Summer Stock

This novel is lightened by its hometown theater festival setting and grounded by the difficult issues in the protagonists’ backgrounds, but marred by a stereotyped superficiality around their ways of coping. Actor Ryan Hertzog, seeking an escape after too much bad press for Hollywood wildness, goes to North Carolina to perform in his cousin’s summer stock troupe under an assumed name. Show tech Trey Donovan can’t believe his luck in maintaining Ryan’s interest after the margaritas wear off. But Trey behaves erratically as he processes the trauma and guilt that come up in his first attempt to date after being abused by a partner, and Ryan has some career decisions to make about coming out, as the paparazzi have a field day after catching the men together. Sweet sex scenes communicate desire and connection, and North (Roller Girl) does well by the community with her portrayal of Ryan, a bisexual man who has a deep nonsexual friendship with a woman and an unapologetic romantic connection to a man. That said, her storytelling style feels targeted to female readers rather than to bi and gay men hoping to see themselves in a romance. (May)