Story 3.5 ⭐️

Cute

This book was really cute and I enjoyed the story.
I really enjoyed both Teddy and Cole individually and as a couple. The romance was adorable.

I just wish that toward the end the story would have been a little bit more flushed out. It felt like a lot of things were left unanswered and slightly brushed off. I think an epilogue would have helped with some of those missing plot points and would’ve made the story better.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

An LGBTQ retelling of Pretty Woman with a sexy entrepreneur and a plant loving lumberjack.

Cole Vivien has two rules - no kissing and no falling in love. What will happen when he finally finds someone whose worth breaking them?
What starts out as a business arrangement turns into a web of secrets, lies, and an unexpected attraction that is undeinably sizzlin.

While Cole and Teddy are opposites they desire the same thing - to find someone to love and live life with. What will happen when the deception clouds the truth, who can be trusted? Will Cole find a way to mend fences before it's too late? Is it possible to find love when you set up a fortress around it? I only wish the character arc and plot were a smidge longer to get a little more time with the characters.

I hope there is more from some of these characters so we can have an update and find out what happens next.

I think this was a really unique and fresh take on a Pretty Woman retelling, with definite beats from the source material but also was distinct in other ways that made it it's own story. I'm a huge Pretty Woman fan so when I heard about this queer retelling, I was immediately very excited and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed! I particularly LOVED the scene in the department store - it definitely has an air of the scene in the movie but again, is it's own thing in this story and was really lovely how Cole immediately knew what Teddy needed.

I really liked Cole and Teddy and I'm incredibly glad this story was dual POV - they are both characters that are dealing with a lot that affects how they connect to others.

And of course this book is quite steamy! Though I actually did love that some of the scenes were fade to black-ish and the descriptions sometimes centered more on how each character was feeling rather than what they were doing. I think it added a lot to their relationship

The relationship is ultimately a bit insta-love for me to fully give it 5 stars. The third act breakup was also not my favorite, though those are often a hard sell for me regardless. There's just quite a bit of drama in the last little bit that I think could have been dialed back just a bit. And I didn't like that we didn't really get a resolution with the friend who fucked Cole over or with Teddy's ex-fiancées family.

Thank you to Afterglow Books/Harlequin for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was so fast paced and fun. I LOVED the smex worker characters and commentary (using code words so the powers that be don’t reject my review). I loved the reverse Pretty Woman in that the one in the industry is the one hiring a partner.

This book isn’t overly steamy, I actually thought it would be spicier (still enjoyed what was there though!). It’s more about analyzing what it is like for someone whose whole shtick is creating intimacy for others and how much work that can take for them to do to serve others (and themselves when it comes to making money and garnering fame, absolutely no victim complex here) and what happens when there’s no one left for them. Their meet cute gave me the warm and fuzzies and it just went on from there.

This is not without drama. There’s a few rich people plots in this and it can be hard sometimes to see Teddy, the character who starts off the book bankrupt, being crushed by his ex and ex’s family. There’s high stakes with Cole’s business that he’s keeping from his family (on top of the hired boyfriend). I honestly loved how fast paced it all was with certain twists and random characters popping up. This is like a fever dream of a wedding weekend. Also, I loved Cole’s sister and thought all the side character comic relief was genuinely hilarious.

I would like to mention there is a CW for SA, it happens to a side character and is retold by them to the main characters. It was the heaviest part of this and stuck out to me as a pain point.

As a reader I have no issue with insta love and yes that is the case with this book but I was rooting for them the whole time. I loved their romance so much I desperately want a bonus epilogue!!

Thank you to Harlequin for this eARC, this is one of a kind.

There were so many moments when it felt like the tropes were in charge. The miscommunication in particular made me frustrated. But overall it was a fast read and enjoyable enough.

Rounding up to four stars.

Honestly I requested this book in large part because the cover is gorgeous. And then I went into this with very managed expectations because I've seen a few critical reviews in the last couple of months. But I thought it was a good and easy read. There were times where it felt a little unpolished (repetition, pacing) but overall I liked the voice and found myself interested in the characters and the story. There were also times where the beats were a bit predictable and the falling in love timeline is quick but this is a Pretty Woman retelling and I've seen that movie many times so that was to be expected, and it still was original enough that I wanted to know what would happen next. I liked the way the book plays around with the source material and mixed things up and I liked the overall sex work positivity, even if that seemed to lack some depth. There were a couple of choices/phrases that gave me pause and pulled me out of the book, but no dealbreakers. There are probably more content notes worth sharing but the one that comes to mind is an off-page sexual assault (it's a pretty short mention/description.)

I really wanted to like this book. A cute and spicy gay romance? Sign me up. But it really lacked character development, and didn't wrap up story lines. Cole and Teddy's best friends were vile and everything just annoyed me. Would have loved better characters and stronger story.

I was really looking forward to this book-a queer retelling of Pretty Women? Sign me up! However, this book was only ok to me. I liked the characters, but the relationship and plot felt very forced to me. It was very disjointed storytelling, in my opinion. It was a little too instalove/instalust for me to take the relationship and the emotional arcs seriously. And some of the storylines felt very rushed and were not resolved by the end of the book. I did enjoy some aspects of this book-the sex work and body positivity present throughout the book was definitely nice to read in a romance novel. Overall, I gave this book 3 stars and I would be interested to read from this author again in the future.

It is so rare that I DNF a book, and I was so looking forward to Steven Salvatore's first adult queer book, but I just could not get through The Boyfriend Subscription. The premise bothered me (although why I'm not sure -- maybe because it was presented in such a cringy way?), the writing was not grabbing me, and I felt nothing for these characters. Disappointed.

4.5 stars

Not only is this a new-to-me author, but this is also his first adult contemporary romance. He did a bang-up job. I felt all of the emotions of the characters; their lust, confusion, insecurities, and love. Although Teddy and Cole fall fast, it was believable to me because of how the story unfolds and how the characters are written.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would do okay with the format. The chapters are long and few. But it’s dual POV and the POV switches within the chapters, sometimes multiple times, and that helps to keep things from bogging down.

Somehow the mix of a horticulturist who lost his booming plant business to his ex-husband’s family and is now broke and broken and a high-profile owner of a sex-positive app who is also the app’s top-earning worker is the perfect formula. Teddy grew up poor and built his business through years of hard work and his love of plants. Cole grew up rich, he was expected to step into his father’s shoes to take over the family business. Instead, he went his own way and became a success in his own right. Yet these two understand each other on a deep level. Their first meeting and the ensuing night together are sweet and build a firm intimacy between them that carries through the rest of the story.

Even when things got rough, I felt the reactions were understandable on both parts. Again with those insecurities. They sometimes keep people from thinking things through before acting. But they weren’t irrational and immature, they didn’t always react before thinking. I appreciated the realistic human emotions.

There were times when the peripheral characters got to be too much. It wasn’t that they took away from the story because many of them are integral to how things ultimately play out. I think for some reason some of their name didn’t stick for me and I had to remember who was being talked about when big things were happening. I believe that may be an issue with me and not with the writing though.

I don’t read tons of YA, but I may have to go back and read some of this author’s earlier work which is all YA. I hope he continues to delve into the adult contemporary romance genre though. I loved this book.

One last thing…I’m not usually a fan of the illustrated covers but I like to acknowledge when they work. This one definitely works. Not only do they have facial features, they are in focus and are a fantastic representation of the characters. It also doesn’t give the illusion that this is a YA book like many of the illustrated covers tend to do.

The Boyfriend subscription
This was a cute queer retelling of pretty woman. I loved how they used some of the same plot points and characters but threw in some pretty great GOT references too. The book is super sex-work positive too and discusses piece of the darker side of it as well. All in all, I really enjoyed this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Harlequin and NetGalley for the free eARC for my honest opinions.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Boyfriend Subscription, and I recommend it to romance readers who:

✦ enjoy a good fake relationship trope
✦ have a soft spot for underdogs
✦ value the normalization of sex work
✦ want something light with just a touch of depth
✦ appreciate some steaminess

In a nutshell, this novel is a perfect piece of escapism, quick and fun with just enough substance to allay any guilty pleasure vibes.

This was a sexy and fun Pretty Woman retelling with two heroes who are full of angst and issues to work through. It has the magic of New York City rather than LA as a setting and some of the roles are mashed up. Cole is our Richard Gere and Julia Roberts all combined while Teddy a cinnamon roll plant daddy gay who is down on his luck but still keeps his heart open. Teddy has great friends in Kit and her throuple and seeing Cole reconnect with his big sister Mallory just in time for her wedding weekend was awesome. Both of these characters are good at communicating, but also your usual communication issues that will be in romance novels are present. It is realistic though given all that both of them have been through. This is a Harlequin title, so it moves fast! I'm so glad to see more queer romances in this space and the steamy scenes were hot! There's also plenty of swoony moments where you feel the chemistry between the two of them, even though Cole and Teddy basically fall in love in a weekend. Can't wait to read more from Steven Salvatore as they hopefully continue to write for an adult audience.

CW: emotionally abusive ex-partner, cheating ex-partner, mentions of domestic abuse, strained parent/child relationships

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own

I love a fake dating trope. Teddy is the plant daddy but has just gone through a horrible divorce with a guy he probably shouldn't have married. While he was mourning the loss of his plant shop at a bar he meets Cole. Who turns out to be a very rich OF type entrepreneur so that's the Pretty Woman part also with the fake dating since they both clicked.
They definitely fell fast and hard and they had some trust issues because of their past and people interfering. Loved their quick banter and steamy scenes

The Boyfriend Subscription is a sweet queer Pretty Woman retelling. Cole is a successful sex worker and businessman who finds himself hiring Teddy, a passionate plant enthusiast bouncing back from heartbreak.

Steven handled a lot of difficult topics in this story, including emotional and financial abuse, emotional manipulation, and sexual assault. If you’re looking for a romance with emotional depth, definitely check out The Boyfriend Subscription.

Thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Don’t cross me,” I jest. He laughs. “Big mistake.” “Huge.”

What you’ll get:
Pretty woman retelling
Fake dating
Wedding shenanigans

TW/CW: SA

Setting: New York

Teddy just can’t catch a break. He’s getting evicted from his business because his ex husband’s family is terrible and unfairly took advantage of him in divorce proceedings. Cole is the head of a corporation that’s similar to OF and is a secret heir to another giant corporation. He has a deal coming up that he needs a respectable, normal type boyfriend for. He ends up meeting Teddy and paying for a week of his time before he moves home to lick his wounds from the past few years.

Retellings are hard. I appreciated the nods to Pretty Woman in this but something just really didn’t work for me. In their first time together, Teddy kind of dehumanized Cole a bit because of what he does for a living. Maybe dehumanized is the wrong word but it didn’t feel great to read. Cole was willing to fake it and make sure to put on the old razzle dazzle and Teddy finally got it.

Cole threw money in Teddy’s face twice. I just can’t get over it. I just don’t buy this couple making it past a potential extended epilogue. Any chance there was to figure out a miscommunication together ended up with one of them storming away and the other hurt.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Teddy didn’t think his life could get worse when his husband wanted to open their marriage, and he didn’t think his life could get worse when his husband wanted to end their marriage, and he knows his life can’t get any worse now that his ex-husband’s family has stolen his business and Teddy has nothing left. His last resort is to move from NYC to his childhood home in Louisiana, and that is the last thing Teddy wants to do. Having one last NYC drink, Teddy meets a gorgeous stranger with a proposition—Teddy can be his fake boyfriend for a week and get paid for the pleasure.

Cole’s family comes from old money, but Cole never felt like he fit in with that family and he wanted nothing to do with the family construction business. Cole moved away and started his own business, VERSTL, which allows viewers and sex workers to form a connection, and not only is Cole the owner, but he is one of the highest-viewed performers. Cole’s persona is carefully crafted and he doesn’t let anyone in, but Cole needs a partner to secure a new business venture and to accompany him to his sister’s wedding. The attraction is real from the start, but Cole has rules to protect himself. But Teddy could be the exception and all of their rules are about to be broken.

This book had my attention at first and I initially liked both Teddy and Cole’s storylines. Teddy loves plants and his horticulture business, but we meet him in the last few minutes that he’s allowed to be in his shop. His business was everything that made him happy and Teddy is devastated. When Teddy meets his BFF for a drink, he meets Cole.

Cole comes from old money and he didn’t want to be a part of the family business. He sees his parents a certain way, but there is some miscommunication happening there on both sides. Cole’s parents have no idea he is a successful business owner or what he now does for a living. He keeps in contact with his sister and she keeps his secret. Cole is now ready to pursue his dream of being a clothing designer and he needs a partner to complete his image.

The more I read, the more this book fractured for me. The book moves both too slow and too fast all at the same time. There is a lot of build up and exposition in the beginning and then the ending left plot lines untouched and unfinished. The blurb states that this book “is the LGBTQIA+ Pretty Woman rom-com fans have been waiting for.” There are certainly Pretty Woman vibes here and even lines from the movie added in as dialogue. However, I did not think this was a comedy at all. Both men are in difficult places in their lives and there are people out to do them harm and there was nothing about this story that said comedy to me. Also, the characters, or the author, or both, don’t seem to like certain groups of people and there is chatter on that throughout the book, which didn’t appeal to me.

The ending was a disappointment. While Teddy and Cole do get their HEA, Cole is shown doing things for their future that are then never discussed with Teddy. But mostly, there is an integral plot line involving Cole’s business that is never concluded; it’s a pivotal part of the book and then it’s just dropped. I felt like this was a book that wanted to be a movie, but as a book, the plot needed more development instead of grand gestures.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this book. I got this request approved months ago and sadly because I am a mood reader I just got to it. But I loved this book! It’s basically a pretty woman retelling and it’s all I could ask for. I definitely will recommend this to anyone looking for a good mlm read.

I was so excited to start this book. At face value, it looked like it was going to be an excellent queer retelling of Pretty Woman - how could I not be excited about that.

Unfortunately, the execution of the plot was a massive let down. Nothing felt cohesive and timelines kept throwing me off. There seemed to be conflict on every single page - either external or internal. Frankly, there was way too many sub-plots happening for the book to be as short as it was. The writing style was clunky and disjoined and overall left me wanting so much more.

Both Teddy and Cole were excellent characters - I wish that more of the story was about them and their relationship, and less on literally everything else.

THE BOYFRIEND SUBSCRIPTION by Steven Salvatore is about Cole Vivien nee Vivien DuBois-Deplantier, CEO of VERSTL, a company that connects people looking for intimacy, and Teddy Hughes, aka the Plant Daddy. Both men have been wrecked by past relationships, but they acknowledge a mutual spark, and circumstances prompt Cole to offer Teddy a boyfriend-for-hire type of situation.

Steven Salvatore’s story is angsty and emotional, as Cole and Teddy find stumbling blocks, internal and external, between their meeting and sorting out their concerns. An engaging read.