Despite Joe Jameson’s SUPERB narration yet again, it wasn’t enough to save what ultimately turned out to be a slog of a book for me. It took a wonderful cast of characters we all grew to know and love and made every one of THEM the focus INSTEAD of the couple that were the center of the original book. The weddings of other characters didn’t work as the plot propulsion device it was meant to be, as Luc and Oliver question again, and again, and again after each event what gay identity means to each of them, as well as gay identity in the face of marriage equality. I heard way too many debates over rainbow balloon arches. There were so many fake contrivances of whether they were going to break up or not that it was eye-rolling, and the ending was so abrupt that I felt even more ripped off.
Damn it—I hate sounding like this. Writing a book is hard and I get it; it’s why I haven’t been able to finish a manuscript yet. I loved “Boyfriend Material.” I still recommend it to anyone and everyone. And there were still parts of this book that made me laugh out loud. But I wouldn’t recommend it to fans of the first book, and I’m not sure I’ll bother with a supposed third book.

I didn't think it could get any better than book one, but both author and narrator blew it out of the water with the sequel. Sweet and sexy,
Separately and together they are an unstoppable duo. Will recommend to so many patrons.

Cute and fun and quick. A perfectly readable sequel ... but didn't quite live up to the first book for me. But still - if you're looking for a romance to read before the end of summer ( don't know about you - I just tend to read more romances in summer haha, then I'd still definitely recommend. Book one is still an all-time favourite, and if you liked that one - then this one is definitely worth a shot!

Probably more of a 3.5 for me, but rounding up to a 4 star.

I didn't love the first book in this series, Boyfriend Material, which I only read because I got an ARC of this book and I wanted to make sure I could give a full review. Somehow, this book was even worse. I'll probably still read Alexis Hall's other books, because I enjoyed A Lady for a Duke, but if there are any more books in this series (and aren't about side characters) I won't be reading it.

I hate reviewing queer books poorly but I struggled through every bit of this audiobook.

Spoilers after this point
------------------

PROS:
-The side characters were great and once again, I wish I got to know more about them.

-There are some giggle worthy moments. Such as Luc & Barbara about the photocopier at work or the “Be Gay, Do Crime” comment.

CONS:
-I was so freaking bored. The only reason I finished this is because I need to for my NetGalley rating.

-Luc. Again, that’s the con. He is still frustrating and angsty. He knows he’s a bad friend but I don’t actually see him making real change. I thought this was a month or two into his relationship with Oliver with how little he had progressed, but no, it’s been two years. It’s not enough to acknowledge you’re a bad friend, you have to actually make changes.

-Any chemistry they did have in book one is thrown out the window. They have no chemistry and instead of the miscommunications being cute or part of a new relationship, I found their relationship to be so toxic. I actually thought they were going to break up at the end and I thought that would have been a better ending.

-Rainbow arch debate. Holy crap. We touched on it in book one but this book was filled with other people’s weddings and an argument about a rainbow arch. AKA Luc is stubborn and wants rainbows and queer symbols at the wedding. Oliver is stubborn and doesn’t feel represented by the queer community/community symbols. It’s fine to love it, it’s fine to hate it. But the way they presented it from both sides was so toxic and there was no attempt at middle ground. Luc seems to think Oliver is a bad gay and Oliver acts like Luc is childish and ridiculous.

-I liked Oliver before but now he sucks too. I thought he just took awhile to get comfortable talking to Luc especially because he was in love with him and embarrassed. But no, he’s also immature and toxic. They never actually talk to each other and Oliver is half of that problem.

-I love weddings – but we spent the entire book going to everyone else’s weddings. We read about so many weddings in such a short time that again, I feel like we didn’t see enough about their chemistry and relationship. I get that the author was showing how many different weddings there are and how stressful they can be, with the ultimate ending of Luc & Oliver not getting married but instead staying together, but I still think it was just a lot of unnecessary information that confused/bored me.

-Once again, there’s a big issue at the end of the book which isn’t properly addressed. They literally almost leave each other at the alter and then la de da everything is fine because they’re not getting married but they’re going to stay together. Which would be fine if they were healthy about it – but because they never address or fix their issues, they’re just avoiding stuff. I can bet you the rainbow debate will come up when living together and buying a house.

-Small penis as an insult. Several times by 20% we heard the small penis joke and it was used as a gotcha against some of the most hated characters who were men. I could probably roll my eyes and ignore one or two jokes, but this is excessive.

I know I’m totally in the minority here, but I hate these jokes. Yes, I know people want to stick it to men, but this is still body shaming and equates penis size with morality/goodness? It’s like when people fat shamed Trump. Yes, he sucks. But that has nothing to do with his size and harms all fat people.

Also, you know who has significantly high rates of smaller penises or micropenises? Trans men. Intersex people. Even if they don’t fall into these communities, it’s still something that many cis men are extremely self-conscious of.

So in the end, while you might hurt the person you’re making a joke about, a lot of other people are also going to hear this joke and know what you think.

I really liked this book! Husband Material surprised the heck out of me because I did not start this read off on the right foot. I delayed starting this arc because I remembered I never read Boyfriend Material. So I basically binged listened to get the gist. I did not like it lol.

But I immediately started reading the sequel anyways because I am too stubborn for my own good 🤦🏿‍♀️ And it was…. exactly what I needed it! The banter, sarcasm and pop culture references kept me laughing out loud. But the ending really sold this book for me. I won’t give anything away but I loved it!
 
All in all, I probably won’t re-read this but it definitely has a special place in my heart. NetGalley thank you soo much for this opportunity!

It pains me to write this review because Boyfriend Material is one of my favourite reads of the year but...this book was missing that angst between the two characters that I enjoyed so much in the first one, and more importantly, it was missing a plot. I mean, there was a plot but it read like a very extended Epilogue to the first book more than a book of its own. Don't get me wrong, I still love Luc and Oliver, they are my sweet baby birds and I want them to be happy, but my love for them could not support a book with several disjointed stories, that ended so abruptly I had to double check I hadn't accidentally fast forwarded.

I did like the development of their relationship, and how they both were able to be there for each other, I think overall I just would have liked more of a connecting story throughout, whereas this book was heavily focused on character development.

That being said, Alexis Hall is a fantastic writer and I will read anything she writes so I can't wait for her next book to come out.

The story is amusing with an array of interesting characters. The narrator has a clear and pleasant speaking voice and does well with various voices.

I think Alexis Hall makes incredibly bold choices, which I completely adore and respect. However, I don't know if the romance genre really celebrates bold choices and I'm not sure if people are going to love the fact that this sequel to a romance book is...not a romance. And this upsets me because I love Alexis Hall and his writing style and I want him to get all the praise in the whole universe, but it's extremely important for me to note that this book isn't your traditionally structured romance (it is HEA though!!!).

Husband Material answers the question "okay we've had the HEA...now what?" And, it's a complicated answer. It includes balancing friendships, work relationships, your romantic relationship with your partner, and your relationship with yourself. It includes experiencing grief and the complicated feelings that arise from that. It includes fighting and compromise and little moments of pure happiness.

Husband Material to me deftly combines its super strong sense of humor with how hard it can be to navigate your late 20s and early 30s.

This was a lovely follow up to Boyfriend Material, and it was rather lovely to see a portrayal of how relationships experience growing pain and how we must deal with our own insecurities before it can turn into unnecessary anxieties or arguments. However.....there was almost a little too much of the "will they or won't they" plot line and it became tedious by the half-way mark, which is saying something for a 13+ hour audiobook. I think some issues could have been handled more succinctly but I didn't hate the discussions all together. It was fun to have the 'four weddings and a funeral' theme throughout the book as it helps to grow the reader's familiarity with Luc's group of friends, and some past relationship trauma to boot. Overall it was a very fun read, narrator Joe Jameson was great once again, although I could have used with a bit of length taken out.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I think it made the character's personalities come alive. I am interested to see where this series goes in the future.

Ok, so I’m torn on this because I loved Boyfriend Material and was so excited to read this sequel.

I still found it really funny and I cackled quite a few times, but one of the characters just frustrated the ever living out of me by about halfway through, and then repeatedly the rest of the book. I wanted him to have some growth as a person, but he just didn’t and it made me sad. I even wanted Luc and Oliver to break up a few times 🙈

Alexis Hall is still hilarious and I will read his books from here on out, it was just super frustrating.

You know what didn’t let me down though? Crumbl Cookie 😂 it was amazing as always! We typically go every other week, but after looking at the options for this week, I think we will be going again on Friday 🙈😆

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

- There's no reason for HUSBAND MATERIAL to exist, it's about 100 pages too long, and it's and absolute joy.
- I was so happy to sink back into this world: Alex misunderstanding jokes, Luc fumbling every important conversation, Bridget being a hopeless romantic.
- Plus, I didn't see the ending coming until we were upon it; I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks of it!

Husband Material by Alexis Hall has brought back one of my favourite odd couple pairings in this sequel that I’m calling a Four Weddings and a Funeral remake! (Note- I have not actually watched said movie, I can can guarantee you there are 4 weddings and a funeral in this book- I counted!)

This book follows Luc and Oliver as they go from wedding to wedding and life event of Luc’s friends, which prompts Luc to question his relationship and what he and Oliver are doing in their lives resulting in his proposal to Oliver. Subsequent wedding planning and life drama puts their relationship on the rocks.

I absolutely loved catching up with this couple but I found that I missed hearing Oliver’s voice. I remember boyfriend material was also a singular narration and sometimes I feel like I’m missing half the story in these circumstances. This turned out to be a fun comfort read, which surprised/not surprised me in the end.

I was fortunate to listen to this book on audio and found the narration a perfect match for the voice of Luke. Many times I found the dialogue and delivery making me laugh out loud. The audiobook created an immersive experience and really helped bring Luke’s character to life, but just as in I felt I was missing Oliver‘s perspective in the written narrative, I also would’ve liked to hear his thoughts over the audio to give the story a bit of a more well rounded feel.

Overall, I think this was a very well done return to these characters and kept with their feel and brought them ahead in their story. The London Calling series is going to have a third book and I’m anxious to see if it revolves around Luc and Oliver or their side characters.


I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



#HusbandMaterial #AlexisHall #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Husband Material, Alexis Hall's sequel to the much loved Boyfriend Material, gives us an opportunity to catch up with Luc and Oliver 2 years into their relationship. Not much has changed. They are still surrounded by a quirky and likeable cast of friends, family, and coworkers, And they are still messy bitches.

This sequel has a similar feel to the first book. Almost too similar at times. Luc and Oliver still don't know how to communicate with each other. They are essentially living together (though they never really discussed it before it happened) and have never talked about long term life decisions such as marriage and kids. Even after Luc proposes and they start planning their wedding, they never actually seem to plan their life together.

This book is full of the usual Alexis Hall humor, which consistently makes me laugh out loud even when I'm walking down the street, but it's definitely lacking some of the spark of the first book. Maybe it's that they are having the same conflicts and haven't learned to communicate through their differences, or maybe it's just that watching a couple go to a bunch of weddings and plan their own doesn't feel the same as watching a couple fall in love. Either way, while I enjoyed this, and will read book 3 when it comes out, don't go into it expecting as much joy as Boyfriend Material.

And as far as the ending, which I'm seeing a lot of hate for, I didn't mind it. It's nice to see a happy ending done a bit differently.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me access to this audiobook.

Alexis Hall’s long-awaited sequel made me uncertain about one of my favorite couples.

Two years after Luc and Oliver’s fake-dating scheme, the two were in a happily committed relationship while still figuring their lives out. During a season for weddings and one very unexpected funeral, Luc and Oliver had to decide if they were ready for marriage while working out some other kinks in their relationship.

Husband Material was a stressful reading experience. Like all couples in life, Luc and Oliver struggled with priorities and compromise. While Husband Material had all the humor and witty banter I’ve come to expect and love, the romance frustrated me. The issues that Luc and Oliver had were significant and required a lot of conversation. I wasn’t convinced that Luc and Olivers were a good match by the end of the book. If you’re looking for a fun book with great banter, this is the book for you, but if you’re excited to see Luc and Oliver grow as a couple, maybe just reread Boyfriend Material.

Joe Jameson is a brilliant narrator and I knew I had to experience his performance again in Husband Material. Jameson’s performance did not disappoint and his comedic delivery had me laughing out loud at times. Why read this book when Joe Jameson could take you on a ride?

Husband Material’s romantic arc may not be for everyone, but the comedy sure is.

I really loved this sequel! Husband Material carries the same humor, character depth, nuance and fun while giving a fresh and interesting story. The narration was especially wonderful, as the narrator does the voices just how I imagine them and gives an engaging performance throughout. I could've done without the whole sub-adventure of Oliver and Luc going to his co-workers wedding near the beginning because, in my opinion, it didn't add anything to the plot or characterizations and was rather boring to listen to.

I am giving this book a 2.5 and the reason I gave it a .5 is because I didn't read the first one so I feel like I can't be certain of some of my judgment.

I've heard such great things about Boyfriend material and have it on my TBR to read. When I saw the chance to read the sequel I jump at it because I thought it would give e insight so I can know if I want to read the first one.

Unofrtiunelty I probably won't be picking up the first one.

Firstly I was bored - so bored throughout the first two parts of this story - I kept waiting for someone interesting to happen and nothing.
The supporting characters seemed interesting and fun - I almost wish this was about one of them.

I didn't like Luc, I found him annoying, spoiled and a bit of a shit disturbed. I mean some of the conversations he would start with Oliver were just to cause trouble - I couldn't understand the motivation.
I also feel like for a good portion of this book - conflicts that were solved or mentioned in the first book were brought up so frequently that I almost thought they would be entered in as conflicts in this book

Oliver seemed like a doormat to me and Luc was the one who needed all the attention.

Now the one shinning part of this audiobook was the narrators - they did a great job capturing the different characters and personalities - so good for them

In a Sequel to Boyfriend Material, Luc and Oliver are dating for a while and are great for each other. Everyone around them seems to be getting married and the social pressure gets to Luc and Oliver to get married as well. How they handle their relationship forms the premise of the story.

Love how this book is a sneak peak into what happens in a romance after the I love you declarations. The reality and social pressure of being in a relationship is handled so nicely. Luc and Oliver are as adorable as in the first book. The characters feel real and rooted. I’m loving how Alexis Hall deals with relationships and romance.

Thank you @Sourcebooksca for sending me the gifted copy of the book. Thank you @dreamscapemedia for the ALC of the book.

I enjoyed this follow-up to Boyfriend Material and how it was told through different weddings. Luc was just as sarcastic and witty as I remembered and Oliver as sweet.

I wished that we would have gotten to see Oliver's POV. I can't wait to see what is next for Luc and Oliver.

Joe Jameson did an excellent job narrating this.

Alexis Hall IS my reading taste. The end.

No, not really. That isn't the end and I'm so glad the first book in this series wasn't the end because this was everything I never knew I needed. I typically do not enjoy contemporary romance novels that follow the same couple throughout. I usually prefer following different couples throughout series, but Alexis has proven to me in his Billionaire series that he can pull it off and it is no different when it comes to this book.

I think the thing I loved the most about this book and following this couple two years after they have already gotten together, is how realistic the growing pains in their relationship are (is? What is grammar?)

Two years is both a long time, and it's not for relationships, and this book shows that so well. You see how comfortable and in love Oliver and Luc are, yet they are still getting to know each other and there are still new things in their relationship that they are exploring... like living together.

The characters were just as charming as ever and I fell so hard in love with both of them the more the book went on.

And as for the ending... I'll just say that not many authors could pull this off, but somehow Alexis has.