Husband Material
Publication Date: 08/02/2022
Date Read: 07/15/2022
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Sequel to Boyfriend Material
Characters: Luc O’Donnell & Oliver Blackwood
CW: this list is copied from Alexis Hall’s website.
Homophobia (challenged), internalised homophobia (challenged), bigoted language spoken by a minor character (presented very much as a bad thing), mentions of past emotional parental neglect, death of a parent (heart attack; happens off page), grief, on-page funeral service.
Rating (❤️/👍/🤷‍♀️:👎/❌): ❤️
Spice: Fade to Black.
Would I Recommend?: Yes but read BF Material first for sure.

I loved this book. There wasn’t a scenario where I wasn’t going to love it. Is it as good as the first book? Of course not. But I still had a good time. The plot is very four weddings and a funeral style. Very much just about Luc and Oliver as characters and less about a legit plot. I appreciate the ending but it did feel slightly abrupt. I would have loved another chapter or an epilogue. Overall it was good. It felt great to read Luc again! I re-read Boyfriend Material right before this and it was just as good the second time.

In the follow-up to the popular 2020 romcom Boyfriend Material, Alexis Hall brings back beloved characters, Luc and Oliver, as they consider taking the next step in their relationship. Luc is happier than he ever imagined he'd be with Oliver, so when all of their friends seem to be pairing off and getting married, the logical step would be for them to do the same, right?

Like any good sequel, Husband Material is full of twists that get our main characters into all kinds of shenanigans, with a lot of growth along the way. The book has both main characters go through their own separate journies of self-discovery which really felt raw and real and is bound to bring readers closer to these characters that are already so loved. This was a fun, ultimately lighthearted read that is as outrageous as it is true to life, I'm so glad to have gotten another glimpse into Luc and Oliver's world!

Oh man. This book left me with a mass of conflicting emotions. First, let me say that Boyfriend Material was one of my favorite reads last year and, in a lot of aspects, Husband Material had so many of the same elements that I loved. It has 2 delicious and funny MCs, a cast of zany supporting characters that are having madcap adventures and a fantastic British setting. That being said, the ending of this was so deeply unsatisfying that I’m still mad about While I understand it, I absolutely hated it.. I think that you should definitely read this book and hopefully, you will enjoy the ending more than me.

I absolutely, positively adored Boyfriend Material and have listened/read my favorite passages more than once. I was over-the-moon to get early access to HUSBAND MATERIAL (PUB 08..02)

For me- it was good, but not great. At the end of Boyfriend Material I just placed my hand to my chest and sighed a sweet, contented sigh. That did not happen with the sequel.

WHAT I LOVED:
*Yes- you should read Boyfriend Material first to fully enjoy the sequel.
* Hello- British accents. And truly spot on narration. ⁣
* Oliver -the way he said 'Lucien' still made me a bit weak in the knees. ⁣
* Cast: large cast of smart, eclectic characters ,LGTBQ+/Mental illness representation, humor and wit.
*Four Weddings and a Funeral vibes
* Hijinks & humor- awkward and positively British. One passage had me laughing so hard that it left me in tears and gasping for breath.
*The romance is closed door which I appreciated because it felt very authentic for the characters and their story.

WHAT I DIDN’T:
* I love books that blend levity with heftier social/representative issues. While I enjoyed the commentary on queer-ness/heteronormativity/identity/rainbow balloon arches, it felt repetitive, disjointed and heavy handed at times. This is a rom-com, yet these aspects kept pulling me out of the story.*This is my 4th Alexis Hall book and I've come to realize that Hall likes words. There was a lot of wordy dialogue. Almost too much banter (gasp). I love words and conversation, but it started to bog down the pacing.

This book had me screeching with laughter often. I read the literal first half of it in a single sitting, no joke, it was just such a fun and wild ride. I enjoyed the humor and the relationship dynamics. It was just so good! It flowed quite well, too.

It was not just the comedy I liked, I love how it was a serious, in-depth, and honestly vulnerable look into the multiple perspectives of those of us who are LGBTQ+. It centered on an incredibly nuanced and legitimate debate on how queer identities are performed and politicized, especially when it comes to marriage. This was not just a quirky little British rom-com, it was a genuine revelation between two gay men who are having all-too-familiar identity and relationship crises. While I fell more into Luc's perspective personally as a queer person myself, the way Oliver discusses how he feels really helped open my eyes to the fact that we make each other perform just as much if not more than those who aren't queer. Instead of getting up onto a little soap box and rehashing what is already debated at length in this story, I would just like to finish by saying that although I kind of wish that it didn't end so abruptly and that we had some sort of epilogue to see where it all ended up, I truly appreciate the symbolism in the final scene. I really cannot recommend this book enough, even if it gets pretty silly at times.

Alexis Hall's Husband Material brings back two beloved characters as they navigate the ins and out of weddings of friends and their own pending nuptials. Last seen in Hall's Boyfriend Material., Luc returns to narrate this installment in his typical self-deprecating, humorous style, and he pairs nicely, once again, with his no nonsense barrister boyfriend Oliver. The same cast of friends and coworkers is back, too, so look forward to Luc trying out his jokes on his colleagues and to tales from Bridge's job. I thoroughly enjoyed this title! Thank you to NetGalley for providing early access to this book!

I am a HUGE fan of Boyfriend Material, and I’ve been so excited to read this sequel. As in most forms of media, the sequel is never quite as good as the original, and I think that is the case here. Don’t get me wrong—I love the book, but it just didn’t resonate as much as the first one did. Of course, I loved seeing all the characters again (shout out to Alex!!), but I wished there was more focus on Oliver and Luc specifically. All that aside, I enjoyed the book, and definitely recommend it to fans of the first in the series!

The Boyfriend Material is one of my fave queer reads. It was my introduction to author Alexis Hall, and since then I've read a lot of their work. So to say I was excited about Husband Material is a bit of understatement. It starts out very promising-- it was hilarious, and reminded me of Four Weddings and a Funeral. The middle is where I get lost-- too much stuff going on, too much conflict, and the pure, slowburn romance that I so enjoyed between Luc and Oliver didn't feel the same. Then it got even more chaotic towards the end, and while it was still a solid read, it wasn't a favorite. I feel Luc and Oliver fans would still enjoy this, though.

If you are invested in following Luc and Oliver after reading Boyfriend Material, this sequel delivers!

Set two years after the first book ends, everyone seems to have marriage and settling down in mind. The James Royce-Royces have a baby and Bridge has recruited Luc to be her maid of honor when she marries Tom. Oliver and Luc are in love and are feeling the pressure to figure out what their path will be.

Oliver and Luc stay true to character and the story develops naturally. I appreciate that it includes some larger issues of grappling with one's identity and how it fits, or doesn't, into societal boxes. Though probably realistic, the continued rehashing of some of those bigger themes was a little repetitive at times. I was also a bit disappointed that there was no spicy content, but I continued to fully enjoy the author's wit and was happy to follow these characters down the road.

I found this book to be funny and witty and fast paced. I enjoyed the characters and their relationship and their friendships.

Husband Material is the much-anticipated sequel to Hall’s Boyfriend Material, in which Luc and Oliver met and pretended to fall in love only to end up falling in love for real. Now finally together and trying to make it work, it seems like everyone around them is two steps ahead and getting married. With each new wedding, Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose to Oliver. But it’s going to take a bit more than going to your ex’s wedding—or your best friend’s—before Luc will go from I don’t know what I’m doing to I do.

I rarely say this with confidence but I think I can do it in this case: whether you will enjoy Husband Material or not will entirely depend on what you expect from the novel going in. Truth be told, it’s been two months since I’ve read this book and I’m still on the fence about my feelings. But here goes nothing. A friend of mine said that this story reads more like a collection of short stories and I can wholeheartedly agree. If you don’t think of this as a continuation but rather glimpses into Luc and Oliver’s individual growth and the latter ‘short stories’ addressing their relationship, then chances are you’re going to love this just as much as Boyfriend Material, if not more.

However, I did not go into this book with that mindset and thus, what left me feeling a bit disappointed was the lack of Oliver and Luc content in a book that is literally supposed to be about them. It takes until almost 60% into the book before there is a truly intimate moment between the two of them (and get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about that here), where they talk to each other and communicate about something beyond the antics of their peers or household chores and the likes. Maybe that was the intention, to show that relationships are about the day-to-day things more so than the bond underlying it all but I guess it left me wanting more. That’s not at all to say that Husband Material isn’t a fantastic book, though, because it absolutely is—again, it all comes back to expectations.

Husband Material has all the amazing elements we’ve come to love about Boyfriend Material. Luc being his chaotic self, Oliver being the voice of reason – but both somewhat matured and more secure in themselves— Luc’s family and work colleagues being an absolute riot at every turn and drama-filled moments such as deciding whether to go to the wedding of the ex who literally sold you out to the press and is now kinda-sorta-but-not-really trying to make amends for it by inviting you to his wedding. But we also get another layer of depth as Luc and Oliver realise (even more so than in the first book) that they’re very different when it comes to their queer identity and how secure they are in it—what might make one of them feel as part of the queer community isolates the other and vice versa, in part influenced by the different ways in which they grew up. It’s a multifaceted discussion that arises time and again in this book and even though I didn’t expect it from the novel, it turned out to be one of my favourite explorations of what it means to be queer that I’ve seen to date.

Now, for spoiler’s sake I can’t tell you what happens in the latter part of the book but I can tell you that there is an unexpected event that makes everything feel incredibly real to Luc and Oliver and it’s with this storyline that I absolutely fell in love with Husband Material. Here, you finally, finally get to see Hall’s prose shine as Luc and Oliver grapple with decisions, familial expectations and loss, as they try to reconcile their differing opinions and grow as individuals and together, learning to deal with life’s many obstacles and emerging stronger by holding on to each other instead of tearing the other apart. I loved how realistic the depiction of being in a long-term relationship was: the ups and downs, the good days and the bad ones, the messy times you say things you shouldn’t and the perfect ones that show that the moments that makes life great are often those you wouldn’t think of ever happening. I just wish that we would have had more of this kind of connection and realness of what love looks like and the utter relatability for the entirety of the novel instead of having to wait for over half of the book since this was—presumably—supposed to be about that all along. But that might just be me, so take this with a grain of salt.

The ending of Husband Material is, quite like its predecessor somewhat open-ended. You get a hint of what’s coming but if you wanted more resolution than Boyfriend Material had, you…might not get it. Things are left somewhat resolved and I’m curious to see whether Hall will once again return to Luc and Oliver or if this open ending was intended to leave readers free to imagine what they want for these two lovable and unforgettable characters. All in all, it was a treat to have spent 400 more pages with these kooky people and I for one am sure going to miss everybody (except for Luc’s dad. He can choke).

Infused with Hall’s trademark humour, Husband Material is a delightful, hilarious reunion with Luc and Oliver, their absurd friends and family and an exploration of love and its many obstacles. Balancing the uproarious with the devastating aspects of life, this slice-of-life sequel will soothe everyone in the knowledge that we’re all just pretending to be competent adults and are not alone in making things up as they come along.

Oof. This was...not good. And this is coming from someone who to this day is recommending Boyfriend Material to new romance readers!

I felt like this sequel was unnecessary in the first place which I think is why it involves a lot of Luc and Oliver spinning their wheels and having the same unresolved issues over and over again for hundreds of pages. Some of the fun banter from the first one is there and still enjoyable, don't get me wrong! But it felt like both our main characters had regressed back to who they were before the events of Boyfriend Material and we were watching no growth or real communication happen between them until the very end.

The side characters were as strange and delightful as always, even if I, like Luc, was very sick of hearing about Baby James Royce-Royce. I wish there had been a better balance struck between the four weddings and a funeral shenanigans and Luc and Oliver grappling with what getting married would mean to them - as it stands the book is poorly paced, frequently boring, and has one of the most unsatisfyingly rushed endings I have ever read.

Sequels in romances are tricky, because one needs to devise a plausible conflict between two people that ended up with each other in the previous book. Sticking a thorn between them needs to be believable. It's easier to write about fresh relationships than those that last for several years, but I can say that "Husband material" is a good example of how to tackle this topic in a satisfactory way. The author manages not only to advance Luc's and Oliver's relationship with all it's pros and flaws, but also writes his characters as people, who can be annoying, mean, hurt and confused, but therefore more credible.

This time Hall ditches "fake couple" theme for "Four weddings and a funeral" formula, which gives him an opportunity to explore different types of relationships, weddings as approaches towards marriage. As a cishet woman, I found it pretty interesting to read about how LGBT+ people feel welcomed (or not) in queer community and how their perspective on marriage from society point of view can differ from mine.

Still, it was mainly a story about love and friendship and I really enjoyed it. The only thing that stood out (in a bad way) was the ending that felt rushed and just ended in the middle of the page. This felt a little anticlimactic.

The thing I look for in Alexis Hall's books is a chance to laugh, and here I got exactly that. I adore his dialogues and scenes where characters deviate from the main course of action and simply discuss topics that interest or trigger them, like we do in social situations. I have a special place in my heart for every exchange, when Luc tries to explain a joke to his dorky colleagues from work.

Oliver and Luc are back in this sequel to Boyfriend Material and unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment for me :(

This sequel was a little too drawn out (in my opinion). The first half of the book seemed to move soooo slowly and I honestly was getting incredibly bored. Thankfully some more exciting things happen in the second half and the author's trademark wit and humor saved this book from being a total wash.

What I did like: the banter, the humor, the criticism of the heteronormative wedding industrial complex and of course the MCs themselves. This sequel was a bit of a rocky go for me but I am still incredibly grateful to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an early listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

When last we saw Luc (hot mess) and Oliver (painfully organized mess) in Alexis Hall’s “Boyfriend Material,” they had been basking in the euphoria of being fake boyfriends turned real boyfriends. Two years later, they are still at a reasonable level of bliss, but everyone around them seems to be moving onward. Luc’s friends are marrying, becoming parents, establishing stable polycules — you know, doing grown-up things.

So, with his usual complete lack of forethought, Luc asks Oliver to marry him.

Being married to Oliver sounds fine. Planning a wedding with him, on the other hand, might destroy everything.

HUSBAND MATERIAL (Sourcebooks Casablanca, 422 pp., paper, $15.99) is, above all else, terrifically funny. Not just tonally upbeat in the way of many so-called rom-coms, but text-your-friends, chortle-’til-you-cry funny. One exchange made me laugh so hard and so long I ached for days — my laughter muscles have not had a lot of exercise in the past few years. The jokes shine all the brighter against some deeply painful moments in this story: This is humor as trauma response, romance edition.

I'm a little bit on the fence about this one. The absurdity of some the situations and characters was a bit too much for me to suspend disbelief. However, I really enjoyed how the book explored identity, how you fit into the community, relationships, and growth. It was nice to see Luc acting more mature than we've seen him, and Oliver dealing with lingering issues of how he fits into the queer community. They're still the insecure, sarcastic, chaotic characters from the first book, but now they're working through what it means to be in a serious relationship.

My library will definitely be purchasing this book!

Husband Material is an enjoyable sequel to Boyfriend Material. Taking place not long after where Boyfriend Material left off, we find Luc and Oliver happily in love, but feeling the pressure of their peers getting married and wondering if they should be next. While being with Oliver has improved Luc’s self image in some ways, Luc still struggles with how he sees himself in a very realistic way. I would absolutely recommend Husband Material to anyone who enjoyed Boyfriend Material.

As soon as I found out about the sequel, I dropped everything to read Husband Material by Alexis Hall. Back again with two wonderful characters, Luc and Oliver are overthinking things again. Despite knowing how much they care about each other, there are still obstacles facing them, including the need to wed in order to remain a legitimate couple. This isn’t the best summary, but if you wanted to wrap both of them in blankets and hand them a cuppa by the time you finished the first book, then you better get more blankets ready.

I loved this just as much, if not more than Boyfriend material. I could see myself hanging out with Luc and Oliver's friends, but becoming besties with Luc's mom! I love the mess that Luc and Oliver are and the way they love each other.

It’s rare to like a sequel more than the first book but in this case I really did. I love Luc and Oliver and all of their flaws and watching them navigate four weddings and a funeral in such messy, perfect-for-them ways was a delight.