𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5 ⭐️

𝙄’𝙢 𝙀𝙯𝙧𝙖 𝙃𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢.

What a masterpiece of pride, progress, and friendship. At the core of this story is the bond between Ezra, Lucas, and Finley. Three young, gay men who forge a path through their teenage years by supporting each other no matter what. Ezra does struggle at times feeling like a third wheel, but that’s those teenage hormones talking.

All scorned by their exes, these friends pull a First Wives Club (a fave of mine!) and form the Last Boyfriends Club so they can create ways to get back at those loser exes. But what starts off as revenge quickly becomes a revolution within their high school as videos go viral and students begin to fight back against the school administration.

Such an inspiration! The care in expressing being vulnerable, wrong, mature, scared, sad, flirtatious, thrilled, lonely, isolated. So many emotions were felt and they were real. A very pleasant reading experience! Even the exes turned out to be pretty okay!

Kevin, aka Ezra’s dad, is the MVP side character. He was so cute and supportive. As was Ms. Dion, a teacher who supported the cause.

And y’all. We have a romance. A sweet, slow burn, friends to boyfriends little romance that meant so much! I absolutely adored this couple and all they stood for. The ending was just beautiful and while I always want more in the end, the book’s message finished on its peak and I salute Matthew for a wonderful debut!

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: April 30, 2024
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge piqued my interest thanks to the bright cover (Pride colors!) and the blurb. The story is also rooted in topics I’ve become increasingly passionate about, like combatting institutionalized homophobia, and the legislation promoting book bans and the stigmatizing of drag shows. But even beyond that, it’s not just a story of queer resistance, but also has time for queer joy too.
I love the central friendship between Ezra and his best friends, Lucas and Finley. I loved their bond, especially how commiserating over heartbreak brought them closer, coordinating plans for revenge, and how seamlessly that also tied into actively fighting against their school district for their homophobic policies.
I also really liked Ezra in his own right. He really comes into his own throughout the book,figuring out his place in the world. And having always been a bit of a romantic, I liked that he also found a guy who was actually a solid person, and their romantic moments were quite cute.
This is a delightful, timely, affirming read, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a queer coming of age story with strong threads of activism and romance.

“Maybe it was time to give them the last thing they wanted.”

Set in rural Alabama, The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge follows Ezra, Lucas, and Finley, three queer high school students who are each going through messy break-ups with their problematic boyfriends. They agree to begin plotting revenge against their exes, but when Ezra posts a TikTok that goes viral, their vengeful mission quickly turns into a much more important battle for their right to exist amidst the school district’s anti-gay policies.

A queer reimagining of 1996’s The First Wives Club, The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge is a uniquely affecting story of teens on the brink of adulthood navigating the tumultuous world of the rural southern US. The three main characters coming-of-age felt very true to life, their choices surprising but inevitable. Author Matthew Hubbard effectively does the difficult act of bringing the nuances of social media into literature without seeming heavy handed or out of touch. Living in a teenager’s head for 250 pages can be exhausting, but Hubbard’s acute sense of the LGBT+ communities attitudes and lexicon made it easy to stick with Ezra through to the end. In the acknowledgements section, Hubbard mentions the anger he felt while writing the book. He talks about watching the news and seeing queer kids suffering the consequences of book bans, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” laws, and the passing of anti-trans legislation. When I started reading, I was expecting a John Hughsian rom-com, but what I got was a protest cry. A triumphant shout, screaming these fateful words: We’re here.

This story is great! I loved the boys forming their close relationships and fighting back against what they experience. Of course some of the queerphobic messages they receive may be hard to read for some, but overall this is a story of connection and triumph. I really liked that they were working together and dealing with everything. Typically I'm not too much of a fan of social media inclusions in stories but I thought it wasn't overly done here and worked well with the story.

A timely, relatable book with lots of heart and hope.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

This story has amazing friendships, an adorable romance (with no third act breakup!), countless Drag Race references, and shows queer teens in the south taking a stand against the injustices they face in their schools. Watching these four boys find their voice and the courage to fight back was so inspiring.

I absolutely cannot wait for this to come out so more people will get the chance to read this amazing story, and I cannot wait to see what Matthew Hubbard does next!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Matthew Hubbard for sending me an eARC of The Last Boyfriend's Rules for Revenge for review.

I believe that it's necessary to discuss the book cover on this occasion because it's stunning! You can judge this book by its cover, as the flaming rainbow theme is spot on!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It's a perfect queer YA rom-com that's flawlessly executed, except for one minor detail. Every character played their role perfectly, making the story flow effortlessly.

Ezra is such a beautiful character with the most adorable story arc! He had me engaged and focused the entire time. However, I noticed that his disordered eating wasn't addressed in the story, or at least not that I can recall. But overall, Ezra is an inspiring and outstanding YA main character.

I highly recommend this book. It's so consumable, and I believe it's an excellent starting point to recommend to someone looking to read more queer literature.

A vibrant cover. Think of The First Wives Club. A bulky main character (as Ezra calls himself). Book banning. A cinnamon roll love interest. A fantastic friendship between three boys!

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge reminded me so much of Steven Salvatore’s Can’t Take That Away. Both books are about the courage to stand up for yourself and fight back. About friendship. About flawed and messy teens. And in the end about self-love.

TLBRFR has got many things to love, and it’s a very timely story with, on the one hand, out and proud queer teens and, on the other hand, the silencing of those same queer kids in a ‘perversion-free environment’ including book banning. What I loved most, though, was the friendship between Ezra, Lucas, and Finley. Close friendships are so precious and important in our lives, and stories about them are underrated, in my opinion.

I lOVED this book. The opening sucked me in and I was immediately invested in Ezra. This is a story full of hope, fun, love, and learning to take pride in yourself in all of your messy multitudes. Ezra finds his voice and raises hell alongside his ride-or-dies Lucas and Finley to take down bigots (and fall in love along the way!) and it's incredibly empowering to see. I also especially loved the father-son relationship between Ezra and his dad Kevin. Hubbard's writing is just so fantastic and I can't wait to inhale his next one! The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge is an instant YA classic that needs to be on every shelf.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this book. This was such a fun and cute queer coming of age story. I enjoyed each and every character

"The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge" is a coming-of-age story that follows the lives of three friends, Ezra, Finley, and Lucas. The trio has recently been dumped by their boyfriends and decides to come together to plan their revenge. As they embark on their journey, their friendship gets tested as one of them loses sight of the original goal. However, they all soon realize that their mission is bigger than just seeking revenge on their exes. It's a call to arms to stand up against a system that aims to prevent them from loving and being themselves unapologetically.

The story tackles various challenges that queer individuals face in their lives, including policies that seek to erase their existence. It's a timely story that resonates with many of us who are frustrated with the system that aims to rid us because of our love and pride. The message is clear: WE ARE HERE, and we will continue to love and live loudly and proudly.

A super fun queer coming of age YA story about a group of friends who band together to get revenge on their shitty exes. Full of heart, gay pride and characters who are unapologetically themselves. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it for fans of authors like Phil Stamper and Jason June. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have to admit that I struggled a bit with Last Boyfriends at the beginning. Hubbard begins with three sets of MCs and their three ex-boyfriends--a bit much to keep track of--and he uses a bit of tokenism with the three MCs. Also, there is alot of TikTok (appropriate for the age of the MCs but I have never been on it). The writing is not strong. particularly in the descriptions and the occasional usage issue: "I startled" without any object. One has to "startle" something. Occasional other lapses: "showed" for "shown" and Last Boyfriend's (in acknowledgements) rather than Boyfriends'. or Boyfriends. Just needed a bit more editing.

Interestingly, unlike other LGBT YA books, the action moves steadily and positively upward. The MCs never face consequences; every decision works in their favor: Jackson doesn't seem to miss the football team and Ezra doesn't mind not being "Lion King"--and even that works out for him. His father is perfect--in fact, all of the parents in the book are supportive. The book begins with revenge plots on the three exes (based on the First Wives Club--an odd choice of movie for teenagers) but soon morphs into a national movement to get rid of a "Don't Say Gay" initiative targeting queer high school students in Alabama and elsewhere. As the movement grows from an initial "spark," to a Good Morning America news item, Ezra learns to believe in himself. More than many LGBTQIA+ YA novels I have read, this one seems (laudably) laser-focused at queer youth currently suffering in conservative high schools, particularly in the South, where those students face erasure and harassment.

The book addresses a serious problem in our educational system and Ezra takes on the administration for its blatant homophobia. Nice to see a teen MC who is smart but not a skinny nerd, in fact he is "fat." I hope this is read by its target audience--queer high school kids in right-wing states. I couldn't help but cheer on Ezra(and his friends) who grows from feeling unseen to being interviewed by GMA. Hubbard tells his story with much heart and conviction. I look forward to reading Matthew Hubbard's next book. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley (Thanks!)and am providing my honest review.

This book is so unabashedly queer, which I love! There's a lot of great things about it, but I found that the writing style, and the sense of humor, just wasn't for me. I know the fat jokes are making a point and are not endorsed in any way, but it still made me feel a bit weird (a totally personal thing), and I just didn't love it.

I was all for "three teenage boys in small town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up starting a student rebellion", but soon realized I may be a bit too old for the chaotic teen mess that ensued lol still a great read though!

The description of this book was that it was “A queer coming-of-age about three teenage boys in small town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up starting a student rebellion”. And it was a delight to read. I sat down and read it almost in one sitting, started before bed, and finished it the next day. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I could imagine this book being a great movie one day too. It’s got a bit of a Heartstopper vibe to to it with a more activism theme.
What starts out as plan to get revenge on shitty ex boyfriends turns into a whole movement. The fictional school’s “Watch What You Say” program is basically the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” thing. It turns out well for these fictional students, I can only hope our reality will eventually reflect that too.

Favorite Parts - The skewering of toxic masculinity, body shaming, and femme hating culture, the supportive messages from Ezra’s dad around his body image, seeing queerness and sports coexisting happily - love that Ezra was a huge hockey fan. Basically Ezra’s dad the whole time, being ready to go to bat (or puck) for this kid.

Read This If You - Like seeing queer kids get justice, want to see a parent of a gay kid get it right, like drag shows, dig a good revenge tale, are looking for a diverse cast of characters with good character development.

Thank you to @netgalley, @randomhousekids, and @delacortepress for giving me a DRC copy!

The cover is what drew me in and so glad I was able to read this. The characters were unique and had a great overall feel and worked with this universe. The concept was wonderfully written and I was hooked with this world and how the elements worked with this universe. Matthew Hubbard had a great writing style and glad I got to read this revenge book.

Sometimes you read a YA book and realize you are to old for them. This was the case for me. The characters were super immature for me. This book has a good message about LGBTQ+ rights. But other than that it was not a book I enjoyed.

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge sounded like the perfect queer YA high school drama, full of diverse characters, a fun revenge plan, and lots of LGBTQ+ pride. AND IT IS, but it also didn't take long to realize it's also a hot dumpster fire mess of teen feelings, poor mental health not really addressed (?), and badly executed revenge plots with zero thought to consequences. I gave the story a chance to fully hook me in for longer than it was needed because I honestly wanted to like it, yet it never managed to do so. The MC becomes quite the unlikable character when he turns against his friends, and by the point that happens, I wasn't invested in him enough to want to follow the escalation of his teen drama. I get that the story revolves around his flaws and how he has to work things out with himself to become the real MC hero of the story, but his unlikability and his poor decisions were too much for me to want to continue cheering him on.

I'm still giving this a 3 star, because it is a well-executed book with a strong and wonderful message about LGBTQ+ rights and how our voices as just as valid. It's especially relevant now with all the anti-LGBTQIA+ propaganda and laws being passed. Plus, I'm sure there's an audience that will click better with the high school drama side of the story. Unfortunately, it didn't click with me. DNF at page 130. Might pick it back up at finish at some later date.

[Netgalley ARC]

Welp... this book was an absolute delight and I cannot wait to watch conservatives lose their minds over it 😈

You know when Simon Vs. first came out in 2015 and the book community (especially the queer book community) was like, "Stop everything you're doing and read this book right now"? I had the same reaction while reading TLBRFR. This book made me feel like a new wave of queer defiance is being ushered in, and I am here for it. I think it’s more than serendipitous that Becky Albertalli blurbed for this book.

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge tells the story of Ezra, Finley, and Lucas. These three Alabama-living besties are in relationships with the shittiest guys. I mean, their boyfriends are just the WORST. And as each of these toxic relationships begins to crash and burn, EF&L take solace in the fact that they're all "last boyfriends". At the same time, their school attempts to stifle their queerness under the guise of a "Watch What You Say" initiative, and the boys are not having it. They decide to fight back.

Reading this book made me feel like I was part of a movement. A movement that queer people have been fighting for centuries at this point. This book has lit a queer-defiance fire and I, as the reader, am helping to feed the flames. I am bursting with pride by that and I can’t wait to watch my community create an inferno.

There were so many things about this book that I loved. The amount of diversity and representation was just the tip of the iceberg for me. The characters in this book were all so uniquely and unapologetically themselves, which is something I adore. I also loved the unwavering courage shown by our 3 MCs (and several side characters!) in the face of adversity. I adored they’re friendship and the unshakable loyalty shown to one another throughout this story. And on top of all that, there was romance 😍, Zaddy Kevin, a “Carrie” moment, and Sour Patch Kids.

TL;DR- This isn’t just a book, but a protest piece. I’m proud to be a voice in this protest and I hope you’ll join me by reading this book.

BONUS: Please enjoy the following Kevinisms:
- "Don't be afraid of a fight"
- "Being brave is doing what's right when you know the consequences"
- "The best revenge is believing in yourself"
- "And wear a rubber if you're gonna have sex"

Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for a copy of this book ❤️