This book - a funny, sweet, & heartwarming queer rom com - put the biggest smile on my face. The Problem with Perfect by Philip William Stover opens with Ethan Wells in crisis: Chase Myles, the vapid, shallow star of their gay lifestyle show Myles of Style, has gone to Miami after throwing a fit on set, and won't be returning in time to film crucial content. Faced with losing the job he's worked so hard for, Ethan heads up state to track down Chase's identical twin brother Beau - a man Ethan barely knew existed.

Beau is the opposite of Chase: besides looking like a mountain man, he's also thoughtful, kind, and about as anti-materialistic as they come. Beau doesn't want to help Ethan out, until Ethan says not only will it help relieve some of Beau's debt, it will also really piss off Chase. That's reward enough, and the two head to NYC.

Chase's brief Miami trip turns into an indefinite trip to Abu Dhabi, and Beau is conscripted to replace Chase full time for a month, to get them through the Pride Parade, which Myles of Style will be live-streaming for the first time. The one twist Ethan is reluctant to tell Beau about is that he and Chase also had a fake engagement (to appear like a stable gay couple to appease the network). Beau must now be fake-Chase AND Ethan's fake-boyfriend.

As expected, as Ethan and Beau work closely together, the chemistry mounts and hijinks ensue. I will be honest that towards the end of the book, some of the drama got a little too melodramatic for me, but when all was said and done, I really enjoyed this one. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a HEA for two really great male characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC.

(3.5 stars!)

A queer rom-com, for fans of Boyfriend Material, The Problem With Perfect feels fresh, relatable, and fun!

TV producer, Ethan Wells, finds himself in a pickle when his show star Chase goes on an unplanned adventure, leaving Ethan in a bind and a tv schedule up in disarray. When Ethan is able to convince Chase's twin brother to leave his yurt in the middle of nowhere and take over his brother's socialite lifestyle, he soon realizes maybe Chase isn't wrong to want to leave his seemingly picture perfect life.

While I found the writing a bit repetitive and simple at time, I really enjoyed this read!

What I Loved:
- The main characters. I loved Ethan. He is funny but understandably frustrating. Yes, he's a neurotic control freak, but he's been through so much and loves people so deeply and just wants to be somebody and live a life others will think is worthy. And even if that's problematic, it's relatable. Beau comes into his life on a fluke but it's clearly the perfect time to show up and show Ethan the authentic life he could be living! Beau is introspective and self aware and has also clearly been through a lot. His characterization is a little too matter of fact sometimes, but he's layered and more than hot mountain main. I grew to love both of them so much!
-The side characters. A black trans woman best friend living her most authentic life. Middle aged drag queens acting as the voices of reason. An assistant who's entire being is totally hilarious "Tina has cried every day since the day I hired her". Hysterical! This cast of found family was PERFECTION!
-The pop culture reference. The social commentary on social media and sponsorships. And moments that's make you laugh out loud!

Is this a ground breaking read? No, but it's a simply fun rom-com that shows us there's no one perfect way to be and the only way we should want to be is the one that feels the most authentic and makes us the most happy and that's something I can get behind and know readers of all kind will appreciate.

So, at the beginning it really felt like Ethan was more of a caricature of a gay man in NYC rather than realistic, and Chase even more so. Ethan became whole and complex and I loved him very quickly but I never understood or believed Chase and I also had some issues with Chase and Beau's backstory/reconnection. I did honestly love the story though, and I flew through it. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

I wasn’t sure at first if I would get on with this book as the first few pages over used names to know end, but thankfully that stopped after the first chapter and I ended up enjoying it and read it in a day.

While the writing wasn’t fantastic, the representation is where this book really shone for me. Not only is their a Black trans woman with a wife and child, there’s also a two nonbinary characters, middle aged drag queens and my personal favourite moment was when Beau introduced Ethan to his friend who ran a vegan hot dog stand which she had made completely accessible for her wheelchair. It might have been a small moment but it was wonderful to me to have a disabled person shown as any able bodied person would be, as a friend and business owner and not as someone who needs babying or talked down to.

The overall story was enjoyable and I loved seeing the relationship between Ethan and Beau evolve and see Ethan’s journey back to himself.

What a gorgeous, gorgeous book. A funny, warm and touching novel that explored behinds the scenes on a TV Show. Yes, at base level it’s a lovely gay romance- but underneath that it’s full of deeper meaning- found family, workplace personas and unresolved traumas are all handled with care and warmth. Highly recommend- and I’d love to see a Fire Island set sequel