Thank you to the publisher and author for the arc of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL in exchange for n honest review.

BOYFRIEND MATERIAL has so many elements that I love in a good romcom.
- Enemies/rivals/dislike to lovers!
- Opposites attract.
- Disaster guy falls for uptight posh (no so perfect) guy.
- Funny!
- There's only one bed!
- It's super gay.

Along with all those wonderful elements, I really love the character arcs of both our guys. They both have flaws, and they both show improvement before the end of the story, which you don't always see in a romcom. I loved it!

Boyfriend Material is the story of Luc, the son of two rock stars whose life is plastered all over the tabloids and who needs a fake boyfriend as to not lose his job because of the bad press, and Oliver, a serious, put together barrister who is under a lot of pressure from his family and who wants a fake boyfriend to go to his parents anniversary. Luc and Oliver don’t really get along but they have a friend in common that convinces them to go out together and they end up helping each other.

I’ll be honest, it took me a little bit to get into this book mainly because it has a very distinct humor and at the beginning, that humor was exaggerated and a bit too prevalent in the story. Also, it took me a while because at first, it seemed like Luc was taken straight out of Skins UK, except that he’s not a teenager, he’s 28. His life was out of control, he was partying and drinking, his house was a mess, his relationships with the people he cared about were deteriorating. Since this was just the beginning of the book and I didn’t really care about Luc yet, it was hard to look past some of his shitty behavior, especially the fact that he was mean without reason. All this to say that this book has a rough start.

Nonetheless, once Oliver is introduced, I started to find the humor in this book actually funny. Luc’s over the top, self-deprecating, a little bit mean humor was balanced well with Oliver’s dry sense of humor and his more serious personality. Together they were funny.

Oliver seemed very put together at first and like he had his life under control, but it was very interesting to see the depth of his character and how lonely and unhappy he was because he was trying to live up to impossible expectations. I think part of the reason Luc and Oliver connected in such a profound way was because both of them felt so lonely and sad.

Luc and Oliver’s romance had just the right amount of angst, they were so different and they both have so much baggage, so there were misunderstandings, confusion and hurt feelings, but seeing them be there for each other and slowly fall in love was so heartwarming, they were adorable together. In the end, Luc and Oliver’s individual character development was fantastic and so satisfying and it was the element that made this book feel so special.

I ended up not finishing this book.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it was disappointing. I found myself skimming chapters and found this book to be a similar viewpoint to red white and royal blue.
Luke was extremely annoying and whines all the time and has the exact same personality as Alex from RW&RB. The relationship was forced and I found Luke very mean and possessive.

This was a fun book that was very reminiscent of Red, White and Royal Blue. I'm all for a British M/M romance! It was cute and sweet and I really enjoyed the characters and the romance between them!

This was very entertaining, incredibly romantic, and often laugh-out-loud funny. But it was also heartfelt and emotional and made me cry at times.

Luc and Oliver were likable, complex, sensitive characters, whose vulnerabilities and imperfections won me over as much as their strengths and fearlessness. Luc was perfectly snarky and awkward, while Oliver was perfectly polite and composed, for the most part.

I loved how they didn’t instantly fall in love. Though the attraction was there from the start, they fell in love over time, as they got to know each other as as their fake relationship became more real.

I loved how honestly the author portrayed the various stages of falling in love, the giddiness and awkwardness, the fear of opening up to another person and getting hurt, the anxieties and complications.

For most of the novel, I couldn’t put it aside. But somewhere near the end, it started to feel a little too long. I liked Luc and Oliver’s friends, but I didn’t like all of Luc’s colleagues/donors. They just seemed to exist to be funny.

Not to mention, the beetle ball/fundraiser that Luc had needed a fake boyfriend for turned out to not be that exciting except to show how Oliver was such a great guy and boyfriend.

However, the meeting with Oliver’s parents was really interesting and got me invested in the story and the relationship all at once. It showed a side to Oliver that I hadn’t expected, and was really well-written.

There were many scenes that reminded me of a ‘90s Hugh Grant rom-com. With the carload of friends. The aging rock star. The Bridget-Darcy opposites attract, Darcy the upstanding barrister and his way with words when he told Bridget he liked her. The inappropriate mother.

I also loved Joe Jameson' expressive, intimate, and sensitive narration. He was just so good. He got Luc and Oliver’s voices so right. I felt like he really was Luc, taking to me, totally inhabiting Luc's character, feelings, and experiences, and not just reading from a book. The book was good but the audiobook was even better and definitely worth my Audible credit.

I could totally see this as a movie, which would be good because it would cut down on some of the scenes that went a bit too long in my opinion. Even with the parts that dragged, I could listen/read this all over again. Though the sex scenes weren’t explicit, they were sexy, meaningful, and sweet.

Luc is only famous because of his rock star parents. He has never met his dad, who left his mom and him when he was young. When he gets bad press in the tabloids, his boss tell him, he needs to clean up his act or lose his job. His friends help him make an arrangement with Oliver to pose as his fake boyfriend. Oliver needs a date for his parents anniversary cookout, and helping Luc seems like a good idea.

Luc and Oliver were interesting guys who both have issues with relationships, that is about they only thing they have in common, otherwise they are like oil and water. The agree to help each other and then go there separate ways, but neither expects a fake relationship to start to feel like a real relationship.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, it was a bit slow at the beginning as you learn all the intricacies of Luc and Oliver situations. It felt like 65% of book dealt with Luc's issues and the 25% was Oliver, with the rest being the conclusion of Oliver and Lucs' relationship.

Maybe 2.5 stars?

I didn’t know how to feel about the main character, Luc. He did some pretty shitty things not only to his friends, but also to his love interest, Oliver. He definitely wasn’t very likable IMO.

I did start to enjoy the book once Oliver and Luc got together, and I liked the “quirky British” vibes of the writing style. What annoyed me a lot was how many times they broke up and got back together throughout, especially in the last 200 pages or so. Also, the book was way too long.

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

TWs: Homophobia, discussions of cancer, discussions of eating disorders, absentee father, emotional manipulation.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Melia publishing for providing me with a Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of the book.

This ended up being an unexpected new favourite for me. I was worried it was going to be very similar to Red, White & Royal Blue, but it was completely different in tone, plot, and character development.

The story follows Luc, the son of an aging rock star who ends up tangentially famous because of his Dad and gets followed by paparazzi far more than he'd like. After a particularly scathing photo about him makes the news, Luc decides he needs a his fake boyfriend for events so he can salvage his tarnished reputation.

Luc is the epitome of chaotic gay and I loved him for it. He works for a dung beetle charity, doesn't feel like he has his life together and often accidentally says the wrong thing when socializing. Oliver is basically the opposite; he's a barrister, has his own house (in central London???) and always seems to know what to say.

Needless to say, this is a fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers romance (two of my favourite tropes) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for the slowest of slow burns, then this, my friends, is it. The gradual build-up of Oliver and Luc's feelings for one another leaves you almost wishing that the romantic progression would hurry up. We don't see them properly discuss feelings until over halfway through the novel, but it makes the eventual get together even more worth the wait.

The humour woven into the narrative was so good. I found myself laughing out loud in most chapters, which is RARE for me. Luc's witty quips and even his jokes really tickled me and I enjoyed his sarcastic banter with Oliver immensely.

This book also challenges both internalised and overt homophobia, socioeconomic descrimination, and media treatment of celebrities (especially young celebrities). The one thing I wasn't sure about was the Mulsim rep. I'm not Muslim so I can't speak to it, and I just wasn't sure how accurate or sensitive it was (the only Muslim character is non-practicing, and makes occasional jokes about their faith).

I buddy ready this with Kirsty (KirstyReadsBlog), but I found myself getting so caught up in the characters and plot that I kept accidentally skipping ahead of her and then having to slow down. And then she did the same, so we were even.

On the whole, I loved this. It was such a fun, light-hearted rom-com and I ended up getting completely sucked into the story.

Luc O'Donnell, also known as the son of two incredibly famous rock stars, has hit the (yet another) speed bump of his life.

His dad has hit another high point of fame...and with that comes increased paparazzi for all those tangentially related.

Luc's latest scandal (though relatively minor) was enough to send his bosses heads flying and the donors for his work scrambling away.

The only solution? Find a cute, stable and SAFE boyfriend to settle down with until it all blows over.

Enter Oliver Blackwell - the epitome of the bring-home-to-the-folks trope.

He's a barrister, he loves spending the night in and above all, he's scandal-free. AND he needs a fake boyfriend to bring home to the folks as well.

Only what once was a clear-cut fake relationship is quickly feeling incredibly and permanently real.

Overall - I LOVED this book.

I know, I know. It definitely looks like just another fake-to-real boyfriend trope but the way it was executed - flawless.

I've read so many of those books that every moment of this book, (I thought) I had a pretty solid prediction of where it was going.

BUT I was wrong nearly every time (and the few times I was right, I was SO happy the book was taking that direction).

So much of the book is pure dialogue but the two main characters had such sass and class - their quips and quotes had me literally laughing out loud.

All in all, I adored this book. I loved this book. I'm going to be devastated if there isn't another one.

DNF at 40 %

This was my most anticipated romance read to come out this year and it was a complete let down. I began reading this one as soon as I got approved for an ARC back in June I've been reading it and setting it back. down. The mere thought of continuing to read this one was a struggle and something I did not look forward to. It was then, then I knew I needed to DNF it ( toke me way too long to DNF tho)

Characters: Luc and Oliver I felt soo disconnected from their romance. Luc was not a character that was very likable ( constant complaining and put downs). Oliver was annoying and the romance I just could not buy it was so surface level.

Writing: The writing.. was just so surface level and lacked depth. I felt as though i was just reading the motions of the characters. I did not enjoy the quirkiness of the characters and the overall tone of this book was flat and sooo slow and honestly boring. The humor was British humor ( that I could not get(

Overall: I really enjoyed the premise of the fake dating troupe this was just not one I could finish. I know I'm in the minority here, so I am happy to hear others enjoyed this one. It was just not my cup of tea.

This is was an ARC provided to me by Net-galley for the purpose of my review. Thank you to Netgalley!

*. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I actually started listening to this on Audible during my commute and couldn’t wait the weekend to listen to more so I switched to reading the ARC.

I’m a sucker for love/hate relationships and this did not disappoint! An added bonus that is featured a queer couple. Any sex was off the page for anyone who prefers that. There were some interesting personalities but were also pretty one dimensional.

Nice queer romance. Not my favorite one but not bad either. Worth reading.

Once again, I’m in the minority here because I found this extremely disappointing.

All the people I know on GR praised the book and the cover looked like something I might like, so when I got my ARC approved by NetGalley I just had to read it ASAP. I thought this was going to be a new favorite and boy, I was so wrong.

I had several problems with this book but let me tell you about it first: Boyfriend Material is an M/M romcom that features the famous fake dating, opposites attract and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Which are totally my thing! After reading the synopsis I was sold and like I said, I thought this was going to be a new favorite. Unfortunately, there were more things that made me feel like I wasted my time:

- I didn’t get the humor at all. i.e. Most of the time, Luc is pitying himself and making jokes about his messy life but instead of laughing or even chuckling, I just found it annoying.

- People don’t really talk like that. And if they do, I’m sorry for the people who have to deal with them. In truth, none of the characters felt real, instead, they were cartoonish versions of real people. Using Tumblr slang and saying dad jokes doesn’t make you cool, just so you know.

- Side characters were just as obnoxious as the protagonist. Sometimes I don’t like the MC, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t like any of the supportive friends or relatives, but in this case, none of them were able to make me feel empathy towards their case. Actually, if people treat you like how they treated Luc, well, I think you should find yourself new friends.
I think only Luc’s mom was a bit entertaining.

- Writing from Luc’s POV. The author should have made this book from a third-person omniscient POV instead of using Luc’s, because instead of making us feel empathy for him, it kind of make me hate him even more. I can’t stand people that complain about their lives but do nothing to change them.

- I skipped some lines, and you know what? It didn’t change the fact that my eyes kept rolling over and over again. The character growth is almost none-existent, and you know, having sex doesn’t mean everything will work out.

I’m only giving this 2/5 stars because I did care about Oliver and I think he deserved better. I never understood why he liked Luc other than the fact that they were different. Yes, opposites do attract but they don’t always complement each other. The ending felt rushed and anti-climatic but I was so done with this that I was more glad I could actually move on to other, more enjoyable books after finishing this.

Last but not least, I only finished the book because I was buddy reading it with a dear friend, but if I were on my own, I would have DNF this @ 20% or less. I don’t think I’ll ever read another work by the author ‘cause I just feel like I wasted a lot of time in something I couldn’t even enjoy.

Overall, this was a pretty fun book! I can see why a lot of people have enjoyed it, and I definitely see an audience for it within my own customers at work. The writing style and the narrative voice didn't really work for me, personally, and it hindered my own enjoyment. Still, I know many people will love this book!

This book was witty, sweet, and such a fun cast of characters. You can't help but to root for the characters!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Boyfriend Material was a great read. It was definitely something generally light to get me through this time of isolation. I definitely connected with Luc with his abandonment issues and because I am a crybaby I cried a few times when the situations hit a BIT too close to home for me. Oliver is adorable and I'm hoping that Ms. Hall will write a followup to see what happens next. The interactions between Luc and his band of crazy friends definitely brought to mind several similar scenes I remember from Notting Hill with Hugh Grant his ragtag group of friends. I enjoyed watching as Luc slowly became better due to Oliver's influence and I could see the potential of Oliver loosening up a bit due to the fake relationship.

Would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good romantic comedy.

REVIEW {gifted} Dear Bookstagram: please meet my new favourite romance (ok one of my new favourite romances) of 2020. #BoyfriendMaterial by Alexis Hall was everything I wanted in a romance.

Luc is tangentially famous – his rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

I don’t even know what to say about this book except that you should all just read it. This book is the perfect antidote to 2020. It was swoony and fun and laugh-out-loud funny and had so, so much heart. These two wonderful characters grew so beautifully through the book and their romance was sheer perfection. It is quick and easy to read, and the cast of supporting characters was pure gold – they reminded me of the best friends from Bridget Jones’ Diary and I wanted to be adopted into their crew My only complaint is that it ended too soon! I wanted more Luc and Oliver! Please could someone arrange for this to be made into a movie??

Thank you to @netgalley for the free copy of this one. All opinions are my own

If I could ever describe something as "aggressively British," it would be this book. That is not a bad thing though. The banter, the flirting, everything!!! It was a really great book, I will definitely recommend, especially to people who read "Red, White, and Royal Blue."

This was a cute and quick read. THe two conflicting personalities made for great source material. I recommended our library buy it!

Boyfriend Material was a delight from start to finish. It had two of my favorite tropes (fake relationship and "oh no there's only one bed guess we have no choice but to sleep in it together) and one my absolute favorite relationship archetype (Partner 1: uptight, staunch, uncompromising, and offended by everything about partner 2. Partner 2: wild, free-spirited, mildly inappropriate until Partner 2 slowly brings Partner 1 to his knees and he has no choice but to fall in love with Partner 2).

Here we have Luc and Oliver, who both need a boyfriend for different reasons. Luc needs one because of his reputation - donors at his work feel like he's "the wrong type of gay," And Oliver needs a date to his parents anniversary party so he doesn't look like a lonely loser. They're completely wrong for each other and are only committing to this fake relationship to serve their own needs. OR ARE THEY?

Boyfriend Material was incredibly funny and had so much heart. The supporting characters were colorful and engaging (especially Luc's mom) and there was just enough heartache to make the payoff so worth it. Watching Luc and Oliver's journey from fake relationship to very real boyfriends was so heartwarming that I read most of this book with a big stupid grin on my face.

3.5
Not my favorite Alexis Hall book, but still very sweet. I'll start with what I liked, which was everything except for two particular things. I loved Oliver with a passion that frightens me a little. I liked Lucien fine, but Oliver shook me. I liked the supportive groups of friends who tease and mock one another. I laughed a lot. And Hall writes queer books for queer readers. In a world full of MM romance written by women for women, that's a gift (and I say that as a woman).

The two things that held me back from giving this 5 stars were kind of amorphous. One, Hall loves himself some messy heroes. Which is fine. I like messy heroes too. But I have somewhat limited patience for them. The reason is that so often, in their mess-a-tude, they slip over into cruelty towards those who care for them and I sometimes have a hard time forgiving them for it. Luc did that here. I suppose toward the end Oliver did too. But it was Luc I had trouble forgiving because it felt like a pattern with him.

And two, while I laughed a lot, some of the characters played for humor went overboard. Most of the aristocratic characters are unbelievable buffoons. I would have liked this aspect a lot more if it had been pulled back a little bit and was a tad more believable.

All in all, I call this a success in the more general sense. I did enjoy the last half more than the first half, but on the whole, it's a winner for me. I'll close with a humous personal anecdote. For a while, in the beginning, I was driving myself absolutely crazy because I was certain that I remembered another of Hall's books with an Oliver in it and thought there might be a crossover. But I couldn't figure out which book. I suspected For Real, but it seemed unlikely that Oliver would be into BDSM. Finally, a friend (P.), who has all the book on kindle started simply opening them one by one and searching Oliver. I was just deciding that I'd made the whole thing up when she messaged me that there is in fact an Oliver in In Vino, but it's a completely different one, no crossover. What a relief to discover, at least, that my brain didn't just decide to make it up and taunt me with it.