Candy Everybody Wants

Reading kind of like a VH1-style "I Love the 80's" special on steroids, "Candy Everyone Wants" is a madcap, extremely "over-the-top" story of a rather eventful year in the life of Jayson Blocher, a joyously flamboyantly gay boy from a small town in Wisconsin. A series of events lead to his leaving home to go to Manhattan and live with his estranged father, who runs an escort agency for men who want to spend time with Broadway chorus boys. Jason meets Devlin, a slightly older boy who starred in a popular sitcom and whom Jason had a longtime crush on, and he gets to sample a bit of fame by appearing in a popular series of television commercials. Subsequent events have both Jayson and Devlin on the lam and living on the streets of Chelsea, while his family and friends make an unexpected visit and Jayson waits to hear if he will be co-starring in a sitcom of its own. Throw in a few homophobic bible-thumpers, a kidnapping, a betrayal from someone whom he thought was a friend, and a realization that the life of an actor is not always a bed of roses, and you have a rollicking good time of a novel, written in a fast-paced, very witty manner that can cause a bit of "whiplash" whenever you try to put the book down for a while. So don't put it down ... it's a fun, light read. Five stars out of five.

Author Josh Kilmer-Purcell created a cast of funny, goofy, scary, warm & fuzzy characters in "Candy Everybody Wants". He writes believably about teens long after he was a teen. He describes Toni, a single mom without all the answers. Mr. Kilmer-Purcell isn't a Mom, and he's no longer single. But his words make you root for Toni. I wanted a woman to be the writer of this book. But now I get it: Mr. Kilmer-Purcell is a brilliant, captivating author. His characters are believable, and always entertaining. You should enjoy reading this book.

Kilmer-Purcell does a great job evoking the early 80's AND 12-year-old gay angst in suburban America. Rollicking cast of characters and continuously surprising plot. Hidden among the hijinx and camp are some deep statements about family, relationships, and trust.