Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC, however, What Is Wrong with You was unfortunately a DNF for me at 19%. There were way too many characters to keep track of so early in the book. Every time I felt as if we were starting to learn about a character, another side character was introduced and it just became frustrating. It stopped me from wanting to pick up the book or continue finishing it. I also didn’t find the humor to be that funny. Perhaps there are less character introductions later in the book, but the beginning of the book was so disorienting that I lost interest in the story. Ultimately, this book helped me realize that I don’t enjoy multiple POV shifts within a book. I prefer character studies that feature a small cast with one point of view that shapes the story.

Unfortunately, this one just isn't for me. I made it through the first 15% of the book and still felt lost in the story, with too many characters to follow, and based on the synopsis the actual story hadn't even started. On top of this, the language used is incredibly judgmental—even if it's part of the purpose of the story, it still was unpleasant to read constantly.

Thank you @atriabooks for my #gifted copy of What Is Wrong With You? #AtriaPartner #atriabooks

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮?
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐑𝐮𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

This book had a really good premise, and the description was really intriguing. I was really drawn to it and thought it was going to be a really fun read. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found it hard to keep track of the different characters. On top of that, I found some of the humor to be a little off. I just don’t think I was the right target for the book. With that said, I just don’t think this book was for me, but would definitely encourage you to check this one out if it sounds like it might be something you might enjoy.

Posted on Goodreads on March 24, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 24, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 25, 2025
**-will post on designated date

What Is Wrong With You: 🙅‍♀️❓🍽️⁣
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Thank you @atriabooks @simon.audio for my gifted copies!⁣
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I’ll get down to it, this was fun. I felt like we laid some foundation down on these people to where I did start to get a bit bored and was like “hurry, let’s get to the fun part!” But once we got there I was really into it. This kind of gave me “Curb Your Enthusiasm” like it would be an extra half season or so of it. I can easily see this being a series. ⁣
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I personally loved the audio. Erin Mallon held it down with the multiple POVs and stories in each chapter. It felt perfectly distinct with each person and I didn’t realize it was a one person production. Honestly, love that they’re this talented to do every POV. ⁣
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Overall, a quick and enjoyable read. There are some very heavy themes that are curbed with dark humor and I get it. Sometimes you just gotta laugh so you don’t cry. Honestly made me feel a little less alone in the world.⁣
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Out tomorrow, March 28th.

This was too messy and chaotic for me. It's humorous - with bite- but the characters are unlikeable (and that's the point) and there's a lot going on. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.. I found it difficult to find a rhythm but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I sadly ended up DNF'ing this. While I did enjoy the unique and witty writing style, I felt that all the characters were extremely unlikeable and just not enjoyable to read about. Although I do think that was intentional, many of the characters did get on my nerves while reading. I honestly just felt that I wasn't going to end up enjoying this book, so I stopped reading at 30%. I just didn't see the story going anywhere I thought would be interesting enough to keep me engaged, and the story felt subpar, to hold a spotlight more on the writing, which wasn't enough for me to keep reading.

Thank you to Paul Rudnick, Atria Books, and Netgalley for an early digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

0.0

This was not for me. A few pages in and I was thrown off by the “humour”. Some of the humour was supposed to be “wrong”, and described as such, but including it did not add to the book at all and I feel it perpetuated unnecessary harm. There was an entire page that was just spewing transphobia, and referring to trans identities as “political vocabulary”, and the main character essentially said “I know this is not right but I like the guy saying it and honestly I’m so glad I don’t have to try to remember pronouns when I’m around him”.

Unfortunately, this first character, Rob, reminds me far too much of the old cis gay white men who frequent the gay bar and think everyone should have it as hard as they did.

Isabelle was the only potentially okay character, but was written in a way that perpetuated stereotypes about queer people in a harmful manner, and was made fun of in ways that are inexcusable. It wasn't a matter of "being in on the joke". The jokes should not have been made.

This book very much demonstrated the difference between queer and gay that is felt in so many gay spaces and I did not enjoy it.


What Is Wrong With You is out March 25, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

What Is Wrong with You is chock full of messy and chaotic characters, and much dark than anticipated—especially since I went in thinking this would be light and funny 🤣

My first book by Rudnick, but not my last!

A new novel by Paul Rudnick is just what America needs!
The story focuses on Sean and Rob, two very different people who share a long term friendship. Sean is a macho man owner of a chain of successful gyms and Rob's a book editor who has trained with Sean for many years. Sean's straight and was married to Linda (who's about to get remarried) and Rob is gay and a widower. And then there's Trone Meston, a mash up of all those obnoxious tech bros put together (thinking Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg) and who has big plans for another creation that he's planning to launch at his upcoming wedding.
There's a lot going on in the book and a fair number of characters, but they are all unique and beautifully developed so it wasn't a challenge to keep them straight. All the story lines come together at the wedding of Trone and Linda on a private island off the coast of Maine.
II loved the relationship between Sean and Rob, as well as his NJ references. He may have gone a bit over the top with the character of Trembke, but I imagine she was fun to write. Mr. Rudnick has a wicked sense of humor and there are many laugh out loud moments throughout the book. If you're not following him on social media, you're missing out!
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the opportunity to read What is Wrong With You? I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

I have loved Paul Rudnick's books (and plays) over the years for their wit and their heart. His latest has much of his trademark charm and snark and the many flawed characters are endearing in their confusion and are well-developed. Unexpectedly, the novel focuses mostly on a straight couple where the divorced wife, Linda' formerly married to Sean, is getting remarried. In fact, all of the characters and their stories converge at this wedding. Her husband-to-be is a Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk type billionaire. Rudnick also juggles the back stories of several other characters, chief among them, a sixty-ish gay book editor (Rob) who has recently lost his husband (Jake) to ALS. We learn about their happy relationship in flashbacks. Rudnick takes on and skewers many things: the techbro world, extreme political correctness, the dating life of dentists, low-budget action hero TV shows among them. Rudnick's take suggests that the book was written prior to the last election--now it appears slightly tone-deaf. One character is praised for writing a Hillbilly Elegy-type memoir and the techbro gets off too easily in light of Elon Musk's current destructive rampage. The "villain" of the piece is an over the top DEI advocate.

While it was a quick and at times a delightful and a heartbreaking read, I found the ending unsatisfying. The main gay character is in despair for most of the book which limits his arc.. The wedding, after all the build-up, seemed to me a letdown--almost like the author created all of these fun characters and then didn't know what to do with them. We see love in many forms but the author gets preachy about the nature of love and what it means to be in love. This novel works best when Rudnick sticks with the endearing and comic foibles of his characters. I wished for a more satisfactory resolution of their stores.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I AM OBSESSED!! The author was reading his own characters to filth which made it so entertaining while taking a blunt and open look at humanity.

The simplest way to describe it is a adventure between a self-proclaimed old gay and his personal trainer best friend. Ensemble casts can be intimidating but the writing is so genius, it's easy to follow along as Rob & Sean reflect on 20 years of friendship while running off to crash Sean's ex-wife's wedding. This is not a romance but it's totally a love story that celebrates the many loves in our lives with a self-depricating, almost self-incriminating comedic style.

Sean's ex-wife Linda is marrying a tech superdaddy who is basically Apple on steroids and against all logic SHE INVITES SEAN to the wedding! With the personal drive of the energizer bunny, Sean convinces best gay friends to rally and help him win his woman back. Rob has zero faith in this plan since (1) it's crazy and (2) Linda is not, but he's got nothing better to do since he's a depressed widow who just got fired by some millennial at work. Also attending this wedding? Said millennial who believes in her heart that the billionaire groom is her soulmate despite never having met him. When news of Rob's firing reaches the debut author he was working with, she also plans to crash the wedding to find out what is going on. Tremble is an ballsy, queer, women of color and she is ready to fight for the nice editor that gave her manuscript a chance. She's the character most people would look down on in real life but she was the total hero of the story! In my unbiased brown opinion lol. All these hilarious characters meet up and the drama that unfolds is hilarious.

Like any narcissist, i mean billionaire, Trone Meston combines his business and personal life by promising to launch his latest invention at his wedding ceremony. No one knows what it is or what it does but it became one of my favorite plot points in the 11th hour. I had a blast and if I could convince my own GBF to read this I would but he is sick of listening to me lol. I hope this books finds the people who will love it.

Fun character study of many characters who were all so unique. While I enjoyed this, I felt I probably wasn't the target audience and that audience may enjoy it much more than I did.

dnf at 30%

this was slog to get through. it's too dense in character introduction. a lot of telling and not showing. absolutely nothing happens. too many character perspectives for it to be this long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy. You can pick up What Is Wrong with You on March 25, 2025.

This book is chock full of niche, dark humor and intense character studies about people who are lowkey (and highkey) the worst. While the billionaire destination wedding is the "focal point" or main setting, we spend most of this book exploring each character's backstory and what led them to the present day.

Though the premise sounds funny and intriguing, this story is a bit darker than you'd expect. I also struggle with unlikeable characters, so I wasn't always motivated to pick this one up and keep reading. But if you enjoy stories full of messy and chaotic people, this might be your book!

3 ⭐️ Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for character development, look no further. In What Is Wrong With You, Paul Rudnick, transports you onto a billionaires island for a wedding with a handful of characters that all intertwine together. I truly enjoyed the light humor around such heavy topics such as divorce and death.

Rating this book 3 stars as it took me a while to fully understand where this book was going but once I could piece everything together I truly enjoyed it.

Looking forward to what this author has in store for the future.

This book is in many ways fluff, yet it also has some meaningful thoughts about relationships, love, and death. There is a friendship between a gay man and his straight trainer that is the perfect example of how people can just get along because they enjoy each other’s company. And there are many brutal barbs directed at Gen Z as represented by the over-the-top character of Isabelle.

Did I mention the book is really funny? There is a childbirth scene that is so hilarious it made me laugh out loud - on an airplane.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a pivot from the author’s previous works, but still brings in the social aspect from his last one that I loved so much. Reminiscent of Steven Rowley’s The Celebrants, fans of Rudnick will continue to enjoy his works. I’m curious if the author will continue this route instead of full fledged romance.

3.5/5

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

This one was more of a character study with a very unique and somewhat wordy style of writing. I grabbed this one because I was hoping to have some laugh out loud moments but I think I may not be the target audience for this one. The characters were meant to be funny and be portrayed with humor surrounding stereotypes. At times I would chuckle and other times it felt a little too much, possibly offended? I didn’t like any of the characters due to their personality but I can say with confidence that was the point. I do think this book is going to be a hit for some due to the writing style and humor. I do think my favorite part of this book was the portrayal of friendship over the long run!

As a flight of characters descend upon the wedding of tech billionaire Trone Meston and divorcee Linda Kleinschmidt, hilarity ensues in this witty, wandering human experiment of a novel, equal parts absurd and affecting. In attendance – Linda’s ex-husband, aged hunk Sean Manginaro who’s determined to win her back; Sean’s best friend Rob Barnett, a year into grief over the loss of his partner, Jake; Isabelle McNally, the sensitivity associate who just fired Rob; and Tremble Woodspill, Rob’s author determined to get him his job back. What could go wrong? And with Trone’s latest love inspired invention, is love really something that can be quantified, or is a blind shot in the dark?

Rudnick’s novels are always filled with questions. This one starts with the title: “What is Wrong With You?” and never really lets up. It’s chaotic. At times, it meanders and threatens to lose itself. At other times, it inspires, such as a soliloquy by Rob in the latter half that hits like an 11 o’clock number, a eulogy to life and the beauty of love. Perhaps lacking are the answers. The characters are as unpredictable as we are and the ending is hardly decided upon. But at the same time, it’s because of this that What is Wrong With You? feels more honest, more free. Life is messy, and disappointing, and leaves us awe-struck, fulfilled, heartbroken, healed. But what’s the alternative?

Delighted to include this title in the March edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)