Taking inspiration from Pretty Woman, this MM romance about a sex worker and a Plant Daddy will have you rooting for love, in all its forms.

We meet Teddy on quite possibly the worst day of his life- his husband has left him, and his father-in-law is taking possession of his NYC plant shop- the literal roots he has put down in the big city. When Teddy goes out for a drink with his bestie Kit (Pretty Woman reference!) he meets Cole- and suddenly Teddy’s luck changes.

As Cole and Teddy work through a mutually beneficial fake-romance, real feelings simmer beneath the surface.

The Boyfriend Subscription dares to ask the question “what is love?” and challenges traditional views. It has a great whirlwind romance, funny banter, witty comments, pop culture references and steamy love scenes.

Highly recommend!

This is my third Steven Salvatore book, and I can confidently say that I will read anything by them at this point.

The Boyfriend Subscription was so many things — funny, charming, heartwarming, and sensual. And it is not without its more serious topics that include abuse, trauma, and self-loathing. But the book’s elements are balanced so well — the sad moments are supplemented with levity and wit, and it made for a lovely reading experience that will make you feel a wide range of emotions.

The writing is excellent. The pacing is just right. The banter and dialogue is very well-done. The Taylor Swift references?! Those were a lovely little detail.

And the characters? Let’s talk about them ... They are messy, they are flawed, and they make questionable choices. But you will absolutely love them. The frustration of the injustices that both of our main characters go through makes you want to hug them — and that means that Steven did their job — they made us CARE about both protagonists.

The book is a great look at self-worth and how the relationship we have with ourselves will always impact the relationships we have with others. It’s also a great reminder that we are all worthy of love.

My one critique that keeps this book from being a full 5 stars ... without giving spoilers -- is that a certain trope in the third act of the book felt out of place. It derailed the emotional momentum and progress that had been built up to that point.

You think this may not be your type of book? Take a chance on it. It might surprise you the way it surprised me. It has so many more layers to it than I expected — it’s not just a standard rom-com. Steven Salvatore is going to be an auto-read author moving forward.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC of the book!

BOOK REVIEW - THE BOYFRIEND SUBSCRIPTION by Steven Salvatore

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ - rounded down (sorry) - available 26 March 2024!!

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Romance, Afterglow Books & Steven Salvatore, for providing an eARC for review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Teddy is absolutely adorable! A queer red-headed lumberjack botanist? Perfection - sign me up! And in terms of personal faults, being insecure around rich people is not really a fault for me 😅.

For me, Teddy is the star, but Cole is fun, the sidekicks are on point, and the villains are potentially too realistic...

Is it weird that this book made me want to learn some French?

This is my second read from Afterglow this year; both have been quality reads. I am looking forward to what is next from them.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book, I love fake dating and queer sex positive writing about sex work, that all sounded really good to me. I am also eager to read more romance between men that is written by a man, it feels like most of the most popular queer romance I see is gay men being written by women.

Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed! I found the insecurities and baggage of these two characters to be exactly the same as I have read so many times before. The set up was interesting and new to me but the characters were not, and with that I felt like I could see every small miscommunication and misunderstanding and other kind of hiccups coming. I know part of the appeal for many readers in romance is the predictability, but that is not an appeal for me.

The narrative switched between the two men so rapidly I often found myself confused about who I was reading from. There might be 4 or 5 POV changes within the same evening! I didn’t find their voices to be distinct enough for this to work in such a rapid way. It seemed like the only reason to do so many rapid swaps was to make sure the reader didn’t miss a single insecure thought either man had!

I think the main characters had good chemistry, they were both funny and sweet with a little bit of a haunted past, but maybe they were a bit too alike for this situation. Despite the predictable miscommunication and BFF interference, this was a sweet story, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. There was one instance where one man did something SO outrageously awful to the other so thoughtlessly, I couldn’t believe he would make that mistake and frankly I never found anything else he did believable after that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Afterglow Books by Harlequin, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

This is my first book by Steven Salvatore, and while I thoroughly appreciated the de-stigmatizing attitudes towards sex work, I just did not feel pulled towards or invested in the romance. Both characters were lovely, but the pacing about the first 30% of the book being one night just did not work that well for me. I don't mind character-driven novels, but it felt a bit clunky and like I just had no idea where this romance arc was going.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Content Warning: Off-screen sexual assault and violence

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore is a contemporary queer retelling of Pretty Woman (1991) that follows the love story between Cole Vivien and Teddy Hughes. Cole is the CEO of a queer sex working app called VERSTL from LA who is in New York for an event to promote his company and collaborate with a potential investor. On the other hand, Teddy is a botanist and author who had made his home in New York in the last few years until his marriage ended and his plant business went down with it.

Both men find themselves running from their pasts, they find solace in a local New York bar and cross paths. After a fun evening out, Cole propositions Teddy to be his fake boyfriend for the week to impress the investor at a business meeting and his family at a wedding.

The Catch? Cole Vivien doesn’t kiss or fall in love. Will the sparks flying between them be enough for Cole to break his lifelong rules for Teddy?

***
I would like to firstly say: I LOVED this book! This is really brilliant as far as modern retellings of a beloved classic film goes. Steven had wonderfully adapted this book to follow the movie’s beats to keep the heart of Pretty Woman while refreshing the story to reflect our contemporary times. Teddy and Cole feel like their own characters while sharing similarities to their film counterparts. I would say the same for the plot, it feels like their very own love story.

Speaking of our characters, I liked how Steven had mixed and matched traits, backstories and personalities of both Vivien and Edward to instill into Cole and Teddy. You can’t really pinpoint who is supposed to be Vivien or Edward which makes them stand on their own as original characters.

Cole Vivien truly felt like the love child of Vivien and Edward. He felt like he embodied most traits from the original film’s couple. From sharing Vivien’s name, No Kissing rule and line of work while holding Edward’s CEO position and inheriting his Daddy Issues. On the other hand, while Teddy shared Edward’s name, was the hired ‘escort’ in the position and was given his own version of Kit. I really liked the original touch to Teddy by making him a botanist and author. These two also felt very real and new. Steven giving them little idiosyncrasies like Cole’s obsession with crystals and using them to cope and Teddy’s botony metaphors breathed life into them.

Of course, every good book is supported not just by their main characters but strong secondary characters too. As mentioned, we have a new version of Kit who is just the coolest Black lesbian a part of a triad I have ever read! She is the best friend anyon can ask for. Jason is…. Jason. Not to give anything away, you just have to read how everything plays out with Cole’s best friend. He was definitely well suited for the role he was given. I also loved Mallory, Cole’s sister. She was a new addition just for the retelling and she fit right in!

Onto the plot, Steven Salvatore has crafted a very well fleshed out version of Pretty Woman. The book format allowed them to have more depth and nuance than the original film and characters. The conflict and stakes in this story also felt much higher than the film. My main two complaint with this near perfect book is that 1) I wished it was longer. I could have read about Cole and Teddy forever. 2) As per the warning, I hoped for a better conclusion for the sexual assault and for the perpetrator to face actual consequences. I think a longer book could have covered this while giving us more time with Teddy and Cole.

Other than that, this was a wonderful book that has made me a new fan of Steven Salvatore. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves classic romcoms and of course the fellow queer people in our community, this one felt so true and relatable for us. Happy reading to everyone!

Thank you to Steven Salvatore, Afterglow Books by Harlequin Romance and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced Pretty Woman inspired romance!

Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down! If you loved the movie Pretty Woman, you’ll love this spin on it.

There’s a lot of baggage that both characters bring to the table, and for the most part, Teddy and Cole are pretty open and honest. Due to the timeline in this story, this absolutely has an insta love feeling, but it felt true to the original Pretty Woman movie.

I do feel like there were a few loose ends we didn’t get tied up with their storylines, but overall I enjoyed this one!

The Boyfriend Subscription

This was a surprisingly sweet, entertaining, and different read. The Boyfriend Subscription is a modern retelling of Pretty Woman. We meet Teddy Hughes at a low point in his life, it’s the last day he has in his beloved plant shop, Plant Daddy, freshly divorced, and soon moving home to his mom’s house in Louisiana. While drowning his sorrows out at a bar with his friend Kit, he meets Cole Vivien, a young entrepreneur/sex worker. Cole and Teddy come to an agreement that Teddy will accompany Cole to his sister’s wedding and help Cole disguise his life, business, and lifestyle. What could go wrong, or right?

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Cole and Teddy and how genuine their chemistry came through the page. The dual POV provides us insight into what both characters are feeling and their intentions behind the agreement. This allows for the plot to be a bit more believable and allows the reader a better understanding. I do have to admit I didn’t quite follow the conflict between Jason, Nicko, and Cole. It’s possible this misunderstanding is due to me not being deep in the business world, but nevertheless, I understand that there was discourse between them easily enough. I also want to note that roughly 22% through the book, the POV changed without notice – otherwise, throughout the book, it is very clear when the POV changes.

I love a fake dating moment, and I loved the fresh take on a Pretty Woman-type situation. The Boyfriend Experience was a fun, poignant read that had me wanting to cuddle Teddy and wrap him in bubble wrap while Cole was quietly vulnerable. There was some insta love happening, but that's to be expected. And I loved the representation happening throughout the amazing cast in this one. A great read!

2SLGBTQIA+ Kinky Romance Retelling (Pretty Woman) in which a horticulturalist and a sex worker entrepreneur agree to a faking dating arrangement with only two rules: no kissing and no falling in love.

5/5 stars: This is Salvatore's 2SLGBTQIA+ kinky romantic stand-alone retelling of Pretty Woman about a recently divorced down-on-his-luck horticulturalist and a successful sex worker entrepreneur who make a monetary bargain to fake date with two conditions: no kissing and no falling in love. And of course... they're going to so fall in love. Salvatore kicks this Pretty Woman retelling through the goal posts and I LOVED every minute of it! Not only is Salvatore's writing excellent but their character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Salvatore merged Julia Roberts and Richard Gere characters into Cole's perfectly, he's vulnerable yet powerful. Teddy's a sweet, sweet human being that you'll want to cuddle up with and love up on. The baddies are sleazy and I wish them hell's own punishment for eternity. Teddy's BFF Kit is kick-ass and I love Salvatore's take on the character. Oh and I lived for Frank, the doorman! I also very much enjoyed the racial diversity throughout but the spectrum of rainbow represented was refreshing. The book tackles the ethics and issues of sex work deftly and the romance is not only incredibly swoony but the the OPS scenes are deliciously steamy featuring BDSM elements. Scorching! While there are plenty of sweet and humorous moments, Salvatore deftly tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Overall, Salvatore hit all the main plot points of the RomCom movie classic; You will not be disappointed! And if you've never seen the movie... don't fret this stands on it's own and is a first rate read!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance, Afterglow Books by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I am an absolute sucker for fake dating trope, but this ended up not working for me. I’m less fond of billionaire romances and while I should’ve clocked that from Pretty Woman reference, I was too caught up in the fake dating and potential cute factor. Just the wrong reader for The Boyfriend Subscription.

These were both highly likeable characters in general but I wasn't 100% sold. They went from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds flat lol this is like a pure depiction of the insta love trope so if you aren't a fan of that I may skip this. There were a few instances of them forgetting what they are even doing with the whole "relationship'".
I did like how there were some aspects of Pretty Woman.
Overall I did still enjoy the characters and premise and would read another story by this author.

What worked: there are some really beautiful moments between these two. Yes, there are spicy bits (with lots of emotions, yum yum!) but there are also a number of passages at the beginning of these two craving “skintimacy.” Affectionate human touch. It’s really sweet. I liked their dynamic and with we got to spend more time with these quiet moments and their subtle missteps rather than on a villain plot that got more and more muddled as the story progressed. There’s so much forced external conflict that we never get to properly address their internal issues in a satisfactory-to-me way.

What didn’t work: there are so many places where things happen in a way that serves the plot but doesn’t make sense with the characters. Teddy forgets a key aspect of their fake dating life in the middle of *talking about it,* Cole’s actions and thoughts don’t always align… and not in an “unreliable narrator” kind of way, but in a “move the plot forward” way. There’s also an instalove aspect that doesn’t really jive with Cole’s worldview. It’s giving “you’re not like all the other girls” right out of the gate. Also, there’s a power imbalance that gives me the big ick. I’m not a billionaire romance girly, because I’m of the general opinion that we should eat the rich, which makes Cole’s willingness to throw away money on expensive brand-name gifts a *problem* for this reader. I mean, I guess Teddy technically does eat the rich. 😆 But Cole has undiagnosed ‘affluenza’ that is never satisfacortily addressed, even though it impacts the relationship in a big way.

The dramatic climax is what killed it for me. Cole finds out that someone has been manipulating him, and yet still believes the aforementioned villain’s lies about Teddy? Even though he just found out about, like, 50 lies the villain told about him? Come on. If I hadn’t been reading this book as an ARC, I would have DNFed at 87%. The end didn’t salvage it. I was, as you can probably tell, very frustrated.

My condolences to the publisher, who was kind enough to grant me an ARC through NetGalley, for this incredibly critical review.

In the past couple years I’ve dipped my toe into Harlequin romance novels, as they have recently begun releasing queer centered titles. ‘The Boyfriend Subscription’ by Steven Salvatore is the newest addition to the mix and it is excellent! Teddy Hughes is at his lowest point when he meets Cole Vivien, a super handsome, super wealthy CEO and in the need for a fake boyfriend to take home to meet the family. This was a cute, funny, and emotional story; with plenty of nods to ‘Pretty Woman.’ I wish the book had been longer and that we got to sit with the characters more, but overall it was a great read!

Thank you @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for this eARC! ‘The Boyfriend Subscription’ is out March 26, 2024.

This was an entertaining read filled with charming characters in the vein of Pretty Woman, only queer.

Cole Vivien is a sex worker, entrepreneur, and man afraid of commitment and relationships. He meets Teddy (Edward) at a bar and asks him to be his boyfriend for hire for a series of business and family obligations to make himself seem more together.

I loved both characters and their relationship was cute but whoa was this insta-love. Cole went from ‘doesn’t do relationships/no kissing’ to ‘I Love You/let’s make out’ in about 3 days. There was no development there, it was 0 to 100.

There wasn’t really space to develop the romance because there were so many side plots and drama taking all the attention. Work drama, family drama, ex drama, friend drama. Drama drama.

Like I said, it was entertaining. It was easy reading. I enjoyed the characters. But the constant side drama was a bit too much for me, I wanted more romance!

Overall it was cute! Just not a new favorite

Unfortunately, The Boyfriend Subscription was not for me. Right from the start, I found the characters to be fairly two dimensional and uninteresting and their constant miscommunications made for a really frustrating reading experience. Additionally, I thought the pacing felt off which further diminished my enjoyment of the story.

One positive is that this book did have some of my favourite tropes and I thought the main characters were actually really good together in some moments.

This book had a really clever premise, and I liked how it was handled: the idea of a "Pretty Woman" retelling, but where the wealthy, culturally refined character is also making a living from sex work, is super, super smart. That being said, just about every element of how this premise was then pulled off was extremely off-putting to me. The writing was incredibly clunky, and the constant switching between Teddy and Cole's POV, sometimes 4-5 times per chapter, was distracting. Even moreso because there was absolutely no effort to distinguish between how the two men sounded. I ended up putting this one down at 70% and not going back to it, because it seemed like none of the things that were bothering me were likely to get any better. That being said, I think for readers who are more geared towards plot and premise, rather than prose and character, might find this one enjoyable.

This was a solid gay romance, though I didn't always click with the writing. I also much preferred one of the MCs to the other, which made reading half of the chapters a bit more a slog than it might have been. Still would recommend it, though!

charming and entertaining ,as well as spicy and sweet , at the same time ,and which each turn of the page ,I kept falling in love with the 2 main characters..

This was a charming and entertaining read, with more spice than I expected.

Teddy Hughes, a botanist and author, has reached a really low point in his life, after having lost not only his husband but also his business, Plant Daddy, because the building he's running it from has been taken from him in the divorce. His finances are in such dire straits that he's decided to leave NYC and move back home to live with his mother.

On what's to be his last night, cleaning out his warehouse building, he meets Cole Vivien, entrepreneur and owner of VRSTL, an app that allows people to arrange for and meet sex workers, work that Cole has also participated in. He offers Teddy a deal - convincingly play Cole's boyfriend for a week while Cole tries to impress a potential investor, and attend Cole's sister's wedding with him, and get well-compensated for his time. Strictly business, of course, no pesky feelings allowed. Which, obviously and expectedly, develop between them anyway.

This book certainly evoked memories of Pretty Woman, and while the plot isn't exactly the same, one can draw sufficient similarities between the well-known movie and this book. It mentions similar themes, such as class differences (Teddy's rich ex-FIL looks down his nose at Teddy, and basically pulls the financial rug out from under him since Teddy's work/business never met his expectations) and the stigma that is all too often still attached to sex work, which this book portrays in a more positive and affirmative light. There's a hint of sabotage going on, the culprit of which remains a mystery for a while, as well as family drama with Cole's parents whom he hasn't seen in years, but who will obviously be at the wedding.

The author did a rather nice job introducing his characters and their backstories, and succeeded in making me care about them. The story covers only a few days, and that speed unfortunately didn't lead itself to making their romance entirely believable. I did quite enjoy the banter between Teddy and Cole, and with more time given, I think the development of their romance would have felt more organic to me than it did.

There's a whole lot of spice in this book, more so than I expected, but the author doesn't short-change us on the emotional sparks that fly between them and further the relationship. There are many highly emotional scenes that kept me engaged and rooting for Cole and Teddy's HEA. There are obviously some family issues on Cole's side, and the juxtaposition of Cole's need to please his own father, but also stand his ground and go his own way, was believable and well explored.

Family drama notwithstanding, what I loved most about this book is the relationship between Teddy and Cole, how similar they are at the core, and how easily they got along. While Teddy struggled a little with the wealth he experiences in Cole's world, he didn't allow that to make him feel inferior for long, and Cole never made Teddy feel like he didn't belong in that world.

My main hang-up in this book was the French, as my status updates mentioned. Stilted, formal French in the middle of a love scene? No. Similarly, idioms or proverbs aren't usually literal translations from English to French or vice versa. Utilizing the skills of a native speaker would have been a better choice. While I'm not a native speaker myself, I know enough French to know these things weren't correct in this book. This being an ARC, there were also some minor editing issues that I expect to be corrected in the final published version.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you're in the mood for a charming and engaging romance a la Pretty Woman, queerified.

**Thank you, Harlequin, for this opportunity! **