I really enjoyed the emphasis on friendships in this book I love reading books with queer representation but that typically shows the characters as their sexualities or even gender identities through the relationships they are in. Now dont get me wrong I LOVE a good queer romance but this felt like somthing special becasue it was queer on its own without the datning relationships and I loved that and it now has me hopeing to read more books like this.

An unfortunate DNF from me on this one at the 10% mark

I didn't vibe with the writing style was too wordy. As in Stephen King level over worded and the characters were not likable in my head. I couldn't get into the story enough to want to continue reading.
That 10% took me over a week to get too.

4 Stars
Genre - Satirical urban fantasy, queer fiction
Tone - cheeky, morally grey, issues-driven
Tropes & devices - found family, werewolf as metaphor
Reps - Gay MMC, NB secondary character, Filipino first gen secondary character
CW - sexual content, adult language, alcohol and drug use, homophobia, violence

Brian is finally figuring life out when he first turns. Pivoting desperately, he drops out of college and finds work waiting tables in the city, spending each night drinking with coworkers he's afraid to let in on his secret. Each day, he wakes up to cringe and examine the damage - either from a Grindr hookup, or - on a full moon - in the news. Hiding his condition quickly becomes complicated, and more experienced werewolf Tyler - charismatic entrepreneur investment bro - shows up at work and offers to teach him to mindfully channel his power. Little does Brian know, Tyler has a much bigger scheme - one that asks the reader to examine masculinity, capitalism, cult mentality, belonging, and more.

This book was a quick read. The present tense took a little adjusting; but once I got in the groove, the pacing was great and the plot was engaging. Brian's problem behaviors were constantly frustrating, but his humor, relatability, and earnest stumbling redeemed him for me. I found his experiences with mental health recognizable (especially the cult-like energy that can spring up around spirituality and wellness routines and ideologies). While aggravating, his striving to fit in with Tyler is at times endearing. His work buddies - Darby and Nik - are really enjoyable and make Brian's mentorship with Tyler all the more painful to watch. My biggest - maybe only - real complaint with this book was the very ending; it felt a little off-tone from the rest of the novel, and like it functioned mainly as a setup for a series. That said, I'd read a future installment! In the mean time, I'd point fans towards Boys Weekend for more paranormal tech bro cults and discussions of masculinity; The Free People's Village is an issues-driven pick with queer, morally grey characters and an MC looking for belonging.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC! This was very different than I thought it would be but it was still very fun. It took me a while to get into because Brian is a fairly unlikeable character but he has really good growth throughout the book. It was entertaining to find this as a werewolf pyramid scheme plot line which was unique. The side characters, especially Darby, are amazing. I'm kind of hoping we get a sequel based on the ending. I think it's lacking a decent epilogue if there is to be no sequel cuz I wanna know how this all goes on.

The character work in this was excellent. The author really has a talent for painting a broad-strokes picture of the type of people we've all met, without making the characters feel like clichés, or surface-level.

The pacing was a bit off, however: a lot of world-building was crammed at the end, and the climax didn't pack as much of a punch as it could have. There were also some plot-threads that weren't given quite as much space as I would have liked, such as the fact that the protagonist sometimes blacks out on the full moon and murders an innocent person. I thought this would end up really affecting the story, but it barely does beyond providing a catalyst for Tyler to track him down.

Overall I quite enjoyed this, and I'll keep an eye out for other books by the same author. Recommended if you like magical realism, social satire and found family dynamics.

I have to admit, it did take me a while to get into this book. I kind of wish the book started about 50% in and still had about 50% to go after it ended. I was more interested in the rag-tag team of paranormal fighters than anything Tyler had to say.

Even though it wasn’t a scary book, it gave me super creepy vibes. Like the videos that were popular in the early 2000’s where there’s a car peacefully driving down a lovely, windy road and you’re just waiting for the zombie to flash up on the screen and scream loudly in your face. I was on edge the whole time just waiting for the jump scare.

Tyler, as a side character, gave me the ick right from the start. He is not at all the kind of person I would spend my time with, at all. So that made it a bit painful to read about him cause I just wanted Brian to punch him in the face and tell him to shut the fuck up.

I liked the discussions around the way that straight people feel they have a right to information about queer peoples love/sex lives. How they feel comfortable asking invasive questions in group settings that you would never ask a straight person you had just met, or offer up that information about yourself.

It’s books like these that make it impossible for me to DNF a book. Because although I wasn’t enjoying the book at the start, I really was by the end and it would have been sad for me to have missed out on the good parts.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Paranormal
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

This book was OK, it had a great bunch of characters. I thought it was a fairly decent plot line. Only thing that was annoying and dragged a bit was how much the main character ignored red flags and didn't get out sooner. The lead up to the resolution was pretty good and a perfect pace. I was just left wanting a bit more. I feel like a good amount of the conflict in this story was brought up and escalated but not necessarily to the full extent it should have. Just seems to be missing a bit of heart or emotion or something.

2 / 5

I really don't think this is being marketed in the right ways. I went into this expecting a paranormal/horror/comedy, but what I got was a satire - which is fine, but the moments I knew were supposed to be funny were crickets for me. What's left after that is little plot development, uninteresting characters, no horror, and the paranormal aspects never felt fleshed out. I can see why Bored Gay Werewolf will be a hit for some folks, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books, and Tony Santorella for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Such a fun’ and light read. It was really funny and made me laugh out loud. I feel like this would make a great movie - think warm bodies. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.

Thank you net galley for the digital arc. 🖤

This bThis book explores Brian's journey from, as the title says, a Bored Gay Werewolf to an honest and understanding werewolf. I enjoyed the overall story, but the plot wasn't that good in my opinion and could be improved. I only brought myself to finish this because of Nik.

ARC Review: A werewolf satire about toxic masculinity with the title of "Bored Gay Werewolf"...Admittedly, I went into this with a lot of expectations. I expected a lot of humor, some lovable and some deplorable characters, and a lot of werewolf action.

Sadly, I ended the book feeling very...mid. Despite what the title suggests, this is not really a book about werewolves and it definitely didn't have the humor that the title seemed to me to promise. In the full book, there were three werewolf scenes and two of those were only a few short paragraphs in length.

Where the book did deliver is in the commentary on toxic masculinity.

Tyler is the exact type of guy that I despise, which is intentional by the author. He is a stereotype of reasonably rich, white, CIS male entrepreneur: always talking while actually saying and doing nothing, yet somehow also doling out tasks and taking credit for everything that happens anywhere in his vicinity. Brian, unfortunately, is not much better. He is selfish, self-centered, and self-destructive. He ignores his friends, doesn't care about who or what he hurts, and drinks and does drugs to exist in a perpetual state of oblivion.

Brian's coworker friends, however, I did greatly enjoy. They aren't perfect either, with some realistic character flaws, but they aren't annoying in the way Tyler and Brian are and are responsible for the only real elements of humor within the book.

It wasn't until around chapters 6 or 7 when I started enjoying the book for what it had to say, though I didn't fully engage with the story until the climax near the end. Ultimately, my disappointment in this book lay in my own expectations with it. Don't go into this looking for a fantasy/action werewolf book or even a humorous satire (because the humor is scarce). If you go into this expecting a commentary on toxic masculinity with a slight fantasy element, you will likely enjoy it.

I think I expected there to be more focus on the werewolf part, and thus got a bit mislead or started this book with different expectations...

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I am not at my peak review writing abilities right now, and also I'm not entirely sure how to review this book, so this review is a bit all over the place.

I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis, which sounded like lots of fun! I am generally a fan of supernatural creatures being depicted as lameass losers struggling to cope, so this was right up my alley.

This book didn't really hit the mark for me in terms of humour. I liked Brian's humorous narration, but there were a few scenes that were probably supposed to be funny that came off kind of awkward instead, including a pretty wacky sex scene that I had to skim because of the secondhand cringe it induced.

The main themes of this book appear to be critiques of capitalism and toxic masculinity, which I love, because I hate capitalism and toxic masculinity. I think these themes were explored pretty well. The book is pretty blatant in its critique, which is fine, unless you are looking for subtlety, which I was not, so it works out!😁👍

Overall, this book was pretty enjoyable, all the elements individually are interesting enough, but I can't help but feel that there is something lacking. This book delivers on its premise, but the execution just wasn't there.

Also, I would like to know how Brian can afford to rent an apartment in a big city all by himself on a waiter's salary. (For real. This is literally my dream.)

Audiobook & E-Book Review: Bored Gay werewolf by: Tony Santorella - @ boredgaywerewolf
Narrated by: Anthony Nyro
Release: June 1, 2023
Format: Hoopla Audiobook & E-Book
The Low-Down: M/M. Adult. Suspense. Werewolves in modern times. Some graphic v!olence.

I have to say that Bored Gay Werewolf started off extremely strong. I loved that it was in modern times, and while werewolves were a secret, there wasn't the usual life-changing werewolf transition/ struggle.

We meet the main character, Brian, as an adult bored gay werewolf (a fitting book title.) Brian is trying to find where he fits in the world, especially as a lone werewolf with no future goals, until he meets Tyler. Tyler takes Brian under his wing to help build his werewolf pack. But is the life Tyler is offering what Brian wants? and what is Tyler not telling him?

Notable moment that had me cackling: Brian's clapback at Tyler's girlfriend after she harassed Brian over if he's a top/bottom. Brian then asks her if she takes it in the 😸 or the 🍑. Questions like this always seem to only be appropriate when asked to a Queer person, but inappropriate when asked to someone who isn't. It needed to be said 🤷‍♀️😂👏 .

This book was vastly different from any other werewolf story. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that they were even werewolves, and I appreciated that.

There were dark themes and a lot of suspense, but also plot twists that you could see coming. By the middle of the book, I was no longer hooked. I think plot points introduced toward the end could've made the characters way more interesting had it been presented earlier on. The ending felt rushed, but again, I wish the ending had been spread out and allowed more of a build-up to create the suspense this book was going for.

As always, check the author's TW before reading.

thanks to netgalley for providing me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for a review!

this book was so much fun! i thoroughly enjoyed the core three characters (brian, nik, and darby) and how they interacted with each other. the dialogue in this book stands out as a strong point, and i loved watching how much these three love each other as they try to figure out how to get brian out the sticky situations he has gotten himself into.

while there are tons of werewolf-y things going on, this book had a lot to say about finding your path, fitting in (or trying to force yourself to fit in somewhere), and growing into your best self with the people that actually care. the end of this book was truly pleasing, and wrapped up the current plot while seeming to set up for more books in this world. based on how much i enjoyed this, i would pick up the another book both by this author and/or set in this world!

2.75/5

Brian is going through a rough patch. A minimum wage job as a server, a bad relationship with his family, an unifinished degree, oh yeah and the fact that every month he transforms into a werewolf and mauls people to death. One day he crosses paths with Tyler, a fellow werewolf and entrepreneur, who seems to not only be in control of his lycanthropy but is also willing to help Brian out. But Tyler's ideas of how to manage the change take a concerning turn that will put Brian in a difficult and dangerous position.

I liked the main concept of this book but I just couldn't get into it. It's a satire of toxic masculinity, the grind, and the monetization of all facets of life. Tyler is a caricature of a white cis straight male entrepreneur, the kind that talks big game yet never says anything. The book confronts what happens when these kind of people get told no and I did enjoy that, it made me laugh at times while also ringing quite true. I think it's the werewolf bit that disappointed me. It was one of the main reasons why I picked it up so I was frustrated that the author rarely went into the specifics of it. The transformation, the pros and the cons, the loss of control, etc.

The tone of this book felt odd at times. It had all these funny moments and little quips that were well done but clashed with these supposedly serious situations. It came across as a Marvel movie at times, the crucial plot points never had time to breathe and unfold. I did enjoy the characters, though I liked Nik and Darby more than our protagonist. Other than that it was fine but predictable, I saw the big plot twist at the end coming from a mile away and was incredibly displeased with the closing scene. Bottom line if you were interested in this because of the werewolf aspect I recommend you skip it.

Enjoyable, funny character main character. I’d recommend to lots of people who want a fun read, and would love to read more from this author.

This is one of those books that is meant to be super funny but ended up missing it's mark. This becomes a critical flaw when the book is very character focused and the way the "bored gay werewolf" copes is to deflect with humor. The book also didn't seem to able to decide what it wanted werewolf to be a metaphor for. One moment it's about the gay experience with conservative parents and the next it's an allegory for alpha male business bros.

Overall I was bored and gave this 2 stars for some of the representation in the book, but really found myself not caring about the characters.

This is a completely original entry into the urban fantasy sub-genre, and I’m calling it now; this is one of my favourite books of 2024. Bored Gay Werewolf is funny, acerbic, and insightful. Santorella perfectly skewers optimisation culture, finance / tech bros, and examines community building from different viewpoints without being heavy handed. I got the impression this is going to be the start of a series, and I hope that’s the case. 10/10 do recommend!

I was intrigued by the premise, but this did not hit at all. Brian is an absolute charisma suck, a complete waste of space. I'm all for unlikable characters, but he's not even unlikable: he's just a void. The risk of having a character whose main personality trait is "bored" is, in retrospect, glaringly obvious. Give me something to root for! Nik and Darby are two-dimensional, and Tyler is so transparently villainous that there's never really any tension. The satire is low-hanging fruit. The writing is proficient, with occasional glimpses of genuine insight and humor that are, unfortunately, lost in too-clever-by-half showiness.

This is not a romance, and is not pitched to romance readers. Which is fine! But if anyone stumbles across this review and wants excellent stories about gay werewolves that actually do interrogate masculinity, patriarchy, and the friction between secretive, closed societies trying to navigate the unknowing world -- with the bonus of lots of banging it out -- then I highly recommend Charlie Adhara's excellent, funny, incisive Big Bad Wolf series; SP Wayne's exquisite, heart-wrenching (but HEA!) Axton and Leander series; and Kaje Harper's brutal, dystopian Hidden Wolves.

The promotional material indicates that this book has already been picked up by Netflix, so even though I don't like giving debut authors bad reviews, I comfort myself that the author is laughing all the way to the bank. 4-star premise, 1-star execution, 2 stars it is.