapologetically queer, this is absolutely worth picking up.
Spoiler Section
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an advance copy of The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency was a fun, quick read that began with a lot of promise but lost steam in the second half.
The novel opens with Brandon, one of our four POVs, having a one-night-stand with a hot guest at the hotel he's working in. Brandon is a die-hard romantic and falls in love with the idea that this man might be his soulmate, so when the guest checks out early leaving a few things behind, Brandon keeps his phone and decides to find him and return it to him. He's aided in that quest by his besties (and our other three POVs): Ollie, a trans man and true-crime-podcast addict; Ian, a non-binary drag queen slash bookstore employee; and Nicole, a workaholic black lesbian lawyer, working her way up the corporate ladder. In the process of finding Brandon's mystery man, the friends witness a murder and stumble into some pretty serious crime shenanigans while navigating the demands of life and love and friendship.
The lifestyle of this group is miles away from mine with their edibles and the drag show brunches and the whole US/NYC vibe, but I found each character relatable in some way. Rosen has done well in providing the interiority of his characters, and I sympathised a lot with Nicole's bitterness over being overlooked at work, with Ollie's loneliness and listlessness, with Ian's anger, and even with Brandon's hopeless romanticism (initially--more on that below). Each character is drawn vividly and they complement each other. Their friendship isn't perfect, and the characters' flaws are sometimes glaring, which made it all the more real and relatable.
The novel spends, at first, equal time on the mystery as well as the characters' lives. As they try to work out where the mystery man is, we get to know these characters and learn about the other people in their lives as well as their circumstances. Rosen handles this fairly large (and equally diverse) secondary cast deftly. There's humour and banter, dogs and a group chat. It's fun! Then the crime happens and the tension ratchets up as a villain with a tattoo appears on the scene.
However, this is where the book began losing me. The balance between the mystery and the characters' lives tipped over towards their daily routine. We had chapters about their meeting people, arranging a date, talking to customers in the bookshop, reaching out to an ex etc etc, all the while not making any significant investigative progress. I like to follow clues and to figure things out myself but here the mystery plot was sidelined in favour of the interpersonal relationships of the group. The other thing that really annoyed me around that point was Brandon's inability to accept his "soulmate" might be some dodgy criminal. (and then I was annoyed with Ollie enabling him.) It felt completely childish to be so vehemently "but perhaps there is another reason why [something terrible and suspicious] happened" for a man he had a quickie with for half an hour. The idea he'd look for him at first made sense. But after the murder and the rest happened, it made Brandon look incredibly deluded to the point that I'd stage an intervention.
My final and more serious complain is the repetition. The friends would have a text exchange and then we'd see parts of it repeated in a few more chapters. Initially it was fine; the text was brief and it served to anchor us to what everyone was doing at the same time. But in the second half we had repetitions of an entire scene. We saw the exact same thing, pages and pages of it, happen from four POVs, each one adding a little to the scene but nothing that was crucial to the story. We also had a random POV inserted at some point. The formatting made it seem like it was one of the main characters, until it was clear that it wasn't. The ending held no surprising solution to the mystery, or suspense, or even the tension from earlier. (I will say, though, I'm VERY much into that new ship that appeared towards the end).
In short, if you're after a typical murder mystery with clues and suspects and plot twists, this might disappoint. However, if you're into reading about a diverse queer group of people in their 20s in NYC, struggling with identity and love and discovering who they want to be, with maybe a sprinkle of a mystery thrown in, then you'll love this.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency was a fun, quick read that began with a lot of promise but lost steam in the second half.
The novel opens with Brandon, one of our four POVs, having a one-night-stand with a hot guest at the hotel he's working in. Brandon is a die-hard romantic and falls in love with the idea that this man might be his soulmate, so when the guest checks out early leaving a few things behind, Brandon keeps his phone and decides to find him and return it to him. He's aided in that quest by his besties (and our other three POVs): Ollie, a trans man and true-crime-podcast addict; Ian, a non-binary drag queen slash bookstore employee; and Nicole, a workaholic black lesbian lawyer, working her way up the corporate ladder. In the process of finding Brandon's mystery man, the friends witness a murder and stumble into some pretty serious crime shenanigans while navigating the demands of life and love and friendship.
The lifestyle of this group is miles away from mine with their edibles and the drag show brunches and the whole US/NYC vibe, but I found each character relatable in some way. Rosen has done well in providing the interiority of his characters, and I sympathised a lot with Nicole's bitterness over being overlooked at work, with Ollie's loneliness and listlessness, with Ian's anger, and even with Brandon's hopeless romanticism (initially--more on that below). Each character is drawn vividly and they complement each other. Their friendship isn't perfect, and the characters' flaws are sometimes glaring, which made it all the more real and relatable.
The novel spends, at first, equal time on the mystery as well as the characters' lives. As they try to work out where the mystery man is, we get to know these characters and learn about the other people in their lives as well as their circumstances. Rosen handles this fairly large (and equally diverse) secondary cast deftly. There's humour and banter, dogs and a group chat. It's fun! Then the crime happens and the tension ratchets up as a villain with a tattoo appears on the scene.
However, this is where the book began losing me. The balance between the mystery and the characters' lives tipped over towards their daily routine. We had chapters about their meeting people, arranging a date, talking to customers in the bookshop, reaching out to an ex etc etc, all the while not making any significant investigative progress. I like to follow clues and to figure things out myself but here the mystery plot was sidelined in favour of the interpersonal relationships of the group. The other thing that really annoyed me around that point was Brandon's inability to accept his "soulmate" might be some dodgy criminal. (and then I was annoyed with Ollie enabling him.) It felt completely childish to be so vehemently "but perhaps there is another reason why [something terrible and suspicious] happened" for a man he had a quickie with for half an hour. The idea he'd look for him at first made sense. But after the murder and the rest happened, it made Brandon look incredibly deluded to the point that I'd stage an intervention.
My final and more serious complain is the repetition. The friends would have a text exchange and then we'd see parts of it repeated in a few more chapters. Initially it was fine; the text was brief and it served to anchor us to what everyone was doing at the same time. But in the second half we had repetitions of an entire scene. We saw the exact same thing, pages and pages of it, happen from four POVs, each one adding a little to the scene but nothing that was crucial to the story. We also had a random POV inserted at some point. The formatting made it seem like it was one of the main characters, until it was clear that it wasn't. The ending held no surprising solution to the mystery, or suspense, or even the tension from earlier. (I will say, though, I'm VERY much into that new ship that appeared towards the end).
In short, if you're after a typical murder mystery with clues and suspects and plot twists, this might disappoint. However, if you're into reading about a diverse queer group of people in their 20s in NYC, struggling with identity and love and discovering who they want to be, with maybe a sprinkle of a mystery thrown in, then you'll love this.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Genre: Mystery / thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Release date: June 2nd 2026
Firstly thank you so much netgalley and the publisher for a arc copy of this book!
listen the rating has me so sad but like 3 stars is still pretty good, so the plot sounded very promising and like it would be a good mystery thriller but with humor and great friendships and listen while the plot was interesting and I was entertained throughout this book it just felt like a lot of setup, it’s on the longer side so it felt like a lot of set up and like the main plot got dragged along / dragged out because there was little side plots going on with the 3 other main characters being Nicole, Ian and Ollie which made this more on the longer side and feel drawn out, also because of the side plots there was just way more drama than I expected when i started this and I have to be in a very specific mood for a drama filled book like this because I was low key like raging at one point because of the drama kinda towards the end, and while this does drag on like for 80% I will say the last like 20% is really easy to read and really quick to read. Also like there wasn’t really a plot twist in this so don’t go in expecting one just so your aware.
I did really enjoy getting to know the characters and I liked most of them, get ready to buckle in because wow I have a lot to say so let’s start with
Brandon, so Brandon is our love sick puppy with Jon and is seriously like a love sick puppy but is a sweetheart who’s just a hopeless romantic and wants love and believes in true love, listen I really liked him in the beginning like just the sweetheart character that you just want to reach through the pages and give him a big hug but my god did he make a lot of stupid decisions and was so blinded by love… like my guy there’s so many red flags here and your just ignoring them like really? It got so frustrating after a while because he’s just like so oblivious but you still feel bad for him.
Now let’s talk Ollie, so at first Ian was my favorite because of his sass and his attitude but Ollie QUICKLY took that spot as my favorite character in this, my gosh Ollie is just your typical kind of sad stoner boy who loves true crime which I just fell in love with him because same, like I love my true crime as well and he loves playing detective to try to figure out the case which I love to do and we both love the like drama and thrill of it but anyway his chapters oddly enough were the only ones that didn’t frustrate me, I wasn’t bored through them and the story never seemed to drag in his chapters, I don’t know, he’s your stoner boy but wants everyone around him to be happy which is so cute to me and I wanted to multiple times just reach through the pages and give him a hug
Now for Ian, so yes my favorite at the beginning which quickly changed because my gosh the drama with his ex and his whole craving a toxic relationship basically and craving that fight just got to a point of kinda annoying me because like … whatever let’s just leave it at that but I really enjoyed the sass and the attitude like definitely had a good laugh with them even if he frustrated me and made me rage sometimes however there seemed to be a small amount of character growth by the end which I did like but he is my second favorite out of the group still.
Finally last but not least we have nicole, so where to start? I feel like I don’t have as much to say about her because look I liked her but I didn’t feel fully connected to her like I did the boys, like she was a okay character, I didn’t fully connect with her, didn’t fall in love with her sure I liked seeing the law side of things in this (since she works in a law firm) but like there was a love triangle in this that was really pointless and just frustrated me so much and so like… that’s it, that’s all I have to say because she was like just an okay character to me.
There was one thing so confusing in this and that’s a pov that we get, it never said who’s pov it was which I think is on purpose and supposed to be kind of up to you to guess who it is but it really threw me for a loop at first and I was very confused until the pieces started clicking together and I figured it out then it wasn’t really confusing.
Rating: 3 stars
Release date: June 2nd 2026
Firstly thank you so much netgalley and the publisher for a arc copy of this book!
listen the rating has me so sad but like 3 stars is still pretty good, so the plot sounded very promising and like it would be a good mystery thriller but with humor and great friendships and listen while the plot was interesting and I was entertained throughout this book it just felt like a lot of setup, it’s on the longer side so it felt like a lot of set up and like the main plot got dragged along / dragged out because there was little side plots going on with the 3 other main characters being Nicole, Ian and Ollie which made this more on the longer side and feel drawn out, also because of the side plots there was just way more drama than I expected when i started this and I have to be in a very specific mood for a drama filled book like this because I was low key like raging at one point because of the drama kinda towards the end, and while this does drag on like for 80% I will say the last like 20% is really easy to read and really quick to read. Also like there wasn’t really a plot twist in this so don’t go in expecting one just so your aware.
I did really enjoy getting to know the characters and I liked most of them, get ready to buckle in because wow I have a lot to say so let’s start with
Brandon, so Brandon is our love sick puppy with Jon and is seriously like a love sick puppy but is a sweetheart who’s just a hopeless romantic and wants love and believes in true love, listen I really liked him in the beginning like just the sweetheart character that you just want to reach through the pages and give him a big hug but my god did he make a lot of stupid decisions and was so blinded by love… like my guy there’s so many red flags here and your just ignoring them like really? It got so frustrating after a while because he’s just like so oblivious but you still feel bad for him.
Now let’s talk Ollie, so at first Ian was my favorite because of his sass and his attitude but Ollie QUICKLY took that spot as my favorite character in this, my gosh Ollie is just your typical kind of sad stoner boy who loves true crime which I just fell in love with him because same, like I love my true crime as well and he loves playing detective to try to figure out the case which I love to do and we both love the like drama and thrill of it but anyway his chapters oddly enough were the only ones that didn’t frustrate me, I wasn’t bored through them and the story never seemed to drag in his chapters, I don’t know, he’s your stoner boy but wants everyone around him to be happy which is so cute to me and I wanted to multiple times just reach through the pages and give him a hug
Now for Ian, so yes my favorite at the beginning which quickly changed because my gosh the drama with his ex and his whole craving a toxic relationship basically and craving that fight just got to a point of kinda annoying me because like … whatever let’s just leave it at that but I really enjoyed the sass and the attitude like definitely had a good laugh with them even if he frustrated me and made me rage sometimes however there seemed to be a small amount of character growth by the end which I did like but he is my second favorite out of the group still.
Finally last but not least we have nicole, so where to start? I feel like I don’t have as much to say about her because look I liked her but I didn’t feel fully connected to her like I did the boys, like she was a okay character, I didn’t fully connect with her, didn’t fall in love with her sure I liked seeing the law side of things in this (since she works in a law firm) but like there was a love triangle in this that was really pointless and just frustrated me so much and so like… that’s it, that’s all I have to say because she was like just an okay character to me.
There was one thing so confusing in this and that’s a pov that we get, it never said who’s pov it was which I think is on purpose and supposed to be kind of up to you to guess who it is but it really threw me for a loop at first and I was very confused until the pieces started clicking together and I figured it out then it wasn’t really confusing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev AC Rosen!
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is exactly what it promises to be: chaotic, queer, funny, heartfelt, and just a touch unhinged. If Only Murders in the Building had a baby with Clue and raised it on true-crime podcasts and Disney fairytale romances, this book would be the result.
The story follows a group of queer twenty-somethings who accidentally stumble into a murder mystery they have absolutely no business solving. Their friend group feels incredibly lived-in, with that subtle drifting-apart tension that hits painfully close to home for anyone in their mid-20s. Throughout the story, we jump between their POVs, and while that’s not usually my preference, I ended up really liking how fully fleshed out every character felt. There is a little repetition between POVs—sometimes we see the same scene or the same texts more than once—but it’s a minor complaint in an otherwise incredibly fun ride. Honestly, it feels like something that would work even better as a movie montage.
Brandon, first of all, completely stole my heart. He is the perfect disaster gay—sweet, earnest, hopelessly romantic, and frankly too dumb for this world in the most endearing way possible. Imagine if Ted Mosby and SpongeBob had a baby. That’s Brandon. I wanted to put him in bubble wrap.
Ollie, though, is my absolute favorite. A dog walker who doesn’t have his life figured out and feels left behind as the group gets older, he is both painfully relatable and wildly entertaining. He’s the true-crime-obsessed friend who is convinced he can solve the case, the ultimate yes-man because he genuinely wants his friends to be happy. He never puts Brandon down, and his encouragement is so sweet.
Ian is Brandon’s roommate—cynical, angry, a little toxic in relationships, and deeply loyal. Beneath the prickliness, all they want is to protect the people they love.
Nicole, the lawyer (well, assistant), is the most practical one of the group. She works nonstop but still shows up when it matters, and by the end, I was genuinely proud of her.
The mystery itself is surprisingly fun and twisty. It has that classic, slightly old-fashioned “amateur sleuths making terrible choices” energy—think Scooby-Doo, but if Fred and Velma were queer millennials with anxiety. I kept laughing at their decision-making (or, more accurately, the lack of it).
As for the plot twists: I knew Jon (or Conner, whatever his name is) was shady from the start, but watching Brandon trip headfirst into crush-fueled delusion was both hilarious and heartbreaking. It stings because Brandon deserves the world, and Jon was absolutely not it. Hopefully, he finds someone better in the next book. And I knew Ellen was in on it!
The finale is wild, chaotic, and perfect for this little disaster squad. Is this the most realistic story? Absolutely not. Does it need to be? Absolutely not. It’s fun, silly, heartfelt, and full of friendship, queer joy, and questionable decisions.
Also? Ian and Heart Eyes? I love them and cannot WAIT for the gang to find out. XD
By the end, I wasn’t just entertained—I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to this group. I would 100% read an entire series about these disaster gays solving crimes they are wildly unqualified for.
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is exactly what it promises to be: chaotic, queer, funny, heartfelt, and just a touch unhinged. If Only Murders in the Building had a baby with Clue and raised it on true-crime podcasts and Disney fairytale romances, this book would be the result.
The story follows a group of queer twenty-somethings who accidentally stumble into a murder mystery they have absolutely no business solving. Their friend group feels incredibly lived-in, with that subtle drifting-apart tension that hits painfully close to home for anyone in their mid-20s. Throughout the story, we jump between their POVs, and while that’s not usually my preference, I ended up really liking how fully fleshed out every character felt. There is a little repetition between POVs—sometimes we see the same scene or the same texts more than once—but it’s a minor complaint in an otherwise incredibly fun ride. Honestly, it feels like something that would work even better as a movie montage.
Brandon, first of all, completely stole my heart. He is the perfect disaster gay—sweet, earnest, hopelessly romantic, and frankly too dumb for this world in the most endearing way possible. Imagine if Ted Mosby and SpongeBob had a baby. That’s Brandon. I wanted to put him in bubble wrap.
Ollie, though, is my absolute favorite. A dog walker who doesn’t have his life figured out and feels left behind as the group gets older, he is both painfully relatable and wildly entertaining. He’s the true-crime-obsessed friend who is convinced he can solve the case, the ultimate yes-man because he genuinely wants his friends to be happy. He never puts Brandon down, and his encouragement is so sweet.
Ian is Brandon’s roommate—cynical, angry, a little toxic in relationships, and deeply loyal. Beneath the prickliness, all they want is to protect the people they love.
Nicole, the lawyer (well, assistant), is the most practical one of the group. She works nonstop but still shows up when it matters, and by the end, I was genuinely proud of her.
The mystery itself is surprisingly fun and twisty. It has that classic, slightly old-fashioned “amateur sleuths making terrible choices” energy—think Scooby-Doo, but if Fred and Velma were queer millennials with anxiety. I kept laughing at their decision-making (or, more accurately, the lack of it).
As for the plot twists: I knew Jon (or Conner, whatever his name is) was shady from the start, but watching Brandon trip headfirst into crush-fueled delusion was both hilarious and heartbreaking. It stings because Brandon deserves the world, and Jon was absolutely not it. Hopefully, he finds someone better in the next book. And I knew Ellen was in on it!
The finale is wild, chaotic, and perfect for this little disaster squad. Is this the most realistic story? Absolutely not. Does it need to be? Absolutely not. It’s fun, silly, heartfelt, and full of friendship, queer joy, and questionable decisions.
Also? Ian and Heart Eyes? I love them and cannot WAIT for the gang to find out. XD
By the end, I wasn’t just entertained—I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to this group. I would 100% read an entire series about these disaster gays solving crimes they are wildly unqualified for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for a review.
CW: gun violence, murder, mentions of parental death
This book was a lot of fun!
I loved that the cast were disastrous queer people right from the start and that each perspective felt like different people with their own voices. I loved following this group of friends navigate a kind of ridiculous situation, and how they cared and showed up for one another (the representation within this group of friends was really nice to see too!). The mystery was also interesting and I wanted to see how it would unfold. But, while I liked a lot of elements of this book, it didn't hit every mark for me.
The main issue I had was the repetition. I understand that the point of having the same texts or scenes across multiple POVs is to show how each character reacts to these things, but this went on and on and on until I could basically recite what was going to be written. I don't need things that were said a page ago to be rehashed again and again (there's a scene at the end that would just never end — it was taking one step forwards and five steps back). I found this type of repetition to make the writing style tell more than show, and I struggle to enjoy those types of writing styles on the best of days.
On the topic of tell more than show, I didn't really see the chemistry between most of the romantic pairings. We were told that one character found another sexy or told explicitly from another's POV that these characters have chemistry, but it wasn't shown as much. I totally understand that romance was not really the point of this book, however, I think being able to see instead of being told makes what's going on more believable and draws the reader further into the story.
While I liked the multiple POVs, there was one that I didn't think was signalled as a new POV very well. I was extremely confused when one POV just changed to another in a new paragraph since that hadn't been the case before. Personally, I would've liked to have seen a more significant separation, or for that POV to have not been included at all — in the scheme of things, it didn't add much.
As for the mystery itself, it was as chaotic as the main characters. There were some elements that I felt weren't given enough closure, and I know that this book has a humorous tone, but some things were made light of that I didn't think should be (I'm generalising to avoid spoilers). It's definitely a personal preference!
On a sort of funny note, I went into this book thinking it was YA (I've read a few of the author's other books), and very quickly realised it was very much not when I got to the first sex scene. Completely my bad!
As a whole, I enjoyed The Disaster Gay Detective Agency as a fast-paced mystery with a bunch of messy queer people, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the author's work.
CW: gun violence, murder, mentions of parental death
This book was a lot of fun!
I loved that the cast were disastrous queer people right from the start and that each perspective felt like different people with their own voices. I loved following this group of friends navigate a kind of ridiculous situation, and how they cared and showed up for one another (the representation within this group of friends was really nice to see too!). The mystery was also interesting and I wanted to see how it would unfold. But, while I liked a lot of elements of this book, it didn't hit every mark for me.
The main issue I had was the repetition. I understand that the point of having the same texts or scenes across multiple POVs is to show how each character reacts to these things, but this went on and on and on until I could basically recite what was going to be written. I don't need things that were said a page ago to be rehashed again and again (there's a scene at the end that would just never end — it was taking one step forwards and five steps back). I found this type of repetition to make the writing style tell more than show, and I struggle to enjoy those types of writing styles on the best of days.
On the topic of tell more than show, I didn't really see the chemistry between most of the romantic pairings. We were told that one character found another sexy or told explicitly from another's POV that these characters have chemistry, but it wasn't shown as much. I totally understand that romance was not really the point of this book, however, I think being able to see instead of being told makes what's going on more believable and draws the reader further into the story.
While I liked the multiple POVs, there was one that I didn't think was signalled as a new POV very well. I was extremely confused when one POV just changed to another in a new paragraph since that hadn't been the case before. Personally, I would've liked to have seen a more significant separation, or for that POV to have not been included at all — in the scheme of things, it didn't add much.
As for the mystery itself, it was as chaotic as the main characters. There were some elements that I felt weren't given enough closure, and I know that this book has a humorous tone, but some things were made light of that I didn't think should be (I'm generalising to avoid spoilers). It's definitely a personal preference!
On a sort of funny note, I went into this book thinking it was YA (I've read a few of the author's other books), and very quickly realised it was very much not when I got to the first sex scene. Completely my bad!
As a whole, I enjoyed The Disaster Gay Detective Agency as a fast-paced mystery with a bunch of messy queer people, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the author's work.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was my first Rosen book and I liked it.
It was a bit complicated to read with all four of them getting their own chapters and many scenes/text messages getting repeated. But I loved the story.
Hopeless romantic Brandon falls in insta-love with a hotel guest and then crimes and whatnots happen and our chaotic Fantastic Four try to find out what is going on and who are the bad people here. While trying to survive all that plus life and friendships and relationships and expectations and hopes and fears!
It could've been edited a tiny bit better or written with a bit more interesting/detailed/exciting/moving et cetera content and not so many repetitions - but I really enjoyed reading this.
Funny, crazy, exciting, chaotic, queer, adorable, mysterious. Wouldn't mind getting a series about those four with their own Detective Agency!
click ►HERE - to buy the book!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a free ARC via Netgalley - my opinions are my own.
I really wanted to like this book. I tried really hard to, because there's a lot here to like. The cast of characters - hugely diverse and very much disasters - include a nonbinary drag queen, a trans perma-stoned dogwalker with a love of true crime, a gay hotel concierge who falls in love too easily, and a lesbian workaholic. Hugely queer. Hugely chaotic. I loved them, for the most part. (Especially Ian. I loved Ian. And Pete the Pug.)
And actually, it's refreshing to see flaws like instalove treated as flaws and called out by the characters. An example: Brandon falls in love too easily, and is a little bit frustrating for it, but his friends tease him about it and remind him its not healthy, not is Ian's obsession with their ex, or Ollie's lack of direction, or Nicole's lack of a social life.
(That being said, some of those character traits do make the characters a little annoying. Brandon and his obsession with a guy who was clearly involved in dangerous business, was incredibly frustrating at times)
There's a good mystery, here, too. Centred around a man Brandon the hotel concierge sleeps with while on shift, who then disappears the morning after leaving his phone behind. When our hapless heroes track him down, they witness a shooting and realise they are in a little bit over their heads. I think this was well handled, and you can definitely see the author's expertise in this area. The mystery is good.
The writing is strong too - spread across five points of view. But I also think this is where it fell apart for me. See, some of scenes show different characters at the same point in time, linked by the text messages that they send to one another. It does work well, at first, when all the characters are working on separate parts of the mystery. Here, the repeated message conversations work as an anchor. That being said, I don't think it was necessary to show one scene from our four heroes points of view. That got very repetitive.
I also didn't really like the inclusion of the fifth point of view - that of the spy - that felt unnecessary, and I think it gave too much away.
On a YMMV note: I don't read stories set in the contemporary day often. It doesn't always work for me. This is partially the case here, and you may disagree.
I really wanted to like this book. I tried really hard to, because there's a lot here to like. The cast of characters - hugely diverse and very much disasters - include a nonbinary drag queen, a trans perma-stoned dogwalker with a love of true crime, a gay hotel concierge who falls in love too easily, and a lesbian workaholic. Hugely queer. Hugely chaotic. I loved them, for the most part. (Especially Ian. I loved Ian. And Pete the Pug.)
And actually, it's refreshing to see flaws like instalove treated as flaws and called out by the characters. An example: Brandon falls in love too easily, and is a little bit frustrating for it, but his friends tease him about it and remind him its not healthy, not is Ian's obsession with their ex, or Ollie's lack of direction, or Nicole's lack of a social life.
(That being said, some of those character traits do make the characters a little annoying. Brandon and his obsession with a guy who was clearly involved in dangerous business, was incredibly frustrating at times)
There's a good mystery, here, too. Centred around a man Brandon the hotel concierge sleeps with while on shift, who then disappears the morning after leaving his phone behind. When our hapless heroes track him down, they witness a shooting and realise they are in a little bit over their heads. I think this was well handled, and you can definitely see the author's expertise in this area. The mystery is good.
The writing is strong too - spread across five points of view. But I also think this is where it fell apart for me. See, some of scenes show different characters at the same point in time, linked by the text messages that they send to one another. It does work well, at first, when all the characters are working on separate parts of the mystery. Here, the repeated message conversations work as an anchor. That being said, I don't think it was necessary to show one scene from our four heroes points of view. That got very repetitive.
I also didn't really like the inclusion of the fifth point of view - that of the spy - that felt unnecessary, and I think it gave too much away.
On a YMMV note: I don't read stories set in the contemporary day often. It doesn't always work for me. This is partially the case here, and you may disagree.
February 6, 2026
Maybe 2.5⭐️... I just hated half the characters by the end... And I hated the introductory character from the get go, character's that fall in love instantly, sleep with people instantly, and cry instantly, just annoy me on so many levels. I understand that all these characters were meant to have chaotically disastrous lives, and at times it was amusing, but honestly half of this book was just consequences... For their own messed up actions. They are all pretty selfish people, all entirely convinced of their own opinions and all make unwise decisions... They are all adults, so absolutely should know better and they are also terrible friends to one another... Which makes the whole thing worse. They are either supporting each other's delusions in the worst way, like encouraging getting back together with an ex who cheated because he apologised despite teasing their friend for obsessively cyber-stalking him... Or they are actively tearing their friends apart for laughs... Or they are not communicating with one another at all because they are too focused on their own goals in this investigation... Whether it's money, sex or adrenaline. Only two characters had a modicum of intelligence, I actually felt like I lost brain cells reading, however they were not the reason the case was solved.
Their investigation was incredibly limited, they were basically handed all the answers by a variety of interested and villainous buyers... They witness a murder, don't report it, and set out to 'solve it'. The murder is relegated to the background almost immediately, and the eventual confession by the murderer is immediately dismissed, and of no real relevance to the unfolding mystery. The game night that is meant to gather more intelligence turns into a breakdown caused by the complete lack of teamwork, or even mild communication, between the so called friends. Then to increase frustration the story is told from all four perspectives in the most repetitive way... The same conversations play out, the same scene from four angles adding nothing. Then the actual confrontation was over in about two chapters... All the build up was completely unjustified.
The main positive is that it's a book packed with a diverse cast of characters, and the case does get solved... I guess?
Their investigation was incredibly limited, they were basically handed all the answers by a variety of interested and villainous buyers... They witness a murder, don't report it, and set out to 'solve it'. The murder is relegated to the background almost immediately, and the eventual confession by the murderer is immediately dismissed, and of no real relevance to the unfolding mystery. The game night that is meant to gather more intelligence turns into a breakdown caused by the complete lack of teamwork, or even mild communication, between the so called friends. Then to increase frustration the story is told from all four perspectives in the most repetitive way... The same conversations play out, the same scene from four angles adding nothing. Then the actual confrontation was over in about two chapters... All the build up was completely unjustified.
The main positive is that it's a book packed with a diverse cast of characters, and the case does get solved... I guess?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This is probably one of the most accurate book titles I've ever seen. We follow four friends; Brandon, Ollie, Ian and Nicole, who are all flawed in their own way, just trying to make it through life, when they get involuntarily involved in a huge mess after two of them witness a murder. The story follows the four of them trying to get to the bottom of the situation in a way only messy twenty-something year olds could.
This is a very easy, quick read that doesn't take a lot of brainpower. I read this relatively quickly, and because the chapters are short it feels quite rewarding. I liked how different all four friends were and how fun the dynamic in the group was because of it. They felt like real people, and I think every person reading this can relate to at least one of them in some way.
However, the reason I gave this novel a three star (which is not bad), is because I got annoyed throughout the reading experience several times. I'm trying to be vague here, but while I appreciate that the characters are all unique, some of them simply annoyed me. Brandon not changing his mind about Jon throughout the entire novel bothered me so much, it made him appear far too desperate and though I can understand that this was what the author was going for, it was highly annoying and felt unrealistic. Ian, especially in the beginning of the novel, felt so entitled and I didn't like being in their POV at all, though appreciated their change throughout the novel. I did genuinely like Ollie and Nicole though. Everybody in this book was insanely horny 24/7, hooking up with everybody they met, the flirting in situations that are meant to be serious... sigh.
Also, I do love that we get multiple POV's, but reading the same exact scenario word for word from four different POV's made me lose interest quite quick. Yes, it is interesting to see everybody's perspective, but reading the same scene four times is not fun.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a silly goofy time, a a quick read. I'm happy I read it, though I don't think it'll ever cross my mind again and I likely won't be purchasing the novel once it's published.
This is probably one of the most accurate book titles I've ever seen. We follow four friends; Brandon, Ollie, Ian and Nicole, who are all flawed in their own way, just trying to make it through life, when they get involuntarily involved in a huge mess after two of them witness a murder. The story follows the four of them trying to get to the bottom of the situation in a way only messy twenty-something year olds could.
This is a very easy, quick read that doesn't take a lot of brainpower. I read this relatively quickly, and because the chapters are short it feels quite rewarding. I liked how different all four friends were and how fun the dynamic in the group was because of it. They felt like real people, and I think every person reading this can relate to at least one of them in some way.
However, the reason I gave this novel a three star (which is not bad), is because I got annoyed throughout the reading experience several times. I'm trying to be vague here, but while I appreciate that the characters are all unique, some of them simply annoyed me. Brandon not changing his mind about Jon throughout the entire novel bothered me so much, it made him appear far too desperate and though I can understand that this was what the author was going for, it was highly annoying and felt unrealistic. Ian, especially in the beginning of the novel, felt so entitled and I didn't like being in their POV at all, though appreciated their change throughout the novel. I did genuinely like Ollie and Nicole though. Everybody in this book was insanely horny 24/7, hooking up with everybody they met, the flirting in situations that are meant to be serious... sigh.
Also, I do love that we get multiple POV's, but reading the same exact scenario word for word from four different POV's made me lose interest quite quick. Yes, it is interesting to see everybody's perspective, but reading the same scene four times is not fun.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a silly goofy time, a a quick read. I'm happy I read it, though I don't think it'll ever cross my mind again and I likely won't be purchasing the novel once it's published.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a fun, heartfelt mystery centered on friendship as much as crime. Four friends have stayed close after college, bonding over a standing weekly brunch and a genuine commitment to showing up for one another.
Brandon, who works nights at a hotel, is a romantic at heart and very much hoping to find love. When he hooks up with a guest named Jon, Brandon believes it could be something real—until Jon checks out early the next morning, leaving behind a bag and his cell phone. Brandon manages to return the bag, but the phone feels more personal, and he becomes determined to track Jon down himself. He recruits his friends for help: Nicole, a former activist now buried in her career as an overworked lawyer; Ian, a drag queen who works part-time in a bookstore and also happens to be Brandon’s roommate; and Ollie, a dog walker with a deep obsession with true-crime podcasts. Together, this well-intentioned group of misfits sets out to find Jon—only to stumble into witnessing a murder that is somehow, definitely, connected to him. What follows is an engaging story full of missteps, humor, and chaos, balanced by genuine warmth. At its core, this book is about chosen family, loyalty, and how far friends will go for one another, even when they have no idea what they’re doing. A fast, enjoyable read with heart, laughs, and just enough mystery to keep things moving.
The only real downside was the occasional repetition when the same event was shown from multiple friends’ viewpoints. While the intention was clearly to give each character their moment, these sections sometimes felt repetitive, and the added perspectives didn’t always deepen the story.
That said, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise entertaining book. Overall, The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a solid mystery and an enjoyable, character-driven read, with plenty of humor woven throughout. The friendships are the real highlight, and the laughs along the way make it well worth picking up.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this honest, personal, and unbiased review.
Brandon, who works nights at a hotel, is a romantic at heart and very much hoping to find love. When he hooks up with a guest named Jon, Brandon believes it could be something real—until Jon checks out early the next morning, leaving behind a bag and his cell phone. Brandon manages to return the bag, but the phone feels more personal, and he becomes determined to track Jon down himself. He recruits his friends for help: Nicole, a former activist now buried in her career as an overworked lawyer; Ian, a drag queen who works part-time in a bookstore and also happens to be Brandon’s roommate; and Ollie, a dog walker with a deep obsession with true-crime podcasts. Together, this well-intentioned group of misfits sets out to find Jon—only to stumble into witnessing a murder that is somehow, definitely, connected to him. What follows is an engaging story full of missteps, humor, and chaos, balanced by genuine warmth. At its core, this book is about chosen family, loyalty, and how far friends will go for one another, even when they have no idea what they’re doing. A fast, enjoyable read with heart, laughs, and just enough mystery to keep things moving.
The only real downside was the occasional repetition when the same event was shown from multiple friends’ viewpoints. While the intention was clearly to give each character their moment, these sections sometimes felt repetitive, and the added perspectives didn’t always deepen the story.
That said, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise entertaining book. Overall, The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a solid mystery and an enjoyable, character-driven read, with plenty of humor woven throughout. The friendships are the real highlight, and the laughs along the way make it well worth picking up.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this honest, personal, and unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!
i have lots of thoughts here. first of all: i think this was fun. when i wasn't enraged by it, at least. i know that it literally says disaster gay in the title, but there was possibly too much disaster going on. if i was brandon i would probably die of humiliation literally every single day. i don't think it helped that there were so many different POVs. it didn't give me enough time to really know any of the characters internally, and it was really frustrating to go over the exact same thing in each character's chapters. if there was a sustaining primary POV and then the others had one chapter or occasional bits it might have worked better? but as it was it just felt all over the place.
another thing that was all over the place was the tone. i couldn't figure out how seriously i was meant to take it. the writing felt rompy but the plot seemed much more serious, and it just didn't mesh well. i think there is a way to combine the seriousness of murder and large-scale crime with humour, but this book didn't quite hit the mark. part of this was that the main characters were just so stupid at every turn that there was one day i was already grumpy and i genuinely couldn't read this because i knew i would end up throwing my ereader across the train.
something that might have helped the tone/plot disconnect would maybe be if the book moved faster. every event had to be gone over in four different character's minds and the book as a whole just moved too slowly because of that. it meandered in a way that was mostly annoying.
i wrote in my notes: "it's so bad but i can't stop reading (i guess that's the disaster)" and what i want to say is that i think this book should be fun but it isn't quite. that's where the rating came from, the fact that it just missed the mark.
i did like the ending though, and i do look forward to more in the series! so that's good i guess?
i have lots of thoughts here. first of all: i think this was fun. when i wasn't enraged by it, at least. i know that it literally says disaster gay in the title, but there was possibly too much disaster going on. if i was brandon i would probably die of humiliation literally every single day. i don't think it helped that there were so many different POVs. it didn't give me enough time to really know any of the characters internally, and it was really frustrating to go over the exact same thing in each character's chapters. if there was a sustaining primary POV and then the others had one chapter or occasional bits it might have worked better? but as it was it just felt all over the place.
another thing that was all over the place was the tone. i couldn't figure out how seriously i was meant to take it. the writing felt rompy but the plot seemed much more serious, and it just didn't mesh well. i think there is a way to combine the seriousness of murder and large-scale crime with humour, but this book didn't quite hit the mark. part of this was that the main characters were just so stupid at every turn that there was one day i was already grumpy and i genuinely couldn't read this because i knew i would end up throwing my ereader across the train.
something that might have helped the tone/plot disconnect would maybe be if the book moved faster. every event had to be gone over in four different character's minds and the book as a whole just moved too slowly because of that. it meandered in a way that was mostly annoying.
i wrote in my notes: "it's so bad but i can't stop reading (i guess that's the disaster)" and what i want to say is that i think this book should be fun but it isn't quite. that's where the rating came from, the fact that it just missed the mark.
i did like the ending though, and i do look forward to more in the series! so that's good i guess?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved this book and strongly recommend it! It was exciting, entertaining, relatable, a little bit sexy, and laugh-out-loud funny. The disaster gays are a delight - I love them all and hope to see them in sequels (a series? Please?)
We don't get enough interestingly flawed queer characters, and this book serves up an ensemble cast of them! They all stand out as distinctly different from one another, too. They feel like real people, with different and conflicting - but still understandable - motivations. There's a clear line from their personalities/histories and the decisions they make... which means when they make bad decisions, I react with empathy and understanding, rather than judgement. "Yeah, that's how it is sometimes." rather than "What the hell are you doing, you idiot!"
A couple of spoilery thoughts, including some quibbles:
We don't get enough interestingly flawed queer characters, and this book serves up an ensemble cast of them! They all stand out as distinctly different from one another, too. They feel like real people, with different and conflicting - but still understandable - motivations. There's a clear line from their personalities/histories and the decisions they make... which means when they make bad decisions, I react with empathy and understanding, rather than judgement. "Yeah, that's how it is sometimes." rather than "What the hell are you doing, you idiot!"
A couple of spoilery thoughts, including some quibbles:
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