This was such a great book

Leo’s story draws you in it’s cute funny with some serious bits … I loved his journey of self discovery

The ending was I felt a little rushed and not where I thought it was going

I increasingly think the shouty blurbs publishers give books are unhelpful. 'Hilarious and relatable coming of age story' it says on Amazon for this one.

Now, first off, there are some great gags in this, as you might expect. Myers is effortlessly witty (or looks it - I recognise that to look effortless at anything takes practice as well as chops) and his humour always works for me on a number of levels, which I find very satisfying. But I don't think 'hilarious' is the best description. There's a lot more to it than the laughs. There are some convincingly dark elements to this book, and it made me feel quite tense in places. (That's a good thing, I'm not complaining. It makes this kind of book feel much more realistic.) This felt like a step up from The Fake-Up (a book I enjoyed, although I prefer his first two) in terms of the writing and the story.

Like Mhairi Macfarlane, Myers writes good friendship groups, even if sometimes you might not like all the friends as much as they like each other. Leo's friends are Daisy and Tam, who both drink quite a lot (Leo does not) and are, in his view, more like main characters than he is. Leo is not a leading man, and he's fine with this, or mostly fine. There's some good stuff in here about they way that it's sometimes hard to imagine hot people having problems, even when those hot people are your mates and their problems are quite clear.

Leo is tall, and awkward, and can never see what anyone would see in him, although he seems funny and kind and is, I think, a good teacher. (He teaches drama at a secondary school.) He has a big inferiority complex about his looks while acknowledging that this is silly. Or - not silly - but that he shouldn't mind about it. This is nicely done, and for anyone who is not hot (most of us, right) his feelings are relatable.

He tries hard to live up to the expectations of his new fella, who is sporty - or 'active' - in a slightly opressive way. He avoids thinking about his ex and tries not to be bitter that his mum is still friends with him. He's never told anyone exactly what happened with Peter, and increasingly you feel like maybe it would be a good idea if he had, or did. (Peter is a piece of work all right.) The inclination to avoid picking over your life by pretending it isn't interesting is also something I recognise, especially if you have main character mates who live for drama.

I really wasn't sure what was going to happen as I was reading - I came up with a number of potential scenarios, some of which were close-but-no-cigar, and the denouement was quite surprising. But I did enjoy the way it made me reconsider some previous conversations and events.

Leo is a very likeable protagonist and you really do want things to work out for him. 'The Bastille Day Ideal' may be a relationship fantasy but there's no reason why he shouldn't have people be nice to him. That really isn't too much to ask. If this means facing up to some hard truths about his past he should probably get on with it.

(This is not a coming of age story, by the way. The characters are like, 34.)

Thank you to NetGalley for approving my request to read an arc of this book


I will admit that I went into reading this book expecting something very different. The book had been tagged as a graphic novel, however it is a book and there are no pictures in it. It was an enjoyable read and I really liked how the main character was able to step out of the shadows and enjoy life in new ways.

Overall this was a really great read, dealing with many changes in life that are good and bad, showing the ups and downs of life and love.

Leading Man was entirely charming. It was easy to step into Leo's shoes, and I felt like I really understood who he was. Even when I was screaming at him in frustration, I could identify with how he was reacting to his circumstance. I unreservedly recommend this book to all romantic comedy fans and also to everyone else.

Justin Myers writes likeable stories with engaging characters and plenty of heart. There's no shortage of humour, but also depth and insight. Leading Man is no exception.

Drama teacher Leo is still recovering from his last, disastrous relationship with Peter. (The fact that his mum still loves Peter and keeps in touch with him doesn't help.) His self esteem isn't great, particularly about his looks - tall and lanky, he considers himself something of a gargoyle next to his gorgeous friends. (Though this is obviously not true.) Having given up alcohol for reasons which later become clear, the dynamic with his permanently sozzled old friends Tam and Daisy has changed somewhat. He's resigned to life on the sidelines, denying any desire to be the centre of attention. But a blossoming new relationship with handsome Harvey, a childhood friend recently returned to Edinburgh, seems almost too good to be true.

Then there's the new deputy head and his alarming demands to stage an end of term spectacular. (I loved the plot with the school play - sorry, show - which sounded like a lot of fun.)

Leo was a likeable and relatable character, even if you wanted to give him a good shake at times. To be fair he's not the only one here in need of a shake, although a punch in the face might be more appropriate for certain people. (I am not condoning violence... probably.) More than one person in Leo's life has really done a number on him, but who - if anyone - will he end up with?

I liked the Edinburgh setting and I loved all the school scenes.

The ending was a surprise, and I'm not sure it was an entirely welcome one. It wasn't how I thought the story would end for Leo and seemed to come a bit out of the blue, though maybe I'd just missed the clues. Anyway, it probably wasn't the ending I'd have chosen and felt a bit unsatisfactory, but that's maybe just me. Overall a great read, as always from Justin Myers.