The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know

Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years #1

by Brent Hartinger

"I guess this was what they meant by a loss of innocence. Who knew?"

Russel Middlebrook is twenty-three years old, gay, and living in trendy Seattle, but life isn't keeping up with the hype. Most of his friends have a direction in life—either ruthlessly pursuing their careers or passionately embracing their own aimlessness. But Russel is stuck in place. All he knows is that crappy jobs, horrible dates, and pointless hook-ups just aren't cutting it anymore.

What's the secret? What does everyone else know that he doesn't?

Enter Kevin, Russel's perfect high school boyfriend. Could rekindling an old flame be the thing Russel needs to get his life back on track? Or maybe the answer lies in a new friend, an eccentric screenwriter named Vernie Rose, who seems plenty wise. Or what the hell? Maybe Russel will find some answers by joining his best friend Gunnar's crazy search for the legendary Bigfoot!

One way or another, Russel is determined to learn the all-important secret to life, even if it's a thing he doesn't even know he doesn't know.

Genres: Contemporary, M M Romance, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult, Gay, Fiction

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2014

About the author

I am Brent Hartinger, a novelist and screenwriter. I’ve published fourteen novels and had two of my books turned into feature films — with several more movies still in the works. One of my movies even co-starred SUPERMAN's David Corenswet.

I try hard to write books that are page-turners and commercial (and movies that are fast-paced and accessible). If I had to describe my own writing projects, I would say, “Strong central concept, strong plot, strong character and voice. Not artsy, self-indulgent, or pretentious, but still thoughtful and smart with something to say.”

I mostly write YA books — LGBTQ and thrillers, sometimes LGBTQ thrillers. My first novel, GEOGRAPHY CLUB (2003) was one of the first in a new wave of break-out LGBTQ young adult fiction, and it was adapted as a feature film in 2013.

My latest book is INFINITE DRIFT (2025), a mind-bending YA supernatural thriller with a bonkers bisexual love triangle.

Here are all my books:

STANDALONE BOOKS
* Infinite Drift
* Project Pay Day
* Three Truths and a Lie
* Grand & Humble
* Shadow Walkers

THE OTTO DIGMORE SERIES
* The Otto Digmore Difference (book 1)
* The Otto Digmore Decision (book 2)

RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK: THE FUTON YEARS
* The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (book #1)
* Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (book #2)
* The Road to Amazing (book #3)

THE RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK SERIES
* Geography Club (book #1)
* The Order of the Poison Oak (book #2)
* Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (book #3)
* The Elephant of Surprise (book #4)

I answer all questions, so feel free to contact me on social media, or through my website: BrentHartinger.com

Cheers!

Brent Hartinger

Reviews

[Michael Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I'm married to the author, I have to confess I might not be the most objective reviewer in the world. On the other hand, I have a pretty unique perspective since I've been Brent's first reader and have watched Russel's journey from a front row seat.

The thing that I think works so well about The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know is how much fun it is to see Russel in his early twenties and just how well I think it captures what it's like to be young and trying to figure out life. Sex, friends, work, adventure, TIDKIDK has it all.

I moved to Seattle in my twenties and much like Russel, I was trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, so this was a great chance to revisit my younger days. I also loved the Seattle setting. Our city is incredible and dynamic and provides the perfect backdrop as Russel deals with sex, love, and trying to figure out what he doesn't know he doesn't know. I won't tell you just what it is he learns, but its something almost all of us have to learn at some point. Whether you're in twenties, forties, or sixties, I think this is a book that almost anyone can relate to.

[Cæsar Eanraig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound!!!

Absolutely superb story, I couldn't put it down, everything presented brilliantly, the plot, the stories, one of my favourite things were the characters, so humane, full of angles, and discoveries, and growing, now that I’ve read the first series, reading this series all over again gave me more understanding of them… I’ll explain at the spoiler section!
I’m completely satisfied with this book, congratulations to Brent Hartinger!!!

The number of hook ups keep rising every time Russel mention it, so funny

Curious thing:
Russel has his side of the story of how he broke up with his boyfriend, but Kevin said that he remembers differently, later Russel was invited to Kevin and Colin’s house for dinner, Colin was really rude to Russel, maybe he was sensing something or was pure stupid jealousy, later Russel and Kevin had sex, Kevin cheated his boyfriend and Russel accepted be part of a cheating, then Kevin was worried, he didn’t want Colin to know about it… so my interpretation of the situation, was that maybe Kevin was interested in someone else at his university, maybe already cheated Russel, and that’s why, for his version, he broke up with Russel in the first place…but that just my mind floating around! If a person cheats, in most cases, probably it will do it again!

On chapter 15 I remember that I laughed so hard at that when I read it for the first time!!!!

Also Russell thinking he’s dying was so funny!!!

On Audible, Josh Hurley gave astonishing performance, acting was on point, accurate intentions, great technique! High praises to him!!!

I'm not sure about the art cover, the guys look younger, not accurate with the book description.

5 ⭐️

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this latest Russel Middlebrook book, which was most definitely *no longer Young Adult* and why it wasn't listed as being # 5 in the previous series.

This new, more adult continuation series begins with Russel out of college, working two separate, unfulfilling, dead-end jobs and sadly single.

It also begins, literally from the very first sentence, as Russel is on his way to a "Sup / Wanna fuck? / Be there in 5..." type of hookup from Grindr (not mentioned by name, but it's 2014, right?)

So yeah, Russel may not be a complete manwhore in the book, but let's just say that Russel is more 'sexually available' as the story begins.

I was very glad to see that Russel mentions the following:

I don't think hook-ups are wrong exactly, but they don't feel quite right either. It's like opening a bag of Chips Ahoy! and only having a couple, and feeling good about your incredible willpower, but then spending the rest of the day passing through the kitchen and helping yourself to another cookie each time. I'd never thought of myself as the kind of guy who would do hook-ups. But you do it once, and you realize how easy it is, and it becomes kind of addictive.

That sort of sums up my thoughts on casual and immediate sex with strangers.  Way back in the day before I met my husband, that hour or so would be fun, but always left me feeling so empty and cheap.  *sigh*

The book also had Russel going back for a repeat with the same Grindr fling, where 'Boston' utterly horrified me to my bones.

B:  "We can bareback now."

R:  "What?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm on PrEP.   Been seven days now too."

R:  "That doesn't mean you can bareback,"  I said.  That basically means having sex without condoms.  Full sex.  Penetrative sex.

B:  "Sure, it does."

R:  "No, no. You're still supposed to use condoms, at least with people you don't absolutely know are HIV-negative.  Like, after being monogamous and getting tested together?"

Boston just looked at me, his face completely
blank.

MY. FACE. FELL. FUCKING. OFF.   :- O     No words.  Just no words, other than possibly "insanity".  7 days.  Sure, let's play Russian roulette with our LIVES.  Deep breath, deep breath.  (Thankfully, Russel didn't go there.)

[Sorry to devote so many words to the above sections, but they were honestly the two of the most impactful and memorable sections of the book for me.]

The story mostly concentrated on how Russel felt his 23 year old life floundering, as it seemed everyone else his age had their proverbial shit together.  He describes these people as having either "Unstoppable Career Drive" or "Passionate Aimlessness", of which he had neither.

In Russel's journey to find his own focus, he saves a drowning woman (yay), goes on a date with an armed Tea Party member (serious cringe), goes Bigfoot hunting (seriously, Do Not Ask – that plot point was extremely annoying for me), reconnects with an ex and discovers his very own " meaning of life ".

The book had a lot of putting your crazy out on the front porch for all to see, but I really enjoyed it and do highly recommend it.  I can’t wait for the next book! 

4 huge *Kevin-Rocks-Collin-Sucks* stars from me.

----------------------------------------------

** My copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for a fair, unbiased review. **

[Preston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am more interesting than Russel. You are more interesting than Russel. There is an attempt to make this book humorous. It didn't work for me. I kept waiting for something to happen but unless you count hunting Bigfoot as something happening it was devoid of significant action that would promote the telling of a story. No plot. No story. No reason to turn the page except I would never give a bad rating to a book I hadn't read completely. Contemplating panning this bunch of musings I was forced to read every page to be certain of my reaction was negative. It became torture to continue to read this tediously monotonous book.

Russel breaks everyone his age down into two categories: those with unstoppable career drives and those with passionate aimlessness. He spends the entirety of the book trying to figure out where he fits. Well there are three quick digressions.

The first is into his female roommate's questioning polyamorous sexuality which ends with no definite answer. The second is will his male roommate's obsession with Bigfoot and with new found peace when it's suggested it's related to his fathers death. How? That too goes unanswered except for a moose sighting. The third is whether Russel should go back to his jerk ex-boyfriend which isn't answered since they decide to try again but without a convincing commitment unless moving to Hollywood will do it.

So that's where we are left until the next book in the series. Where does Russel fit in his dichotomy of unstoppable career drives and passionate aimlessness? He fits where we all do. We go to school/college and when that ends we try to get a job that interests us if at all possible. But common sense escapes Russel.

Russel gives his own rating to the degree of interest the story holds and judges it "...the lowest rated reality show of all time." So even the MC finds the story boring. See quote below.

Quote:

"At this point, I'd like to point out that we didn't spend all our time on Gunnar's houseboat having stupid, irrelevant debates like this--over the Theory of Everything and Bigfoot.
I'd like to point that out, but I can't, because we pretty much did talk about stuff like this all the time. This was what happened when you put three twentysomething dorks together in the same ridiculously small houseboat. It was like some kind of reality TV show--the lowest rated reality TV show of all time, but still."

Yes indeed Russel you are right "This was what happens when you put three twentysomething dorks together in the same ridiculously small houseboat". You get something like the "...lowest rated reality TV show of all time," …and call it a book.

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know

By Brent Hartinger

Five Stars

I think this may be the best thing Brent Hartinger has ever written.

I have loved all of the Russel Middlebrook books; but I confess that by the last one (Elephant of Surprise) I was finding myself yearning for something—but I wasn’t sure what. Maybe I just wanted Russel to grow up.

And that’s what Brent did.

In this wonderful new book, “The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know,” Russel is out of college and living with his best friends Gunnar and Min on a houseboat in Seattle. But this isn’t high-school Russel; this is twenty-three-year-old Russel, still with his wry take on the world, but now filled with new uncertainties about his future and his lack of a love life.

See, Russel has a sex life, just not a love life.

Oh, yes, this is not a YA book. Russel uses Grindr (not named, but please) for hookups; the f-word is said aloud, rather a lot. And while Brent is not prone to getting graphic, there is clearly stuff going on that we never heard about in high school. You go, Russel!

Russel, however, is not happy. Not even content. He has two stupid jobs in order to pay back his student loans and pay his rent to Gunnar for his room in the houseboat. He has no idea what he wants to do or where he sees his life heading. He misses his old boyfriend Kevin something fierce, and envies the apparent focus that both of his best friends seem to have in their lives.

Russel is not perfect—one of the reasons I’ve always cared so much about him. He can make some pretty selfish moves, and he’s not so deep that he can’t be shallow (see what I did there?). There is something endearing about Russel’s consistant self-awareness, his willingness to admit when he’s wrong, or inadequate or simply dumb.

The thing I loved most about this book is when Russel saves a life, and thereby opens a door to a world where older people are as interested in him as he is in them. He begins to learn from them things he never learned at home.

Which brings me to the one thing that makes me unhappy in this book; Russel’s family. In spite of his protests that they love him and he loves them: “My parents were good people”—there is no real evidence that his parents are remotely interested in him or interesting in their own right. This is hard for me for two reasons. I adored my parents, and, Republicans though they were, they were my anchor all through the early years as an out gay man. They supported my relationship (singular, going on 39 years) and were always there for me. Secondly, I am easily older than Russel Middlebrook’s parents, and as the father of two college-age kids, it just makes me sick to think that my kid might think of me the way Russel thinks of his mother and father.

Thing is, I know plenty of people of various ages whose relationship with their families is no better than Russel’s. So I can’t really fault Brent for this—only acknowledge that it bums me out.

But there are older people who make a difference in Russel’s new, undirected life, and Brent handles this with warmth and clever plausibility (even when we’re talking about Bigfoot—don’t ask). As Vernie, a character developed with great clarity and wit, says to Russel: “Everyone’s life is cinematic…you just need to know when to fade to black.”

There is much of the old Russel Middlebrook books in this new one. But I am so glad to meet the new grown-up (not necessarily improved) Russel who stole my heart years ago. I see great things in his future, and with luck, so will Brent.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember your early twenties when you were all grown up and living your best life but you still had all the angst and emotional baggage of a late teenager? Well this story sums it all up perfectly.

A good Audible listen that I really found engrossing and also informative.

[Annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read a book I want to be wow’ed. I want something to happen. What I don’t want is to read about everyday life, where the same thing happens over and over again. That’s not why I read, I want to get away from the sometimes boring RL. This book was severely lacking in the plot department and I found myself bored to tears at parts.

[Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read any Russel Middlebrook series before, in fact this is my first ever book by Brent Hartinger. The blurb was what intrigued me to this story and it didn’t disappoint.

Russel — spelling with one “l” — was a twenty three year old guy still looking for purpose in life, or as he liked to say, deciding between Unstoppable Carrier Drive and Passionate Aimlessness. He lived in a houseboat on Lake Union, Seattle, with his friends Gunnar and Min; had two jobs that he hated, and still pining for Kevin, his first love in high school. Didn’t look like he had much going his way, did he. The story, told from his POV was refreshing, funny, and often not quite sensible (it's really like we thought aloud in our head, talking to ourselves). But definitely entertaining!

What happened with Russel throughout the story was just like any other people could experience. He had hook up(s?), promising dinner date(s?) that turned awkward, hurtful or disappointing; but he enjoyed his hated low pay life-guarding job enough (he could ogle people in their swimsuits on the job!), even did a heroic thing saving people from drowning; he’s given to nosebleed every few weeks but had learned to cope with it. Russel really was your average young man, a bit whiny, childish, melodramatic, but he’s kind and loyal to his friends. I like the dynamics between our MC and his friends, or even people he just met. There were some way off contexts explanation or dragging conversation that had me going “huh?” and that big no no scene that really disappointed me when he met with Kevin at their hometown end up with them having sex. Kevin’s partner might be an ass but he’s in a relationship, and what he did with Russel was cheating. There was no excuse, guys; no matter how related it was to the story. I’m disappointed with you! *SNIFFED* The Bigfoot hunting might be over the top, but hey! People had their own obsessions. To each their own, I say!

Misgivings aside, overall I really enjoyed reading this. I might try Mr. Hartinger’s other book, or better yet, read the next installment of Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years in "Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams". Rounded up from 3.65 stars from me.

Note: ARC was kindly provided by BK Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Geography Club kids have moved from Young Adult to New Adult - probably along with a lot of their readers - but for me Russel still sounds a lot like his sixteen year old self. Which makes the sudden inclusion of one night stands and sex descriptions feel a little bit disconcerting. It doesn't seem to have affected many other readers in the same way, so it's probably just me, and I'm not going to stop reading the series as I love the characters too much. I just hope Russel 'sounds' a little older in further books.

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me be perfectly clear. This was a well-written story, there was an interesting main character and I would suggest it to anyone who likes this kind of coming-of-age, waking up, finding yourself type story. My one complaint was for me the protagonist felt at least five years younger than he was for some reason. I have a hard time with first person stories but again it was not a bad book by any means and I think it could be enjoyed by many readers.

[BWT · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know was my introduction to Russel Middlebrook. I haven't read the young adult Russel Middlebrook series , but I didn't feel like I needed to in order to enjoy this more New Adult version of the character.

23 year old Russel graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double major in psychology and political science from the University of Washington, but he doesn't want to go into those fields and is paying back student loans and his portion of rent on his friend Gunnar's houseboat by working two crappy jobs as a lifeguard and in a bread shop. He feels like everyone has it more together than he does, while he just flounders around trying to figure out what to do with his life.

You see, Russel figures he's surrounded by people who have either an Unstoppable Career Drive or Passionate Aimlessness and he feels like he's missing something. His crappy jobs, unsatisfying hookups, and horrible dates just aren't cutting it anymore. When he saves the life of an eccentric older woman who later befriends him he gets some much appreciated lessons in life.

I explained how envious I was of my friends Min and Gunnar for having Unstoppable Career Drive and Passionate Aimlessness when I didn't have either, and how it seemed like everyone around me was on one of those two tracks. Everyone except me.
Vernie leaned in closer. "I'll let you in on a little secret. It's not just your friends, and it's not just now. Those have always been the two choices in life, at least if you wanna be happy."

Cute, humorous at times, and with interesting characters, even though it got a little lost in itself at times, it always managed to find its way back. However, it is the narration that made this truly enjoyable for me. Josh Hurley really does an excellent job with the different character voices, silliness and seriousness of the story. It's all about finding yourself and growing up, even when you think you should already have all the answers. We're all just a work in progress.

While this was my first Brent Hartinger story, I'm definitely going to check out Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years #2) and see where Russel's road leads him next.

This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

[Peter Monn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt so incredibly honored to have been able to read an advance copy of this book when Brent had recently finished it. Here's the story...a super fan of the Russel Middlebrook books reaches out to the author of said books to just say hi and that he's a fan of the books. That same super fan, me, becomes a writer, publishes a book in the same year and finds himself actually on the phone with the author of the most amazing LGBT series ever, Brent Hartinger, who is giving him writing advice AND even gets to read The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know. Quite a dream. Wait...that's my story and it's completely true. All of it. Which doesn't matter at all, but it just shows how much of a fan I am of this series and what an incredible person Brent Hartinger is, as a writer and in real life.

Honestly, I wasn't too happy to find that Russel was in his 20's but I quickly got over that when I found out that he and the gang hadn't changed much. I don't want to give much away, as I often tend to do, but this book is nothing short of amazing. It was completely unpredictable and I had no idea how it was going to end, even a few pages to the end, but it left me standing exactly where I wanted to be in the final words.

But let me make one thing clear...this is the adult Russel Middlebrook. Some of the things he and his friends experience in the book I wasn't quite ready for him to deal with, lol, if that makes sense. But Brent did such an incredible job of weaving the authenticity that makes Russel loveable into the fact that he is growing up, whether we as the reader like it or not. And what is so endearing is that Brent forms the transition for us to continue to love him as an adult.

I could get real sappy but I won't. Just read the book. It deals with real life issues that are affecting the gay community today. Brent takes on sensitive issues and tackles them straight up, and I love him and admire him for being so unafraid of doing so. The Russel in The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know is just as loveable and just as real, just a few years older.

Get it. It's my favorite one yet!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brent Hartinger knows his characters. Russel has grown up in this series as we've read and now we find him struggling with adulthood. He's in jobs he doesn't want and can't find someone to replace his high school sweetheart yet. I enjoyed the book and his meandering through self woe and meeting interesting people. The Bigfoot side plot with Gunnar was intriguing, especially when we find out why it happened. Meeting a once famous screen writer through his job as a lifeguard seems serendipitous and may mean dramatic change is coming. I enjoyed this plot as well. Minn and her minions was an interesting sideline but not well developed or essential to this story. I'm sure we'd like to see more of her. I liked the creative way Brent let us know that Russel is doing not a few, not 4, not 8-10, but many random hookups. I thought it was an error at first how the number of hookups kept growing. Then Russel runs into Kevin, the high school flame. Will they? Won't they? they get back together, Russel decides to be a screen writer and they are moving to LA. It seems Russel is not moving on from HS since he only has two friends, both from HS, and gets back with his old HS flame. We will see what happens. Gunnar also freaked out about his dad dying of cancer and that's why he endangers himself looking for Bigfoot. Minn decides to be polyamorous but it seems to be. A lot of work for her.
The book wanders a bit without one main plot other than man's quest to find himself, which works here like in the others of this series. I will be getting the next one. Hope it is on audio as I enjoy these stories that way.

[Carlos Mock · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know by Brent Hartinger

Russel (one "l") Middlebrook is our 23 y/o protagonist who lives in a houseboat in Seattle with his roommates Min - a physics grad student - and Gunar - who made tons of money creating the App "Singing Dog" - and is the owner of the boat.

Russel is lost - thinks he has no purpose in life - and splits his time between lifeguarding at Green Lake and helping Jake and Amanda run their store, Bake - a place where you select ingredients and someone bakes your bread.

One day, he saves the life of Vernie Rose - a screenwriter in her sixties - and they establish a relationship. Through Vernie, Russel realizes that no one knows everything and he'll be OK - "it gets better."

He reconnects with Kevin Land - his first love from high school - and they both move to Los Angeles so that Russel can pursue a career as a screenwriter. Russel also realizes his friends Gunar and Min are the best thing that ever happened to him. Russel helps Min get through her polyamorous relationship with Trai and Lena; and he also helps Gunar deal with the loss of his father from liver cancer - which explains why Gunar had an obsession with finding Bigfoot.

The book is narrated from Russel's first person point of view. It's nothing more than one cliché after another. It's boring, the characters are not real, and very predictable. It's sad when an author has to explain his "metaphors." Do not recommend the book.

[Aerin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish the book unfortunately. I made it half way through but the main character, Russel (the book is written from his pov) was annoying and immature. He is 23 years old but thinks like a 16 year old. Add to that a hunt for bigfoot and I had to throw in the towel because I'm not interested in reading anything like that.

The woman (Vernie) that Russel saved while working his lifeguard job was....weird. And she became creepy the evening Russel went to her house to have dinner along with her friends.

When I was done telling the story, I asked Felicks, "So how do you know Vernie?"
"Oh, I was friends with her son," he said. "Back in high school."
"And now he works as a publicist," Vernie said, suddenly appearing and handing us our cocktails. "I ran into him at a screening a couple of months ago, and I saw how well he'd grown up, and I knew I wanted to be his friend." What???? That's so.......creepy. that's the only thing that goes through my mind, because a normal woman doesnt decide to become friends with her son's buddies because she sees how much they grew up. Nope, sorry that's too much for me. Fin.




**I received a copy from the published through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

[D. River · Rating 4 out of 5]

The awkward, snarky boy who charmed me in Geography Club has grown, but maybe it's not accurate to say he's "grown up" because he's hit the dread age of twenty-three. That's the year most everyone loses their mind as they wonder if they're on the right track, if they know what they're doing and why they haven't already changed the world.

Mr. Hartinger effortlessly brings that struggle to the page with this book. Russel has grown comfortable with who he is as a person, but he's completely lost as far as a plan for the future. What makes that worse is that his two BFFs, Gunnar and Min, seem to have it all worked out.

So does his one-time paramour, Kevin Land, who comes back into his life to add even more confusion to Russel's life.

The only problem I experienced with the text was a certain amount of preachiness about some of the current big issues. I don't really care for that in books, myself. But I won't dispute the message is important.

I can't say this book delighted me the way Geography Club and Order of the Poison Oak did, but it was still a great read and a definite must for any and all the Russel fans.

[C.L. King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. Sadly I had to in order to work. But when I had down time I read. I feel asleep holding my kindle two nights in a row it was that good.

The continuation of Russel's story is perfect. We all have those books that we read when the main characters are teenagers and always wonder what happened when they grew up and were in college or fresh out of college. Brent did an amazing job bringing Russel to life as an adult.

I loved seeing that Min and Gunner were still a big part of his life and the introduction of new characters fit perfectly into Russel's life.

With this being a new series you don't have to read the other Russel Middlebrook books to know what's going on. But I still highly recommend reading those as well. You won't feel lost but they are great books.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. This is a book that everyone should read. It teaches you a lot about life and makes you think and appreciate things in a whole new light.

[Gervan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first Russel Middlebrook books back in December 2013 and I had seen rumors of there being a fifth book with Russel in college. I would have loved that, but this was so much better.

I really loved seeing the old characters Min, Gunnar and Keving and the new characters -- especially Vernie. I needed this book a little earlier in the year to help give me piece of mind on some things that were happening in my school life but better late than never.

Very excited for the sequel Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams due out this August.

[Hemmel M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a romance. Kevin is a shallow character with only 4 short scenes. The stories about Russel's life are enjoyable and all side characters well rounded.
Narration is good.

Follow my reviews at https://hemmelm.blogspot.com/

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read by Brent, and I may be a bit hooked. I really liked how honest this book felt. How real it felt, and how it was messy and just read like Russel's life. I really liked how Russel being 23 did not have his life together, but he was responsible and he was just figuring it out, like so many other 20 year old's. Then you have his friends/roommates who added so much to the story. It was great, they were so multi-dimensional and interesting. I enjoyed reading about them. I also really like Vernie and how she was honest and it was just refreshing. Then you have Kevin, who is Russel's ex and first and only love and that hit me close, as I know how first loves can be, I think we can all relate to that. I am eager to continue their story and I hope that Josh Hurley is the narrator again, as it was done very well. Definitely recommend.

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 2 out of 5]

The POV character is incredibly dull and I do not want to be in his head.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this book I can definitely say that Russel and Brent Hartinger have definitely graduated from YA to slightly more adult fiction. Not quite adult adult but getting there.

In this book Russel is now 23, living in Seattle with Min and Gunnar, and living a sort of aimless life. He works two jobs, one as an employee of a kitschy retail bread store and one as a lifeguard. It's the latter that starts to change his life as he saves the life of Vernie, sort of eclectic and hilarious in her own right. At this point in his life Russel doesn't know where his life is going. Unlike the others in his life he has neither ambition or passion. Not to mention he runs into none other than Kevin Land who is now living a successful life with his current boyfriend Colin (who's a bit of a dick). Everyone seems to have their life either together or has a path ready to go, except for him. Oh, and there's also trying to figure out Gunnar's latest obsession and why he's been acting so weird.

I have grown so attached to Russel in the last few books. Series like this are why I am thankful for being able to read and experience another lifetime as it's almost like I'm living his life while he's narrating it.

*sidenote - if you can listen to ANY of Brent's Russel Middlebrook series narrated by Josh Hurley, do yourself a favor and DO IT. He is freaking awesome.

[Mak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was 3 stars. Nothing special, but not bad either. Just average. Narration was at least 4. Josh Hurley is one of my fave narrators and is the main reason I decided to listen to this series.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the earlier book about Russel and his pals called The Elephant of Surprise. I imagine it's hard to move up to New Adult with the same characters as in Young Adult, but this author managed it in a way that we can find believable.

Gunnar made money from an app which did nothing sensible, and he now lives in a houseboat off Seattle and studies Bigfoot sightings. I actually would have expected him to be in the heart of the new tech centre in town. He'd find people like himself there.

Min is studying and conflicted and seems to want everything at once.

Russel is ashamed of his sporadic gay hook-ups and wondering whether to take anti-HIV drugs to stop himself catching HIV, and barely talks to his parents, who seemed nice enough in the last book. Russel spots his old flame Kevin, while at one of his two basic jobs, and doesn't know if Kevin is with anyone, or would want to talk to him anyway. If Russel finds his jobs boring, why didn't he apply for one of the new tech jobs? Or further training? Anyway he is doing well enough, I thought, but he's still self-absorbed and self-analytical.

I would have liked the tale better if it was funnier like the last book, but maybe that's not what the author was trying for now his kids have partway grown up. There's a fair amount of strong language, which I thought unnecessary; not everyone over eighteen swears. There's also adult behaviour so this is not a YA book for sure. Some of the tale is fun, some of it is just social awkwardness. Still some growing up to do, Russel.

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning... Don't read this book on a Metro bus! Well, you can, but just know that the characters from The Geography Club are just out of college now and they are grownups, now and nothing is held back. I found myself reading a very intense sex scene while traveling at 60 MPH...Awkward!

I enjoyed this new chapter in Russel's life. He's a likable character, though perhaps a bit preachy at times. His friends, Min and Gunther are as complex and interesting as ever. They seem to have it together, unlike Russel who has no clue what direction his life is supposed to take. But then, who among us did at 22?

This is an adult book but at times it still felt like a young adult novel - like Geography and the other books in the Russel Middlebrook series. Just be aware that there are adult themes in this - but they're things that a gay guy just out of college will be trying to figure out.


The book was enjoyable, though I felt as though some things were introduced but never fully dealt with - especially one character that is established as not a match and discarded, only mentioned in passing. I kept expecting more to happen there, but nothing did. Still, the focus is on Russel and his journey toward figuring things out - or at least discovering that which he didn't yet know.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a job totally interferes with my ability to finish books. This book shouldn't take three weeks for a normal person to finish. I just stare at those start and finish dates and think "you're totally going to miss your target books read number"

I'm giving that thing I didn't know I didn't know or whatever the title is four advocacy stars which suggests that this is a targeted recommendation because I suspect that if guys having sex with guys is something you can't get over, you will not need to read this book.

Russel (one L) lives in Seattle with his friends Gunnar and Min and is trying to navigate not knowing what he wants to do with his life, his interpersonal relationships and OH MY GOD I JUST SAW MY EX.

Gunnar is on a Bigfoot quest.

Min is being inscrutable and ... stuff...

And then Russel becomes a hero, and discovers a very important lesson. I think. I think that's the thing he didn't know he didn't know.

Look for book two next year, which is bound to be full of me shaking my head at how a Seattle-ite perceives my hometown of Los Angeles.

[Jon O · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one book I was looking forward to - I have known Russel since the first book, hence his return was welcome.

The problem with a book that skipped a few years of Russel's years was that it felt incomplete to begin with. What actually happened between Russel and Kevin? The narration was supposed to help but it felt more like a quick glance on the issues between them. Fans of Russel and Kevin were expected to accept the current situations they were in, without much detail.

I was expecting to read more about Russel and Kevin. However, it was disappointing to hear bits of Kevin here and there. And for the rest of the book, it was more like we had to deal with a 'lost' Russel. Kinda a downer to think that the lead of the book, who was gay, would be portrayed as someone 'lost'.

This book was missing the Kevin's part. I wanted to know what happened - between him, Russel and Colin but the book concentrated too much on Min and Gunnar, whom I was getting tired of. What the heck were they doing in the book?

[Brad]

Damn. I thought this book was going to put me back into that feel-good feeling I had when I read Geography Club back in the day, but nope.

It was nice to catch up with what Russell was up to, but I found the writing and the messages of the novel are so outdated—even though the story took place in 2014–I still don’t think some of the comments said in this book would be appropriate.

1. No, gay guys who aren’t promiscuous are not just “trying to be like everyone else.”
2. There was a comment about race I didn’t find appropriate and made me feel uncomfortable.
3. And overall, it just paints this poor picture of today’s gay person.

I would have given it two stars, but I did want to finish to find out who Russell was going to end up with. There are supposedly two more books in the series, but I think I may skip them? Haven’t decided yet. They are free on audible if you have an account with them.

[Ricky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing of import happens in this book. Nothing feels worth investing in. Nothing is at stake.

I read Geography Club. It was worth reading. This book... it snuffs out anything exciting about Russel's future and I found myself constantly asking "why am I interested in this book again?" through the last 2/3.

I finished out of misplaced obligation but for me what I didn't know I didn't know is that I didn't need to spend any money on this book. If I picked it up on vacation or at a friend's house to pass the time, maybe. I hope to sweet baby Jesus that this isn't how 20-somethings actually think. Gay Holden Caulfields these characters are not (and that cliche is overplayed already).

[Jeffrey G · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been a long, long time since I read the original series of Russel Middlebrook books, which starts with "The Geography Club". That first book is still one of the very best coming-out books ever written. This book is mediocre but somewhat likable.

First things first. I don't remember many details about the original series, but it seems like the character of Russel has changed a lot retrospectively. For example, in this book, Russel has frequent nosebleeds and we are given to understand that he always has. It's probably true but I don't remember that from the older books. Then we are told that Russel was a sort of bookish nerd in high school who was obsessed with the plays of Tennessee Williams and in fact as a freshman he had a copy of Williams' plays that he read obsessively. Again, my memory is SO foggy on those books, but I really want to call bullshit. I seem to remember Russel as being a popular jock in high school who was not at all bookish or nerdy, but rather athletic and sporty. We also hear that his relationship with Kevin was so great, but that's not how I remember it. Another nagging irritation is that in the first half of this book, Russel is very self-deprecating about his appearance, seeming very insecure. He makes comments about how much better-looking other guys are and how he cannot measure up. This seems very out of character for Russel, who has always (I think) been represented as being extremely physically attractive. In all the previous books, Russel has never had any problem attracting boys and in fact he has always seemed extremely confident that other guys would find him attractive (and he has had every reason to be confident).

Russel is a very endearing character because he is sort of dumb but he's a very nice guy. He's also very horny, in sort of a hilarious way. In this book, Russel is sometimes presented this same way, to amusing ends, but at other times he is given a totally different character. It's very weird, for example, when Russel goes off on a long rant about Rand Paul, of all people. And then he talks about watching Bill Maher. I don't believe for one second that Russel would have any idea who Rand Paul was or that he would ever watch Bill Maher. This is purely the author putting his own words into Russel's mouth and his own personal political views into his mouth. It is bad writing down to the core.

After the initial series of books, Hartinger wrote a short story about Russel that was essentially and informational text about safer sex for young gay men. It was funny and kind of sexy, but that same educational spirit seeped out into this book, and not to its benefit. Every time the subject of sex comes up, you feel that you are reading a PSA about safer sex and it's fucking boring.

Hartinger has also gotten into cancel culture for the first time, and that is a most unwelcome development. The scene where Russel has a great first date until he finds out the other guy is **gasp** a Republican (or a Libertarian) is horrible. I guess there are people who live like this, but it seems very out of character for Russel. The fact that the Republican character is a lunatic who keeps a loaded gun under his coffee table in the living room is hilariously bad. Is that what a Republican does, LOL? And of course, we know this Republican character is evil because he smokes...not weed (which of course would be good) but tobacco (which of course is pure evil done only by people I disagree with politically). This whole scene is so fucking terrible, including the bizarre rant about Dan Savage, but it is almost (almost) redeemed at the end when Russel decides to have nothing to do with this Republican scum except to fuck him quickly on the way out the door. That is the Russel Middlebrook we know and love.

At some points, Hartinger's wonderful style with its one-liners and short chapters that end with a joke or with a mini-cliffhanger are in evidence, but mostly the humor misses or is gently amusing rather than actually funny. The new characters in the book are cartoonish and dull.

I have said a lot of negative things about this book. It reads very easily and it is mostly interesting. The sex scene between Russel and Kevin is hot and Russel's other sexual escapades are very amusing.

The biggest problem with this book is that there seems to be no compelling plot. It's just sort of a slice-0f-life following Russel around in his mundane daily existence. I read this very quickly and I found it very easy to pick it up and read more, unlike some of the bad books I've read recently.

I want to add one last thing. Russel sleeps around and has one-night stand. In fact, he is a real slut. Some of us do these sorts of things in our twenties, but it is shockingly rare to read about a young gay man who "sleeps around". I love that about Russel and I love that the book portrays that, not just without judgement, but with wonderful good humor. It really is OK to have sex and enjoy it!

Bottom line: this is about what I expected, but it's far below Hartinger's best. Based on what I've read, I would say that Hartinger is one of those authors who really had one good book in him. But he's a good craftsman and he makes books that read easily and are intermittently entertaining. I like following Russel's story and I will probably read more in this series. For the general reader, I highly recommend "The Geography Club". The very first sequel to that book was pretty good but everything after that is diminishing returns.