Harry Patz's new book THE NAIVE GUYS is set in the early 1990's when email, cell phones and laptops are nonexistent. The main character, Mark Amici, has just graduated from Boston College and is excited about the job offers that he thinks will be pouring in. When his phone doesn't ring and he doesn't have any prospects, he moves back into his childhood home with his mom, sister and Uncle Frankie. He takes a job as a bartender while he is trying to land a job in the newly burgeoning tech industry.

Mark is not only naïve about his job prospects, but he also is a bit clueless about matters that concern the opposite sex. He so desperately wants to find the "right" girl with whom he can have interesting conversations, and who is also sexy and intriguing. Mark is smart, funny and kind and is the type of guy with whom we sympathize when his romantic encounters go awry.

The friends that Mark made in college are like brothers to him and these friends are prominent characters in the novel. Whenever he needs advice, someone to make him laugh, or someone to serve as his wingman, his friends are only a phone call away. Mark and his buddies have some very funny adventures throughout the book and the conversations that they have about love, sports and life in general are hilarious. The author's sense of humor that prevails throughout The Naïve Guys is one of my favorite aspects of the book.

One of the activities that keeps Mark tied to his Boston College community is his attendance at sporting events. Mark and his friends meet up several times to cheer on their favorite football team and just for a little while he is able to forget his problems with the ladies or his job. The Naïve Guys poignantly demonstrates the importance that friendship, sports and loyalty all have on getting us through the tough times in our lives.

I would classify THE NAIVE GUYS not just as literary fiction, but also as historical fiction because of its accurate depiction of life in the early 90's in New York. Important historical events like the first bombing of the World Trade Tower, O.J. Simpson's infamous car chase and the 1992 presidential election are events that we witness through Mark's eyes. Each chapter is also the title of a popular song during that era and it is clever how the author subtly provides us with a soundtrack to his book.

For anyone who was in high school or college during the 1990's this book is a perfectly written, fun and nostalgic read. THE NAÏVE GUYS has the combination of great characters and an interesting plot that makes it a page turner until the very end.