"This razor-sharp and surprising romcom puts the 'gay best friend' firmly in the limelight to think about self-image, friendship, sobriety and, of course, musical theatre"
Theatre gays will rejoice that this book exists. Even the dedication is from Stephen Sondheim! (‘I prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface.’ We stan!) As someone who has also written a book starring camp theatre queers, I was really looking forward to reading this and really enjoyed not only the references to musicals that pepper the book, but also its moments of unabashed melodrama.
I raced through this. Leo’s voice is immediately so strong on the page – sarcastic and cutting, able to skewer a character with a tongue like a knife. Even in scenes with heightened tension, you’ll be surprised by an off-the-cuff gag: ‘A man who’d never been in the same room as bread, let alone eaten it’.
We’re used to reading gay male characters as the best friend, or the sidekick to the heroine in a romcom, but in this novel he is absolutely centre-stage – whether he believes he looks the part or not! And unlike a lot of romantic comedies, Leading Man doesn’t go in the direction you expect, constantly giving another unexpected twist or changing your perception of a character. It's my favourite Justin Myer novel so far!
Leo's content to be in the background, letting his louder, more charismatic best friends shine. For a thirty-something gay people pleaser it's always been safer that way.
But, suddenly, a gorgeous love interest from the past steps out of the wings, Leo's pushed to his limits by his overenthusiastic new boss and - strangest of all - he begins to question whether the friends he loves so dearly have been holding him back.
For the first time ever, the spotlight is on Leo. But a spotlight reveals everything. And now all the things Leo has hidden away in darkness are in full focus. If he's to get everything he's ever wanted, Leo will need to face his past, and the future, head on. But he might not like everything he sees.
