Rating 3⭐
Spice 🌶️

ALC REVIEW

I wanna say for the most part, I enjoyed the premise of the story, but the MC fell flat for me. I felt I personally couldn't connect with Eli, and it made it really hard for me to be interested in his life struggles. Peter, on the otherhand was very interesting and I wanted to know more. i would have liked if it was a DUAL POV, and honestly (this is my take) I probably would have liked it if it was in first person. I don't mind a third POV, but I felt third POV for this book made Eli's feelings very generalized and honestly, boring.

I would have liked more character depth and connection between the characters, especially with Eli's roommates/friends. His friends and family felt too linear and never truly mentioned.

Lastly, this book really just goes to show how selfish and desperate Eli was willing to go for his job. Sure he was doing two diffrent articles, but why still provide the one the job wanted when he himself didn't support it? I felt his feelings were changed the moment he realized he couldn't get the guy or the position he wanted. It gives me an ick. And the "reunion" I would have liked if it have spanded fo more than a few months. To really drive the punch. That's just my personal take on it.

The narrator was okay, but honestly could have been better. They were very monotous and no fluidity when different characters were talking

i received the ALC through Netgalley by HarperAudio Adult. This review is my true and honest thoughts.

I really enjoyed this adult debut and I found it to have a lot of emotional depth and serious topics, while also sprinkling in a dash of humor and heart.
The main character, Eli, was a little hard to connect to at first, but I started to really enjoy his growth in the last third of the book. Peter stole the show with each scene he was in, and I wish Eli had groveled a bit more at the end.

Overall, a really enjoyable listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again! I love getting to see some of my favorite YA authors make their adult debuts!

This may be my least favorite of Mason Deaver’s books, but I did still really enjoy it. I’ve given all of their books so far a 4 or higher.

I love the romances and the stories they craft, and I thought the plot of this book was very interesting and fun to follow.

There were so many important conversations that happened in this book, and I think it was really important to explore a lot of those things.

I will forever continue to read all of their books, and I’m always eager to see what they write next!

My Selling Pitch:
Struggling trans writer meets sheltered autistic and decides to date him for the lols for an article, and somehow we’re expected to forgive him when he realizes that this isn’t high school and it’s not nice to bully people you want to fuck. Bad romance, but good authorial voice. Read at your own risk.

Pre-reading:
The art style of this cover is so cute!

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Incredibly funny that the only movie I’ve seen from the chapter titles is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. (And ironically I read another book, When the Wolf Comes Home, that name-dropped it this year.)

And requisite romcom quirky hook.

Who hates grilled cheese?

Ugh, cat people.

That was decent of him to help clean the mess. (I'm so tired of the comically evil ex in rom-coms. Grow up. Not everyone‘s a villain just because they're not your person.)

Oh, you cannot get back together with Keith.

Capitalism is a bitch. Play the game, kid. (Nepo babies wanting to be self-made in this economy make me want to tear my hair out.)

Rom-com serial killer sin.

Mad Max is so far from a perfect movie.

I like the voiceiness of this.

Good fashion.

Diff smell

This is A LOT like Passion Project.

What is up with romances and soup? Fake Mate, You, Again. I think Passion Project had a soup thing too. And it’s all ruined by ACOTAR. (Also, Sam lore- I hate soup except for gazpacho which is basically just a bloody.)

I keep forgetting this is San Fran and not NYC.

Really bad when you’re messy and depressy and your date makes you look stable.

Maybe this is the cis straight girl talking, but I’ve never once thought of pecs as boobs.

Would it really be a good lay? They’re both giving bottom. (And then the author is like actually they're both switchy and Sam laughs in I would eat them alive.)

You can throw filas in the washing machine. Don’t stress.

Is this autism? (Heavily implied.)

This is a really, really shitty thing to do to someone. I don’t think you come back from this.

This book makes me feel icky. There’s a weird superiority complex to this, and he’s infantilizing Peter while simultaneously sexualizing him. And like he’s a sweetie. Eli’s not exactly a catch.

Maybe I’m a Capricorn with no work life balance, but work comes first. Don’t get fired. Eli of all people should not be giving career advice.

It’s like a reward.

We gotta pause for a hot second. The kissing is so unethical. And like if you can’t see it because of the gender and sexuality labels-imagine man wants to write an article about building the perfect woman to date even though he thinks she’s gross and pathetic rn, but like he has to teach her to kiss somehow! Like- there’s so much wrong with this.

She named her second son Les??? Like lesser son. Girl.

John seems lovely.

I Latined lol

Don’t ‘eyes on me,’ me. I’m just a girl.

I can’t ride a bike lol. (Laughs in undiagnosed.)

Michael’s def gonna publish the “fake” article. (Yup.)

I like Peter, and I hate Eli.

Not the Demi Lovato joke.

He’s literally just autistic. I don’t like this narrative that we have to fix him, and that he’s just anticipating being critiqued by this man who’s gonna turn around to be his boyfriend? This is not a healthy relationship.

Eli is an ASS. I’m in DNF territory not because this is poorly written. It’s actually very well written. I’m just so morally opposed to what’s happening in the book, and they’re trying to sell this as a romance. Poor Peter!

Twilight sin

A Halloween book. (Barely)

Cis people don’t have to consider that sex could be dangerous? Uh, every woman ever. What are you on???? That's almost TERFy in its ignorance. (Uno reversed TERF? Eh, you get me.)

I don’t know where the author falls, but it’s coming off like author insert victim complex and this main character is just not the sympathetic figure they’re making him out to be. He’s actually really shitty with some really toxic and harmful beliefs about other people.

I like how even bathroom hook up stranger is calling him out for being shitty. Like yes, it should be easy to tell the truth to someone you care about. You clearly do not care about him in a genuine way. You care about him in a self-serving way. He is feeding your ego.

This is not an exit reference? I mean shit’s gay and slasher and societal commentary (And Samantha’s favorite movie is American Psycho, and no, she will never let it go.)

Again, I keep forgetting this is in San Fran and not New York and then they’re like they’re taking a bus instead of the subway and I get confused.

He also like keeps violating Peter‘s requests for space. He says don’t take my picture. Eli takes his picture. He says don’t come see me. I’m busy. And I know Eli didn’t necessarily set out to meet him this night but- And like poor Peter doesn’t get to make any requests of his own. This relationship is so unequal and unfair.

Right now I’m just like it’s on sight for Eli, and any man who willingly wants to compare himself to Timothée Chalamet…Yeah. Should’ve been enough of a tip-off.

But we haven’t been told what Peter smells like? We know what Eli smells like because he puts on cedar perfume. I mean cologne. It’s weird that they would have the same smell to me.

Well, that’s because you’re on the West Coast, baby. Cali’s nice but not kind. New England’s not nice but we’re kind.

Chuck Tingle has entered the chat.

I have never heard of Love and Basketball, and now I’ve read multiple romances this year referencing it. (Liquid.) Am I gonna watch it? Fuck no, I hate basketball. I hate the sound of the shoes squeaking. (Laughs again in undiagnosed.)

I’m so conflicted on this book because every time it pisses me off, it reels me back in with like some heartfelt conversation, but why did they have to make Eli such a shit?

Hey, dead dad into a sex scene is weird work!

This is a lot of popular gay TikTok.

Peter doesn’t need fixing, you absolute royal fuck.

Not more Halloween minions lmao.

Peter hasn’t identified that way, so it’s just odd to me that Eli keeps talking about his boobs. Otherwise, the smut is pretty good. Not my taste, but I can see it working for other people.

They have such imbalanced power dynamics. I still don’t like it.

He just continues to violate this poor man. Eli sucks.

He IS the asshole like-he is not the victim here.

I’m so conflicted because I do still really like the writing of this book, it just has the worst main character. Peter deserves so much better if this ends with them together.

How can you love film but hate fictional writing? It makes no sense to me.

He’s been so clear about his boundaries, and Eli just keeps bulldozing them in favor of what he wants. It’s not fair.

It’s obviously a book agent, you fuck.

I don’t think he’s even grasped what was so wrong and inhumane about what he did to Peter. He’s more upset that he doesn’t have access to him anymore and that he can’t control him in a narcissistic way.

But you need to apologize for more than just agreeing to write that article. That commentary came from somewhere. You weren’t pretending to be mean-spirited. You genuinely held those beliefs about him.

BUT IT’S NOT THAT YOU JUST WROTE A PREDATORY ARTICLE. IT’S WHAT YOU SAID IN IT.

YES PETER, DO NOT FORGIVE THIS ASSWIPE. HE NEEDS TO SHOW FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE FIRST.

Peter’s a goddamn saint.

Look, I can understand the main character kinda went past the point of no return for me and he couldn’t walk it back, but to deny the easily more forgiving general public audience any of his character growth and just skip two years ahead to a happily ever after. No no. Don't like that.

The gays do walk SO FAST lmao.

I don’t know what a Waymo is (Oh girl, I live in the city, but not that city.)

But now that he’s a public figure, his fans are gonna dig up that article about him and link it to his current boyfriend and be like what the fuck?

It still sits so icky with me that Peter lost one boyfriend to the church’s conversion therapy (and a big ol’ fuck you always to organized religion) and then his next boyfriend forces his own sort of gay initiation conversion therapy on him.

Post-reading:
Bruh, this is Passion Project all over again.

I want to like this book. I love the author’s voice. It’s well paced. It’s well structured. Sure it’s predictable, but that’s every contemporary romance. You root for the characters.

But jesus fuck, Eli is such a shit. I wasn’t able to forgive him, and it never felt like he fully grasped all the harm he’d done. Despite the chemistry, the romance was dead on arrival for me.

Things I liked: precious angel snookums Peter. The man is too good for this book.

The diversity. Characters were never just their identities. They had personalities outside of their sexualities and gender identities and races. It was really well handled. It’s also compounded representation that we don’t see a ton of in mainstream romances. Autistic, gay, southern, and Korean is a doozy, but it never felt overloaded. He felt like a real person.

The smut. It wasn’t to my personal tastes, but I can see it WORKING for others. There was a slight stumble to the scene for me because Eli kept referring to Peter’s pecs as tits, but they never have a conversation about if that’s appealing to Peter. It seems like quite the assumption to make to me, and came off tone deaf since Eli is trans, so if anyone should be cognizant of pronouns and the power of language- But hey, that might just be a me hangup. I’m cis and painfully straight. That is not my area of expertise.

Neither are movies. I’m a Peter. I haven’t seen shit. Maybe there’s some fun, Easter egg themeing framing device to the chapters if you know the movies. I haven’t seen them. I got nothing out of it.

The side characters were pretty one-note, but that’s par for the course in the genre, and the book had other social commentary to carry it, so it barely registered as a dingable offense.

What did register was a pointed dig that straight people never have to consider the dangers trans people face with random hookups. And I'm just like…every woman ever has worried about being killed over sex. Pull your head out of your ass. That isn't a cis privilege problem. That is a rapist problem.

And now I’m struggling to rate this because although I enjoyed my time with this book, I don’t think it’s a romance. I think it’s a pretty shitty move to end your book with your characters not together and rely on a time-jumped epilogue to force a happily ever after. Peter says he needs to learn how to trust Eli again, but then the audience is robbed of that growth. That’s not right. But the authorial voice is infectious. I want to try another book. I think it would work for me. How can I really hate a book if it’s prompting me to reach for another one?

I won’t be recommending this one as a romance, but I won’t be discouraging others from reading it. I just don’t quite know who it’s for when it’s so obviously trying to be a rom-com, but I don’t think you can ethically root for the couple. And just food for thought, if Eli‘s published article had been the more serious political one, he never would’ve apologized or grown. It’s not like he would’ve pulled Peter aside and been like hey, I know I told you I was writing a serious article, but the whole time I was submitting this snarky commentary about you to my boss because I thought you were such a massive loser who needed me to rewrite him. There’s just such a manipulative, narcissistic, victim complex angle to Eli, and I can’t fuck with it. Peter deserved better, because Mason really wrote a gem with him.

The audiobook was good, but not great. I liked how they read Eli but not the voice they put on for Peter.

Who should read this:
Kate Goldbeck fans
Sara Raasch fans
Ali Hazelwood fans
Autistic rep fans
Trans rep fans

Ideal reading time:
Fall

Do I want to reread this:
No, but I’d read the author again.

Would I buy this:
Ugh, maybe? I want to like it. I wouldn’t be upset if I had bought this. I don’t know if I’d go out and buy it now though.

Similar books:
* Passion Project by London Sperry-messy girl, contemporary romance, fake dating, unlikable FMC
* First-Time Caller by B. K. Borison-rom-com retelling, contemporary romance, fake dating, unlikable MMC
* Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch-campy, urban fantasy holiday romance, queer, enemies to lovers
* P. S. You’re the Worst by Chloe Seager-messy girl contemporary fiction
* Crash Test by Amy James-queer, sports romance, family drama
* Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez-contemporary romance, family drama, unlikable characters
* Liquid by Mariam Rahmani-lit fic, meta fiction, satire, rom-com retelling, family drama, queer, social commentary
* Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson-messy girl contemporary fiction, romance, family drama, addiction
* A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James-messy girl contemporary fiction, romance
* The Pairing by Casey McQuiston-contemporary romance, queer, second chance
* You, Again by Kate Goldbeck-rom-com retelling, messy girl contemporary fiction, romance, unlikable characters
* Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly-lit fic character study, family drama, queer romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the ALC! I had such a fun time with this book. Enter in a tenacious writer & shy tech guy — this book houses a story of coming into one’s own and finding yourself in a world that has already tried to define you & your story. I enjoyed the narration, but wish the book was dual POV bc I would have loved to hear Peter’s inner monologue for many of the scenes. These chapters honestly flew by & I was excited to see where Peter & Eli went next. Where they ended up? In love & helping each other find the right paths in life. I love love!! Definitely recommend this queer romance!

I was drawn to this book for the queer contemporary romance vibes, and I was excited to dive in.

Eli Francis is overworked, under appreciated, and struggling to get over his ex. So when his roommates set him up with Peter Park, a sweet but socially awkward guy, he’s not expecting much. After their first date crashes and burns, Eli’s boss pitches the idea of “teaching Peter how to date” for an article, but Eli has his own plan. He'll use the setup to secretly write a deeper piece about Peter’s experiences growing up queer in the South. As fake dates turn into real feelings, Eli finds himself caught between chasing his dream job and risking his heart.

This novel was really cute, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the diversity in the MCs, and I felt like they were really well rounded. I adore Peter and think he's the sweetest. He's socially awkward at first, but he's genuine and kind. Eli is ambitious, a little high and mighty, but in the end he tries to be his authentic self and do the right thing. I could see the train crash coming from a mile away with Eli's actions, but I love that we get our HEA in the end.

4.5 Stars (rounded up to 5 for this review).

I received the eARC and ALC for this novel, so it was fun to switch back and forth from listening and reading. If you're into audiobooks, the narrator did a great job!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the eARC and ALC of this book.

This story fell flat for me. I struggled quite a bit with the monotone voice of the narrator. I think this could have benefitted from a dual narration setup. I truly hope this author continues writing however because trans voices are so important and need to be heard. While this story wasn't for me, I can see it being exactly what so many people need to hear and read.

I love a fake dating book. This one had a bit of an extra layer of complexity because of the issues with the boss not believing in Eli. Both main characters were super messy but both had such redeeming qualities. It was a lot of fun watching the practice turn real, even when they were not able to admit it.

You may enjoy this one if you like:
* Rom com vibes
* Fake "dating"
* Awful first date
* Movie references galore
* Queer experiences in different environments

I.... did not enjoy this book. I think it's largely because I didn't like Eli's character.

However, the audiobook narration was excellently done! I loved the voices and do believe that the narration is the only reason I finished the book.

The Build-a-Boyfriend Project sounded like such a lighthearted read from the title and cover, but ended up being super emotional and hit me right in the feels. Eli and Peter were such a wonderful pair. The book tacked Eli's transness with care and Peter's neurodivergence was so well written. I did not expect to love these two characters as much as I did, but I got really invested in them, both individually and together. Peter Park especially was an absolute sweetheart and must be protected at all costs. The 3rd act breakup broke my heart (which I guess that's what it's supposed to do) but I was very satisfied with how it was resolved in the end. All in all this was a really lovely romcom (think How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and I had the best time listening to the audiobook.

Build-a-Boyfriend Project

Eli… Peter Park… welcome to my favorite characters club. Is it too mom-coded of me to feel an overwhelmingly need to protect these two at all costs?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 stars

As someone who forgets movies as soon as I watch them, I still greatly enjoyed all of the movie references. I feel like it adds an element of fun while also looping in people who might prefer movies over reading. I’m going to gift a copy of this book to my movie-loving friend because of that!

Peter’s intricate backstory and experiences were the highlight of the book for me. I feel like the author was very thoughtful in his portrayal of a Korean boy growing up gay in the South. I especially loved that Peter highlighted the good from his childhood as well as the difficult parts.

In general the author seemed to be thoughtful and intentional about how he portrayed his characters. That being said, I feel like there were a few parts where I was reading an essay about something versus reading a romcom . There were also a few parts where the author would make little digs at certain romance tropes, and it would pull me out of the story.

Overall a fast and fun read that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ALC of The Build-a-Boyfriend Project!

I love the representation that this book has and I especially love that the audiobook narrator is also a trans man! There were some heavy topics mentioned that I haven’t seen in books before, that really resonated. I unfortunately found Eli to be unlikable. There were so many times that Eli critiques Peter, but the criticisms aren’t always constructive and it almost seemed like Eli deemed Peter lesser than for missing social cues. I did still enjoy the book and will be rereading a physical copy of the book to see if my sentiment changes.

Synopsis:
After a break-up with a long term boyfriend, Eli decides to put himself back on the market. He’s set up on a blind date with a friend of a friend…of a friend? To say the date went horribly is an understatement, but something good may come out of it - an idea. Eli has been working as an assistant for five years but desperately wants to become a staff writer. After this failed date, he and his manager come up with a story that will woo the world and help Peter become “boyfriend material.” Is the opportunity of a promotion with this build-a-boyfriend project worth making a fool of Peter?

This sweet, charming, twisty and tingly fake dating story is also a guide for how to get what you really want at work, in friendships and with romantic partners all while being a kinder human. I loved it.

Eli (28) is stuck in a job he hates and just had the worst first date in history after the end of a long term relationship. The icing on the cake? He sees his ex every day at work because he’s his boss now. Of course.

Peter (29?) manages to make his first date ever a true disaster, and can’t stop apologizing to his victim—I mean, date. He. Feels. Terrible about it.

When Eli realizes he could help make Peter a better boyfriend through practice dates and use that experience in an article to get himself the staff writer position he wants, he dives in…without being honest about the project with anyone (including himself).

Read if you like:
• Contemporary romance
• Single POV
• Dating lessons
• Found family
• Empathy and advocacy
• A movie watch list
• Trans and gay M/M main characters & respectful LGBTQIA+ rep throughout
• Communicating consent
• Open door spice
• Anything Mason has already written (they are SO GOOD AT STORYTELLING I mean SERIOUSLY)
• IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM by Sophie Cousens

after a huge break at the 80% mark IM DONE. don't let that put you off, I just realized that I've never listened to an adult romance novel before and the sex scene made me so embarrassed I had to take a break for my sanity.

All around extremely well written novel. I find Peter and his romantic dysfunction quite charming, and as someone who used to have journalism aspirations of my own Eli was very real and relatable to me. I could've read many more pages of their simultaneous tooth rotting romantic fluff and unbearable pining, but I think the author included just enough of it to make me want more without it feeling monotonous or repetitive. their relationship was so sweet, and the moment where Eli realizes he has feelings for Peter was everything to me. These two are so smitten from basically their second date, but it never felt rushed or too insta-lovey. just genuinely sweet and romantic

I will say it always feels a little weird when a white author goes into the personal struggles of a person of color, and it felt particularly weird here because Eli was always doing this guilty hand wringing and assuring the audience that he didn't presume to understand what it's like being a korean american gay man in a small town in the south. like on the one hand I'm glad that that was acknowledged (both peter's trauma and that eli will never fully get it) and on another I felt often that scenes involving Peter's past would become derailed so the author could remind you that the white protag is totally empathetic and also totally not overstepping his boundaries.

i highly, highly recommend the audiobook (even after my embarrassment), its super well done and the narrator really sells it as Eli!

A great classic romance! The audiobook was great and the story really held my attention. I’m not used to reading romance set in modern day (i prefer fantasy) But this one was great. It followed our main character who is experiencing heartbreak being forced by his best friend to finally go on a date and get over his ex.

thanks to netgalley and publisher for giving me a audiobook arc! i really enjoyed listening to this! it was fun and cute. i also liked the plot and the fake dating aspect. the representation the book gives is well done. it was serious without being too serious. i really liked the characters and how they were together. i liked how it wrapped up in the end. i would recommend! sorry i wasn’t able to read before release date but it is now out so go read it!

3.5 stars

Peter made this entire book worth it. An innocent baby gay experiencing dating for the first time in their late 20's. Having "dating lessons" is such an enjoyable trope and the author did it really well. Loved that the dates swapped off who planned them because you really got to see the characters get to know each other.

Eli was a bit jaded and hard to support though. I did really appreciate the trans rep though because I feel like it encompassed the trans identity better than other books I have read. I.e. not every trans person gets gender conforming surgery.

A relationship built on a lie is never going to last very long and Eli is lying to basically everyone along with themselves. There was a lot of frustration while reading the story. I did really appreciate that the author did not have Peter forgive Eli right away and instead work to earn their forgiveness. But Peter deserved better.

I listened to the audio and I don't really have any strong positive or negative feelings about the narrator. They were fine and it was a decent audiobook. An easy to read romance.

(3.5/5)

I really loved both of the main characters—Eli especially had great growth, and the single POV allowed us to see that clearly through their inner monologue. The storyline was creative, and the representation and diversity throughout the book were a huge plus.

That said, some of the plot points didn’t feel very realistic, and I’m just not a fan of the third-act breakup trope—it’s been done so many times, and it’s starting to feel tired.

Still, I’d recommend this to romance lovers looking for a fun, inclusive read with standout side characters and a sweet premise.

How Mason Deaver tells stories is always engaging. He has the ability to write unlikeable characters that grow and learn from their mistakes, and somehow they end up likeable. Both Eli and Peter are both getting in the way of who they want to become and they help each other throughout this novel.

Eli is brash and stuck-up in the beginning of the book but he learns how to become a better person, allowing himself to take the next steps in what he wants his career to become while learning that it's not only everyone else that was causing problems, he was too.

Peter is clueless and loveable from the beginning but, slowly is able to step out of his shell and become comfortable in who he is and what he wants his life to be.

I think this novel is a great look into how relationships can allow you to become the best version of yourself. Having someone willing to help push you in that direction is something worth pursuing.


The audiobook narrator also added an enjoyable element to the story. Truly portraying the emotions that the characters felt and bringing them alive.

*Thank you Netgalley and HarperAudio for the audio arc*
The plot was super original and had me hooked. Eli (our main character) had some moments that made me want to eye roll, but Peter? He completely stole the show. He was such a well written, layered character.

Also listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did amazing.
10/10 recommend the audiobook