The Tuxedo Society

 Paul Rudnick

Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Mystery Thriller + LGBTQ+

I chose The Tuxedo Society from NetGalley expecting it to be a fun, campy queer spy adventure, and to be fair, it is all that, but just not the way I was hoping it would be. The premise sounds great with a secret society of queer spies who operate with all the glamour, wit, and high-stakes missions. The concept is a mixture of espionage and comedy. I think it is a strong concept, but the execution feels uneven.

It is safe to say that the biggest strength of the book is its humor when it is relevant to the situation. There are genuinely funny moments scattered throughout, with witty dialogue and absurd situations that fully embrace the ridiculousness of the premise. The writing is obviously leaning heavily into satire—not taking itself seriously. 

The book has an extremely campy tone, which can be a hit or a miss depending on your taste. The plot can be over the top and at times lean towards absurdity, which is all intentional. So, in other words, the story requires a complete suspension of disbelief. Don’t expect grounded storytelling here.

The pace is very fast, and you will find characters jumping from one mission to another before you can blink your eyes. I think readers who enjoy fast-paced stories might appreciate that, but I personally felt things were a bit messy, chaotic, and at times difficult to follow. I felt overwhelmed quite often and had to question why things were all over the place.

In terms of the characters, strangely, the main character felt underdeveloped. A few of the secondary ones felt more interesting to me than the protagonist. I just wish the author had invested more in building these characters. The reliance on gay stereotypes didn’t help the story, and I feel it backfired. There is also a heavy dose of pop culture references, which can get exhausting if you are not into that. 

In the end, this is one of those books that will strongly depend on your tolerance for absurdity. For me, it lands somewhere in the middle: entertaining but messy, funny but inconsistent. A 2.5-star read feels right—it’s not bad, but it never quite comes together into something truly satisfying. If you’re in the mood for something loud, chaotic, and unserious, it might work for you. Otherwise, this could be a frustrating ride.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Key Themes

• Identity
• Self-Acceptance
• Queer
• Camp
• Friendship
• Espionage
• Adventure