Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for How to Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune starting on November 1, 2025.


Happy Reading!

I cannot wait for you guys to meet Grumpy Gus <3

Thank you!
This is a Cozy November thread. Read any time in November!

Check out the list of other scheduled cozy reads in the Cozy November[buddy read] thread, or seek friends for a plan of your own in the [planning] thread!

Series (Here or Schedule)
1. How to Be a Normal Person
2. How to Be a Movie Star

I read this last week and it was absolutely wonderful. Gus is awesome. I love how the narrator did his "Oh my god"-s. He definitely needs all the hugs.

Also, as a fellow semi-luddite, loving my phone-less life and with absolutely no social media (except for GR), I empathize with his plight, having to navigate "normal" people... (view spoiler)[but OMG the advice he got off the internet was insane. I want that document by itself to read.

And the phone company lady. How there were two Mytsy/Mitsi-s? Who knows ONE Mitsy? LOL And when he called back and she pretended not to know him... actually, I think all those phone company conversations were my favorites.

I also just love that whatsisname--forgot the guy who wasn't Gus--turns out to be a vampire/shifter/smut writer or something. Some aspects made me wonder if Klune based part of that character on a younger version of himself...

Can I also just gush about the fact that this is a quality asexual romance? The Green Creek one didn't feel asexual really, though I guess it is a spectrum. It's rare to find asexual characters period, and I love that Klune brings a variety of spectrums into his work. (hide spoiler)]

Does the next book have any overlapping characters?

I have GR and Discord and Google search bar... Even with phone I avoid social media

Nirkatze wrote: "Does the next book have any overlapping characters? "

Yes, the entire cast is back with some pretty awesome new additions <3 I am so glad you liked it, you know how much I love Klune and Grumpy Gus is my absolute favorite of his characters! I'll start a re-read in a bit today and comment more but (view spoiler)[while I agree Gus's interactions with the cable company were stupid funny and his internet search for how to be normal was as equally hilarious, for me I would love to read an entire book of Gus and Pastor Tommy together.

Also I can't recall off the top of my head but I am 95% sure the person who wrote the how to be normal was a character in another of his books, Why We Fight :) (hide spoiler)]

Finished this today and I love this book so much, all the feels, humor, found family and just makes me happy, I love Gus so much <3 This book hits differently for me since I lost my mother and yeah, definitely all the feels. And I am like 99% certain that the author of the web site is the MC from Why We Fight since (view spoiler)[there was mention of a man who fell into the hippo enclosure at the zoo which is straight out of one of the earlier books in that series lol (hide spoiler)]

FYI there is a different narrator for the second book, the narrator of the first stopped doing it so Michael Lesley stepped in. I was concerned about how he would do Gus but I am happy to say I was totally okay with his depiction <3

LOL OMG that's great, that it might be an in-verse author....

That is good to know about the narrator change. Those're tricky.

I don't have #2 yet, so I'm hoping for the sitewide sale...

I started this at work this morning, but had to pause cause I was laughing too much once Gus tried to start being normal... getting a library card, calling "Comcast" to setup internet, etc...

Glad you did/are enjoying it :)

laughing just wasn't conducive to maintaining situational awareness...

You can buy Yasser Arapants online, from Mitzii's Art Emporium (Mitzii with 2 i's, not to be confused with Mitzyy with 2 y's, from the internet service provider in the story?)...

https://www.mitziisartemporium.com/pr...

I went to the site after linking it, and it's run by a Klune fan, with permission of Klune, and 25% of sales profit goes to UK LGBTQ charity...

Reached the epilogue... poor Mitzii...

The final paragraph... UGH...

Timelord Iain wrote: "The final paragraph... UGH..."

lol

Timelord Iain wrote: "You can buy Yasser Arapants online, from Mitzii's Art Emporium (Mitzii with 2 i's, not to be confused with Mitzyy with 2 y's, from the internet service provider in the story?)...

https://www.mitzi..."

There are a few places that sell merch and so long as the people agree to donate a portion to charity he is okay with it. I wonder why this site doesn't offer a Nana muumuu from the At First Sight series, she had some good ones lol

I thought the "two i's" would be Mitsi v. Mytsy instead of Mitsii v. Mitsyy. I have been shown the light.

I don't know if 2 ys is at the end or Mytsy... the one with 2 iis is definitely at the end, tho... based on that website... I just assumed on the Y one...

Listening to #2 now... the narration is kinda driving me up the wall with the intonation...

Yea... I don't like this book/MC as much as the first one... even if the characters from the first book appear a bit... the narrator change and the movie star plotline just aren't working for me as much...

50% through now, gonna hurry up and finish... took a bit of a break...

Read this and I agree with you guys /spoiler> The How to be a normal person Internet guide and the phone conversations with the cable company were hilarious. Favourite parts. The rest was pretty sweet and cozy.

But what happened with the old ladies. Are they sister or lovers? That was evil finishing the book like that