Cover Image: Boyfriend Material

Boyfriend Material

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This is such a fun fake dating, slow burn, sort of enemies to lovers romance! I loved Luc as a hot mess narrator and Oliver is such a cinnamon roll. The pacing of their relationship was really well done and progressed just slow enough to be slow burn but not so slow as to be boring and dragged out. And the side characters are an absolute riot and I would totally read a companion novel that follows one of Luc's friends or colleagues.

While it was primarily a romance I did enjoy the more heavy topics it explored, particularly parent-child relationships.

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Luc is the son of an aging rock star who abandoned him years ago. Unfortunately, his life is still tabloid fodder. After yet another unflattering picture in the tabloids his job his on the line. He needs to clean up his image fast. Luckily one of his friends sets him up with Oliver. Oliver is a young barrister and definitely has a clean image. Luc and Oliver could not be more different, yet sparks fly.

This is a great read for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue. The chemistry between Luc and Oliver is fantastic. They are so stinking cute from their texts and chats to their uncomfortable talks about feelings. I loved the humor. They have a running joke about dick pics that is hilarious (no spoilers here!). Luc's job is a charity that wants to save dung beetles which adds a whole nother level of humor to the story. But there are real feels as Luc comes to term with his relationship with his dad and realizes what is important in life. Loved it and might have to go read it again!

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A fun rom com that deals with two complete opposites that try to make their fake relationship work. I enjoyed luau and Oliver development their throughout the story and some scenes were really heartwarming. I wished we saw more Oliver family troubles and not just near the end of the book. Overall a great story and can’t wait to read what Alexis hall writes next.

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What a fun read! I loved Luc and Oliver's romance. So sweet and hot. Great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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Absolutely adored this book, and it's fake dating at its best! This was exactly the kind of book I needed to get me out of my reading lull as it was a super fun and quick read. I loved Luc right off the bat, and it didn’t take me long to also fall for Oliver. They’re funny, clever, and their relationship and growth is incredibly heartfelt. While both Luc and Oliver had some really great banter, I also appreciated the interactions with Luc’s friends and the support systems they had. I was super engaged with this book the whole way through and absolutely adored every minute. I really appreciated the build up of trust throughout the book, it definitely felt like a steady and organic relationship being built (despite the circumstances) and I became very invested in their relationship and them as characters. Super well done, and I would absolutely recommend!

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*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

This book was exactly the kind adorable romance that I need in my life! I laughed, I cringed, I gasped, I awwwwwwwed! If you like the fake relationship turn into real relationship trope when it comes to romance, I would definitely recommend this. The author does include content warnings on his website so I thought that I would also include them here: Homophobia, workplace discrimination, manipulative and emotionally abusive parents, cancer, disordered eating (discussion only), body-shaming (one incident, side-character)

Luc O'Donnell is kind of famous because his parents are rock stars. He is in need of a fresh image in the media or he will lose his job. Luc starts fake dating Oliver Blackwood who is a nice and normal guy. They strike a deal to be fake boyfriends, despite having nothing in common. But as you would guess fake dating feels a whole lot like actual dating...</p>

All I can say is that this book is so adorable. It is cute and queer and mushy and I loved it. This is the kind of book I would read when I've had a rough day and need something sweet and cute in my heart. I would totally recommend this any romance fan! SO CUTE 😍😍😍

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Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is a contemporary romance. Luc O'Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—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.

Boyfriend Material is a book with everything I love. It is a slow burn, acquaintances to lovers, fake dating, there's only one bed trope filled romance with a slew of fantastic secondary characters that I desperately want to have more of. Luc is a hot mess, and knows it. He is struggling with being a functioning adult while trying to keep everyone at a distance. Oliver is so busy trying to be perfect that he neglects to see what makes him actually happy rather than just doing what everyone expects from him. They seem to be opposites, but they each have family and emotional issues that they need to work on, and they seem to do that best together. I loved the circles of friends for both the guys, and I want more of them all, so much more. The banter was hysterical but also so painfully that it was real. There were feels that made me want to throw things, some that made me want to cry, and others that just had me grinning like a maniac. I think the only issue people could have is if they are completely stymied by the occasional slag and cultural references that they might not get, but that is the only thing I could imagine anyone complaining about- and that would be if they were really reaching for something to complain about. There was so much goodness in this book that I think this has become my go to reread for when I hit a reading slump and need to remember why I love to read.

Boyfriend Material is a book that hit all the sweet spots and had me grinning through most of the read. There are no enough words to describe the love I have for this book. Now I need to go read everything else from this author!

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This was unexpectedly wonderful. I devoured this book! I could not get enough of Luc and his amazing wit and banter. He was so real about his insecurities. His work life and friend relationships had me rolling in laughter.

When Oliver comes around as his fake boyfriend we discover a slightly different Lucien. Its amazing to watch him transform into his true self.

Oliver is amazing. I love how he decidedly takes care of what matters to.him whether that be his body, his job, or Lucien. We slowly start to see his insecurities and it's so endearing. We are able.to watch two individuals become true to themselves in different ways.

It was such a beautiful book. It's written so well. I frequently loved the made-up words that were added in. Beware if you are sensitive to swearing, there is quite a bit. The steam level isnt terribly high in this book which I quite enjoyed. It allowed for you to fully invest emotionally in this couple. This was very well done!

Thank you sourcebookscasa and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinion are my own.

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Boyfriend Material tells the story of Luc, a C-list celebrity, whose most significant achievement is being the son of a fallen from grace musician. That doesn't stop the tabloids and paparazzi from scrutinizing everything he does and ruining his life. After a new scandal, Luc has to find a fake boyfriend to accomplish a job task.

Unexpectedly, the writing needs some using to. There are many posh British expressions that are hard to follow, and some sentences are unnecessary long. But after some chapters, it flows better. The story is filled with clichês, like a fake relationship, bed-sharing, and meddling friends. It feels like reading fanfiction, which isn't bad. It's what I was expecting going in.

One thing I didn't enjoy was some of the side characters. Two in specific are so weird and alienated from the world, they don't feel believable.

Speaking of characters, Luc and Oliver are messes. In different ways, yes, but they would benefit a lot from some therapy sessions.

Luc is so self-destructive at first, it was too much for me. But given his background, it's understandable. He's deeply affected by the stories the tabloids create and publish about him. So he lives in constant fear of messing up and seeing his life spread out for everyone.

Oliver seems more put together on the surface. But he's always under pressure to meet his family's views of what an accomplished young man should be. He's criticized by his parents and has an unhealthy life competition with his brother.

So when Luc and Oliver come together to fake a relationship, it's hard at first. But with a healthy dose of physical attraction and learning to deal with each other, they start to face their inner demons together. It was so cool to see the lines between the fake and real relationships beginning to merge and fade. But, although there were some highs and lows to keep you entertained, there should have been more pining. Which is the best part of this type of story.

As you can see in this Boyfriend Material book review, this is a story for Red, White & Royal Blue fans. Although the writing can be hard at times, the characters and the story will keep you hooked enough to fly through this book.

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This book is a delight! It has been compared to Red, White, and Royal Blue (which I also loved), but other than it being a M/M romance with very appealing characters, I didn't see the resemblance. Both Luc and Oliver seem like real people and I loved watching them navigate their fake relationship as openly as they can while still trying to protect themselves. Very relatable. I read it in a sitting.

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My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌠
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My thoughts:
Fake boyfriend trope + an awkward, messy, disorganized individual with someone who is super organized & does everything by the rules. This is like the perfect combo. I loved the characters of Luc & Oliver individually but felt like the chemistry between the two was somewhat lacking. I liked the banter between the two & also those between Luc & his gang of friends. They had me laughing a lot & reminded me of my crazy set of friends.😁 Luc's mother was another fun & quirky character that I loved.
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The story was cute, funny & I loved most of the it but overall it just felt like there was something missing to me with regards to the chemistry hence the 3.5🌟's.
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Disclaimer: Thanking Netgalley & the publishers for providing me with an eARC copy of the book in exchange of an honest review. The thoughts expressed in the review are therefore completely my own.

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Snarky British humor, not a ton of plot (but that's totally okay) and a main character who definitely charms you as you weave through the book, I really liked this. This was a book that I stayed up very late finishing and usually, that's a great sign for me. This was one of the best "fake-dating" books that I've read.

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“It’s easy to be happy when you’re pretending.” Luc O’Donnell is a bit of a mess. He hasn’t seen is rock star father in years. He’s barely holding on to a job at a charity for dung beetles where one more time ending up in the tabloids and he’s done. When he meets barrister Oliver Blackwood they make a pact: Oliver will be the respectable boyfriend for Luc’s charity ball, and Luc will attend Oliver’s parents’ anniversary party.

I consider @whatsjennareading as my ambassador to the romance genre. When she tells me to read something, I will. I preordered this book and started reading it as soon as it came out. I took a break with this one to finish a couple other books but I flew through the last 300 pages. This book is full of so much humor. I loved all of the characters from Luc’s loyal friend circle to his quirky coworkers. The story is told from Luc’s point of view which is inflected with Hall’s wit and humor that made this book hilarious and lovely. I was rooting for Oliver and Luc the whole time and I was not disappointed. I give the author a lot of credit because I think this book could have become one big cliché but it didn’t, and the actual events of the book were more real than I expected. I loved this book. If you’re looking for a great M/M romance without a lot of graphic sex, this is a perfect selection. I hope more people check it out before the summer is over. ★★★★★ ◊ Trade paperback ◊ Fiction - Romance, M/M Romance, LGBT ◊ Published July 7, 2020 by Sourcebooks Casablanca. ◾︎

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This was one of my most anticipated romance releases of this year and I had big expectations. From the moment I saw that it was a romance featuring a fake-dating trope and a m/m pairing, I was in. I have to say, I absolutely adored this book in so many ways and I'm so happy to have read it.

Boyfriend Material is the kind of romance book you want all romance books to be. Full of romance, obviously, but also a story with an in-depth plot, complex characters, and plenty of humor. Not only that, but it had some of my favorite tropes such as fake-dating, "there's only one bed," rivals-to-lovers, and grumpy boys who are secretly soft.

I enjoyed every second of this book. I ended up listening to the audiobook and, while I could have smashed it out in 1/3 the time if I had read the ebook, I am so happy that I listened to it this way. Honestly I may have to commit to listening to most romances on audiobook from now on.

I think the main reason I loved the audiobook was because I got to hear and experience the emotions a lot easier and better than if I had read them on a page. Listening to the narrator's voice get loud when the character was frustrated or soft and cracking when he was sad? Perfection. Also, this book takes place in London and getting to experience the story with actual proper accents made it so fun.

This book was so fun and humorous. I already was having to pause the audiobook in chapter 1 because I needed to take a moment just to laugh. There's a good mixture of humor in this book from stupid puns, jokes, sarcasm, embarrassing moments, people poking fun at each other, and even more. I was laughing so many times throughout this book and I truly think that the humor is at least 40% of the reason why I loved this book so much. Of course, even though there was a lot of humor, there were plenty of serious moments as well. I thought that the balance between the humor and the serious emotional scenes was quite well done.

My favorite part of this book, though, had to have been the characters. Luc and Oliver were so much fun to read about. They're both so unique and different from each other in really every way possible. I really loved them together though. Even from the beginning there was never any animosity in their fake dating relationship which was a breath of fresh air. I think the support they have for each other was wonderful and I love each of them so much. We only get Luc's POV throughout the book so I feel like I connected more with him, but I also loved Oliver and think that they're such a cute pairing.

I think that the individual character developments as well as relationship developments were really well done. I really enjoyed getting to see how both Luc and Oliver developed throughout the story and seeing the progress in their relationship from fake-dating to possibly more.

The side characters were also so fun. I did occasionally lose track of who was who with the audiobook but I really liked how well-written the side characters were. I think my favorites were Alex, Bridget, and Luc's mom. I think that the side characters really helped move the story forward and added an extra depth to it.

This book also dealt with some serious topics such as depression, anxiety, and homophobia (throughout) and cancer, borderline abuse, and eating disorders (briefly). I cannot speak on some of these representations but I thought that the depression and anxiety was done in a very realistic and respectful way.

Overall, I just really loved this book. There was the perfect amount of angst, humor, and seriousness while having some of my favorite romance book tropes. I loved the characters and their developments as well as the overall story itself. I loved it so much that I already ordered a physical copy for my shelves and for me to flip through whenever I want. I highly recommend!

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Today I finished #BoyfriendMaterial! It was absolutely hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud several times. I really found Luc to be the perfect main character. He was funny and sweet, but also had flaws and I thought he lacked a little ambition. Oliver was the perfect match for Luc because he helped balance him out. I thought Luc’s job was also really interesting and I wondered if there really are dung beetle charities? ⁣

I’ve seen this compared to Red, White and a Royal Blue a lot and I might have a minority opinion here, but I liked Boyfriend Material a lot more. I thought the writing was sharper, the banter funnier, and I loved all the side characters, particularly Alex and Luc’s mother. ⁣

Thanks to @Libro.fm and @dreamscape_media for the Advanced Listener Copy!

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This was a really sweet book. A charming read-alike for Red, White, and Royal Blue or for any fan of contemporary romance.

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That second to last chapter though? OLIVER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I absolutely ADORED Luc and Oliver’s story. It was completely endearing, quirky, hopeful, and simply lovely. I need to read more books like this one.

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I was keen to pick up Boyfriend Material because I’m a fan of Alexis Hall’s Kate Kane series. I was a little unsure if it would really click for me, since contemporary romance isn’t usually my thing, but I’m head over heels for this book!

I love the fake-dating trope, so was really hooked. I got serious Bridget Jones Diary vibes from Luc and his friends, except modernized, queerer, and just generally better. Set in London, it’s definitely got the British sense of humour and quirky but lovable characters you’d expect. You’ve got dung-beetle fundraisers, french toast (which you will be craving), an aging rocker, and curry nights watching Drag Race.

The book is hilarious, both in the thing’s Luc manages to get himself into and in the voice in which the novel is written. It’s also incredibly heart-felt and touching. It manages to touch on some pretty serious topics — different types of parental neglect, homophobia, eating disorders — with a light touch that somehow makes it all the more impactful.

The two main characters — Luc and Oliver — are both wonderfully, willfully blind when it comes to each other. They’re both wonderfully fucked up and complex but in ways that completely complement each other.

If you liked the hit Red, White and Royal Blue, you absolutely have to pick up Boyfriend Material.

You should read Boyfriend Material either way, honestly.

Boyfriend Material is a perfect standalone, but I’ll be first in the queue if Hall ever decides to follow up with a sequel. I’ve ordered myself a physical copy, and I’ll be rereading once it arrives.

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SO. DAMN. GOOD. Alexis Hall sure knows how to write a sweet sexy snarky romcom. Luke has a problem he has a bit of a bad boy reputation, and that is not flying well at his job. He needs a reputable boyfriend and he needs him stat! Oliver is a successful barrister the perfect respectful fake boyfriend for Luke. But now Luke has another problem... he cannot stand Oliver. I just loved absolutely EVERYTHING about this book! Luke was such an adorable character flaws and all. Oliver was a great character as well something about him touched me deep down in my soul. Luke and Oliver had amazing friends, the kind you want to go hang with yourself. Real friends, the kind that support you no matter what, but still tell you when you’re being a complete shit. Luke’s coworkers added lots of humor to the story, I was seriously laughing so hard I was crying during some of the interactions between Luke and his coworkers. Loved all the witty banter in this book especially that between Luke and Oliver. And the chemistry between these two can I just say H.O.T.! The audiobook was narrated by Joe Jameson Who did a stellar job! He really has a swoony voice, definitely listening to more books from him! An exceptional romcom that is promptly being put on my faves shelf!

*** Big thank you to Source Books and Libro FM for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

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'Boyfriend Material' by Alexis Hall was a breath of fresh air in what otherwise has been a lacklustre 2020. I do not believe that I will have the words to appropriately articulate my thoughts in this review as well as to encompass my love for the characters and the writing. 'Boyfriend Material' was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, and it definitely did not disappoint.

The novel centres on our main protagonist, Luc who is the reluctantly famous son of a rockstar father who abandoned Luc and his mum and thus, has never actually met the man who biologically shares half of his DNA. When Luc's father decides to participate in a reality singing show (think, American Idol), suddenly the world is reminded, yet again, of Luc's existence and his partying ways, shoving him back into the public eye.

After a not so 'appropriate' photo of him does the media rounds, Luc is fighting to save his job. In order to be seen as 'respectable', and for his very rich clients to donate money to the charity organisation Luc works for (I am not going to spoil what that charity organisation is, it needs to be a happy surprise), Luc finds himself in need of a boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend though, a 'respectable' boyfriend. This is where we meet the absolutely wonderful and sweet, Oliver Blackwood, barrister and all round sweetheart. Cue the fake dating and the falling in love.

To say that I adored these two characters would be a gross understatement. The relationship between Luc and Oliver was marvellous to witness because it felt grounded in reality. There was an authenticity to their relationship, to their developing feelings, that I feel most enemies-to-lovers seem to lack. As the readers, we fully witness Luc and Oliver's growing trust between them. We are able to observe how they both went from enemies to a couple. The ups and downs were realistic - as a woman in my mid-twenties, I related so incredibly well to sort-of coming-of-age aspect that these characters go through, throughout the course of the novel.

I also want to briefly articulate how important this book was to me on a personal level. This novel so perfectly captured the emotions that come with being in your mid to late 20s. The insecurity and fear of mediocrity, the fear of not doing anything of 'substance' with your life - those feelings that Luc go through, is so valid to the experience of myself and others. It was the first time that I have read a novel, a romance novel especially, that explore the emotional baggage that can come with growing up. Alexis Hall wrote this chaotically wonderful character in Luc and in turn, captured the chaos of still growing up in your late twenties.

'Boyfriend Material' is one of my absolutely favourite books of all time and I highly recommend it to lovers of contemporary romance, especially the likes of books such as Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston as well as The House in the Ceruelean Sea by T.J. Klune.

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