When the first five chapters of a book have you laughing out loud at every other sentence, you know you’ve found a good one. Revisiting Luc and Oliver felt like running into the midst of a thunderstorm - a bit messier than you initially thought, but romantic and somewhat magical despite perhaps getting a bit drenched. This book was so clearly a love letter to the queer community, to those looking to feel included but not limited, to be understood while not necessarily defining or confining themselves in the process. Though I am not myself part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I could not help but ache alongside Oliver and Luc as they discover what it means to be true to themselves, even if those selves don’t always perfectly align. Forever full of witty banter, achingly real emotions, and a plot line as staggeringly realistic as it is unpredictable, this book surprised me in ways that at first left me feeling somewhat conflicted over the ending, but only increased my love for this series upon further reflection and introspection. Not for the faint of heart, this story surpasses the traditionally fluffy, happily ever after kind of romance for a realistically resonating romantic journey that shows that true love begins with self love, and through lots of hard work, can grow into something much more.

I love this book almost as much as the first one. It is witty and funny and I love Luc and Oliver. This author has been added to my must-buy list. Always.

Alexis Hall was the writer that drew me into the romance genre, and Boyfriend Material remains my go-to comfort read for all occasions. So I feel a little guilty in saying I didn’t love Husband Material as much as its predecessor.

On the positive end of things, I loved getting to see Oliver and Luc further into their relationship, and Luc’s humor blessedly remains intact. Even if the story itself didn’t resonate with me, the character’s still felt like themselves, so reading this sequel felt like coming home, and sometimes that’s all I want from a romance. We also get a follow up on Oliver’s relationship with his own family, and there are some exquisitely satisfying moments that do make me want to give this book a second read.

Alexis Hall has always been a forerunner at writing stories that are inclusive, and there’s so much care in this novel to make sure different communities and individuals can feel seen. I mentioned above that I didn’t love Husband Material as much as the first book, and it's true, but I think others might feel the reverse. It goes into great detail on the different kinds of love, which isn’t always highlighted in romances. In every book, Hall goes through great lengths to show there’s no right way to be queer, and there’s so many different ways to love. Husband Material encompasses all of that. Sometimes it felt more like an essay on queer relationships, which is my largest issue with the book, but really, that itself isn’t a bad thing here. If it means someone can pick up this book and read about someone who views the world in the same way, that they’re not alone, then that’s valuable. This book may not have been written for me, but it also acknowledges that it’s okay for that to happen. Not everything is for everybody, but everybody has something.

So while it may not be my favorite book, I’m still going to buy a physical copy upon release because it delivers a good message packaged in a fun story. Also I want Alexis Hall to have my money.

And if that’s taken as a bribe to write more slice-of-life/smutty Oliver and Luc goodness, so be it.

I am so grateful for Alexis Hall, for Oliver Blackwood, and for Luc O'Donnell. I was anxious about reading Husband Material because I loved Boyfriend Material so much, and though I have faith in Hall I was still nervous there was no way the book could live up to my expectations. I should have known better.

I fully intend to get a paper copy when it's out, but in the meantime, I used my ARC privilege (thank you, NetGalley) and read this as soon as I got my grabby hands on it. I've missed Luc and Oliver (mostly Oliver) so much since my re-read of the first book. Alexis Hall's style and humour are as lovely as ever, and I adored the vast majority of this book, and found the struggles the characters faced immensely relatable. In addition, it was wonderful to read a book that shows the happily-ever-after, warts and all, and makes it both exciting/gripping and comforting to read in the fluff department: the proportion of angst and comfort was pretty much perfect.

My largest (or pretty much only) complaint is the conflict and ending. I'm sure it's just me and for many this will work, but I found the problem the protagonists face and its solution somewhat irritating. But maybe that's just the result of cultural differences.

really enjoyed getting to revisit the characters from Boyfriend Material! There were definitely some hilarious moments. The development of Luc and Oliver’s relationship is pretty realistic and I think the ending was perfect. However, the book seemed to not be a fast read for me. I’m not sure what it was but it just dragged a bit in places for me. Overall, a solid read but I’m not sure it’s on my re-read pile.

Rep: Gay, Lesbian, Poly, Transmasc

Content: All sex is off the page but frequent mention of sex (especially in humorous moments!).

This book is great! Thanks for the Arc NetGalley!!
If you like the humor from boyfriend material, this features the same lovable characters and witty writing. I honestly laughed out loud multiple times in reading this. It’s also a really interesting portrayal of queer identity and also the heteronormativity of marriage. It’s a romantic comedy, yes, but it’s also an examination of important life stages, familial relationships, and chosen family. It’s solid and I loved it!

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

It was such a delight to return to Luc, Oliver, and their friends for a second adventure. Boyfriend Material became one of my favorite comfort reads that made me laugh when things were really tough, so I was greatly anticipating the sequel. I really loved that this book build on Luc and Oliver's relationship, and showed how they'd grown with each other, but how they still had struggles, and those struggles still came out, even when they were in a place of mutual love and respect. I really adored their friends and all their hijinks both helping and hindering our boys as they work out a wedding that works for them both. This was such a fun journey, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Alexis Hall will return and give us a third book (here's hoping!)

This sequel brings back everything there was to love about the original and adds several dashes of thoughtful commentary on marriage as an institution and as a societal force. Luc and Oliver and all of their friends shine with their witty repartee.

In this sequel, Luc and Oliver have been happily dating for the two years since Boyfriend Material. It is wedding season and as they attend weddings for Luc's ex, then one of his co-workers, and then his best friend, they start to realize more and more potential long term issues between the two of them. Things get more complicated when Luc proposes and they start planning their own wedding. I very much enjoyed being back in Luc & Oliver's world's with their friend group but didn't love the story quite as much as the first one. That said, I think fans of the first will also enjoy and possibly love the second one so I definitely recommend looking out for it on Aug 2/22. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Sequels are hard to do because how do you have conflict between the romantic pair but not have them break up?

Hall pulls this off exceptionally well, while also exploring what commitment means, what gay marriage looks like, and how we can keep showing up for people, even when it’s hard to do or we don’t understand them. Also! It’s a wonderful homage to Four Weddings and a Funeral, just like Boyfriend Material paid tribute to Bridget Jones Diary.

I have a few quibbles, which includes some cluelessness from the characters on things that I think they were smart enough to figure out earlier, and maybe one too many spirals but overall those are just quibbles.

Oh. My. God. This book was AMAZING!

When I was approved to read the ARC for this I almost cried, I LOVED Boyfriend Material and it’s one of my staff picks at work. I finished this so quickly, and I loved every part of it.

I was originally both excited and nervous about Boyfriend Material getting a sequel, because it’s rare for a romance book to get a sequel and for it to ALSO be good. But this book hit all the points! It kept true to the characters in the original story, and expanded on their lives in the perfect way. I loved it, and I’m so excited for it to come out this August.

Delightful, hilarious, sweet, utterly bananas. Alexis Hall is truly one of my favorite romance writers. You always know when you're reading one of his books because the humor is honed to perfection and the voice is sweet and sarcastic as the characters banter their way to love (or back to love from otherwise rocky places).

If you liked BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, you are going to love being back with Lucien and Oliver.

After I had literally devoured Boyfriend Material, I was really looking forward to the second part - and I was not disappointed! Husband Material is just as entertaining as the first volume and all the lovable lunatics are back.

Fun, funny, quirky, compassionate and thought provoking… oh and romantic! Fan favorites Luc and Oliver are an official couple at the end of Boyfriend Material, and now we find them navigating their relationship, family dynamics, and big questions (like what it means to be gay today?, have I internalized my parents’ way of thinking?, and what does commitment look like for me?). I followed their journey with delight, surprise and some aggravation (which just goes to show exactly how human they are). I just really loved these characters who remind me a bit of David and Patrick from Schitts Creek. I actually cannot believe these books are not optioned for movies yet— the world needs to see Luc and Oliver, their love, and their ability to face the tough parts of their relationship with courage, plenty of humor and a dollop of drama.

I really enjoyed Boyfriend Material and this is a fantastic sequel! It has the same witty charm as the first one, with scenes that made me laugh out loud as I was reading and moments that made me emotional too.

In Husband Material, you get to see more of what Oliver and Luc are like and there are lots of interactions with their family and friends. I loved returning to these characters. I think I liked this one more than the first because I already had emotional connections to the characters.

There are many nods to classic rom-coms in this book, both in plot points and dialogue. I really enjoyed this element of the story and it was quite fun!

I 100% recommend this book to anyone who liked this first one. It was a joy to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to review.

I was super excited for this sequel. Everything that was present in her first book was present here - the snarky banter, the real behind the scenes look at what it means to work on yourself and be there for others, exploration of relationships between friends, partners, and family and more. I was glad of the deeper exploration into Oliver's family. I also really enjoyed seeing Luc's growth from the first book continue. However, I will note that this book, plot wise, felt slightly weaker to me. It felt like it could be summed up like this: Luc and Oliver go to a number of weddings, where at each one, they interrogate what they each want out of a wedding, a marriage, and each other. Done. But, overall, if you enjoy Hall's writing, you'll enjoy this one.

Can I just, like, wrap myself up in this book for a while? The world is pretty shit right now and this book is completely not shit, so I think I’d just like to live in there for a while, okay?

Okay, I'm not even sure how to review this, but here goes!

It was fantastic! The first 5 chapters gave a pretty good preview of what to expect from the rest of the book; lots of humour, lots of emotional ups and downs, lots of Luc and Oliver being cute boyfriends together.

There were some absolutely hilarious bits that had me LOLing all over the place (one particular conversation between Luc and Judy, OMFG), but there were also a lot of serious discussions about marriage and queer identity, and it all was so perfectly melded together to make this an absolute pleasure to read.

I loved seeing how Luc and Oliver have each grown over the two years since Boyfriend Material, and also how they've grown together as a couple.

There are so many good bits in this book, I already want to reread it!

Also, I will say, that after reading about a bunch of weddings and getting some behind the scenes with these weddings, I am SO glad that my partner and I eloped. Sure, some family was a bit upset that we got married in Vegas, but we are not at all upset that we did! There’s just so much stress with planning a wedding and the cost of the wedding. So, eloping is my recommendation, then throw a party when you get home. 100% would do again. 😜

This is my most anticipated release of the year, and it absolutely lived up to all of my rather high expectations.

An utterly fantastic follow up to one of my favorite books of all time! My expectations were sky high going in but they were exceeded in just about every way. I was nervous since falling in love is always more exciting than being in love, but Lucien and Oliver manage to be just as lovable (and lovably messy) as a couple who have been together for 2 years and are working through all the seemingly boring stuff.as they were trying to find their way to each other in the first book. They feel like characters who have actually grown over the past 2 years, but are still flawed and figuring things out.
This book was also laugh out loud funny. I read most of it smiling, aside from the few times I was wiping away a few tears.
My only small quibble is with the ending, which I wish was a little less rushed, but I wouldn't have wanted it to end no matter what. Bottom line is, if you loved the first book, you'll love this one just as much!