Wow. This book completely exceeded any and all expectations I had going in. I expected romance with a little humor but I was blown away by how at-once adorable and hilarious this book was. It's not often you get the two best tropes (enemies to lovers and fake dating) in the same book and they're done this well but this book delivered. I also was pleasantly surprised by how relatable our two main characters were, especially considering Luc has famous parents and Oliver is a lawyer. I still felt such a kinship to the two of them and I was rooting for them the entire time. I hadn't read anything by Alexis Hall before this but I am a new fan and I can't wait to get my hands on something else.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. After about 45% of the way through it, I had to put it down and not finish it, which is a real bummer because I was excited about it. Perhaps I will get back to it at another date.

4.5/5 stars

Luc, the son of a Mick Jagger-like former rockstar, has a lot of baggage in his trunk. That baggage makes him do stupid things that end up being photographed and published in C-rate tabloids. Those tabloids land him in some trouble at his job (a fundraiser at a dung beetle conservation organization), where his boss tells him to spiffy up his image so that they don't lose any donors... aka get a nice, respectable boyfriend. And so Luc has to beg his friends to find a fake boyfriend for him to take to the big beetle dinner, and they do. Enter Oliver, an uptight criminal defense barrister. But while he may be controlling and uptight, Oliver is also really good at helping Luc put away all his dirty clothes and toiletries and further unpack his baggage. And maybe Luc is good for Oliver, too. Good enough to graduate them from fake to real boyfriends....

The two things I loved most about Boyfriend Material are (1) the banter! It's adorable and really makes you see that Luc and Oliver (and their friends) are real Millennials who like to joke and have fun and engage in some fun wordplay and (2) the voice! My god, it's incredible! It rings through so clearly and really makes Luc pop on the page. Initially, I was surprised --and slightly worried-- when I realized that the narration was all Luc all the time (most romances switch back and forth between the two love interests), but Boyfriend Material doesn't! And I'm glad it didn't because I fell in love with the voice of Luc and how its really, really feels like he's just telling everything to his BFF Bridget instead of narrating a book. THAT is how narration should be!

The loss of a half star is because Luc is a VERY annoying character for the first 2/3 of the book. I get it: he's depressed and has been coping poorly with it the past five years. But like, he is just an awful person: selfish, mean, and self-centered to the extent that he can't think of anyone else's feelings, including his friends and his mother with whom he gets along well. I mean, yes, it then paves the way for a rather miraculous dynamic character growth, but still. If I wasn't so hyped about reading this M/M romance, I probably would have stopped reading it.

LGBTQIA+ diverse:
- Luc, narrator and protagonist, is gay.
- He dates Oliver, a gay man.
- Several of Luc's friends (secondary characters) are LGBTQIA+, including Tom, bisexual dating a (straight) woman; James Royce-Royce married to James Royce-Royce (confusing? yes. unnecessary? yes. funny? yes, but not probably not as funny as Hall thinks it is.); Priya (South Asian) is a lesbian in a committed relationship with an older woman.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and it did not disappoint! Boyfriend Material has all of Alexis Hall’s trademark humor, emotional depth, and gorgeous prose. The plot is delightfully tropey, the characters are lovely, and there’s really just so much here to love. Luc and Oliver charmed me completely — I’m confident this is one book that will be read and reread again. In Boyfriend material, Alexis Hall has set the new gold standard for romcoms.

This book was an absolute delight of a read, and one that I had to tell people about right away. I thought it was going to do me in on several occasions because I was laughing so hard. The writing is just superb; it was intelligent, funny, and original. I also really loved the main characters, Luc and Oliver, and the ways they were good for each other that they could never have anticipated. I'm a fan of the whole fake dating trope to begin with, so this book started in my wheel house and then elevated things to a whole new level. The supporting cast could absolutely be in their own sitcom, though they always steered just to the right side of being over-the-top. The humor is a wonderful bonus in this book, but the main duo really center it with a lot of heart. You are rooting for them, especially as they start to slide into caring for each other in ways that trip them both up. I'd definitely recommend this one!

This is an adorable story with a neurotic, emotionally vulnerable main character who makes the fake-dating trope work in a way I've rarely seen. It's a truly charming book, read it!

[3.5 Stars]
Wow! What a read! I'm surprised at how quickly the book sucked me in, just for the fact that the description read like your run-of-the-mill "enemies to lovers" or "fake dating" rom-com trope. I was delighted in finding that it was not only a cute romance, but also a book about introspection, learning to better yourself, and different kinds of interpersonal relationships.
I will be frank, some of the writing dragged on, specifically the scene where Ollie and Luc were having dinner with Alex and Miffy. This is a case where I think the author did not need to throw in so much detail and conversation but rather let the reader draw conclusions from Luc's interpretations. Alex and Rhys' characters were hard to enjoy because they seemed a bit flat and dull. While Rhys seemed to get more personality towards the end Alex on the other hand never really developed.
The relationship between Luc and his friends was very realistic and it was exciting to read about how he learned to appreciate them and open up to them more while making changes to better himself. Ollie's character wasn't anything spectacular but he was an enjoyable one nonetheless. There is a bit at the end where an eating disorder was brought up to Ollie that I believe was unnecessary. If this was brought up earlier in the book I'd have liked to have seen the exploration of healing for him, but alas, this was literally in the last chapter and added nothing to the storyline since it was almost over.
Also Luc's mom? Hilarious and charming, fell in love instantly.
Overall, definitely something I'm planning on recommending for my library's collection.

This is by far the best book this author has written so far. Yes reoccurring themes, sentences and even quotes but still brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it, Oliver was such a well thought out serious character and the dry wit was a great read.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fake boyfriends is my jam and therefore I had really high expectations for Boyfriend Material. And let me just say it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved this book.

Lucien O’Donnell, son of two former rock stars needs to find himself a (fake) boyfriend. His parents split when he was three years old and his dad is planning to have a come back. Unfortunately that means Luc is back in the public eye and can’t risk anything. He’s working for a charity and needs a clean image. That’s how he ends up fake dating Oliver Blackwood who he does not even like. They make an arrangement and have an official expiration date when the charity event will be over... or do they really?

Luc and Oliver both have a lot on their plates but learn to open up to one another along the way. I loved how they slowly came to terms that they are actually good for each other and care a lot besides all their flaws and how messy things seem to be. The relationship development was amazing. This book is full of humour and delightful tropes but there’s also lots of emotional depth. The writing was witty but also serious where it needed to be. It also addressed lots of important topics like family/dating problems or body and trust issues.
I adored both Luc and Oliver and their rollercoaster ride of a relationship so much but I was also very fond of all the side characters. They were such a lovely addition. I would absolutely recommend this book!

Boyfriend MaterialOMG. This book was... everything. In general, I don't like first person narration. It's usually better if it is alternating but Hall stuck with Lucien "Luc" O'Donnell and he was just so perfectly imperfect. Growing up the child of two people who were music stars in the '80s, he's famous for being the child of famous people. His one and only long-term relationship ended when his boyfriend sold their story fifty grand sending Luc's life into a spiral And since then, the paparazzi loves to follow him around like in the opening scene. He meets a cute guy while dressed as a rabbit but accidentally chases the guy off. While Luc is leaving the club, he trips on the sidewalk and is in the papers once again for allegedly being drunk/high/whatever. That's bad enough but, as a manager of donors for a nonprofit helping the dung beetles, Luc's job is now in jeopardy because donors don't believe that someone as out of control as Luc could reasonably be trusted with their funds. And with their biggest fundraising opportunity happening soon, Luc needs to fix his reputation fast. Is it the best plot point? Maybe. I worked for a nonprofit and there are definitely donors who will pull their money based on the stupidest of reasons. But it makes a good impetus for Luc to start dating someone who is looks like a grown-up steady person. And his best friend Bridget just happens to have the guy.

Oliver Blackwood is also perfectly imperfect. Even as Luc's white knight, the vegetarian barrister needs saving as well.

There could have been more resolution with Oliver's parents but the parts with Luc's dad and mom were perfect. Yes they were big stars but his mother loves Luc for who he is and Luc is able to make peace with who his father is and their relationship.

Four and a half stars.
This book comes out July 7th
ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were so relatable and fun. I like that the main characters, Luc and Oliver, are super relatable regardless of your gender and sexual identity. because we all have anxieties or parts of ourselves that we are self-conscious about. Really enjoyable book that I will highly recommend!

This book was so much fun! It was exactly what I was looking for when I started reading. It follows Luc, son of rock star parents, who is forever in the news for his behavior, or his family and cannot keep a boyfriend to save his life. He decides that he needs to clean up his image, and that he needs a “fake boyfriend” to help with that, since he can’t seem to keep a real one. Enter Oliver. A clean cut, respectable, handsome man with a great job and a calm life. He agrees to be Luc’s “boyfriend” if Luc pretends to be his. As these things do, they go horribly wrong, and then so very right.

I thought the writing in this was hilarious. There were some laugh out loud lines, and some amazing characters. I really loved the writing style, and I will definitely be looking into Alexis’s other books. This book was cheesy at times, but just the right amount. I loved it!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I was so happy that the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley selected me for this completely delightful book, and it's totally a five star read for me 😍

Boyfriend Material is a fake relationship trope, beautifully written in the first person (Lucien's) POV (which I love) and full of actual laugh-out-loud lines. I adored the main characters Lucien and Oliver, and the way their relationship developed throughout the book. They are both flawed and delicate and strong and funny and so relatable, and possess all the great characteristics that make the reader fall in love from the get-go.

Luc is the 'slightly off the rails' product of (divorced) famous parents, with all the drama and media interest that goes with it, whilst Oliver is a middle class barrister with painful parents and very high expectations. The friendship groups are fabulous characters in their own right and actually reminded me a lot of Bridget's friends (from Bridget Jones' Diary).

Such a brilliant book, especially for Valentine's Day.

Highly recommended ✨✨✨✨✨

#NetGalley #BoyfriendMaterial #SOURCEBOOKSCasablanca