Gary Got Goosed

by J.R. Montarbo

Meet Gary Gander.
Gary is a middle-aged pizza delivery "boy" who has spent his whole life getting goosed by fate. The butt of every joke. A perpetual punching bag.

When a nightmare phone call on a typical Sunday throws him into a week of bizarre events and devastating revelations, Gary begins to question everything.
Life? Love? Work? Family?
The ominous sounds coming from his stomach?

Between navigating a reunion he wasn't ready for and trying not to punch his idiot boss in the face, Gary has finally reached his limit.
Is he going to stay silent forever, or is it time for Gary to let his voice be heard?
Dang it...

A poignant and hilarious exploration of life's mid-life curveballs.

331 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2026

Reviews

[Eamonn Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a funny every day tale, where what happens to Gary is just so tragic and typical when things don’t go our way. Heartfelt, it had me laughing and cringing in equal measure. What a well written book and amazing debut, I look forward to reading more! JR, proud of you mate, well done

[Uilleam Whitedale · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a nonfiction and horror reader, I have to say ... great story! GARY GOT GOOSED is reminiscent of old school, 80's comedies like Fast Times or Better Off Dead. Though loaded with sardonic humor. It's extremely easy to sympathize with Gary, the MC, as most of us have had experiences with "Brads" (except for those of you who may be Brads), and most of us can understand the feelings of alienation Gary experiences, even if he is a little old for some of it, which adds to the situational humor. But, to fully experience this book, it should be read solely from the perspective of Seamus, the cat. Kidding. Maybe. The prose are smooth and never break, and the darker undertones of the story end with a philosophically uplifting message. All that was missing for me was Gary hooking up with the coconut woman .. Woah! Wait! That'd be wrong. I mean the widow! What am I talking about? Read the book!

[Saffron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed is such a wonderful read.
It's bittersweet, packed with emotion and a heck of a lot of laughs.

This book delivers on so many levels, and J.R.'s writing was reminiscent for me of Bob Mortimer's 'The Satsuma Complex'.

You'll laugh, you'll feel immensely bad for poor Gary and maybe even shed a tear or two. I appreciate how deeply we got to know Gary and his background. The depth of character was the key to the enjoyment of this story.

What a smashing effort. Keep an eye on this author.

[theBookDevourer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected and fab.

This was a surprisingly engaging read. It reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in the sense that it centres on an unusual protagonist who is sometimes frustrating, sometimes endearing, but always interesting enough that you want to keep turning the pages to see where their journey leads.

I appreciated that the story trusted the reader and didn't rely on big twists alone to keep things moving. The characters and the gradual unfolding of events were enough to hold my attention.

I'm deliberately avoiding spoilers because I think this is a book that's best experienced with as few expectations as possible. If you enjoy character-driven stories with an offbeat central character and a mix of humour and heart, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed...you'll laugh, you'll cry...

You will go, "What the??" This goes from funny and totally relatable, there's a bit of Gary in all of us....to serious and emotional. This story takes you on a ride of all of the emotions and you want to see where Gary goes next, and that's the heart of a great story, isn't it?

[Brian Holshouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a ride!
I was given the privilege of being an early reader (ARC) and have to say, I feel honored to have spent time reading this.
I laughed, I cried, I got upset with some of the characters and scenes. Some of it felt like part of my history. There's a lot packed in this novel!
-Gary really got on my nerves at first, given he was a relatable, people-pleasing, down-on-his luck pushover. He's the version of yourself you don't want to become; perpetually stuck in a rut. Regardless, you really can't help but cheer for the guy.
My favorite parts were scenes where Gary seemed to have moments of hope and also the lines of comedy that landed with me.
-Worth noting, and this might be a me thing, but there were some lines and themes that were funny in-concept but I found myself struggling to let myself laugh. Maybe I was too immersed in the story since I have also worked in a pizza shop delivering, struggled with beater cars, and even had to step away from a MMO that was consuming my life. Or maybe I just couldn't hear the tone right. I'm not sure, but I know I wasn't able to enjoy some of the laughs and I really wanted to, since I love comedy.
-I put the book down for a couple of days while I traveled and thought about what lens I should be reading the it through. I didn't really find one but I found myself able to enjoy it more anyway. I felt like the story gets even better past the halfway point, only ramping up until the end.
The stuff about death and a lot of the second half hit closer to home than expected. Was sorta therapeutic in some ways.
Overall? This book is great. It's not my go-to genre but I enjoyed it a lot, even with some of the laughs not fully landing.
Age-wise it likely even dips into YA 15+ territory due to a few higher-tier cuss words and a few themes like suicide.
I'm impressed with this debut and can't wait to read more from JR.

[Dakota J. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed is hands-down one of the most refreshingly different stories I’ve read in a long time. It follows Gary, an ordinary guy living a humble life, and the book splits neatly into two halves that somehow complement each other perfectly.

The first half plays out like an adult version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day except the escalating antics are soaked in the kind of second-hand cringe that makes Meet the Parents so painfully hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud while simultaneously wincing for Gary as everything that could go wrong did, in the most entertaining ways possible.

The second half shifts into deeper dramatic territory, and I was genuinely impressed by how well the book balances sharp comedy with real emotional weight. The humor never undercuts the heart, and the heart never slows down the fun. It’s a rare combination that keeps the pages turning.

What truly sets this book apart is its heart. Gary isn’t some ambitious genius or larger-than-life hero—he’s just a fundamentally “good” guy trying his best, and that makes him incredibly relatable. There were multiple moments where I felt like the author had somehow spied on my own life; the everyday struggles, quiet disappointments, and small hopes hit way too close to home. My heart genuinely ached for him. In that way, Gary reminded me a lot of Dunk from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms—not the sharpest tool in the shed, but someone you root for fiercely because of who he is on the inside.

I also loved the writing style: short, punchy chapters with no unnecessary fluff. The story moves briskly, focuses on what matters, and makes this an ideal read while traveling or whenever you want something easy to pick up and hard to put down.

This wasn’t my usual genre, but Gary Got Goosed won me over completely. It’s funny, touching, surprising, and deeply human. I highly recommend it and already know I’ll be revisiting it in the future. A true gem.

[David Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed was a pleasure to read. A wholesome, heart-warming, very human story about a frankly incredibly frustrating loser. Yet Gary’s flaws are a huge part of his charm. He’s an introverted nerd who’s having a particularly tough time of things, and it only gets worse as the story progresses. Although he makes more than his fair share of mistakes along the way, you never stop rooting for him – and that’s down to how well he’s written. Additionally, a major part of what made this story work for me was Gary’s relationships: with his boss, with his coworkers, with his family, and most effectively, with his mother.

Overall, this is a lovely, bittersweet, smoothly written novel that had me chuckling, shedding a tear, and appreciating its broader messages of faith and personal growth.

I’m intrigued to see what J.R. Montarbo has in store for us next.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved following Gary and his far from idealistic life. He’s been at his job for 25 years, gets treated like crap, things always going wrong and a family tragedy. This guy can’t catch a break. The author calls this a comedy but I didn’t laugh a lot. But what I was doing was pulling for Gary to break away from the things that keeps him down. And don’t even get me started on his sucky brother! Overall, an excellent novel of trying to overcome the things they try to keep you down. I think a lot of us can relate with elements of Gary’s life. I highly recommend you read this book.

[Corky Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary, the every man

Gary's bad day (repeated) was 20 years in the making.
This hilarious and tragic story has a wholesome quality to it and deep reflections.
This book is worth reading again and again. The characters are fantastic, with my personal favorites being Gary and his mother, and the bond they build.

[Russell Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished J.R. Montarbo’s fantastic debut fiction novel, Gary Got Goosed. It had me riveted from start to finish.

The story follows Gary, an introverted and socially awkward 40-year-old man living the life of someone in their early 20s. He works as a pizza delivery driver, lives in a duplex, drives an old car and stays up late playing an online role-playing game like World of WarCraft, but with the acronym of Hot:Dog, which I loved. The novel follows an awful week in his life.

Gary is easy to root for, and Montarbo’s writing is fluid and easy to follow. The pacing is excellent, with no wasted words. We get a lot of Gary’s inner thoughts as he struggles to reconcile what he really feels and suppresses versus what he wants to say. Montarbo excels at these inner thoughts, as things many of us wish to say but don’t. Gary is very relatable, and I suspect we’ve all either experienced similar situations he goes through or know someone who has.

The story is bittersweet as we follow him along, hoping he finds the courage and conviction to become the man he wants to be and reaches the potential we, as the readers, see in him.
There are moments that will make you laugh and moments that will make you cry. It’s a credit to Montarbo’s skill that the scenes effortlessly flow between these emotions, taking the reader on a poignant and very human story.

My quibbles are few with this book, but I’ll note them here. Don’t go into this book expecting a laugh out loud comedy. There are humorous moments with embarrassing situations we can all relate to, but because we are so invested in Gary, often I felt sorry for him. In this way, it reminds me of the Ben Stiller comedies of the late 90s and early 00s, like There is Something About Mary, Along Came Polly and probably best of all, Meet the Parents.

My biggest issue is the ending. It ends fairly abruptly, and although there is a resolution for Gary, it leaves much unanswered. I acknowledge this is a personal taste and know that life is not neat and clean. We don’t always get things wrapped up nice and tidy, but I would have liked to see a couple more chapters to really button things up. You may find the ending is perfect.

There was also one plot thread that I felt was a bit contrived. It wasn’t implausible, but also not highly likely. It felt a little forced simply to give his obnoxious boss, Brad, another reason to abuse his power.

All that aside, I highly recommend this book! It’s a fast read and will leave you reflecting on many of the questions it raises about life, friendship, family, guilt, and faith. Which is a good thing. It gets a 5/5 for me! Can’t wait to read Montarbo’s next one.

[Bryce Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Gary Got Goosed” lingers. Unlike the stench that permeates Gary’s rundown hatchback, the depth of complexity with which Montarbo layers this story has me wanting to take another ride. This dysfunctional, deadpan rollercoaster, full of clever humor and unexpected heartache, made me double over laughing, and then reach for the tissues.

From old man cat Seamus’ litterbox, to goose turds by the pond, Montarbo serves up an indelible tour of Gary’s midlife collapse. The compounding mishaps, however outrageous, were anchored in the simple truth that sometimes life just gets away from us. Montarbo pulled me in, opened my heart, and convinced me to care about a man I’ve never thought of before.

More than that, he made me recognize that in another life, I might have been that man. At its core, this is a book about expectations: professional, social, familial, personal. How does it change a person, when those expectations aren’t fulfilled? How could it potentially transform a person when those expectations are exceeded?

It was a privilege to read this as an ARC reader. For me, this isn’t just a “heartbreaking comedy”- it is a look inside the mirror… where the wreckage becomes real. “Getting goosed” has a number of meanings, and Montarbo craftily touches on all of them in this comedic tale.

I was surprised, startled, “goosed,” a number of times throughout. But the thing that impressed me the most was how I was prodded, encouraged, “goosed,” to examine my own responses to real life mishaps, collapses, and relationships. I am deeply appreciative for Montarbo’s artful rendering- perfectly balancing the tension between farce and tragedy.

You might cry. You will certainly laugh. The best thing to do is read this book, and get goosed.

[G.R. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Gary is a character that you root for right from the offset. He's an honest guy just trying to get on, but he's faced with obstacles that he's struggling to overcome, and his life has reached a point where he's stuck in a rut. I felt Gary's frustrations, and they spoke to me for various reasons, plus I like how Gary's thoughts are often presented alongside his surface reactions. This is great writing.

The book starts off as more or less an out and out comedy and it made me laugh out loud a number of times. It leans towards tragi-comedy, but it's never mean spirited. The author - J.R. Montarbo handles this brilliantly, and as the novel progresses, it changes a little, but J.R. writes the tonal shifts so well, and subtlely, that the transitions are very smooth, and they always arrive at the right time.

This novel has got a lot of heart and it builds into something very thoughtful. A line of dialogue that struck me is, "Sometimes when we think we're doing the right thing for one person, maybe we're doing the wrong thing for another."

This is a very original book, and although I can't think of comparable titles in literature, it does give me vibes of films by a director whom I like very much - Alexander Payne.

J.R. Montarbo is a talented author and I highly recommend this book.

[H.M. M Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed is the debut novel from J.R. Montarbo, and I merrily gobbled this down over the course of two nights and enjoyed every page of it. Gary is a sorry sod, bless him, and he’s not having the best week (if he has ever had one in his life), so much so that William ‘D-FENS’ Foster would pity him. He is pure down-on-his-luck, and everything and everyone seems to be working against him. I just wanted to take him out for a nice, quiet pint and headbutt people for him.

One of the things I loved about GGG is how J.R. elevates the mundane. By that, I mean that Gary could be (and probably is/has been) any one of us. The problems he faces and must overcome are human problems, and realistic life experiences woven into a wonderfully told story. The juxtaposition between dialogue and inner dialogue is finely crafted and entirely relatable, and comical in its delivery. At times light-hearted, and at others leaning heavier, Gary Got Goosed is an emotional, humorous, and ultimately sincere delve into the human spirit, with a satisfying conclusion. Pure and thoroughly enjoyable, GGG is a great debut from J.R. Montarbo. I look forward to seeing what he delivers in his future novels.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Got Goosed is not at all what I had expected. When I stumbled across JR Montarbo on social media, I figured, "Why not? That's some cute cover art!"
I spent 5 hours today entering the life of a man whose experience is nothing like my own on the surface. I closed this book relating to him in ways I had not imagined.
The characters drawn in Gary Got Goosed were so real that at one point I actually hugged my dog because I couldn't physically hug the character.
I was most impressed with the way Montarbo ushered the reader into the mind/feelings of several characters at crucial moments. It didn't feel disjointed or jarring. The point of view changes were effortless!
It's so easy to look at someone and immediately judge who they truly ARE- how they dress, act, work, socialize. Even those we've known for years.
After spending my day with Gary and all of his circle, I hope judge less. We need more of this in our world.
I'm also going to tip the pizza guy better in the future.

[Huw · Rating 5 out of 5]

JR Montarbo's novel Gary Got Goosed uniquely renders its titular character with extraordinary depth. This pizza delivery worker is routinely put down by work colleagues and other people he interacts with, and what comes out of his mouth in response to the way he's treated is in direct contrast with the internal responses he constructs in his head. Rarely have I seen such a vivid portrayal of a character's internal monologue wrestling so acutely with their outward facing persona. Misfortune and also tragedy presents itself to Gary. There are heart-rending and poignant situations and interactions, and also some laugh out loud funny moments, all borne out of Montarbo's authentic observational talent. Gary Gander is a work of art, and Gary Got Goosed is a special story.

[Molly Macabre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, this was such a beautiful, heart-wrenching, page turner!

I'm not easily emotionally affected by books, and this one got me.

Gary is so relatable, a bit of a dork, a guy with good intentions, but he has flaws, and he just wants things to be easy and stress-free. Poor guy, because in this story, things are the opposite. Gary goes through the wringer in a tale that offers laughs and heartbreak, giggles and uncomfortable moments.

Well-edited, well-written, and a fast-paced, easy-going story.

I found myself tearing up at the end, especially considering how close it mirrored a personal situation.

Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC copy!

[Jan Miklaszewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a heartfelt, one-of-a-kind tale that I ended up flip-flopping on how to go about rating it. The main character is such a feckless (not to mention unhygienic) dork, and quite infuriating at times, but he also feels so authentic and genuine that you can’t help but root for him. Add in a proper jerk of a manager and some colourful workmates and family members, and you have the recipe for a very weird and wonderful pizza. Four stars for the execution, not bad at all for a debut author, and five for the emotional impact.

[Janelle Schiecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a heartfelt story that will have you laughing from the start, but then pull at your heartstrings. Gary experiences one setback after another, and he can't seem to find solid ground. If it's not his job, it's his family, his fickle decision making, or his lacking social skills. But when Gary experiences a profound loss, he's left questioning what really matters and also his own beliefs. I loved the realistic dialogue, the comedy (so many hilarious moments), and the messages about love, loss, and finding yourself. A very impressive debut from J.R. Montarbo.

[Ronan Beckman · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have all had that day where everything goes wrong, haven't we? However bad it was, I am sure that Gary could match it. He is a loser, but you will find yourself rooting for him to have a change in fortune. Lots of humorous scenarios ensue, full of the kind of awkward comedy that you would encounter in something like The Office. But the real surprise for me was how this novel transformed into something much more profound and poignant as it progressed. A genuine insight into the complicated family dynamics that so many can relate to. This novel has soul with a funny bone. Love it! 4.5 stars

[Matthew Linton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary got goosed was right up my alley. I especially appreciate how the book handles humor with a mix of heavier themes. It's a solid balance of some dark topics mixed with comedy in the the form of the absurdity of everyday life, classic Seinfeld. The MC, Gary, is like a mishmash of my favorite 90s era comedic characters. Think George Castanza, Robbie Hart, Doug Heffernenn, and Chandler Bing all wrapped up into one character. Highly recommend this book to those who appreciate a quick and humorous story that'll tug at your heart and make you root for the good guy.

[Tyler Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious from the start and keeps the laughs coming. What I found unexpected, as well as an excellent balance to the humor, is the narrator's soulful insight. Without spoiling too much, Gary is having a tough time in his life, and things begin unraveling on a bad day, and it is through this lens that the narrator slips in his lovely wisdoms that tie the loveable wretch that is Gary, to each of us. I may even read again, which is rare for me when it comes to comedy.

[Richelle Kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me all the feels! I had fun laughing at gary and his mishaps... getting annoyed with his coworkers ...then the tears. I did not expect for the heart punch to hit as hard as it did! Emotional and super fun rollercoaster! I am in your corner Goose!