The Rise and the Fall of a Theater Geek by Seth Rudetsky

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers 

Publication Date: June 23rd, 2015

Edition: eARC Pages: ?

Purchase: Book Depository
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 stars)

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Summary

The shows, the neon lights . . . the cute chorus boys! It's where Justin has always wanted to be--and now, with a winter internship for a famous actor, he finally has his chance to shine. If only he could ditch his kind, virtuous, upright, and--dare he say it?—uptight boyfriend, Spencer. But once the internship begins, Justin has more to worry about than a cramped single-guy-in-the-city style. Instead of having his moment in the spotlight, he's a not-so-glorified errand boy. Plus, Spencer is hanging out with a celebra-hottie, Justin's best friend Becky isn't speaking to him, and his famous actor boss seems headed for flopdom. Justin's tap-dancing as fast as he can, but all his wit and sass might not be enough to switch his time in New York from nightmare-terrible to dream-come-true terrific (goodreads).

What I Thought

This book had a rocky start for me. The main character Justin is pretentious and annoying at times and reminded me a lot of first season Rachel from Glee. The good thing is that the book got better. Justin is an openly gay teenager with a boyfriend and is very comfortable in his own skin. I like that this book didn't focus on Justin's sexuality. Justin is out and honest about who he is and crushes on boys just as hard as any teen girl would.

Justin also has great friends that complement his ostentatious personality. Spencer and Becky are the friends that take no crap, they make Justin see how controlling and manipulative he is and call him out for it. This is where things get even better.

Justin has to participate in an internship to earn credit towards graduation. Being the theater geek that he is Justin secures a Broadway internship for him and his friends with different companies. Justin furthers his rise in Broadway when he randomly meets a rising star at a musical and decides to intern for him.

The internships aren't what any of the three friends thought they would be but through it all Justin learns how to control himself and be a better friend, solves a mystery, and got the Broadway internship of his dreams..

If you love Broadway, mystery, shenanigans, or just want a fun and fluffy read I would say give this book a shot!