📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

A Good Bad Boy: Luke Perry and How A Generation Grew Up
By Margaret Wappler
Publication Date: March 5, 2024

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

📚THE SYNOPSIS:

Best known for playing loner rebel Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills 90210, Luke Perry was fifty-two years old when he died of a stroke in 2019. There have been other deaths of 90’s stars, but this one hit different. Gen X was reminded of their own inescapable mortality, and robbed of an exciting career resurgence for one of their most cherished icons—with recent roles in the hit series Riverdale and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood bringing him renewed attention and acclaim. Only upon his death, as stories poured out online about his authenticity and kindness, did it become clear how little was known about the exceedingly humble actor and how deeply he impacted popular culture.

In A Good Bad Boy, Margaret Wappler attempts to understand who Perry was and why he was unique among his Hollywood peers. To do so, she uses an inventive hybrid narrative. She speaks with dozens who knew Perry personally and professionally. They share insightful anecdotes: how he kept connected to his Ohio upbringing; nearly blew his 90210 audition; tried to shed his heartthrob image by joining the HBO prison drama Oz; and in the last year of his life, sought to set up two of his newly divorced friends. (After his death, the pair bonded in their grief and eventually married.) Amid these original interviews and exhaustive archival research, Wappler weaves poignant vignettes of memoir in which she serves as an avatar to show how Perry shaped a generation’s views on masculinity, privilege, and the ideal of “cool.”

Timed to the fifth anniversary of Perry’s death, A Good Bad Boy is a profound and entertaining examination of what it means to be an artist and an adult.

📚MY REVIEW:

This book was everything for a Gen Xer like me. 🥹 I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of the stories of Luke's career with the stories of the author's life journey throughout those same timeframes. This brought such a unique perspective to the sharing of the snippets of Luke's life and career -- the personal vulnerabilities shared by the author during her own coming-of-age felt particularly nostalgic when interspersed with his stories too.

This book was filled with memories of moments of 90s television that had slipped from my mind, but these moments were immediately recalled as I read Wappler's words. I was swiftly transported back to those nights in front of my television, fighting for control of the one TV in the house so I could watch 90210. And the book warmed my heart with its little bits and recollections about Luke's life that I'd never known.

Overall, this book left me with a nostalgic sadness for the loss of a talent and a truly good "bad boy" - gone far too soon. A must-read for anyone who crushed on Dylan McKay as he walked the halls of West Beverly High. This was a deeper glimpse into the life of a man who was immensely beloved by everyone who knew him and I'm glad I got to read it. ❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader's copy, in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this title.
I grew up with Beverly Hills 90210, Brandon VS Dylan Kelly & Dylan or Brenda & Dylan , fast forward to the 9021OMG podcast where they speak of Luke, the person behind Dylan I could not wait to read this. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, the back and fourth. I found it to be a blast from the past and bringing back all the emotions over watching Dylan Mckay.

I enjoyed this book. We tend to iodlize Hollywood stars. It was so good to hear how he was a good man. Worth the read.

This was interesting, but it was different from what I expected. The story was written in alternation POVs and timelines. One was a memoir of sorts of the author growing up while 90210 was on TV and the other perspective was a biography about Luke Perry. A interesting concept to combine a memoir and a biography of sorts.I did enjoy the behind the scenes insight into Luke's auditions, etc, but I wanted more biography and less memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a millennial whose sister loved watching 90210 during the times where I would of love to be watching cartoons; I was very excited to read this. I honestly thought this would be something else. But instead, I found the way this book was written to be unique in the sense that the chapters in the book were split between a biography about Luke and a memoir of the author. I also felt like since the synopsis was so centered around Luke Perry’s image and influence on a generation that it would honestly be a more in-depth look into the actor’s life. So, this was bait and switch. A little razzle dazzle from the author and publisher to boost sales that, fell short because once you get into it there’s no real substance. I'm a little disappointed

And as always Happy Reading!!!

**Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a free copy for an honest review.

his is a book about the actor Luke Perry and the impact he had on many through his acting career. It was written after his death and highlighted his career from his early days on 90210 all the way through the last movie he starred in that wasn't released before he died.
Honestly, this book was a little strange to me. I really enjoyed hearing about how he got started in acting and his days on Beverly Hills 90210, but the rest of the book was hard to follow. It bounced back and forth and focused on one person's journey of how the actor impacted her life. I felt this book could have used more editing for it to make more sense....just my opinion.

2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was a fan of Beverly Hills, 90210 but lost sight of Luke Perry until Riverdale. Like the author, his sudden death hit me surprisingly hard. I enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes stories and anecdotes from people. He seemed to be a really nice guy and makes his death at such an early age even more sad. I didn’t find the sections about the author to be all that interesting.

Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was an interesting read. As a fan of Beverly Hills 90210 and the character Luke Perry played as Dylan McKay, I loved learning more about those aspects showcased in the book.

I found the way this book was written to be unique in the sense that the chapters in the book were split between a biography about Luke and a memoir of the author. This is something that I wasn’t expecting going in.

It was really nice to gain more insight on what goes on behind the scenes as well as the audition process. Especially, specifically for what his experiences were during his time in Hollywood.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and fans of Luke Perry should be excited to dive into.

Thank you @SimonBooks for sending me this copy for review.

I chose to read this book because I thought it was all about Luke. There was a lot about the author while interesting enough I just found it very confusing and hard to pay attention too. Definitely some good items about Luke and his life.

“Reflecting on it years later, Muha says, ‘I don’t know how he did it, but he surpassed him: Luke Perry is even better than Dylan McKay.’”

Dylan or Brandon? #IYKYK. I was Brandon all the way…it was the eyes for me. 😍

3.5 stars! This book was timed to release around the fifth anniversary of Perry’s death from a stroke in 2019 at the age of fifty two. He was a 90’s bad boy legend and, from the sound of it, one of the most humble and kind men in Hollywood.

A Good Bad Boy was written in the most unique way, with every other chapter being about the author herself. The portions about Luke are from her own memories and experiences and those of his friends and loved ones.

I never followed him much after 90210, which was a staple in my formative years. But this book really dives deep into his character, his love of friends and family, and his selfless mannerisms and I now feel like I wish I had.

Thank you @SimonBooks #SimonBooksBuddy and @MargaretWappler for the free book.

Thank you for this ARC! I had not heard about this book but was so excited to receive it. I am a child of the 90s and grew up watching 90210 with my friends. I was a huge Dylan and Brenda fan. This book was a delightful walk down memory lane. It did not offer a lot of insight or investigative journalism but did give a nice feeling of nostalgia. It was told along side the author's own experience which did not enhance the book for me. Since I lived this time, I wanted to remember my own experiences and align them with Perry's story. I think anyone that watched 90210 will enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the parts about Luke Perry but the parts about in italics: not so much. I was disappointed that it wasn't all about Luke Perry's life. While I definitely recommend to 90210/Luke Perry fans, I would love to have seen a bit more organization: maybe by year, cast interviews, shows he was on, etc. It did skip around quite a bit. Thanks so much, Netgalley for the preview copy!

I went into reading this thinking it was solely about Luke Perry. While the book has interesting tidbits about the early days of “Beverly Hills 90210,” I was disappointed that there were snippets of memoir throughout.

When I saw this book as an upcoming release a few months ago, I was intrigued and threw it in my Amazon wishlist, so I could purchase it later. A few days ago, I saw it was on Netgalley, and I requested it and they approved it. I enjoy getting books from them as I get to read and review them before they are officially released.

I only knew of Luke Perry from Beverly Hills 90210, but I never actually watched it. Yeah, I am serious. I was the right age of 14 when it debuted on television, but again, it never appealed to me. I was more into Seinfeld, and that type of sitcom!

Want to know how he got the role of Dylan on 90210? It’s all in book as well as his roles in Oz and Riverdale.

What I thought was interesting, was after most of the chapters, the author, Margaret Waller, talks about herself in third person about her experiences as she was a fan of 90210.

One thing that was missing from the book and maybe it was intentional, was his personal life (mostly his marriages and kids).

I enjoyed the book, and didn’t realize how down to earth Luke Perry was, how he never got into trouble, and was a very helpful confidant to other actors and his close friends.

Can you believe that it has been 5 years since Luke Perry suffered a stroke and died? So young. This book tells stories about Luke as he was know by his friends and co-workers on 90210 through Riverdale.

As a younger Gen-Xer, I adored this book. I loved hearing about the story of how 90210 started, progressed, etc. I was sitting on my couch watching it back when I was in middle school and early high school. This book brought me back. I also did not know anything about Luke’s career after 90210, so that was all new and interesting to me. (I am not a big TV watcher.)

The chapter about Luke alternated with the author’s own story of growing up in the time of 90210. I was not put off by this back-and-forth, but it might not work for all readers. But, if you were in middle/high school back in the 1990s, you will likely connect with all of the book.

Can one really move past being a really hot and famous heartthrob back in the days on one of the most popular shows ever. It’s so sad that Luke suddenly dies and never really got to get into some roles he really was seeking.

Even though I was a huge fan of 90210 this just did not work for me because of the blending of stories. I enjoyed the facts about Luke but skimmed through the parts about the author. So content felt a bit unnecessary.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.
2.5

This was great! I was just a kid when 90210 was popular but my mom LOVED it so I’ve seen a lot of episodes. He was always my favorite.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I have been a 90210 fan since the start. I still go back and watch episodes all the time. So I was so excited to get a copy of this one. It had some interesting facts but I feel like it was missing tons of big pieces.

I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote about her life through the years, juxtaposed against the life and career of the beloved Luke Perry. It was very reminiscent of my own adolescence and I could really relate to it.

I have always adored Luke Perry, following his film and tv career through my life. This gave some real insight into the side I didn’t see. He was a remarkable actor and an all around good person.

This was informative and full of tidbits about not only Luke Perry, but other celebs of the time. Including some interviews and statements from some of his friends and colleagues, this was a wonderful tribute to a great man.