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Romeo cherche Romeo
James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she's moving to Russia.
Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.
After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he's always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises maybe, in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. Seriously, wherefore art thou Romeo . . .
From Justin Myers, author of sensational blog The Guyliner, this razor-sharp and cringingly candid account of one man's quest for The One is as sad, fearless and funny as dating itself.
Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo.
After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he's always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises maybe, in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. Seriously, wherefore art thou Romeo . . .
From Justin Myers, author of sensational blog The Guyliner, this razor-sharp and cringingly candid account of one man's quest for The One is as sad, fearless and funny as dating itself.
Unknown Binding
First published February 1, 2018
116 people are currently reading
1787 people want to read
About the author
Justin Myers
5 books125 followersJustin Myers is an author and journalist from Shipley, West Yorkshire. Perhaps best known for his work as The Guyliner and his Impeccable Table Manners blog, Justin's writing has featured in many leading publications, including the Guardian, GQ, and The Times. He is the author of four novels: The Last Romeo (2018), The Magnificent Sons (2020), The Fake-Up (2022), and Leading Man (2024), all published by Little, Brown. A fifth novel, The Glorious Dead, arrives September 2025, from Renegade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
October 23, 2018
I was sold on the nice cover and reading someone describe the book as a "gay Bridget Jones" - I didn't know until that point that I've always wanted a gay Bridget Jones, but of course I have! Who wouldn't?
This was a nice, light, easy read and that's fine! But it left me feeling a little dissatisfied - the characters were just a little too two-dimensional for my liking, Romeo's rise to online fame a little too easy, the ending just a little bit dissatisfying.
This was a nice, light, easy read and that's fine! But it left me feeling a little dissatisfied - the characters were just a little too two-dimensional for my liking, Romeo's rise to online fame a little too easy, the ending just a little bit dissatisfying.
August 6, 2018
I received this book from NetGalley and Piatkus in exchange for an honest review.
🌟🌟🌟
This was a really, fun and funny read about one man's descent into the horror that is the internet, online dating and fame going to your head.
When Myers started his book with the above quote, he pretty much had me sold as he was obviously a cool guy with great taste.
I really enjoyed James' narrative and point of view. He is a very real and relatable character with flaws and insecurities. His endless dating disasters (and not so disasters) were both comical but entirely realistic and I always enjoy reading from the perspective of a character who is a writer.
The author did a really brilliant job of drawing you into the story and actually getting you vested in James' hunt for The Last Romeo, without you even realising. I didn't realise how deep I was until James made the stupidest choice possibly in the history of love stories and I was sat in my living room, alone, shouting "But why? Why? What the hell do you think you're doing?! Goddamnit James, why?".
Deep breath.
Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering why only the 3 stars then? Surely, from what you've said this is 4 or even 5 star worthy? Well, because my ship got sunk - that's why. Yes, it was that good a ship, and yes I sure as hell do hold a grudge.
That and though James undergoes huge character development, and is surely on the path to self-actualisation by the end of the book, it's just a smidge incomplete at the slightly dissatisfying ending. The ending is still hugely worth it though - and I really hope Myers releases a short story set say, 6 years in the future, to let us know how it all turns out.
🌟🌟🌟
This was a really, fun and funny read about one man's descent into the horror that is the internet, online dating and fame going to your head.
"No one cared who i was until I put on the mask." - Bane, The Dark Knight Rises
When Myers started his book with the above quote, he pretty much had me sold as he was obviously a cool guy with great taste.
I really enjoyed James' narrative and point of view. He is a very real and relatable character with flaws and insecurities. His endless dating disasters (and not so disasters) were both comical but entirely realistic and I always enjoy reading from the perspective of a character who is a writer.
The author did a really brilliant job of drawing you into the story and actually getting you vested in James' hunt for The Last Romeo, without you even realising. I didn't realise how deep I was until James made the stupidest choice possibly in the history of love stories and I was sat in my living room, alone, shouting "But why? Why? What the hell do you think you're doing?! Goddamnit James, why?".
Deep breath.
Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering why only the 3 stars then? Surely, from what you've said this is 4 or even 5 star worthy? Well, because my ship got sunk - that's why. Yes, it was that good a ship, and yes I sure as hell do hold a grudge.
That and though James undergoes huge character development, and is surely on the path to self-actualisation by the end of the book, it's just a smidge incomplete at the slightly dissatisfying ending. The ending is still hugely worth it though - and I really hope Myers releases a short story set say, 6 years in the future, to let us know how it all turns out.
April 7, 2018
4 Stars!
Thank you so netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I stayed up until 20 past 12 to find out who The Last Romeo was... I regret nothing!
AND I knew who it was going to be! Win win, although I thought we'd lost him for a bit...
Full RTC, maybe :)
Thank you so netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I stayed up until 20 past 12 to find out who The Last Romeo was... I regret nothing!
AND I knew who it was going to be! Win win, although I thought we'd lost him for a bit...
Full RTC, maybe :)
Read
July 18, 2025❧ audiobook review
‘If only men knew how charming, how attractive it is to admit fault. To say they fudged it, to confess they don’t know something, to be willing to learn. It’s hot. Refreshing. […] It is all powerful. But men must come to this conclusion themselves. They can’t be told. They don’t like to be told.’
The Last Romeo is an utterly charming novel! It follows James on his quest to find love and the problems that come from being too open on the internet. After his breakup with his long term beau Adam, he begins documenting his attempts at navigating the dating world on a blog, vaguely keeping things anonymous but not quite as anonymous as he probably should have been. Along the way, he meets numerous kinds of men. The dates range from the utterly awkward, to the gross and uncomfortable (the description of one man’s bathroom will stay with me for ETERNITY), to the heart-fluttery and love-struck.
James, or ‘Jim’, makes a lot of mistakes in his quest for the perfect man. He gets bitter, even mean in his blog posts, but the other characters are quick to point out his bitchy moments and don’t shy away from telling him when he’s in the wrong. I quite liked the background characters as well, which is hugely important for a story. His friends Bella, Richie and Nicole, and little Hayden are all awesome; Nate, the (closeted) sports star, was adorable and totally stole my heart; then there’s Finn, the writer, and Luca, the blog fan who James gets to know over months of posts. They’re all very well rounded. You get more characters on the dates, but those really stick out in my mind. There’s also James’ rival at work and his dealings with his boss, both of which come up quite often throughout the novel.
I adored Nate especially. PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS. But James does spend a good bit of time thinking about his actions and reflecting; he admits his faults and tries to change. There’s good character growth. He acknowledges enjoying the fame his blog eventually brings him and how it negatively impacted his own view of things. He also gets some very sage advice: ‘If you don’t give your critics any meat, they can’t tear it from your bones.’
My prediction of the ending changed a few times and I kept wanting him to end up with different characters at different points. Ultimately, I quite liked the ending! If you’re looking for a fun rom-com novel, I totally recommend this one. And I’m definitely adding the author’s new novel The Magnificent Sons to my list.
[Other great Jameson narrations: An Honest Man, Caught Inside, The Prince of Thorns and The Magnificent Sons.]
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
‘If only men knew how charming, how attractive it is to admit fault. To say they fudged it, to confess they don’t know something, to be willing to learn. It’s hot. Refreshing. […] It is all powerful. But men must come to this conclusion themselves. They can’t be told. They don’t like to be told.’
The Last Romeo is an utterly charming novel! It follows James on his quest to find love and the problems that come from being too open on the internet. After his breakup with his long term beau Adam, he begins documenting his attempts at navigating the dating world on a blog, vaguely keeping things anonymous but not quite as anonymous as he probably should have been. Along the way, he meets numerous kinds of men. The dates range from the utterly awkward, to the gross and uncomfortable (the description of one man’s bathroom will stay with me for ETERNITY), to the heart-fluttery and love-struck.
James, or ‘Jim’, makes a lot of mistakes in his quest for the perfect man. He gets bitter, even mean in his blog posts, but the other characters are quick to point out his bitchy moments and don’t shy away from telling him when he’s in the wrong. I quite liked the background characters as well, which is hugely important for a story. His friends Bella, Richie and Nicole, and little Hayden are all awesome; Nate, the (closeted) sports star, was adorable and totally stole my heart; then there’s Finn, the writer, and Luca, the blog fan who James gets to know over months of posts. They’re all very well rounded. You get more characters on the dates, but those really stick out in my mind. There’s also James’ rival at work and his dealings with his boss, both of which come up quite often throughout the novel.
I adored Nate especially. PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS. But James does spend a good bit of time thinking about his actions and reflecting; he admits his faults and tries to change. There’s good character growth. He acknowledges enjoying the fame his blog eventually brings him and how it negatively impacted his own view of things. He also gets some very sage advice: ‘If you don’t give your critics any meat, they can’t tear it from your bones.’
My prediction of the ending changed a few times and I kept wanting him to end up with different characters at different points. Ultimately, I quite liked the ending! If you’re looking for a fun rom-com novel, I totally recommend this one. And I’m definitely adding the author’s new novel The Magnificent Sons to my list.
[Other great Jameson narrations: An Honest Man, Caught Inside, The Prince of Thorns and The Magnificent Sons.]
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
March 28, 2025
Fluffy, entertaining, yet with just enough depth - I needed this after the emotional onslaught that was Young Mungo! 😂
As a thirty-something - who has been single for most of his thirties - this was relatable enough, but also slightly absurd in places to make it entertaining.
James is a typical gay millennial - he came out in uncertain times, grew up when it was illegal to discuss being gay in UK schools, and he tries to be everything to everyone, but loses himself in the process.
Deciding to publish a blog under a pseudonym, he goes on many dates with men with wiry (seriously that word is used a lot) bodies, beautiful eyes, and glaring personality flaws.
This kept me guessing right up until the end about who the potential 'Last Romeo' could be, and turned my stomach in a couple of places as I have a few (sadly) similar stories to James' mishaps.
While not the highest-of-high-brow literature obviously (just wait until you read some of the similes), this is a 4.5 star that gets rounded up to 5 for sheer entertainment value alone.
As a thirty-something - who has been single for most of his thirties - this was relatable enough, but also slightly absurd in places to make it entertaining.
James is a typical gay millennial - he came out in uncertain times, grew up when it was illegal to discuss being gay in UK schools, and he tries to be everything to everyone, but loses himself in the process.
Deciding to publish a blog under a pseudonym, he goes on many dates with men with wiry (seriously that word is used a lot) bodies, beautiful eyes, and glaring personality flaws.
This kept me guessing right up until the end about who the potential 'Last Romeo' could be, and turned my stomach in a couple of places as I have a few (sadly) similar stories to James' mishaps.
While not the highest-of-high-brow literature obviously (just wait until you read some of the similes), this is a 4.5 star that gets rounded up to 5 for sheer entertainment value alone.
April 8, 2019
— 1 star —
The Last Romeo had a premise that sounded interesting, but it ended up being a disappointment.
From the MC that I disliked a lot—which unfortunately prevented me from rooting for him—, the execution that was not the best in my opinion and the writing that was not one I liked, I found myself bored not even 20% in.
Nonetheless, I did continue reading it out of curiosity (and because I still feel terrible DNF'ing books) and even if the ending was very predictable, I think it was the best way to end it.
However, there were some things I couldn’t overlook, especially the fact that the MC pressured his love interest to come out more than once (despite talks about it between the characters), and ended up pretty much outed him online (even if he changed details in his blog, it didn’t change what he did).
It's a short book, but it felt really long, and was tedious to read at times.
I understand why some might like it, but I guess it just wasn’t for me.
The Last Romeo had a premise that sounded interesting, but it ended up being a disappointment.
From the MC that I disliked a lot—which unfortunately prevented me from rooting for him—, the execution that was not the best in my opinion and the writing that was not one I liked, I found myself bored not even 20% in.
Nonetheless, I did continue reading it out of curiosity (and because I still feel terrible DNF'ing books) and even if the ending was very predictable, I think it was the best way to end it.
However, there were some things I couldn’t overlook, especially the fact that the MC pressured his love interest to come out more than once (despite talks about it between the characters), and ended up pretty much outed him online (even if he changed details in his blog, it didn’t change what he did).
It's a short book, but it felt really long, and was tedious to read at times.
I understand why some might like it, but I guess it just wasn’t for me.
July 15, 2025
Okay the ending was kinda predictable but the build up was good
March 31, 2019
This novel didn't seem to be about a world I could relate to - the media world of London and celebrity. The other aspects I could definitely relate to the world of gay dating or just dating, in general, I suppose not that I go on lots of dates you understand.
I chose it for a quick holiday read and it fulfilled that requirement as it was not massively taxing. I found some of the characters needed some more fleshing out and maybe a little less stereotypical. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
I chose it for a quick holiday read and it fulfilled that requirement as it was not massively taxing. I found some of the characters needed some more fleshing out and maybe a little less stereotypical. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
November 7, 2021
The premise seemed interesting enough to make me purchase an unpopular book. However, despite having some funny thing here and there, the overall execution made the story flat.
March 7, 2018
Someone referred to this book as being part of the 'young and single in London genre' and I had to do a double take and ask myself whether anything belonged to such a genre other than Bridget Jones' Diary. I think it could have worked in the late nineties and the naughties but perhaps the genre can't work now? Perhaps I'm biased based on how terrible the third Bridget instalment was with Bridget constantly harking on about her Aga and not really getting twitter.
Anyway, I feel I've digressed. There was some acerbic wit that I enjoyed. The premise? A guy leaves his cruel, inattentive boyfriend of six years and starts dating and blogging about the dates. Sounds good right? Well it just kind of fell flat with an assemblage of not very nice or interesting characters. I wanted to hurl a cup of coffee at Hurley, in fact that must be how the author conceived of his name? Funniest moment of the book was when someone called James, the main character, a ****. This book wasn't quite what was promised. I have to say as an easy read for twenty minutes with a cup of tea in bed this ticked every box. Literary masterpiece? Perhaps not.
Anyway, I feel I've digressed. There was some acerbic wit that I enjoyed. The premise? A guy leaves his cruel, inattentive boyfriend of six years and starts dating and blogging about the dates. Sounds good right? Well it just kind of fell flat with an assemblage of not very nice or interesting characters. I wanted to hurl a cup of coffee at Hurley, in fact that must be how the author conceived of his name? Funniest moment of the book was when someone called James, the main character, a ****. This book wasn't quite what was promised. I have to say as an easy read for twenty minutes with a cup of tea in bed this ticked every box. Literary masterpiece? Perhaps not.
October 7, 2018
Ce roman de Justin Myers m'avait tapé dans l’œil il y a quelques mois lors de sa sortie, et j'ai enfin pris le temps le lire, avec beaucoup de plaisir !
Le pitch du bouquin est assez simple : James rompt avec Adam, après une longue relation de six ans. Pour passer à autre chose et retrouver un peu d'estime de soi, James décide de s'inscrire sur un site de rencontres, et de raconter ses rencards dans des articles qu'il publie sur un blog spécialement créé pour l'occasion. Il fixe plusieurs règles, notamment celle d'arrêter ce blog seulement lorsqu'il aura trouvé "le bon". Travestir certains éléments, aussi, pour protéger l'identité de ces hommes, y compris la sienne.
Après des années d'une relation qui l'ont laissé malheureux, avec une très mauvaise image de lui-même, James devient donc un serial-dater. Pour alimenter son blog, il enchaîne les rencontres, ce qui donne lieu à des compte-rendus parfois hilarants à lire, on se dit qu'il en rajoute pour dramatiser, mais certaines situations sont tellement absurdes et foireuses qu'elles paraissent au final vraisemblables. Moments gênants, WTF ou carrément bizarres, on peut dire que James tombe sur de sacrés cocos !
J'ai particulièrement apprécié la plume de l'auteur. Ce ton sarcastique, pince-sans-rire, très british, m'a beaucoup plu. Le roman alterne entre articles du blog et récit de la vie "réelle" de James, avec les dimanches entre amis, les rencontres non répertoriées sur le blog, les séances skype avec sa meilleure amie Bella, les questionnements de James sur sa vie, ses sentiments ...
Grâce à son double virtuel, James reprend sa vie en main, prend confiance en lui-même, mais au final, cette double identité va quelque peu le vampiriser. Pour nourrir cet "avatar", James va peu à peu laisser toute la place à Roméo et, du coup, il perd pied avec la réalité, et devient nombriliste. J'ai bien aimé le fait que James ne soit pas un personnage parfait ; il n'est pas lisse, on a parfois envie de le secouer pour lui faire reprendre contact avec la réalité, et lui dire d'arrêter de se regarder et de s'apitoyer sur lui-même. Ce côté sale gosse auto-centré du héros est rafraîchissant !
Évidemment, en bonne lectrice de romance que je suis, au début, j'avais envie de savoir si James trouverait son dernier Roméo, et forcément, j'ai cogité à chacune des rencontres ... Mais, sur la fin, je me suis rendue compte qu'au final, ça m'importait peu, et que ce qui m'intéressait le plus, c'était de voir l'évolution du personnage.
Un petit aparté pour terminer : Justin Myers, l'auteur du roman, écrit, comme son personnage, des articles dans des magasines comme le célèbre GQ, dans lequel il donne des conseils en matière de relation amoureuses, parle des rencards et de l'amour en général. Je n'ai pas encore lu ces articles, mais vu comme j'ai apprécié la plume de cet auteur, je crois que je vais devenir une fervente lectrice de son blog !
Le pitch du bouquin est assez simple : James rompt avec Adam, après une longue relation de six ans. Pour passer à autre chose et retrouver un peu d'estime de soi, James décide de s'inscrire sur un site de rencontres, et de raconter ses rencards dans des articles qu'il publie sur un blog spécialement créé pour l'occasion. Il fixe plusieurs règles, notamment celle d'arrêter ce blog seulement lorsqu'il aura trouvé "le bon". Travestir certains éléments, aussi, pour protéger l'identité de ces hommes, y compris la sienne.
Après des années d'une relation qui l'ont laissé malheureux, avec une très mauvaise image de lui-même, James devient donc un serial-dater. Pour alimenter son blog, il enchaîne les rencontres, ce qui donne lieu à des compte-rendus parfois hilarants à lire, on se dit qu'il en rajoute pour dramatiser, mais certaines situations sont tellement absurdes et foireuses qu'elles paraissent au final vraisemblables. Moments gênants, WTF ou carrément bizarres, on peut dire que James tombe sur de sacrés cocos !
J'ai particulièrement apprécié la plume de l'auteur. Ce ton sarcastique, pince-sans-rire, très british, m'a beaucoup plu. Le roman alterne entre articles du blog et récit de la vie "réelle" de James, avec les dimanches entre amis, les rencontres non répertoriées sur le blog, les séances skype avec sa meilleure amie Bella, les questionnements de James sur sa vie, ses sentiments ...
Grâce à son double virtuel, James reprend sa vie en main, prend confiance en lui-même, mais au final, cette double identité va quelque peu le vampiriser. Pour nourrir cet "avatar", James va peu à peu laisser toute la place à Roméo et, du coup, il perd pied avec la réalité, et devient nombriliste. J'ai bien aimé le fait que James ne soit pas un personnage parfait ; il n'est pas lisse, on a parfois envie de le secouer pour lui faire reprendre contact avec la réalité, et lui dire d'arrêter de se regarder et de s'apitoyer sur lui-même. Ce côté sale gosse auto-centré du héros est rafraîchissant !
Évidemment, en bonne lectrice de romance que je suis, au début, j'avais envie de savoir si James trouverait son dernier Roméo, et forcément, j'ai cogité à chacune des rencontres ... Mais, sur la fin, je me suis rendue compte qu'au final, ça m'importait peu, et que ce qui m'intéressait le plus, c'était de voir l'évolution du personnage.
Un petit aparté pour terminer : Justin Myers, l'auteur du roman, écrit, comme son personnage, des articles dans des magasines comme le célèbre GQ, dans lequel il donne des conseils en matière de relation amoureuses, parle des rencards et de l'amour en général. Je n'ai pas encore lu ces articles, mais vu comme j'ai apprécié la plume de cet auteur, je crois que je vais devenir une fervente lectrice de son blog !
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February 24, 2025The author of this book has a popular blog about gay life in the big city etc etc. So does the main character in this book. Which honestly makes it all the more annoying. It starts off well with a main character recently out of a terrible relationship, anonymously blogging about his app dates and hoping he'll find love. He meets some interesting people and gets quite popular. Then it goes to his head a bit. Then the book just dissolves into nonsense about how hard it is to be popular and famous and how bad he feels about how badly he treats other people, and blah blah blah. A weird one.
September 2, 2020
Stupid... and funny.
December 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, I found it very relatable and it definitely paints a somewhat decent picture of what dating in London can be like. I'v seen that many people didn't like the ending. I did find it somewhat predictable but it works and it lives it open for a sequel. Which i will definitely be reading.
November 19, 2018
C'est avec surprise que j'ai découvert ce petit roman feelgood sans prétention, plus profond qu'il ne le laisse croire entre deux lignes sarcastiques et une situation cocasse. Une lecture rafraîchissante et drôle, qui sort du lot !
April 24, 2018
i listened to the Audio Book and loved it 👍👍👍
December 15, 2021
I picked this novel up blindly for fun, hoping to read a good rom com this year. Honestly, the novel was mediocre at best. I think the premise of the novel was interesting (social media and Twitter) but I think the execution of everything fell a little short.
In my humble opinion, a good rom com usually checks the boxes of:
1) a protagonist with a good sense of humor.
2) A romance where the protagonist and the love interest has chemistry.
3) The protagonist and love interest are placed in scenes together where tension between the two of them can build (regardless whatever type of romance is happening i.e. friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, etc.)
4) The protagonist must be deceitful in someway in order for;
5) A big explosion to happen whereby the protagonist has to mend their life back together. Before we get the,
6) Resolution where the protagonist and the love interest express their love and things work out.
I think Myers novel had all of these boxes but he didn’t full ticked them off. For instance, the James/ Romeo character (our protagonist) is funny-ish but a little too self deprecating at times. I read other people’s comments too and most negative comments about the Romeo character is they find his character way too irritating because he’s shallow.
For me personally, I don’t think he’s shallow I just find him at times too painfully realistically depressing. If Myers wanted to write a believable twittery type of man, I mean he nailed it. His protagonist really is quite self deprecating, is genuinely unhappy with his life, lonely, and at times verges on being fully pathetic. While other rom com characters may also have these characteristics, I think maybe what they had were interesting friends to help balance them out. James really didn’t have friends that were all that interesting for me. Plus towards the middle he pretty much shut them out and focused on being “online” like 90% of the time. That meant that most of the time he was alone with his thoughts.
I also think the most disappointing box that was really unfulfilled for me is the romance one. In this story, our protagonist James (who sets up an online persona called Romeo) is on a journey to find his last Romeo. He just broke up with his boyfriend of 6 years and he’s ready to find new love. As himself, he meets this man online who turns out to be some Olympian champion who is so deeply in the closet because of his job he literally doesn’t think he will have come out.
They begin to date in secret and soon the Olympian guy breaks up with James because he is unable to commit. The deceit that happens is the Olympian is unaware that James as Romeo has blogged about their first date thinking he was never going to see this Olympian again and never told him throughout the duration of their dating period (I wanna say 2 months).
This later blows up and Romeo is pushed to new heights especially when people begin speculating who this gay Olympian is.
This whole process to be honest was such a let down considering the two of them don’t even work out. Like, as a reader, I invested all this time in having opinions about these two characters and now Myers just pulls the rug from under me by having them have a thrashing out in the most lame circumstance.
Let me explain: the Olympian calls James over (after they had been broken up for quite a period of time) and they get drunk together and he informs James that he knows about the blog and he’s upset he couldn’t be out before. The Olympian also shares how he feels embarrassed reading about his life on Romeo’s blog and now that he’s met someone else he wants Romeo’s help to help him come out. James is obviously shocked because he really had hopes that the Olympian would want him back and so, he’s like why couldn’t it be me? And the Olympian says “I found someone who understands my life in a way you never can.”
Let me tell you the urge to throw the book was so real in that moment. I just want to understand why on earth did we spend so much time setting them up for them to not only not work out, but actually end in the most vulnerable heartbreaking way for James? The level of disrespect.
To be honest I also couldn’t understand James’ response. He accepted it with a brave face when I felt the character at that point in time would have said “fuck you. You call me here under false pretenses to get drunk and tell me to help you with your career because i owe you? Nah mate. You legit were horrible to me throughout us dating. Bye 👋🏿 “
He’s lack of anger and aggression in that scene just felt so untrue to the character. I mean, this man is so petty that he literally blogged about a failed date that came over for a bath only to fart in his bathtub and later take a dump. This man knows no shame in being petty. And yes he did keep emphasizing he’s braver as Romeo, but he also did keep saying he wanted more of Romeo in his real life and not only as an online presence.
To conclude, the book gets three stars for me because there are some funny dating anecdotes in there that did make me laugh. Overall though, an average novel that I wouldn’t recommend for anyone in the mood for a rom com.
In my humble opinion, a good rom com usually checks the boxes of:
1) a protagonist with a good sense of humor.
2) A romance where the protagonist and the love interest has chemistry.
3) The protagonist and love interest are placed in scenes together where tension between the two of them can build (regardless whatever type of romance is happening i.e. friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, etc.)
4) The protagonist must be deceitful in someway in order for;
5) A big explosion to happen whereby the protagonist has to mend their life back together. Before we get the,
6) Resolution where the protagonist and the love interest express their love and things work out.
I think Myers novel had all of these boxes but he didn’t full ticked them off. For instance, the James/ Romeo character (our protagonist) is funny-ish but a little too self deprecating at times. I read other people’s comments too and most negative comments about the Romeo character is they find his character way too irritating because he’s shallow.
For me personally, I don’t think he’s shallow I just find him at times too painfully realistically depressing. If Myers wanted to write a believable twittery type of man, I mean he nailed it. His protagonist really is quite self deprecating, is genuinely unhappy with his life, lonely, and at times verges on being fully pathetic. While other rom com characters may also have these characteristics, I think maybe what they had were interesting friends to help balance them out. James really didn’t have friends that were all that interesting for me. Plus towards the middle he pretty much shut them out and focused on being “online” like 90% of the time. That meant that most of the time he was alone with his thoughts.
I also think the most disappointing box that was really unfulfilled for me is the romance one. In this story, our protagonist James (who sets up an online persona called Romeo) is on a journey to find his last Romeo. He just broke up with his boyfriend of 6 years and he’s ready to find new love. As himself, he meets this man online who turns out to be some Olympian champion who is so deeply in the closet because of his job he literally doesn’t think he will have come out.
They begin to date in secret and soon the Olympian guy breaks up with James because he is unable to commit. The deceit that happens is the Olympian is unaware that James as Romeo has blogged about their first date thinking he was never going to see this Olympian again and never told him throughout the duration of their dating period (I wanna say 2 months).
This later blows up and Romeo is pushed to new heights especially when people begin speculating who this gay Olympian is.
This whole process to be honest was such a let down considering the two of them don’t even work out. Like, as a reader, I invested all this time in having opinions about these two characters and now Myers just pulls the rug from under me by having them have a thrashing out in the most lame circumstance.
Let me explain: the Olympian calls James over (after they had been broken up for quite a period of time) and they get drunk together and he informs James that he knows about the blog and he’s upset he couldn’t be out before. The Olympian also shares how he feels embarrassed reading about his life on Romeo’s blog and now that he’s met someone else he wants Romeo’s help to help him come out. James is obviously shocked because he really had hopes that the Olympian would want him back and so, he’s like why couldn’t it be me? And the Olympian says “I found someone who understands my life in a way you never can.”
Let me tell you the urge to throw the book was so real in that moment. I just want to understand why on earth did we spend so much time setting them up for them to not only not work out, but actually end in the most vulnerable heartbreaking way for James? The level of disrespect.
To be honest I also couldn’t understand James’ response. He accepted it with a brave face when I felt the character at that point in time would have said “fuck you. You call me here under false pretenses to get drunk and tell me to help you with your career because i owe you? Nah mate. You legit were horrible to me throughout us dating. Bye 👋🏿 “
He’s lack of anger and aggression in that scene just felt so untrue to the character. I mean, this man is so petty that he literally blogged about a failed date that came over for a bath only to fart in his bathtub and later take a dump. This man knows no shame in being petty. And yes he did keep emphasizing he’s braver as Romeo, but he also did keep saying he wanted more of Romeo in his real life and not only as an online presence.
To conclude, the book gets three stars for me because there are some funny dating anecdotes in there that did make me laugh. Overall though, an average novel that I wouldn’t recommend for anyone in the mood for a rom com.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
December 20, 2017
I finished this very early this morning and am feeling a little bit mixed up about it.
There's a lot to really like. The writing is excellent and there's a lot more depth and realness to it than I was expecting. It's wonderful to finally come across a book with a gay main character who's looking for love that doesn't turn into the usual M/M erotica (although that's not to say this is sex free or that I have any objection to M/M erotica).
As a main character, James (or Jim) is very genuine. He's far from perfect, he's insecure, doesn't seem to really like or value himself but he is someone I'd want as a friend and there was so much I could relate to. I didn't particularly agree with everything he did (a lot frustrated or worried me) but I could certainly understand it. Similarly his experience of dating, while uncomfortable and awkward a lot of the time was very believable and true to life.
I really loved the other characters and the way the relationships between them were portrayed. I also loved the commentary on celebrity and social media all of which is very relevant.
Unfortunately however I think it was the realness and the depth that stopped me from loving this. It hit a little too close to home for me making it uncomfortable to read rather than enjoyable. Derogatory comments about his age (younger than me) and bloggers annoyed me even though I know they shouldn't. Added to that James ends up on a path I really didn't like which I know is deliberate but left me feeling a little bit down. Possibly I just wasn't in the right mood for this amount of realism (I love the fantasy) and if I read at some other time it would have bothered me less.
Overall, I'm still muddled and will no doubt re write this review after I've thought about it for a while. I suggest that you read this for yourself and make your own mind up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.
There's a lot to really like. The writing is excellent and there's a lot more depth and realness to it than I was expecting. It's wonderful to finally come across a book with a gay main character who's looking for love that doesn't turn into the usual M/M erotica (although that's not to say this is sex free or that I have any objection to M/M erotica).
As a main character, James (or Jim) is very genuine. He's far from perfect, he's insecure, doesn't seem to really like or value himself but he is someone I'd want as a friend and there was so much I could relate to. I didn't particularly agree with everything he did (a lot frustrated or worried me) but I could certainly understand it. Similarly his experience of dating, while uncomfortable and awkward a lot of the time was very believable and true to life.
I really loved the other characters and the way the relationships between them were portrayed. I also loved the commentary on celebrity and social media all of which is very relevant.
Unfortunately however I think it was the realness and the depth that stopped me from loving this. It hit a little too close to home for me making it uncomfortable to read rather than enjoyable. Derogatory comments about his age (younger than me) and bloggers annoyed me even though I know they shouldn't. Added to that James ends up on a path I really didn't like which I know is deliberate but left me feeling a little bit down. Possibly I just wasn't in the right mood for this amount of realism (I love the fantasy) and if I read at some other time it would have bothered me less.
Overall, I'm still muddled and will no doubt re write this review after I've thought about it for a while. I suggest that you read this for yourself and make your own mind up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.
March 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It was warm and funny. It had some cringe-worthy moments but was at its core emotional. Our main character is flawed yet means well. I found his life or his ‘Romeo’ life, seemed like an addiction of some sorts. At times he annoyed me, but that was only cause he was being a bit daft, as are we all.
I liked this book, up till the end. It fell a bit flat for me at the end....but I would be happy to read more.
I liked this book, up till the end. It fell a bit flat for me at the end....but I would be happy to read more.
November 1, 2018
This started off with a lot of promise. Funny and interesting. By halfway I was bored... the story dragged on for no reason with a lot of filler, the ending was predictable.
I didn't like any of the characters much and I skimmed the last half. Disappointed.
I didn't like any of the characters much and I skimmed the last half. Disappointed.
March 1, 2021
1.5*... maybe
I just didn’t really like the main character (or many of them tbh). I thought the premise had potential but it went a bit downhill for me.
I just didn’t really like the main character (or many of them tbh). I thought the premise had potential but it went a bit downhill for me.
October 9, 2024
This is a great book... really great romance but made me think as well. Made me feel! Made me angry and sad
June 6, 2021
The best bit was for sure the parody blog of the MC's blog which was kind of like the whole book pausing to take the piss out of itself and that was hilarious. The rest was mostly frothy and fun and James was really likeable for about 80% of the book and then he was kind of revealed as a massive selfish twat and only semi rehabilitated which kind of gave me whiplash. I just didn't know who I was rooting for. I really wanted to see him recover after 6 years in an emotionally abusive relationship but the arch just didn't really deliver that. At the end he even has a nice moment with his ex bf/abuser and that was super unnecessary tbf. So yeah some good bits but also pretty chaotic overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2021
I often spent Saturday mornings cackling as I read Justin Myers' 'Table Manners' blog so was excited when he said he was publishing a novel but was left disappointed by the overall result.
First of all, the humour was puerile, toilet jokes and a lot of rather predictable comments. Nothing that made me laugh out loud like his columns.
Then the overall plot was also rather predictable, which was odd as it isn't a normal rom-com where the main character ends up with the most obvious person. The scene with the kids in the swimming pool near the end made me annoyed with how obvious it was.
All in all, I enjoyed some parts but definitely expected a lot better.
First of all, the humour was puerile, toilet jokes and a lot of rather predictable comments. Nothing that made me laugh out loud like his columns.
Then the overall plot was also rather predictable, which was odd as it isn't a normal rom-com where the main character ends up with the most obvious person. The scene with the kids in the swimming pool near the end made me annoyed with how obvious it was.
All in all, I enjoyed some parts but definitely expected a lot better.
January 12, 2022
5/5
This book really shed a light on the pressures of social media, current society and cancel culture through a fun and different spin! The narrator was such a self obsessed twat but in the most relatable and vulnerable way.
When I got to the end I was so annoyed that “The Last Romeo” wasn’t who I had wanted it to be BUT then I realised that the spin at the very end was even better and probably a far better choice for the protagonist.
Wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I absolutely loved it!
This book really shed a light on the pressures of social media, current society and cancel culture through a fun and different spin! The narrator was such a self obsessed twat but in the most relatable and vulnerable way.
When I got to the end I was so annoyed that “The Last Romeo” wasn’t who I had wanted it to be BUT then I realised that the spin at the very end was even better and probably a far better choice for the protagonist.
Wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I absolutely loved it!
March 24, 2019
I taste a different book and it's amazing! Most gay characters I have known were teenagers, but I relate myself most to James not from his dating experiences but his dating app experiences. The truth is, it's really hard to find someone using any dating applications because most of the users are only seen the physical not the inside and they really want to s** and to hangout (Note: That's my opinion).
I definitely read the upcoming second book.
I definitely read the upcoming second book.
February 9, 2019
Avec une plume franche et pleine d’humour, Justin Meyers nous emmène dans une comédie romantique où nous suivons un protagoniste sympathique. C’est drôle, léger comme tous les ouvrages de cette collection...
https://www.sariahlit.com/2019/02/rom...
https://www.sariahlit.com/2019/02/rom...
April 19, 2020
Il s’éloigna sans me toucher. Le vent se leva et les premières gouttes se déversèrent sous la lumière orange des réverbères...
Je hurlai les trois mots que je n’avais jamais eu le courage de lui dire, mais les bourrasques qui me giflaient me les arrachèrent.
Il ne les entendrait jamais.
Je hurlai les trois mots que je n’avais jamais eu le courage de lui dire, mais les bourrasques qui me giflaient me les arrachèrent.
Il ne les entendrait jamais.
March 7, 2018
I love a book that makes you laugh out loud and this did. On many occasions.
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