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The Hot Guy
Adam, a serious cinema nerd, has no idea that he is the Hot Guy—a man so ridiculously attractive there’s a Facebook group dedicated to seducing him. Cate, a sports publicist who loves to crack a joke, is feeling down about her newly single status when her friends suggest the perfect a night with the Hot Guy. But that one night leaves both Cate and Adam wanting. Is a genuine connection possible with a guy this phenomenally smokin’? Written by two film critics, and packed with movie-related humor, The Hot Guy is a funny, warm, savvy, and genuine rom-com, with characters you won’t want to kick out of bed.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2017
10 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Mel Campbell
8 books74 followersMel Campbell is professionally curious about pop culture. A freelance journalist, editor and cultural critic based in Melbourne, Australia, she has made a career out of exploring new trends, everyday delights and forgotten treasures.
Mel co-founded the award-winning publishing project Is Not Magazine , and the culture and entertainment website The Enthusiast . Currently, she writes on film, style and pop culture for Junkee , on Victorian galleries for Australian Art Collector magazine, on retail trends for Time Out Melbourne, is co-programming the 2013-14 season of Rooftop Cinema, and previews feature films for the Melbourne International Film Festival. Mel's fashion research blog is Footpath Zeitgeist .
Out of Shape is her first book.
Mel co-founded the award-winning publishing project Is Not Magazine , and the culture and entertainment website The Enthusiast . Currently, she writes on film, style and pop culture for Junkee , on Victorian galleries for Australian Art Collector magazine, on retail trends for Time Out Melbourne, is co-programming the 2013-14 season of Rooftop Cinema, and previews feature films for the Melbourne International Film Festival. Mel's fashion research blog is Footpath Zeitgeist .
Out of Shape is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
August 22, 2018
Adam is a movie nerd and aspiring director who can't understand why women keep blowing him off after sleeping with him. Little does he know he is ridiculously hot and there is a facebook group dedicated to a queue of women who want to sleep with him so they can feel better about themselves and move on after breakups. Cate recently broke up with her boyfriend and her friend Ursla takes her out and tells her about Adam and that she should sleep with him. But in the morning after Cate stays instead of doing the expected thing and blowing off Adam pissing off all the women waiting in queue to sleep with him. A funny and light romance read, maybe a bit exaggerated and hard to believe at times but it is fictitious. I had a hard time getting into it only because of the way everyone treated Adam and how over the top yet rude and disgusting it was. He's still a human being you can't treat people like that and no one is good looking enough to warrant that kind of treatment lets be honest. It's a nice funny read when you don't want anything heavy or just want to relax.
April 28, 2017
DNF at 25%
Read full review HERE
Guys… I’m not even sure what to say about this book. I requested The Hot Guy because the cover is amazing, and because the blurb sounded outrageous and fun. I wanted to laugh.
So, it was outrageous alright, but in a very bad way.
First of all, the comedy is nonsense. It’s hurtful. Not funny at all. Honestly, I don’t get how this is funny to some people. I mean, this is a joke:
“He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day.”
Is it just me who doesn’t see it even appropriate?
Then the characters are terrible? Maybe that’s a strong word, because I didn’t feel like I got to know Cate and Adam at all. What I knew about them? They both disliked SPORT and had horrible friends. If you’re wondering which kind of “sport” they hate, good luck, because that’s how any sport is mentioned in the book.
About those horrible friends, this is actually something one of her friends says to her:
“‘You had sex the next day … after you had sex the night before?’ Vanessa was tapping her fingernails on the formica tabletop. ‘But when did you get time to fix your makeup? And do your hair? Did you stay indoors in the dark?’”
“‘It’s not like anyone’s going to be looking at you with him around.'”
I don’t know what else to say, the whole concept of the book is ridiculous. Adam is apparently a super hot guy who doesn’t know the effect he has on women. He’s also completely clueless and dumb, because he keeps sleeping with a different woman every week and doesn’t even realize that something might be fishy.
Not wanting to spoil anything for everyone, but the last drop for me was when Cate was actually kidnapped for the women on the waiting list on the facebook group dedicated to “the hot guy”. Yep, they kidnap her, and some are crazy enough and actually threaten to kill her? What is that?!
I CAN’T EVEN!
GUYS, HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? ARE YOU THINKING OF READING IT? TALK TO ME, BECAUSE I JUST COULDN’T GET THROUGH IT.
Read full review HERE
Guys… I’m not even sure what to say about this book. I requested The Hot Guy because the cover is amazing, and because the blurb sounded outrageous and fun. I wanted to laugh.
So, it was outrageous alright, but in a very bad way.
First of all, the comedy is nonsense. It’s hurtful. Not funny at all. Honestly, I don’t get how this is funny to some people. I mean, this is a joke:
“He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day.”
Is it just me who doesn’t see it even appropriate?
Then the characters are terrible? Maybe that’s a strong word, because I didn’t feel like I got to know Cate and Adam at all. What I knew about them? They both disliked SPORT and had horrible friends. If you’re wondering which kind of “sport” they hate, good luck, because that’s how any sport is mentioned in the book.
About those horrible friends, this is actually something one of her friends says to her:
“‘You had sex the next day … after you had sex the night before?’ Vanessa was tapping her fingernails on the formica tabletop. ‘But when did you get time to fix your makeup? And do your hair? Did you stay indoors in the dark?’”
“‘It’s not like anyone’s going to be looking at you with him around.'”
I don’t know what else to say, the whole concept of the book is ridiculous. Adam is apparently a super hot guy who doesn’t know the effect he has on women. He’s also completely clueless and dumb, because he keeps sleeping with a different woman every week and doesn’t even realize that something might be fishy.
Not wanting to spoil anything for everyone, but the last drop for me was when Cate was actually kidnapped for the women on the waiting list on the facebook group dedicated to “the hot guy”. Yep, they kidnap her, and some are crazy enough and actually threaten to kill her? What is that?!
I CAN’T EVEN!
GUYS, HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? ARE YOU THINKING OF READING IT? TALK TO ME, BECAUSE I JUST COULDN’T GET THROUGH IT.
June 21, 2017
Didn't work for me. Didn't think it was funny. Kind of mean. DNF.
April 23, 2017
The Hot Guy is the first novel by Australian journalist, editor and film critic duo, Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris. Sports publicist, Cate has been dumped by her boyfriend. It’s probably not such a bad thing as he really didn’t appreciate her sense of humour, but still, it’s hard not to feel a bit down, so her friends set her up for a night with the Hot Guy.
Adam is the Hot Guy. He doesn’t know that. Adam is a cinema nerd whose burning ambition is to direct film. He knows he’s good looking, and is always nice to his dates, but is completely unaware of the Facebook group devoted to getting him into bed.
Everyone knows the Hot Guy is a One Night Stand. He’s there to provide that much-needed boost to the confidence after a rejection or heartbreak. But Cate hasn’t read the rules: she sticks around when he suggests they do more than just sleep together. And suddenly, people are trying to split them up.
The authors’ field of expertise is much in evidence as the events of Adam and Cate’s relationship unfold: a generous dose of whacky movie titles, bizarre plots and obscure symbolism pokes fun at the arthouse movie scene; neither are sports venues, sponsorship, logos and promotion spared. The characters are quirky and amusing, and the dialogue is often witty and clever, and there is an abundance of laugh-out-loud moments.
Readers who are after a light-hearted romantic comedy will enjoy this one, especially if they’re not averse to (appropriately Cinema-type warning here) course language and sexual references. Yes, quite a lot of those, a fair bit of innuendo, a good dose of puns, plenty of silliness and more than a touch of the ridiculous. A fun read!
With thanks to Echo Publishing for this copy to read and review
Adam is the Hot Guy. He doesn’t know that. Adam is a cinema nerd whose burning ambition is to direct film. He knows he’s good looking, and is always nice to his dates, but is completely unaware of the Facebook group devoted to getting him into bed.
Everyone knows the Hot Guy is a One Night Stand. He’s there to provide that much-needed boost to the confidence after a rejection or heartbreak. But Cate hasn’t read the rules: she sticks around when he suggests they do more than just sleep together. And suddenly, people are trying to split them up.
The authors’ field of expertise is much in evidence as the events of Adam and Cate’s relationship unfold: a generous dose of whacky movie titles, bizarre plots and obscure symbolism pokes fun at the arthouse movie scene; neither are sports venues, sponsorship, logos and promotion spared. The characters are quirky and amusing, and the dialogue is often witty and clever, and there is an abundance of laugh-out-loud moments.
Readers who are after a light-hearted romantic comedy will enjoy this one, especially if they’re not averse to (appropriately Cinema-type warning here) course language and sexual references. Yes, quite a lot of those, a fair bit of innuendo, a good dose of puns, plenty of silliness and more than a touch of the ridiculous. A fun read!
With thanks to Echo Publishing for this copy to read and review
April 7, 2018
The story started when Cate was dumped by her arse of a boyfriend. Her friends convinced her that sleeping with The Hot Guy will let her go finally moved on with her life, get back into the game, be single for awhile and have fun doing the things she wanted to do besides working as a publicity director at Sambo Stadium and consistently telling people she hated sports.
But when Cate has gotten to know The Hot Guy and prove to everyone that he was a keeper, she met the League of Icarus with a whole Facebook page where women were on queue to sleep with him and get a one-time deal with The Hot Guy.
Too much? Yeah! I thought so too. It felt like I wanted the whole idea of the League of Assassins from watching Arrow at CW more than the thought of having a weird bunch of women waiting in line just to sleep with the same guy and comparing notes how oozing hot he was in bed. That was kinda funny and very creepy, don't you think?
While Adam, who was oblivious to his charm and knew nothing that he was The Hot Guy, worked at the cinema to finance his next short film. He wanted to be a director but his outré and weird agent continuously tried to coax him into acting roles because George Clooney and Ben Affleck weren't half as good-looking as him.
Even his parents tried their best not to draw attention to it when he was just a kid until he got to his teens, girls couldn't keep their hands off him who were just after one thing and one thing only.
‘And the Hot Guy burns oh-so-brightly.’
‘The Hot Guy makes smearing sardines in tomato sauce on bread seem romantic.’
‘But we ladies of the League are very patient. We’re good at waiting.’
Or
‘You’re a great guy, but with great hotness comes great responsibility.’ (sounds familiar?)
If you knew me and read my previous review posts, I don't like putting any book to DNF. I always wanted to finish what I have started but I had to struggle to get going and I've literally went on phases just to finish this book. It felt like I was forcing myself to read something rather than wanting to read the story.
I know this should have been funny or at least maybe that's the desired end point—for readers to scream into laughter. I like some of the humor brought out into it but I found most of the part to be over the top.
I felt that it overpowered the potential of a great story line and sub plots. The balance was missing and if it was less exaggerated, I would love it more a little bit.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Echo Publishing, Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
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But when Cate has gotten to know The Hot Guy and prove to everyone that he was a keeper, she met the League of Icarus with a whole Facebook page where women were on queue to sleep with him and get a one-time deal with The Hot Guy.
Too much? Yeah! I thought so too. It felt like I wanted the whole idea of the League of Assassins from watching Arrow at CW more than the thought of having a weird bunch of women waiting in line just to sleep with the same guy and comparing notes how oozing hot he was in bed. That was kinda funny and very creepy, don't you think?
While Adam, who was oblivious to his charm and knew nothing that he was The Hot Guy, worked at the cinema to finance his next short film. He wanted to be a director but his outré and weird agent continuously tried to coax him into acting roles because George Clooney and Ben Affleck weren't half as good-looking as him.
Even his parents tried their best not to draw attention to it when he was just a kid until he got to his teens, girls couldn't keep their hands off him who were just after one thing and one thing only.
‘Well, his looks are the first thing people notice about him, sometimes that’s the only thing people notice about him. We didn’t want him to start thinking of himself that way.’When everything should get on being serious, all of a sudden I could have only picked up the inappropriate and unforgettable one liner out of every dialogue. I have to cringe internally every time I read something like these:
‘And the Hot Guy burns oh-so-brightly.’
‘The Hot Guy makes smearing sardines in tomato sauce on bread seem romantic.’
‘But we ladies of the League are very patient. We’re good at waiting.’
Or
‘You’re a great guy, but with great hotness comes great responsibility.’ (sounds familiar?)
If you knew me and read my previous review posts, I don't like putting any book to DNF. I always wanted to finish what I have started but I had to struggle to get going and I've literally went on phases just to finish this book. It felt like I was forcing myself to read something rather than wanting to read the story.
I know this should have been funny or at least maybe that's the desired end point—for readers to scream into laughter. I like some of the humor brought out into it but I found most of the part to be over the top.
I felt that it overpowered the potential of a great story line and sub plots. The balance was missing and if it was less exaggerated, I would love it more a little bit.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Echo Publishing, Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
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April 29, 2017
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*1.5 Stars rounded up cause I'm a nice Slytherin*
In a world where every woman thinks about banging The Hot Guy and every dude thinks about who The Hot Guy is banging.
I swear I tried.
I think this was supposed to be funny, but I just found it aggravating.
The women were simply brainless and they all only thought about banging The Hot Guy. I mean there was even a riot in a stadium at some point… oh and kidnappings………
Adam, The Hot Guy, was a dumb, snob director. He reminded me of all the people I hated in cinema school, the snob cinema dude who thinks he’s a great director because he likes old movies. Basically, the sort of people I’d never produce.
Also, he is seriously HAWT but has no idea even though he sleeps with different women every week, twice a week since he was in high school. Nobody ever stays past the one night and always finds stupid excuses to leave in the morning so his poor feelings are hurt. He seems completely clueless to how hot he his and it was maddening. I mean the dude has a facebook page under The Hot Guy and doesn’t even know he’s hot? Coooome on.
His friends are also horrible. They keep meddling and absolutely want him to break up with Cate because he’s so hot and can have anyone he wants whenever he wants so he should never settle down just for one person. That’s basically what they tell him daily. Made me want to gouge my eyes out.
Cate is all about the jokes. Problem is, she’s not funny. And I’m usually the first to laugh at bad jokes but, apparently, I have a limit. She has no depth whatsoever.
Her friends are awful and want to do everything in their power to break her and Adam up cause he’s just TOO hot to settle down with.
See, Cate’s boss, Ursula, introduced Cate to The Hot Dude after Cate got dumped by a loser, but she forgot to mention you’re just supposed to spend only the one night with the guy or that there’s a list you’re supposed to respect the order of (yes, really……).
So, since she didn’t know, Cate gets attached and starts dating him and every possible girl in the country retaliates by threatening her and being hostile.
It was seriously ridiculous. I feel like I lost hours of my life.........
Sorry
*1.5 Stars rounded up cause I'm a nice Slytherin*
In a world where every woman thinks about banging The Hot Guy and every dude thinks about who The Hot Guy is banging.
I swear I tried.
I think this was supposed to be funny, but I just found it aggravating.
The women were simply brainless and they all only thought about banging The Hot Guy. I mean there was even a riot in a stadium at some point… oh and kidnappings………
Adam, The Hot Guy, was a dumb, snob director. He reminded me of all the people I hated in cinema school, the snob cinema dude who thinks he’s a great director because he likes old movies. Basically, the sort of people I’d never produce.
Also, he is seriously HAWT but has no idea even though he sleeps with different women every week, twice a week since he was in high school. Nobody ever stays past the one night and always finds stupid excuses to leave in the morning so his poor feelings are hurt. He seems completely clueless to how hot he his and it was maddening. I mean the dude has a facebook page under The Hot Guy and doesn’t even know he’s hot? Coooome on.
His friends are also horrible. They keep meddling and absolutely want him to break up with Cate because he’s so hot and can have anyone he wants whenever he wants so he should never settle down just for one person. That’s basically what they tell him daily. Made me want to gouge my eyes out.
Cate is all about the jokes. Problem is, she’s not funny. And I’m usually the first to laugh at bad jokes but, apparently, I have a limit. She has no depth whatsoever.
Her friends are awful and want to do everything in their power to break her and Adam up cause he’s just TOO hot to settle down with.
See, Cate’s boss, Ursula, introduced Cate to The Hot Dude after Cate got dumped by a loser, but she forgot to mention you’re just supposed to spend only the one night with the guy or that there’s a list you’re supposed to respect the order of (yes, really……).
So, since she didn’t know, Cate gets attached and starts dating him and every possible girl in the country retaliates by threatening her and being hostile.
It was seriously ridiculous. I feel like I lost hours of my life.........
Sorry
April 12, 2017
I feel like a cold hearted bitch, but I didn't like this story ... I'm sorry.
At first, for like the first 50 pages I thought it had potential : Cate was funny, a little self-conscious which was cute, and Adam was just this adorable nerd who had no idea how good looking he actually is ... But everything was a mess after that.
I know Adam is describe like this absolutely gorgeous guy, the handsomest man you've ever seen in your life, but nobody's this beautiful. All the things that happened to Adam because of his 'hotness' were just ridiculous, I mean, if one weird thing happens okay, but every few chapters something happened to him just because he's so damn hot and you're truly telling me he has no idea how smoking hot he is ? REALLY ? *why am I using the word 'hot' so damn much ?*
And Cate ... I was rooting for her, I wanted her to have this happy ending, but her self-consciousness grew bigger and bigger with every second she spent with Adam, and I couldn't possibly understand why. Well, except for her dumb friends - who btw shouldn't be called friends for what they've done at the beginning, I would have dumped them SO fast. Her 'friends' reminded her during the entire first half of the book how Adam was a lot more gorgeous than her, that he would break up with her at some point because he's a womanizer and that's what he does - even though they've NEVER EVER met him.
And their relationship ... it was cute, BUT everything happened so fast ! There wasn't a moment they were just friends and then decided to be together, nope. And even though they were cute, I feel like if only they had communicated more and expressed how they felt, things would have been a lot more easier for them.
But it was a cute and quick story, it just wasn't for me I guess.
2.5
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Around the Year in 52 books 2017.
24. A book written by at least two authors.
At first, for like the first 50 pages I thought it had potential : Cate was funny, a little self-conscious which was cute, and Adam was just this adorable nerd who had no idea how good looking he actually is ... But everything was a mess after that.
I know Adam is describe like this absolutely gorgeous guy, the handsomest man you've ever seen in your life, but nobody's this beautiful. All the things that happened to Adam because of his 'hotness' were just ridiculous, I mean, if one weird thing happens okay, but every few chapters something happened to him just because he's so damn hot and you're truly telling me he has no idea how smoking hot he is ? REALLY ? *why am I using the word 'hot' so damn much ?*
And Cate ... I was rooting for her, I wanted her to have this happy ending, but her self-consciousness grew bigger and bigger with every second she spent with Adam, and I couldn't possibly understand why. Well, except for her dumb friends - who btw shouldn't be called friends for what they've done at the beginning, I would have dumped them SO fast. Her 'friends' reminded her during the entire first half of the book how Adam was a lot more gorgeous than her, that he would break up with her at some point because he's a womanizer and that's what he does - even though they've NEVER EVER met him.
And their relationship ... it was cute, BUT everything happened so fast ! There wasn't a moment they were just friends and then decided to be together, nope. And even though they were cute, I feel like if only they had communicated more and expressed how they felt, things would have been a lot more easier for them.
But it was a cute and quick story, it just wasn't for me I guess.
2.5
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Around the Year in 52 books 2017.
24. A book written by at least two authors.
May 15, 2017
**DNF at 38%
I tried. I really tried, but I just couldn't finish it and I HATE not finishing a book. I will usually just hurry through it, but I couldn't do it this time.
Where to start...
First, the whole idea that crazed women would be lining up to sleep with a "hot" guy is insane. I'm sorry, but no. In all honesty it was insulting and a little mean.
I felt there was way too many pages spent on stupid conversations with the MC's "friends". I use that word loosely because what kind of friends try to sabotage your relationship? Or insinuate you aren't good enough? Assholes--those kinds. And it all felt childish and forced. It tried for funny and failed.
There was also no real time spent with the development of the two MC's. Cate and Adam liked each other and had lots of sex. Why? Because Adam was nice and hot and Cate was the first one to stick around? I didn't feel any chemistry and we never really get a lot of page time to invest in their relationship. I really just didn't care.
After I caught myself checking what percent I was on and wishing the book would just hurry up and end, I decided it was time to just let it go. It just wasn't for me.
**Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I tried. I really tried, but I just couldn't finish it and I HATE not finishing a book. I will usually just hurry through it, but I couldn't do it this time.
Where to start...
First, the whole idea that crazed women would be lining up to sleep with a "hot" guy is insane. I'm sorry, but no. In all honesty it was insulting and a little mean.
I felt there was way too many pages spent on stupid conversations with the MC's "friends". I use that word loosely because what kind of friends try to sabotage your relationship? Or insinuate you aren't good enough? Assholes--those kinds. And it all felt childish and forced. It tried for funny and failed.
There was also no real time spent with the development of the two MC's. Cate and Adam liked each other and had lots of sex. Why? Because Adam was nice and hot and Cate was the first one to stick around? I didn't feel any chemistry and we never really get a lot of page time to invest in their relationship. I really just didn't care.
After I caught myself checking what percent I was on and wishing the book would just hurry up and end, I decided it was time to just let it go. It just wasn't for me.
**Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2017
I read The Hot Guy in just over 24 hours. The book sparkles with intelligence - it had me laugh out loud in public places - and it had me drop tears in my red armchair. It's not often that your brains and guts are satisfied by the same book. Is this the best romance I've read? Well, you know what, it may well be. Masterpiece. Firework. Read the hot guy!
Read
April 23, 2017I had so many problems with this book in the first 100 pages I decided to stop reading to save myself from further pain. The humour didn't appeal to me for the most part. I didn't really like anyone in the story, those who weren't awful were portrayed as stupid or incompetent. There are jokes about some topics that I felt were, at best, well... let's go with insensitive. ("Sambo Stadium"? Really?). When the jokes turned to the KKK it was a bridge too far for me.
It's not an homage to cinema - rather world cinema, indie movies and Hollywood blockbusters were mocked. Pretty much the humour tended toward cutting and mean-spirited - someone else was definitely the butt of all the jokes. Sometimes the heroine, sometimes the hero, sometimes an entire race of people.
Generally, women were portrayed as being sexual predators unable to control themselves and at the mercy of their hormones and (at least in the first 100 pages) "the Hot Guy" is objectified to the point where he is nothing more than a pretty sex toy that women somehow feel belongs to them. Perhaps it is supposed to be a biting satirical social commentary but it's billed as a rom-com so I think that's unlikely. Maybe I'm wrong but I couldn't keep reading to find out for sure.
Not for me.
It's not an homage to cinema - rather world cinema, indie movies and Hollywood blockbusters were mocked. Pretty much the humour tended toward cutting and mean-spirited - someone else was definitely the butt of all the jokes. Sometimes the heroine, sometimes the hero, sometimes an entire race of people.
Generally, women were portrayed as being sexual predators unable to control themselves and at the mercy of their hormones and (at least in the first 100 pages) "the Hot Guy" is objectified to the point where he is nothing more than a pretty sex toy that women somehow feel belongs to them. Perhaps it is supposed to be a biting satirical social commentary but it's billed as a rom-com so I think that's unlikely. Maybe I'm wrong but I couldn't keep reading to find out for sure.
Not for me.
September 15, 2017
DNF @ 15%
Nope, nope, nope.
Right from the first chapter I realized that this was likely not my style of book. It reads like a bad fan fiction or some attempt at an improvement on 50 Shades of Grey. The characters are very one-dimensional, selfish, rude and just all around snobby. And not snobby in the Mean Girls or Clueless way that is fun. This is snobby in the, I rule the world and everyone should love me way.
Maybe there's some good jokes in here, but I didn't read any jokes I appreciated in the first 15%. Instead the lead gal was crass, rude and flat-out insulting. I've got better things to read than sub-par writing and characters.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Nope, nope, nope.
Right from the first chapter I realized that this was likely not my style of book. It reads like a bad fan fiction or some attempt at an improvement on 50 Shades of Grey. The characters are very one-dimensional, selfish, rude and just all around snobby. And not snobby in the Mean Girls or Clueless way that is fun. This is snobby in the, I rule the world and everyone should love me way.
Maybe there's some good jokes in here, but I didn't read any jokes I appreciated in the first 15%. Instead the lead gal was crass, rude and flat-out insulting. I've got better things to read than sub-par writing and characters.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
May 12, 2017
***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***
Well, even though I really wted to like The Hot Guy, unfortunately I couldn't. I tried, but the story was simply TOO unreal for me. Some things were so exaggerated while others were just so impossible to believe! So much I actually had trouble finishing it.
I had a really hard time connecting to the characters, any of them. And I have a big issue with a friend "recommending" a guy she already had sex with to another.
All the cinema facts bored me. The main coulple's feiends annoyed me and the main couple themselves didn't help. I just couldn't connect with any of them in any level.
Unfortunately this was a book that I found impossible to like. Which is a shame because it looks so good (including the cover)!
Well, even though I really wted to like The Hot Guy, unfortunately I couldn't. I tried, but the story was simply TOO unreal for me. Some things were so exaggerated while others were just so impossible to believe! So much I actually had trouble finishing it.
I had a really hard time connecting to the characters, any of them. And I have a big issue with a friend "recommending" a guy she already had sex with to another.
All the cinema facts bored me. The main coulple's feiends annoyed me and the main couple themselves didn't help. I just couldn't connect with any of them in any level.
Unfortunately this was a book that I found impossible to like. Which is a shame because it looks so good (including the cover)!
Read
April 13, 2017DNF
I am not exactly sure what I just attempted to read. I was expecting a funny rom com but The Hot Guy reads more like a silly, over-exaggerated parody of romance rather than a rom com. I feel cheated a little. On a positive note - the cover is gorgeous.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
I am not exactly sure what I just attempted to read. I was expecting a funny rom com but The Hot Guy reads more like a silly, over-exaggerated parody of romance rather than a rom com. I feel cheated a little. On a positive note - the cover is gorgeous.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
January 23, 2019
I've read some truly vicious reviews of this book and I was ready to defend it as I think we need some clever rom-coms in #auslit (not all literary Australian fiction needs to be about death, loss and grief) but I'm not sure I can. I think some readers haven't appreciated the tone and humour of this book - I laughed many times - but it has more than its fair share of problems.
May 22, 2017
I liked the premise of this book, and really wanted it to be more. It sounded fun, had some really funny, witty writing and even had a decent plot line.
Which makes this a difficult review to write, because I did enjoy the read. But, in order to enjoy it, I had to suspend my belief in how things work in the real world. And not in a fantasy, action adventure, use your imagination to dream big type of suspension. More like, I had to believe that simply waving a ridiculously attractive man on a Jumbotron would be enough to cause a stampede of women trying to simply touch him.
Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit too ridiculous. It was also a bit sexist, so be warned. (See example above)
In this town, there is one guy, a ridiculously attractive guy, that every woman knows as 'The Hot Guy'. This guy is the balm to every woman's need. Simply show up at the bar he regularly attends, flirt, and BAM! Your problems are solved.
Obviously, there are issues with this one plot point alone. Women do not need a hot guy to validate their beauty, importance, intelligence, etc. Nor do they not need to have sex in order to feel better about themselves. And they certainly don't need a meaningless one night stand.
I'll suspend my irritation on this, and go with the more empowering view that women can do whatever they like, including sleeping with a man, for one night, for whatever reason they want. Fine. Good. But, the whole idea is to sleep with him to get over another man. In order to find 'the one'. It's a bit of a stretch for me. Moving on.
When Cate gets dumped by her mediocre boyfriend, she finds herself in said slump. So, her friends jump to action taking her to meet, 'The Hot Guy'. Somehow Cate is the only woman in this area who has no idea this is a thing.
Anyway, she sleeps with him and finds she really likes him. So the one night stand, turns into a weekend, which turns into more.
Her friends, knowing how to handle all her relationship woes, are adamantly opposed to this. They tell her she can't handle dating someone that hot. It's too much pressure. Someone else can take him away. When she refuses to listen, they try to create chaos to help the break up along. Who needs enemies, right?
Adam, however, is apparently completely oblivious to how hot he is. He has no idea that women have been using him for sex his entire life, or that he is a commodity in this small town. All he wants to do is direct, and doesn't understand why everyone just wants him to act.
There is an attempt in this plot to use the man as a sex object and sex symbol, and the women as the ones in positions of power. He just wants to find a nice girl and settle down, while fulfilling his dreams. Even being pushed into acting is a focus on using him for his body, and not his mind. I appreciate the attempt to highlight sexism in this way.
However, it just didn't hit the target for me.
Let's take the women. First, we are to believe that women are willing to work together in the name of sisterhood so that everyone can take their turn with 'The Hot Guy'. Yet, the second he dates one seriously, all bets are off. They kidnap Cate, they threaten her, they try to bribe her, all to break up with Adam. So much for sisterhood.
I was hoping for a Bridget Jones-esque romp through the hilarious and often painful world of dating. Love is messy, but it can also be painfully funny. Instead, we are given an outlandish mockery of these ideas.
When you have his parents hoisting ladders to his bedroom window (so she can escape in the middle of the night, like the rest), strange side plots with ex-girlfriends, and a group of obsessed women who have a Facebook page and a waiting list (yes, I am not making that up), well, it's a bit too much.
The difference with Bridget Jones, is that while I've never slid down a fireman pole in a skirt on National Television personally, I can see it happening. I can even see myself doing it, if the circumstances were aligned. With The Hot Guy, I just didn't buy it.
Before Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, he was attractive. But he wasn't women losing their minds attractive because he wasn't Brad Pitt yet. He was just good looking guy X. And while he like looking at good looking guys, and may even find ourselves doing ridiculous things to gain their attention, I've never heard of women losing their minds over some random guy.
I also didn't buy that Adam was clueless. How many one night stands does a guy think is normal? I mean, every Friday for years. Enough to have a Facebook page and women lined up? His parents helping girls escape in the night so that they didn't have to explain to him that women wanted him only for his looks? Nope. Not buying it.
Even with those issues, there are some genuinely funny parts. The writing is witty. The characters are true to themselves, ridiculousness and all. If you could suspend the disbelief, and just enjoy it at face value, it is a funny read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Which makes this a difficult review to write, because I did enjoy the read. But, in order to enjoy it, I had to suspend my belief in how things work in the real world. And not in a fantasy, action adventure, use your imagination to dream big type of suspension. More like, I had to believe that simply waving a ridiculously attractive man on a Jumbotron would be enough to cause a stampede of women trying to simply touch him.
Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit too ridiculous. It was also a bit sexist, so be warned. (See example above)
In this town, there is one guy, a ridiculously attractive guy, that every woman knows as 'The Hot Guy'. This guy is the balm to every woman's need. Simply show up at the bar he regularly attends, flirt, and BAM! Your problems are solved.
Obviously, there are issues with this one plot point alone. Women do not need a hot guy to validate their beauty, importance, intelligence, etc. Nor do they not need to have sex in order to feel better about themselves. And they certainly don't need a meaningless one night stand.
I'll suspend my irritation on this, and go with the more empowering view that women can do whatever they like, including sleeping with a man, for one night, for whatever reason they want. Fine. Good. But, the whole idea is to sleep with him to get over another man. In order to find 'the one'. It's a bit of a stretch for me. Moving on.
When Cate gets dumped by her mediocre boyfriend, she finds herself in said slump. So, her friends jump to action taking her to meet, 'The Hot Guy'. Somehow Cate is the only woman in this area who has no idea this is a thing.
Anyway, she sleeps with him and finds she really likes him. So the one night stand, turns into a weekend, which turns into more.
Her friends, knowing how to handle all her relationship woes, are adamantly opposed to this. They tell her she can't handle dating someone that hot. It's too much pressure. Someone else can take him away. When she refuses to listen, they try to create chaos to help the break up along. Who needs enemies, right?
Adam, however, is apparently completely oblivious to how hot he is. He has no idea that women have been using him for sex his entire life, or that he is a commodity in this small town. All he wants to do is direct, and doesn't understand why everyone just wants him to act.
There is an attempt in this plot to use the man as a sex object and sex symbol, and the women as the ones in positions of power. He just wants to find a nice girl and settle down, while fulfilling his dreams. Even being pushed into acting is a focus on using him for his body, and not his mind. I appreciate the attempt to highlight sexism in this way.
However, it just didn't hit the target for me.
Let's take the women. First, we are to believe that women are willing to work together in the name of sisterhood so that everyone can take their turn with 'The Hot Guy'. Yet, the second he dates one seriously, all bets are off. They kidnap Cate, they threaten her, they try to bribe her, all to break up with Adam. So much for sisterhood.
I was hoping for a Bridget Jones-esque romp through the hilarious and often painful world of dating. Love is messy, but it can also be painfully funny. Instead, we are given an outlandish mockery of these ideas.
When you have his parents hoisting ladders to his bedroom window (so she can escape in the middle of the night, like the rest), strange side plots with ex-girlfriends, and a group of obsessed women who have a Facebook page and a waiting list (yes, I am not making that up), well, it's a bit too much.
The difference with Bridget Jones, is that while I've never slid down a fireman pole in a skirt on National Television personally, I can see it happening. I can even see myself doing it, if the circumstances were aligned. With The Hot Guy, I just didn't buy it.
Before Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, he was attractive. But he wasn't women losing their minds attractive because he wasn't Brad Pitt yet. He was just good looking guy X. And while he like looking at good looking guys, and may even find ourselves doing ridiculous things to gain their attention, I've never heard of women losing their minds over some random guy.
I also didn't buy that Adam was clueless. How many one night stands does a guy think is normal? I mean, every Friday for years. Enough to have a Facebook page and women lined up? His parents helping girls escape in the night so that they didn't have to explain to him that women wanted him only for his looks? Nope. Not buying it.
Even with those issues, there are some genuinely funny parts. The writing is witty. The characters are true to themselves, ridiculousness and all. If you could suspend the disbelief, and just enjoy it at face value, it is a funny read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2017
I wouldn't usually read a book with a title like 'The Hot Guy' but I received such an enthusiastic recommendation from a work friend that I thought WHY THE HELL NOT!? and I had a good time. Cate makes my kind of jokes and while the ridiculous hotness of Adam occasionally got tedious, it redeemed itself by making fun of Australian cinema (it was on point )
I also liked the cover quote from the least famous Hemsworth brother #noonecares
I also liked the cover quote from the least famous Hemsworth brother #noonecares
May 24, 2017
Man, I had so much fun reading this!
It was hilarious and adorable and basically just what I was needing.
Sometimes the pace felt like more appropriate for a comedy film, but it wasn't too "in the way" of the reading experience. I had lots of fun!
The sense of humor, the jokes and the movie talk were a nice addition- and who can complain about a character as adorable as Adam? And although it took me some time to adjust to her pace, I even got to warm up to Cate too.
I just really, really liked this.
*Review of an ARC provided by NetGalley*
It was hilarious and adorable and basically just what I was needing.
Sometimes the pace felt like more appropriate for a comedy film, but it wasn't too "in the way" of the reading experience. I had lots of fun!
The sense of humor, the jokes and the movie talk were a nice addition- and who can complain about a character as adorable as Adam? And although it took me some time to adjust to her pace, I even got to warm up to Cate too.
I just really, really liked this.
*Review of an ARC provided by NetGalley*
December 15, 2019
Despite the bad reviews on Goodreads I find this book has its charms where it's more like watching a feel good comedy.
Read
April 28, 2017The Hot Guy is the first novel by Australian journalist, editor and film critic duo, Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris. This was different then what I tend to read, I did like there debut. writing and characters are solid, After a light-hearted romantic comedy you will enjoy this one.
August 15, 2017
I was given a copy of The Hot Guy for my birthday a couple of months ago, however was initially wary after seeing some of the not-so-positive reviews here. Decided to still give it a try after some readers thought it was worth it and I'm very happy I did! It's such a great read!!! I can see why some reviewers thought certain scenes appeared unrealistic but why does the book have to be?! It's fiction! I certainly didn't take this book seriously like others erroneously did and I'm sure the authors wrote it to be the light, entertaining read that it truly was for me! Looking forward to what happens to The Hot Guy next!
March 12, 2017
An extremely funny novel, littered with movie & pop culture references.
July 28, 2017
This was a quick, funny, and lighthearted romance. Maybe at bit unbelievable and exaggerated at time, but still and enjoyable, cute read.
April 11, 2017
Book was too extreme. Honestly when would a group of women chase a man through a stadium. How would a stadium as delapidated as the one in the book be allowed to exist? The story was over the top with the crazy women and from a feminist perspective it encourages the thought of women as crazy and the mutual disrespect of both sexes.
The main character wasn't lovable. She was an odd combination of awkward and insecurity. She would be brave and the cower out she'd let her friends and boss and boyfriends push her around and then burst into awkward moments of confidence. She drove me nuts with the whining and ditzy. Adam described her as intelligent but I never saw any glimpse of it.
There was an extreme use of profanity and lots of alcohol. Maybe because it's locale that's okay but I didn't think it added to the story. It made the female characters seem like sex craved, drug loving, alcoholics whom I can't fathom living a responsible functioning life as an adult.
The main character wasn't lovable. She was an odd combination of awkward and insecurity. She would be brave and the cower out she'd let her friends and boss and boyfriends push her around and then burst into awkward moments of confidence. She drove me nuts with the whining and ditzy. Adam described her as intelligent but I never saw any glimpse of it.
There was an extreme use of profanity and lots of alcohol. Maybe because it's locale that's okay but I didn't think it added to the story. It made the female characters seem like sex craved, drug loving, alcoholics whom I can't fathom living a responsible functioning life as an adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2018
This was a light sometimes silly Rom com. towards the end I was so curious what was going to happen and frustrated that I skipped a chapter or two. Parts of this book, frustrated me as they were so unbelievable like crowd of women chasing a man at a sporting event, and his friends being so anti the girlfriend that they wouldn't tell him that age come to see him and her friends.
June 6, 2023
literary masterpiece 🔥 jk, i only read this cause the description sounded so ludacris and it was written genuinely like a bad romcom from 2005. thoroughly silly
more like 2.5 stars tbh it was bad in a funny way
more like 2.5 stars tbh it was bad in a funny way
June 11, 2018
3.5 stars!
November 2, 2022
Couldn't finish it... some of the dialogue just made me feel gross reading it, characters bland and phoney. Not the fun rom-com I was after.
June 13, 2017
It’s not very often I have to do this but unfortunately, I did not like this book. At all.
In fact, I spent a large portion of the time wondering if I was being trolled. It’s presented as a funny romcom, however it’s neither funny nor romantic. I wasn’t sure if it was a biting attempt at satire? Is it serious? I don’t know. The ‘humour’ is ridiculously over the top and more often than not, in incredibly poor taste.
Exhibit A: one of the main characters Cate, works as a sports publicist for some sort of sporting complex that is vaguely and ambiguously described and staffed by people who seem to hate sport. In the beginning of the book, the stadium is named Sambo Stadium, after the nickname of some long-retired legendary sportsperson. Cate spends a large portion of her day returning emails to outraged Americans at the use of what is a slur towards people of African American (and possibly Native American) heritage. Other examples include describing a character to be as hot as a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day and various KKK references and even some stuff about Hitler.
The plot. The description is actually what interested me in the story but it just didn’t seem to play out well, perhaps because of the portrayal of women in this book. Cate is maybe the least offensive character in the book but she spends far too much time cracking unfunny jokes for her personality to be adequately explored and what there is isn’t really all that likable. It seems that cracking jokes and hating sport is all there is to Cate but her friends are unsupportive and nasty at best, constantly telling Cate that there’s no good that can come of dating the ‘hot guy’ because he’s so much hotter than her and will eventually realise that and leave her. Really?
There are so many things that I think could have worked in this as a bit of a playful tongue in cheek look at Melbourne and culture. Firstly, it’s the man that’s objectified in this story but it’s done in such an over the top and insensitive way that it just becomes annoying (women kidnapping people? whole stadiums of women chasing a man?) rather than a reversal of roles. Secondly, there’s a mockery of “sports” even though the sports are never named which could’ve also been a great take on Melbourne’s obsession with dominating the sporting arena but it descends into jokes about dodgy facilities and land swimming. The opportunity to explore sporting figures being granted plum jobs with organisations goes begging as well, instead it’s just more used as filler or an attempt at more jokes. The same goes for the lavish descriptions of movies (including one ridiculously over the top one that seems to poke fun at indie cinema, perhaps Australian cinema but also descends into bad taste referencing Hitler). It was so terribly unfunny it was almost embarrassing to read. There are so many references and jokes crammed into this book that it means that the relationships suffer….the characters suffer. Adam is so ridiculously hot, so hot, he’s very very very goodlooking and he works in a cinema and wants to be a director and that’s pretty much all I know about him because we don’t get time to explore him. He seems perfectly nice, a bit boring and bland as well as terribly naive. He’s always so surprised when the women he brings home run out the next morning with lame excuses. It goes on way too far with even his parents providing ways for women to escape his bedroom in his childhood home. Likewise with Cate, I never really felt like I knew too much about her other than her obsession with being unable let anything pass without attempting crack some sort of gag about it and her hatred of sport. It seems like Cate is the first woman not to rush out of Adam’s apartment the next day and they fall into a relationship because of it, good sex and the fact that Adam laughs at her jokes, something that seems to be quite rare for Cate to find. The only reason she doesn’t leave is because she doesn’t know about the ‘rules’ of sleeping with the Hot Guy and that there’s a whole facebook page and queue. I didn’t really understand how this could work. Women were patiently waiting their turn to sleep with him? Cate queue jumps (because she doesn’t even know) and the way in which this is reacted to by these women is quite frankly, ridiculous.
As I said before, I spent most of the time trying to figure out if I was supposed to actually read this as a serious romantic comedy or if it was some sort of attempt at a blistering satire that is mocking all it is portraying. And in the end, I’m honestly still none the wiser. It falls short of the mark no matter what but perhaps whatever it is, I’m just not cool enough or smart enough to get it because I get the feeling that the book was mocking the reader as well.
The Hot Guy was a hot mess for me. And not a good kind.
In fact, I spent a large portion of the time wondering if I was being trolled. It’s presented as a funny romcom, however it’s neither funny nor romantic. I wasn’t sure if it was a biting attempt at satire? Is it serious? I don’t know. The ‘humour’ is ridiculously over the top and more often than not, in incredibly poor taste.
Exhibit A: one of the main characters Cate, works as a sports publicist for some sort of sporting complex that is vaguely and ambiguously described and staffed by people who seem to hate sport. In the beginning of the book, the stadium is named Sambo Stadium, after the nickname of some long-retired legendary sportsperson. Cate spends a large portion of her day returning emails to outraged Americans at the use of what is a slur towards people of African American (and possibly Native American) heritage. Other examples include describing a character to be as hot as a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day and various KKK references and even some stuff about Hitler.
The plot. The description is actually what interested me in the story but it just didn’t seem to play out well, perhaps because of the portrayal of women in this book. Cate is maybe the least offensive character in the book but she spends far too much time cracking unfunny jokes for her personality to be adequately explored and what there is isn’t really all that likable. It seems that cracking jokes and hating sport is all there is to Cate but her friends are unsupportive and nasty at best, constantly telling Cate that there’s no good that can come of dating the ‘hot guy’ because he’s so much hotter than her and will eventually realise that and leave her. Really?
There are so many things that I think could have worked in this as a bit of a playful tongue in cheek look at Melbourne and culture. Firstly, it’s the man that’s objectified in this story but it’s done in such an over the top and insensitive way that it just becomes annoying (women kidnapping people? whole stadiums of women chasing a man?) rather than a reversal of roles. Secondly, there’s a mockery of “sports” even though the sports are never named which could’ve also been a great take on Melbourne’s obsession with dominating the sporting arena but it descends into jokes about dodgy facilities and land swimming. The opportunity to explore sporting figures being granted plum jobs with organisations goes begging as well, instead it’s just more used as filler or an attempt at more jokes. The same goes for the lavish descriptions of movies (including one ridiculously over the top one that seems to poke fun at indie cinema, perhaps Australian cinema but also descends into bad taste referencing Hitler). It was so terribly unfunny it was almost embarrassing to read. There are so many references and jokes crammed into this book that it means that the relationships suffer….the characters suffer. Adam is so ridiculously hot, so hot, he’s very very very goodlooking and he works in a cinema and wants to be a director and that’s pretty much all I know about him because we don’t get time to explore him. He seems perfectly nice, a bit boring and bland as well as terribly naive. He’s always so surprised when the women he brings home run out the next morning with lame excuses. It goes on way too far with even his parents providing ways for women to escape his bedroom in his childhood home. Likewise with Cate, I never really felt like I knew too much about her other than her obsession with being unable let anything pass without attempting crack some sort of gag about it and her hatred of sport. It seems like Cate is the first woman not to rush out of Adam’s apartment the next day and they fall into a relationship because of it, good sex and the fact that Adam laughs at her jokes, something that seems to be quite rare for Cate to find. The only reason she doesn’t leave is because she doesn’t know about the ‘rules’ of sleeping with the Hot Guy and that there’s a whole facebook page and queue. I didn’t really understand how this could work. Women were patiently waiting their turn to sleep with him? Cate queue jumps (because she doesn’t even know) and the way in which this is reacted to by these women is quite frankly, ridiculous.
As I said before, I spent most of the time trying to figure out if I was supposed to actually read this as a serious romantic comedy or if it was some sort of attempt at a blistering satire that is mocking all it is portraying. And in the end, I’m honestly still none the wiser. It falls short of the mark no matter what but perhaps whatever it is, I’m just not cool enough or smart enough to get it because I get the feeling that the book was mocking the reader as well.
The Hot Guy was a hot mess for me. And not a good kind.
May 16, 2017
With a description like this Adam, a serious cinema nerd, has no idea that he is the Hot Guy – a man so ridiculously attractive there’s a Facebook group dedicated to seducing him. Cate, a sports publicist who loves to crack a joke, is feeling down about her newly single status when her friends suggest the perfect pick-me-up: a night with the Hot Guy. But that one night leaves both Cate and Adam wanting… Is a genuine connection possible with a guy this phenomenally smokin’? Written by film critic duo Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris, and packed with movie-related humour, The Hot Guy is a funny, warm, savvy, and genuine romcom, with characters you won’t want to kick out of bed. wouldn't you want to read this book?
I requested to read this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and it was not the kind of humor or warm, witty, rom-com I expected it to be. However, the book succeeded in making me see the movie industry and half the characters as shallow and if I may use one of the phrases I have since picked up from the book, "tools."
I really wanted to like this book, but it was not to my liking, however this should not dissuade you-if you are reading this, and did I forget to add that if you are a movie buff, there are some references here that might strike home.
I requested to read this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and it was not the kind of humor or warm, witty, rom-com I expected it to be. However, the book succeeded in making me see the movie industry and half the characters as shallow and if I may use one of the phrases I have since picked up from the book, "tools."
I really wanted to like this book, but it was not to my liking, however this should not dissuade you-if you are reading this, and did I forget to add that if you are a movie buff, there are some references here that might strike home.
dnf
September 11, 2017Life is too short to read books that are outrageous but at the same time boring beyond belief.
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