Candy Everybody Wants by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

Maybe every fabulously gay boy in Small Town USA dreams of exchanging their humdrum life for the fast-paced exciting world of television, but few dream those dreams with as much passion as Jayson Blocher (Jayson with a Y for some extra flair). His life in Wisconsin is nothing like what he sees on TV, no sex appeal, no high drama, no laughtrack. He cannot wait to get out of there.

He has that chance when his mother ships him off to New York City to meet his father. There, Jayson meets Devlin Williamson, a child star that Jayson has long had a crush on. A lucky break lands Jayson a television commercial, which in turn lands him a pilot, and suddenly Jayson's dreams of being a big TV star don't seem so far off, not that they ever really did of course.

This is an entertaining romp through the mind of a gay boy obsessed with how much better his life will be once he's famous. It's the early 80s, and life just can't measure up to what Jayson sees on the TV. After all, there's no such thing as reality TV.

But his quest for fame will be hampered along the way by a gay hooker ring, a kidnapping, a much publicized gay kiss, his family and friends, and something the media is just starting to refer to as a “gay cancer”. Will Jayson find the fame he has always sought, and what will that sweet candy cost him?

Kilmer-Purcell's writing is witty and fast-paced like Sweeps Week. His characters are varied, and likable, from Jayson's mother and her collection of husbands (and wife), to his best friends Tara and Trey, even the crazy homophobic bible-thumping neighbour that ends up at some place called Waco.

From New York to LA, and back to Wisconsin, join Jayson on his journey as he realizes that, like life, fame can be a hard candy to swallow.

This has been a bobert review.