What do you think?
Rate this book
Mad About the Boy
'Some of my best friends are homosexuals. I just didn't expect my husband to be one too.' A year after Antonia and Hugh move to Australia with their 4 year old son Tom, everything is going terribly well. They have a lovely house, they're very popular - and then Hugh tells Antonia he is gay and has a boyfriend...It's only the arrival of Ant's outrageous lavender-haired uncle Percy that lifts her out of her depression and sends her off to the gym - to combat the lardy thighs her comfort eating has given her - where she meets the mysterious James, and falls head over heels in lust. Soon Ant finds she's over Hugo - but by then her problems are only just beginning...
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
20 people are currently reading
644 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Alderson
35 books301 followersMaggie Alderson is a British-Australian author (that’s how I’m supposed to write it, but I’m not very good at talking about myself in the third person, so I’m going to can it).
I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.
I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).
An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.
I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.
My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.
I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.
My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).
The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).
You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net
I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.
I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).
An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.
I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.
My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.
I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.
My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).
The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).
You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
May 16, 2019
At the beginning of this book I really fell for the characters, but somewhere along the way they started to irritate me a little.
Antonia has made a big move from the UK to Sydney with her husband Hugo due to a big promotion with his work. After a year Antonia is enjoying the weather and wonderful social circles she find herself in. That is until Hugo drops his bombshell, that he is gay and wants to move in with his boyfriend. Suddenly Antonia finds herself alone and dropped by her so-called 'friends'.
Will she find a way forward on her own, or does she need a knight in shining armour with purple hair to guide her?
There are some laugh out loud moments in this book, some sad moments and a few that will make you cringe too. A light chick-lit rom-com.
Antonia has made a big move from the UK to Sydney with her husband Hugo due to a big promotion with his work. After a year Antonia is enjoying the weather and wonderful social circles she find herself in. That is until Hugo drops his bombshell, that he is gay and wants to move in with his boyfriend. Suddenly Antonia finds herself alone and dropped by her so-called 'friends'.
Will she find a way forward on her own, or does she need a knight in shining armour with purple hair to guide her?
There are some laugh out loud moments in this book, some sad moments and a few that will make you cringe too. A light chick-lit rom-com.
October 16, 2017
There are a few things in this book that really bug me... there's a whole criminal intrigue part of the narrative that could have done with a bit more expert fact checking. Just because we're reading a novel about a woman going through divorce doesn't mean we are stupid. Also, why did Suzy act the way she did?
There are a few moments as a Sydney local when I cringe at the casual name dropping of random suburbs.
There are a few moments as a Sydney local when I cringe at the casual name dropping of random suburbs.
May 15, 2019
Povremeno zabavna knjiga, medjutim previse gejeva na jednom mestu za moj ukus. Te muz je napusta zbog muskarca, te jos joj se posle toga useljava u kucu stric od muza - isto gej, te ide u teretanu gde su vecinom gej...sve vreme sam se mislila: ma nosi se bre zeno ...ima tu jos svasta, ali nije vredno neke dublje analize.
September 16, 2009
Mad About The Boy is Maggie Alderson’s second novel (her first being Pants on Fire). A year after Hugo and Antonia move to Sydney, Hugo announces he’s gay and also has a boyfriend (Greg). He leaves Antonia alone in her adopted city with only her son, Tom, and food for comfort. Not only that but all of her friends seem to have deserted her. Then along comes Hugo’s outrageous Uncle Percy who sends Antonia to the gym. There she meets the mysterious James but what on Earth is he hiding?
I loved Mad About The Boy. I enjoy reading books set in country’s I’ve never visited (but would like to!) as I usually get a great picture of said place. This book was set in Sydney and I liked the descriptions of Woollahra. It’s a really well written book and I loved Antonia.
It’s another book written in first person, which works for me! I enjoyed reading about Antonia’s thoughts after Hugo’s revelation. I felt her ups and her downs with her and I was thrilled when Uncle Percy showed up and whipped her into shape by sending her to the gym. I also enjoyed how drawn-out the relationship between Antonia and James was – it didn’t just happen, they got to know each other before getting into a relationship. We also didn’t have to wait until the last page either!
Uncle Percy was probably my favourite character. He was outrageous, outlandish and just plain fun. Everyone should have an Uncle like Percy. He didn’t care what anybody else thought of it, and he didn’t take himself too seriously either. He made the book for me!
I also loved James and couldn’t help trying to guess exactly why he was so mysterious. His revelation came as a surprise and also added a darker element to the book. Everything involving him was dark and mysterious and yet was still enjoyable.
Of the minor characters, I quite liked Dee, Antonia’s only friend after Suzy abandoned her. Of course that’s all to do with the darker element of the plot so we find out why she abandoned Antonia. I found Hugo both nice and irritating. His treatment of James wasn’t very nice. I hated Greg for a while but he seemed OK in the end. I thought Tom didn’t really feature much but I liked his scenes with kung-foo man (James) as Tom called him!
Another thing I loved was Anteeks (which by the way is a brilliant name), the shop Antonia opens. It sounds like a great idea for a shop and I loved all the needlepoint phrases Antonia thought up.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable novel and is well worth a read. I enjoyed the mysterious part of the plot as well, it all added to the enjoyment of the novel.
Rating: 5/5
I loved Mad About The Boy. I enjoy reading books set in country’s I’ve never visited (but would like to!) as I usually get a great picture of said place. This book was set in Sydney and I liked the descriptions of Woollahra. It’s a really well written book and I loved Antonia.
It’s another book written in first person, which works for me! I enjoyed reading about Antonia’s thoughts after Hugo’s revelation. I felt her ups and her downs with her and I was thrilled when Uncle Percy showed up and whipped her into shape by sending her to the gym. I also enjoyed how drawn-out the relationship between Antonia and James was – it didn’t just happen, they got to know each other before getting into a relationship. We also didn’t have to wait until the last page either!
Uncle Percy was probably my favourite character. He was outrageous, outlandish and just plain fun. Everyone should have an Uncle like Percy. He didn’t care what anybody else thought of it, and he didn’t take himself too seriously either. He made the book for me!
I also loved James and couldn’t help trying to guess exactly why he was so mysterious. His revelation came as a surprise and also added a darker element to the book. Everything involving him was dark and mysterious and yet was still enjoyable.
Of the minor characters, I quite liked Dee, Antonia’s only friend after Suzy abandoned her. Of course that’s all to do with the darker element of the plot so we find out why she abandoned Antonia. I found Hugo both nice and irritating. His treatment of James wasn’t very nice. I hated Greg for a while but he seemed OK in the end. I thought Tom didn’t really feature much but I liked his scenes with kung-foo man (James) as Tom called him!
Another thing I loved was Anteeks (which by the way is a brilliant name), the shop Antonia opens. It sounds like a great idea for a shop and I loved all the needlepoint phrases Antonia thought up.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable novel and is well worth a read. I enjoyed the mysterious part of the plot as well, it all added to the enjoyment of the novel.
Rating: 5/5
April 20, 2019
This is not my usual genre of book at all and I had my reservations. However, I loved this book. I laughed, I cheered, I absolutely fell in love with the characters. I’d definitely look for this author again, I really enjoyed this book :)
July 23, 2025
Just the exact palette cleanser I needed after the slog of Prophet Song
July 25, 2024
3.5 stars (?)
Such a fun little romp. Genuinely funny and quite well paced. But my God, some of it is so outdated. To be honest, I will probably read another Maggie Alderson in the future - really got me out of a reading slump :)
Such a fun little romp. Genuinely funny and quite well paced. But my God, some of it is so outdated. To be honest, I will probably read another Maggie Alderson in the future - really got me out of a reading slump :)
March 27, 2015
I'm actually a little frustrated by Maggie Alderson as a writer. I've read three of her books now, this was the first. They start strongly, the female character is usually fairly strong and self sufficient. The writing style is good. But then therse stereotypes seem to appear from nowhere. Like the very camp gay man which is the uncle in this one. The new man whose character never really get fleshed out so you don't know what she sees in him. Then the ending is always a little disappointing, with the woman somehow compromising herself or ideals for the man. I think it's the love affair that never seems to be quite real. I always find myself asking what do they have in common, there is no real connection between the characters. This is the classic example the two characters have nothing in common .
August 22, 2021
This is a quick read, but other than that, I'm not finding any positive things to say about it. As, for something categorised as chick-lit (i.e. a romance geared at female readers), this one misses the mark spectacularly.
It starts off with an interesting premise — a woman is left by her husband, who turns out to be gay — and then the plot veers off several times, eventually ending with her having contributed to solving a major crime. It could've been fun, had it been done properly, but it really wasn't. It's all just completely unrealistic and, frankly, often problematic.
Not to mention that I honestly abhor the use of sexual assault as a plot vehicle, which serves no point other than to drive the story forward.
This book's one redeeming feature lies in Percy, who is the best and most realistic character in it, and that's saying something.
It starts off with an interesting premise — a woman is left by her husband, who turns out to be gay — and then the plot veers off several times, eventually ending with her having contributed to solving a major crime. It could've been fun, had it been done properly, but it really wasn't. It's all just completely unrealistic and, frankly, often problematic.
Not to mention that I honestly abhor the use of sexual assault as a plot vehicle, which serves no point other than to drive the story forward.
This book's one redeeming feature lies in Percy, who is the best and most realistic character in it, and that's saying something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2018
In my early 20s I went through a click-lit phase and though I don't/can't read that kinda stuff today and am angry at the many female authors writing about women who's only purpose seemed to be finding "The One" and their lives were a mess up until they were saved by a guy (what an unhealthy narrative to promote to young women!), this short, non-in-depth review is simply to say that back when I did enjoy these kinds of books (light relief, comedy and escapism) I found Maggie Alderson's books of better quality than other trending click lit author's, so 3 stars for how I enjoyed it then.
November 12, 2019
Although this stars Maggie Alderson’s usual gentile refined type of heroine, the story was way over the top. British ex-pat now living in Sydney, Antonia, grapples with life on her own after her husband leaves her for a male hairdresser. She also grapples with a martial arts expert / private investigator, impatient gym junkies, bikies, corrupt politicians, violent businessmen, prostitutes, a larger-than-life uncle, a young son, and running her own business. I felt the book was over loaded with plots and would worked better with about half of them.
June 3, 2020
A little dated now in particular with some of the wording and name calling. There were parts where the cliched characters annoyed me, Percy and Spider being main examples of stereotypical gay men and bikers. I liked the characters of Hugo and Antonia to begin with but then Antonia grated a bit towards the end and got more snobby. I didn’t like Nikki but also didn’t like that her cctv footage got sold on and besides the sex I couldn’t really see what Antonia saw in James as he didn’t seem like a fully formed character to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2023
I’ve definitely fallen in love with Maggie’s books, and this one is no exception. With real characters you can relate to, and hunky men you wouldn’t mind getting to know much better, it’s a mix made in heaven. Add in some intrigue, and you have a book you just can’t put down.
I had a couple of her other books on my shelf, and managed to pick this one up at the op shop for 50 cents. An absolute bargain, and this one, as well as her other books, is likely to be on high rotation on my reading list.
I had a couple of her other books on my shelf, and managed to pick this one up at the op shop for 50 cents. An absolute bargain, and this one, as well as her other books, is likely to be on high rotation on my reading list.
December 20, 2024
This book started off very promising, great characters, potential story line.
However, soon flopped. Main character came off as desperate, snobby and more unlikeable as the book went on. Characters were very stereotypical, gay / thugs stereo types - very boring and predictable!
The book seemed to complete dismiss that she was almost raped?
Ending seemed chaotic and scrambled to finish.
Easy read but wouldn’t recommend
However, soon flopped. Main character came off as desperate, snobby and more unlikeable as the book went on. Characters were very stereotypical, gay / thugs stereo types - very boring and predictable!
The book seemed to complete dismiss that she was almost raped?
Ending seemed chaotic and scrambled to finish.
Easy read but wouldn’t recommend
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2023
I don’t know why I love this book so much and why I go back for a re-read it every five years or so. I guess it reminds me of how full of possibility Sydney felt to me when I first moved here and I was young and Sydney was fun and way more affordable. My love of this story is definitely sentimental and not based on the actual quality of the work but hey, I just love it!
May 4, 2024
Het die boek al 2 keer gelees. Die eerste keer in my 30’s en nou weer in my 40’s. Was beter die eerste keer en het my toe aangespoor om sommer te begin gym en in “shape” te kom soos die hoofkarakter. Die gevoel het egter verby gegaan en nie weer met die 2de lees verby gekom nie :-) Was steeds lekker om dit weer te lees.
November 30, 2017
Was an enjoyable read with witty banter and a loveable character cast. Although I am listening to this audio book in the middle of my reading slump so that could be contributed to the lesser star rating than what it deserves. Will give it 3.8/5 stars.
September 15, 2018
Although I usually enjoy Maggie Alderson's books, this one was a little bit of a mixed bag. It felt like several stories squeezed into one. Starting with a broken hearted wife, dealing with her new single life to a light hearted crime novel. It was a little bit too much story too little depth.
April 7, 2021
Compre este libro solo por la portada y no tenía muchas expectativas, pero me sorprendió.
Me gustó seguir la historia de Antonia, su divorcio y todo el proceso que vive para redescubrirse y salir adelante.
No esperaba que tuviese romance, drama y temas policiales y por eso se me hizo entretenido
Me gustó seguir la historia de Antonia, su divorcio y todo el proceso que vive para redescubrirse y salir adelante.
No esperaba que tuviese romance, drama y temas policiales y por eso se me hizo entretenido
April 13, 2025
Enjoyed this because of the familiarity of it being based in Sydney. Not on my recommendation list but an easy ready that managed to combine a couple of genres. Some of the language hasn’t dated well.
August 25, 2017
average! started off good, had witty writing a likeable female character, however, was too stereotypical about snobby people and gay men to the point where got old fast and slightly bored me.
October 1, 2017
A fun read with a really interesting plot twist
March 1, 2019
I have re-read this book so many times. Adore it
April 28, 2019
This was a fun read for the most part, it got a bit lost in the middle, but great character portrayal, good pace and premise for the story. I loved Uncle Percy!
October 21, 2019
Great read
Always a great read from the very talented story teller Maggie Alderson. I love all her book. Witty light hearted and inspirational
Always a great read from the very talented story teller Maggie Alderson. I love all her book. Witty light hearted and inspirational
January 4, 2020
My great granny gave me this book when I was probably a little too young I still reread this book many moons later
April 13, 2020
Typical beach read. I felt like the uncles only purpose was to babysit her son, and allow her to lead a single life without really having a son
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2021
DNF. TW: Graphic description of attempted sexual assault.
December 20, 2022
I liked this book but was annoyed with the protagonist. No one can be that clueless. Loved perky and James though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2023
Enjoyed this!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews