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Pretty Dudes: The Novel (Pretty Dudes, #1)

C.S.R. Calloway (Goodreads Author)

4.43 · Rating details · 14 ratings · 9 reviews

— BASED ON THE AWARD-WINNING DIGITAL SERIES —

Meet the "cosmetic genetics": friends, lovers, and situational enemies who form a vibrant, unexpected harmony of comedy, romance, and drama.

Hector "Zario" del Rosario is excited to begin life as an independent gay man in Los Angeles, but he can’t keep his straight roommates out of his love life. After breaking up with his bo ...more

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Published July 7th 2020 by CSRC Storytelling

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Sep 01, 2020 Pam rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites-2020, aoc, authors

The question you must ask yourself before reading this book: How important is a definitive HFN to your reading enjoyment? It's pretty important to me, so I had to sit on this rating for a minute, but in the end I didn't knock any stars off because I liked it so much before the open-ended conclusion.

It's a fun, easy read that still has actual depth. It's smart. It has insightful things to say -- about diversity and POC rep, about the unintended microaggressions the gay MC experiences from his ext The question you must ask yourself before reading this book: How important is a definitive HFN to your reading enjoyment? It's pretty important to me, so I had to sit on this rating for a minute, but in the end I didn't knock any stars off because I liked it so much before the open-ended conclusion.

It's a fun, easy read that still has actual depth. It's smart. It has insightful things to say -- about diversity and POC rep, about the unintended microaggressions the gay MC experiences from his extremely loving, caring close-knit group of straight roommates/friends, about the dangers of tokenization (with both race and sexuality) -- without ever getting heavy or angsty.

There's also a lot of casual dating (mostly low-steam), and it takes quite a while before the main love interest really becomes clear. So you have to be able to enjoy the ride and not worry too much about the destination.

The book starts with the friend group dragging the MC out of the house for his first night out since a bad breakup. There is discussion of the bad romantic choices/luck of the group at large that eventually devolves into an elaborate bet over who can pick the best date for Zario. Shenanigans ensue, and we then get to watch how these dates play out each week.

To use references from the book, it's a diverse, Millenial, slightly more serious version of Friends / Living Single, if there had been a gay MC (or any queer rep atall...). So we get snippets of the love lives of all characters in the friends group, not just the MC, although it's a single POV...for the most part.

The writing style had me a little worried at first, but it settles into itself once the bet gets going. This is the novelization of a web series (written by the series creator), and the change in mediums is obvious when we're in scenes that don't involve the POV character. It mostly works, but the transitions are a little awkward and sometimes the jumps between the shorter scenes feel choppy.

I'm pretty sure this is self-published, and the author is clearly a fantastic storyteller. I did end up taking off half a star for the clash of mediums, but this is potential five-star material with a proper book editor. (And I am stingy as hell with my stars.) I liked the large cast of characters, but a few of their scenes could easily have been cut as we ramped up toward the conclusion with the MC and his love interest.

That and the final ending were the two places that felt like the author needed to make better use of the inherent advantage of books over TV shows -- no need to factor in the actors themselves. Shove everybody else to the background as your MC takes center stage for his HFN, and firm that up without worrying about which cast members are committed to season two. Embrace your literary FREEEEEDOMMMMM!!!

As it is, the ending walks right up to the line of qualifying as a tentative HFN, but doesn't quite cross it. Mostly because I never could get a sense of what's going on in the love interest's head, so it really just feels like a disaster waiting to happen. But hell, that could very well be the intent because it sure is an enticing disaster, and I'm not sure I'd be able to avoid it any better than Zario is. The physical chemistry between the two characters is sizzling and their intellectual connection is palpable. It's the emotions that remain a mystery.

And despite the lack of clarity in that ending, I would still whole-heartedly recommend this OwnVoices romcom, where the platonic friendships get just as much weight as the romantic ones, and the pretty boy millennials had me laughing even as I was cringing as they somehow managed to be both ridiculous and thought-provoking.

**This book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review via the MMRG Don’t Buy My Love Program** ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Shweta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: drama, friends-to-lovers, hfn-ending, hurt-comfort, low-on-confidence-mc, friendship

A wonderful story that celebrates the true spirit of friendship, love and what it means to be human.
Going in, I have to say that this novel is written with a show script in mind and is based on the lives of 5 guys of different ethnic backgrounds and personas, living together in LA and their neighbor friend-Eagle, who is total badass with all her military swag. It kinda seems like a modern day retelling of Friends, but in my opinion, I feel like it's so much more different in more than one aspect A wonderful story that celebrates the true spirit of friendship, love and what it means to be human.
Going in, I have to say that this novel is written with a show script in mind and is based on the lives of 5 guys of different ethnic backgrounds and personas, living together in LA and their neighbor friend-Eagle, who is total badass with all her military swag. It kinda seems like a modern day retelling of Friends, but in my opinion, I feel like it's so much more different in more than one aspect.

The gang christen themselves the 'pretty dudes' and consider their messy love lives to be doomed with what they call the pretty dude curse. Told entirely from the POV of Zario/Zee in the form of present/past accounts, the story traces how Zee met each character, how the group became a close gang and how the friends help Zee move on from a bad breakup and find someone who deserves his worth. The last part being put into motion as a high stakes bet between the other 5 dudes.

Though it takes a bit of time to get used to 6 leads and the transitions, trust me on this, you'll come to fall in love with each of them- be it Sunji's 'I need to tweak my nipples' obsession, Ellingtons 'community dick but will fight till the end for a bro' personality, Alexander's nerd banter, Eagle's badassery, Zario's list of 'synonyms for the word dick' and the different shades of Jay's strength, friendship and love.

|"Some friendships are ridiculously romantic and tender while others can be fiercely passionate and I have both in this house. I try to imagine finding someone who’s going to defend my honor, nourish and nurse me, provide support, listen to my stories, check on me, and literally fight for me like each of these four will and do, even without request. I marvel at how they love me because they want to."|

The novel highlights issues of ethnic/racial discrimination, homophobia in a very powerful and enlightening way. I also loved how the author talked about platonic intimacy and the bond that true friends share. Very well written.

|"I think as marginalized men, we have a duty to step up for those who are even more marginalized than us. And if you’re passing the mic, you’re responsible for who you do and do not pass it to.”|

This novel would make you laugh out loud at some parts, have you reflecting back on the friendships and relationships of the past as well as make you pause and think.
If the blurb has you intrigued, I seriously urge you to give this one a try.

ARC received in exchange for a honest review via the MMRG DBML program ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Anthony Blaisdell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: good-gay-shiz

I loved this book. Despite the title and what the main characters initially think, this is a story about a group of damaged goods.

“Yeah, I guess those are things that are beautiful in spite of having broken parts.”
December shakes her head in disagreement. “They’re beautiful because of their broken parts.”

There are six leads, and it's a little hard to keep track of them during the initial introductions, but I settled in pretty well by the second chapter. There's Zario, the narrator, who's clearly heartbroken but much more cynical and awkward than he would like to admit. Jay is a bruised bruiser who seems to have only two people in the world that he cares about because of a rough childhood. Sunji is a daft (but surprisingly tender) model who has hopes of becoming an actor. Ellington is the type of person who seems to have all the perfect genealogical gifts - he's gorgeous and smart - but the unfurling history with his family and his brothers shows that his personality is definitely a form of escape from what he grew up with. Alexander is the misfit in more of the typical ways (he's a socially awkward gamer), but that's subverted because of his race and the fact that he seems to have better luck in the romance department that any of them. Finally there's Eagle, their married neighbor who is presented as the Alpha Dude - the peak of awesomeness.

Zario's gay and all of his friends identify as straight. As the story continues, some of these identifiers shift in subtle and (very) explicit ways, but much is made of Zario's choice to surround himself with straight people instead of other LGBTQIA+ people, and it's clearly something he wrestles with. This all gets exacerbated by the bet that Alexander puts together, where each "Dude" sets Zario up on a date with a man they choose. There's a lot of humor in these dates, but not always in the way that I expected. These aren't bottom-barrel guys, at least, not all of them. But Zario obviously isn't ready to be dating again, no matter how much his friends want to force him into happiness.

Anything else I'd say plot-wise would delve into spoilers, so I'll just say that I was very invested in the dynamic the friends all had. Every time Jay and Alexander interacted, I was hollering with laughter, and Sunji, being the Rose/Synclaire/Joey of the group, was chock-full of entertainment. I kind of wish the book was longer just so that I could see the pairings of this character with that character just for kicks, but the story that's being told slowly begins to shave off the other characters as it heads towards its ending. And the ending was worth it. Even though this story felt like a stand-alone, I'm really hoping there's a sequel, if only to get more time with some characters. ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 C.S.R. Calloway added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: i-wrote-dis

Hi, I wrote this! Pretty Dudes: The Novel is based on the award-winning digital series and has all the great stuff from the show, plus new and exciting scenes, storylines, and moments.

💘 straight guys playing matchmaker for their gay homie
☕️ a unique chosen family
💵 a bet that puts everyone out of their comfort zones
🦄 thoughtful conversations about marginalization and intersectionality
💍 an accidental proposal
🏨 rooftop LA clubs with pools
🦚 a pretty privilege deconstruction
💪🏾 one protect ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Michael rated it it was amazing

Disclaimer: A copy of the book was provided electronically for free by the author in exchange for an honest review via the MMRG Don’t Buy My Love Program.

Pretty Dudes: The Novel, by C.S.R. Calloway, is a remarkable book adapted from a screenplay from the Pretty Dudes video series. Customarily, screenplays for movies and video series are tailored from the pages of novels, but the author has performed a much more uncommon feat by 'reverse-engineering' the process. Despite the challenges inherent t Disclaimer: A copy of the book was provided electronically for free by the author in exchange for an honest review via the MMRG Don’t Buy My Love Program.

Pretty Dudes: The Novel, by C.S.R. Calloway, is a remarkable book adapted from a screenplay from the Pretty Dudes video series. Customarily, screenplays for movies and video series are tailored from the pages of novels, but the author has performed a much more uncommon feat by 'reverse-engineering' the process. Despite the challenges inherent to writing in such a direction, Calloway has done it so well that he makes it seem as though the book might have been written first. His mechanics are flawless, and that's quite an achievement.

At first blush, one might think that the story will be about a bunch of pretty, narcissistic young men. That aspect is in there, but the narrative goes far beyond initial appearances. Just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't judge these guys by the title. At various points in the story, the main characters will surprise you with their care and consideration for each other and their giving, even sacrificial actions. Like any other shared house full of testosterone-infused young men, there are bound to be disagreements and conflicts which put their friendships and group mentality to the test, but this makeshift fraternity just may have enough depth of character to keep together.

The story centers around photographer Zario, a gay Angeleno in a deep depression over the breakup with an abusive ex. When Zario moves into a vacant room in a North Hollywood house, he joins his old college friend Alexander and two other strangers in cohabitation. One of the strangers, a Japanese-American actor named Sunji, has already met Zario, who'd been gawking at Sunji's lines in the gym and at his built, Black friend Ellington. Lucky for Zario, the two straight men are gay-friendly and unoffended. Coincidentally, it's Ellington's old vacant room into which Zario moves, and the four, plus a stocky Korean who's known as Jay, form a fabulous fivesome whose fortune in aesthetic genetics is outdone only by their drinking games and close personal camaraderie. Their neighbor, a married woman going by Eagle, joins the group as an auxiliary friend but an essential and honorary 'dude' nonetheless.

Alexander organizes a contest to help Zario back into the swing of life and male dating. The four straight men each have gay acquaintances (this is L.A., after all) who become their own candidates for Zario to meet, and they each hope that Zario will pick their personal selection to win a lucrative bet. The book details the ins and outs of these dates, all within the context of the bond among the house members, and it features lots of surprises along the way. Eagle plays a key role in balancing out the guys, and Ellington's gay brother Marshall, barely collegiate age, is an 'out' and friendly ally to the reserved Zario. Will Zario withstand the gauntlet of these guys' tough love, including that of the exasperating Jay? Which, if any, date will Zario end up choosing?

The message contained in the story is more than the dates and the other shenanigans perpetrated by the housemates. Calloway directs the readers to ponder their own attitudes toward happiness, faith, goals in life, and sexuality. He reminds us that we are all works in progress and beautiful in our own ways, broken parts included. The Dudes may be pretty, but they're far from flawless, and they are discovering their own paths in life concurrently with Zario. The prettiest parts of them may not even be their physical attributes but their love and care for each other.

Calloway's writing style may take some getting used to, mostly because there are so many guys in a group setting, but it works for this type of story. He never loses the attribution assignments, either stated or implied by context, while the dialogue spools out fast and furious. Once the reader adjusts to the pace and the order within the cacophony, the story holds together and it becomes more intriguing with every chapter. A salient feature of a good storyteller is the ability to engender empathy for the characters in the minds of the readers, and Calloway does that with aplomb. The point of view is first-person present tense (narrated by Zario), which keeps the action hopping and adds a freshness and verve uncommon to novels and hard to pull off. Calloway, genius that he is, manages to win with this approach. To augment the dazzle, he sprinkles the narrative with vocabulary words which impress even the most seasoned lexicographer and the most cunning linguist.

Enjoy the humor in this book as well, because there's plenty of it, both overt and in the form of jokes which are inside enough to make the reader feel privileged upon 'getting' them. Foreshadowing and irony abound, and these literary devices should be assimilated by even the more casual or skimming reader. But, I wouldn't limit myself to skimming along the surface of this one, for you'd miss a lot of juicy detail. One might, especially in the first part of the novel, be tempted to dismiss the dialogue as unrealistic and the events as implausible. "Nobody talks like that...Nobody does those kinds of things," I can hear critics bemoan. Well, guess what? The novel, even though framed as contemporary, realistic fiction, doesn't suffer from such treatment. On the contrary, it embellishes the story and makes it entertaining like we've rarely seen. Pretty Dudes is not supposed to come off as a documentary; it's fiction. It only has to be as lifelike as a surrealist painting. It doesn't have to be a literal depiction or portrayal. At various times it strays into the realm of caricature, of exaggeration, of hyperbole, but, like that surrealist painting, it gives the appreciators of such art the themes and ideas communicated by the creator and reinforced by such emphasis. Calloway has created a literary Picasso here.

By all means, order and read this novel! Moreover, subscribe to the channels which feature the Pretty Dudes books and video series, because these guys really grow on you! In reading and watching, you might find yourself looking at others, and yourself, in a whole new, deeper way. ...more

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Aug 11, 2020 Amber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-m-m-contemporary

3.5 rounded up. When I got to the end of this I wasn't sure what to think of the book. I wasn't thrilled with the ending of this book but it for the most part I did enjoy reading it. There is a lot of humor and I love alot of the characters. I like the group dynamic of all friends and the interconnecting relationships between them. They are caring of each other but at times the relationships get messy as well. Four straight guys and the next door neighbor trying to set up their gay friend is a f ...more

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Nov 12, 2020 CLIFFORD BROWN rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What I needed

I enjoyed the book as well as the show, if you haven’t watched the show do yourself a favor and watch. This booked really helped me distract myself from all the bs going on in the world.

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Jul 26, 2020 Aza Gise rated it it was amazing

I couldn't put it down! It's a great read. I don't wanna give spoilers but you definitely won't regret buying this book. ...more

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Jul 19, 2020 chrs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-reads

tell me why I had forgot about the daughter of eve!!!! if ever I die from anything absurd, it'll be from laughing at that scene at an inappropriate time (which I always am), or from thinking about how mortifyingly similar I am to one zario del rosario ...more

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About C.S.R. Calloway

C.S.R. Calloway

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Chance Sion-Raize Calloway is the author of several novels and book series including The Charismatic Chronicles, The Neverland Novellas, and The Gay Man’s Guide to Heterosexual Weddings. Calloway founded CSRC Storytelling for printed media in 2012 with a passion for creating and promoting stories that change how people see themselves and the world around them

In 2015, Calloway created the digital s ...more

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Why not focus on some serious family drama? Not yours, of course, but a fictional family whose story you can follow through the generations of...

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“I’m surrounded by an incalculable amount of love in this place and I am forced to confront the paradox that is platonic intimacy.
All that they give me is still not enough.” — 1 likes

“They’re beautiful because of their broken parts.” — 0 likes

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