I’d rate this book based on what I was feeling when I was reading it and that was an all-around feel-good feeling. That kind of cozy is as if you’re drinking tea or hot chocolate while it’s snowing outside.

Nathan and Lorcan have been best friends forever. Nathan always had a crush on Lorcan but didn’t say anything. So when he comes home from Scotland Lorcan drops a bomb that he thinks he’s bisexual and likes a guy named Miles. Naturally, Nathan has to see his competition.

But the problem is that Lorcan doesn’t know how to talk to people and flirt with them so Nathan kind of ”preps” them for him.

So that was Nathan’s job now too. To connect Miles and Lorcan.

So all three plus Miles’ sister go on a hike and lots of things happen. For once, Nathan is very clumsy throughout the whole book. He is also not a fan of any outdoor animals or insects.

So when they come back from the trip Nathan and Miles start to hang out and this leads to new problems…

As I said I rated this book based on this feel-good feeling and how easy it was to read this book.

However, this book has many flaws.

First, it’s slow. Very slow.

Second, Nathan can be kind of too clumsy at times and you can’t help but roll your eyes reading it.

Third, Lorcan can be super whiny.

Fourth, if you like some smutty (and descriptive) scenes in a book (like I do) this book is not it. One kiss is described in a little detail and one sexual scene too (not too much sadly), otherwise, it’s pretty bland.

Fifth, the ending might surprise you.

Sixth, Miles is adopted and we never see the reason why his parents gave up on him when he was 16. It was never mentioned.

Kind of plus points:

Nathan’s dad is using sign language.

Trans rep in a side character.

Miles’ whole family is super kind and supportive.

So 4 stars because that’s how I felt after reading the book but if I also included the flaws it would be probably 3 or 3.5 (rounding on 4) stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this but I could not get into the story or the characters. I felt that it was pretty far fetched and not something I could connect to.

A quick read with interesting characters that had a really good flow. I haven't read this author before but I certainly would enjoy future reads.

This is a great story that captures your attention from the beginning and doesn't let go. Although it was my first book by this author, it will not be my last.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at Pan/Cis LGBT2Sq+ Romance Reviews (https://pancis.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/the-wingman-by-a-poland/)



Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library LGBT2SQ+ romance print or ebook collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.

______________




Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Medium burn

Relationship dynamics: One-Way Love Triangle: 2 Best Friends and 1 Best Friend’s Crush

Sexual content: A smidge; mostly kissing with on-page lead-up and wind-down; otherwise, off-page

Gender Identity: Cis (H1) / Cis (H2)

Sexual Identity: Gay (H1) / Gay (H2)

Triggers: Discussion of alcohol abuse (neither H); discussion of previous partner abuse (of H2)

Acceptance Rating: 5 Stars

Acceptance Rating Explanation: Love is love.

Grammar/Editing: My ARC had a few typos and word choice issues; a few UK regionalisms that don’t fit the US setting (e.g. “back garden” vs. “back yard”, “local council” vs. “neighborhood council” or “HOA”)

Review: This medium-paced story is set in Los Angeles and its environs. Aside from the regionalisms pointed out above, I found the context well-described. It is worth noting that this book is about more than the central romance. It is also about the dynamic between best friends, in this case, Nathan and Lorcan, shifting to make room for a relationship for either of them; it is about the change of nature of the friendships of adolescence as people transition into living their lives as adults.

The main characters in this story are Nathan and Miles. Nathan is an outgoing guy without much self-esteem next to his BFF, Lorcan; let’s call him oblivious. Miles is a quiet, gentle soul who has trouble saying no, even when obnoxious people are pushy. This is essentially a “when will the oblivious clue in to the overtures of the shy” kind of romance. This storyline and the way Poland presented it within the broader context of the character’s lives was well-done. I found it to be a sweet, endearing, and gently developed relationship. Passion is sparingly inserted into the story, which amplifies the intensity of the feelings in their relationship when it is highlighted. The supporting characters are well-developed, and seamed into the story very well. All of their family members are very supportive, open, and understanding, while also living their own lives, which we do see them living within the book. I particularly enjoyed Ben’s (Nathan’s father) own secondary romance within the book, and the relationship that Nathan and Ben have.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Personally I really enjoyed. I know that I am not a harsh critic by any means. I have never given a book anything less than 3 stars but this book all 5 of the stars I gave. My cousin was giving the speech at his wedding and I didn’t listen. I read this book instead. I loved the plot and the characters. I have nothing that I would fix.

This was a very cute and fluffy romcom that I really enjoyed - even when certain obstacles came up later on. All 3 main characters were great and relatable and I'd totally read a sequel.

There are no villains in this book, just people, and their challenges, drama, and triumphs are deeply, satisfyingly real. I can't say enough good things about Nathan, our hero who's the biggest challenge in life: being outdoors (yes, that's all), passion for devilishly clever ground squirrels and figuring out how to deal with your complicated feelings for his best friend (and the limitations of their somewhat interdependent bond). Nathan makes mistakes but is basically an honest, kind, fun, caring person and watches him with anyone - his amazing dad, Lorcan's best friend and especially Miles, who he is so comfortable with but reads so thoughtlessly with - there's so much having fun. I enjoyed every moment of the story - I smiled a lot, sometimes laughed and ended up in the right place for everyone involved, which is really all you could ask for. I cannot recommend it enough.

ok do note: i'm in a book slump that honestly, no book could hold my attention for more than 2 pages. i had to dragged myself even though i like what i'm reading. BUT THIS????

OMG THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS.

i love oblivious and clumsy Nathan, and Ben, i love reading about his surroundings. his feelings, and struggles. i love Miles and his big family, Miles was.... so adorable. and both Nathan and Miles????? SO GOOD. the built up was great!!!

Lorcan though, this child.... was abit tough. he was an asshole from the start, which Nathan was blind to. i'm not fully forgiving him, even though that glo up at the end. he is abit tolerable.

but overall, SUCH A CUTE READ. i was smiling at some AAA

Unfortunately this book is an example how the in-love-with-your-best-friend-trope can fall flat, even if ultimately the best friends don't end up together.
I liked Nathan and really felt for him. It sucks to be in love with your best friend, especially knowing nothing will come of it. As it is often the case with storylines like this, Lorcan is not as great as Nathan makes him out to be. He seems selfish and oblivious. I didn't really understand their dynamic and wished something better for Nathan, which he does ultimately get. Miles is a much better fit for Nathan than Lorcan and they fit together well.
While I did like their relationship, I couldn't really warm up to the book as a whole. Lorcan annoyed me and Nathan was hung up on him for too long. The writing also felt a little stilted and often took me out of the reading flow. Not really a bad book per-se but I also don't really recommend it.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very sweet new-adult m/m. Everything about this book suggests that it is a love triangle - and it kind of is - but in an unexpected way. Nathan is just returning from a year studying abroad when his lifelong best-friend and unrequited love Lorcan asks him for help with a love interest. This is all part of the game for Nathan - who has always been Lorcan's wingman. What is new is that Lorcan's love interest is a guy. Nathan is not straight - and has known that for some time, but has never come out to his friend or anyone else (apparently). So when he finds out Lorcan might not be straight - it comes as a major shock. Nathan feels very mixed emotions about trying to help Lorcan score with Miles as a result. And things take a major turn when Miles turns out to be interested in Nathan instead of Miles.

The focus of this book is very much about Nathan's growth. He has to learn to stand on his own - away from his best friend. Basically - he needs to move on from being a side character in his own life - and take ownership of his hero story.

I loved Nathan and Miles (and Miles' family who were so freaking great - I want to read more about them). Nathan's arc is believable and really shows how he changes for the better. I also really loved Miles - but because the book is entirely from Nathan's perspective - I kind of felt like there wasn't as much depth to Miles as I would have liked.

Overall - this was a great story and new adult book.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Thanks to the author/publisher for the ARC

Nathan returns from a year abroad with high expectations of spending the summer with his lifelong best friend (and longtime secret crush) Lorcan. Almost immediately, he's stuffed back into the role as Lorcan's wingman--it's easy to talk up your best guy, afterall--as Lorcan comes out as bi and embarks on an attempt to hook up with broody, softspoken, outdoorsy, musician Miles. The trouble is that Nathan still wants Lorcan, and Miles actually wants Nathan. Obviously plenty of drama ensues.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow, but overall enjoyed this book. It was similar to Lisa Henry's Adulting 101, but with a less "messy" MC. I thought Nathan was totally relatable as a character, and I enjoyed that he learned to stand up for himself and expect better of his friendships. 3.5 stars.

This book was so cute. Yes it's more PG-13 then steamy romance but it fits.

Nathan is a guy you can't help but fall in love with and Lorcan you kind of hate for the first half of the book until he pulls his head out of his ass.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the representation in it. They have deaf characters (Nathan's dad is deaf so there's a lot of signing), a trans woman.... It's great.

An easy read with a happy ending.

This was a cute and fast read. Our main character Nathan really had David Rose vibes which made me enjoy it more. It was your typical romcom but was a nice break from more intense reads.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fast-paced and fun gay romance! I binge-read it in just a few hours, so smitten by the charming story and the adorable characters, not the least the wonderful father-son relation that was utterly heartwarming!

The story starts off with Nathan returning home from a college year abroad, to meet up with his lifelong friend and secret love Lorcan. Only to find out that Lorcan who has never seemed anything but straight, suddenly has developed feelings for another guy, Miles. So good news, Nathan might actually have a chance after all, but bad news, Lorcan wants him to be the wingman and help him get lucky with Miles. When Miles turns out to be a gorgeous, sweet, talented and intriguing musician with more depth than could first could be anticipated, things get even more complicated…

Love triangles can be a bit too angsty and over the top sometimes, but here it was very well done and with a lot of humor and sweetness. The minor complaint I have though was the relationship between Nathan and Lorcan. I never really rooted for Lorcan and couldn’t see why Nathan was so in to him, not even as friends and even less as his long time secret crush. Lorcan came across as quite selfish and immature, always counting on Nathan to help him out, but never really doing the same for Nathan. So the love triangle plot was very one-sided for me already from the start as I never even wanted Nathan (nor Miles for that matter) to end up with Lorcan…

But where Lorcan was a bit underwhelming, the rest of the cast in this book more than made up for it. Sweet, afraid-of-outdoors, clumsy and kind Nathan, Miles with his sad and gripping background, his amazing family and six over-protective, fierce and badass sisters (I pictured them all as a bunch of Gal Gadot Wonderwomen) and Nathan’s dad who was deaf but never missed a thing. The relationship between Nathan and his dad was one of the things I loved most in this book. It was so tender and heartwarming, and so full of respect, love and trust.

All in all, this was such an enjoyable, fun and charming story! One of those binge-worthy, happily-ever-after stories that we all need once in a while to brighten up the day!

Not me stressing over the love triangle when I started the book, having freak out convo about the characters with friends before finishing 80% of the book and seeing the very important and direct line written on the cover.
In my defense, everyone has their moments.

Moving further, I really got to say that this book was splendid in so many amazing ways, I cannot handle it. Listing a few things I absolutely loved - the queer representation. We have gay and bisexual MCs, a trans woman SC and a non-binary guest appearance!

The pacing and character development was truly well served to the readers - on many occasions I couldn't believe that I was already through with the so much of the content provided to me. I won't comment about the love story here though, because it will be a spoiler BUT istg you'll be shipping a lot of people. There were little things that made this book more endearing - the friendship of Nathan and Lorcan, the family moments that we saw with all the characters, but especially Nathan and Miles. Furthermore, I appreciated the deaf representation and how conversation carried around with them. It will be truly amazing to see this book adapted.

Nathan's character was one I loved a lot. He was considerate, joyful and there was this quality about him that made me looking forward to his story. The book is narrated through Nathan's perspective, fyi. Miles was - oh my what do I say about him - this cute fluffy human being that I would certainly want to have in my life. You need to know only few things about him: he's a musician, he's beautiful and he's like a person you definitely need to have in your life. About Lorcan, I have okay okay feelings about him because while he did appear as a douchebag on multiple fronts, he eventually redeemed himself.

The other characters in this book were equally wow, especially Nathan's father and Miles's sisters. Oh boy, do I want to meet them once. The book was also able to decode some important topics - starting with queer representation, disability access, toxic relationships, abuse, adoption, foster care, friendship etc. In some cases it ventured deeper but most of all, it was just mentioned as a fact. I really wish to read more of the author's work <33

Trigger Warnings: mention of death of a loved one, divorce, mention of transphobia, an instance of almost drowning, mention of toxic and abusive relationships

*Note - I was provided with a review copy of the book in exchange of an honest review

Three and a half stars.

Nathan has been in love with his best friend Lorcan since forever, but Lorcan has only ever seen him as a friend, and the wingman who talks to women on Lorcan's behalf. Lorcan is muscular and good-looking, a fan of the great outdoors, whereas Nathan is a dorky guy with poor hand-eye coordination, prone to tripping over his own feet. Nathan has resigned himself to chatting up long-legged women on Lorcan's behalf, until Lorcan mentions that his latest crush is a man! Torn between elation that Lorcan might like men and despair that he still doesn't consider Nathan as a potential love-interest, Nathan is horrified that Lorcan wants him to do his wingman thing with Lorcan's crush, Miles. Of course Miles is the male equivalent of Lorcan's previous female interests, he looks like a rock-star, he's a musician and he adores outdoors activities like camping and rock-climbing.

Somehow, against his better judgement, Nathan is persuaded to go on a weekend camping trip with Miles and Lorcan, Nathan blames it on the jetlag, where Nathan is supposed to ascertain if Miles is into men and praise Lorcan to the skies. Only things don't work out quite as planned.

I liked this, but the blurb basically gives away the entire plot so there's not much tension, and it was hard for me to see what Nathan saw in Lorcan because he seemed such a selfish jerk. The blurb mentions slow burn but I would say this was more of a gentle simmer, I think writing in the third person also created a feeling of distance between the reader and Nathan, telling us what Nathan was feeling rather than showing it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I had so much fun reading The Wingman. A truly funny , heart warming , charming , sweet , inclusive and entertaining, MM, slow burn romance.

A. Poland writing is original , fresh and natural. There is nothing formulaic about The Wingman; it's in a class of his own.

Miles and Nathan are relatable and likeable characters . The have lots of chemistry , their friendship/relationship progression feels organic and real.

The secondary cast of characters are also greatly written. They all play are important and vital to the plotline and not just there as fillers or/props for drama . They , as the heroes , are three dimensional characters with a strong and believable back story.

The Wingman stole my heart. Highly recommend it.

I just reviewed The Wingman by A. Poland. #TheWingman #NetGalley #NineStarPress

Nathan has been keeping his crush from his best friend Lorcan for years because he thought he wasn't into guys, in fact he spent most of their social life helping him find girls. Everything changes when Locan reveals he has a crush on another man, a musician named Miles who is much too perfect for Nathan who becomes insanely jealous. Nathan is worried he would lose his best friend if he reveals how he's feeling so agrees to do his usual wingman duties to help Lorcan catch Miles. I really loved this sweet and gentle romantic comedy and definitely love to read more of A Poland's work.

It was a quick and fun read. I definitely wasn’t sure which direction I wanted Nathan to go in at first, but I am happy with how it ended.