After his Broadway musical debut receives a scathing review, a playwright, Noah, escapes to his small hometown. To his dismay, his agent has set up for him to direct an amateur rendition of his flop at the local community theater. To make it even worse, Noah keeps encountering Luke, his high school nemesis who is now a local favorite.

Showmance provides a delightful and quick-paced look into the world of professional and amateur musical theater. It may be a bit cheesy, but it’s full of heart and features a wonderful cast of characters, especially the endearing small-town locals. The protagonist, Noah, is a charmingly flawed character who undergoes a good amount of growth over the course of the story. The theater elements are a standout feature, with numerous nods to musicals and Broadway stars that will appeal to any theater lover. Although I was initially skeptical about the romance (cheating isn’t fun), its charm and the chemistry eventually won me over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for early access to this book!

Showmance is a cute, fast, fun look into the world of professional and amateur musical production. Noah’s first Broadway show flops the same night that his father suffers a heart attack in the small Illinois town where he grew up. His return to Plainview is also a return to the community and culture that made him love theater in the first place, and he finds his assumptions and memories challenged by the acceptance he finds there (particularly from Luke, the hunky farmer who initially triggers horrible memories of high school and eventually triggers something very different).

What’s kind of weird about Showmance is that for a m/m romance, the women are the real stars. Every mother, best friend, and musical theater mentor is pitch perfect: funny, loyal, sincere, badass. Noah, on the other hand, spends most of the book in a state of self-pitying, sophomoric arrogance, and it’s often hard to root for him despite the fact that he’s clearly the novel’s hero. The two romantic interests come off as somewhat wooden and one-dimensional; only Noah’s father struck me as relatable in his complexity. Note that Showmance zooms out during sex scenes, so readers looking for spice might be disappointed. I didn’t mind the novel’s essential sweetness, and ultimately I felt moved by the small town drama and my own memories of the power of community theater.

Noah's playwright career is dead due to a horrible review of his first Broadway musical. His agent arranged for him to stage an amateur version of the play. Luke, the jerk from his high school yrs, stars in it and even improves on it...

Love the characters. I didn't like Noah too much in the beginning but he grows and changes. Luke is terrific too. Love the romance... The play within play works well.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This book was perfect. I sometimes have a hard time staying invested in contemporary romance but this held my attention from the first page. It was funny and heartfelt and if you are a musical lover like me, it will feel like talking to a friend. I've already recommended it to everyone I know. I really appreciated how the dialogue felt very modern and reflective of how people actually speak to each other in 2024. loved it and can't wait to see what he rights next!

This book is a quick, entertaining, and enjoyable read!

I love the cast of small town characters! The MC Noah is a delightful mess, who really grows and develops rather quickly throughout the course of the book(which spans about a month). The troupe of thespians is a colorful group of lovely people who all love and support Noah, even through his bad times. They even help him fine tune his craft. Also, his zany artist mother is an absolute delight!

The only thing I didn't like was the character Chase, Noah's agent/boyfriend. Since the book is written in Noah's voice, the beginning of the story made their relationship seem idealistic. There was no hint of issues, because he viewed it through rose-colored glasses. For me, the story would have been better if Noah and Luke weren't falling in love while Noah was already in a seemingly great relationship. I would have preferred the story with either Chase being only an agent or for the story to have had some subtle hints at the relationship not being what Noah thought.

This was an adorable quick read! I’m not a huge theater person but was so sucked in. As someone from Southern Illinois myself, the small town setting was so real I could picture every bit of it. When a Broadway playwright suffering from a huge professional setback finds himself back into his hometown, he finds himself working with the community of people he grew up with for a small town production of his play. At first old prejudices and snobby NY prejudices make Noah rather unlikeable but following his journey of reevaluating his friends, nemesis and family was so fun and heartwarming. And Luke! Luke is the devastatingly handsome former high school football player that was not what he seemed. Their relationship was so sweet. I needed more!! All in all super sweet and lovely love story.

4 stars.

This was a fun small town, Broadway themed romance. It’s very cheesy but has a lot of heart and great characters. Noah starts off the book kind of unlikeable. He’s very self centered and very condescending towards his small hometown and the people in it (though not entirely for no reason). However, I thought his character had a lot of growth and he really changed a lot for the better. The musical plot line was fun and also really helped push Noah to grow as a person.
The ending of this book was almost over the top ridiculous and hard to believe, even for fiction, but it led to a really like conclusion for the main characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

I LOVE a theater romance novel, and I was so excited to be among the first to read playwright and Broadway lyricist Chad Beguelin's new book! After his latest Broadway musical proves a total flop, protagonist Noah Adams heads back to his hometown of Plainview, Illinois following a family emergency...and the town's community theater company is eager to have him direct the first local production. Conveniently, Noah's extremely hot high school nemesis Luke just happens to be the set designer...

This was cute! I loved all the theater references and how Beguelin immerses the reader in the theater world. But the plotting was extremely predictable, even for a rom com; the twists didn't feel all that twist-y and this wrapped up with a particularly neat little bow at the end. I enjoyed Noah's character, though he was slightly obnoxious. And I grew a little restless towards the end because it was really easy to see where it was going. But always a treat to read romance novels set in the theater world, and Beguelin has made this accessible to hard-core theater nerds and neophytes alike.

This book is a theater lover’s dream. As someone who grew up feeling like I didn’t belong in the small sporty town that I grew up in, I ate this book right up. The characters and the plot were masterfully laid out. I laughed, I “aww”d and I found myself overwhelmed with happiness and smiling on many occasions.

Noah’s character showed so much growth and development over the course of the book, and I loved watching the way that all the side characters interacted with him and reminded him how special he was. While I was unsure about the romance in the book at first, it quickly won me over with its charm and chemistry.

My favorite part of the story was Noah’s mom and his banter with her. I also loved his best friends, Kiara and Melissa and his banter with them. The funny little quips and musical theater jokes made this one such a good time.

I think anyone who appreciates musical theater/Broadway/community theater is going to adore this book, and it’s definitely accessible to many audiences!!

I loved all the theater references and scenes! This was a fun book to get lost in. I think the author did a good job developing the main characters and the drama between them. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

while I will admit the former theater kid in me did absolutely get suckered into feeling misty at the big small town performance climax the rest of this book was meh at best. it's short and moves quickly which is usually a plus but here it ended up making everything about the plot and character development feel far too rushed and unearned.

the characters all also felt a bit artificial - if this were a movie or a stage play I think what the actors would bring to it would make the characters feel alive and whole but just on the page everyone felt quippy and underdeveloped to me.

This felt like the queer small town hallmark love story my inner theatre nerd has been looking for all my life. Read in one sitting.

I was really unsure if I was going to like this in first part if book. I had a hard time understanding how Noah's parents could be so nice to Luke when he bullied Noah. It felt like some gaslighting was going on. That being said once everything was explained I really enjoyed this. It left me laughing and smiling which is not super common! I did wish he would have broken up with his boyfriend earlier in book because I can't handle main characters cheating but I feel like that was resolved well also. I would definitely read more about this author. A solid 4.5 stars for me. I do generally prefer open door smut but this was very sweet and I did love Noah and Luke together!

Okay, maybe it’s the theatre nerd in me, but I unapologetically love this book.

This is a funny, heartwarming rom-com about a playwright who goes home to be with family due to a family emergency after his new Broadway musical fails after one performance. After growing up in a small town where he was bullied for being gay, he learns that everything he remembers may not be exactly as he thought it was. I laughed, I cried, I threw a few things and I kicked my feet in glee.

Was this book a little predictable? Sure, but despite its predictability the characters themselves made this book worth reading. Even though, Noah had his moments of being pretentious and an asshole, he was always able to reflect and I was still able to root for him. Noah’s friends, mother and most importantly Luke made this book for me. I absolutely love Luke.

If this ever gets turned into a movie, I will be there on opening night, and I will absolutely be buying a physical copy for future reading

A playwright from small-town Illinois writes a book about a playwright from small-town Illinois.

Overall, I found Showmance to be a sweet, fun read. I like how no character in this novel is perfect; they all have their own flaws. However, I don't like how many of the characters felt hollow. They behaved strangely at times, acting like a caricature rather than how I'd expect a real person to act.

Noah is a diva and spirals a lot, but it works well. Luke is an adorable himbo, and the romance between him and Noah is super cute. The pacing of the story is pretty swift--in a good way--which makes this novel a quick read. I was never a theater kid, so the theater elements don't really wow me. But I'm sure that theater lovers will be much more invested in it.

So, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a easy, light-hearted queer romcom, and I'd especially recommend it to anyone with a love for theater.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Showmance!

This book is an absurdly sweet small-town romance. I went in with medium expectations, because I’m not overly familiar with theatre and thought that may detract from my enjoyment. Boy, was I ever wrong. I enjoyed every page of this quick, fun read. I imagine if you’re into theatre, this book would be an even bigger treat.

Noah is, at first, hard to like. He’s pretentious and kind of mean, but that gets explained and resolved throughout the story. There were moments I felt his dialogue was a little too punchy, but there were other moments that I laughed out loud, so I can accept the ratio.

The other characters and the setting were sweet and will be familiar to anyone that comes from a small town. The pacing of the story was quick, but felt largely connected.

My only complaint is Chase. He was a sweet, solid character and so good to Noah, until 50% of the way through the book he undergoes a complete character change. It was a bit jarring and I really, really didn’t like the direction his character went. I knew he and Noah would break up, but I really thought (and hoped) it would be due to Noah realizing he didn’t agree with Chase’s business practices, or just realizing that they aren’t as aligned as he thought. I really hate how Chase became just another dirt bag cheater. The author created a great character and I wish he had gotten a better story.

In summary, justice for Chase! But otherwise, this is a perfectly excellent little rom com and a great way to cap off Pride Month. Great job to the author, and I look forward to seeing more from them!

Amazon wouldn't let me post this yet, since the book isn't out at this time. Grr.

I had not heard about Showmance before seeing this available as an e-ARC. I saw the author and knew instantly that I wanted to read it. Mr. Beguelin is the writer of "The Prom" which is one of my favorite movies, well, ever. I had an idea of what I was in for with this book. Wow, was I not prepared.

Noah is a Broadway writer. That's all he's ever wanted to be. Growing up in the midwest (something to which I can related), he never fit in. He made his dream come true, getting his musical (never a play!) on stage on Broadway. And, it bombed.

He thought he had the perfect life - perfect British boyfriend, a musical opening, family (back home!) who love him. And then things happen in rapid succession - the musical opens and closes on the same night, his dad has a heart attack, and Noah ends up in the hospital. As soon as he recovers, he flies home to be with the parents who don't understand him but love him anyway. And who should be working on their farm, but Luke, the guy who may or may not have tortured him growing up.

Noah is convinced (and by that I mean, not given a choice in the matter!) to let the local community playhouse perform his musical. The same one that bombed, that he's so bitter about. But they have some changes they'd like to make. What could that possibly mean? And why is Luke being so nice?

It's a gay romcom, so you know there's going to be a happy ending. It's well-written, with snarky commentary on every page. I loved about 98% of it.

Now, the part I didn't love was the apologies. There are so many of them. Somebody will say or do something silly and then start apologizing. The first 30 times, ok, whatever, but eventually, it's like "ok, we get it". That's the only negative thing I can think of about this book, which I truly adore.

3.5 stars! SHOWMANCE was such a sweet, fun read. I am a huge musical theater fan, so I really loved the role that played in the plot (and getting to spot all of the different references throughout)! It was so heartwarming to watch Noah rediscover his passion for theater again, and I thought that aspect of the story was so well-done. I also enjoyed the small-town setting, the quirky cast of characters, and the different relationship dynamics Chad Beguelin portrays, whether it's Noah's connection with his best friend Kiara, his bond with his parents, or his growing romance with Luke (love an enemies-to-lovers story!). I felt so invested in each relationship, and thought Beguelin did a great job of balancing the lighthearted moments with the more emotional ones. I'd recommend SHOWMANCE for anyone in need of a quick, entertaining read, and of course, fans of romcoms, theater, or (if you're like me) both! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the ARC.

Showmance was a fun and breezy read that made me laugh but also made me think. I really loved the character development and appreciated that the main character was flexible and admitted to flaws. I loved it!

I read this book in a day and loved it. In honor of Tony's season, I couldn't pass up a novel centered around Broadway with lyrics to some of my favorite shows (musicals ! :) ) sprinkled in. This book read a little fast, I would have loved to see the relationships between Noah and Luke and Noah and his father be fleshed out a little more. The town gave me Schitt's Creek vibes with a quirky and lovable cast of characters, all who helped add dimension to the story. Would recommend to anyone who is looking for a lighthearted, fade-to-black romcom with golden retriever/black cat energy.