Yashiro-kun no Ohitorisama Kouza
Yashiro-kun's Guide to Going Solo

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A non-traditional romance because it barely counts as romance. I don't want to spoil too much but the "twist" seems trivial and anticlimactic. Despite that, the humor is good and the story is interesting enough.

The characters themselves were convincing and distinct enough from each other. The MC first of all is confident, but not a ladies' man. He's a loner by choice but he is proud about it and is NOT socially retarded. The three other supporting girls are refreshing as well as they're not your token harem girls either. T

As for the writing, the humor is punchy. The perspective switches can be confusing at ... times because you only figure out which eyes you're looking through after a whole paragraph or two.

I recommend it only because it's short. To be clear, it's interesting and it's still a good read. It's not everyday that you get an MC that doesn't dwell in either extremes, neither a pathetic wimp or an ikemen. But personally, reading it is like walking on a treadmill; you don't really go anywhere. Matter of fact, nobody goes anywhere.

Is this a romance or is this actually a book on "going solo"?

If you asked the author this question he surely wouldn't know what to answer. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find that the author recalls what he wrote in this book, because it feels like he's written this light novel sporadically over a few drunken nights. Directionless, mundane and plain, this book should be read right before bed, because you are guaranteed to have a really nice and comfy sleep afterwards. At least you probably won't fall asleep during it.

Returning to the question, the book fails to reach the threshold of either option; ... it is neither a fledged-out romance, nor containing enough of "going solo" to be considered that. It starts off prominently with the "going solo" elements, where the main characters begin their little adventures, learning how to be alone. These were actually rather well-formed, despite the unrealistic scenarios that were punctuating throughout the novel. The FMCs drag the protagonist around, going to a bathhouse, cycling, etc., which are as unimpressive and uninteresting as it sounds.

Sputtered amongst these adventures is the allusion of another character, who was briefly unveiled at the end of the "novel". This was according to the author a challenge to see if he could write about a "female lead" that would appear at the very end. The obvious consequence of this, however, is that she takes on no significance whatsoever. She is the proclaimed "lead", but her role is small, with the briefest of mentions occasionally; in other words, just a side character.

The word "novel" is placed in quotes previously, because the author claims that to be the end of the main story, but the novel does not end there. Continuing is the side story, which despite its short length is much better than the main story. This, and the beautiful cover, are the only meritable factors of the light novel.