This book follows the trope of enemies to lovers. Iit was easy to stay interested in this story. The reader knows that Luc, emotionally damaged son of an aging rock star, and Oliver, an uptight lawyer, are destined to be together. There was a hilarious cast of friends, co-workers and relatives we meet along the way. If you are looking for a queer romance with a touch of feels, this is a good book for you.

When I want my heart ripped out with a side of irony I go to Alexis Hall. His Billionaire trilogy and Spires novels are among my most treasured angst-comfort re-reads, because they are guaranteed to make me laugh, and then cry, and then cry-laugh. Boyfriend Material is both like that, and not like that. It has all the usual hallmarks of Hall's work - razor-sharp dialogue, big-heart feelings, and pop-culture references for days - but it's also different. The humour is ramped up and the angst (while still definitely there) is diluted by the sheer irrepressible silliness of it all. Which is not to suggest it's a silly book - it categorically isn't - it's a serious-silly book, a distillation of the farce and parody that have always been bubbling away in AH's work. Imagine if the Fifty Shades of Grey subtext of the Billionaire books had been more overt, and then imagine that Bridget Jones' Diary is the source text. That's Boyfriend Material. And it's adorable, lovely and so so funny; laugh-out-loud-and-annoy-your-family kind of funny.

Luc is the son of C-list celebrities, an egotistical absentee 80s rock-star father and a beloved now-reclusive rock-star mother. He's suffered as a result, because the British press will print anything even vaguely salacious about anyone even slightly, tangentially famous. Which is how Luc ends up getting papped face down in a gutter, having tripped over while escaping a particularly disastrous party. The headlines imply he's a desperate drug-addicted disaster. This doesn't go down well at the Dung Beetle charity (acronym = CRAPP) where Luc has washed up as a fundraiser. As his boss quite brazenly and offensively puts it, he's coming across as the 'wrong kind of homosexual' and their traditionalist conservative donors are getting antsy. He needs to clean up his reputation and quickly. A nice, middle class boyfriend would be just the thing. If only he knew anyone like that.

Enter Luc's posse of delightfully queer and energetic friends. A pub brainstorming session establishes that the only candidate is Oliver Blackwood, a very right-and-proper barrister who has already rejected Luc's awkward advances twice. However his token straight friend Bridget (who works in publishing - did you see what Alexis did there?) assures him that Oliver will say yes and that they're perfect for each other and what could possibly go wrong? Pretty much everything. Oliver lives a perfect, neat and ordered existence, organised by strict moral principles and a bruising work ethic. He went to Oxford, wears Cashmere jumpers and only has sex when it means something. He is the absolute antithesis of Luc who has to excavate the detritus in his flat to find a pair of clean socks and who, in extremis, buys new sheets rather than doing laundry.

You know the rest I imagine - Boyfriend Material loves and sticks close to the contours of a rom-com. It grabs you by the wrist on a joyful dash from beat to beat, from set-piece to set-piece. The dialogue fizzes with the intense hyper-real energy of a film or a play. Take out the descriptive writing and what you're left with is a script that Oscar Wilde could have written, if he was queer in the 21st century and steeped in 2000s pop-culture. Some of the secondary characters are unapologetically ridiculous: Alex Twaddle, a sweet upper-class nitwit who can barely remember he has a girlfriend; the James Royce-Royces', a married couple with the same name; and Bridget, who is always dashing off to tackle an unlikely publishing disaster. There is a scene early on in the novel where Alex Twaddle takes Luc and Oliver to his gentleman's club, which is so daft and so hilarious you feel like you've dropped straight into a comedy sketch. There is a spotted dick joke for god's sake. (Which, incidentally, is one of the incredibly British jokes that I hope land as well with an international audience as they did with me). It would feel like mockery if Alexis Hall didn't have such an obvious and unswerving affection for everything that is ridiculous but well-meaning and harmless in this life.

The book isn't without harmful things of course. Underneath all the capers is a whisper of hot anger about prejudice and unkindness; about the way that Luc is forced into his charade with Oliver through barely concealed homophobia; about the way people have betrayed and abandoned him all through his life; about why Oliver feels constrained to be the man he is. The full-frontal giggles of the story blast these ugly things with a lot of sunlight and warmth, but they emerge more fully as Luc and Oliver come to know each other better. As it progresses the book switches into a more serious register that takes you unawares, because of how often it has made fun of itself, and then you find yourself ambushed by feelings that you didn't realise you were having all along.

I don't remember a great deal about farce as a genre from the long-gone past of my English Lit degree, except that it's deeply subversive, and that it makes fun for both the sake of fun but also to get at serious things. It can be deeply affectionate and fundamentally gracious. It seems to me that's the kind of book Boyfriend Material is: a farcical rom-com that loves its well-worn grooves but also loves jumping them, so that while you're literally hiccuping with laughter something heavier is building up inside you.

What all of these words really mean is: I kind of think this is a book you need right now, and you should read it.

Boyfriend Material follows the classic romance trope of enemies to lovers. However, the route from meet-cute (not) to happily-ever-after was so complicated, it was easy to stay interested in this story. The reader knows Luc, the emotionally damaged son of an aging rock star, and Oliver, an uptight lawyer, are destined to be together. The fun comes from the hilarious cast of friends, co-workers and relatives we meet along the way. If you are looking for a queer romance with a touch of P.G. Wodehouse, a bit of Bridget Jones, and a hint of Gerald Durrell, this is a good pick for you.

A huge thanks to the publisher for granting my wish! Boyfriend Material is one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it didn't disappointed me! This book is absolutely great! Its hilarious, sweet,intense.


Luc is reluctantly famous since his father is a rockstar. He's never meet him and now that is making a comeback with his new show,Luc's life is again back in the public eye and being in the public eye never went well for him.
To save his job, to have a respectable date for a big job event, to protect himself from the press and clean up his image, Luc has to find a normal relationship and when his friends recommend him Oliver Blackwood he reluctantly decides to accept it and go out with him.
Oliver is a barrister, respectable, vegatarian and, apart from being gay and single they have nothing in common, but both of them need a fake boyfriend as a date for big events, so they decide to make a deal. They will be fake dating until they need it and then go their separate ways.
But slowly they begin to know one other and the fake dating starts to resembling a real one and then they aren't ready to let each other go.

Boyfriend Material is absolutely perfect! I love the tropes of fake dating, enemies to lovers and I found this book sweet, intense and hilarious! Luc and Oliver are amazingly and complex characters, very different from one other, but both of them are being hurt in the past, have issues and are trying to be better..

Luc's life is messed up, he's lonely, hurt and has difficulties in trusting people, but he's surrounded by supportive and hilarious friends and funny and stubborn mother and her best friend. Forced to fake a normal relationship,forced to deal with his father coming back, Luc finds in Oliver a friend and then a partner, ready to support, help and love him.

Oliver's life is apparently perfect. He's a barrister, he has a nice house, a perfect body and strong ethical convictions about basically everything, but deciding to make a deal with Luc turns his life upside down, forcing to deal with his own insecurities and vulnerabilities he's trying hard not to see and accept.

Boyfriend material is full of teasing, bickering, hilarious scenes, dirty jokes, fresh and brilliant characters. The main ones are Luc and Oliver and they are complex, well written and rounded. They were really relatable with their fears, issues, problems and insecurities and I love the way they slowly start to trust one other, how they see each other for what they really are and start to love one other, accepting their flaws and issues, ready to be loving and supportive.

They are surrounded by brilliant and well written side characters. I really love Luc's friends, family and coworkers, they are hilarious.
Bridget, always running and always dealing with a crisis, amazingly supportive and ready to do anything for,them,Alex, Luc's coworker, posh, rich and a bit dense (the conversations between Luc and Alex are incredibly funny), Odile, Luc's mother, supportive and ready to make dangerous curry, jokes at her own son's expense and innuendos, Priya with the truck and angry attitude, the James Royce-Royces with their jokes and support.

This book is everything I could hope for. It's sweet, intense, there are moments of angst and moments unbelievably cute and sweet, it's full of humour and so much love and friendships. I love everything.

Luc and Oliver are amazing together. I loved the slow burn, the romance, the teasing, bickering, sweet moments, one shared bed and so much love and support.
This book is truly perfect and right now one of my favourite of this year!

While I love fake-dating trope, I had a hard time with this book at times. It's very British, and most of the humor didn't connect with me. So the chemistry between Luc and Oliver was a bit lost on me.

If you enjoyed Red, White and Royal Blue you'll want to read Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall.

The first twenty percent of the book was a little difficult because the main character Luc is so fixated on self-destructive behavior it's hard to become invested in him. However once he meet's Oliver the book quickly becomes an emotional roller coaster, filled with character growth that you won't want to stop reading.

I received an eARC from NetGalley for a review, however the paperback I preordered will make a nice addition to my bookshelf.

Wowowow. I loved this one! This rom-com is super witty, wildly sarcastic, and laugh-out-loud funny and hosts one of my favorite romance tropes: fake dating!

It's very gay and very British. Overall, its low on the steam scale, but definitely still a romance book.

A fun take on the fake relationship trope! As the estranged son of rock royalty Luc’s back on the paparazzi radar only because his dad is making a comeback. Unfortunately, caught off guard at a low moment he now needs to clean up his “image” in a nice normal relationship. Oliver on the other hand is a straight-laced barrister with seemingly everything except a date to a grand family party. They have nothing in common but something about the relationship starts to feel pretty real. This is a fun and very funny fake relationship story with two bruised but improving young men.

I really want to give this book fie stars. I would give it 4.5 if I could. The main characters--Oliver and Lucien--are lovely. They are deeply flawed, caring, funny, and intelligent. They tease each other. They have fantastic chemistry. You definitely root for them as you read this. Those two are the best parts of this book. The other characters and storyline? Eh, I'm less keen on them. Oliver and Lucien's friends seem peripheral at best, and two of Luc's friends--Alex and his Clara--are downright ridiculous. I ended up skipping the seconds that weren't the two main characters together. And Luc's father was wholly unlikeable. Not a moment of redemption. Still, somehow, I ended up really enjoying the book overall because there was enough of the two main characters to pull me along. They will pull you along too.

With a cast of entertaining characters and a clashing of personalities, this book keeps the reader entertained and rooting for Luc and Oliver.

Boyfriend Material intrigued me for the reason that I enjoy fake relationships that turn into real ones. It's utterly cute! Luc's parents are rock stars, or former ones in many ways, and his dad walked out when Luc was a kid. Now the dad has a supposed cancer and want to bond wit Luc. Luc himself is about to lose his job, because media is after him like predators and thus the guy decides to get a fake boyfriend to look better and salvage the situation. Enter Oliver. Oliver is a stuck-up barrister who needs the fake relationship just as much and soon they open up and fake becomes more real. The story evolves steadily and has humor in it and well, heart. The characters are likable and funny, but the setting lacks realism somewhat. The whole beetle thing is odd and out of place and how media is following Luc, who just happens to mess everything up, but never gravely.

The language flow is nice and even though the story doesn't offer anything new, it works. For me the problem was that the book centers around just Luc and Oliver was a slight letdown, since the story doesn't grow enough and repeats itself. Still, Boyfriend Material is cute and fun and soaked in feelings, which is always great.

Boyfriend Material

I can always appreciate when an author takes oft-used tropes and makes them feel original again. The fake-dating trope is always a popular one and this one plays out beautifully.
The novel is also very British, with more than one quip going over my head, but it remains absolutely hilarious. It also finds that sweet spot of romance that doesn’t shy away from the steamy stuff but also doesn’t turn into erotica.
This will definitely be a re-read next time I feel like turning into mush over two British guys.

What better way to settle into a nice three-day weekend than with Alexis Hall's <i>Boyfriend Material</i>. I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to read the galleys of this book prior to publication. Although I am thankful to the publisher for this opportunity, the review is completely my own.

First, I was no familiar with Alexis Hall or any of her writing prior to this book, so it was nice to be introduced to a new author.

Second, I really found the book enjoyable and easy to read. In fact, the book is a pretty fast read.

Third, let's look at the plot. The book centers on Lucian (Luc) and his estranged relationship with his deadbeat rockstar father. Luc is photographed by paparazzi which ends up threatening his job. To make himself look more respectable, he seeks out a "fake" boyfriend. Enter Oliver. Oliver is a barrister (lawyer for those use readers), and he's about as square as square can get, so he's about perfect in the respectability department. Luc and Oliver establish their fake relationship and start getting seen in public together. Will their "fake" relationship be found out by the press? Will the two fall in love and turn this fake relationship into a real one? These are some of the basic questions that keep the plot moving forward in this book.

Lastly, I found this book highly enjoyable. Whether you're reading a book on the beach or in your bed social distancing, I think it's a great summer book.

I adore Alexis Hall and their MM romances are often incredibly sexy and romantic. Hall often uses the opposites attract trope and it always works for me. Luc and Oliver couldn’t be more different in their lifestyles and this is often my catnip, I just love to read it! This book also encompasses one of my other favorite tropes, fake dating. “It’s just for show! I don’t even like them! Maybe I do like them omg I love them!”

The build up between our heroes was wonderful and I love a slow burn and this was a really slow burn. Hall is able to make a sweet kiss incredibly moving and the love scenes were soooo freaking good!

Highly recommend this lovely and sexy romance.

This book was exactly what I needed, right when I needed it. A super sweet and adorable m/m romance with the most charming characters and just the sweetest love interests ever! Honestly, this is the book that I want to read whenever I'm having a bad and need a good smile.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review. I couldn’t believe I got my wish granted to read this book from Netgalley. I was so excited when I got it. Thank you for granting my wish!

I adored this book!! I’m thinking a movie or Netflix option in the near future pretty please! This is a book of love, sadness, friendship, family and being true to oneself. Luc and Oliver are totally adorable. They are complete opposites. Luc works for a charity and hasn’t found the one he can trust. Oliver is a lawyer and a perfectionist. Due to Luc’s past behavior he needs to find a respectable date to a work function. Which leads him to asking Oliver to be a fake boyfriend. What starts off as being fake turns into something real and beautiful. I couldn’t help rooting for them. The scenes with Luc and his co workers were hilarious. Especially Alex. My tummy hurt so much from laughing at those scenes with them. I loved the humor throughout the book. I would have liked a better ending. It was too quick and sudden for me.

I suppose that I need to review this book with more than a few squee-ing gifs and emojis, but in some ways I think that should be sufficient. How do you review a book that's so good it's practically beyond words? But here's my attempt:

I've known for a while that Alexis Hall is an unbelievable storyteller. His gift for narration is unparalleled, and the way he brings Luc to life in Boyfriend Material is no exception. But the single POV does nothing to diminish Oliver's vividness, who might be filtered through Luc's eyes but has dimensions and identity all his own. The quirk, the wit, the banter, the emotional turmoil--it all adds up to a perfectly synced romance that will melt hearts all over the place. Luc and Oliver are both struggling with significant self-esteem issues but those issues manifest in opposite ways. Watching them learn each other is freaking delightful. (Have I dredged up enough words that are glowing enough yet? Ugh, I'll scrounge up a few more.) I also loved all the secondary characters. It's a huge cast but they're essential, especially to the theme of found family that centers this book. I laughed, I cried, I winced, I smiled. That's what the best books make me do, and this is one of the best books.

I also believe hidden inside Boyfriend Material is a love letter to the romance genre and its readers. It's obvious from the back copy that this is a fake relationship trope, but there are other gems hidden for a devoted romance reader. There are other beloved tropes woven in (only one bed! can't sleep without him!) that made me squeal. Plus we discover that Oliver is quite dominating in the bedroom ("'I will fuck you, Lucien'--he'd gone all stern and, for once, it didn't bother me at all--'in the manner of my choosing.'") and the way my heart and adrenal glands reacted--yowza.

tl;dr Everyone should read this book because it's the best.

CW: parental abandonment, emotionally abusive parents, homophobia, MC's ex sold information to tabloids, parent with cancer

If I had not started it at midnight, I would have finished it in one go. It has groan-worthy puns and excellent dialogue that made me laugh often enough that my partner called me out on it. In short, it was exactly the mental vacation I needed in these ~unprecedented times~ and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

can't even begin to describe how much I liked this book. It was by far my favourite book of the year from the ones I've read until now, I'm a sucker for British rom-coms.

The plot of this book is that Luc, the son of two rock star parents, and a father he'd never met, is in need of a boyfriend to save his reputation at work and in the tabloids. Enter Oliver Blackwood, a guy that seems the most normal Luc can find: he's a barrister, a vegetarian and in need of a date for a family event. The stars seems to align, and the two begin a fake relationship.

I had my eyes set on this book for the longest time, I love rom-com books, and this one seemed right up my alley. I certainly was not wrong.

The characters and their relationship are what make this book awesome. I fell in love with all of the characters, and even though sometimes I felt like some scenes were dragging a little too long (I wanted to see more of the romance), I completely understood that they were necessary in shaping the characters.

I also loved the British humor. There's just something about a rom-com set in Great Britain that always melts my heart.

Oliver and Luc were the cutest ever. They're not by far the perfect couple, but that's what make them so special for each other. I loved to see them overcoming their problems and their difficulties together. Sometimes I just wished they communicated a bit better, though, I think that would have solved a lot.

The second part of this book was magnificent. I think the story really stars to become more and more interesting and the last four chapters were pure perfection and what convinced me to give this book a complete five out of stars. I won't go into spoilers but some scenes really melted my heart and I was crying happy tears at midnight.

I probably could ramble forever about this book, but I'll stop right here. If you take one advice from me, please take this and read this book because it is the sweetest and cleverest rom-com you'll read this year!

I absolutely fell in love with this, after a dubious beginning, which seems very fitting for the fake boyfriend trope :) 

Also, for those always on the lookout for a good romance with all the feels but without the R-rated bedroom shenanigans, this one's for you. And we still get the passion and the sweetness and the fade to black is handled in such a natural way that you truly will not miss it. It's impressive.

My favorite thing for the majority of the book was how realistic the fake boyfriend plot felt. They don't do the whole "since we're pretending to be dating we might as well get the sexy benefits" thing, and then basically spend the whole book in a full-on relationship while constantly internal dialogue-ing about NOT being in a relationship. 

Luc is genuinely just looking for someone to do him a massive, way-too-big-to-reasonably-ask-a-stranger-for favor, and it is exactly as awkward as it would be in RL to pretend date someone you can barely get through a conversation with without being both horribly offensive and offended at the same time. 

Their initial dinner, which Oliver thinks is a real date, goes so, so badly that there is no contrived feeling to the "fakeness" of the relationship. Their individual brands of self-consciousness just multiply and magnify and warp the other's into even worse places than it started, and there is no way in hell these two would have made a successful go of a real relationship in the beginning.

The writing is also very clever, emotionally insightful, and made me laugh out loud repeatedly. The author is a genuinely intelligent human being, which always comes across in his writing and is one of the reasons I enjoy his books so much. The dubious beginning actually stems from it being almost *too* clever and too quirky for its own good. 

It was self-deprecating joke after self-deprecating joke in a way that would have worked excellently for me in a movie -- and made me think repeatedly while reading it how awesome this would be as a smart romcom -- but it was almost too much to read. That evens out once the initial setup is over and we start getting lots of dialog and interactions between the MCs, though. 

If you find yourself on the fence about it for this reason, hang in there. It's so worth it. (And seriously, that is so fitting for the arc of this relationship I'd almost think it's on purpose, but, well...probably not :)