As romance fiction goes this was fine; I did however find the best friend (Paige) of the main character (Max) fairly annoying. This meant that for whole sections of the book I skimmed pages or became frustrated at the improbably harsh way she treated her childhood friend. I struggled to care for any of the leads bar Max who I felt deserved better all round!
(Copy received via Netgalley in return for an honest review)

When I read this synopsis on Netgalley, I was immediately drawn in. I expected a light-hearted rom-com with some hilarious gay vibes and hopefully a great friendship as well. Unfortunately, it took me some time to really feel and enjoy these expected features. Our protagonist Chasten is quite unique in his thinking, loosing himself in memories every now and then, and having some great but sometimes too far-reaching associations. In contrast, his best friend was quite unique as well but in a less irritating way. Maybe that was since we met her just a few times in the first part of the book but spent every second with Max.

Diverse chapters initially did not seem to add much to the plot. We accompany him to work, back home, to meet Paige, to have sex with Greg. In general, I enjoyed all these parts of his life. Nonetheless, I couldn’t figure out what exactly the author wants to tell us for quite a while. It was clear who would be with him by the end of the book, but I got confused by the side-stories. The backstories of a dozen people who Max needs to let go at work even annoyed me a bit.

Around half of the book, I finally got to enjoy the dynamic between Max and the others. Especially his time spent with Chasten became more and more intriguing to me and filled my heart with romantic expectations. This rivals to lovers trope ultimately made me read faster and faster. I also could enjoy more how Max struggled at work, lacking the cold-heartedness for his job, which made him increasingly sympathetic. With the wedding nearing, I also got curious about some tensions in the all-so-perfect friendship that he shares with Paige. Some side-stories began to make sense and add to the over-all picture of a man trying to figure out who he is and who he wants to be.

In Conclusion
Unfortunately, it took me quite a long time to get used to Max‘ nature and to figure out what this story was trying to tell given its diverse foci. Ultimately, this book is a hilarious and kind story about finding love in friendship, a mutual relationship, and in what you do every day/your job. Our protagonist had to step up his game but also draw lines for his own well-being. I enjoyed him finding out where and when to do what.

P.S.: I realized one wrong name on page 290 in the fourth paragraph.
--> "I see Chasten noticing their lovey-dovey act too, as Paige and Chasten melt into one and..."

3.75 rating The main character is refreshing as a gay man who doesn’t fit into a certain stereotype - he is Max, would rather go to a diner, doesnt care about fashion, LOVES gardening, and has a sarcastic humour. The only flaw I felt with the writing of this character is that I never felt I was feeling what Max was feeling. There is an incident in which he should be experiencing fear, trauma and it didn’t fully read on the page. He seems to just shake off any problem he experiences.

If the emotional writing was executed better, it would be a 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Plot:
The story is about a guy who's been out of a long term relationship but, still hooking up with the ex getting his happily ever after. Paige has been his best friend since childhood and Max and Chaseten (Paige's future brother-in-law) are Best Men. They start off on the wrong foot with each trying to one up each other in the wedding planning and eventually get to know each other and find their way.
Thoughts:
Firstly, this is not a unique story as this trope has been seen in many many books. The characters did not have enough depth. There were too many movies/actors/singers/albums references to count. Those references might not be for everybody and took up too much of the story. The best men don't get their moment till the last 10% of the book and BOOM, they're together overnight. Not being able to connect with the characters or the story made it difficult to root for anybody. This book just did not work for me.

Max was supposed to get married first, but he got broken up with and is still hooked up with his ex. No wedding in sight for Max. Instead his best friend Paige is getting married, in three months no less. And to make it even worse her fiancés best man is Chasten, the man Max had drunken hookup with before they knew of the wedding. That one and only. They decide to leave it in the past and try to be civil for the happy couple, which is easier said then done.

I really enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, it’s the best one in my opinion. Works even time. Although it seems like it’s mostly Max that holds a grudge but that’s just the feeling I got. While I love seeing him and his personal growth it would have been nice to have a dual or even a multiple pov to hear from the other characters. Mainly Chasten, I’d love to know what’s going on in his head.

It’s very entertaining and fun all the way thru. The little inside jokes are super cute and all the pop culture references adds a nice touch. I got most of them I think but there were a lot so that good enough.

The different little things before each chapter is so original, love that. It gives a hint of what will happen next but not to much. On the kindle version I got they weren’t aligned right but I’m sure that’ll be fixed before the release.

Another point of improvement I’d like to see is an epilogue or just a slight longer final chapter. If felt slightly abrupt and I’d like to know more about what happened after the wedding.

Overall for this being Kargers debut novel it’s really good! I would recommend this one especially for those looking for LGBTQ representation.

Firstly, thank you the publishers and the team of netgalley for letting me have a early copy to read.

This story involving max, paige and chasten.
Paige has got engaged and and asked max to be the man of honour, however this is competition in the wedding planning with paiges now Gay Best Friend.

I absolutely adored this romcon with all the twists and turns. I'd so love to read a next one following max's new life

An hour after meeting a hot stranger at a bar, Max finds himself on the rooftop of the guy’s Manhattan apartment making out with him. But just five minutes later Max is bolting down many flights of stairs, hoping never to see him again. Unluckily for Max, at his best friend Paige’s engagement party he learns that this beautiful stranger is to be a best man, because he’s the younger brother of Paige’s fiancé! But Max is determined not to let him get in the way of his ‘Gay of Honour’ duties to the bride to be. Will the two best men be able to work together for the benefit of Paige and her big day?

Best Men is such a brilliant debut by Sidney Karger and it is so refreshing to read a romantic comedy from a male perspective. Max was such a fantastic main character and I really enjoyed seeing his journey over the course of the book. One thing that I particularly hoped Max would come to realise actually happened too, so that made me happy!

I found myself laughing and smiling from beginning to end reading this story and there were so many great one liners throughout. It was particularly funny seeing Max’s reaction when he considered he was failing at being the perfect gay best friend and wedding planner for Paige and working out what he could do to be better!

I liked the different invites, messages, articles and lists that were at the start of each chapter too. The final one in particular made me smile, and was clever given how it tied in to the first one in the book.

This is such a fun, uplifting and hilarious read and I would highly recommend it! I also really liked the sneak peek I was given of Sidney’s next book at the end too, so I’m very excited knowing I will have another of his books to enjoy at some point in the future!

An enjoyable romcom that gives us a range of characters to engage with, definitely one to read on a long winters evening

This was a contradictory reading experience for me. At times it was witty, sweet and used things like music nods in a clever way. Unfortunately at its centre, it's about relationships and I didn't overly connect with either of them. I didn't feel like spark of the romance and I really didn't enjoy the best friend character. Wanted to love this because I did initially like the style, so I would try another book by the author.

What I loved about Best Men was how grown-up the story was. I don’t know why but I didn’t expect the maturity of and was just expecting something … less mature. Besides that, Sidney Karger wrote a beautiful and hilarious book altogether. Max is an outstanding protagonist, a very thoughtful one as well. For me, Best Men is probably the best M/M romance I ever read (and I‘m usually quite picky). Can’t wait for my print book to arrive.

I was really intrigued when I read the blurb of Best Men by Sidney Karger, so I was really excited to be accepted by Harper Collins as an ARC reader and I immediately started reading.

The story centers around Max, who lives in NYC and works in HR. He’s not happy with his job and his love life. His best friend Paige is getting married, and off course, he gets to be her best man. Things get complicated when the brother of the groom (Chasten) seems to be a failed one night stand of Max.

When you’re looking for a funny light-read, with a lot of music references, this is the book for you. It really has all the ingredients for a good romantic comedy. I loved the concept, it was funny and I was glad to see the development Max goes through towards the end. The reason why I’m giving this book three stars is because I missed the spark and connection between Max and Chasten. Some parts of the story were very elaborated, which I didn’t think was always necessary, whereas other parts could have been more elaborated to create a better connection with the characters. Also, I would have loved a Chasten’s POV.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with a review copy of this book!

This was my first MM read and I really enjoyed Karger's story! I ran to request this from Netgalley when I saw the blurb and was very grateful for the chance to read and review this book. This book was sweet, funny and engaging. There are some great comedic, witting moments in the story that honestly had me laughing out loud. Unfortunately i found the best friend female character a little irritating, but that is down to personal preference and did not take away from the overall story being told. I think as a debut novel it stands well,

I was sold this as a romance, but that seemed the secondary story to Paige, and to be honest, Paige was extremely annoying. She was completely self centred, she didn't seem to care about her friend who was going through a tough time in his relationship and workplace and all she wanted was a stereotypical gay friend and to do 'gay' things. At the end she says she didn't, but her behaviour seemed to say the opposite.
Honestly, she was exhausting.

Also, the people listed who had to be fired, I didn't know them, so it all just felt like wasted space.

It was an easy read and nice though, and Chasten was sweet and I wish he had more page time so we could get to know him a bit more and more focus on him and what made his and Max's connection special.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

this was a good book to turn to when i needed to relax and switch off - i felt compelled to keep reading and felt satisfied by the end. unfortunately it just wasn't the book for me, as i didn't relate to the experiences of queerness represented within it at all, and it wasn't really diverse beyond the gay characters. i did like the chapter breaks of wedding invitations/playlists/etc. though, and how the book tackled the Gay Best Friend trope.
definitely has potential for other people to really enjoy it though!

review posted on StoryGraph 12/01/2023

I hate having to post reviews on books I didn't like and I've had a fair few lately. Sadly, 'Best Men' just wasn't for me. I didn't like the plot or the writing or the characters and it was a chore to keep reading it after about 20 percent in. I just didn't buy the drama and the characters felt one-dimensional. I really wish I had enjoyed it more.

I wanted to read more broadly, and MM romances ranked on the list of genres I wanted to delve into a bit further, so this coming up as a suggestion for me to read was a no-brainer.
It starts with Max the 'gay' best friend of Paige. They've been GBBFs forever, literally. Since they were around six-year-olds. Okay, so the G may not have been in the acronym at that age, but you know what I mean.
Paige is getting married and wants Max to help with all sorts of arrangements and to be her best man/man of honour, as you will.
She also wants to involve the best man from the other side, Chasten, who is her fiance, Austin's brother, and who also happens to be gay... hmmm, possible attempts at matchmaking??
The story pootles along, with a will they-won't they angle to the romance, as well as Max's angst at not really doing anything of substance with his life, and not being the stereotypical gay man, so he feels his input into Paige's wedding is minimal, because he's not into fashion/going out/the usual gay musical tastes/all the on-trend things that are happening out there. He's stuck in a job in HR where all he appears to be doing is being the messenger and letting people go as his company cuts jobs.
It's a quick read, a little slow-moving at times, but easy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC.

Such a fun book - I binged it in one weekend. The characters were likable and I totally believed the drama and unfolding of events.

As I read this in more-or-less one go, it's safe to safe I really enjoyed this book. Max's best friend Paige is getting married, and he's going to be the best man. Enter Chasten, her future husband's brother, who also happens to be someone Max had a disastrous one night stand with a few days before. As they're all planning the bachelorette and wedding together, they find themselves spending a lot of time together and actually start to get on...

I found myself rooting for Max and Chasten pretty much immediately, despite their obvious immediate dislike for each other. I couldn't put the book down and had to find out if they were going to get together. Even more than that though, I loved the friendship element of this story and loved the dynamic between Max and Paige.

I will certainly be reading whatever Sidney writes next!

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this book about 20% in, it was not at all for me, it had one of my least favourite tropes and I just couldnt get past it, it was infuriating, Im sorry, Im sure theyll be people out there who will love this book, but its not for.me

I was torn between three and four stars. At times Max is downright unlikeable, but as he is the narrator it can be frustrating to hear him not getting it! It was predictable and things slipped together very neatly, a little too tropey and instalovey, and chasten was just too perfect, but it was enjoyable, easy read.