This book is difficult to classify. Is it contemporary fiction? Is it a love story?
Without love, the characters in this book would not exist. Paul Rudnick explores both the messiness and beauty of love as it culminates in a destination wedding between a tech billionaire and Linda, the ex-wife of a TV superhero.
This picked up speed in the last half or so, and I found myself missing the wedding party when it was over.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I expected a lot more out of this book as a funny wedding shenanigans with a mismatched group of people, but all you really get is a deep dive into what got all of these people to this event without much comedy at all. I'm not sure if I misinterpreted the marketing or if it was done poorly. This book was fine, but definitely not what I thought I signed up to read.

absolutely insane set of characters. really awesomely done and has super cool vibes. 5 stars. tysm for the arc, would recommend.

This is a character study about people who are mostly miserable, kind of bad people who definitely all need therapy.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book which I was bummed about because I've like some of Rudnick's other works. I think that the dark humor and character examination just wasn't right for me. I tend to like a more plot driven narrative and this didn't have much of a plot. That being said, I don't think this was a bad book. I think it was personally just not to my tastes.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for providing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review*

People say the right book always finds you at the right time. That doesn't accurately describe my experience with this book. I may need to attempt this one again later in a different format. I absolutely could not get into this one and I just wasn't retaining the writing at my typical caliber. That said, the writing wasn't bad. I did catch myself laughing at points. I think the book was well written with a very unique sense of humor.

Admittedly, I am a plot girly over a character analysis girly. This book is plot-lite and mostly an analysis into the question what is wrong with (them)? This is relatable, as it is a question I frequently ask myself. But these people were absolutely beyond.

I did like the character introductions that occured early on in the book. But once the characters started inter-weaving and time passed by I really had a hard time keeping everything straight. So, I am leaving this book with no idea what is wrong with these people lol. My own conclusion: they're just bad people that need therapy.

I would still recommend this one for people who like character based books.

Paul Rudnick's What Is Wrong with You was a delightful, frank, and colorful look at humans in love. I enjoyed Rudnick's writing, and really loved the varied perspectives with such wildly different characters.

Rudnick’s screenwriting talents really come through in this book. It felt like watching an over-the-top TV show. The first two-thirds focus on backstory and character development, which makes it impressive that it still manages to feel like it’s moving quickly. There's not a lot of plot, but there is a LOT of character. Rob, Sean, Linda, and the whole cast are eccentric, yet sympathetic.

I’m hesitant to compare it to the movie You're Cordially Invited, which I watched last night, because What Is Wrong With You has stronger writing and more emotional depth. But the weddings in the book and the movie share a screwball feel. If you're looking for something with that vibe but more, this is for you.

I will start this by saying I absolutely LOVE Paul Rudnick’s books.
Paul Rudnick just knows how to grab attention and keep it throughout every single one of his books. He has such a way with words and conveying emotions that will pull everything from laughs to the occasional tears from readers. #WhatIsWrongWithYou is no exception! If you don’t get his city brand of humor or writing style, I can see this book not exactly landing as a five-star read for you, but if you do, you’ll love this one as well. The book follows a handful of characters who are attending a destination wedding. Without giving anything away, I loved learning about the characters, connections, and their future. Definitely an engaging, funny, and smart read.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an advance review copy of #WhatsWrongWithYou. All feedback is my unbiased opinion, not paid, and simply for the love of books.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the eArc in exchange for a honest review
This is a 4 ⭐️ read for me. My second book of Paul Rudnick. This was such a fun but also heart wrenching read. The book deal with different people in different stages of their life. Some characters i started with loving them to hating them. Some i hated from the start. And some not that interested in them to loving them. I got the chance to see them going through love, lost, grief, friendship sickness and death. I saw them ridden with guilt over their choices and some making mistakes that could have prevented or idk if your weren’t an asshole. It shows you people you might know in real life, situations that you or closed one may have lived. It is also a funny book, with full belly laughs and absurdity happening. The witty dialogues, the flawed characters, the banters everything was so well put together. This will be a reread for sure. There’s different way to love someone and this depicted in such way that i had to question myself “What is wrong with me?”This book is about life, love, loss, friendship and drama .
Fav characters : Tremble, Paolo
Fav moment: The rehearsal dinner, Tremble and Rob 😂, Tremble and Isabelle🤣
Fav quotes: TBA
Song: Better Days by Dermot Kennedy

This one really wasn't for me. I didn't care for any of the characters. Aside from a few (of the promised) laugh-out-loud moments, it was actually rather sad.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is kind of hard for me to rate and review. On one hand, it was filled with references that will date it, but it oddly worked for me in this scenario. This was a very character-driven book with little plot, they did not even arrive at the wedding until about 65% of the way in. Despite this, I enjoyed the pacing of the story, and its particular brand of humor worked for me.

This book will not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed reading it.

Major CWs for sickness, death, and cheating in the book.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing you will notice about this book is its prose, which is very verbose and lengthy, with sentences unfolding over the course of full paragraphs at times.

It's also worth mentioning that this is a character study rather than a plot-driven narrative. The majority of the actual plot unfolds in the latter half of the book, with most "present" events occurring over the course of just two days. Instead of focusing on the events at the wedding mentioned in the synopsis, the book uses the bulk of its content to explore the characters' backstories and their motivations + goals while heading into the aforementioned wedding.

This book is mostly praised for being "hilarious," which, yeah, it had its moments, but the humor is also quite bleak. The subject matter is tragic at its core and the humor does not alleviate the gravity of the scenes at all, but rather paints a cynical, grim picture using a "f*ck it, better laugh about it" mentality. The epilogue ends on a hopeful note, but heck, I spent most of the book feeling miserable.

This particular brand of humor is also borderline offensive most of the time (I know, I'm such a Isabelle, right? 🫠). The shock-value often works for me, I'm an easy gal to please, but even I found myself raising eyebrows at times. The reference to the Heaven's Gate and Peoples Temple's mass suicides, mocked for their fashion choices, left a bitter taste in my mouth. Also, most of the book's references will age like milk.

The characters are difficult to root for, with most of them being off-putting if not downright abhorrent. The only redeeming one is good-guy Rob, but Rob is also miserable and going through some heavy stuff at the moment, so you know, he's not going to bring sunshine and rainbows to the pity party.
I loved the decades-long friendship between Sean and Rob though, and in the end, I'm happy their relationship came to be the "moral" of the story, giving a high finale to an overall somber story.

I did enjoy this book at the end of the day; I thought the pacing was really tight and I didn't mind spending 80% of the book in flashbacks. This is a surprise coming from me so I think it highlights the author's story-crafting skills!

I'd recommend this book if you live in a big city and the constant ambient noise from police sirens have irreparably damaged your brain chemistry. Or if you're a millennial (or older) who's really depressed and using dark humor as your main coping mechanism. Also, if you find kids falling down to be top comedy.

A really heartwarming book! I have enjoyed Paul Rudnick's writing since the days he wrote as Libby Gelman-Waxner for Premiere magazine--those columns were hilarious. In What is Wrong with You, his trademark wit is front and center, almost to a fault, as there were a lot of one-liners that didn't necessarily add to the story. That being said, I really enjoyed this book--Rudnick did a wonderful job of introducing them and building up their stories so that we were really invested in how things turned out. Everyone comes together at a lavish wedding on a private island, where hilarity (and more) ensues. The book explores what it means to love someone in all the different ways that love exists, without being sentimental or cloying. Although I'm not expecting a sequel, I would love to see where these characters are in 10 years!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What is wrong with this? Well, no plot.

I wish I was joking. There wasn't any plot until 2/3 of the way in. There were just convoluted, run-on character descriptions. Maybe that's fine for some readers, but I went into this book enamored with the blurb. It promised wedding shenanigans, but the shenanigans didn't shegan until 67% of the way in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

An in depth portrayal of multiple nuanced queer characters. The style of writing feels very distant yet close at the same time, while also maintaining a somewhat humorous air, despite the characters many flaws and disagreements. I liked it, but felt lost sometimes in the weeds of the ensemble cast. I think many will enjoy this.

This was a delight, equal parts sassy and heartwarming. There are many characters and, love them or hate them, it was entertaining to follow their journeys either way. Everyone is somehow headed to a private island to attend the lavish wedding between a tech billionaire and former flight attendant. When they arrive, will Rob, Sean, Tremble, Paolo, Trone, Linda, and Isabelle find what they are looking for?

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Linda and Sean should have been soul mates. The problem is that Linda could never totally allow herself to trust the relationship. Therefore, she plans for failure and infidelity and thereby is never disappointed.

Gay love has all of the pitfalls of heterosexual love. The evolving question is: Can any human relationship be relied upon 100%? Would a gay partner be any less inclined to be faithful to someone who is terminally ill?

These and other questions are the essence of this tome. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the trials this author illuminates. So many threads in the storyline, so much conflict, so many stories. The writing style is compelling.

The ending of the tale turns out funny and rewarding yet tragic at the same time. And everyone will see it differently. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

I love Paul Rudnick's writing - it is very fast, very funny, very clever about pop culture, and very, very gay.

Whether in movies (Sister Act, Jeffrey) or novels (Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style) his writing always entertains me.

In Rudnick’s new novel, What Is Wrong With You, a bunch of loosely connected very colourful characters go to a super elite destination wedding on a private island where the world’s richest tech bro (think Zuckerberg with Elon money) is marrying a divorced flight attendant while also launching his top secret new high tech gadget.

Among the guests are our two lead characters, Sean, the bride’s cheating ex husband, a former D-list actor now working as a personal trainer, and Rob, his gay BFF, a just fired book editor who is mourning his recently deceased husband.

Among the guests are also the editor who fired Rob, a gay dentist hiding out from a psycho fling, and an author whose book he was editing; What there is in terms of plot is about Sean still being in love with his ex, and trying to win her back at her wedding, Sort of. It gets more convoluted…. Just go with it.

There is tons of catty humour back and forth, plus touching tangents on divorce, assisted suicide, online dating, and tech billionaires being weirdos.

What is the answer to the title, What Is Wrong With You? There is plenty wrong with all of them, and it’s occasionally sweet and always funny as hell.

A smart, fun read.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book. It publishes March 25, 2025.

This novel brings together an unlikely collection of people, each, in their own way, figuring out what comes next in their lives: A book editor who lost his husband and is struggling with navigating a changing workplace. His trainer, who formerly stared on a cult classic television show. The trainer’s ex-wife, a former flight attendant who is about to marry a tech billionaire. An unlikely author who is not sure her book will ever be published, and an editor intent on changing publishing. And a dentist who has a fraught relationship with another dentist.

All of these different characters converge on a private island off the coast of Maine where the billionaire is about to get married, and at the same time unveil a new technology that he is sure will change the world. But nothing seems to be going according to plan … and that just may be what each of them needs.

This is a funny and frequently insightful book. It explores interesting and timely themes around aging, grief, and love. As it shifts among the perspectives of the different characters, I appreciated how nuanced and complex each of them are — and how they navigated the challenges, whether it was death of a loved one or a difficult co-worker or finding true love, that so many face.

Highly recommended!

I shouldn't have enjoyed this one as much as I did for the amount of characters involved, but since the cover did such an amazing job of portraying the contents, I knew what I was signing up for and ended up liking this one. The writing style was not my favorite, but I will likely end up purchasing this one in stores and cherishing it. This is a genuinely funny book that reads like a rollercoaster with a ton of turns. It's very very fun!

Thank you for allowing me to read this in advance of its publication! This was such a treat to be able to enjoy. I look forward to getting it once I see it in stores. Totally recommend for those who enjoy funny banter and silly books that make you giggle.

I received a free copy of this book. This is my honest review I am voluntarily leaving.