I really enjoyed this followup to Boyfriend Material. It was great to revisit these characters! Luc and Oliver are definitely the definition of “opposites attract” and I love them for it!! I loved how this explored what it means to be a queer person while also doing justice to who the characters were at the end of the first book. This was like a warm hug from a friend!

2.5/5 stars. Overall enjoyed this sequel, but the ending was disappointingly short.

I was really vibing with this book. Luc and Oliver were one of my favorite queer literary relationships and it was nice to hear more of their story. There is some BRILLIANT commentary about queer-ness/community/identity (Luc is very rainbow balloon arch and Oliver isn't), an incredible Oliver scene where he gives an EPIC speech, and all the fresh toast making we could ever need.

Buuuuuut the ending, the last chapter, the last few paragraphs were so rushed; we're talking whiplash speed. I feel cheated out of a brilliant ending. The last sentence is poetic, it was a big moment that didn't feel... well, BIG! It closed it feeling angry at the editors for just dropping the reader off the closest bus stop.

Also, I hate to say this, but for the first time, I did not find Luc's sassy-ness charming; his disagreements and lack of resolutions with Olive seemed super harmful and very hypocritical; 9/10 Luc got his way. I kind of wish the entire thing had been written from Oliver's point of view instead and that Luc could have had some redeeming qualities at the end.

Overall, I am thankful to Netgalley for the eARC and I'm glad I got a chance to read this one. I really hope the ending gets some major reworking before pup date, but I'm not sure if that will happen. I would still recommend Boyfriend Material.

Luc and Oliver are back in this amazingly funny sequel, and so are all the characters we know and love from Boyfriend Material!

Luc is chosen as the maid of honor for Bridget's wedding, so he's responsible for all the planning. Right at the beginning of the story, he runs into his ex-boyfriend Miles, who sold him out to the media, and gets introduced to Miles' new fiancé, JoJo. The happy couple invite Luc to their wedding. Amidst all of this wedding planning, Luc and Oliver's own relationship is put to the test.

All characters are just as chaotic and loveable as before. Luc still works at the Dung Beetle Charity and his relationship to his co-workers remains as funny as ever. I still laugh every time Luc tries and fails to deliver a joke to Alex Twaddle.

Luc's friend group might be even more quirky than his co-workers and they cause just as much chaos as you would expect them to.

I really liked how realistically Luc's and Oliver's relationship was portrayed. Their story isn't just rainbows and butterflies, instead they have ups and downs like every other couple. While it was uncomfortable to read about them fighting because I love seeing them happy together, it also felt necessary.

Just like in "Boyfriend Material," many important topics are mentioned and both Luc and Oliver have to learn a few lessons about themselves and their relationship. It also raises the question of whether marriage is the right option for every couple, which I think is an important topic.

I did think the story was a tad too long but I didn't really mind because I love reading about these characters.

Everyone who loved "Boyfriend Material" should definitely check out this sequel because it is just as good!

Disclaimer: I did not read Boyfriend Material before this book!
So I enjoyed this one, mainly because it gave me very strong Bridget Jones' Diary vibes. It was fast paced, and lots of dialogue. While I was slightly lost at first because I hadn't read the first book, I did start to piece things together and by the middle of the book, I felt caught up enough.
Mainly I just loved the friend group. It felt real, but also kooky enough that it made a good story. It was like Bridget Jones and Notting Hill. A fun, light read with an interesting ending. Wondering if there will be another book after this one?

This book was very well written and the characters were superb but it wasn’t as…good?…as the first book, Boyfriend Material (at least for me). I don’t even think good is the correct word, it WAS good, maybe just not for me?

The same cast of characters are back from the first story- Luc is full of the same wit, sarcasm, and messiness while Oliver is still orderly, uptight, and a perfect match to Luc. The story was in parts with each taking place during one of multiple weddings and a funeral. Luc and Oliver did a lot of work on themselves and there was a lot of inner dialogue.

While the book was superbly written I just didn’t find that I connected with the story like the last one. I was almost bored in parts and was waiting for something more to happen. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending but others might think it’s a perfect ending. Overall if you loved the first book then take a shot on this one.

This is a wild ride of stress/anxiety mixed with fluffiness. Fans of the first book should devour this sequel and be satisfied with the conclusion.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

I feel like I have been waiting for this since I finished Boyfriend Material! I honestly loved that book and was extremely excited to receive a copy of its sequel. I love Luc and his "You honestly could do way better than me but we'll figure it out as we go along and also please don't stop loving me because everyone else has and I can't be abandoned again" personality. Also, Oliver coming to his rescue (and vice versa!), and getting to see this couple ACTUALLY BE A COUPLE was everything I wanted.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this so much, but it did feel a little overwhelming at times. Especially as there were 4 weddings, a funeral/wake, and a myriad of smaller disasters all happening back to back. It was a lot. Like, I wanted there to be more calm moments where we could just enjoy Luc and Oliver and not have to worry about what was coming next, or what disaster could possibly happen now. Otherwise, I loved that Lucien got to be the problem solver at times, and that he didn't need Oliver to ALWAYS save the day, that he was learning to save himself at times. Also, the ending was so them that I honestly couldn't believe that I thought it would end any other way.

Boyfriend Material is one of my favorite books, so to say I was looking forward to reading Husband Material understatement! Husband Material definitely lived up to my expectations. I laughed out loud several times (the copier scene had me rolling) and I also have several instances where I just wanted to give Luc and Oliver a hug. I loved being able to visit them and all their friends again!

Husband Material was equally as wonderful as its predecessor and, just as before, I am head over heels in love with Luc and Oliver. Perfect characters, perfect story, perfect ending. I could not be happier.

In preparation for reading this book (thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review!), I re-read Boyfriend Material, which definitely holds up. It's one of the few books that caused me to genuinely laugh out loud repeatedly, and even though I knew what was coming this time, I still found the humor hilarious and the emotional stuff intense.

Husband Material is, in many ways, a very different book. We get the same large and delightful cast of characters, which was wonderful. But rather than a single narrative arc, it uses the "four weddings and a funeral" model (quite literally), in which a series of major events cause the main characters to more fully examine their relationship and how it fits (or doesn't) within cultural norms.

I don't remember if I had this initial reaction to Boyfriend Material, but I found Husband Material incredibly stressful, to the point that I skimmed some bits because my anxiety was spiraling. Luc and Oliver are such a wonderful couple that I was desperately worried about them every time they had a disagreement.

I think the questions raised here -- the heteronormative nature of traditional marriage, the communities with which we do or don't identify, the fraught relationships we have even with family we love -- are fascinating and well-expressed. That said, this felt a bit disjointed as a side effect of the narrative structure, and I felt as if we kept revisiting and not resolving a lot of questions till the end, where things were wrapped up a bit too neatly for me.

All that said, I enjoyed Husband Material a great deal, and I suspect I'll like it even better on the re-read, when I won't be so stressed out about everyone's happiness!

I'm sure that it's tremendously difficult to follow up on the kind of success that BOYFRIEND MATERIAL experienced, but it's still disappointing to see HUSBAND MATERIAL fall so short of the mark. I wanted to like this book. It has Hall's trademark mix of quirky humor, self-deprecation, and fun banter. Only... at the same time, it doesn't. A lot of the humor felt forced. And, to be honest, the characters felt forced too. I imagine that's because BOYFRIEND MATERIAL was written as a standalone, and in order to create a sequel, Hall had to manufacture new problems, with the effect that everything felt stilted. The other effect was to make the characters unlikable, which upset me because I loved them so much by the end of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL.

This is such a delightful revisiting of these beloved characters. There's just enough plot and tension without calling into question the original HEA ending of the first book, and at the end, readers will feel as if this couple has reached an even more satisfying conclusion to their story.

Although I loved the first book in this series, I just couldn't get into this one. I zoomed through the first one, and this one felt so sluggish. I felt like there were many opportunities where the main character told us he had evolved and everything, but his actions did not point me in that direction. Real people don't just get everything right after having an epiphany but still. I loved hearing from all of the characters again, so anyone who was in love with the characters from the first book should definitely give this book a try.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Luc and Oliver are back, two years later, and everyone around them is getting married. Luc, of course, panics. Oliver, naturally, is Olivering and the results are equal parts hilarious and endearing. Told again from Luc's perspective, Alexis Hall is masterful at making you feel like they're real - and that they're your friends. Looking forward to book three.

Luc and Oliver are back and seem to be in a great place in their relationship after the angst and heartbreak of Boyfriend Material. Then Luc's ex shows up and spoils everything by making Luc think he needs to be married in order to not still be destroyed by his ex's betrayal. After helping a friend with her wedding, attending his ex's wedding, and observing how happy his other married friends are, Luc decides he must propose to Oliver to prove his love and commitment. When Oliver's straight laced parents are slow to support them, Oliver struggles with his need to please and his need to be his own man. More heartbreak and self-pity are on the way, so if you loved the original, this sequel may be for you. For me there was too much agony and not enough romance on the path to happily ever after.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Sourcebooks CASABLANCA, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Luc O'Donnell and Oliver Blackwood met, fake dated, fell in love, broke up and then managed to make everything work well. Now, two years later, they are surrounded by people getting married and Luc feels the social pressure to propose to Oliver, who accepts.
But not everything goes as planned and with four weddings, a funeral and a contested rainbow ballon, Luc and Oliver will have to navigate their relationship, communicate and try to understand what's right for them.

I loved reading Husband Material! Like Boyfriend Material, the story is hilarious, brilliantly written and with a lovely queer cast impossible not to love. The reader follows Luc with Bridget's wedding, his ex's, Alex's and his own, while navigating dresses' crisis, breaking and entering, resentment and forgiveness, loss and grief, fights and planning going wrong, indecisions and so much more.
I love Luc and Oliver's relationship and how much they love, support and help one other and, mostly, I love how they communicate, through freaking out, fights and talking. Husband Material was an emotional rollercoster of laughs, moving and tender moments, hot ones, fights, while, also, navigating social pressure, social expectations, understanding there's not a right way to be in love or being queer.
Filled with jokes, amazing friends, freaking out, funny mother, this rom-com is sweet, funny and a lovely sequel of Boyfriend Material, where Luc and Oliver are more stable, more confident with one other and themselves, while, also, keeping to navigate their own problems and issues in a strong relationship, filled with love and understanding and communication.

Sometimes sequels fall short. Husband Material definitely does not. Luc and Oliver are just as endearing as ever, and I would continue to read stories about them for so much longer. I loved the representation in this story, the character development, the inherent social critique/commentary, banter, and more than anything the ending. Sometimes sequels fall short. Husband Material definitely does not. Luc and Oliver are just as endearing as ever, and I would continue to read stories about them for so much longer. I loved the representation in this story, the character development, the inherent social critique/commentary, the banter, and more than anything the ending.

“Husband Material” is as sweet as can be. This is along the lines of “Red, White, and Royal Blue”, and a sweet LGBT+ YA romance

Lucien and Oliver's story continues, as each grapple with their relationship deepening and the fact that they've reached the time in their lives when everyone around them is getting married. Both have a number of different insecurities, and sometimes they do not even seem very compatible. But what they feel for each other cannot be denied, and whatever problems they face seem to disappear in light of their commitment. Author Alexis Hall's ending is perceptive and inspired. Luc and Oliver are characters to treasure, and this novel literally made me laugh out loud and touched my heart. Highly recommended.

LOVED IT, obviously. At first glance, Husband Material seemed like a fun, light sequel that takes place over the course of several weddings. But, as Luc and Oliver attend these weddings, old arguments, insecurities, and expectations start to creep up. Alexis Hall cleverly steeped HM in deep family work and pushed questions of homonormativity all the way to the forefront without the reader noticing at first. I was blown away, and loved it so, so much.