Sequel to How to Be a Normal PersonA How to Be NovelJosiah Erickson wants to be a movie star. The problem with that is so does half of Los Angeles. But he’s on his way, what with memorable roles as a TV show background cadaver and a guy in a commercial for herpes medication. All he needs is his big break. And that break may come in the form of a novelist who goes by the enigmatic name of Q-Bert.… the enigmatic name of Q-Bert.
Q-Bert, who is ready to make his directorial debut in a film Josy would be perfect for. Q-Bert, who Josy may or may not have a friend-crush on, and potentially something more. Being demisexual can be confusing.
From the City of Angels to the small mountain town of Abby, Oregon, Josy will give his all to make sure his dreams come true—even the ones he never thought possible.
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With strong and wonderful characters, this book was easy to get drawn into. The relationship growth was thought provoking and sweet. So many witty one-liners helped me connect with the characters and their journeys. How to be a Movie Star was a joy to read.
Audible Review
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
Josy & Quincy #4Ever!
TJ, what are you doing to me?!?
I didn’t think there was anyway I would love this more than I did How to Be a Normal Person, because #GrumpyGus is everything! But Oh.My.Lanta. Josy and Quincy won me over and stole my whole heart. Josy is simply adorable and deserves all the Oscars/Golden Globes/Critic’s Choice Awards/MTV Movie Awards, etc., etc., etc.- he deserves all the good things in life! And so does Quincy. Ugh, the two of them!!!
Chapter 14 really did me in, and so did chapter 17. My goodness I love these two.
The book was made even more special with the narration of Michael Lesley. He and TJ’s words are a match made in heaven, true perfection!
I actually cried at how much I loved this.
How to Be a Normal Person is my favorite T.J. Klune book ever. And honestly, I don’t think anything will ever beat it? It was the perfect book in my eyes. So you can imagine my excitement and dread when I saw it was getting a sequel following Josiah, Casey’s demisexual BFF. I was terrified that Josiah and Q-Bert wouldn’t live up to my love of Gus and Casey, I was scared we wouldn’t see Gus and Casey, I was scared this would ruin my view of the first book.
Fear not! This is by far Klune’s sappiest and happiest book ever. And I’m here for it. Josiah is literal sunshine? Think of the most positive and upbeat character you’ve ever read about. Well Josiah has them beat. He’s a little dumb, and maybe sometimes too cheerful, but I adored him. I want him to be my best friend. Scratch that, I want him and Gus to be my best friends. Their friendship never failed to make me smile, I could read a whole book just on their banter.
Q-Bert is Josy’s love interest in the story. The romance is super slow burn here. That doesn’t make it any less beautiful! Just be prepared to wait and agonize as to when they’ll get together. Q-Bert has anxiety and depression, he struggles a lot in certain aspects. He was such an endearing character! I wanted to hug him and make sure nothing bad ever happened to him ever again.
I loved revisiting Abbey, Oregon. I got to see a lot of my favorite couple, Gus and Casey, and their iconic ferret. The We Three Queens are still amazing and fabulous. Oh, and we get to hear from our favorite Pacific Northwest technical support representative again.
I will say one tiny little thing I could have done without. The whole plot of this book surrounds the movie Josy and Q-Bert are working on. There were quite a few scenes were we were transported into the movie, if that makes sense? We saw glimpses into the mind of the character Josy was portraying in the movie. Sometimes, to me, it went on a for a little too long.
But anyway. This was a fantastic follow up to my favorite book. It was everything I wanted and more. Josy and Q-Bert made a grossly cute couple. Seeing Casey and Gus after their story ended was a blessing. This was filled with Klune’s signature humor. I could revisit these characters and this town forever. I don’t want to be that person, but… can we get another book?
This book started off a tad slower for me than “How to be a Normal Person” and it took a little longer for me to be invested in Josy and Q, but man, once I was, forget it. I made the mistake of reading this book while my husband was in surgery – alternating between giggling and getting teary eyed most likely wasn’t the best vibe to be putting out in such a serious place, but it could not be helped (husband was fine!). I dare you to read this book and not fall a little in love.
As an extra bonus, we get to visit with Mitzi, the cable rep, again. She was THRILLED to hear from Gus again. 😉
Had a hard time following characters that were constantly stoned. I finally gave up after the 3rd chapter.
I would rate this 4 stars.
This is the sequel to How To Be A Normal Person. If you have not read this first, run now and buy it unless you’re going to be offended it has stoners, and hipsters. It is laugh out loud funny even when they are not stoned, and a poignant book about grief, loneliness, and that it’s okay to be different. This one is about Casey’s friend Josiah, aka Josy, a waiter waiting for his big break as an actor. Q-Bert, or Quincy, is a writer about to direct his first film. When they meet, everything goes wrong, but with the help of matchmaking friends, these two get their chance at an awkward, slow burn, relationship.
I didn’t know quite how this would go without Gus’s POV, but of course its the author’s POV really. That’s actually part of the problem: Josiah is sunshine and wouldn’t know how to hurt someone if he tried, but when the book goes narrative, it is sometimes biting. Don’t worry, Gus is still a very important part of this book as is Xander. Serge is not really fleshed out. Much of this reads like a Wes Anderson movie. I love the backstories Josy makes up for his characters. He’s also ernest, a hard worker, and has a good attitude about everything, although his thought processes are different. Of course, he is also stoned a lot of the time and if he partially lives in a fantasy world of his own, I totally understand that.
It will also help if you know who Chuck Tingle is to appreciate Q-Bert in all his glory. However, since the author seems to be making fun of people who like to read animalistic queer bodice rippers, all the while saying it’s okay to be who you are and there is nothing wrong with that…this doesn’t quite work for me. Believe me, no one is more disappointed than I am that I had to write that sentence, but this just seems like kink shaming to me. Of course, he softens the blow latter in the book by directly talking about it, and how it’s fine that everyone is different and likes different things, even furries. Still.
Josy is demisexual, so the author makes statements about sex and intimacy in the media that are sympathetic to how ace characters feel when bombarded with somthing they have little to no interest in, or might even be adverse to. This author is so talented, I got sucked in to the angst of Josy trying to make a new friend and was rooting for him. Having to deal with explaining that to people so they understand that sexual attraction to them may or may not happen to Josy, seems disheartening. Most importantly, Josy’s issues and Q-Bert’s mental health issues with social anxiety and depression are handled deftly. They are part of who they are, but not all they are. When they go to Abby, Oregon to shoot Quincy’s movie, they get to know each other better and the whole gang from book one is there.
Overall, this was not as laugh out loud funny as the first book, but it was amusing in many places. As usual with this author, there were times when I was quite touched. Unfortunately, it seems unevenly written because it’s sometimes boring. Then there’s the ranting, pointed social commentary. For the record, I don’t mind the pointed social commentary, but it seems strange as it wasn’t in the first book at this level and doesn’t seem to match the sweet slow burn that is happening. In fact, the parts written in L.A. and the parts when they are in Abby have a very different feel. This is an author I really like, but this is not my favorite book. Still, there are so many things of value here that are said, thought, or illustrated by the characters, that it was worth reading.
The cover art was done by Reese Dante. It matches the first book and is simple and eye catching.
4.5 stars- This book should be called “How to Make Readers Smile,” because that’s exactly what it did for me. I’d be reading along, enjoying the story and characters’ antics, and suddenly realize my cheeks hurt because the simples simply kept creeping onto my face. How to Be a Movie Star is the second book in the How to Be series but it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did. A little ridiculous, a lot charming- this title is an easy recommendation.
How to Be a Movie Star follows an aspiring actor on his journey to and during a break out role. While it includes plenty of those life-affirming, follow-your-dreams moments that makes you happy for the characters, what I really loved were the characters’ development over the course of the book. Both Josiah and Quincy follow their own paths to their goals, which end up indelibly intertwined and lead them on a path to seeing what is most important in their lives. I loved that both the main and secondary characters were all a bit different from those “perfect” characters often featured in novels. It was these unique experiences and outlooks that gave the entire book a distinctive feel and made me fall so in love with the story. Sometimes simple, other times complex, this story covered a bit of every emotion, but it never lacked in an intangible charm that is hard to describe but made me snicker out loud and my heart happy.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
I have been looking forward to reading this book, ever since I found out about it. TJ Klune is one of my all-time favorite authors and since everything he writes turns into gold…I knew I was in for a good one. We don’t have to go into the fact that I am always right again…( but I am).
I am gonna be honest though and admit that it took me a bit to really get into this one… I don’t know why that is. Maybe because Josy was all over the place, or maybe it was because I haven’t read “How to be a Normal Person” and I didn’t know what I was in for. Thankfully, once I got going…things were so much better…
Like most of TJ’s books, I had the best of times and there were many ROTFLMAO moments. emoticon-crying-tears-of-joy Josy was amazing! Gotta love them, hipsters!!
I felt a connection with Quincy as well though…mostly because I have also been struggling with depression, and especially anxiety, for 20 years now… I liked how he kept going and didn’t give up, even though every day is another fight…
“It’s part of me. But it’s not who I am.”
The funniest moments for me were with Gustavo and Casey. They were so freaking awesome, which means now I have to go back and read their book.
“It’s Tuesday. I always call you on Tuesdays.”
“Yes, but why.”
“I can’t afford a therapist”.
I had the best of times reading this one and I liked that I finally learned a bit more about demisexuality. It made me laugh out loud a lot..but I also had to blink away a few tears, because this is TJ Klune after all!
I highly recommend this one, and I myself am off to fix the error of my ways, by jumping into “How to be a Normal Person”.