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.

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.

This book had a lot going on. There were a lot of characters, and the point of view jumped around a lot. Some of the chapter headings were confusing and I wasn’t quite sure who was talking, but shockingly it worked for me. I did spend half the time wondering what was going on and how the book worked, but it did just work. There was so much going on, it was easy to find something about the story that worked. I would say that it was really well written because it felt like a mess, but it really was a beautiful piece of art that was fun to read. There is a lot of melodrama, and that made it a lot of fun. I do with some things that would have been tighter, but like I said, it did work and it was fun.

If you’re looking for a book that’s a little different in a fun way, then check this one out.

This book made me laugh out loud. Some of the jokes felt forced or juvenile, but the vast majority of them were simply funny. The characters had the potential to simply be two-dimensional, but they weren't. What Is Wrong With You sucked me in with its light tone and frenetic pace, but ended up being quite a bit deeper than its appearance. Which, I suppose, was also true of its characters. I really loved Sean. I need a Sean in my life.

Paul Rudnick has an amazing imagination matched with a wicked sense of humor. He's also got incredible story telling skills. What Is Wrong With You? doesn't disappoint. Rudnick combines that sense of humor with a crazy story about the convergence of characters onto a billionaire's island for a wedding and product launch. In-between, there's poignant writing about relationships, love, loss, and NYC.

Witty and sharp, What Is Wrong with You? offers a quirky mix of humor and heart that keeps the pages turning. The story balances eccentric characters with moments of surprising depth, making it both entertaining and unexpectedly touching.

DNF at about 25% the story unfortunately didn’t pull
Me in and I found myself skipping entire passages to have the story move forward

i realized a little too late that i definitely wasn't the target audience for this book. the writing is fine and the premise is interesting, but definitely not something i normally pick up once i started to read it.

i'd call this book a beach read for gay people. if you like messy gay melodrama, i would recommend it. not my personal cup of tea but definitely not a bad or poorly written book by any means