Have you ever hit rock bottom? I embarrassingly have.It’s why I’m wearing my girl’s decorative scarf over my head, clutching her lady drink to my chest, and singing ever so softly to Joni Mitchell while swaying back and forth. This is what therapists refer to as LOSING IT. Oldest story in the book: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy screws up MASSIVELY, girl tells boy to suffocate in the … girl tells boy to suffocate in the fruits of his very own unborn children.
Heard it before? I’m sure you have.
So what’s so different about this story? Well, it’s about me, The Modern Gentleman, New York City’s top advice columnist, and my rather ungraceful downfall from my pristinely polished pedestal.
It’s about a girl I met who threw all my proven theories to the wind and left me awkward, needy, and absolutely head-over-wingtipped shoes in love.
This is a story about June Lacy and how she single-handedly dismantled The Modern Gentleman.
more
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
Have you ever hit rock bottom? I embarrassingly have. It’s whey I’m wearing my girl’s decorative scarf over my head, clutching her lady drink to my chest, and singing every so softly to Joni Mitchell while swaying back and forth. This is what therapists refer to as LOSING IT. Oldest story in the book: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy screws up MASSIVELY, girl tells boy to suffocate in the fruits of his very own unborn children. Heard it before? I’m sure you have. So what’s so different about his story? Well, it’s about me, The Modern Gentleman, New York City’s top advice columnist, and my rather ungraceful downfall from my pristinely polished pedestal. I’s about a girl I met who threw all my proven theories to the wind and left me awkward, needy, and absolutely head-over-wingtipped shoes in love. This is a story about June Lacy and how she single-handedly dismantled The Modern Gentleman.
You might as well get ready for Wesley Waldorf and June July (yes that is her real name) to seal your heart and not give it back. This is a romantic comedy too. These two characters have the greatest personalities, some of the funniest wittiest banter there is in a book and some smoking hot chemistry. However everything is not perfect for the Modern Gentleman as he withholds some major information from June that he should have told her in the very beginning of their relationship. And it will come back to bite him in the butt. Hard. This girl like me doesn’t or well I didn’t have a cell phone and I loved that about her. She hates that people keep their noses in their phones and pay not attention to the things going one around them. She likes to live in the present. When she meets Wes she has been hurt very badly in the past and is determined to take things slow with him so that doesn’t happen again. You too are going to love the way that while Wes is the modern gentleman he also isn’t so serious that he can’t poke fun at himself. I loved how he would find things that June loved to do and put a lot of thought into them too. These two will have you swooning and not wanting to put this book down. It was really good and I hated to see it end.
Overall Grade: 1/2
“‘The differences are what make us truly special.’ Her thumb strokes my thigh. ‘I like your differences, Wes, even if you find some of them to be embarrassing. They show your character, and I truly like the character I’m seeing.’”
As a reviewer/blogger of romance AND a holder of a master’s in literature, I read romance looking for greater meaning, scouring the writer’s style for eloquence and intentionality to offer their message. Yet, that isn’t really the purpose of blogging/reviewing stories. Sometimes, the goal is simply to offer up a fairly unbiased opinion about a book so that readers will want to read it (or avoid it). Sometimes, reading should just be a pleasurable experience meant to gift you with some time away from the stresses of life. Sometimes, reading is strictly entertainment and you laugh or cry or throw your Kindle across the room. When it comes to Meghan Quinn’s newest book, The Modern Gentleman, you are meant to double-over laughing at the revelation of a burgeoning relationship. And you do…over and over again.
In the world of dating apps and technology that influences relationships, Meghan Quinn’s The Modern Gentleman to a certain degree imagines a modern world with old-fashioned courting tactics. That right there is my first favorite part of this book. Quinn is taking something new and adding something old to it. In doing so, she offers up a plate of good old fashioned wooing, created at the whim of her heroine.
June July Lacy is everything you love about a rom-com heroine: insightful, reflective, quirky, and a challenge for the hero. Thankfully, June’s reticence towards relationships provides the comedic fodder for her burgeoning love connection with Quinn’s hero, Wesley Waldorf Williams. It is June who pushes Wes to embrace a slower-paced dating experience. It is June who “sees” Wes’s strengths in the midst of his weaknesses, and it is June who pushes Wes to be better. She is the true powerhouse of this story.
In contrast, Wes is the conundrum of the story. As the writer of The Modern Gentleman column, he has created a persona who seeks to be debonair, respectful, and always in control. Except that Quinn unravels him so quickly under June’s machinations. In doing this, Quinn points to the idea of “masks,” meaning the personas we create for different situations. Wes tries his column-created dating mask with June but finds out quickly that dating June requires more authenticity. And the true Wes is pretty doofy (June’s word). It is here in this space between authenticity and spuriousness that the magic of The Modern Gentleman happens.
The magic of this book is in the moments where Wes’s intent is undermined by unfortunate circumstances. It is there where I was doubled-over in laughter at the ridiculousness of each situation. Yet, in those moments, there is a sweetness to the romance. It’s where June and Wes find themselves as a couple; it’s where they fall in love. Quinn uses this to assert that love is messy and we must simply laugh in those moments. And so…the reader does. There are many hilariously wonderful moments between June and Wes, and it breathes some fun into a day rife with COVID-19 updates, working from home, homeschooling kids, and searching for hard-to-find groceries.
Ultimately, that is what The Modern Gentleman is. It’s a break from the seriousness of our world. If we can laugh at the ridiculous situations in Wes and June’s relationship, then we can find the funny in our own. If you want to laugh and gobble up a book in one sitting, then you MUST read Meghan Quinn’s The Modern Gentleman.
Meghan Quinn is one of those authors that when she announces a release, I’m so stoked about it, and can’t wait to get my hands on it. Luckily, with The Modern Gentleman we didn’t have to wait too long! This surprise release is just what everyone needs during these crazy times!
Wes writes a sought-after advice column called The Modern Gentleman, because well he is The Modern Gentleman, and he’s going to put his skills to the test. Enter June Lacey. All the skills Wes thought he had she blows out of the water. She’s quirky and hilarious, and not your typical girl. June has no idea that Wes is the Modern Gentleman, and when she finds out, let’s just say she is none to pleased. Can Wes make it right, or will June never forgive him?
Hilarious. I didn’t even make it out of the prologue, and I was laughing out loud and poor Wes. Seriously, every single book that Meghan writes full of laugh out loud moments that you can’t get enough of. This is a lighthearted rom-com and the banter is out of this world hilarious. Wes and June are a story I won’t soon forget. Meghan has an amazing ability to draw her readers into the story and make you root for even the secondary characters to get their own stories. Roman and Caden, I’m begging for them to get their own stories! Meghan rocked this book, and I can’t wait for her next release!
A slow burn that brings back the classic style of courting. If you were Bob Hope at times…this romantic comedy has the suave Wes Williams as the “Modern Gentleman” advice columnist. He gives those men advice on the “moves” to win the girl. When his boss gives him the assignment of documenting his real life dating to bedding a girl, Wes has to find a candidate or lose his job. June is that quirky gal that miraculously shows up over dog poo and gives Wes a real run for his Modern Gentleman ways. I laughed so hard reading this book. Wes never had to work so hard and all of his tried and true methods are blown to smithereens. Will Wes get the girl or will he lose her over just being an assignment? You will be highly entertained while Wes spills all of how he finally won and then lost his girl.
Knocked Out of Here!
Wow, what a fantastic book. So untraditional in the perfect sense!! As we know with every book there is the “break-up” but we have to just keep anticipating it. From the prologue, we know that Wes screws up royally.
This is told from Wes’s point of view for the majority of the book, and he speaks in a way that is not your typical reading. He talks TO you. And it’s so refreshing to have something different like this but oh so good.
When we meet June, she is this quirky girl that isn’t fully up into the 21st century with having a cell phone. She brings to light how many people are so caught up in their phones, they forget to take in the beautiful picture around them. That really stuck with me.
Meghan Quinn has such a great way of writing that I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed in, I mean, hello, I read this in A DAY! Her humor shone through in this book and has made me feel so light and happy – which we all can use a little more of right now. Pick this awesome book up and experience pure Meghan Quinn GOLD!
I swear, Meghan is brilliant! I don’t know how her mind produces such amazing stories, but each book she releases manage to be better then the last one! I loved this book SO much, I couldn’t stop laughing from page 1 to the very last. I’m hoping she turns this as a series, because the The Gents are awesome!
If you love the movies How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or Pretty Woman or Love Actually, mix this all and you’re in the right place. So many good pop culture references and I’m not even going to start with her past and future characters references from other books, such as Maddox the baseball player and Porter from The Mother Road.
Wes and June story will bring tears from laughing to your eyes, the whole shuffleboard date and the “miscommunication” with his Love Swipe name? OMG! Wes relation with his boss Frank, the trivia date, better all their dates was out of this world funny. Wes encounter with June’s dolls? I’m laughing just to remember! My favorite Wes? Hot mess Wes is in the lead and bring the scarf sniffing!
June was also very funny and took Wes polished looks and his way of life of his column at Hype with a bang! She was so different and yet so fun, bright and smart, bringing Wes to his knees without even knowing!
Wes best friends Roman and Caden deserve their own books, and I would give one of my kidneys to read them now!
The whole book is a masterpiece of fun, romance and adorable! There is not one character that you won’t like, even Frank and his purple crushed-velvet jacket. I just wish the epilogue was longer and that the book didn’t finished, ever! Another out of this world book from Meghan!
When it comes to a Meghan Quinn book I know I am going to get the giggles I need….she did not disappoint!!!! My giggles started from like…..3%!!!! Wes and June….gah!!! Their meet-cute was just perfect!!!! All their interactions…..classic!!!! I loved how the story was told as well!!!
Another recommendation to read Meghan!!!!
5 star review of The Modern Gentleman by Meghan Quinn
This is Wesley Waldorf Williams and June July Lacy’s story and I was hooked from the first to the last chapter and couldn’t put it down.
The characters were easy to relate too and I really liked them. The Modern Gentleman, a reversal on How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days was an altogether fun story. The chemistry between Wes and June was steamy and their banter had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Although not as long as most of her books, Meghan Quinn packed so much in to this entertaining and quirky story.
I loved Wes, he was swoon worthy and as he bumbled through some funny moments, you could not help but be drawn to him. June, is awesome, I loved how she called a spade a spade and wasn’t afraid to put herself out there, she is someone I could easily call a friend. In fact I would love to be friends with both Wes and June, their personalities are magnetic and I expect we would have a grand old time.
There were times that I laughed, times I swooned but through it all I was cheering that Wes and June would get the happily ever after that they both deserved.
4.5 of 5 stars
This romantic comedy by Meghan Quinn is definitely laugh out loud good.
It had some moments that were the perfect amount of over the top. Actually there are a lot of those moments.
I in particular loved Wes and his friends. They were by far my favorite part of the story. Well, them and the letters. And the way Wes often lost his “cool” around June. There was just so much to like in this story.
The only part that put a slight damper on the enjoyment for me was June. I just didn’t quite connect with her the way I wanted to. Not until over halfway through the book did I start to feel a bit invested in her. But Wes and his merry band of hilarity pretty much made up for it .
Overall this was an excellent story and definitely a must read.
With everything going on right now, I really haven’t been in the mood to read the last couple of months. When this hit my kindle, I just opened it and started reading. I had no clue what it was about since I haven’t really been keeping up with anything in my reading world. I have to say this is just what I needed to brighten my day. I had so much fun reading this, I haven’t giggled this much in weeks. I loved every single moment with June and Wes. Man these two are so adorable together. I loved that it was light, funny, read it in a couple of hours and it was nice distraction from the real world. Thank you.
The Modern Gentleman, aka Wes Waldorf, has an assignment. And it might cost him his job. He is not feeling like the Modern Gentleman at the moment. But he stumbles upon June. Who gives him a run for his money.
It’s easy to make rules or write out steps. But do those actually work? Soon Wes learns that he can’t lump the whole population in the same category. Not all rules will apply, really there are no actual rules to dating because you can’t predict how it will all turn out.
I loved Wes and June. I felt they did have that connection. And it even made it much better since they took it slow. They really got to know each other on a deeper level, just like all of Meghan’s books. You can’t help but love all the characters. The main characters, the secondary characters, and the animals. It all made this perfect little story of these two, who were meant to be together.
Overall, Five Boundless Stars.
My new favorite Meghan Quinn book!
Wes, the so-called Modern Gentleman, royally screwed up. He fell hard for June, a quirky, sweet, and sassy woman who doesn’t tolerate his BS. He thinks he’s suave, she teaches him otherwise. I loved the push and pull of these two, the unusual way they met, and their entire story is fantastic. I laughed my way through their dates, and I fell for both of them. The Modern Gentleman is a funny guide (not sure if it’s how-to or how not-to yet…) to finding love. Meghan Quinn inserts her hilarious humor and warm heart into the book, and I loved it from cover to cover.
Such a unique and funny take on a flipped How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days!
This was such a feel good surprise and it came at exactly the right time. There are so many laugh out loud, swoony, and smile inducing moments in this read.
Wes writes an anonymous advice column under the name “The Modern Gentleman.” He gives men advice on dating and how to get the girl. When his boss has a dream and wants his advice column to become Wes’ reality. He wants Wes to date a girl in real life and document it for readers to see. Even though he messed up big time, I loved how swoony he was and how serious about being a modern day gentleman he was.
I have to admit, it took me a little while to truly love June. I really appreciated how blunt she was in the beginning and took no crap. She lives a little old school but she knows how to gain trust and love without any doubts. These two were very opposite but they were the perfect match for each other.
This book was written in a unique way and I really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to see what this author brings next.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
Before I begin, let’s take a moment and appreciate this book’s tagline:
A gentleman on the streets.
An alpha in the sheets
AND let’s pay proper respect to the deliciousness that is this cover #WINNING
Now … #FunFact: I read this ARC on the heels of five 5 star back to back to back to … I legit thought this would be the book I read of Meghan’s that would at least be just okay because who has that much greatness in their reading? ME. I have that much greatness in my reading!! LOL
Holy FUNballs kids!!
What we have here is a role reversal of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days but a million times funnier somehow. I smiled from beginning to end. No exaggeration. The shenanigans mixed with the chemistry was so ridiculous I wanted to join in! I WANT TO BE THEIR FRIEND #sendhelp lol The story flew by like nothing. That’s how easy it is to read. Yes, it’s not very long to begin with but it’s just hilarious and truly a laugh out loud kind of book! I don’t understand anyone that doesn’t decide to pick this book up!
A highly entertaining story where fun and hilarious drama just made my absolute day. Ms Quinn’s raw talent at writing such a witty romantic comedy shines in the words written!
This book would be fantastic as a movie! No word of a lie! The characters gave great banter, some freakishly quirky but also rather funny embarrassing moments and sizzling tension rounded this story up so well that I didn’t want it to end!!!! Wes was the epitome of charming but in his fumbling moments, he became endearing and with his best friends around, made for a great bromance!
Where to begin with June! She was blunt, refreshing and had such an easy way about her, I could definitely see her as a friend! She was rather adamant at the friendship progressing slowly too! These two really know how to shake things up and it was at a certain point where I couldn’t see to read through all the tears and how hard I was laughing!
Hands down brilliance at play in the very Modern Gentleman indeed!!!
“The Modern Gentleman” is one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is a laugh out loud romantic comedy sure to make you smile and forget about life for a while. Thank you, Meghan Quinn for your vibrant personality, love of life, hilarious characters and magical happily ever after’s. I was intently reading, laughing at every other page and my husband commented, “Wow, that must be a really good book.” He was right!!
Wes was the consummate book boyfriend with his sexy beard, impeccable manners, and stylish outfits to fit any occasion. He was also very smart, quick on his feet, and full of creative ideas which has made him successful in his career. He thought he knew everything about women, until he came upon June in the park. She was beautiful, way out of his league, smart as a whip and a temptation he couldn’t ignore. I loved their “meet cute” and it set the stage for a romantic journey full of numerous dates, mishaps and quiet moments as they got to know each other. Will Wes and June survive their courtship or will something get in the way of true love?
The Modern Gentleman was a fantastic read. Meghan Quinn always delivers a funny take on romantic moments and this book was no exception. From a fabulous meet cute to the best dates ever Wes and June (who has the best middle name) go on quite an adventure. Dating in the world today is crazy and Wes is trying to share with the world his take on being a gentleman. Hopefully when all is said and done he gets to keep the girl! You must read to find out! I really enjoyed this book.
This book captivated me from the first page to the last line, I was hooked on Wesley Waldorf Williams and June July Lacys story but I do need to warn you please make sure you have time to finish this book because once you pick it up there is no putting down.
Sometimes we pick up a book and we know from the first page you are reading something very special and The Modern Gentleman is one of those books, it’s got characters you can’t help loving and a story you can’t help getting invested in and for me it’s Romantic Comedy at its best .
The chemistry between Wes and June is hot and steamy, the banter they share flows so naturally and I had a fair few laugh out loud moments as I got to know this adorable couple. This book is shorter than other books by Ms Quinn but please don’t let that fool you because this book still packs a mighty punch and I’m sure you will love this stand-alone and like me be left smiling like a Cheshire Cat. I highly recommend this gem of a read, it’s a must click for all rom-com lovers as well as all romance lovers so please make sure you add this to your TBR.
The light and hilarious tone of this book did me in. It was so funny and Wes and June’s back and forth banter was epic. Wes’s advice as the modern gentleman fails in every way when it comes to June and it made for the funniest book. This book will certainly lift anyone’s mood
The Modern Gentleman was full of various levels of swoon from the very first page. From the biggest of swoons that make your ovaries weep to the little tiny swoons that make you smile.
Wes and June were a slow burn like I have never read before. They had a fun, witty banter going from the first sentence the spoke to each other and that only built to more throughout the book. They both had some quirky traits that I loved.
The Modern Gentleman was a swoonfest and I will be comparing future book boyfriends to Wes’s level for many books to come.