When Harry Met Harry

by Sydney Smyth, Teddy Hamilton (Narrator), Malcolm Young (Narrator)

Beautifully tender and unforgettably funny, prepare to fall in love with this modern-day nod to a classic romantic comedy.

Ever since their chance encounter as seatmates on the plane ride from hell, Harry “Harrison” Fields and Harry “Henry” Lee have had a love-hate relationship. But every time their paths have crossed over the years, they’ve grown to like each other more and more, even developing an unlikely friendship.

Now, Harrison is a fun-loving music teacher who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Henry is a hard-driving business man who’s still striving to get out of his father’s shadow.

As they go through life’s inevitable heartaches and losses, their friendship only deepens. Sure, there’s always been a simmering attraction between them but nothing worth threatening their friendship over...until one of them takes things too far. But when a valuable friendship hangs in the balance, is a chance at romance worth the price?

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Queer

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published June 23, 2020

Reviews

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio 5 Stars
Story 2.5 Disappointing Stars

This started off soooo good and totally flopped by the end. The excellent writing and even more excellent narrator performances kept me from dnfing.

When the MCs first meet they're stuck together for hours. By the end, neither is really impressed by the other. Years later they meet again. It's rocky but they eventually become best friends. I absolutely loved their friendship and how it developed. But the snail pace to lovers left me with the feeling of "why bother?". I was so comfortable with them being friends that I couldn't really connect with them being anything else. The total lack of on page steam didn't help matters.

There's the predictable angst, a brief couple seperation and quick not-enough-groveling reconciliation.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I loved the premise of 'When Harry Met Harry'. It was a fun and cute friends to lovers romance. It was, however, frustrating at times. Mainly because of one of the Harrys (Henry). The other Harry (Harrison) I completely adored. The narration was fantastic and I liked this one, just sadly not as much as I expected to.

October Audible Escape listen #19
Rating: 3 Stars
Genre: Romance
Narrators: Teddy Hamilton and Malcom Young
Length: 8 hours and 6 minutes

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

*Available only as an audio on Audible.com*

Smyth continues to imbue her MM remakes with little twists and original tweaks, still bringing those nostalgic feels to the table.

You’ve got Harrison who’s a hopeless romantic and unlucky in love. His doomed relationships thankfully never dampen his genuine happy go lucky optimistic disposition. Then you have Henry, who’s more particular and set in his ways, who doesn’t believe in fairy tale endings. Drop in his steadfast belief that gay guys can’t be friends because sex always gets in the way, and well… you know how that turns out.

Overall, this is standard contemporary romance where enemies turn into friends who turn into lovers, and I loved the little shoutouts to the classic 80’s movie When Harry Met Sally as these two bond over watching episodes of Friends and try to set each other up with their respective besties.

Henry and Harrison resist, deny, and inevitably fall, but FINALLY, after many years of ups and downs they find their true happiness with each other. Awwww.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fluffy, feel-good romance that packs some authentic feels. I love the slow burn element and the fresh twist on one of my all-time favorite movies. The narrators also knocked it out of the park.

[Darien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narration: 4.5 ⭐️

The story: 3 ⭐️


FADE TO BLACK

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the movie When Harry met Sally, so of course, when I heard there was a remake with two fellas as the MCs I was all in.
It's just as wonderful as the movie, with the delight of being modern, and more sex.
I listened to this on Audible and the narration was great!

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to preface this by saying that I enjoyed When Harry Met Harry, much in the way that I'd enjoy any given rom-com film. And this felt exactly like that, like any given rom-com film on Netflix. It was cute, it was fun, the writing was great, the characters were likeable (even when they weren't) and felt fully realized.

There were, of course, the requisite references to pride, and it took place in San Francisco (although I felt like it might as well have taken place in any given big American city), so you know it's definitely about gay characters, and it featured non-white characters and even an openly bisexual man, so, props there.

What I'm about to say, I say as a self-aware cisgendered gay man of the socially heteronormative variety and a fan of romance, but...

This was the straightest book about two gay men I have ever read. And I've read more than a few, many of them written by cisgendered, heterosexual women. There was zero effort put in here.

I'm not talking about the tasteful way the literary camera cut away from the sex scenes. That's fine! The characters were sexual beings, and that was acknowledged (if abstractly). I'm talking about the fact that there was, somehow, in this book about two gay men falling in love in the modern day, absolutely nothing queer about it. No references to relationship types that weren't monogamy, and a taking for granted that the characters—every character presented—all wanted the non-threatening, heteronormative monogamous relationship with a wedding and (adopted) babies. There was one reference to Grindr, and at the time I heard it, I thought, "well, that's someone who's never been on Grindr."

And you know what? That's fine. Those discussions quite possibly happened off the page. Maybe Henry and Harrison had many a night discussing their wants and hopes and they were both on the exact same page. It's absolutely okay for the characters not to be, let's say, more sexually open (Henry is described as being a fan of the "smash-and-dash," but there's no actual evidence of this in the text), but two gay men, in their mid-to-late 20s, in San Francisco, taking monogamy and marriage for granted?

This book felt like any given Netflix rom-com with a heterosexual couple at its core, changed at some point along the way to be about two gay men and given cursory nods to gay "culture" in the forms of one (1) reference to pride celebrations, one (1) reference to Grindr, one (1) reference to a lesbian couple (never named or seen), despite setting the story ostensibly in San Francisco, with one (1) reference to hills that I can recall and no nods to any place in particular. Harrison is presented very gently as slightly more feminine than the other male characters, but not in any kind of way that would make anyone uncomfortable.

It was still fun. It was light. It was exceedingly, staggeringly, disappointingly safe.

Despite it being a book about people like me, it wasn't a book for people like me, and that kind of sucks for people like me. This is another sanitized, mass-market friendly version of gay men, queer life, and queer love. It sands off what could seem messy or distasteful to a straight audience, or anything that might make someone have to think. It challenges nothing. It is another book of queer guys for straight eyes, and that's disappointing. Nothing was added by having the leads be two gay men. This book would have been as cute, as charming, and as safe if Harrison had been Harriet instead, and it would have been 100% less of a let-down.

Isn't this what we want? I've heard asked. To be just like everyone else? To be normal?

The thing is, we are, and always have been, normal, and acceptance shouldn't come at the cost of our truth. This book doesn't present queer people as we are. It presents them as the heteronormative status quo majority would like us to be: just like them, to the point that we're all but interchangeable with them.

My final thought, when the audiobook (very well performed by both narrators, I thought) ended, was that this was a book for Netflix, and an audience who'll plop down on the couch, turn it on, turn off their thought processes, and enjoy this very safe, very sweet, story for the 132 minute runtime.

Then they'll immediately forget about it.

[Brigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, here's the deal: the low GR rating is so unfair imo. People have taken off stars because this book explores the friendship between the two main characters before they start a romantic relationship??? When that's the whole point of the book? Also I've seen a reviewer say this is not "queer enough". No offence, but what the hell? Just because the main characters want to get married and have kids? Like yes, a lot of queer couples have different wants and needs, but a lot of them have these traditional aspirations?

I'm here to tell you that I went into this with low expectations because the GR rating. I'm not saying this book will change your life, but I think it's a really good and decent contemporary romance. Henry and Harrison (both nicknamed Harry) meet on a long flight from Singapore to San Francisco. Harrison is your theatre gay, very open and expansive, while Henry is very focused on his job, more of an introvert and has strong opinions. So the two don't start out well.

Then five years later they meet again and turns out they have a common friend, Chris, who's Harrison's co-worker and Henry's gym buddy. The two Harrys strike up a friendship and become best friends. There's challenges and obstacles, and there's so much affection and love too. I thought it was so realistic, the way their relationship was portrayed. I really enjoyed this part and didn't find it boring or dragging at all! Also the epilogue was sweet.

My only critique is that the two narrator's voices were quite similar (don't get me wrong, they were both great though!)

Rep: gay mc, gay Singaporean mc, bi side character

[Caz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've given this a B+/D+ for the narration and a C for content at AudioGals

Before I get into this review, I have to say this.

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST  STOP  PUTTING SNIPPETS OF MUSIC BETWEEN CHAPTERS. IT’S NOT CUTE, IT’S NOT SOOTHING – IT’S ANNOYING AS HELL!

Right. So.

I stumbled across When Harry Met Harry a few weeks ago when I was looking through the Coming Soon titles at Audible, and the obvious reference in the title to what is probably my favourite Rom-Com ever immediately caught my eye. Plus – Teddy Hamilton.

Harrison Fields and Henry Lee meet for the first time at an airport in Singapore when aspiring actor Harrison is going back to the US after spending a few months travelling the world, and workaholic Henry is going to the US to pursue a business opportunity he hopes will enable him to break out from beneath his real estate magnate father’s shadow. A mix up with tickets means that Henry ends up sitting next to Harrison for the whole of the eighteen-hour flight and neither is particularly impressed with the other. Harrison thinks Henry is starchy and cynical; Henry thinks Harrison is overly optimistic and tends to overshare. At some point in the few conversations they have, Henry says he doesn’t believe in love, and also states his conviction that gay men can never be friends because the sex thing always gets in the way. After arriving, they say polite goodbyes and go their separate ways.

Five years later finds Harrison having abandoned his acting career in favour of a post as director of a children’s musical theatre group. He loves his job and is very good at it – but on this particular afternoon is being driven up the wall by the constant noise coming from the building next door which is disrupting that day’s rehearsal. When the kids have left, he and his assistant, Christopher, go into the building looking to speak to someone about the noise, and when they’re escorted to the office, Harrison is stunned to see none other than Henry Lee behind the desk and obviously in charge. He shows no sign of recognising Harrison at all – which Harrison is unaccountably put-out by – but listens to their complaints and asks for their rehearsal schedule.

The next morning, Harrison is surprised to see Henry in his favourite coffee shop, and even more surprised when the other man apologises for not acknowledging him. After this, they start meeting up for coffee regularly and a tentative friendship develops which, over the next year or so becomes a much more tangible relationship based on mutual liking and shared interests.

The story proceeds as you’d expect, and hits most of the same notes as the movie; the two besties who become a couple, a surprisingly enjoyable outing to an art exhibition (instead of a museum) and various other familiar stops along the way (There’s no “I’ll have what she’s having” moment, sadly). I enjoyed the way début author Sydney Smyth develops the friendship between these two very different men, but for something dubbed a Rom Com there’s no “Com”, and there’s not much “Rom” either; there is so little romantic chemistry between the two Harrys that when the story does at last turn romantic, it’s not very convincing. There’s no real sense that they’re attracted to each other – I don’t like overdone mental lusting in romances, but other than an acknowledgement on both sides that the other is good-looking, there’s nothing to show that they fancy one another; and while I like a slow burn, the author hasn’t quite grasped the meaning of the term. She’s got the hang of the “slow”, but the “burn” is largely absent. As in the movie, the turning point comes after Harrison realises that his ex-fiancé had never intended to get married, or rather, get married to him – and falls into bed with Henry, who legs it at the earliest opportunity after their night of passion (which, by the way, is fade-to-black). He then ghosts Harrison for weeks and is a complete arsehole (the New Year’s Eve reunion and declaration don’t happen here). Because of the lack of chemistry or any discernible attraction between them, I couldn’t help wanting Harrison to move on and find someone who really deserved him, because he’s a lovely guy with a lot to offer.

The narration is a mixed-bag, too. Teddy Hamilton’s work is a stranger to exactly no-one around here; we’re big fans of his at AG, and his name attached to an audiobook is guaranteed to make me look twice. The story is told in alternate third person PoVs, with Mr. Hamilton reading Harrison’s chapters and new-to-me narrator Malcolm Young reading Henry’s, but I have to wonder why, given this is a third person narration, the producers bothered with a second narrator at all. Mr Young isn’t terrible by any means, but both narrators portray the same cast members (so it wasn’t as if they each had to voice a different set of characters), and there were some discrepancies between the two performances – most noticeably, Mr. Hamilton portrays Harrison’s friend Christopher at a low pitch, while Mr. Young does the opposite – which could have been eliminated by using only one performer (and which should have been spotted in post-production and fixed). The star-turn is Mr. Hamilton’s portrayal of Harrison, his gentle, laid-back delivery and the smile in his voice perfect for the character’s optimistic, happy-go-lucky nature and his particular brand of gentle snark. Mr. Young differentiates effectively between the leads, although there were places I had to rely on dialogue tags, but the biggest problem with his part of the narration was the sound quality which is utterly DREADFUL. I don’t know how it got past the editors and producers, but it sounds as though he recorded his portions in a high-ceilinged bathroom. It’s tinny and treble-y, there’s a degree of “background noise”, and the drop-ins (when a narrator/editor inserts a newly recorded section to replace one containing errors) are ridiculously easy to spot because the sound quality changes. The difference when shifting from a section from Harrison’s PoV to one in Henry’s is incredibly jarring, and frankly, I expect better than this from a professionally produced audiobook. I could have done better with an old tape recorder from the 1980s.

In addition to my opening rant about music in audiobooks, here’s another pet peeve. In stories with two narrators, authors generally preface chapters/sections with the name of the character who is narrating at that point, which is completely unnecessary in a dual narration, becasue it’s obvious who’s speaking. I suspect the ‘tags’ are included because it’s an accurate reflection of what’s in the text.  In this book, however, I found that practice even more annoying than usual, because the character name is included even when there isn’t a change of PoV. So, when Harrison/Harry narrates a section, then pauses and goes on to narrate the next section, HE SAYS HIS NAME AT THE BEGINNING OF IT. WHY?! There hasn’t been a change of PoV, and my ears can tell me who is speaking – I don’t need to keep hearing the character’s name! It was completely pointless and profoundly annoying.

Okay. So Ranty McRantypants has left the room, but I imagine it’s obvious I can’t recommend When Harry Met Harry. Attempting a re-telling of a classic of any genre is a tricky undertaking, but some authors make it work and others… not so much. This one started well, but once the lack of chemistry became really apparent, it got bogged down and, dare I say it, I got bored waiting for something to happen, for some sign that these two were actually meant to be together. I’ve given separate narration grades, and the one I’ve given for Mr. Young reflects the production issues I’ve mentioned. I loved the idea of an m/m version of When Harry Met Sally, but sadly When Harry Met Harry doesn’t deliver either on the romance or the comedy.

This review originally appeared at AudioGals .

[Annika · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars

This book had a lot of promise and great narrators, but it all got lost somewhere around the middle. Well the narration stayed on point but the story didn't and by the end of the book I'd completely lost interest. Oh, and the musical interludes between chapters didn't help, I sincerely hope those do not make a comeback because they definitely kills the mood of any audio.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet slowburn!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book and then forgot to write a review for it? For me, it happens all the time and I just realized this was one of my victims. Sorry!

When Harry Met Harry was honestly a really freaking cute book to dive into. If you are ever looking for some fluffy gooey romance, this is the book for you! It is kind of an enemies to loves book because when they first met they didn't really have anything good to say about the other. Then years later, they are sort of reunited.. but the feeling is sort of mutual?

I swear things get better between them eventually. I mean at some point enemies turn into friends and then friends turn into lovers. Right? Maybe. The only thing I would've changed about their whole relationship is the pace. Now I love a good slow burn every once in a while.. but this was just way too slow for me. Again, for me.

In the end, it was really cute and I'm glad I got to dive into it. Now I need another fluffy book!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible Review
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 3 out of 5 stars

Terrific narration!
For the narration alone When Harry Met Harry is worth the listen! Teddy Hamilton is, as always, wonderful, and Malcolm Young, a new to me narrator, was great. He brought the right amount of stiffness and uptight-ness to Henry's character. And Teddy's portrayal of Harrison showcased the vulnerability I've come to expect from him.
The story was cute. I liked how Harrison and Henry went from enemies to friends, not jumping right into lovers- I enjoyed their friendship. Of course you knew something was going to happen to push them over the point of friendship, and I was rooting for it. Then Henry got all weird about things, which frustrated and upset me and Harrison both, I felt like there was a lot of wasted time for them, because of Henry's issues with friendship turning into something more. I was glad when he finally came to his senses, but it also kind of made me mad- I wish Harrison had made him grovel, because honestly he got off way too easily.
But the end was very sweet and I did like both Harrys, so I'm glad they got their HEA.

Side note- why is Harry a nickname for Henry??? They have the same amount of letters and syllables!


***Borrowed through AE.

[Jo Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hits pretty much the same story points as the movie does. That can be good or bad. I enjoyed the familiarity and it was well adapted to the 2020 setting. And of course Harry and Harry were pretty adorable.

[Plainbrownwrapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice enough, but I didn't feel any real spark from the writing. And the MC who did wrong got forgiven waaaaaaaay too easily -- that really pissed me off. He needed to work for it!

OTOH, the writing did give me a good sense of how both characters were feeling and changing, and both narrators did a good job -- except that I wanted the one voicing the Singaporean character to use an accent, which he didn't even try. No, folks, Singaporeans don't sound like Americans! (This is how Singaporeans sound!)

[Aki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so sweet. Einzig im Hörbuch gab es manchmal Sätze, die von der Qualität anders geklungen haben als der Rest. Das hat irritert.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 3.75 stars rounded up. Narration was excellent and I rated it 5 stars. Close enough remake of When Harry Met Sally, a movie I happen to love. Just the major plot points however as there was enough that was different over and above that it was two men involved. It was a bit slow at times but not real bad. It held my interest and I did enjoy the characters-even if Henry made me want to yell at him. Harrison was a sweetheart. Both are a bit broken. It was fun to watch them fall in love even though it was hate at first sight. And just a heads up for those that care, sexy times are pretty much handled behind closed doors.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet love story! Where man meets man and they don't fall in love straight away!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a hopeless romantic, theatre teacher and a cynical, uptight businessman really be friends? Not without alot of missteps, tripping, and laughs!

For the most part, this retelling follows along the same romantic plotlines as the film When Harry Met Sally. Except this is the story of when Henry met Harrison. These two seemingly opposite guys meet, then meet again years later, and eventually form a fun friendship that adds light and laughs to their days. Could there be even more between Harrison and Henry though? Love?

After a slow start, Henry and Harrison and the city of San Francisco take shape with color and life and sparks. Henry’s crisp, clean, driven lines and Harrison’s relaxed, sweet charm develop and grow through the performances by Malcolm Young and Teddy Hamilton. The more I listened, the more Harrison and Henry’s friendship found its way into my heart. About half way through, I began laughing out loud, giggling, glowing, and rooting for them.

A sweet romantic audio filled with lots of tacos, Joey and Rachel debates, bodega snacks, and love. There is so much to love here.

Check it out!

[Yuli Atta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually so good, so cute and wholesome 🥹 I love it so much, it gets 5 effortless stars.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun listen for When Harry Met Sally fans. Very classic story with a queer twist. I would recommend for a quick listen if you need a light fun book between reads.

[Emily Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y’all this was SO CUTE
I have no idea why this was an audible original and not an actual published book. Because it should be

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Harry Met Harry


I Picked Up This Book Because: Judged a book by it’s cover.

The Characters:

Harrison Fields:
Henry Lee:
The Story:

Unplanned buddy read with Josh.

- It was annoying to me that they named the book Harry met Harry but through about 82% no one called either of the main characters Harry. I mean it probably would have been confusing but still I expected it to be used more.
- I love that the characters bonded over Friends as it’s one of my favorite shows.
- I’m glad Henry was able to get out of his own way
- I liked Harrison but he was a bit annoying. He seemed more in love with love then actually looking for a person to share his life with.

The Random Thoughts:



The Score Card:



3.5 Stars

[Lulu Dumitru · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every possibly romcom cliché, but make it gay. I don't even know why I had hopes. I only finished it because I let the audiobook run in the background, but it lost my interest even before reaching the halfway point. Save yourself these 6 hours.

[christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

i have come to realise that audiobooks may not be for me lmao

[Airy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the narrators, the story had its ups and downs.

[Verónica Fleitas Solich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and cute.
From strangers to friends. And something else.
It was nice to see these two characters mature together.

[Andrea]

DNF @ 5%. I found Harrison to be quite annoying (intolerably so).

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute listen to start off my Monday. I've had it for a while and am glad I was able to get to it.
I have to say, I get the cute title and play off of 'When Harry Met Sally' but having the characters have the same name had me confused a few times. Even though the chapters say either Harrison or Henry, I still got mixed up occasionally. Other than that, the story was pretty cute. Harrison is sort of a free spirit, traveling and living his dreams, always open to falling in love. Henry is the opposite, he's controlled and doesn't believe in soulmates. At the beginning he's engaged to a surgeon, but it seems more like an obligation than a real relationship.

The guys go back and forth being in relationships, crushing on each other and then pulling away. At times I got frustrated and just wanted them to admit their feelings already! They kept circling each other, though I did like how they fit together and complement each other's personalities. The narrators were good and the pacing wasn't bad. Cute ending to a fun story.

[Marta Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

No kurczę, świetne!!!
Serio, w końcu romans dwóch facetów bez homofobów, to podobało mi się najbardziej: bo to jest coś, do czego mam nadzieję, kiedyś dojdziemy: poznawanie się, zakochiwanie, wszystkie romantyczne dramy ot tak, po prostu, bez dodatku strachu u akceptację swojej tożsamości.
Umówmy się, randkowanie i miłość i bez tego jest/bywa skomplikowana.
Ta książka jest zabawna i wiarygodna i mnie się mega podobała.
Przesłuchałam w Audible, za freeko, bo rozdawali, stwierdziłam, ach, czemu nie! I świetnie się bawiłam.
Polecam ten romans, jest super.