I Met Someone Hardcover – March 1, 2016

I first encountered Bruce Wagner in Dead Stars, which was spectacular. I then read an earlier work which I didn't like. I Met Someone is, once again, spectacular. I would describe his theme as the spiritual ecology of celebrity, the way these fantastically flawed beings cast an outsized light on everything around them. Those who think Wagner is name dropping are missing the point: the names are perfect and in some cameos (Angie Dickinson, William Shatner) utterly devastating. He reads celebrity culture brilliantly and venomously. It helps to be from LA and to truly understand how stars affect everything.I'll add this: I was recently looking through some old photos and found one of my mother, fresh from the grief of losing a young daughter, on a telethon laughing with Tony Orlando. For me, Bruce Wagner's work is practically documentary.This is a five-star work for sure, but it's not for everyone. But if it's for you, you'll be thrilled. His writing is A+ and the pop cultural references are so timely that it's like the book is writing itself in real time.

Another awesome, hilarious and poignant book about LA. I so look forward to Bruce Wagner's work. Each book is better than the last

1.5 Stars - Original review @ 125Pages.comI Met Someone was so close to being the first book I have ever DNF’d. It was just so not for me. I opened with a self absorbed star name dropping like it was her full time job, moved to a young man who did things for the LULZ (and then explained that LULZ were a step beyond an LOL) and good lord the selfishness that abounded. Then a bright shining spot. Around 13% in, there was a section that was just moving. Full of emotion and depth, I was hooked. Then it got worse, and then worse, and then just so much no. This is marketed as a suspense/thriller and it is not. It is a contemporary fiction about awful people, doing awful things to people they supposedly love. To say much more would require spoilers and I am not about that. So I will just say I just did not like I Met Someone; if that one bright shining moment could have carried through I would have loved it. Bruce Wagner has a unique voice and he can connect with readers, just not this one.I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It is precisely Wagner's willingness to describe our world as it is, that makes this book and his others, so brilliant. The critics often slam Wagner for wasting his formidable talent as a writer (the man can turn a phrase!) on unworthy lowbrow pop culture subject matter, but this assessment misses the point. Distasteful as it may be to delicate critical sensibilities, Wagner’s universe is governed by TMZ, and the citizens pledge allegiance to their inalienable rights to unfettered narcissism and the pursuit of fame. Wagner is a scholar of pop culture, he does his homework, he is fluent in the profane discourse. He humbly accepts, for better or worse, we live in a Kardashian zeitgeist. He uncovers depth in the superficial and meaning in the seemingly meaningless. That said, he is not a redeemer of pop culture, he is simply an astute observer of the machinery. It is Wagner's willingness to face the reality of our times and to understand it with scholarly anthropological rigor, that makes him such a great writer…no doubt one of the best of his generation. In this way his is a bit like the Zizek of the fiction world.

I had the hardest time getting through this book!! It felt like it was written by a teenager on a sugar high. Too many emphasized words for my taste. Also there was no credible storyline and no plot. Just a terrible read.

Bruce Wagner's newest book, 'I Met Someone,' tells the story of a Hollywood starlet who is searching for a daughter she had many years ago while also dealing with the emotional strife of losing an unborn child. Admittedly, this isn't a book that I would normally be drawn to, but after seeing it surface over and over on lists of recommendations, I thought I would see what all the hype is about.Marketed as an emotional thriller, I was expecting to need a full box of tissues and maybe a therapy session or two. But it wasn't that sort of book - not to say it was a disappointment, but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. What it was, however, was what I felt was a very human portrayal of what this character was going through. You see, so often we read characters that are awesome in the book, but would never be a real person outside of the novel. But with Bruce Wagner's writing, you always get the sense that these very well could be real people that we are reading about.Recently I've really been into books that are beautifully written. There's something to be said for escaping into a world that is so eloquently presented that you feel it almost sparkles a bit. I am in awe of the brilliant writing that Bruce Wagner brings to this book. Whether it's describing a beautiful day on set or the drab reality of losing a child, the wording is simply stunning.What did I think?: I liked this book, but I didn't love it. There were many things that I felt were done well: the settings were perfectly explained, the writing was beautiful, and I felt that the character presentations were very well done and accurate. However, I couldn't get past the name dropping or pretentiousness that some of the characters seemed to embody. I know it's Hollywood and there is an expected sense of self-righteousness, but it felt almost over the top and exaggerated in an otherwise fascinating story.Who should read it?: If you enjoy beautiful writing, you will not be disappointed by this one. But I think the perfect reader would be someone who finds themselves enamored by the glitz and lifestyles of the rich and famous.I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

I believe this is the first book by Bruce Wagner that I've read., I really enjoyed it. I love Hollywood stories true or fiction .I look forward to reading Bruce Wagner books now