The Marrying Kind

Jun 20, 2012 Lady*M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, glbt, reviews-by-jessewave

4.5 stars

I was initially attracted to this book because the blurb reminded me of the movie Wedding Wars (the similarities remain superficial), because this is the author's first book and the theme of the book could not be more relevant. I am glad to say that the book surpassed my every expectation.

This is not a romance, but it is romantic and it is a book about love – love between partners and family love. While the theme is serious, the narrative tone is light and humorous which actually helped...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 10, 2012 Cole Riann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: armchair-reviews, netgalley, gay-fiction, favorites

Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

This is a book that I want everyone I know to read!

I've been eyeing this book for a while, especially altering seeing some great reviews. I think I was most intrigued because this book is about a different side of gay marriage that I've read before. From the very first page, I was in love Steven's voice.

It all starts when Steven starts to notice Adam changing. They've been partners for about 7 years, and they generally seem like the perfect couple -- they hav...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Darci rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, best-characters, favorites, funny, lgbt, netgalley, nyc

Steven is a pretty easy-going (lazy) writer for The Gay New York Times. He lives with his longtime partner, Adam, a busy and successful wedding planner. The stress of planning and attending everyone else’s wedding when he can’t marry his partner has finally made Adam snap. He walks out on his job and as a result Steven writes a column about how gay people should boycott all wedding related things until they can get married too. No wedding planners, no hairdressers, no florists, no bakers, no gif...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Elisa Ramblings added it

This novel is able to tell a serious story with a light mood. Adam and Steven are an happy, and privileged, couple: using Steven’s narrative voice, so it’s not that he is telling everything, the reader can, nevertheless, understand that probably Adam is the one with the money, old Mayflower pioneers’s money, and Steven is more or less a kept man. But there is no troubles between them, both Adam and Steven are young and handsome, in a nerdy, next door boy type maybe, but above all they are in lov...more This novel is able to tell a serious story with a light mood. Adam and Steven are an happy, and privileged, couple: using Steven’s narrative voice, so it’s not that he is telling everything, the reader can, nevertheless, understand that probably Adam is the one with the money, old Mayflower pioneers’s money, and Steven is more or less a kept man. But there is no troubles between them, both Adam and Steven are young and handsome, in a nerdy, next door boy type maybe, but above all they are in love; they are not the party-boys, they have their nice Manhattan’s apartment, 2 kids (spoiled cats…) and good friends. Adam works as wedding planner, using all his wasp background to make every event a memorable one, and Steven is a columnist for a free Gay mag, that accidentally is managed by his former college boyfriend and currently best-friend. So, you see? No troubles.

Not until the day Adam starts to realize that he is planning fabulous wedding parties when he is not allowed, by the law, to marry. It’s not a sudden realization, it’s more like something intruding in his mind, and making him day-by-day uncomfortable and sad. Steven sees the change in Adam, and it worries him. This is what I liked of this couple, and why I consider this novel a very nice romance, the main characters are in tune with each other, they work like a perfect symphony.

I believe this novel is a perfect mix of romance, comedy and even activism. Through Steven’s voice, we listen to the ordinary troubles an apparently happy gay couple have to deal with. There is really nothing against them, they have money, parents and relatives’s support, a satisfying career, if they want they can even adopt or having a child through a surrogate mother, but in any case they feel they are not allowed the same rights as anyone else who is not gay. They feel discrimination, and for them, for Adam in particular, is even worse, since they are indeed part of the “good” society, the privileged society, let’s be sincere, of the society that is supposed to lead, not to follow head-down, someone else command.

I recommend this novel to practically everyone, since it’s romantic but also clever, so it will appeal to the reader searching for entertainment, but also to the one who wants something mind-engaging.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602826706/?...(less)

like · see review

Sep 22, 2012 Marlene rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally published at Book Lovers Inc

When I picked up The Marrying Kind, I was aware that it was a story on two levels. There's the novel, the fiction about Steven and Adam and their boycott of the wedding industry and what it does to their relationship and everyone who touches their lives, and who their lives touch.

Then there's the other side. The one concerning the cause of marriage equality that this story was written to promote and support--hopefully without being preachy about it. The mov...more

like · see review

Jul 20, 2012 Rosemary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The two main characters in this story are Adam More, a wedding planner, and his longtime partner, Steven Worth, a writer for The Gay New York Times. Adam decides he can no longer promote marriage when he himself cannot legally get married to Steve. Adam uses his clout as a wedding planner and Steven uses his newspaper column to start a boycott of the wedding industry. Unfortunately their timing leaves something to be desired since right as the boycott gains steam Adam's sister and Steven's broth...more

like · see review

Jul 08, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, m-m

Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Marissa
Review Copy Provided by Netgalley

What an amazing and endearing book! I picked up this book because I thought it sounded like a light-hearted and amusing read. I had no idea…

The narrator, Steven, is not just humorous but laugh-out-loud funny. One of the best running gags is his Romanian heritage. (“Societatea Farsarotul. Say it with me. ‘Sue-she-ta-ta Far-sha-row-tal.’”) When his father walked out on them, his mother declared him dead. Neighbo...more Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Marissa
Review Copy Provided by Netgalley

What an amazing and endearing book! I picked up this book because I thought it sounded like a light-hearted and amusing read. I had no idea…

The narrator, Steven, is not just humorous but laugh-out-loud funny. One of the best running gags is his Romanian heritage. (“Societatea Farsarotul. Say it with me. ‘Sue-she-ta-ta Far-sha-row-tal.’”) When his father walked out on them, his mother declared him dead. Neighbors brought casseroles and the traditional mourning for the Orthodox Church was observed. And she insists (to everyone) that Steven writes for the New York Times (the New York Times) when in fact he writes for a free newspaper called the Gay New York Times. When he shows up, that is.

When Adam realizes that he puts all his energies into planning events that he, himself, is not legally allowed to take part in, he dives head-first into an obsession of boycotting weddings, pulling a slightly unwilling Steven with him. But when his anti-marriage sister finally says yes to Steven’s brother, Adam and Steven end up warring not only between themselves but with almost everyone they know.

I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I had to see what was going to happen to Steven and Adam next. I really hate to use terms like “fun-filled romp” and “a rollicking good time”, but this is exactly what the book is. The writing is heartfelt and sincere, as if the author were telling his own story, while keeping it light and witty. With Orangesicle bridesmaid’s dresses, flying bouquets, and a Marie Antoinette wedding in Jersey, this is one book I recommend you pick up and hold onto.

Favorite Quote: “When I’d told him I’d never had occasion to wear a tux, he studied me like he was Margaret Mead stumbling upon the Polynesians for the first time.”

“I planned to start eating a lot of very fattening food and stop doing any form of exercise. If we ended up in jail, best not to be so cute.”
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 Sarah Eiseman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first foray into M/M romance and I think it was probably one of the best books to start the genre. Although a hair more regular fiction than romance, this book was funny, poignant, bittersweet, and romantic all at the same time. Our narrator is Steven Worth, a second generation Romanian living in New York with his partner of 6 years, Adam More (I really wanted his last name to be "Moore," but that's my issue, not the author's). Steven writes a column for The Gay New York Times, which...more This is my first foray into M/M romance and I think it was probably one of the best books to start the genre. Although a hair more regular fiction than romance, this book was funny, poignant, bittersweet, and romantic all at the same time. Our narrator is Steven Worth, a second generation Romanian living in New York with his partner of 6 years, Adam More (I really wanted his last name to be "Moore," but that's my issue, not the author's). Steven writes a column for The Gay New York Times, which his mother always seems to mix up with the "real" New York Times. Adam is the owner of More Weddings, and is a wedding planner, who when we initially are introduced, is fast becoming saddened by his profession. Through a series of small events, we find out that Adam is actually saddened by the fact that no matter what, he and Steven will never be able to be truly married. Steven, unknowingly and/or unintentionally, plants a seed in Adam's mind that starts a series of events leading up to the gay and lesbian boycott of weddings, including wedding planners, bakers, florists, caterers, and musicians. The message of the boycott is subtly broadcast through a number of Steven's columns in The Gay New York Times. The discussion around the column was actually one of the things that I enjoyed most about the book.

While this book addressed a few hot-button political issues, it also managed to be extremely funny--probably one of the funniest romance books I've read in a while. To clarify, I was laughing out loud at least once in every chapter, so it was more than just a few jokes here and there. In Steven's head, we find out all about his mother, her grief following the dissolution of her own marriage, and her fixation on both her sons not carrying a grudge for more than a few moments. In some ways, this book reminded me a lot of Kristan Higgins (I'm a huge fan, so this is a compliment) because the characters were quirky, but very realistic. The problems they faced were real problems, and the mistakes they made were real mistakes. I especially loved the crazy that permeated Steven's brain, especially when things got emotionally charged.

I won't spoil anything, because this book is worth the money. I have read books with many different love-related combinations of characters, but this is my first time with M/M romance. The seduction scenes were not overly descriptive, which made me think that O'Neill might still be working on his own comfort level in his love scenes. The post-mortem discussion tended to be more graphic than the play-by-play scenes, and some of them were pretty hilarious. Overall, this book was much funnier than I had expected, while it managed to stay true to its original message on marriage inequality among gays and lesbians. Again, I won't spoil anything, but the end of the book had me in tears because it really drove home some of the issues that heterosexual couples tend to take for granted.

I really enjoyed this book, and if you are looking for something with more than a few laughs this summer, give it a shot. Although this book had political implications, I still felt that it stayed true to the romance genre. By the end of the book, you will be rooting for Steven, too. I'll be on the lookout for more books by this author in the future. (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 30, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fiction, glbt, humor, m-m

There are universally accepted themes in drama that are guaranteed to, if not draw tears, at a minimum will tug a bit at the heartstrings of every well-adjusted human being. Charming a reader into loving a character and then killing that character at the end of a book—sad. Tragic romance, star-crossed lovers destined never to have their happily-ever-after—sad. War, pestilence, famine—sad, sad, sad. Everyone can relate on some emotional level to those things.

Comedy, however—comedy can be a hit-o...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2012 R. Z. rated it 5 of 5 stars

With a contemporary theme that is utterly serious and heart wrenching, this is the funniest book I have read in a very long time. The story takes place in 2007, and while American society is slowly changing, and has since changed in New York City where the story takes place, the reader gets an authentic feel for the issues at stake.

Ken O'Neill's ability to cut-to-the-chase in his observations of pop culture and the behavior of the people within it is masterful. Adam and Steve are two gay men wh...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was posted to Amethyst Daydreams book blog.

I found a book this weekend that had me thinking. I've been married for eight years and I regularly feel guilty about it. It always makes me feel awful that marriage has always been more about politics and less about love. In the past people married for money or land or political gains. Now people get married so they can get benefits like tax breaks or health insurance coverage. People also like to make marriage a political agenda. They lik...more This review was posted to Amethyst Daydreams book blog.

I found a book this weekend that had me thinking. I've been married for eight years and I regularly feel guilty about it. It always makes me feel awful that marriage has always been more about politics and less about love. In the past people married for money or land or political gains. Now people get married so they can get benefits like tax breaks or health insurance coverage. People also like to make marriage a political agenda. They like to keep some people from getting married or keep the government from accepting the marriages that some churches/states perform. It's all nonsense. Marriage should be about love. Whoever you love and however you love. Eight years ago, when I got married, my father in law was not a fan of the idea and he still isn't today but he had no way of stopping it. Not everyone is so lucky. That's what The Marrying Kind is all about. How we deal with this injustice and how it affects us all.

I received an e-galley of The Marrying Kind by Ken O'Neill from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

Adam More, a successful wedding planner, has been having nightmares featuring the Bush family and characters from Gone with the Wind. His partner, Steven Worth, a columnist with The Gay New York Times, is understandably concerned. However, everything comes to a comic point when Adam decides he can no longer promote marriage for heterosexuals until he can legally marry Steven, who, through his column, ignites a marriage boycott among the many gay florists, hairdressers, chefs, waiters, and musicians who keep the wedding industry humming. Ken O'Neill is a New York–based writer and activist whose blog (themarryingkind.org) is devoted to marriage equality.

This is a delightful story of two people and how they react differently to the same issue in their lives. Adam and Steven can't get married even though they have lived together for a long time and are raising two cats together. That is a problem for most gay men but Adam feels it even stronger after a chance encounter with a man at one of the weddings that he planned. The man's simple statement: "it must hurt to plan all these weddings when you can't ever have one yourself" sets off a chain reaction in Adam's mind causing him to change the way he views his business. This about face in his thinking could not have come at a worse time when shortly after Adam's epiphany, his sister and Steven's brother announce that they're getting married. This throws a wrench into his marriage boycott plans. It also calls into question how the marriage question affects each of them. Should they really "take it out" on their straight friends and relatives? Should those straight people be understanding and supportive in the quest for marriage equality? These are all questions that Steven and Adam need to answer for themselves. In the end, the whole process leads to them learning more about themselves, each other and the world they live in. I loved every moment of this book because while it has a political purpose, it does not read as a book that is trying to force you into anything (believe me, my father in law loves that Focus on the Family stuff so I know what that looks and sounds like). Steven tells a charming story of an event in his life that left him changed. The reader comes away from the book wondering about the same things that Steven did as he went through this. This is really worth reading.

You can find out more about author Ken O'Neill and his movement for Marriage Equality on his blog. You can also click here to find The Marrying Kind on Goodreads. I really hope that you'll give this book a chance when it releases on June 19th. The Marrying Kind earns 4 Fairies for a lovely story about one couple's journey through activism.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 willaful rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, m-m, first-person, made-me-cry, made-me-laugh, rated-g-or-pg

I'm mostly a genre reader, so I tend to want to classify what I read. The Marrying Kind is a toughie -- like the recent book The Bro-Magnet, it sort of cries out for a category called Dudelit, with its first-person narrative by a lovably flawed protagonist on a slightly over-the-top comic journey of self-discovery. Except unlike most chicklit protagonists, Steven isn't looking for love; his problem is that he's found love, but it's not recognized.

Steven Worth has a pretty much perfect life, with...more I'm mostly a genre reader, so I tend to want to classify what I read. The Marrying Kind is a toughie -- like the recent book The Bro-Magnet, it sort of cries out for a category called Dudelit, with its first-person narrative by a lovably flawed protagonist on a slightly over-the-top comic journey of self-discovery. Except unlike most chicklit protagonists, Steven isn't looking for love; his problem is that he's found love, but it's not recognized.

Steven Worth has a pretty much perfect life, with his partner Adam and their cat "kids." They're even thinking about real kids someday. But despite his current state of well being, Steven doesn't feel that far removed from the fat kid known as Steven Worthless he once was, and he tends to be diffident and conformist: "My idea of bucking the system is insisting on saying 'large' instead of 'venti' when I order my Starbucks coffee."

When a series of events hit Steven and Adam in the face with how unfairly they're treated as a gay couple, they find themselves almost accidentally starting a movement boycotting weddings -- no small thing, as Adam is a wedding planner. (The story is set in New York in 2007, before same-sex marriage was legal there.) At first, Steven is thrilled to use his columnist job to promote the boycott: "Now I, too, was in the fight to obtain equal rights. I felt inspired, confident, and strong. Three words never before used in a sentence describing me." The situation gets sticky when Steven's brother and Adam's sister announce their engagement, and Adam refuses not only to plan the wedding, but even to attend it. Steven, sentimental and romantic, already feels bad for the people whose weddings are being ruined when gay bakers and florists and caterers back out; being forced to miss his own brother's wedding has him feeling torn in two.

I don't want to say any more about the plot, other than that I was surprised and delighted by where it eventually went. My only wish is that we had seen an epilogue set after the law change in New York, in which Steven and Adam got married. But as an author's note points out, even in states that recognize same-sex marriage, same-sex couples "continue to be denied the 1,138 federal rights and responsibilities of marriage that are afforded straight couples." Perhaps O'Neill thought such an epilogue would mitigate his point.

Although humorous in tone, The Marrying Kind is, at heart, a very tender story. Adam and Steven are sweet together, but love of family members and friends is also integral to them. I found it more the kind of book you chuckle at than laugh-out-loud funny, and not all of the efforts to be comic came off; I most enjoyed charming throwaway lines like "Being Protestant, Adam never actually ate before we met." For much of the book, it felt like a pleasant three-star read to me, but I was so impressed with how O'Neill pulled off the ending, made his point -- and made me cry -- that I'm going with four stars.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 AnnaLund rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, author-self-rating-5-stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The narrator's ramblings shook me out of the narration more times than I want to remember, but when he actually managed to keep me with him? It was hilarious. The Romanian mother killed me dead, and living in Italy with a friend who sees the "malocchio" (bad eye) everywhere, I could see Steven in front of me—not believing it, but spitting all the same, just in case... Hilarious. Add his mother, the Romanian guilt-tripping widowed matriarch with a live ex-husband, and you're in for some serious g...more The narrator's ramblings shook me out of the narration more times than I want to remember, but when he actually managed to keep me with him? It was hilarious. The Romanian mother killed me dead, and living in Italy with a friend who sees the "malocchio" (bad eye) everywhere, I could see Steven in front of me—not believing it, but spitting all the same, just in case... Hilarious. Add his mother, the Romanian guilt-tripping widowed matriarch with a live ex-husband, and you're in for some serious guffaws.

The theme of marriage-rights for everyone is important, especially with the conservative backlash the world is experiencing right now (June, 2012). To know that New York now allows same-sex marriage makes this book feel all the more important. Especially the hospital scene broke my heart.

This novel, the debut of author Ken O'Neil, could have profited from one more editing run-through, as the ramblings could have had more substance. Or they could have been developed a bit more. This is the only reason I have graded it four stars.

I loved it, it was totally, completely nuts, and there is so much love in the pages that it still surrounds me. And thankfully, there is no sex, except a very small scene where they say it was nice, very nice. It cracked me up big time.

Here are some excerpts, for those of you who want to know what caught my mind's eye while reading:

I had left him for having principles and conviction, which are the reasons one should stay with a partner. (They're right up there with funny and good in bed).

No arbitrary law about what it is that makes one person the family of another would ever separate them. - about the "normal" marriage of his brother.

One passage really resounded with me, and it was the one about Constantine's funeral and the Italian Franco (Dean and Frank). (I won't quote it here, because I'd like for you to experience it for yourself). There is a whole new story right there. A period piece about gay uncles and sassy spinsters.

I wonder if Mr O'Neil would care to write that story for us, too? The topic is important, and needs to be told in a million different ways, from different eras, so that people can finally see. Love is love.

I was NOT asked to read this book by anyone. And I paid for it with my own money, (as I do for all the books I read, the music I listen to and the movies I watch) and I'm glad I did. Really glad.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I accepted this review request with a little trepidation. First of all, this is more a romantic fiction than the standard romances I read. The author described the book more as ‘chick-lit but with two gay men’ in his review request, so I was intrigued. He also said, “that if enough people read it my sweet little book might have an impact on the state of equality in this country.” I’m am 100% for marriage equality in this country, but I also didn’t want to be preached at for the few hours I sat t...more I accepted this review request with a little trepidation. First of all, this is more a romantic fiction than the standard romances I read. The author described the book more as ‘chick-lit but with two gay men’ in his review request, so I was intrigued. He also said, “that if enough people read it my sweet little book might have an impact on the state of equality in this country.” I’m am 100% for marriage equality in this country, but I also didn’t want to be preached at for the few hours I sat to read. Fortunately, Ken O’Neill puts plenty of humor and quirky characters in his engaging story, that while his message is loud and clear, it still reads as a really fun book. I also need to note that this book is set in the year 2007, before gay marriage was legal in New York.

Adam More and Steven Worth have been happily together for six years. Steven is a writer for The Gay New York Times, a weekly free circular. Let’s just say, Steven shows up to work late and leaves early, often leaving his boss Brad and his other work partner, Gail nervous if his column will ever get done. But they are good friends of his, and put up with his neurotic behavior. Steven has a lot of quirkiness to him, for example, when Steven gets upset, he can’t speak. His throat literally closes up. So instead of being able to yell at someone, he has to resort to silently stewing and mouthing his words. He is also great at pouting. All of this combined makes for some amusing scenes in this book.

Adam is a very successful wedding planner (having once been on The View, his claim to fame) and works very hard owning his business. He is the much more laid back of the two, leaving the theatrics to Steven. Obviously they both attend a lot of weddings a year, not only clients, but many family members as well. Steven comes from a strong Romanian family, and as he tells this story, he often flashes back to very humorous stories of his childhood and his Romanian mother. Steven has a brother Peter, who designs wedding cakes and is also seriously dating Adam’s sister, Amanda. Remember these two, they play an important role in a minute.

It is during one of these weddings that Adam has meticulously planned, that he crumbles. When the DJ asks for all the married couples to join together on the dance floor, Adam looks at Steven with despair. This feeling has been building up inside of Adam for some time. The injustice of not being allowed to get married, yet planning and going to hundreds of wedding a year, is all just too much. So he quits and announces he will not plan another wedding until he can get married too. That also includes going to weddings, buying wedding gifts etc.

Steven is proud of this statement and stands behind Adam 100%, even writing a column about it for The Gay New York Times. The column explodes, and it becomes a movement of sorts across the city. All is fine and dandy, until Amanda and Peter announce their engagement.

While The Marrying Kind definitely has conflict with the fact that Adam and Steven have decided to protest all weddings and the two closest people to them, Amanda and Peter have decided to get married, there is much more to this story. This is really the life story of Steven. We learn how he met Adam, how much his crazy, Romanian mother shaped his life, and how he has met his warm, funny friends who make this story so appealing. The author gives us some really silly moments, enough that make you laugh, but not so over the top that it doesn’t seem realistic. From one of his cousin’s French garden themed weddings where she made all the bridesmaid’s where powdered wigs and gowns 250 years out of style, or his boss Brad who is obsessed with pretty and young catering waiters. He sets up these scenes as Steven is telling the story that are so humorous, yet never weigh down the story and the direction it is going.

There are some poignant moments as well. Adam becomes so obsessed with his protest of marriage, he starts to lose focus on his family. Steven gets caught in the middle, wanting to attend the marriage of the brother he is so close to, but also wanting to support his lover in his cause. I really like how it all plays out in the end.

I really enjoy this author’s voice. As I said at the beginning, this isn’t your standard boy meets boy and falls in love romance book, but it is definitely romantic. I’ll even go as far to say there is a renewed HEA at the end that will make you smile.

Rating: B
(less)

5 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2013 Nora rated it 5 of 5 stars

People use the acronym “LOL” all the time, but they usually don’t mean it. I laughed out loud twice while reading this book. (Once on the subway, which was mildly embarrassing.) It is THAT funny. Once was a sex joke, and once was a Rosa Parks joke, which gives you the idea of the breadth of the humor in this book. Some of the funny bits are silly and cute. For example, the main characters in this novel are called Adam and Steve (ok, it’s actually “Steven,” but still) and no one in the book ever...more

like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Joe Meyers rated it 4 of 5 stars

A breezy romantic comedy with strong political undertones about a gay wedding planner in New York City and his newspaper columnist boyfriend. They stir up a huge protest movement by suggesting that gay men who service the wedding industry should stop doing so until there is marriage equality in the United States. They also call for a gay boycott of marriage ceremonies and receptions. Political conviction is put to the test when the columnist's brother and the wedding planner's sister announce th...more

like · see review

May 18, 2012 Ken rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very topical, this book couldn’t have been released at a more appropriate time considering the recent gay marriage debacle in North Carolina (my home state).

This is the story of Steven Worth, a charmingly neurotic columnist that works for The Gay New York Times (one of those freebie newspapers they give away in gay bars) and his wedding-planner boyfriend, Adam More. They’re a happy, well-dressed couple, living in a nice apartment in NYC with their two kids (cats) and few problems.

Adam begins to...more Very topical, this book couldn’t have been released at a more appropriate time considering the recent gay marriage debacle in North Carolina (my home state).

This is the story of Steven Worth, a charmingly neurotic columnist that works for The Gay New York Times (one of those freebie newspapers they give away in gay bars) and his wedding-planner boyfriend, Adam More. They’re a happy, well-dressed couple, living in a nice apartment in NYC with their two kids (cats) and few problems.

Adam begins to seem depressed which really worries Steven but he doesn’t know how to approach the subject. So, he lets it slide for a while until Adam rushes home from work one day, all aglow and flushed with excitement. Adam makes a pronouncement that he’s giving up his business of heterosexual wedding planning until he and Steven can legally be married in New York.

Although worried, Steven gets all charged up over the subject and writes a few compelling pro-gay marriage articles for The Gay New York Times and before you know it, Adam and Steven become local heroes to the gay community and a movement begins to take shape, protesting heterosexual marriage and boycotting weddings until gays have the right to legally marry.

Things are going great until Steven’s (straight) brother asks Adam’s sister to marry him. Herein lies the trouble, Steven is extremely close to his brother and it tears him apart that Adam expects him not to attend his wedding just based on the principle of the whole matter. What if the gay community got wind of the fact that the people that started this anti-wedding movement actually attended a heterosexual wedding? They’d tear them from limb to limb for sure and be shamed in the press.

Finally, Steven is so miserable that he leaves Adam after telling him that he was most definitely going to attend his one and only brother’s wedding and if he were smart he’d do the same thing. Will Adam stand firm to the principles of his movement or will he show up at the church in the nick of time to see his sister wed Adam’s brother?

A wonderful, funny, touching book!

If you care anything about gay rights and gay marriage, do yourself a favor and read this book.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE MARRYING KIND by Ken O’Neill

THE MARRYING KIND is the first novel published by new author Ken O’Neill. A lighthearted yet poignant look at a gay couple (Adam More and Steven Worth), and their ‘movement’ to boycott weddings. The irony –Adam is a wedding planner. Set in 2007 before the marriage equality acts of 2011, and written in first person POV, The Marrying Kind takes a look at an age- old institution and what it really means to those who can never legally say ‘I do’. Hailing from Canada (...more THE MARRYING KIND by Ken O’Neill

THE MARRYING KIND is the first novel published by new author Ken O’Neill. A lighthearted yet poignant look at a gay couple (Adam More and Steven Worth), and their ‘movement’ to boycott weddings. The irony –Adam is a wedding planner. Set in 2007 before the marriage equality acts of 2011, and written in first person POV, The Marrying Kind takes a look at an age- old institution and what it really means to those who can never legally say ‘I do’. Hailing from Canada (as I am) where same-sex marriage was legalized in 2004, this was a bit of a time-warp but is still a very prevalent topic of conversation in many communities.

Steven writes a column for the Gay New York Times- a free publication owned by his ex-boyfriend Brad. Well, writes would be a stretch when week after week he struggles for inspiration. Meanwhile, Adam is a successful wedding planner who is slowly succumbing to the overwhelming irony that he caters to, and works for, an institution and industry that does not allow for the acknowledgement of same-sex marriages. A bit of a conundrum involving politics, religion and equal rights.

Thinking his lover of almost 7 years is having an affair Steven confronts Adam only to realize that Adam’s lack of faith in the wedding business will propel both men into a movement that neither had ever considered. Inspired by Adam’s declaration to withdraw from the wedding planning business, Steven’s columns in the Gay New York Times will spearhead an anti-wedding movement for a large number of gays and lesbians in the wedding service industry. But timing is everything, when Steven and Adam’s brother and sister announce their engagement and ask Adam to plan their extravagant affair.

Steven’s first person running dialogue is humorous and heart breaking. We see into the mind of a man who is torn between loyalty to his brother and the man that he has loved for over 6 years. The gathering momentum of the ‘movement’ will put Steven and Adam at odds. The relationship with their families, friends and eventually themselves will suffer when unspoken allegiances will be called to the forefront. Steven’s devotion to his family and his lover is never in question, but Adam’s stand against a family wedding will force Steven to make a decision that will eventually cause much heartache and pain for everyone involved.

The Marrying Kind runs the spectrum from humorous and poignant, to heartbreaking and sad. Ken O’Neill’s story will force you to take a look at the marriage institution and what it really means. There are several definitions to the term marriage-some involving the legal union between two consenting adults, and others between a man and a woman. And herein lies a technicality that politicians, law makers, and religious authorities use to support their cause-right or wrong. The Marrying Kind is a poignant story that looks at the flip-side of the marriage-go-round-for those that could never legally say ‘I do’.

see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com(less)

like · see review

May 17, 2012 Tyra Berger rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

This is the debut novel from Ken O'Neill and I for one can't wait for the next. With his mix of humor and realism it has a very autobiographical feel to it that can't help but draw you in and make you want more.

What do you do when you have made a decision not to have anything to do with hetero weddings, and then your sister announces she is getting married? Not only is she getting married but she is marrying the brother of your life partner and has always been supportive to you? Do you go back o...more This is the debut novel from Ken O'Neill and I for one can't wait for the next. With his mix of humor and realism it has a very autobiographical feel to it that can't help but draw you in and make you want more.

What do you do when you have made a decision not to have anything to do with hetero weddings, and then your sister announces she is getting married? Not only is she getting married but she is marrying the brother of your life partner and has always been supportive to you? Do you go back on your convictions and attend this one wedding, or stand by them and possibly lose everything?

Adam is a successful wedding planner in the throes of the wedding season when a series of events finally pushes him too far. He has been in a committed relationship with Steven for over 6 years and not only doesn't the country or state he lives in recognize it, sometimes even his family doesn't. He is mad as Hell and he isn't going to take it anymore!

Steven writes a column for The Gay New York Times and he was quite the activist while in college but has become rather complacent since then. When he writes a column to support his partners ban on weddings and calls on all others in the GLBT community to do the same he has no idea of the chain of events it's going to set off.

The duo are the heroes of the gay community and are riding high until Adam's sister announces she is marrying Steven's brother. When they refuse to not only plan but even attend, step back because the family fireworks are about to begin!

I LOVED this story.

I felt like I was sitting in a room with Mr. O'Neill and listening to him tell me the story of his family, and even though I have never met or spoken to him I feel very confident it was his voice I was hearing in my head. His writing style is contemporary, relaxed, fun and informative. You walk away with a better understanding of how GLBT people feel about this issue without feeling preached at. It is very tongue in cheek in one paragraph and heart breakingly real in the next.

The story is told from Steven's POV and the flashbacks through-out the story really give you a sense of who the characters are and where they came from. When Steven talks about his crazy Romanian mom you can't help but fall in love with her and totally sympathize with his embarrassment at the same time. There is a strong secondary cast and quite a few memorable characters but the foundation of the story is Adam and Steven's relationship and the changes they go through while trying to stand up for something that is so important to them.

So if you are looking for that book that is hysterically funny, heart-wrenchingly poignant and absolutely about love and relationships then The Marrying Kind is for you!

Review originally posted at:
http://www.guiltyindulgencebookclub.b...
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 rameau rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, lgbt, contemporary, romance, recommending, read-in-2012, something-positive-shelf

As I was browsing through NetGalley I happened on this book. I glanced at the cover, read the blurb, and thought maybe not. Then I looked at the author's name, and thought maybe yes.

A M/M romance written by a man? Definitely, yes.

Skimming through the blurb I thought this book would be more about Adam, the wedding planner who quits his job in protest until he can legally marry his partner Steven, but as it turns out it's not. It's more about Steven, the columnist for The Gay New York Times, wit...more As I was browsing through NetGalley I happened on this book. I glanced at the cover, read the blurb, and thought maybe not. Then I looked at the author's name, and thought maybe yes.

A M/M romance written by a man? Definitely, yes.

Skimming through the blurb I thought this book would be more about Adam, the wedding planner who quits his job in protest until he can legally marry his partner Steven, but as it turns out it's not. It's more about Steven, the columnist for The Gay New York Times, with a Romanian family and more than his share of neuroses. He tells the story of how their wedding boycott started and how others embraced it. He shows how the wedding plans of their siblings created conflict not only between them and their families but between Adam and Steven and their cats too.

The Marrying Kind is written in first person limited there's only one way to win me as a reader over once that writing choice has been made: The narrator's voice. I'll either love it, tolerate it, or hate it. While I can't claim to be ready to drop down on one knee and profess my undying love, neither can I dismiss O'Neill's writing as merely tolerable.

Despite the slow start I found myself swept away even by the long paragraphs flashing back to Steven's childhood and other significant moments of his life that usually annoy me with all that telling going on. And then there were the moments of showing. I might have awed a couple of times, but I was usually giggling, cackling, or guffawing loud enough to scare the unsuspecting passes-by depending on the moment. Most of my status updates are direct quotes from those moments I once again scared the neighbours.

The book is filled with classical film references some of which I recognised and others didn't. Luckily, the author provides a short summary for the relevant parts. One thing the book isn't filled with is erotica. The plot doesn't dissolve into pure porn and there is exactly one reference to a sex scene and it's vague. That fact almost makes me want to give this book an extra star.

Though, I've shelved this book under romance, it's more than that. The story is set in New York in 2007 when gay marriage was yet not legal in the state. It's about fighting what's right and making your family see it. It's about the reality of a stable relationship and accepting your partner as is. It's about showing why equal rights should be equal.

I couldn't recommend this book more if I tried.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Becky Mrs Condit Reads Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE MARRYING KIND is a novel that starts out in comedy, drives quickly into the minutia of the wedding industry, and is a fascinating look at a topic that brings out strong feelings on both sides of the debate regarding same-sex marriage. By turns hilariously funny, emotional, and even sad, THE MARRYING KIND is a book that brings out the personal side of a dispute that many people may feel doesn’t really affect them until they see how wide the ripple effect is.

Please see my complete review on Ju...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Suze rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Suze by: Won on RainbowBookReview blog from BSB

An enjoyable story, with a serious message that was put across in a great story. The story of Steven and Adam, told by Steven, starting at 7 years in, going along fine and then a couple of issues start to threaten them. Steven has to learn to stand up for what he wants. Adam has to learn to chill. Instances in their lives are told in a humourous way, with Steven's mother Onda in particular being a real hoot. The message of the book, Equality for All, is threaded through and shown quite strongly...more

like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Valentina Heart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, the-romance-reviews

This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.

I should start by saying I feel bad for not liking this book. It's true, I hate writing this review because there is talent and wit and romance and everything else you might want in it; it was just a terrible book match for me.

It's a story about Steven and Adam and how they couldn't have what all straight couples could. After years together, there came a breaking point for Adam, a wedding planner, who had to w...more This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.

I should start by saying I feel bad for not liking this book. It's true, I hate writing this review because there is talent and wit and romance and everything else you might want in it; it was just a terrible book match for me.

It's a story about Steven and Adam and how they couldn't have what all straight couples could. After years together, there came a breaking point for Adam, a wedding planner, who had to watch the happiness in other couples and couldn't organize that same moment of happiness for himself. The story is told from Steven's point of view and trust me, he has a lot to say. At least when it comes to his inner thoughts and memories. The real mess ensues once Adam's sister and Steven's brother decide it's the perfect time to get married, and Adam refuses to both plan as well as attend the wedding.

This really is a great book. The author managed to keep up with all the mentioned characters, and there were a lot of those. He kept track of the memories and the current story, connecting it all into a big, funny as well as important whole. I understood Adam, and admired him for his determination. I could definitely see how he could get sick of it all and how sometimes you do want a bit of the world for yourself.

My rating as well as dislike is completely personal. The cultural difference was so big I didn't understand half of the references and couldn't relate to a lot of the jokes. What didn't fly by me that way hit on the age note, where I simply don't have enough years on me to remember other mentioned points. I usually dislike the trips down the memory lane and this book was full of them. I did like them on occasion, because the author really did write a funny book, but more often than not the history pulled me out of the story and I needed a bit to come back on track.

All that said, I picked a rating that's somewhere in between my dislike and the great quality of this book. It is something that should be read both because of the great message this books holds as well as the fact that we all need a good laugh once in a while.(less)

like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Lianne (The Towering Pile) Lavoie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, lgbt, read-in-2012

Steven Worth is a writer for The Gay New York Times, and his partner Adam More is a very successful wedding planner. As Adam sinks into depression as a result of planning other people's weddings when he himself cannot legally get married, Steven suffers a minor breakdown when he is named only as "and guest" on a wedding invitation. As a result, they (well, mostly Adam) decide to boycott weddings as a protest against inequality, and through Steven's column this boycott grows to include many of th...more

like · see review

Nov 13, 2012 J.B. Sanders rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: char-art-music-photo-write-arch, fiction-contemporary, genre-mm, 2012

This was a funny, sweet read about the a long term m/m couple who finally get fed up with the fact that they can't marry. This hits one of the partners (Adam) in particular because he's a wedding planner. Stephen, a writer, goes along for the ride although he's not much of an activist as Adam figures out a way to fight back. The book is written from Stephen's POV and he is an anxiety ridden, insecure kind of guy hopelessly in love and kind of doubting how that ever happened. Stephen's dialogue i...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. A serious topic delivered with plenty of humor, Ken O’Neill’s debut novel The Marrying Kind is a thought-provoking novel that is poignant, funny and quite touching. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy....

like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5 stars. A serious topic delivered with plenty of humor, Ken O’Neill’s debut novel The Marrying Kind is a thought-provoking novel that is poignant, funny and quite touching. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy....

like · see review

May 05, 2013 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the premise of this book...really without gay people how unfabulous would weddings be, and why is it that so many gay people are involved in weddings when they can't legally marry themselves? There were several laugh out loud moments and this was a very enjoyable and satisfying read.

like · see review

Feb 17, 2012 Ken O'Neill rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

I wrote this novel so perhaps my five stars are not to be trusted. But how many books can make you laugh about inequality? I think "The Marrying Kind" could really be a catalyst for change with regard to segregated marriage laws.

I hope so, anyway.

I had this idea that if I wrote a novel that was really funny and mainstream but also had a strong POV about equality that folks would read this book, and laugh so much that at the end they wouldn't even realize that I had convinced them that we all des...more

6 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: The Marrying Kind
avg rating	preview: The Marrying Kind Goodreads rating: 4.27 (73 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7869634-the-marrying-kind?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338405307l/7869634.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7869634-the-marrying-kind?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Marrying Kind by Ken O'Neill[/url]

The Marrying Kind

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (1)

Videos About This Book

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Ken O'Neill

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Marrying Kind

Quotes from The Marrying Kind