Review: One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

Funny and heartfelt, One Man Guy brings to mind the raucous family humor and gentle romance of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as told with David Sedaris–style wit

Alek Khederian should have guessed something was wrong when his parents took him to a restaurant. Everyone knows that Armenians never eat out. Between bouts of interrogating the waitress and criticizing the menu, Alek’s parents announce that he’ll be attending summer school in order to bring up his grades. Alek is sure this experience will be the perfect hellish end to his hellish freshman year of high school. He never could’ve predicted that he’d meet someone like Ethan.

Ethan is everything Alek wishes he were: confident, free-spirited, and irreverent. He can’t believe a guy this cool wants to be his friend. And before long, it seems like Ethan wants to be more than friends. Alek has never thought about having a boyfriend—he’s barely ever had a girlfriend—but maybe it’s time to think again.

One Man Guy deserves a big, squishy hug! Seriously! This book is so adorable and made me so happy, I just need to squeeze something! Alek is at an Italian restaurant with his family, which has him highly suspicious. His parents are trying to soften the blow of having signed him up for summer school in order to improve his English and Algebra grades so that he can take honors classes the next year. Not only does he have to spend his summer at school, but he doesn’t get to go to tennis camp or on his family vacation! But, having his family leave him behind turns out to be the best thing for Alek. It’s a summer he’ll never forget.

I loved One Man Guy from the opening scene. I don’t know much about Armenian culture, but I found that scene entertaining and educational! I imagine Alek’s parents are where Armenian stereotypes come from! They’re clearly nice, loving people, but they are so difficult! So many rules and expectations! Alek is proud of his heritage, but he does feel restricted by it. I loved watching him consider who he is as an individual, without just jumping into what’s popular and cool, since that’s not him either. He finds a balance between his culture and who he wants to be, partly thanks to Ethan.

I adored Ethan! He’s the sexy, skater, bad boy, but he’s not a jerk! I admit, I was kind of expecting him to be an asshole, but he’s not! He’s so nice, and he’s already out, so there’s no big conflict about his sexuality. He actually talks about his feelings! And he likes Alek for who he is and doesn’t try to change him, only helps him change for himself. I was like AAWWW! Their romance is just so sweet and adorable and I wanted to climb into the pages and pinch their cheeks!

I also adored Becky! She’s Alek’s BFF, who’s obsessed with movies and rollerblading. Their friendship was just awesome. There is a bit of awkwardness in the beginning, because of some misunderstanding, but they don’t let it ruin the friendship. Becky isn’t that friend who gets mad when Alek gets into a relationship. She also isn’t that friend who tries to insert herself as the most important, and I liked that. She doesn’t let Alek forget about her or blow her off, and she makes an effort to include Ethan in their plans and get to know him. High five Becky!

I really loved everything about One Man Guy. While the romance was the focus, the story also touches on several other themes including racism, family, and integrity. It’s just a very cute, feel good book.

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