3.25/5 stars! The cover of this book was super cool and the premise had potential. Overall, it was ok. I was looking for so much more werewolves and so less toxic economics lessons. Because it revolved mainly around interactions and planning, rather than action, the pacing felt slow. But there were some quirky moments that I enjoyed.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

It’s fair to say that Brian is struggling with adulthood. He spends his days working a regular restaurant job alongside his friends Nik and Darby and his nights browsing Grindr and hiding his monthly transitions into a werewolf. Then charismatic fellow werewolf, Tyler headhunts Brian to be a part of a new movement aimed at taming the werewolf’s wild instincts. However, something sinister appears to be lurking underneath it all. Bored Gay Werewolf follows a likeable, relatable and thoroughly flawed protagonist with a very snarky voice and sense of humour. The book touches on gay prejudices and assumptions but it is predominantly a criticism of capitalism and how it brings out the worst in people. There is a lovely twist at the end that sets it up to be a new queer, paranormal series that I’m really excited about. I can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters!

I loved the premise of this book but unfortunately I just didn't like Brian and it made it hard reading for me. The second half of the book was much faster paced and so I enjoyed it a lot more but the overthinking and generally attitude of Brian to begin with was quite slow. Overall the pacing could do with some work for me. I found the ending rushed and really out of the blue, particularly when you consider that Brian still effectively got away with the murder of two bystanders without any repercussions.
I really liked Nik and Darcy, but besides that I struggled with this one unfortunately.

This book is, to put it simply, an absolute banger. The titular bored gay werewolf is drawn away from his queer friends into Tyler’s PackTM, a men’s-rights-activist toxically masculine cult treating werewolfdom as another way to exercise defiance as men. This is a brilliant, hilarious spearing of capitalism, gender and queerness, with a surprisingly sweet, emotional sting in the tail.

Brian is living an aimless existence, full of booze, Grindr hookups and lonely nights in his apartment that resembles a squalor rather than home. His job working waitressing in the restaurant barely pays his bills, he is estranged from his parents and his only friends are his coworkers, Nik and Darby. But Brian cannot get too close to them, because that would mean revealing a secret – every full moon, Brian turns into a werewolf, and rampages around parks in his town, looking for a supper. So when he meets Tyler, a older werewolf, who takes him under his wing to whip him into shape and prevent him from killing people, Brian feels like he finally belongs.
Told from Brian’s perspective, this funny, ironic, and atrocious in places tale is a satirical take on toxic masculinity – being it a corporate, bro, macho or its other unhealthy forms. Tyler’s corporate jargon made me roll my eyes and laugh at the same time, Brian’s own dry humour made me chuckle and his learning journey surely was full of ups and downs.He was not a character you could cheer for from the get go but he definitely grew on me. I liked how the author tackled his friendship with (especially) Nik and Darby, and his search for a place to belong was definitely relatable. The ending was hilarious, although a bit abrupt, but I would love to learn more about the character’s further shenanigans. Altogether, a big thumbs up from me.

Brilliant. Gay slice of life mixed with horror mixed with fantasy mixed with take down of the 'wellness' industry? Just brilliant. SO so good

This book is a wild romp that contains werewolves, romance and pyramid schemes.

As someone who does not normally venture into this world, this was exactly the kind of absurd, self-aware and whip-smart book I needed- it is raucous and silly, but has a compelling voice that really punches home every joke and creates a believable and enjoyable cast of characters.

It is a book that feels like it loves and reveres other books that have before it in the genre, but also enjoys respectfully sending them all up.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite a funny read, really enjoyed it. It highlighted alot of issues with moden society. Brians sassy friends were intersting aswell, the wasy they teach him the ropes and help him master the beast within. Really unique but well written. Loved it.

Bored Gay Werewolf
Author: Tony Santorella
Atlantic Books Ltd
Release date: 1st June 2023

Brian wakes up, hungover and remembers another night drinking far too much, and flirting with the “bulky, tattooed doorman” in the vain hope he’d score.
He’s a twenty-five-year-old werewolf, and was turned five years ago, whilst at Uni.
He moved to the city a year ago, but still has lots of unpacked boxes.
The opening chapters in his apartment, is a great character metaphor for our narrator. It’s also an excellent representation of depression and mental health issues. Or loneliness and boredom.
It makes sense when we’re shown what Brian’s life was like before he was turned and what he’s had to deal with as a gay man with Christian parents. Add the werewolf thing and it’s understandable he’s not a happy bunny – sorry, wolf.
All he has is his job at The Romanesco, his friends Nik and Darby, his cheap studio apartment and not much else. Brian is described as a “chubby hipster” and he drinks far too much. Like many of us, he uses alcohol to dampen the pain and ennui.
After his recent shift, he finds scratches on his side. Then Tyler turns up where he works, handing him a business card to meet “like-minded individuals” aka other werewolves. It seems Tyler is the one who clawed him and wants Brian to join his ‘enterprise’.
Amidst the blasé tone of Brian’s narrative, there’s also the progressive story arc and some very witty to straight out hilarious scenes.
Take the Grindr hook up with the guy and his Pomeranian. And the jogging scene witnessed by a kid.
The former is laugh-out-loud funny and also incredibly acerbic.
This reminds me a little of Jasper Bark’s ‘Way of the Barefoot Zombie’ released from Abaddon about ten years ago, with a hint of Brett Easton Ellis’s ‘American Psycho’ and a dash of Ry Herman’s ‘Love Bites’.
Despite trying not to let people get to close to him, Brian’s friends Nik and Darby have an impact on him and worm their way into his heart.
Darby is a wonderful, artistic, musical and extrovert nonbinary character who is genuinely alluring, whilst Nik is an older, honest and smart Filipino woman training to be a nurse, whilst bar-tending/managing staff. They are the Xander/Willow to Brian’s Werewolf Buffy. Through their interactions we learn much more about his insecurities and longing to belong somewhere.
Then there’s Tyler, Mr Entitled Management-Speak Guru aka Finance Bro, who thinks apps and exercise are the future for Werewolves. He uses mantras such as “Master their instincts and use their transformational power in all aspects of their lives.” Okay ...
As Brian begins to transform – yep, you get it – the physical changes he sees are impressive, but the psychology and the mantras Tyler espouses, leave Brian a little conflicted. And as he gets more involved with Tyler’s work, his relationships with Nik and Darby are affected.
Finally there’s Abe, Darby’s current beau who dresses in suits, oozing old world charm, almost like a Victorian gentleman.
This novel has so many themes running through it, and so much to say; toxic masculinity, bullying, homophobia, coming out, manipulation and gaslighting, and a dig at the self-improvement business. It’s all in there and weaved through the narrative with fantastic imagery, metaphor, symbolism and snark. Mark for instance, one of Tyler’s ‘bros’ is described as “good-looking in a lobotomized action-figure kind of way.” It’s the perfect description for him.
This book is abundantly, joyfully queer even with the darker themes, and LGBTQIA+ characters who are not stereotypes.
There’s even a great hook to suggest a second book and a few terrific surprises.
I loved this book, I was blown away and immediately bought the hardback after finishing the ebook.
This is everything I anticipated and so much more.
It was an absolute howl!

Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella is a fresh take on the young-person-acquires-life-changing-powers genre. As a former die-hard "Grr! Argh!" gal and watcher of all things supernatural as a teen, I was interested to see if this type of story still worked when set in modern day society.

It does - partly down to the author's astute observations of millennial culture and trends, but mainly due to the age-old secondary theme of trying to find your tribe when you're a bit different. Would your people still love you if they knew your biggest secret?

Brian's a werewolf. Not a particularly great one, it has to be said, because he hasn't yet worked out how to *not* kill people during the full moon. The other 27-odd days of the month aren't going too great for him either - he has dropped out of college and he's working a minimum-wage bar job and taking his life into his hands every time he arranges a Grindr hookup.

When enigmatic Tyler shows up with a proposition for Brian that could be lifechanging for both of them, Brian has some decisions to make. With sharp (sorry) humour and biting (sorry, sorry) jabs at the wellness industry and the charlatans at the forefront of it, we are left asking: is the promise of everything you've ever wanted really worth losing everything you already have?

A quick read, silly at times (in a good way), I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to @atlanticbooks for the ARC via @Netgalley. I did buy a copy myself when it was published.

The queerest, oddest, most banal and yet fantastical takedown of MLMs and toxic masculinity I could ever hope to read. Only banal in the sense of this is urban fantasy without a willing hero, without a supernatural horror, just a werewolf trying to make it through the day and an attempted cult leader who doesn't mind a bit of murder if it spreads the word. I mean, his name is _Brian_ for god's sake. Anyway, the way Brian gets caught up in Tyler's plans just because he's looking to feel valued is tragic, sad, and all too realistic. Tyler's manipulation is subtle at first before becoming psychotic almost at the point at which Brian might have been completely convinced. If Tyler had waited a little longer or Brian had a little less faith in his friends this could have had a very different ending.

As it was... what an ending!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm not a huge fan of werewolves novels but this one was a lot of fun, original and fresh.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Not my normal read, but the cover and title drew me to this unusual novel. Brian is finding himself drifting through life - a college dropout and now having to cope with becoming a werewolf. Apparently befriended by an older more experienced werewolf Brian thinks his life is changing, but not is all that it seems. I enjoyed this novel overall, although a slow start the end certainly made up for that and there are some wonderful female characters who play a huge part in Brian’s life. Is this the possible start of the series? If so, I will be picking up future stories to follow Brian and his friends. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the AOC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Bored Gay Werewolf follows Brian, a werewolf who is struggling when it comes to both being an adult and a werewolf. A slip-up during one of his monthly transformations leads to a meeting with the enigmatic Tyler, a fellow werewolf who offers to mentor him and change his life for the better, or so Brian thinks. What follows is a thrilling descent into conflict the more aware the MC and the audience becomes aware of what is actually going on.

This book is a sinister commentary on toxic masculinity and cult/pyramid scheme culture. When the switch flips for Brian and he realises that the arrangement he has with Tyler isn't as great as it originally seemed is when the book really kicked into another gear for me. This book also tackled the oversexualisation of gay people by straight people and was done really well. Brian was a relatable MC and his struggles were very human. For dealing with heavy subject matter, the book itself wasn't too heavy and was a fast-flowing and enjoyable read.

The ending seemed to set up a sequel so I have my fingers crossed that this is going to come to fruition.

This was a really interesting twist in the typical werewolf stories. It's an exploration on finding yourself, but also addresses so many topical subjects from toxic masculinity, the queer community and the intrusion of hetero mindset into the queer setting.

I also really liked that there's no romance, but instead the story is centered around a really close friendship group. Darby in particular is such a good character, loyal friend and also a great grounding influence. Brian is so very lost at the start of the novel, with no career direction and no drive but his friends are the one stable influence in his life. And I think a lot of queer people can relate to this.

I will say the tone is a little all over the place at times. One minute we go from murder that's underplayed (no one is that bothered) and being a bit silly to taking a serious turn and talking about homophobia and masculinity. At times it was a little jarring, but overall I found this to be really interesting and most importantly different to anything else I've read.

If you're looking for a queer read that has a flawed protagonist and a great set of friends I think you'll love this.

ig-hearted, goofy, anarchic and funny, Bored Gay Werewolf is a smart take on the doomsday logic of late capitalism and the complicated meeting point of masculinity and sexuality. More than that, though, and like Scooby Doo with Grindr or Stranger Things with sex and ennui, it's a buddy novel about finding your pack, the power of friendship, and learning how to be comfortable in your own, shaggy werewolf pelt

I loved it !! Funny sexy imaginative. Never dull.
Read this book !!

Thank you to the publisher author and netgalley for giving me an arc ebook copy.

The title is exactly what the book was about and I loved it was hilarious, witty and something different from what I usually read.

You've got a bored, gay, Werewolf called Brian who is trying to figure out and navigating lupine life as well as figuring out being adult (who isn't?).

Brian is in a rut, College drop out turned werewolf, relationships based on Grindr hookups, blackout drinking every night and working in a restaurant to earn money with his work colleagues Nik and Darby who look after him.

Then he meets Tyler who helps him out of his rut by Tyler helping Brian navigate werewolf life as well as Brian helping himself in his day to day life as Tyler seems to have everything grasped even being a werewolf but all isn't what it is cracked up to be.

Can Brian figure out being a werewolf and stop killing the marked bad tippers and rude customers?

I really enjoyed reading this it made me laugh, it was reflective on that your family/pack can be who you choose not just because, there the same species and you choose your path.

Nik and Darby were my favourite characters there just the type of friends you need in your life.

It was a fun read and I hope to see more because the ending!!!!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
E-Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ❤️
This review will be spoiler free!
This is definitely one of my favourite paranormal reads of the year. In a year where I’ve read a lot of romance, this gave me a refreshing plot, with a witty, sarcastic and fun main character pov, a group of friends that made me smile and ultimately a great werewolf story.
I found everything handled in this book was handled with grace, the prose flowed fast and kept pace with the snappy storytelling. The authors voice was strong & kept me enamoured with the world and characters throughout.
I truly, genuinely hated our villains, and loved our found family group of friends. The friendship in this book is some of my favourite writing I’ve ever read, giving all the warmth and sincerity that easy, real friendships can give. I found the plot winding but purposeful and spent the whole book wondering what could be coming next.
This book, just shines. I can’t wait to read more from Tony, and I’m praying and begging that we’ll see Darby again.

This has been an enjoyable read.

After dropping out of college, Brian works as a waiter and sleeps off
hangovers from boozy nights out with his coworkers. Even turning into a
werewolf once a month doesn’t really affect his routine; it only means he wakes
up nude in the park with a hangover instead of at home in bed. Then he runs
into Tyler. A man with a plan to assist Brian in learning to master his wild
tendencies so that he may develop a new model for werewolf life – complete with
a trademarked lifestyle coaching brand, of course.

This was an excellent read for me. I expected a light-hearted read with a
title like this, which did not disappoint.

Brian, as well as his friends and coworkers Nic and Darby, are all quite
exciting personalities. Tyler is a spoiled brat, but what he provides Brian in
terms of increasing his understanding of and ability to manage his werewolf
side makes it plausible that Brian can see past his attitude.

The notion of someone disguising their lycanthropy and losing touch with
family and friends works quite well. And Brian’s bare sensation of being
unmoored since every plan he had for his life has been thrown off by learning
something about himself feels highly genuine. If we go through the title in
order, the werewolf element is well-covered and pleasant; there’s the
traditional slacker protagonist stuff. Then there’s the depiction of Brian
being gay and queerness, which makes this book enjoyable. Several exciting
parts of the book explore queerness, such as the overabundance of
heterosexuality of the people Brian meets through Tyler and the various jokes
about coming out as a werewolf. It was nice to see a non-binary friend
character in adult fiction who, while quirky, is also rounded.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I judged this book by its excellent cover. I was so excited to read it. Brian is a gay werewolf. He’s also severely under-motivated and lazy. In walks Tyler, the lycanthropic answer to Tony Robbins, who vows to change his life.

Firstly, I was so taken by the whole change-your-life montage that Brian underwent. The fact that it was werewolf based just made it humorous to me. I would’ve loved to have seen more of that, specifically.

Things kind of take a turn after that. Brian changes too much, loses his friends and himself. I still enjoyed this but it felt predictable.

Then there’s the big action scene we’ve been building up to.. and it’s underwhelming. There are two “reveals” that are painfully obvious and, in my opinion, unnecessary (Abe is either not used enough to justify the ending or should not be given the last chapter.)

That said, I still really enjoyed it. It was fun, it was silly. It was bored, gay werewolves!