One Man Guy

by Michael Barakiva

"When Alek's high-achieving, Armenian-American parents send him to summer school, he thinks his summer is ruined. But then he meets Ethan, who opens his world in a series of truly unexpected ways"--

When Alek's high-achieving parents send him to summer school, Alek thinks his summer is ruined, but then he meets Ethan, who opens his world in a series of truly unexpected ways. The plot contains profanity, sexual situations, and violence.

• ISBN10: 0374356459
• ISBN13: 9780374356453
• Publish Date: 27 May 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 February 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

This was so adorable! I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before. I just found it scrolling through available audiobooks from my library. I am so fucking glad I did!

I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to stop listening at all.

--Becky, Beck, Becky! I love her but she's so dramatic and getting that dude fired was too far TBH. My heart grew for her and broke for her. She's a skater girl, old movie fanatic. Flipping the script on the stereotypical gay friend, by being the stereotypical girl best friend, without the typical problems.
--Uses "bitch", "pussy", "dick", "homo", and "faggot", the last two by the gay LI Evan.
--Not fat friendly
--Totally saw the "surprise!", but did not see the twist.
--I, like the rest of the non-Armenian Americans in the novel, had no fucking clue about the genocide and Turkey being so fucked and denying it still. It's informative, and comes across naturally, well done, and is a great example to show off.
--Train scene was so adorable and so wrong at the same time.
--They are so cute together and I think they're differences balance out well.
--Love the clothing store and bookstore they talk about.
--Evan's stealing is actually refreshing, because so many kids and families are struggling, doing little things like this to make it a tad more bearable. He doesn't screw anyone over at least and I'm sure Alek will be a good influence in that regard.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of One Man Guy from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

What can I say? One Man Guy blew me away! Alek is a very young protagonist, but he is a great one all the same, as are the other characters in this story. I loved it all!

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

One Man Guy deserves a big, squishy hug! Seriously! This book is so adorable and made me so happy, I just need to squeeze something! Alek is at an Italian restaurant with his family, which has him highly suspicious. His parents are trying to soften the blow of having signed him up for summer school in order to improve his English and Algebra grades so that he can take honors classes the next year. Not only does he have to spend his summer at school, but he doesn't get to go to tennis camp or on his family vacation! But, having his family leave him behind turns out to be the best thing for Alek. It's a summer he'll never forget.

I loved One Man Guy from the opening scene. I don't know much about Armenian culture, but I found that scene entertaining and educational! I imagine Alek's parents are where Armenian stereotypes come from! They're clearly nice, loving people, but they are so difficult! So many rules and expectations! Alek is proud of his heritage, but he does feel restricted by it. I loved watching him consider who he is as an individual, without just jumping into what's popular and cool, since that's not him either. He finds a balance between his culture and who he wants to be, partly thanks to Ethan.

I adored Ethan! He's the sexy, skater, bad boy, but he's not a jerk! I admit, I was kind of expecting him to be an asshole, but he's not! He's so nice, and he's already out, so there's no big conflict about his sexuality. He actually talks about his feelings! And he likes Alek for who he is and doesn't try to change him, only helps him change for himself. I was like AAWWW! Their romance is just so sweet and adorable and I wanted to climb into the pages and pinch their cheeks!

I also adored Becky! She's Alek's BFF, who's obsessed with movies and rollerblading. Their friendship was just awesome. There is a bit of awkwardness in the beginning, because of some misunderstanding, but they don't let it ruin the friendship. Becky isn't that friend who gets mad when Alek gets into a relationship. She also isn't that friend who tries to insert herself as the most important, and I liked that. She doesn't let Alek forget about her or blow her off, and she makes an effort to include Ethan in their plans and get to know him. High five Becky!

I really loved everything about One Man Guy. While the romance was the focus, the story also touches on several other themes including racism, family, and integrity. It's just a very cute, feel good book.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.