Publisher; W.I. Creative Publishing
date of publication: April 2017
Sebastian Hart has dealt with a lifetime of goodbyes. And
now, a year after his husband Frank’s death, the forty-year-old chorus boy
still blames himself. After all, Sebastian started the argument that night over
one of Frank’s former date items, someone younger than Sebastian who still
wanted Frank.
Challenged by his best friend, the quirky ex-Rockettes
dancer Chloe, Sebastian struggles toward his dream of becoming a choreographer
and grapples with romantic feelings for Reid, a new student in his tap class.
Ultimately, Sebastian begins to wonder whether it’s his
imagination, or not, that Frank’s ghost is here, warning him that he daren’t
move on with another love. He questions the truth: Is death really the final
goodbye?
”Ricard offers a thoughtful debut novel . . . The
narrative is endearing and impressively assured, and it will be an entertaining
treat for fans of LGBT romantic fiction.” –Kirkus Reviews
”A magical, witty, and endearing story that taps deeply
into your heart.” –Casey Nicholaw, Tony-award winning Director-Choreographer of The
Book of Mormon, Aladdin, and Something Rotten!
In The Truth About Goodbye, Sebastian struggles with his grief over the loss of his husband a year earlier. He also is struggling with turning 40 and aging out of the chorus boy roles that are available on Broadway. I really wanted to love this one, but in the end it kind of fell short for me.
Let me start by saying that I thought the author did a wonderful job of showing Sebastian working through his grief. I personally have not lost a spouse, but I have watched a close friend go through it and it is devastating. I think that part was what I liked most about the book as that was well written. I was really rooting for him to work through his grief and be happy again.
But in the end, I had a hard time connecting with the story. I didn't feel like the characters were genuine and were almost too quirky. I'm not sure if people are really like that in the theater world, but it just came across as overly comical. I also didn't like the "romance" part of it. I didn't feel the connection between Sebastian and Reid. The addition of the many pop culture references took me out of the story and I fear they will really date the book in the future.
While this story wasn't for me, I do think this is worth giving it a shot. This is a debut book and I would like to see what Mr. Ricard comes up with next.
Purchase Links
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About Russell Ricard
Russell Ricard is a veteran musical theater
performer who s appeared in regional, national, and international productions
and on Broadway. He received his MFA in creative writing from The New School. The
Truth About Goodbye is his debut novel. He lives in Forest Hills, NY,
with his husband, cat, and a lovingly supportive stand-up desk named Ruth.
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Connect with Russell
Russell Ricard’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, May 16th: A
Book A Week
Wednesday, May 17th: Bibliotica
Monday, May 22nd: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, May 23rd: Read Day and Night
Friday, May 26th: Satisfaction for Insatiable
Readers
Tuesday, May 3oth: Suzy
Approved
Thursday, June 1st: 50 Books Project
Categories: Uncategorized
I agree that the characters often felt like caricatures of actual people. It made them difficult to connect with, especially when I really wanted to root for them.
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