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Boston Boys Club
Flanked by gorgeous brick row houses in the heart of Boston's South End, the Club Café is a bar where everybody knows your name--and who you slept with last. Every night men like Tommy Perez, Rico DiMio, and Kyle Andrews take their place among the glistening crowd sporting chest-defining shirts and lots of smooth, tanned skin, sizing up the regulars and the new blood while TV monitors blare Beyoncé and Missy Elliott.
For Tommy, Thursdays at the Club Café in the company of his wingman Rico and a Skinny Black Bitch (vodka and Diet Coke) are unmissable. Recently relocated from Miami to Boston to take a reporting job at The Boston Daily, Tommy is finding it hard to break away from his tight-knit Cuban family, but his homesickness goes into rapid remission when he meets Mikey, a blue-eyed, boyish guidance counselor from Cape Cod. Smart, funny, and wicked cute, Mikey is perfect boyfriend material. . .until his drinking leads Tommy to suspect that he's got some issues of his own. Rico--a tough-talking, Italian-American accountant with a gamma ray smile and mournful green eyes that hint at a past he'll admit to no one--is sure Mikey is bad news, but to Rico any relationship that lasts longer than three hours sounds like bad news. Then there's Kyle, the lean, preening model and former reality show star who makes a red-carpet entrance into the CC every Thursday as if a swarm of cameras still follows his every move, but whose real life is about to take a dramatic turn he never anticipated.
Over the course of one unforgettable year, Tommy is forced to rethink everything he's ever believed about life, lust, and love. And in the Club Café, a place filled with endless possibilities--of stumbling upon the perfect partner, the perfect story idea, or just a play buddy for the night--Tommy might finally discover the person he was meant to be.
"Make way for the boys of summer! Johnny Diaz has written a sexy beach-read romp you won't be able to put down."
--William J. Mann, author of Where the Boys Are and All American Boy
For Tommy, Thursdays at the Club Café in the company of his wingman Rico and a Skinny Black Bitch (vodka and Diet Coke) are unmissable. Recently relocated from Miami to Boston to take a reporting job at The Boston Daily, Tommy is finding it hard to break away from his tight-knit Cuban family, but his homesickness goes into rapid remission when he meets Mikey, a blue-eyed, boyish guidance counselor from Cape Cod. Smart, funny, and wicked cute, Mikey is perfect boyfriend material. . .until his drinking leads Tommy to suspect that he's got some issues of his own. Rico--a tough-talking, Italian-American accountant with a gamma ray smile and mournful green eyes that hint at a past he'll admit to no one--is sure Mikey is bad news, but to Rico any relationship that lasts longer than three hours sounds like bad news. Then there's Kyle, the lean, preening model and former reality show star who makes a red-carpet entrance into the CC every Thursday as if a swarm of cameras still follows his every move, but whose real life is about to take a dramatic turn he never anticipated.
Over the course of one unforgettable year, Tommy is forced to rethink everything he's ever believed about life, lust, and love. And in the Club Café, a place filled with endless possibilities--of stumbling upon the perfect partner, the perfect story idea, or just a play buddy for the night--Tommy might finally discover the person he was meant to be.
"Make way for the boys of summer! Johnny Diaz has written a sexy beach-read romp you won't be able to put down."
--William J. Mann, author of Where the Boys Are and All American Boy
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Johnny Diaz
7 books34 followersJohnny Diaz is a Cuban-American author of contemporary gay fiction. He is also a breaking news reporter at The New York Times. Prior to that, he was a features reporter at the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, a reporter at The Boston Globe and The Miami Herald, his hometown newspaper. He loves to hike in Boston's Blue Hills or run in South Florida when he's not reading or writing.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 7, 2019
An interesting insight into urban gay life. I say that because, though I'm sure it is very true to life for some it's not my experience. The boys hang out at the local gay bar, looking for love, or at least some fun for the night. As someone who has never hung out in the bars I have difficulty relating to some of the boys experiences. I, unlike Tommy, found the love of my life without the headaches. I've never been as reluctant as Rico to be open to love, nor do I think I'm as self absorbed as Kyle. I'm sure I know or have know people very much like each of these characters so I'm sure many people will relate to their stories.
February 9, 2020
If this was a mystery novel, it would be The Case of the Missing Editor. I can only wonder what debt was incurred (or paid off) having Scott Heim blurb this drafty mess ("Smart" Scott? Really?)
An example from page 3 of extremely poor writing (as part of history of Boston): "Like the Puritans who first arrived here centuries ago, Boston today remains a city of immigrants." One meaning to be extracted from this sentence is that the Puritans are a city of immigrants. Often one can grasp what Diaz is trying to say, even if he does not manage to say it. The sentence above can be improved if it began with something like "Starting with the Puritans who ...". That grammatical simple fix, however, does not mask the underlying inanity which pervades the text. Tell me, is there any US city which is NOT a city of immigrants?
A couple more examples from the first few pages (and then I stopped paying attention). Page 15: more simile confusion. In fact the confusion here is almost infinite. Describing an ex who was a serial liar: "And the list goes on and on almost infinitely like the math pie [sic] sign." Well other reviewers here use the word "juvenile", and I would have to agree. This sentence might have been written by a poor student in grade 7 or 8, who has heard of pi, but doesn't quite know what it means or how it should be spelled, but grasps that it is somehow connected to the concept of infinity. Pi has something to do with infinity, right?
Was this text even edited? You have to wonder.
My last sad example is just poor writing. We've shifted now into Rico's chapter, he's just had sex with a trick and needs to clean up: "I clean the white liquidity spill flowing on my abs..." Has any gay man in the history of the world ever dealt with a "white liquidity spill"? Rico is a matter of fact character, who would have just wiped up the cum and got the trick out of his house. Do we need to know he used a Bounty paper towel to perform this routine task? The brand given for every item in the novel was ridiculous, and really really sad.
We learn late in the book that Boston is 16% Hispanic. You would never know this from the characters given to us. Black characters are non-existent. This is one of those gay books which exist in a kind of fantasy dimension, where everyone is young and has a perfect body. If anyone else intrudes, they are dismissed as "trolls" and never glanced at again.
Diaz does try to tackle the topic of alcoholism, so deserves some credit there, even if a character can sit in a bar chugging vodka and diet coke and say someone else has a problem with alcohol. Denial takes many forms. I also wondered about everyone's perfect body, as they drank beer and sugary drinks, ate brownies and macaroni and cheese. More fantasy, I suppose, a world where mayo is one of the food groups, and six packs are only 3 crunches away.
Overall, Diaz could have had a presentable, predictable, trashy beach read here, if only the final polished version had been published, and not an early draft. As a final snarky comment, when going through security, you don't empty your wallet into the bin. You empty your pockets.
An example from page 3 of extremely poor writing (as part of history of Boston): "Like the Puritans who first arrived here centuries ago, Boston today remains a city of immigrants." One meaning to be extracted from this sentence is that the Puritans are a city of immigrants. Often one can grasp what Diaz is trying to say, even if he does not manage to say it. The sentence above can be improved if it began with something like "Starting with the Puritans who ...". That grammatical simple fix, however, does not mask the underlying inanity which pervades the text. Tell me, is there any US city which is NOT a city of immigrants?
A couple more examples from the first few pages (and then I stopped paying attention). Page 15: more simile confusion. In fact the confusion here is almost infinite. Describing an ex who was a serial liar: "And the list goes on and on almost infinitely like the math pie [sic] sign." Well other reviewers here use the word "juvenile", and I would have to agree. This sentence might have been written by a poor student in grade 7 or 8, who has heard of pi, but doesn't quite know what it means or how it should be spelled, but grasps that it is somehow connected to the concept of infinity. Pi has something to do with infinity, right?
Was this text even edited? You have to wonder.
My last sad example is just poor writing. We've shifted now into Rico's chapter, he's just had sex with a trick and needs to clean up: "I clean the white liquidity spill flowing on my abs..." Has any gay man in the history of the world ever dealt with a "white liquidity spill"? Rico is a matter of fact character, who would have just wiped up the cum and got the trick out of his house. Do we need to know he used a Bounty paper towel to perform this routine task? The brand given for every item in the novel was ridiculous, and really really sad.
We learn late in the book that Boston is 16% Hispanic. You would never know this from the characters given to us. Black characters are non-existent. This is one of those gay books which exist in a kind of fantasy dimension, where everyone is young and has a perfect body. If anyone else intrudes, they are dismissed as "trolls" and never glanced at again.
Diaz does try to tackle the topic of alcoholism, so deserves some credit there, even if a character can sit in a bar chugging vodka and diet coke and say someone else has a problem with alcohol. Denial takes many forms. I also wondered about everyone's perfect body, as they drank beer and sugary drinks, ate brownies and macaroni and cheese. More fantasy, I suppose, a world where mayo is one of the food groups, and six packs are only 3 crunches away.
Overall, Diaz could have had a presentable, predictable, trashy beach read here, if only the final polished version had been published, and not an early draft. As a final snarky comment, when going through security, you don't empty your wallet into the bin. You empty your pockets.
October 14, 2012
As I sat reading the book "Boston Boys Club" by Johnny Diaz, I kept asking myself, is this what we have come to; or rather, is this what our society harnesses? A book about commercialism, pop culture references, and alcoholism is supposed to represent "the Boston gay community". It's supposed to represent me?
It could be possible that I am placing too much credit in the hands of Mr. Diaz on what inevitably might be an insurmountable undertaking. It became clear after 4 pages in that English is not his first language. The writing is repetitive, juvenile, messy, and depends on the reader's knowledge of pop culture references to progress the story along. As with most immigrants who come to this country, Mr. Diaz seems to cling to some of the "American" things that he encountered upon first arriving. Most of his music and fashion choices for his characters were dated severely prior to the 2007 timeline here (i.e. "Top Gun", "Nautica", "Gloria Estefan"), and he tends to use dates to remind us of this fact. More so, was there ever a timeline in this story? One short chapter (it's definitely for the reader who gets exhausted after 8 pages and has to put the book down to take a rest) has the characters bemoaning snow, and then the next thing you know it's a beautiful spring day! One minute, we're in Providence or Miami and then, with the turn of the page, we're back in Boston.
The 3 storytellers (Tommy, Kyle & Rico) are two-dimensional, sex driven, vain, and highly commercial. "Why do you love me?" "Porn. Porn. Porn" and "Boo-yah" are actual lines in the dialogue. The three characters move in and around the city of Miami and "Spanglish" so often, I am almost confused as to who is narrating at times and why their story is relevant. The main character, Tommy, is supposed to be an introduction to this culture for his friends. But Rico & Kyle seem to have basic Spanish down pat.
I feel as if I am missing something. Oh that's right! I'm missing the time I could have had reading something other than this piece of garbage Johnny Diaz is touting as fiction. It's an embarrassment to the Boston gay community that this even would sell, let alone garner positive reviews from William J Mann (who is a far superior writer, I might add). It's no wonder his next book is being set in Miami. Mr. Diaz doesn't appear to know how to get out of his comfort level with his dialogue, much less establish much a plot that lasts longer than a Living/Arts article for the newspaper. Extremely disappointing!
It could be possible that I am placing too much credit in the hands of Mr. Diaz on what inevitably might be an insurmountable undertaking. It became clear after 4 pages in that English is not his first language. The writing is repetitive, juvenile, messy, and depends on the reader's knowledge of pop culture references to progress the story along. As with most immigrants who come to this country, Mr. Diaz seems to cling to some of the "American" things that he encountered upon first arriving. Most of his music and fashion choices for his characters were dated severely prior to the 2007 timeline here (i.e. "Top Gun", "Nautica", "Gloria Estefan"), and he tends to use dates to remind us of this fact. More so, was there ever a timeline in this story? One short chapter (it's definitely for the reader who gets exhausted after 8 pages and has to put the book down to take a rest) has the characters bemoaning snow, and then the next thing you know it's a beautiful spring day! One minute, we're in Providence or Miami and then, with the turn of the page, we're back in Boston.
The 3 storytellers (Tommy, Kyle & Rico) are two-dimensional, sex driven, vain, and highly commercial. "Why do you love me?" "Porn. Porn. Porn" and "Boo-yah" are actual lines in the dialogue. The three characters move in and around the city of Miami and "Spanglish" so often, I am almost confused as to who is narrating at times and why their story is relevant. The main character, Tommy, is supposed to be an introduction to this culture for his friends. But Rico & Kyle seem to have basic Spanish down pat.
I feel as if I am missing something. Oh that's right! I'm missing the time I could have had reading something other than this piece of garbage Johnny Diaz is touting as fiction. It's an embarrassment to the Boston gay community that this even would sell, let alone garner positive reviews from William J Mann (who is a far superior writer, I might add). It's no wonder his next book is being set in Miami. Mr. Diaz doesn't appear to know how to get out of his comfort level with his dialogue, much less establish much a plot that lasts longer than a Living/Arts article for the newspaper. Extremely disappointing!
January 9, 2013
Boston Boys Club is told through a first-person narration of three different characters in Boston's gay community. Mr. Diaz deftly captures the flavor and local gay Boston scene, taking readers to some favorite club haunts such as Club Cafe (where a good chunk of the book takes place) and some of Boston's more colorful neighborhoods - South End, Dorchester "DOT" and Harvard Square. The writing is descriptive and detailed. You feel like you're touring Boston.
Each character, all in their late 20s, juggle various issues. Tommy, the lead narrator, is a Cuban journalist getting to know Boston after relocating from Miami. He falls in love with a cute school teacher who has alcohol issues.
Tommy's bestfriend Rico is an Italian hunk with a fear of commitment but he loves hooking up. And flamboyant Kyle, the outlier of the group, is a reality TV model looking for his next big thing. (He is the funniest of three and steals the scenes.)
This is a fast, fun read and an honest look at being young and gay today, in a city like Boston. I just wish there weren't so many brand name-drops (Old Navy shirts, Pottery Barn couch, Bounty papertowels, etc) because it slowed down the read. And the author described the Bawston accent by spelling it out (fahr, cahr, etc.) That got annoying. Overall, an honest look at gay life.
Each character, all in their late 20s, juggle various issues. Tommy, the lead narrator, is a Cuban journalist getting to know Boston after relocating from Miami. He falls in love with a cute school teacher who has alcohol issues.
Tommy's bestfriend Rico is an Italian hunk with a fear of commitment but he loves hooking up. And flamboyant Kyle, the outlier of the group, is a reality TV model looking for his next big thing. (He is the funniest of three and steals the scenes.)
This is a fast, fun read and an honest look at being young and gay today, in a city like Boston. I just wish there weren't so many brand name-drops (Old Navy shirts, Pottery Barn couch, Bounty papertowels, etc) because it slowed down the read. And the author described the Bawston accent by spelling it out (fahr, cahr, etc.) That got annoying. Overall, an honest look at gay life.
March 21, 2013
I'm torn on this one. I bought it while on vacation in Boston. The writing was pretty bad, and I didn't like that there were three narratives all writing in first person. I didn't think that the narrators had distinct enough perspectives or inner monologues, they all sounded like the same person writing in his diary. I also didn't get why Kyle was a narrator. I liked Kyle but his story was pretty separate from the other two and not necessary for the main plots. There were also a lot of serious themes - HIV, alcoholism, cheating - but I didn't think that the author was a strong enough writer to command them all. As a whole I was disappointed, but I did like that there was a happy ending. With better editing and feedback before getting published I think the book would have been better. I would be interesting in seeing more with these characters though, they really grew on me by the end of the book.
November 17, 2007
I just moved to Boston, and this was interesting for me to read, and get a little insight to the gay culture. To be able to go to the places mentioned in the book, like Club Cafe. The characters are kind of boring and one dimensional, but overall it was a fun read for the summer. If I wasn't currently, or have never lived in Boston, I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.
August 30, 2011
Wasn't my most favorite book. I appreciated the Boston background. I did not care for the basic writing, nor did I care for the constant dropping of name brands. Felt like entire paragraphs were written to talk about Old navy...
January 9, 2013
a fun, non-tragic look at a young gay man's social life and struggles. Finally someone writes a book that isn't about how sad or tragic being gay is. it's almost as if it was written by a straight girl about her and her girlfriend's tribulations and trysts.
good read.
good read.
July 24, 2007
Read my review here: http://tinyurl.com/32v74b
April 3, 2008
Q.A.F. all over again. Kinda hot though;)
January 15, 2009
Interesting view of Boston gay life--some true, mostly not true
July 9, 2016
To the person who had to edit and revise this. You.had.one.job.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews