This book was a fun, mostly light read. Part of the interest of the book was the use of AI to put the story together. It seems to get poorly rated because of that, but that's fundamentally the point of the exercise. The author has been pretty open about that. Overall, the book itself was just ok, but it was a conversation starter, for sure.

I was given the absolute pleasure of listening to this ARC via Netgalley and boy this audiobook did not disappoint.

The book is written by Luke Stoffel about how ever since growing up as a gay Catholic schoolboy in a tiny Mississippi River town surrounded by cornfields, Luke’s imagination was constantly set ablaze by million-dollar daydreams and DIY hustles. Whether it was hunting down the missing Cap’n Crunch or gaming McDonald’s Monopoly, Luke was willing to give anything a try to get rich quick.
With his trusty Hustler bike and a mountain of determination, Luke didn’t just dream—he plotted.

Growing up, Luke tried everything including getting involved with a real-life Broadway Cinderella story, Being a Artist in Paris, and even facing a curse from a vengeful Hawaiian goddess.

However no matter what he did everything would constantly go wrong (in usually very hilarious ways).

How to Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter! explores the glittering highs and crushing lows of chasing the American Dream in a world shaped by Reaganomics, dyslexia, and the crumbling façade of opportunity.

From paperboy scams to going for broke in the App Store before an experimental spin with AI, it asks the profound question: Where do we end, and where does AI begin?

This story proves that while everything can fall apart at any moment, the journey—chaotic, messy, and wildly imperfect, is the real prize.

The book is narrated by Patrick Mealey who narrated this book beautifully, both his tone and pace are just perfect for this book in every way possible, i was actually peeing myself laughing here when he was doing various impressions of people during the book. Amazing, just amazing.

Would i recommend this book? Absolutely!

This book is about as Queer as they get, i absolutely loved everything about this book.

If you want a Queer book which will make you laugh out loud, pick up this book today!

Massive thank you to Luke Stoffel, Patrick Mealey & Cinderly Press for giving me an ARC of this book, i look forward to reading/listening to more of Luke Stoffel's works.

I really wanted to love this book. The beginning hooked me because it reminded me of my childhood. I remember cereal box games and McDonald’s Monopoly. But after that, my interest started to fade.

I wanted to root for Luke, but it felt like the book was more about name-dropping brands like Shark Tank, MTV, and General Hospital. It felt… sanitary. Almost like there wasn’t enough emotion in the writing. I couldn’t figure out if that was because of the narrator (I listened to the audiobook) or because of how Luke wrote it. To be fair, maybe it’s me. I didn’t know who Luke Stoffel was before this, and that lack of connection might have been part of the problem. What really threw me, though, was learning that Luke used ChatGPT to help write the book. My guess is that AI contributed to the artificial feeling in the book.

If you’re looking for a humorous, lighthearted story aimed at LGBTQ+ Gen Xers with a lot of pop culture references, you might enjoy this more than I did. For me, it just missed the mark.

[1.5 Stars] My first impression of this book was that it reminds me of “How Do I Un-Remember This?: Unfortunately True Stories,” by David Pellegrino. Written in a similar style, the story is written in a way that feels conversational and friendly. It was a comfortable listen even though it kind of felt like talking to that one friend who you don’t see very often and is known for exaggerating.

While a little over the top, I found the opening stories to be appealing and humorous. Like most kids born in the 80s through the early 2000s, we all wanted the millions of dollars, and our dreams grew from there. Our author was no exception, and explores his life as a gay man as he travels and tries to make it big while trying to outlive the “starving artist” lifestyle.

I am the queen of either not reading the back of the book or not reading the whole description. With that, about halfway through this book I decided to look up the author, and then read the back of the book in full because things started to feel a little ridiculous. And it wasn’t that surprising; After all, the book does say that it’s a ‘mostly true misadventure,” but I was curious to see what parts were more aligned with the truth. Did everything during his stint in Paris happen as he said?

It was in this search that I read the disclaimer:
“Please note: This book incorporates AI both as a narrative element and as a creative experiment. While the printed version includes this explanation on the title page and in the credits, its absence in the audiobook has caused some frustration. AI was utilized as a developmental editor and copywriting tool, but the book was ultimately written by a person. It aims was intended to spark an inclusive conversation about the moral ambiguity and evolving role of AI in creative work.”

It was the disclaimer that the book lost me. I fully acknowledge my bias, but I am so tired of AI being shoved down my throat. The audiobook doesn’t include this crucial bit of information- this is listed on the Netgalley page , and I found this omission, whether intentional or not, to be a… choice?

I think there is a lot to be said for an author to use AI/ChatGPT as a “tool” for writing. Stoffel says that this “tool” helped him get his thoughts in order so that he could put his words into a story despite his disability. Stoffel even goes far as to call ChatGPT a “savior.” But for a story about a man trying to “win a million dollars” and trying to strike gold in America as an artist, I find it hypocritical that an artist/author would choose to use AI, which has been deemed unethical by many especially in terms of art, instead of employing someone such as an editor, ghost writer or someone who is also trying to survive financially in the creative world.

While I found this story to be enjoyable at first, I found myself increasingly suspicious of how outlandish these stories were becoming at some points. Even if these stories are true, though highly exaggerated as the title suggests, I still find the use of AI as a creative editing tool kills the narrative. Even if AI hadn’t been used, the increased suspicion around the truth eventually started to annoy me, so I would’ve given it 2.5-3 stars instead of the 1.5 stars.

This ALC was provided to me by Cinderly Press via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I'm reviewing the audiobook edition of Luke Stoffel's How to Win a Million Dollars and BEEP Glitter! A Mostly True Misadventure.

The author's plans to get rich quick (lol) begins as a youth in the start of the book. The first few chapters are sweet and heartfelt tales of growing up poor in a strict Catholic family. As Luke gets older and comes to recognize he's different, he is victimized by bullying. I applaud how the author includes a powerful message for LGBTQ+ teens to reach out for help if they need it.

Luke's quest for fame and fortune leads him to Manhattan, where they've included some entertaining scenes. Then he's off to Paris and Hawaii for some more money making shenanigans. After the death of his close friend, Luke continues his travels to Thailand and beyond. And the money making brainstorming continues.

The audio version is nicely performed by Patrick Mealey. I really enjoy the tone of Mealey's voice, and feel he truly animates the character of Luke as he brings us through his journey.

There's been some hullabaloo about the use of AI as an editing tool. I was messaged by Netgalley that Stoffel discloses in the Table of Contents that AI is "used as both a narrative element and a creative experiment". The author does explain this at the end of the audiobook. Luke Stoffel suffers from severe dyslexia and uses a variety of methods for learning, writing, memorizing, etc. AI is one of them.

I've read a few reviews where folks disagree with the author using AI to help him "write" How to Win A Million Dollars. One of my sons lost his job as a graphic artist due to AI, and I hate how this development has changed some aspects of our life... but I refuse to not listen to an audiobook just because an author uses it as part of their creative process. The times they are a changin', right?

I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot, and then I got an email from the publisher regarding a disclosure of the use of AI as a narrative element and a creative experiment. Then I became more interested, and also more critical because I know that in the book world at least, AI can be controversial.

STORY--I enjoy this genre of books where the author shares their unconventional life path and the nuggets of wisdom they picked up along the way. This book fit solidly into that category and I connected enough to enjoy the experience. As the book went on, I began to feel like things got a little repetitive, as in new scheme, same result. It may just be that I didn't relate as well to some of the later schemes as I did to the first.

WRITING-- The author conveyed emotion in the narrative, and there were a couple of times it made me giggle out loud, or feel true empathy. There were, however, other times when I felt the writing veered into eye-roll territory. Maybe other readers may relate well to the author's recounting of his first experience with meditation, but for some reason I found it annoying. It felt a little bland at times and I didn't feel like there was a real message for me, the reader.

THE USE OF AI-- I have no problem with people using AI as a writing tool and it sounds like that's how it was used in this case. I know there are many facets to AI and look forward to reading about the many arguments that I'm sure will be made for and against it.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS--I am left with some lingering questions after reading this book. I didn't love it or hate it. I guess I'm wondering what I got out of it. It definitely wasn't a how-to book so I don't expect to win a million dollars any time soon. Was this book ultimately another product in the author's scheme to "win a million dollars"?

I'm glad I read this book so I can be part of the conversation.
Thanks to netgalley for the advanced listening copy of this book.

#netgalley
#howtowinamilliondollarsandbeepglitter

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This book grabbed me first with the cover design. Once you get past the first chapter or two, I’m not sure the “How to Make a Million Dollars” part of the book really goes much further. While the audiobook reader was good, I’m not sure he was the best fit for the book. The book wasn’t my cup of tea.

dnf'ed at 48%

I hate to do this for my first NetGalley review but I cannot support a book which makes use of generative AI for any means. My husband is an author and editor, generative AI threatens his career and worse than that, it steals directly from works like his. You would think the author of this memoir would understand this given that he himself is also an artist.

I was listening to the audiobook which at the time of writing, does not disclose the use of AI to aid in the writing of the book until the end. Instead I found out via an email from the publishers which was sent in response to feedback from other ARC reviewers. While it is important to disclose the use of AI in media, it is also important to ensure the writing industry as a whole does not begin to replace the jobs of hardworking editors with machines. The whole bookish community must come together to call out authors and publishers that so willingly make use of AI in their works.
Safe to say, if I had know about the use of AI in this novel, I would not have requested a copy for review which is a shame considering there were elements of this book I quite enjoyed.

I had considered continuing my review to talk about the things that I did enjoy but then I started to research the publisher to find that it is owned by Stoffel and that they also sell NFTs so I don't think I will.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook arc.

I’m a bit conflicted about this book. I don’t think the synopsis gives an accurate description of the plot or even the overall vibes. I felt a bit disappointed by that.

The first half of the book is pretty interesting and easy to get invested in. The story of a kid discovering who he is alongside deciding what he wants from life. There’s humour, love and hope in those early chapters.

Unfortunately it kind of derailed after that for me. There are some very emotional and tear jerking moments as well as some seemingly pivotal/exciting aspects that were swept over way too quickly in my opinion.

Also the fact that the author admits to using ai at the end of the book instead of the beginning doesn’t quite sit right with me.

On the plus side, I enjoyed the narrator a lot.

I received a digital copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and Cinderly Press. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't know who wrote the synopsis of this book, but it is definitely NOT "David Sedaris meets Heartstopper, told as Ready Player One." That was what drew me to the story, but besides one story about his first sexual experience with a boy, there's not an overarching narrative about being a gay man living his life.

Instead, the narrative is about how the author tried repeatedly to win/make a million dollars, working as an artist for a while, then having enough money to go to Paris and live there for a while, then returning home and trying something else for a few years, then traveling again and spending all his money. Wash, rinse, repeat.

At one point, Stoffel is once again taking a break from working and invests $100,000 of his own money in a venture, and all I could think of is "FROM WHERE?!"

At the end of the book, the author admits to using Chat GPT to write the book. That should be mentioned in the synopsis and at the BEGINNING of the book.

The narrator was good, but seemed kind of young sounding, when the author is just a few years younger than me based upon his childhood stories.