The trope and the plot of Boyfriend Material are top notch. A romance where the fake relationship is used to improve the appeal of one of the other characters, and then they end up falling for each other is basically candy for me. I even enjoyed both of the heroes and their reluctantly budding relationship. As up and down as it may have been. That being said the flow of the writing was what kept me peep sally, from fully investing. I even took some time after I initially finished reading to write this review.

What I did was go back in and read some scenes that I’d highlighted, and reading them as a piece and not as part of the whole made me enjoy them way more. So I think what I’m trying to say is that I enjoyed this read, it’s incredibly well written and entertaining and as it’s my first from this author it felt fresh and fun, but the writing style may just not be for me.

I think that anyone who loves fake dating trope and M/M will enjoy this romance read!

I absolutely adored the growth of these emotionally messed up men. The humour in this book made me laugh out loud several times, and so many of the cultural references were like a hug - which is important in our current pandemic situation.

There is plenty to enjoy in the tale of fake boyfriends Luc and Oliver. Author Alexis Hall has created warm characters who are well aware of their faults, and each other's! It took me awhile to get into the novel because I thought the start was kind of disastrous. Scenes among the friends or families of the main characters just did not work well. The chatter was often insufferable. A main theme is putting people down, and it became tiresome quite quickly. Yet the interaction between Luc and Oliver was mostly endearing and/or informative.
The novel had a challenge, and that was the reader was bound to find it predictable. Why else detail a fake relationship? There was enough interest in the characters and their development to avoid the big question most of the time.
Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC.

This fake dating romance was exactly what I needed to get through a quarantine slump.

Luc O'Donnell, because of his absent famous asshole father, is routinely showing up in the tabloids. (Not least of all because Luc is a bit of a disaster.) After an innocent picture gets published with a scandalous twist, Luc is in danger of losing his job unless he cleans up his public image. Enter, Oliver Blackwood, well-dressed, but seemingly stuck up, defense lawyer. The two decide to pretend to date to help both of themselves out.

Boyfriend Material is hilarious and charming and full of two very different people learning that they like that about each other… if only they could communicate it!

I have a love-hate relationship with this author's books.

LOVEDDDDD Glitterland, The feelings. GAH the feelings!!!! The feelings and the tension and the chemistry it was such a perfect mix.

I was hoping to get that from this book and yah it sort of missed its mark.

I enjoyed aspects, I enjoyed the British, and the humour, I did laugh alot but the chemistry was.................. just.not.there.

I need a certain amount of connection, and it was just.not,.there.

Also I felt like we hit a climax 50% in and then again at 60% and then again at 80% and then again at 95%!
Just too many climaxes that could have been avoided.

Mare~Slitsread

First:

You can never, EVER go wrong with an Alexis Hall book. A QUEER romance made for the ages!!!! And oooohhhEMGEE how I have laughed and cried and laughed more!!!! Luc and Oliver were that couple I had NO IDEA I needed, and just arrived in my life AT THE EXACT moment. Oliver so proper, Luc such a dreamer. I loved this combination more than many of previous Hall's couples. I loved the London setting, I mean, come on! LONDON? and the british knowledge the author has makes this even more enjoyable. Fake dating rom-coms are usually hard to achieve but I give a full 5 star rating to Alexis Hall and the most fascinating and hilarious story I have honestly read in a long time. I honestly wished I was in London while reading this.

This book is probably not for everyone (British humor and all too real insecurities) but it was definitely my kind of book. As soon as I saw the description of a romance set in England with fake relationships troupe and sarcastic humor I wanted to read it. These characters start out unlikely because of their many insecurities and issues, but I instantly connected to these completely real feelings and the vulnerabilities underneath. I enjoyed the awkward conversation, banter, teasing, and heartfelt realizations. I'm a sucker for great dialogue and the dialogue between these two characters was perfectly imperfect, smart, and sounded like people I wish I could be friends with. I read this book in one sitting because I needed to know what happened to these two characters I quickly loved and wanted to protect from all bad things so they could be happy. I also adored how British this book was from the setting to the dialogue to the humor. I could keep gushing about it, but really you should just read it for yourself if this British story about two struggling men finding themselves and each other speaks to you. It made me feel less alone and smile which is exactly what I needed right now.

**ARC through NetGalley**

I wasn't quite sure of this one at first, but the character development helped it grow on me. They were both perfectly flawed individuals that grew with and on each other as the story progressed. It was pretty pg-13 so I couldn't have a problem recommending it to teens.

Okay, so this was absolutely fantastic and pretty much everything I hoped for going in. I don't think I've ever seen a fake relationship play out in such an emotionally organic way, and I think that had to do a lot with the excellent pacing here. No way-too-early realization of "real" feelings, no lack of conflict and tension throughout, nothing that ever impedes the momentum for a second. I always tend to worry about books of this type losing steam partway through, but that definitely does not happen here. And that is a pretty impressive feat, considering that roughly 1/4 of this book is just emotionally honest (or quasi-honest) conversations between Luc and Oliver. (So if that's not your bag, you may want to skip this one. But as it is very much mine, I loved every. single. convo.) And again, color me impressed that there was never any ludicrously prolonged withholding of information in these conversations: everything unfold realistically, and without my wanting to scream at the characters to just, "Talk already!"

Also, bonus, there are a lot of great quips throughout and it is a genuinely funny book even when the romance isn't in full focus. Double bonus: the side characters are all very well rounded out and fun to read about as well! (Another real rarity, in my reading experience.) If I have any substantial complaints it's that I did want Oliver's initial response to Luc to be revisited (since I love those types of conversations so much) and also, more importantly, I did think it could've ended on a slightly stronger note. But, damn, other than that? I loved these characters so much, and I loved how well they worked together. You go in knowing that it's going to have a happy ending, of course, but damn if I wasn't rooting for them like I had no idea of the outcome. One of the best romances I've read in a long while, that's for certain. Highly recommend.

I really, really liked this book. The narration style was humorous and flippant at times, and earth-shatteringly anxious at others, and it definitely resonated with me. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Luc and Oliver warm up to each other and become better because of it. Their banter and chemistry were spot-on and I definitely wanted to root for both of them the whole time. I will be recommending this to all my rom-com loving friends!

I very much enjoyed the book, like I do most of Alexis Hall's books. That being said, I am not giving this book 5 stars - but hear me out: You know how you always have favourites by certain authors? And how you always end up comparing the books, especially if the subject matter is somewhat similar? Well, that's what happened to me here. I could not let go of my comparisons of Luc and Oliver with Ardy and Caspian from the Arden St. Ives series. I know that's not fair but that's how it is!
But I must say, even if it can't quite live up to all my expectations - because did you READ that blurb?! - it was still a book that you should read and enjoy. I certainly did.

Rom-com gold!!!

Okay, so I knew Alexis Hall's work because I loved “For Real” so talk about versability!

This book was just what I needed right now: an amazing story told with a lot of humor and sensibility without ignoring the less attractive parts of life and ourselves. Think a mix of London Spy and Pride and Prejudice.

I knew I was in for a great story when the opening alone made me laugh. For those of you that might think this is just another “fake relationship” book, look back at who wrote it. Alexis Hall has this way of rewriting popular tropes in a way that is completely unpredictable and entirely his own and when you get to the end you realize how much more there was in those pages other than a romance.

Luc and Oliver are fully fleshed out and I loved that they were more than their sexuality at the same time that it showed how much that still was all some people could see. I only wish we would have had some Oliver chapters or at the very least that he had spoken more because we get to know why Luc likes him but not why Oliver reciprocates.

The ending and the comedic moments during that stage didn’t land so much with me compared to how much I loved the rest of the book but I was still glad about how much the author put his characters through and all they had evolved throughout this story.

I’m really glad to have read my first LGBTQ rom-com and can barely wait for more Alexis Hall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this DRC.

8/10

This book has everything...enemies to lovers, fake relationship, positive discussions of mental health issues, strong friendships, and a riff on Bridget Jones diary. I adored it.

Luc is not in a good place when we start and he hasn't been in a long time. He is the child of two former music stars and as a result is often front and center in the tabloids. He has made a lot of mistakes and is seeming to spiral downward into a serious depression. After another negative exposure from the tabloids, his job is threatened (in a seriously illegal way) unless he gets his life in order and gets donors back for the nonprofit he works for.

Enter a fake relationship with Oliver Blackwood. Oliver is a criminal defense barrister who is pretty tightly laced and very proper. Pretty much the opposite of Luc. They have known each other for a while - but haven't connected in a positive way. Given this opportunity, which Luc tries to blow in every way possible, they find a missing piece of themselves in each other.

The banter between Luc and Oliver, Luc's crazy coworkers and parents, as well as the friends they both have are extremely relatable and hilarious. This also comes with a side of serious and very emotional issues. Both Luc and Oliver have a lot of baggage to overcome. That baggage is worked through in some very real ways. The character growth for Luc is done so skillfully and beautifully. Watching both Luc and Oliver grow together though, is the true joy of this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own!

‘Boyfriend Material’ is a fun British romantic comedy, perfect for escaping reality for a bit! Narrated entirely by Luc, we are privy to his private thoughts and witty antics.

Highly recommended for fans of fake-dating-turned-real. Grab your copy on July 7, 2020!

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Thank you netgalley and the Publisher for the book!
The story is about Luc O'Donnell. He needs to find a Fake boyfriend and he finds Oliver Blackwood. At first they can't stand each other but as times go on things changes.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would in the beginning. It started of slow for me but when I was about 20% in it started to pick up a lot. By the end I really enjoyed the story overall. It contained a lot of cheesy romantic cliches the biggest one being "will they? wont they?". But I think they worked really well in this book. Even though the MC's could be a little tough to read a times they were good ones. The supporting characters were really great in this book. The story overall was cute, funny and real. If you are thinking about reading this book then do it!

Also posted on Goodreads!

I loved this one. It was really hard to put down, and I already miss the characters! This is a solid win for Alexis Hall, and also for readers who are fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue.

Luc and Oliver both need dates to big events. Unfortunately for them, they both think they're undateable. What starts as a fake dating scheme to attend each other's event quickly turns into much more. Soon, it's not so much fake dating as fake pretending they don't have feelings for each other. Both Luc and Oliver go from thinking they're undateable to realizing they might not be perfect, but they're perfect for each other.

This book starts a little slow -- and that's mostly because of the characters. Luc, the perspective character is a grade-A jerk. And he's not a fun perspective character at the beginning. He's mean to other people and to himself, and that's hard to read. But as his character grows, and as he gets to know Oliver and start figuring out his problems (which do involve semi-famous parents), he becomes less of a jerk and his character becomes a lot more appealing.

I absolutely loved how witty and humorous this book was. I don't often laugh out loud at books, but this one really got me. It's very quirky, and quick-witted, and self-deprecating, and that makes for the best combination. The characters come alive after the first ten chapters, and they become really easy to get invested in.

Speaking on the characters, THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS ARE INCREDIBLE. It's a big pet peeve of mine when the secondary characters aren't well developed, and act just as background to the story -- and this book has some of the best, most well developed secondary characters ever. They are amazing. All of Luc's friends, his mom, Oliver's friends, Luc's coworkers -- there is no shortage of amazingly developed characters. I would read this book again just because of how great they are.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it's definitely going to be one of the hit books of the summer when it comes out in July. I recommend you read it!

I read this book in a single day. I adored it. It's witty and sweet, with a fantastic cast of characters, and two romantic leads that you want to root for from the start. Highly recommended.

Go but it now! Right now! Stop reading this review and go read this book. Well, if you insist on reading this review...

Luc reminds me of Brigdet Jones in that they are both lovable dumpster fires. Oliver, at first, has a very Darcy vibe but develops into something much deeper than a mere trope. Halfway through this book, I had to recommend this to a bunch of my friends because it is so good. Good and funny, which is hard to pull off but, Alexis Hall pulled it off.

Engrossing, entertaining, highly readable! This m/m opposites attract romance has light and fun elements, but doesn't lack for emotional depth and meaningful relationship development. Great read!

This was such a fun rom-com to read. I loved both of the leads, Luc and Oliver. They were charming and authentic. This book doesn't fall into the classic fake boyfriend trope, there's hidden depths especially with Luc's family experience. Overall I think this will be a popular book and one that I will recommend to others.