Spice

March 2, 2015
Simon Beck writes the “Ask Eros” sex-advice column for a women’s magazine, his soft-edged snark inadvertently mirroring the anxieties roiling his personal life. Benji McHugh is a redheaded tech support geek who keeps Simon’s computer disassembled for days as an excuse for endless visits that soon become courtship. The primary obstacle to their happiness is Andrew, a sociopathic sales guy with a knack for pressing Simon’s buttons. Suzanne keeps the humor warm and the sex real as the men sort themselves out. There’s minimal plot, especially once Simon’s constant need for article fodder leads to a string of experimental romps that overwhelm the second half of the book. His homemade variety show is sweet and a little kinky, but neither deeply felt nor powerfully erotic. The result is a just-for-fun collection of slight vignettes with adorable pet cameos and some dead-on glimpses of daily life for handsome and well-paid singles in N.Y.C.