Reviews

Gaywyck by Vincent Virga

layallyourbooksonme's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Nothing makes any sense and there's ✨️incest✨️ but who doesn't love reading about unhinged pretentious gays?

balletbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

GOTHIC GAY ROMANCE. This got on my radar through the Fated Mates Trailblazer episode with Vincent Virga so I managed to get my hands on an original mass market, which I think may be from the only print run of the first edition, and in remarkable shape for a mass market (I was VERY careful with the spine while reading).

I got hits of Jane Eyre, Rebecca, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Secret Garden, Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in White. Twins! Cousins! Jealousy! Family Secrets! I mean, keep going. This has pretty much every Gothic trope jammed up in here somewhere and it is compulsively readable.

(My only quibble is that Robert starts learning the piano once he arrives at Gaywyck and within 5 months is learning one of Chopin's Ballades...look, I've been playing since the age of 5 and the Ballades basically give me hives 40 years later because they are that hard, lol. There are prodigies, yes, but also that is a wild level of technical skill.)

katriddell's review

5.0

I would die for Robert and Donough. And Miss Grimmond and Brian and Goodbody and Mortimer. 157/10 stars.

meredith_collins's review

5.0

One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read.

siavahda's review

3.0

I gave this 5 stars and put it on my favourites shelf the first time I read it - and I loved the first big chunk of the book this time around too. But on my reread, I really could not stand the last 20% or so. I wonder what changed?

I guess I'll have to read it an third time in a few years and see what I think then...

fringebookreviews's review against another edition

4.0

Bro why am I sobbing

<img src="https://media.tenor.com/GWQj7HKvl44AAAAd/ready-or-not-samara-weaving.gif" width="400"/>

saltycaroline's review against another edition

4.0

Endlessly quotable and at no point did I know where it was going, also just loved the gothic of it all

CW: Child abuse, mental illness, violence

nmcannon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When I started delving into the Gothic genre, Gaywyck shone out like a beacon as the first gay Gothic novel. After library and local bookstore searches came up with bupkis, I gave up finding Gaywyck myself and started searching eBay and Amazon. However, the good gay God was looking out for me. The next day, I visited friends at Meet Cute, a queer romance bookstore, and guess what was on the shelf!

Robert Whyte is ready for romance to sweep him off his feet. When the dark, brooding Donough Gaylord offers him a job cataloging the vast library on his Long Island estate, Whyte sees the adventure as an answer to his ecstatic prayers. His world opens up to include art, gay friends, and queer epiphanies–but also blood-soaked family histories, fraught relationships, and someone in the walls.

This is so???? Good???? Holy shit. Gaywyck is everything I’d dreamed it would be. It’s sentimental and sensational and sensory. Whyte is a joy-sparking protagonist. His idealism and purity are strengths, never weaknesses. Virga had such fun writing this book, and it shows in the delight and revelry of the characters, setting, and plot. I was able to predict one big twist, but that didn’t annoy, only enhanced the enjoyment. In the afterward, Virga explained his process and the initial fan reactions to the novel. I totally understand why fans wrote and asked if the Gaywyck was real, if it was a home they could roost in. Gaywyck is worth any search and gifts the reader every happiness. I want more!!! More!!!! 

ajsteele1699's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am in love with this book. It's perfectly gothic, queer, romantic, and stunningly beautiful. I adore everything about it: the mystery, the historical details, the romance, and the fact that the struggle/challenge to the main character's romance with the love interest doesn't stem from feeling like their love is unnatural because it's between two men; it's because of family secrets, because of the MC's own personal struggles to be independent and learn what it means to be in a relationship. There's multiple depictions of healthy, gay relationships that the MC aspires to and finds comfort in. The greatest tragedies occur as a result of repression, denial of self, and self-hatred. There is compassion for people who have done villainous things, understanding for the complications of their inner lives. This is a beautiful book that does not shy away from darkness, just like the characters. It has filled me with hope and love for queer writers telling queer stories.

moooonchild_'s review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25