This was a fun and fast read -- perfect for those who enjoy NYC city life and theater, and who have to laugh at some of the crazy antics the main character gets involved in!

I am ashamed to say that I didn't expect to like this book. As I read the beginning, I was looking for an excuse to DNF. The premise sounds interesting enough but also seemed like it would possibly be weird, theatre niche, cheesily written since it's 1st person pov. I didn't like any of the characters in the beginning, but....

It got better and better and better and better! This was such a fun, twisted read!!!! The protagonist is an excellent anti-hero who is intentionally such undercooked toast in the beginning and sooooo awesome by the end. I was prepared to dislike the theatre setting, but it's brilliant. The drug ring and drama is interwoven with Shakespeare quotes and symbolism, as well as the drama of acting in a budget stage production. I definitely think Shakespeare fans would get a kick out of this!

I just....Man, I loved it. For being so violent and dark, it's also funny and thoughtful. It's written in 1st person POV, which I am super picky about, but Thomas Carry wrote in the best way possible--it's not cheesy. The drama is great, I didn't guess any of the action, though admittedly I didn't try too hard to guess what was coming next. The action is well paced, and I let it pull me along for the ride.

But it's the characters that make this a full 5 stars. The characters are vibrant to put it mildly, each unique and on a development path through the book. The author had me switching back and forth between loving and hating characters, it was a constant back and forth between who was the bad guy and who to trust.

Somebody please make this into a movie. I pictured Aidan Murphy as an Irish version of the Dennis Feinstein characters from Parks and Rec, Sean as a creepier Matt Lucas, Freddy as Seth Rogen, and Scott as a Zachary Levi type.

Thank you NetGalley and Bad Alley Fiction for an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review!