What an adorable novel!!

My Lavender Boyfriend is so much more amazing than I thought it would be! I was expecting a fast and cute story - and I definitely got that - but the novel is also nuanced and tender and very sweet.

Simon was an incredible protagonist. He's Egyptian-English, and is a former Hollywood writer - was even nominated for an Oscar! - who hasn't written anything in years, and works as a screenplay teacher for wide-eyed movie writer wannabes. He's quite pessimistic and has completely given up on love, after a disastrous romance years ago. That is, until he's given the opportunity to kickstart his career again ... if he pretends to be the stable boyfriend of newly outed (and slightly homophobic) actor, Nick Stone.

I absolutely loved Nick. At the beginning of the novel, when he and Simon first met, I definitely didn't like Nick -- but I was soon falling for him, and could empathise with him. He's also dyslexic - and I have to say that I'm really happy that more love interests and main characters in Romance novels have disabilities. I can't speak to whether or not the representation was accurate, but I'm excited to see more diverse characters in Romance - a genre that is not at all known for anything other than the straight cis white male mould.

I adored Nick and Simon's growing relationship. I loved watching them go from uneasy acquiescence, to friends, to eventual lovers. Their banter started off acidic and turned fluffy. Simon was seriously an oblivious cinnamon roll and I just wanted to hug him and then smack him over the head.

I HIGHLY recommend My Lavender Boyfriend! It's a smart, sweet and fun Romance read that you won't regret reading.

4.5 stars

Synopsis: Simon was nominated for an Oscar for a movie that he wrote. Then his ex-boyfriend stole his screen play after saying that it wasn't good, and Simon hasn't written anything since. He now spends his time teaching a screenwriting class at a college. Then one day he is contacted by the agent who helped him get his first screenplay made. She wants him to pretend to be Nick's boyfriend.
Nick is an actor who was caught on video outside a gay bar using gay slurs. In order to clean up his image as a gay man, his agent wants him to pretend to be in a stable relationship with someone above reproach. Simon doesn't want to, but the offer of a chance to pitch a new screenplay persuades him to help Nick clean up his image.
Nick and Simon don't have a lot to do with each other, other than the photo ops and interviews that are set up to make it look like their relationship is real. Simon spends his time researching a dancer from the 30s who disappeared mysteriously, because he wants to tell her story. When his apartment is broken into, Nick offers Simon a room in his house, offering them a chance to get to know one another better.

What I liked: the fact that there was no manufactured misunderstanding. The growth in relationship between Nick and Simon was slow, and it felt as though they actually got to know each other. The story that Simon pursued for his screenplay was interesting, and was woven in well with the main story. Simon and Nick both grow, and bring out the best in each other.

What I didn't like: not much. I would have liked it if Simon and Nick had spent more time together.

Overall impression: well written, interesting story. Told in 1st person POV from Simon's POV.

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the plot, a screenwriter who, for lack of a better phrase, is down on his luck after being betrayed by an ex, agrees to salvage an actor's reputation by fake-dating him. Fake-dating is my jam, so I automatically would have loved this book just based on that.
The fact that it was sweet and heartwarming helped cement its case. I loved Simon and his reluctance to dip his way back towards romance, and I even loved that he was so unused to romance he freaked out at the option to woo Nick. And I loved that Nick was never allowed to hand-wave his actions prior to the book away; he apologized and explained every time it was brought up.
The only thing I didn't like about the book is that the B plot, about the Kings, felt like it ended with an undeserved resolution. I know the book is only so long, but we barely got to know them and their motives before the whole Aurelia project was gone. A lot of the background, like the research and findings, was done off-page, so I felt like I was thrown off when that plot just ended. But otherwise, I liked the end result.

What do you get when you put an actor and a screenwriter together?

Did you guess <b>Fake Boyfriends</b>?

Neither did I.

The title didn't clue me in because I'd never heard that phrase before. This book surprised me from the very beginning. I was not expecting it to be as good as it is.

I was emotionally invested in the characters before I'd turned a handful of pages. I can't even tell you why. It wasn't a big action scene. It wasn't a devastating, traumatic scene. In fact, the opening scene put us in a classroom with a professor lecturing his students.

But it worked. It worked because the writing is just that good. I literally became the character as I was reading. That never happens to me. When I read a book, it's more like watching a movie. I'm reading about other people. This time, however, I felt the sadness, the hesitancy, the hope, the courage. I lived this story.

It isn't overly angsty. At times it's fun and cute in turns. The dialogue is witty and natural. Every single secondary character had a voice and a purpose. I swear <b>I met these people</b>.

4.5 stars

4 Stars!

I think I have made it well known that the fake-relationship trope is my favorite. I absolutely LOVE them. So when I came across this one on Netgalley I had to request it and I am so happy I did. I absolutely adored this story and the MC. The only thing I wish was that it was a duo POV. I think that is what kept this from being a 5 star read for me. I wanted a better connection with Nick.

Simon Moussa has been out of the business ever since his ex broke his heart and stole his screenplay and made it big. He hasn't wrote anything since and has instead taken up a job teaching film at a college. He doesn't enjoy his job, but it pays the bills. One day while teaching Charlie, someone from his past who is in the business, shows up in his class. She needs a favor. One he owes her. But the favor is beneficial for him as well. All he has to do is enter a fake relationship with the now out and gorgeous popular actor, Nick Stone. By doing this Charlie will get his next screenplay made. Nick has recently been filmed while having a drunken rant where he said some offensive things that isn't settling well in the gay community so he needs Simon to help him clean up his image. Their first meeting doesn't go well and Simon walks out. But Charlie is persuasive and doesn't give up easily so eventually Simon gives in. The next thing he knows he's doing magazine interviews and covers and has this gorgeous man hanging on him. He's not comfortable with the attention Nick gives him. He's been out of the relationship game for awhile and is quite awkward with how he and Nick should act. But Nick is smooth and unruffled by this and takes the lead. The relationship that started out rocky soon becomes a friendship that soon turns into a sexual one. Then as the story goes in turns into a true relationship with real feelings. It kind of snuck up on Simon and like with all the previous relationships he's tried to have since his ex, he tries to back out before it can truly be something. But with the encouragement from his friends he decides to do a grand romantic gesture in hopes it will win Nick's heart.

The story was very sweet and the characters were very realistic which helped me connect with story more. I enjoyed the mystery bit as well. I also loved that this book was low on angst and that their issues were taken care of instead of being drawn out with miscommunication. It was just a lovely read.

Happy reading dolls.

This is another "as a librarian/book buyer not as a reader" review.

So, the description sounded a bit stupid and cliche, but people do like sweet romances. Also, impossible celebrity romance is popular with both teenagers and older adults. The latter like it just for fun, but the former . . . often their role models are celebrities. The fantasy that a hot actor could be a nice guy who falls in love with them is a perfect teenage dream. It's soothing and aspirational.

Less Than Three Press kicks out some really interesting stuff, and I would have probably bought one copy of this book even without the ARC, for the above reasons. I really wasn't expecting the book to be anything other than escapist, but it is more. It nicely examines ambitions and talent. A struggle to grow into yourself, to achieve real, measurable dreams. It emphasizes that those achievements come from hard work and that sometimes even talented people don't always get what they want and deserve, and that's okay. I was moved by the plotline about Simon's father's death. It was serious and sad without being overly dramatic. It reflected what many of my readers will or are going through with their family. The relationship dynamics in the story are healthy and realistic. Something I feel comfortable holding up as a model to my younger readers and something very relatable to our older patrons.

The book wasn't ridiculously awesome, but it was good and definitely not what I expected. I am buying the maximum number of copies I can afford in our budget (4). I'm also going to put it on our summer recommendation list. I hate writing "reader reviews", but I promise to sit down and put one up on goodreads and to copy-and-paste it to amazon. This book deserves it and the book blurb copy doesn't accurately reflect the quality of the content. I'm also going to recommend that my friend, who is a librarian for LA county, buys the book for their Overdrive.

4 stars here but I'll probably rate it 5 online to help push the rankings up.

Just a reminder, I'm an ebook buyer for a nonprofit community space in Oklahoma City that focuses on LGBTQ issues and resources. We do many things, but our origin and primary outreach is as a library and a safespace. In addition to print books, we currently have 35 tablet computers that people can borrow to read in the building or take home. The tablets are color coded based on age-appropriateness and type of content. 75% of our digital content is just fiction, often romance. The OKC library system can't afford to put resources there, and when you are 16 and queer, just having representation in fiction can make a huge difference in your life. Especially fun stuff, like romance, which normalizes the situation. It says "you're normal" and "not every piece of LGBTQ fiction has to be some big statement and controversial, neither does your life." Many teenagers don't have the resources to buy these books and/or are afraid of their parents finding out.

Less Than Three Press- keep doing an awesome job making books for everybody.

Awww this book was so sweet and adorable yet it was still missing something, but it didn't have the drama or miscommunication I usually find in romance novels and for that I was glad. And also for that this will get 4 solid stars from me!

Simon, screenwriter now film professor is asked to be in a fake relationship with gorgeous actor Nick because Nick needs to clean his name and image and being with Simon can be exactly what he needs for the public to see him as a new and improved person. Nick was the sweetest and he got handy and flirty and you could see how not fake it was from him. I wish there was more about him, I feel like I’m missing so much more cuteness from that sweet big boy!

What was it missing, though? Well, this book promised me it was going to be about Simon and Nick being fake boyfriends then, obviously, developing real feelings, fall madly in love and have a happy life together. While it delivered what was promised, at the same time, it sort of didn’t. It was in the background. Nick felt like a side character, one of those who interact a lot with the main character but isn’t as important to the story. But Nick was important; without him, Simon would have never done everything he did, he would have never confronted his demons.

It still was a sweet story because what we saw about Simon and Nick, however small, was enough to understand why they went from strangers to lovers without much drama or words not said. It all flowed quietly and slowly, perfectly. Then, though, the story was much more about Simon and his dealing with his past and problems and the romance was left on the background. The title is “My Lavender Boyfriend” so I was hoping of having more of that.

This book was like the movie My Big Fat Wedding, a movie I hope you all have seen because it’s adorable. You’ll think the movie, if you read the title, is about the wedding, how the two main characters fall in love and tie the knot. Well it’s not about it. The movie is about the main character rediscovering herself, being the best person she can be, confronting her demons, her family, standing up for herself and finding true love that she didn’t think she was ever going to find. Also, this is one of the very few romantic comedies without drama in it and I loved every second of it.

This book is exactly like that movie; Simon’s love story is important and it’s adorable, you see how he starts relaxing when he is with Nick and you see how this peculiar fake relationship makes him grow. Simon confronts his past in the form of his ex-boyfriend who broke his heart, his present in the form of his family and his work, and his future in the form of Nick and a love story that promises wonders.

Long story short, I really liked this book, so full of sweetness, ambition, hope, and love. I started it and didn’t want to put it down. When a book manages to make me want to lose sleep, I say it’s a book worthy of the attention of everyone looking for a tiny piece of happiness in their everyday life. It did bring me joy so I’m hoping it’ll bring some to you, too.

I've decided to not read this arc because comments made by the CEO made me very uncomfortable and I don't feel comfortable promoting a future release because of this.