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anniea89's review
3.0
I loved the premise of this: PR lady falls for burgeoning film director who is unknowingly the object of desire for many ladies around town under the guise of The Hot Guy. Unfortunately, there were parts of it that didn't work for me like the dialogue felt off/forced in parts and the romance between the two leads moved far too quickly to be believable. For a first novel, it's a pretty good start though.
werthers's review
1.0
I received a free copy of 'The Hot Guy' in exchange for an honest review.
I'll have to be completely honest, I found this book a struggle to get through. I seem to have this infuriating trait, where even if I'm really not enjoying a book, I still have to finish it. This one came very close to not making it.
The story is basically that a (really unfunny) woman, Cate, gets dumped by her boyfriend for making terrible jokes and her boss sets her up with this dazzlingly hot guy for a one night stand to get over her ex. She ends up staying with this hot guy though, which brings on worlds of drama after a whole a league of women who are 'in line' to sleep with this guy end up kidnapping Cate and causing riots at sport stadiums, amongst other drama, simply because 'the hot guy' is so hot. (It's as bad as it sounds.)
The characters were unlikeable from the word go. I'm usually a bit of a sucker for a cheesy chick lit book with bad jokes, but the 'jokes' in this book were absolutely beyond me. They started off so badly, they actually made me cringe, (something about not going to the polo game because of yolo...) and then moved on to include racism and homophobia.
"You know what I think?" said the old lady taxi driver.
They all nodded.
I think we're letting too many Muslims into the country."
The racist jokes were infuriating, the film puns were annoying, the characters were horrible. I got sick of their shallowness and incessant need to keep mentioning that they hated sport (without actually ever naming a type of sport....)
The more I think about it, the more I really, really disliked this book...
I'll have to be completely honest, I found this book a struggle to get through. I seem to have this infuriating trait, where even if I'm really not enjoying a book, I still have to finish it. This one came very close to not making it.
The story is basically that a (really unfunny) woman, Cate, gets dumped by her boyfriend for making terrible jokes and her boss sets her up with this dazzlingly hot guy for a one night stand to get over her ex. She ends up staying with this hot guy though, which brings on worlds of drama after a whole a league of women who are 'in line' to sleep with this guy end up kidnapping Cate and causing riots at sport stadiums, amongst other drama, simply because 'the hot guy' is so hot. (It's as bad as it sounds.)
The characters were unlikeable from the word go. I'm usually a bit of a sucker for a cheesy chick lit book with bad jokes, but the 'jokes' in this book were absolutely beyond me. They started off so badly, they actually made me cringe, (something about not going to the polo game because of yolo...) and then moved on to include racism and homophobia.
"You know what I think?" said the old lady taxi driver.
They all nodded.
I think we're letting too many Muslims into the country."
The racist jokes were infuriating, the film puns were annoying, the characters were horrible. I got sick of their shallowness and incessant need to keep mentioning that they hated sport (without actually ever naming a type of sport....)
The more I think about it, the more I really, really disliked this book...
liliflynn's review
DNF — p.44 (14%)
Writing = bad
Sexism = very much prominent
Main characters suck, especially Cate who can’t make a funny joke to save herself.
Drew the line at “He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day”
Cannot believe it took two people to write this and it got published ?!?!
Writing = bad
Sexism = very much prominent
Main characters suck, especially Cate who can’t make a funny joke to save herself.
Drew the line at “He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day”
Cannot believe it took two people to write this and it got published ?!?!
sharnibee's review
4.0
I wouldn't usually read a book with a title like 'The Hot Guy' but I received such an enthusiastic recommendation from a work friend that I thought WHY THE HELL NOT!? and I had a good time. Cate makes my kind of jokes and while the ridiculous hotness of Adam occasionally got tedious, it redeemed itself by making fun of Australian cinema (it was on point )
I also liked the cover quote from the least famous Hemsworth brother #noonecares
I also liked the cover quote from the least famous Hemsworth brother #noonecares
lifeamongpages's review against another edition
2.0
Oh boy ... this book ... this book is a lot.
Sooo cringey that I almost DNF'd it!
The references feel forced and over-the-top ... the romance was meh ... and the premise while seeming clear cut just felt convoluted in its execution.
A Facebook group of women who get to decide who gets to sleep with this "hot guy" like WTF.
I just felt very meh about the whole thing.
Sooo cringey that I almost DNF'd it!
The references feel forced and over-the-top ... the romance was meh ... and the premise while seeming clear cut just felt convoluted in its execution.
A Facebook group of women who get to decide who gets to sleep with this "hot guy" like WTF.
I just felt very meh about the whole thing.
jenabrownwrites's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise of this book, and really wanted it to be more. It sounded fun, had some really funny, witty writing and even had a decent plot line.
Which makes this a difficult review to write, because I did enjoy the read. But, in order to enjoy it, I had to suspend my belief in how things work in the real world. And not in a fantasy, action adventure, use your imagination to dream big type of suspension. More like, I had to believe that simply waving a ridiculously attractive man on a Jumbotron would be enough to cause a stampede of women trying to simply touch him.
Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit too ridiculous. It was also a bit sexist, so be warned. (See example above)
In this town, there is one guy, a ridiculously attractive guy, that every woman knows as 'The Hot Guy'. This guy is the balm to every woman's need. Simply show up at the bar he regularly attends, flirt, and BAM! Your problems are solved.
Obviously, there are issues with this one plot point alone. Women do not need a hot guy to validate their beauty, importance, intelligence, etc. Nor do they not need to have sex in order to feel better about themselves. And they certainly don't need a meaningless one night stand.
I'll suspend my irritation on this, and go with the more empowering view that women can do whatever they like, including sleeping with a man, for one night, for whatever reason they want. Fine. Good. But, the whole idea is to sleep with him to get over another man. In order to find 'the one'. It's a bit of a stretch for me. Moving on.
When Cate gets dumped by her mediocre boyfriend, she finds herself in said slump. So, her friends jump to action taking her to meet, 'The Hot Guy'. Somehow Cate is the only woman in this area who has no idea this is a thing.
Anyway, she sleeps with him and finds she really likes him. So the one night stand, turns into a weekend, which turns into more.
Her friends, knowing how to handle all her relationship woes, are adamantly opposed to this. They tell her she can't handle dating someone that hot. It's too much pressure. Someone else can take him away. When she refuses to listen, they try to create chaos to help the break up along. Who needs enemies, right?
Adam, however, is apparently completely oblivious to how hot he is. He has no idea that women have been using him for sex his entire life, or that he is a commodity in this small town. All he wants to do is direct, and doesn't understand why everyone just wants him to act.
There is an attempt in this plot to use the man as a sex object and sex symbol, and the women as the ones in positions of power. He just wants to find a nice girl and settle down, while fulfilling his dreams. Even being pushed into acting is a focus on using him for his body, and not his mind. I appreciate the attempt to highlight sexism in this way.
However, it just didn't hit the target for me.
Let's take the women. First, we are to believe that women are willing to work together in the name of sisterhood so that everyone can take their turn with 'The Hot Guy'. Yet, the second he dates one seriously, all bets are off. They kidnap Cate, they threaten her, they try to bribe her, all to break up with Adam. So much for sisterhood.
I was hoping for a Bridget Jones-esque romp through the hilarious and often painful world of dating. Love is messy, but it can also be painfully funny. Instead, we are given an outlandish mockery of these ideas.
When you have his parents hoisting ladders to his bedroom window (so she can escape in the middle of the night, like the rest), strange side plots with ex-girlfriends, and a group of obsessed women who have a Facebook page and a waiting list (yes, I am not making that up), well, it's a bit too much.
The difference with Bridget Jones, is that while I've never slid down a fireman pole in a skirt on National Television personally, I can see it happening. I can even see myself doing it, if the circumstances were aligned. With The Hot Guy, I just didn't buy it.
Before Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, he was attractive. But he wasn't women losing their minds attractive because he wasn't Brad Pitt yet. He was just good looking guy X. And while he like looking at good looking guys, and may even find ourselves doing ridiculous things to gain their attention, I've never heard of women losing their minds over some random guy.
I also didn't buy that Adam was clueless. How many one night stands does a guy think is normal? I mean, every Friday for years. Enough to have a Facebook page and women lined up? His parents helping girls escape in the night so that they didn't have to explain to him that women wanted him only for his looks? Nope. Not buying it.
Even with those issues, there are some genuinely funny parts. The writing is witty. The characters are true to themselves, ridiculousness and all. If you could suspend the disbelief, and just enjoy it at face value, it is a funny read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Which makes this a difficult review to write, because I did enjoy the read. But, in order to enjoy it, I had to suspend my belief in how things work in the real world. And not in a fantasy, action adventure, use your imagination to dream big type of suspension. More like, I had to believe that simply waving a ridiculously attractive man on a Jumbotron would be enough to cause a stampede of women trying to simply touch him.
Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit too ridiculous. It was also a bit sexist, so be warned. (See example above)
In this town, there is one guy, a ridiculously attractive guy, that every woman knows as 'The Hot Guy'. This guy is the balm to every woman's need. Simply show up at the bar he regularly attends, flirt, and BAM! Your problems are solved.
Obviously, there are issues with this one plot point alone. Women do not need a hot guy to validate their beauty, importance, intelligence, etc. Nor do they not need to have sex in order to feel better about themselves. And they certainly don't need a meaningless one night stand.
I'll suspend my irritation on this, and go with the more empowering view that women can do whatever they like, including sleeping with a man, for one night, for whatever reason they want. Fine. Good. But, the whole idea is to sleep with him to get over another man. In order to find 'the one'. It's a bit of a stretch for me. Moving on.
When Cate gets dumped by her mediocre boyfriend, she finds herself in said slump. So, her friends jump to action taking her to meet, 'The Hot Guy'. Somehow Cate is the only woman in this area who has no idea this is a thing.
Anyway, she sleeps with him and finds she really likes him. So the one night stand, turns into a weekend, which turns into more.
Her friends, knowing how to handle all her relationship woes, are adamantly opposed to this. They tell her she can't handle dating someone that hot. It's too much pressure. Someone else can take him away. When she refuses to listen, they try to create chaos to help the break up along. Who needs enemies, right?
Adam, however, is apparently completely oblivious to how hot he is. He has no idea that women have been using him for sex his entire life, or that he is a commodity in this small town. All he wants to do is direct, and doesn't understand why everyone just wants him to act.
There is an attempt in this plot to use the man as a sex object and sex symbol, and the women as the ones in positions of power. He just wants to find a nice girl and settle down, while fulfilling his dreams. Even being pushed into acting is a focus on using him for his body, and not his mind. I appreciate the attempt to highlight sexism in this way.
However, it just didn't hit the target for me.
Let's take the women. First, we are to believe that women are willing to work together in the name of sisterhood so that everyone can take their turn with 'The Hot Guy'. Yet, the second he dates one seriously, all bets are off. They kidnap Cate, they threaten her, they try to bribe her, all to break up with Adam. So much for sisterhood.
I was hoping for a Bridget Jones-esque romp through the hilarious and often painful world of dating. Love is messy, but it can also be painfully funny. Instead, we are given an outlandish mockery of these ideas.
When you have his parents hoisting ladders to his bedroom window (so she can escape in the middle of the night, like the rest), strange side plots with ex-girlfriends, and a group of obsessed women who have a Facebook page and a waiting list (yes, I am not making that up), well, it's a bit too much.
The difference with Bridget Jones, is that while I've never slid down a fireman pole in a skirt on National Television personally, I can see it happening. I can even see myself doing it, if the circumstances were aligned. With The Hot Guy, I just didn't buy it.
Before Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, he was attractive. But he wasn't women losing their minds attractive because he wasn't Brad Pitt yet. He was just good looking guy X. And while he like looking at good looking guys, and may even find ourselves doing ridiculous things to gain their attention, I've never heard of women losing their minds over some random guy.
I also didn't buy that Adam was clueless. How many one night stands does a guy think is normal? I mean, every Friday for years. Enough to have a Facebook page and women lined up? His parents helping girls escape in the night so that they didn't have to explain to him that women wanted him only for his looks? Nope. Not buying it.
Even with those issues, there are some genuinely funny parts. The writing is witty. The characters are true to themselves, ridiculousness and all. If you could suspend the disbelief, and just enjoy it at face value, it is a funny read.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
capa105's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 25%
Read full review HERE
Guys… I’m not even sure what to say about this book. I requested The Hot Guy because the cover is amazing, and because the blurb sounded outrageous and fun. I wanted to laugh.
So, it was outrageous alright, but in a very bad way.
First of all, the comedy is nonsense. It’s hurtful. Not funny at all. Honestly, I don’t get how this is funny to some people. I mean, this is a joke:
“He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day.”
Is it just me who doesn’t see it even appropriate?
Then the characters are terrible? Maybe that’s a strong word, because I didn’t feel like I got to know Cate and Adam at all. What I knew about them? They both disliked SPORT and had horrible friends. If you’re wondering which kind of “sport” they hate, good luck, because that’s how any sport is mentioned in the book.
About those horrible friends, this is actually something one of her friends says to her:
“‘You had sex the next day … after you had sex the night before?’ Vanessa was tapping her fingernails on the formica tabletop. ‘But when did you get time to fix your makeup? And do your hair? Did you stay indoors in the dark?’”
“‘It’s not like anyone’s going to be looking at you with him around.'”
I don’t know what else to say, the whole concept of the book is ridiculous. Adam is apparently a super hot guy who doesn’t know the effect he has on women. He’s also completely clueless and dumb, because he keeps sleeping with a different woman every week and doesn’t even realize that something might be fishy.
Not wanting to spoil anything for everyone, but the last drop for me was when Cate was actually kidnapped for the women on the waiting list on the facebook group dedicated to “the hot guy”. Yep, they kidnap her, and some are crazy enough and actually threaten to kill her? What is that?!
I CAN’T EVEN!
GUYS, HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? ARE YOU THINKING OF READING IT? TALK TO ME, BECAUSE I JUST COULDN’T GET THROUGH IT.
Read full review HERE
Guys… I’m not even sure what to say about this book. I requested The Hot Guy because the cover is amazing, and because the blurb sounded outrageous and fun. I wanted to laugh.
So, it was outrageous alright, but in a very bad way.
First of all, the comedy is nonsense. It’s hurtful. Not funny at all. Honestly, I don’t get how this is funny to some people. I mean, this is a joke:
“He’s hotter than a thousand Hiroshimas on a sunny day.”
Is it just me who doesn’t see it even appropriate?
Then the characters are terrible? Maybe that’s a strong word, because I didn’t feel like I got to know Cate and Adam at all. What I knew about them? They both disliked SPORT and had horrible friends. If you’re wondering which kind of “sport” they hate, good luck, because that’s how any sport is mentioned in the book.
About those horrible friends, this is actually something one of her friends says to her:
“‘You had sex the next day … after you had sex the night before?’ Vanessa was tapping her fingernails on the formica tabletop. ‘But when did you get time to fix your makeup? And do your hair? Did you stay indoors in the dark?’”
“‘It’s not like anyone’s going to be looking at you with him around.'”
I don’t know what else to say, the whole concept of the book is ridiculous. Adam is apparently a super hot guy who doesn’t know the effect he has on women. He’s also completely clueless and dumb, because he keeps sleeping with a different woman every week and doesn’t even realize that something might be fishy.
Not wanting to spoil anything for everyone, but the last drop for me was when Cate was actually kidnapped for the women on the waiting list on the facebook group dedicated to “the hot guy”. Yep, they kidnap her, and some are crazy enough and actually threaten to kill her? What is that?!
I CAN’T EVEN!
GUYS, HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? ARE YOU THINKING OF READING IT? TALK TO ME, BECAUSE I JUST COULDN’T GET THROUGH IT.
ljbentley27's review against another edition
2.0
The Hot Guy is a story told from two perspectives. That of the eponymous “hot guy” – Adam – and that of Cate, a girl who has initially used him for his good looks but in turn has fallen for the person inside. The course of true love never runs smooth though and before long we see both fall into the perils and traps of any new relationship before imploding.
The Hot Guy was a nice read. It seemed to have the desire to be similar to When Harry Met Sally but didn’t quite have the execution. Some of the jokes fell a bit flat and became a bit repetitive. Also, when you strip back the main over all problem of the book – that a guy is offended because he is too good looking – it makes the premise seem just a tad weak.
The Hot Guy is what I would refer to as a beach read. One that you forget about quickly after turning the last page.
The Hot Guy by Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris is available now.
For more information regarding Mel Campbell (@incrediblemelk) please visit https://thehotguybook.wordpress.com.
For more information regarding Anthony Morris (@morrbeat) please visit https://thehotguybook.wordpress.com.
For more information regarding Bonnier Publishing Australia (@bonnierau) please visit www.facebook.com/bonnierpublishingau.
The Hot Guy was a nice read. It seemed to have the desire to be similar to When Harry Met Sally but didn’t quite have the execution. Some of the jokes fell a bit flat and became a bit repetitive. Also, when you strip back the main over all problem of the book – that a guy is offended because he is too good looking – it makes the premise seem just a tad weak.
The Hot Guy is what I would refer to as a beach read. One that you forget about quickly after turning the last page.
The Hot Guy by Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris is available now.
For more information regarding Mel Campbell (@incrediblemelk) please visit https://thehotguybook.wordpress.com.
For more information regarding Anthony Morris (@morrbeat) please visit https://thehotguybook.wordpress.com.
For more information regarding Bonnier Publishing Australia (@bonnierau) please visit www.facebook.com/bonnierpublishingau.
novelbloglover's review against another edition
4.0
The Hot Guy has some interesting content but the one thing I personally found to be extremely interesting was the way one-night stand and rebound relationships are looked at in both positive and negative lights. However, the book is lighthearted and extremely funny in place and is definitely a great pick me up read.
gisellenguyen's review against another edition
3.0
Good lighthearted read. You'll have to suspend your disbelief for some of the more ridiculous parts of the plot, but overall it was a fun story.