One Man Guy

Quite a sweet story. An Armenian family with two sons, the older the perfect one, the younger, not so much. He discovers he's gay and falls for one of the bad boys from literally the other side of the tracks.

A book with characters to treasure and love.

I don't usually gush about books very often. I like to read them, fall in love with the characters, and treasure (for the most part, at least). But then I read One Man Guy, and there was just something about it, about these characters, that I just really

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felt in tune with. Maybe it was because I felt that I could really relate to them? To be just a little bit critical, there's always room for more character depth in any story, and both Alek and Ethan are no exception. But honestly...i don't really care in this case. I really wish these characters were real and went with me to my high school...they would have made some really great friends. They're true to life, especially in this day and age. They're not full of typical teenage angst and drama you'll find in most young adult fiction. No...they're dealing with issues thAt a lot of kids really do go through as well. I think one of the reasons I really loved this book because I knew that it wasn't going to make me cry because of some horrible crap that's happening to these characters. No...it made me cry because I was just really happy with them.

If you're looking for a feel good story about 'boy meets boy' without any of the messy drama (trust me...there's still drama, just not the cliche kind), then this is a wonderful story to read. I just wish that more films focused on issues that One Man Guy focuses on: culture, family, and understanding.

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Narrated by Michael Chernus. Well, I know more now about Armenian culture than I ever did before and that's a good thing! Alek is a good boy raised by principled parents who value education and their Armenian culture. So it's a bit out of character when, while his parents are out of town on

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vacation, Alek hooks up with Ethan, a popular boy at school whom he hero-worships and crushes on. Chernus almost sounds too old to voice Alek's story but he is spot on in bringing out the humorous moments: Alek's family complaining about "those Americans," Alek's conversations with his best friend Becky, Alek wrestling with his family values versus Ethan's invitations to adventure. There are a couple of descriptive scenes of the boys making out but otherwise it's a fairly tame but affectionate portrayal of a nerdy teen expanding his horizons.

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For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.

At the time of this review going live, I’ll be in Europe, celebrating my birthday. I’ve been treating myself with review books I’m really excited for, like One Man Guy. Basically, if Debby tells me something is fabulous and

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banterfluffy then obviously I am going to listen to her. Once again, Debby is right. One Man Guy is much like Mary Poppins, in that it’s practically perfect in every way, though obviously not otherwise much like Mary Poppins at all. (I saw the musical recently, in case you’re wondering why this randomness is happening.) One Man Guy is like the YA, LGBTQ+, Armenian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, so basically it’s the cutest and the banteriest and all about culture.

Alek is Armenian, from the tips of his unruly, thick curly hair down to his feet. As a good Armenian boy does, he focuses on his studies, does his chores, wears clothes his mother picked out, and generally tries to follow every rule. Even so, Alek’s the bad kid. His older brother, Nik, is perfect, and Alek feels like he always gets the fuzzy end of the lollipop. Trying to be perfect and failing has Alek feeling inferior and unloved, especially when his parents announce that he has to take summer school to get his grades up instead of going on the family vacation.

Barakiva’s debut is one hundred percent banterlicious from the very first page when Alek’s family goes out to dinner and proceeds to judge the restaurant very harshly. I fell in love at sentence two: “He smelled marinara sauce and a trap.” The tone is light and funny throughout, even when the subject matter gets objectively heavy. The comparison to My Big Fat Greek Wedding lies primarily in this sweet spot of humor and love and frustration for both family and culture. Alek’s trying to find a way to be himself, both Armenian and American, without upsetting his parents.

One Man Guy really does get into the family issues. Due to the vacation, Alek’s parents leave him alone for most of a week, which obviously means shenanigans, but they are very present. His parents are obviously loving, but they have their own prejudices and back stories. For example, the refrain of These Americans cracked me up every time. The dynamic of the family just felt so real throughout. I talk a lot about romantic banter, but Barakiva has banter coming from parents, love interests and friends. I love it so.

Also, I thought it was wonderful how Barakiva worked the Armenian Genocide into the novel. I actually took a course on genocide as part of my history major, so I did know about it previously. I even have a book by Peter Balakian on my shelves. However, most teens wouldn’t have any idea; certainly my high school history text books didn’t mention it. More than just educating, Barakiva brings up tough ethical questions like how the Armenians should react to the Turkish now. That makes the book sound super depressing, but I swear he manages to work all of this in without making the tone too dark.

The romance is just the cutest. I mean, I won’t go down with this ship, but I think Ethan’s the perfect guy for Alek to first fall for. When they first meet, Alek doesn’t even know he’s gay, and can’t really identify that the feelings he’s having when he sees Alek are in fact lust. SO CUTE. It also gives me much joy how non-stereotyped they are and I love that Ethan is out and proud and accepted by the school badasses. Most LGBT books tend to focus on coming out or not being accepted, but One Man Guy really focuses on the positive. The fact that much of it takes place in New York City aids this. Oh, btw, this book is a total love letter to New York City on top of everything else.

Those of you who love adorable contemporary romances jam-packed with banter must read One Man Guy. Also a must if you’ve been aching for some LGTBQ+ fiction that will not make you sad. Instead, One Man Guy will leave you with a smile on your face.

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I'm not really sure where to begin with this book except to say: I loved it. Over the course of a single summer, Alek Khederian has his eyes opened and starts to find himself, in part thanks to Ethan, a slightly older boy whose reputation precedes him.

The writing is incredible. The story flows

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quite well and I found this to be a rather easy read. And it's a coming-of-age tale that I think many people can relate to, everyone in their own way.

I really don't know what more I can say without gushing on details and spoiling the story. But if you're someone who enjoys young adult, romance, m/m, or just good books in general, I suggest picking this one up. It's hard to believe this is Michael Barakiva's first book - I certainly look forward to more!

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

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Yeah, I totally only read this one because a) Armenian family; and b) free from the office. I'm not a romance person and I'm not a stupid-decisions-because-crush person. So, lower rating for me. Still, it was fun to see a couple of familiar habits from my husband's family, though it did feel like

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some stereotypes were exaggerated just to make the fictional family "different" enough to be worth commenting on. For the most part, they could have been any quirky corn-fed American family in any teen rom com.

Spoiler-y summary for my future self:


It's been years since I read this, but the main character goes to summer school because his grades aren't high enough for his family. While there, he meets a "bad boy" and crushes hard. While is family is on a trip to Canada with their Armenian church, he skips school on a "date" that includes seeing the sights of NYC on a very slim budget. As usual for stories about NYC, there's a bit more walking than seems realistic in a single day.

Of course, the family comes home early because--*scandal*--it's been discovered that his brother's girlfriend is part Turkish. So now both brothers have to convince their parents to be less judge-y of their S.O.'s--one who isn't exactly a role model of personal achievement, one whose family is part Turkish. But this is a rom com, so all's well that ends well.

Oh, and there was a fun and funny girl best friend who was wicked good at roller skating. She was great, but apparently not really important to the plot.


That title sat a little odd with me. Aside from one makeout scene that got just a little steamier than I'd expected, the book seems like it could have been aimed at preteens, yet the title is referring to the *radical* (sarcasm) idea that a gay guy could have one steady boyfriend at a time instead of multiple one-off partners. Which...just seems like kind of a dated attitude for the year this was published. Does it really even need pushback these days? Maybe I live too much in a liberal bubble.

Anyway, this book was recently challenged by the governor of Texas because--lame excuses can't hide it--it has LGBTQ+ content. If nothing else, borrow/buy this and read it to spite him!

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