From Publishers Weekly
Desperate times call for desperate measures in Byrnes's dialogue-driven, tepidly humorous sophomore novel about a broke, destitute young man insinuating himself into gay Manhattan's version of high society. Resilient, late-30-something Queens actor Brett Revere finds himself in conundrums. The only audition he can get is for a campy gay theatrical version of
Annie (called
Andy); he needs to evict creepy roommate Quentin; and his temp agency drops him. Desperate, Brett hatches "Operation Hamptons," a plan to bilk older gay men out of their money by pretending to be a "trust fund baby," just like new friend Jamie Brock, a manipulative hustler and former L.A. decorator who hangs out at the Penthouse, a bar catering to the upper-crust gay set. Money isn't a problem after Quentin's new credit card arrives in the mail, but Jamie turns off the charm when he learns Brett's true social status. Brett tags along with Michael DeVries, a gentleman from the club, but still harbors blind love for Jamie, who continues to deceive him. Though Byrnes relates some hard truths about the often unsavory lives of the well-moneyed, none of his characters are particularly likable. Readers wanting more than long chapters of dialogue and a few cheap laughs might want to search out Byrnes's first novel,
The Night We Met, instead of this facile, featherweight beach read.
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Necessity, bolstered by no small measure of desperation, is mother to invention, and inspired invention, at that. And unemployed-actor-pushing-40 Brett Revere (
not his real name, and he
can pass for 32), who has sunk so low he has even been fired from temping, and who shares a dumpy apartment in Astoria, Queens, with creepy Quentin, is desperate. Actually, Brett is set to sink to an even lower level of hell via his small part in a gay parody of
Annie, in which he is to be humped by Sandy, the dog. Enough is enough, he tells his quasi-loyal agent, Alan. He will instead assume a role that will change his life, that of Trust Fund Boy, as which he will ingratiate his way into the world of wealthy gay power brokers. Will Brett also make the most of the electricity between himself and legitimate Trust Fund Boy Jamie? Tune in and turn those pages with this charming, well-paced gay romance.
Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved