Review: A  Charming, Funny Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 5, 2012
4.5 Stars.  Galley Proof is not your average romance.  If you are looking for something that is going to sweep you up like a grand romantic movie, you should look elsewhere.  This is the story of Logan Brandish, a popular author who is suffering from severe writer's block.  He's also involved in a safe relationship with a boring man who sells boxes and finds the subject fascinating.  (BTW, Box Boyfriend is my favorite character.)  He lives with his roommate Janey, and he's steeped in ritual, his routines a product of a crazy disorganized mother.  Life is slowly passing him by until he meets his new editor, Brock Kimble, and becomes caught up in him and their budding relationship.  As in real life, though, things do not go smoothly.  Logan learns some lessons, has some experiences, and ends up in a good place in the end.Even though a lot of the elements in this book are over-the-top, this book feels real.  There are some eccentric personalities and some ridiculous situations (of which I will take issue to later), but things do not occur in a linear fashion, like some books that like to wrap things up in a neat little bow.  Logan is flawed.  He knows where he wants to go, but he's having a hell of a time getting there.  This is clearly a journey of self-discovery, and luckily Logan has the means to spend some time figuring out who and what he wants.  It is clear in this book, as in his others, that Arvin is a talented writer.  He's clever and makes funny veiled references and spouts some old-man judgments on the rise of technology, among other things.  In the process, he creates a character that we really like.  I was happy to follow Logan through his nutty adventures because I cared about him, and I wanted him to find happiness.  I liked Brock too, but the romance wasn't the big deal for me.  This was Logan's story, and while it was filled with delightful supporting characters, he was what held my interest.  It was also superWhile I had some issues with some of he unnecessary side stories, the thing that pushes Arvin's books above the rest is always his writing.  It's just really good.  He's the master of descriptive language, which really brings the book to life.  He has kind of a quirky writing style.  It's full of fragments and sentences that end on prepositions and all of the stuff that tell you not to do in English class.  But the result is that it feels less like a movie script and more how people really speak.  It helps to make connections to the characters and situations. This book shows the progression he has made as an author, and I only see him continuing to wow us in the future.