Best Men follows Max Moody, who thinks he’s got it all figured out. That is, until his best friend, Paige, announces her engagement. Suddenly, Max is faced with having to navigate shared wedding party duties with the groom’s charming hot gay brother Chasten, who just happens to be a failed one-night-stand Max would rather forget. Struggling with this new entity coming between Max and Paige’s strong bond, Max finds himself working hard not to make this entire wedding and marriage situation about himself, even if his best friend is sorta kinda abandoning him. But as the trio spends more time together, Max realises that there might be more to Chasten than just a best-friend thief. Can the two work together to give Paige the dream wedding she deserves?
With a premise like that, who wouldn’t want to devour this book in one sitting? Sidney Karger definitely has a talent for setting the scene. From the get-go, we follow Max and his intrinsic thoughts which draw you right into the narrative. The setting of the story, New York City, almost becomes another secondary character as it draws you in with its charm.
The highlight of this book is certainly the characters, especially our main character Max. If you’re a fan of Steven Rowley or Alexis Hall‘s brand of humour, then you will absolutely devour Best Men. Max Moody’s internal monologue is at times hubristic and at others self-deprecating but above all, it’s always witty, funny, and will have you laughing out loud with how often you’ll catch yourself thinking “hey, that’s what I’d say!”.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t exactly call Best Men a rom-com though. The comedy part is definitely overpowering here and it takes more than a while for any sort of romance to kick off (which I was very fine with since Max was such a riveting character) and even then, the focus is more so on the best friend plot between Max and Paige. I think this would have benefitted from giving Chasten his own point of view since we never really get a read on the guy and it was often hard to see any kind of bond developing between Max and Chasten without knowing where exactly Chasten was at emotionally. Still, I somehow preferred the focus on Max and Paige’s changing friendship dynamics. Honestly, give me more of this in romance. I adored the premise of having to navigate the truly tough situation of finding yourself faced with your best friend…finding a new best friend.
So if you’re looking for a witty yet emotional story following the difficult dynamics of a triangle friendship with a bit of romance thrown into the mix, then Best Men is the book for you!
Best Men is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
When two best men in a wedding party fall for each other, they realize love isn’t a piece of cake in this hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy debut by screenwriter Sidney Karger.
Max Moody thought he had everything figured out. He’s trying to live his best life in New York City and has the best friend a gay guy could ask for: Paige. She and Max grew up next door to each other in the suburbs of Chicago. She can light up any party. She finishes his sentences. She’s always a reliable splunch (they don’t like to use the word brunch) partner. But then Max’s whole world is turned upside down when Paige suddenly announces some huge news: she’s engaged and wants Max to be her man of honor. Max was always the romantic one who imagined he would get married before the unpredictable Paige and is shocked to hear she’s ready to settle down. But it turns out there’s not just one new man in Paige’s life–there are two.
There’s the groom, Austin, who’s a perfectly nice guy. Then there’s his charming, fun and ridiculously handsome gay younger brother, Chasten, who is Austin’s best man. As Paige’s wedding draws closer, Max, the introverted Midwesterner, and Chasten, the social butterfly East Coaster, realize they’re like oil and water. Yet they still have to figure out how to coexist in Paige’s life while not making her wedding festivities all about them. But can the tiny romantic spark between these two very different guys transform their best man supporting roles into the leading best men in each other’s lives?
