Best Man

by Chris Delyani

2020 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST - ROMANCE
2020 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD FINALIST - LGBTQ2

Frank Mercer is a forty-year-old high school math teacher, newly divorced from his husband and struggling to make his mortgage payments. He thinks his problems will be solved by a romance with his old friend Jonathan Butler, a man Frank has secretly admired for over twenty years. But Jonathan is engaged to Marcus Pierce, his unfaithful longtime boyfriend. When Jonathan asks Frank to serve as best man at his wedding, Frank must choose between supporting his friend and speaking from his heart.

Julio Robles is Frank’s roommate and a popular yoga teacher. Julio’s star student is none other than Marcus, Jonathan’s fiancé and Frank’s nemesis. And Marcus has made it clear he’d like more from Julio than yoga lessons. When Frank asks Julio to pretend to be his boyfriend on a dinner date with Jonathan and Marcus, Julio can’t resist accepting the invitation. And finds himself in over his head.

Frank and Julio invent a fake relationship in the face of Marcus and Jonathan’s all-too-real relationship. But which relationship is real, which relationship is fake? Their story leads them to ask themselves fundamental questions about love, friendship, and what it means to be true to one’s partner.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT

271 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2019

About the author

In 1993 I moved to San Francisco to devote myself to fiction and have been at it ever since. I'm now the author of four novels: The Love Thing, You Are Here, Best Man, and the upcoming Norma and the Blue Hour. In 2013 You Are Here won a Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Award for General Fiction. Best Man was a finalist for a 2020 Lambda Literary Award in the Gay Romance category.

You can find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and Substack at @chrisdelyani.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s safe to say I struggled with this early on but it wasn’t entirely the books fault. I’d read the blurb and somehow expected a comedy. At no point does it say it’s a comedy so this is all on me.

Frank wants Jonathan. Jonathan is engaged to Marcus. Marcus wants Julio. Julio is Franks lodger. Franks pretends he’s dating Julio. Julio goes along with it. Julio wants Marcus.

So I took from that it was going to be some kind of madcap comedy. I pictured the old Michael J Fox film The Secret of my Success. Revolving bedroom doors and Oh Yeah playing in the background.

Don’t ask me why, I’ve no idea.

But this book is definitely not that.

As a result of this I found it depressing in the beginning. Frank lives a dull life and it seems as if he’s a shadow of the man he used to be. His husband Ethan cheated on him in their bed. Now divorced, Frank is trying desperately to hold onto the house bad memories and all. He’s taken in a lodger he hardly sees (Julio). He hides the fact that he sleeps on the sofa every night. Since he can’t face the bed where Ethan cheated.
There’s no doubt Frank has been dealt a bad hand. But he just seems so dull.

Julio is the complete opposite. He’s full of colour and life.

It took me a long time to settle into this book. The main problem I had is that I just didn’t really like any of the characters. This is a major issue for me and I struggle with any book like this.

There was also one part I didn’t understand.
So Julio and Frank are pretending to date. Julio hurts his knee and is sleeping on the sofa so he doesn’t have to get upstairs.

“My knee isn’t giving me any problem. It’s my lower back that’s sore. I’ve been sleeping on the living room couch all week.”
As soon as those words tumbled out of my mouth, I knew I’d blown it. The surprise on Marcus’s face said it all. Guess that means you and Frank aren’t sleeping together.

How does that give away the fact that he’s not sleeping with Frank?
He’s hurt his knee. Surely the sofa isn’t big enough for both of them?

(The section above is from the advanced copy and could change in the final edition)

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

[Lynn (Smile24k) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and give it a solid 4 stars. This is a great beach/summer read.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book and I have not read anything else by Chris Delyani. The book was well written and definitely held my interest. It reminded me of chick lit, which I am sure many of us have a love hate relationship with. However, there are times when you need a little "chick lit" type reading. Something that's not too heavy, has a happy ending, and makes you smile. This is chick-lit with a twist...it's M/M.

Frank loves Jonathan, but Jonathan loves Marcus, so Frank enlists yoga teacher Julio to be his pretend boyfriend. With that as the set-up, you just know something is not going to go as planned.

This book is interesting in that on one hand, with a few tweaks, it could have been really funny and over the top. Or, with a few tweaks in a different direction it could have been really serious and dramatic. What we end up with here is a blend. Julio's somewhat flamboyant nature and free spirit attitude add levity to the book. Also, all of the men are in their 30's and 40's but a lot of their behaviors are reminiscent of people in their 20's. These aspects, imo, keep the heavier stuff like a 40yr old man with a broken heart and no real prospects of love (Frank), and his life-long crush (Jonathan) who is in a broken relationship that he doesn't even realize how broken it is, from being too heavy.

Frank is the most well developed of the characters in terms of knowing his motivation and his backstory. But, I also enjoyed the glimpses into Julio's past. It was harder to relate to Jonathan and Marcus because we don't know as much about why they are the way they are. I would have liked to know more about Jonathan.

Not to get too deep on a book that is towards the lighter side, but, there is one point that would make for an interesting discussion:

-What role did each man's family play in shaping his identity? Frank is reserved and a little rigid, Julio is a free-spirited party boy, Jonathan is timid and needy, Marcus is macho jerk.

I will definitely be looking for other books by this author and would love to see a part 2 to this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and IBPA for an ARC of this book.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m evil, I know, I just loved the cheating, the manipulation and the lies. This story is nothing I expected and goshh is that a pleasant surprise.

I must say I’m not sure I loved the personalities all the time, but I can say they were all realistic flawed. No sugarcoats and no one is really who they seem to be. The story has a wonderful build up. Bit by bit I got more involved and felt more connected.


It’s not an upbeat read, more a bit depressing, when I was a bit further in this story things changed, almost unnoticed. The story was well put together. I really loved it. Even with the somewhat flat emotions throughout this story I found it quite captivating, the further I got in this book the more engaged I felt. I had some feelings while reading only not the ones that made my eyes blurred or my heart hurt. Still, with all this I enjoyed it greatly.

It’s a story about four men. The main character is Frank but there are more POV’s.
I found it clarifying to know what played in other heads.
Frank is divorced and his heart belongs to his best friend Jonathan. Jonathan will marry Marcus. Jonathan asks Julio to go with him to the engagement-party as his boyfriend. Julio is not happy about it, Frank has nothing that attracts him in a guy, still he goes. Marcus is more what Julio is looking for in a man.
Don’t expect a passionate sexy story because it’s far from it. What you can expect are some realistic encounters, cheating partners and lies. Friendship and lovers are mixed up.
I loved it all!
I found it quite refreshing to read a down to earth story. The end was surprising and lovely.

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gah! This book was such a train wreck. It's nothing against the author, but I just really couldn't stand the characters. They were a mess. And the cheating to get revenge! How ridiculous. They were all cowards and jealous little bitches. Even Frank and Jonathan who were supposed to be best friends. What a friendship they had! It was just a mess and I would have put it down except for wanting to provide the honest review. This book was not what I expected and I really did not enjoy the story. :(

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer Shanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! Kind of basic but a nice story with a good ending:). Frank was a great guy who has some bad things happen to him. He is super-nice, sweet, has a good job, but is just kind of a quiet and shy loner. Frank marries his love, Ethan who eventually cheats on him and they get divorced, leaving Frank lonely and sad in their house alone. Frank has one good long time friend Jonathan who is kind clueless and in a terrible relationship with Marcus who is a total cheating idiot but Jonathan just doesn't see it, or refuses to acknowledge it. Frank rents out a room out to Julio a flashy cute yoga instructor but they don't really talk or have much in common. Frank hates Marcus and knows that he is all wrong for Jonathan--that they have a terrible relationship and the Marcus cheats and treats Jonathan badly. Frank meets Jonathan for breakfast and finds out that they are engaged which makes him mad. Frank all the sudden says he is dating his roommate and turns out Marcus knows Julio and invites them to dinner which starts this who web of lies between the four of them. The story gets more interesting when Julio breaks his leg, how he and Frank seems to get close while they are fake dating. I love what happens near the end, how Frank realizes that he has been in a rut & not really living since he got divorced and starts to change his life and then how the story plays out. I don't want to ruin the ending but I loved it. Julio was awesome and Jonathan and Marcus got what they deserved! Hand to God! Definitely worth reading! Thanks to NG for the ARC!

[Shelba · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't find myself rooting for a single character in this book, I did find it to be a rather engrossing read. I would definitely give this author another go.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

More LGTBQ+ than the slash fic I often read. This is a serious, often bittersweet romantic novel from the point of view of Frank, a man who has never got over a romantic attachment for a friend and Julio, who is Frank's housemate since he divorced. Poor Frank is in a rather woeful state, locking himself up in his house avoiding Julio, so he is thrown into confusion when Jonathan turns up in his life again planning a wedding to his evil boyfriend Marcus who utterly hates Frank. Julio on the other hand is busy crushing on Marcus at his yoga classes unaware that Marcus is engaged. As a favour for Frank, Julio pretends to be his boyfriend to Jonathan and Marcus.


I liked the characters in this book and the way that the plot kept me guessing, I thought that the first person narrative worked well in the way that the characters were not necessarily what Frank and Julio thought they were. They are all very human and every one of them does things that they are ashamed of (or should be ashamed of!). I loved the way that Frank and Julio grew as people. This is not an explicit book, but I didn't feel like it needed it, this is a beautifully told story.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the cover. This well written but pretty depressing "romance" is hardly a romance at all. A recently divorced white gay math teacher pines not for his ex, but for his best friend, whom he's wanted for 20+ years, and whom he wants to save from the man's overbearing lover. Being asked instead to be the best man at their wedding is not the announcement he'd been hoping for.

The other POV is that of a Latino yoga instructor who becomes the first man's roommate. Though the dual point of view suggests the two will ultimately make a love connection, both spend most of the narrative yearning for, and even sleeping with, the aforementioned best friend and overbearing partner. I appreciated the strong writing and character development, but for me as a romance reader, the good part was way too little, way too late. More "men's fiction" (if there is such a comparable category to "women's fiction") than romance.

[☔️ Stormy Day Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read this review on my blog please visit: Stormy Dayz

Please note: This book was provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley to give an honest review. I never go into a lot of detail in my reviews because why would you read the book if I told you everything that happens with my personal bias that you may or may not agree with if you’d have read it yourself?

When I was looking for a book to review a week or so ago this one caught my eye but I decided to review another one first. And so, when I was finished with the other, I went back to this one. In the meantime, I’d pretty much forgotten the entire synopsis. Which is good. I’ve actually read many books without reading what it’s even about. It’s too easy to anticipate something or other happening from just the short description.

In the case of Best Man, it worked out really well for me. I swear to you I was baffled until near the end of who would end up with who. I mean, the author did the dual main characters as many do when they want to show both sides of the story. But it really threw me for a loop. Frank and Julio were nothing alike. Julio and Marcus seemed like a much better fit. Frank and Jonathan seemed almost fated to be together. Jonathan and Marcus were terrible together. What would happen?!

As I said above there were four main characters. Two points of view. At the beginning you could tell how much pain Frank was in. The poor guy was shattered and a shadow of his former self going through life and his routine as if on autopilot. His only hope for a happy future was Jonathan whom he’d been in love with for over 20 years.

Julio was Frank’s eccentric roommate. Kind of flighty. He based almost every decision on what his mentors would do or say but skewed their supposed responses to what he personally wanted. He had an interesting backstory and once I got to see the deeper side of him I grew very fond of him rooting for him to have a better life.

And then we had Marcus and Jonathan. The very Jonathan that Frank was in love with. They were engaged to be married and Jonathan asked Frank to be his best man. Julio, who was posing as Frank’s boyfriend, and unknowing of the history between the three, pushed him into the role. I hated Marcus from the very first. Perhaps because of Frank’s feelings about him. I did feel a tiny slice of compassion for him near the end but not much.

Jonathan seemed like this weak man who was overpowered by his dominant lover. He even let Marcus sleep around. Total pushover who would be so much better off with Frank. Julio had stars in his eyes. In love with the idea of an exciting life that he was sure he wanted. Marcus could give him that life. I swear to you I thought that the story was wrapped up tidily and then looked and I was only a little over halfway through!

I expected this to be predictable. Just one of those fluff books you read with a happy ending that makes you sigh and smile. It wasn’t predictable. And it was an emotional mess. I cried a lot reading it and I think my only complaint would be that there was no comic relief to break the tension. I always say the best books make you laugh and cry. Despite this shortcoming, I did read the entire book in one day. I kept forgetting to look and see how far I was in the book and thought surely this is close to the end!

The ending was not what I’d expected. It was so much more. Although, I’d have liked there to be an epilogue giving us some sort of closure on the way things went at some point in the future. It was kind of a “let’s do this” and ride into the sunset type ending. Sweet but left me feeling cheated in the end. If this were a series, then I would know there would be some kind of update in the next book on how our final couples did after that ride into the sunset.

All-in-all it was a great book. I can’t think of one spelling or grammatical error. It had a good pace to it even if I did keep thinking it was nearing the end. I enjoyed Chris Delyani’s writing style and would be happy to read more of his works in the future. From his Goodread’s profile it doesn’t look like he’s written much in the past with 4 years between his first and second books and a whopping seven before this will release.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

Best Man was unexpectedly enjoyable. I spent the first half of the book thinking I would rate it three stars; it was light and endearing enough, but the characters felt oddly formal and I wasn't banking on much from the opening. But the book subverted my expectations by far and I ended up falling in love with it. I'm in a total book hangover right now, that last chapter alone left me dazed...and grinning like an idiot, pumping my fists in the air and doing a little happy dance in my bed.

So, without giving too much away, Best Man reminds me of BoJack Horseman, one of my favourite shows in the world. Well, it reminds me of BoJack minus the Hollywood stuff and the anthropomorphic animal aspect of it all. Both of them are about a group of peers in their thirties and forties who are tangled up in regrets, bad habits, and emotional trauma, and who are trying to be adults even though we all know that's an impossible job most of the time, and almost all of us are just faking it really well. Julio, Jonathan, Marcus, and Frank, were all oddly endearing, and it was falling in love with them in all their messiness and immaturity that made me really love the book.

Although I spent most of the time ranting at them as they did stupid, stupid shit and refused to just communicate. Let me be clear. These characters? They're like your drunk friend at a party after a bad breakup. You know she'll get back together with her boyfriend in a 3-5 business days, and you're trying to stop her from fucking every random old man at the bar out of jealousy and emotional spite so she won't regret it in the morning. You're playing fairy godmother. But there is something delicious about watching other people act like as big of, if not more of, a wreck than you are.

That said, at the end of it I felt sympathy for all of them, despite Jonathon and Marcus stewing in self-pity and not breaking out of a toxic cycle. I genuinely want another book following them, or at least Jonathon. I'd love for this to become a series, because it's ripe with storytelling opportunities. I want like four or five books, maybe even six, of just Frank and Julio and everyone around them being friends with complicated morally grey relationships, maturing and growing up. I mostly just want to watch their lives develop.

Again, this reminded me of BoJack. I think it would make a great season of TV especially as a Netflix special. And I'm pretty sure it's self-pubbed, too. Netflix or some other company should start investing in self-published books. I'd love a streaming service like Netflix but they produce shows and miniseries based off of self-published books. I think that gimmick would draw in a lot of people, especially the YouTube reaction crowd.

And then there's the cute factor, because damn, is it cute. I don't want to spoil too much, but god, I ship it. I ship it a million times over. The main romance doesn't come into play until late in the game, but before it blossoms you get to see Frank and his endgame really bond and develop into friends and teammates who respect each other BEFORE they turn romantic, it makes you much more invested because you cared about them already, so the romance does feel like it ups the stakes and increases the risk.

I found myself wishing for a few more chapters tacked on the end that were just cute fluff; I wanted to see the endgame couple move in to their new apartment together and adopt some cats and do cute couple stuff, you know?

Anyway, I'll be investing in a paperback of this as soon as possible, because I need it. Definitely recommend!

[A.L. Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

so this book was slow going at first and all the characters in this book had issues and there was so much drama and all of a sudden I saw myself unable to put it down. I just had to know how it ended because everytime I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong. The two main characters took forever to see what was right in front of them all along and other people seemed to keep standing in the way. Frank was a good guy but he was always falling for the wrong person it seems and he was still recovering from a bad divorce that ended due to infidelity. He started having hope when his bestfriend came back into his life asking to see him more and he thought maybe it was a sign. As it turns out Jonathan just wanted to invite him to be his bestman at his wedding. Marcus was a terrible person that seemd to always get what he wanted and he seemed to always want what Frank wanted and he already had Jonathan but ofcourse that wasnt enough. Frank accidently mentioned he had a boyfriend who happened to be his roommate so eventually he convinced Julio to be his fake boyfriend. I could say after pretending to be boyfriends, the two of them got together pretty quickly and fell in love but that wasn't how things happened. Julio knew Marcus from a yoga class he taught and only agreed to the arrangement with Frank so he could be around marcus more and marcus was only pining after Julio because he thought he belong to Frank.Marcus hated Frank due to the friendship he shared with Jonathan.It was a bit of crazy ride and sometimes I got so annoyed with the characters that I wanted go throw my kindle against the wall lol. There was so much drama and it was so problematic but I could not put it down. These characters basically went in circles before realizing their mistakes. Julio knew all along that Frank was a good guy and that he deserved so much more than he been through. I guess sometimes you have to be with a terrible person before you realize you were chasing after the wrong guy all along. Also sometimes first you have to walk away from someone toxic in your life in order to see the person in order to notice ther one person you needed in your life. I couldn't stand a lot the characters in this story and I almost hated all of them until the main character redeemed himself later on and I couldn't help but feel bad for him and then I started rooting for him, hoping he'd get his happy ending.This book drove me crazy and the characters were constantly making me mad but I couldnt get enough of the story. Once I got past the slow beginning, I was fully engaged the rest of the way. So even though this book make me mad a lot, I did enjoy the story but things could have been a lot simpler if the characters weren't so stubborn and blindsided. I think a lot of it had to due to growth and learning to move which is what both main characters needed. Julio needed to grow into a better person making better choices and habits and Frank needed to learn to move on and chasing after the past. I felt like in the end these charcters both found just what they needed even if it took them a lot mistakes and heart ache in between order to get there. Let's just say i had a love hate relationship with this one, I'm still pretty conflicted.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's something about Chris Delayani's 'Best Man' that sets it apart from the rest is that his characters in this story no only so very different, but they were surprisingly realistic? Especially in their flaws and their emotions. I say this because, there's characters I read that annoy me to the point where I just stop reading the story altogether because the ending is obvious and then there's annoying to the point where I really want to finish the story so I can find out what happens in the end because if I don't then it'll bother me.

Anyways, 'Best Man' is not your typical MM romance; it's kind of a rom/com-slow burn-no b.s.-a little depressing kind of story. It’s a story about four men (and from their POVs) but mainly about Frank, our main guy who is currently divorced and is madly in love with his best friend Jonathan (who is none the wiser and if we're being honest, co-dependent and manipulative eventually). Jonathan is planning on marrying Marcus and asks Frank to be his best man and of course Frank says yes.

In between all this, we learn that Frank might have some social issues? I could be wrong but I felt like Frank is more of an introvert who doesn't welcome drama and doesn't have many friends, also he keeps to himself.
Enter Julio, our feisty dance instructor who is also Frank's roommate and is secretly crushing on Marcus (who attends his dance sessions) but doesn't know about whole Frank-Jonathan-Marcus connection UNTIL Frank asks Julio to be his pretend boyfriend to Jonathan and Marcus' invitation to dinner one night and he agrees. At this point I'm thinking "Oh the cat's out of the bag now' but nope, not yet! This is where my appreciation for the slow build up to the climax comes in because it makes the story more realistic.

After all this, we learn that although Julio is not attracted to Frank and is under the impression that Marcus is in some kind of open relationship, agrees to help Frank out as a friend. Again, this is not your typical MM romance because through all this we have: cheating lovers, lies, manipulation, lust, depression, greed, etc. There is no sugar coating in 'Best Man' and I find that quite alright because of the raw emotions. All in all, it was a wonderful story that gives you a surprising ending! Happy Reading all!

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley *

[KarinaLovesBooks (Karina) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to this book review,
disclaimer : I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book was a surprise, I wanted to read a cute wedding setting love story and am always on the hunt for those diverse stories stepping into this "classic" summer contemporary trope.
I was expecting a sort of comedy surrounding two people who never realized they were made for each other, but rather found a profound and somehow, unfortunately, condusing.
There where instances when characters made deductions from things that didn't necessarily mean had happened/were happening.
Like him and Frank not sleeping together because he slept on the sofa. (deduction by Marcus)
I unfortunately did not enjoy the characters, which was a huge problem for me, I usually don't mind a sad or moving story but this one felt like too much, Julio was so full of energy and Frank so bland. Marcus also was the "villain" because he cheats on his partner repeatedly whom is also Frank's "I want to be with" person and friend.
Certain aspects such as Julio being Marcus's Yoga instructor and a romance interest for Marcus while fake dating Frank who is interested in Jonathan (Marcus's lover) felt like too much.
Everyone one knew someone and it all felt so impossible in the scheme of things for all those things to happen at the same time.
However while I didn't enjoy the story, the redeeming parts of it was the author's writing style which was really enjoyable.
I wished I had enjoyed it as I was really looking forward to it, and while it never said it was a comedy the story blurb or rather the impossibleness of the story blurb made me believe it could only be a comedy, which is what made it's downfall in my eyes ultimately, as it would've been really enjoyable as a comedy.
Thank you for reading,
Bookarina.
2.25/5 stars

[ancientreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good lord, but this left a terrible taste in my mouth. Quite a weird experience given this is supposed to be a romance with a happy ending. Here we go:

Three of the four characters lie to everyone, including themselves, throughout; I would say that all four also cheat on their partners, except I'm making an exception for the fourth, Jonathan, because of his particular circumstances.

The two POV characters, Frank and Julio, seem to conclude that Jonathan is just as bad as they are (or something???), but whether the author meant to do it or not, he wrote Jonathan as a victim of long-term abuse by his partner/husband, Marcus. Only somehow neither Frank (who's supposed to be Jonathan's best friend) nor Julio (Frank's roommate & fake BF, and also one of the men Marcus cheats on Jonathan with) ever seems to realize it. They get as far as "Oh, gosh, Marcus sure is mean to Jonathan" but it never occurs to them that eighteen years of that c**p might have something to do with Jonathan's behavior or his inability to cut Marcus loose. Nope, instead they both cut Jonathan loose.

(Which leads to why I'm making a cheating exception for Jonathan: he sleeps with Frank *once,* in the middle of one of his doomed attempts to leave Marcus. Yeah.)

Fiction often has aspects that the author didn't consciously intend, but I have to say I don't think I've ever before read a novel whose author obviously *intended* the POV characters to be insightful & sympathetic, to grow, & to deserve their happy ending, while in fact creating two oblivious, cruel jerks. It's tempting to write an anti-fanfic in which Jonathan makes a genuine friend & gets out of that horrible marriage, only, having written this review in hopes of warning off anyone who might think they're in for a fun time, I want to consign "Best Man" to the Memory Hole ASAP.

[Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is tough to describe Best Man by Chris Delyani. It isn't the best book ever, since all the men are flawed, and not very likable. But damn it, I couldn't put it down. For that, I am giving it 4 stars.

This tale involves best friends, roommates, and some serious cheating. There's an open relationship, where only one man tends to stray, and stray often he does.

In short, Frank's in love with his friend Jonathon, who happens to be engaged to Marcus. To save face, Frank pretends to be dating his border, Julio, who happens to catch the eye of Marcus. And this is how it begins.

This story involves jealousy, with one man desperately jealous of another, to the point of purposely trying to hurt him. Frank may just get his happy ending, but the path he travels is one of the most complicated paths ever. He has to endure a whole lot of mess before he's ever going to find real love.

That said, I could not put this book down. It didn't matter that I found Frank and Jonathon to be pathetically passive. It didn't matter that I hated Martin and certainly wanted to strangle Julio at times. I couldn't stop reading. I needed to know what was going to happen.

This romance may just be one on going shit-show, but it was definitely an intriguing shit-show. It was a train wreck I couldn't look away from.


I find the cover to be interesting, as it would indicate a fun, happy romance, instead of this most complicated of romances. We certainly aren't laughing with this tale of dreams and longing, of pain and hurt.


Best Man is complex, with some horrible characters, but it's one of the most riveting books I've ever read.

[Eileen Granfors · Rating 5 out of 5]

The delightful Chris Delyani presents BEST MAN, a comedy of manners interwoven with an introspective and serious motif of the possibility of change.

Instead of Bob and Carol Ted and Alice (of 1970s fame), we have Jonathan and Marcus, Julio and Frank. Their daily lives are fraught with the upside of work and the downside of romance. When Jonathan and Marcus announce their upcoming nuptials, Frank goes into a tailspin. He has loved Jonathan for years. But he is recovering from a traumatic divorce. Nothing seems worth the effort any more. Enter Julio, the carefree and yet philosophical yoga teacher.

Julio is Frank's roommate, an annoyance of a free spirit in Frank's staid life. But it is Julio who is the better problem solver though Frank is the master of the a literal chess board and chess club.

Marcus is a painful boor, whose ego threatens all near him. Jonathan, the good, the kind, the artistic, is somehow in love with Marcus, enough to marry the philandering wretch.

The lies spin more lies. The action gets intricate as Frank tries to balance the aggression of Marcus against his own passivity. Julio sparks fire. Jonathan is Jonathan, alluring, confused, silent.

What a tangled web they weave, but left in Delyani's capable hands, things get sorted out in a most enjoyable and surprising way. I highly recommend this romantic comedy with enough quiet wisdom to temper the mad-cap antics of these characters.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
So whilst none of these guys - Frank, Julio, Marcus, Jonathon - are particularly likeable, their actions are bizarre and highly questionable - but I can see it happening IRL.
Frank - doesn’t like to let go a grudge at all, be it Jonathon, Marcus or the ex husband. He annoyed me with his poor me in the first half of the book - 40 going on 14. He then did get himself pulled together and became a better person.
Julio - well, why knowing what he did did he do what he did? V immature and the modern I’ll go for what I want and blow the consequences attitude. He did have a few pangs of conscience.
Marcus - spoiled boy, wanting his cake and eat it
Jonathan - both manipulated and manipulative, didn’t like him
An interesting look into life.

[Yoshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been writing for this book since a couple of years. I am so happy that the book was published after such a long wait. I really love the writing style by Mr. Delyani.

I know what I am getting myself into after reading the blurb, it's a story of a complicated relationship with 4 men. I enjoyed the read but I must say that it's the very first time that I don't like any of the characters at all. In my opinion, they are unlikeable and have flaws in different degrees. I am pleased that the ending is satisfying after the train wreak.

Looking forward to more books by this author in the future.

[Larisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Delyani is a great storyteller who understands human relationships and writes his characters so well. This was one of those books where, when I finished, I felt I'd actually miss them. This story describes a sort of "love quadrangle" with four men who each has his own wounds. Before I read this I saw a few reviews describing the characters as "unlikable" but I thought they were very human and flawed, and therefore very real. Beyond the relationship angle, watching the two protagonists, Frank and Julio, learn about themselves and find their own paths was very well-done. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the characters. At times the story gets a little dark and it's much more developed than the comic romp I had expected. Sometimes it borders on believable but never gets too far out of hand. This is intended as a more realistic take than a farce, as the title and synopsis might suggest. I just never found the moment when the 'chemistry' developed between Frank and Julio. Best Man is a bit of a different take on this M/M Romance scenario. Overall, enjoyable reading.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literary work of art that explores the complexity of relationships. This book is not all rosey sweet romance, instead it delves into the messy landscape of manipulation, jealousy, cheating, angst, emotional abuse, and finding out that honesty and dependability is sexier than a hot body.

Don't let me dissuade you from buying this gorgeous book, it's written in such a beautiful way that I stayed up into the middle of the night because I had to know what the ending was like.

One of my fave books in a long while.

[Angelique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought to have a good time reading.
The cover,looks to me like a light,comdy romance.
Butt that is not the story say the least.
It took me a lott off time to read it.
I did not enjoyed it,I do see that the author is talented.
I did simply not enjoyed the way the story goes,Friends do not
tread each other like that.other wise you`re better off as enemies.
so 2 stars.

ARC provided by netgalley

[Orla · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say nothing good comes of lies....

... well, the writer delivers a HEA that cheerfully debunks that. Four not-so-perfect guys plot and fumble their way into and out of relationship trouble. It's a modern day comedy of manners, really well thought out and delivered, with every trope: in love with best friend, pretend boyfriend, cheating partners, absence and reconciliation. This is a great book.

[ALEARDO ZANGHELLINI · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unashamedly romantic but intelligently so, with a plot arc that, given the genre, is not predictable. The writing is very competent, with characters that are three-dimensional, flawed but capable of higher feelings, and complex enough to make this book vastly better than run-of-the-mill romances. The happy ending (its concluding paragraph, to be exact) is a bit exaggerated/sentimental.

[Matthew Galloway]

Nothing wrong with the quality of the book. Just the set up -- got about a third of the way through -- was making me really sad because of life experiences I guess. So I'm putting it down for now, at least.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the start you wouldn't think that Frank and Julio were a good fit but you soon find out just how perfect they are together. It is a beautiful love story that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can from start to finish.

[Elizabeth Gregg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just.could not get into this book. The writing style was not for me. I really loved the concept but I had to DNF

[jules0623 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one likable characters in the lot - and there were a few to choose from. I didn't care what happened to a single one of them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank and Julio seem like the most unlikely of matches. Julio rents a room in Frank's house and they pretty much don't speak to one another. But a little white lie snowballs and these two are vying for the affections of two men who are engaged!

I wish that chapters were labeled by whose point of view they were in. Also, for awhile I had a hard time liking anyone enough to root for them. The last few chapters made all the difference to me. I finally got to see a more genuine connection. I would have enjoyed an epilogue, it was just getting to the happy and I wanted more of that. All in all, it was an entertaining story that was well written and easy to get into.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It pains me to not recommend this book.

I really liked Delyani's previous books, so much so that I regularly checked Amazon to find out when this book was going to be published. What did I get? Unlikeable characters in pretty cliched situations. Dang.