Nobody ever said that they didn’t feeeeeeeeel something when they read one of Mason Deaver’s books. If I want to cry or laugh or smile or hurt or, most importantly, fall in love, I know where to go. And every single book they’ve written has hit a core memory in some way that has triggered emotions that have made the book that much more special.

The Build-A-Boyfriend Project is their adult romance debut and to say I’ve been excited to read it is beyond an understatement. Knowing how much I’ve loved and valued each of their books, I had high hopes that this book would be even better. I had getting my expectations up, because that is nothing to put onto another person, but it still happens sometimes. I’m only human.

From the very start of the story, we know that Eli and Peter are not perfect. Eli has JUST gotten out of a 7 year relationship that ended abruptly and with no explanation, as well as stuck in a dead end job. Whereas Peter has never dated… ever and can’t seem to stop working… or being stepped on by his job.

They’re both set up on a blind date that is one match from a dumpster fire and should have been the end of their story. But when Eli’s boss overhears him talking about the bad date and how Peter really needs to be taught how to be better at it, he gives him an assignment: date Peter, write a story about it, and get the promotion he’s been vying for.

There were definitely times that Eli felt a little slimy, but you could see that it wasn’t who is. He was trying to impress his boss. He tried backing out of the story so many times and once you read this, you’ll understand how that turns out. I felt horrible for him, because even though he’s trying his damnedest to get his dream job writing pieces for the website, none of them are used. They just “aren’t what the readers want.” Which is a load of BS. (This coming from someone who knows nothing about what readers of that website are going to it for.)

Peter is my poor sweet summer child. He’s a himbo (without the dating experience) with a heart of gold and he just wants love. I love him so much and want to protect him AT ALL COSTS. I’d say I want to protect them both, but I know Eli is strong and doesn’t need my help. I love them both though and am so happy for their HEA.

I will always be a huge supporter of queer stories and, most of all, those written by queer people. There aren’t nearly enough trans MC’s in romance, so having this book be so ducking good really opens up even more opportunities for trans and non-binary authors to get their stories out there!!

Thank you to Avon books for my gifted ARC and ALC copies. All thoughts and feelings and tears and pain and snotty laughing fits were my own, but if you need to see my trash can full of tissues, hit me up.🫠

I was SO excited for Mason Deavers foray into adult romance and I'm tragically underwhelmed.

My favorite of their books have been the ones that are emotionally hard hitting and I find that they really shine when writing more serious plot lines. that's where this one missed the mark for me.

in this book it wants so badly to be a romcom but it just doesn't ever quite get to that level of levity. it wants to include more serious topics like racism and transphobia but never has the time or space to go all the way there.

somehow, it also never manages to be romcommy either. it is at a standstill of awkward and undeveloped levels of quirky and heavy.

I really loved Peter and he was the star of this book, even as the love interest. Eli, our MC, is messy, which is fine, but he continues to make poor decisions and when we should finally get their second chance it's brushed over to an epilogue.

now some are gonna tell me I'm being harsh and maybe I am but I also still liked this book, but it's not memorable and I didn't love it. it's a solid middle of the road 3 star for me.

gay trans MC, fat gay Asian LI

this book was everything to me. I sat down to listen and finished it in one sitting because i could not get enough of our MCs.

This is giving how to loose a guy in 10 days but make it queer and trans and the writing is just honestly perfection. The vibes were immaculate and the narration on the audiobook was superb.

The practice dating was such a fun way to learn
about each other and us as the reader to learn about them. The rock climbing date was such a sweet moment to read and see their bond truly blossom.

the romance aspect of this book felt so AUTHENTIC. i think more often than not romance books don’t necessarily feel authentic (AND THATS OK) but the way their chemistry naturally built and their full cooperation to being vulnerable with each other was so beautiful to read.

TRULY, i love this book and i need everyone to read it immediately.

The Vibes:
-Queer Romance
-Trans Rep
-Fake/Pretend/Practice Dating
-MC that reads romance
-SO SWEET

A bit lighter than Mason Deaver usually is, but cute in a romcom way. It might have benefitted from being dual pov, as the love interest is not as well developed as he could be.

As far as an adult debut goes, I think "The Build-a-Boyfriend Project" will resonate with new adults/those who find themselves too old for YA but still like the feel of it.

Eli really wants the staff writer position and his friends want him to focus on finding love again. After a disastrous first date, Eli comes up with a plan to help Peter with dating, all while using their experiences as a Korean, gay man from Georgia, as think piece material to prove himself. After many dates, and many heartfelt discussions, we see the characters fall for each other in the fake dating scheme they've created. However, time will tell if it's actually going to brave through lies and deceit.

I enjoyed the story overall, but found the climax of the story to be both under and overwhelming. It was definitely where the story was headed, so it felt right in that moment. However, the resolution/miscommunication, didn't feel in character for both Eli and Peter.

The story definitely had some great, heartwarming moments of discovering what one really wants in life, but felt a little lackluster in the romance/compatibility department.

This book is full of emotional development, finding understanding, romantic comedy, and personal and community acceptance. Eli was fairly self actualized but had lost sight of himself which led him to make questionable decisions. Peter was scared to find out who he is. Together they both became better people for themselves and each other with an undercurrent of rom com romance tropes mixed in. It was fun, it was deep and thoughtful, it had spice, basically everything you could want or need in a well written romance.
The narrator did a great job and their voice was surprisingly soothing and their voice acting was on point.

This was a fun listen. I will say that I liked Peter much more than Eli. There were parts where Eli came across as a little too condescending. Sometimes it felt like Eli thought he could do no wrong and everyone else was the problem. Peter really was my favorite part of this story. I loved seeing him grow more confident in himself and figure out how to better integrate himself into social settings.

Hello, hello, I’m here to tell you I loved this book!

This was such a sweet story that I totally could’ve listened to in one sitting if I had the time.

I thought both main characters brought something special to the story and enjoyed seeing the character growth from both of them. Eli and Peter both had well developed backstories that gave them a lot of depth and heart. It was so easy to connect with and root for both of them.

My favorite pieces of the book were times where we were shown different examples of how nothing is ever simply black and white, there’s a delicate balance we should all be mindful of. The best example of this was learning about Peter’s experience growing up as a gay Korean man in the south. While everyone has their own preconceived notion of what that might look like, Peter’s maturity and understanding about how there was good as well as difficulties was really great depth from his character that allowed me to get to know him on a deeper level.

I liked how both MMCs learned about themselves and their careers/work/life balance as well. The journalism piece made it interesting and pushed the story along!

I listened to this as an audiobook and the pacing was perfect. It never felt like the story moved too fast or slow. Just enough to make me want to keep going every time I had to stop. The narrator was great- I loved how he embodied the characters and brought the story to life. I could feel their personalities through the narration which is always the best type of audiobook.

Although it did turn out to be pretty predictable, this was overall a really enjoyable audiobook experience I would recommend to anyone! And the cover is just gorgeous!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you HarperAudio and Netgalley for this ALC, these opinions are my own. Absolutely adored this one! Eli still trying to move on from his ex, it doesn’t help that they still work together. He’s also stuck in a dead end job the wants to publish celebrity gossip and things like that rather then the newsworthy pieces they used to publish. He’s been trying to move up but his boss doesn’t feel like he has what it takes. His friends have been pushing him to date, as if that were easy as a trans man. He finally excepts a blind date with Peter and it’s the worst date he’s ever had. Fully expecting to never see Peter again he’s surprised when he shows up at Eli’s work to apologize. Eli’s boss overhears them and thinks that Eli dating Peter to help him learn to be a good boyfriend would make a good article. Eli decides to go along with it thinking he can write another piece about growing up queer in the south and how that impacts milestones. But as he and Peter get to know each other he realizes there is more to Peter then he originally thought. Soon Eli’s feelings are growing. How will this impact his articles? Does Peter feel the same? What will happen when his boss finds out about Eli’s other article? Or if Peter finds out about the boyfriend article? A sweet slow burn romance that I devoured! Logan Rozos does an excellent job with the narration and really brings Eli’s story to life. I enjoyed the witty, charming, coziness of this story! I loved Peter too, he’s was shy and sweet, it’s adorable! Another great book by Mason Deaver, highly recommend!

Logan Rozos did an excellent narration! I appreciated the different voices and accents for different characters, it always helps differentiate them. The quality of the audiobook was great.

The book itself was fine, I really didn't care for the foundation of the romance relationship and how complicated everything was. I found the MC Eli kind of unlikable, but I did really like the love interest Peter.

I was so looking forward to this… and sad when I realised I was underwhelmed.

The Build-A-Boyfriend Project comes with a good idea and premise and I’m here for the representation. That being said, while it is genuinely not a bad book, I struggled so hard with the MMC and how he treated the love interest that ultimately, it just wasn’t for me personally.

The main trope itself, a pretend relationship to write an article about, is nothing new and can work well. Especially since it was communicated that there would be an article and no one was deceived right off the bat.

Sadly, it was the MMC that I struggled with - The more I read, the more conflicted I felt about Eli.

He’s not a badly written character per se, he’s just not very likeable to me...
Don’t get me wrong, I love a confident character, especially with the trans rep. But it started feeling uncomfortable when that confidence became self righteousness towards Peter, the fake boyfriend.

Eli is flippant and dismissive and frankly condescending most of the time. I honestly felt as if he was so unhappy with how he was held small by his ex and boss that he transferred that power issue onto Peter. Somehow, the whole plot turned into Eli 'fixing' Peter by criticising everything about him.

There is little respect for him as a person (like taking a picture after being asked not to?) and while Eli says he finally gets to know the real Peter, to me it felt like what he saw was just the version he wanted Peter to be.

And on top of all that, Peter is such a sweet character! Sure he has his issues, admits to them too and is willing to improve, but at core he is a great person who's traits are easy to dismiss as wrong or quirky when they really shouldn't. (Like not understanding sarcasm? That’s not a shortcoming and it rubs me the wrong way).

As you can tell, I have very strong feelings about this and while it is a romance which means it has a HEA, I feel like Peter deserved much more. The premise, the idea - they weren’t bad by any means. I think it was just too much damage done by the time the HEA happened and with all the self development Peter was willing to, it just didn't feel like Eli's character progressed enough.

All that being said: It was not a bad book. It was well written, the characters were thought through, even if I struggled, and the plot in general worked.
The writing was good too and I enjoyed the audiobook version of this. I loved the narration.

I genuinely hope this book finds the people that love it more than I did! It might not have been for me but I know it will be for others. And honestly, I really love Peter and since I wanted him to get the HEA he wanted, at least for that I could find some peace with it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mason Deaver and HarperAudio Adult for an ALC of this book

DNF @ 67%

I felt so seen by the conversations about delayed romantic milestones for queer people. That aspect was deeply relatable for me. I found myself empathizing strongly with Eli and Peter as people. I felt for them and wanted them to have a happy ending. Unfortunately I wasn't convinced that they were well suited for each other. Even though the romance itself wasn't successful for me I have the feeling that many people will feel seen by it so if you'd like to read about someone finding the bravery to date for the first time in their 30s this could be the perfect book for you.

The narrator did a great job! Their voice was engaging and helped bring the story to life. I would love to listen to more books from them.

The Build a Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver and narrated by Logan Rozoz has all the retro romcom movie vibes while delving into some deeper social commentary. I enjoyed the trans representation and would like to see more like it in books. Part of that romcom throwback style means that this book embraced being 100% predictable from the beginning. There really were zero surprises. I loved the dates that Eli and Peter went on. I enjoyed their banter, character, and relationship development. The audiobook was very well done by Logan Rozoz. I stepped out of my comfort zone, reading a romance novel written by a male author. The Build a Boyfriend Project was worth it.

I LOVED this audiobook. This was my first book with a lead MMC as a trans man. I liked how we got snips of what he was feeling when he was younger but how he feels about himself now that he is who he wants to be. I also liked getting Peter's side of being gay in the south.

Eli our main MMC is trying to make his writing career take off. So after he goes on a disastrous date with Peter. He comes up with a way to "fake date" Peter and write a story about how Peter grew up in the south but frame it to his boss as a different story.

But as most fake dating tropes go, feelings get blurred and real life takes its toll on the relationship.

Fake Dating
Trans/Gay Relationship
Spice Level: 1/5

I received an advance review copy audio version. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, for the opportunity to listen to this book. Logan Rozos an amazing job narrating this audiobook.

This is a sweet queer romance featuring a trans male lead. I enjoyed the aspects showing further diversity in the queer community and a character who first experiences romantic relationships later in life. The narration was a bit one dimensional for my tastes, but overall a very heartwarming story with plenty of drama thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

one of my favorite books. i loved it. no complaints. sooooo good. great audiobook reader, and this lives up to all of mason's other books which i have read and loved

Book thoughts:
Hate to report that I, a certified fake-dating enthusiast, did not really like the fake dating component to this story. It felt very convoluted. And while I always have to suspend my disbelief somewhat when it comes to the fake dating trope in contemporary (it's a ridiculous trope), this particular instance just made less and less sense as it went on- because, at the end of the day, WHO were they fake dating for? Everyone knew it was fake.

And I know that it was drawing inspiration from How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days (classic) with Eli’s journalistic intent as the catalyst for the fake dating, but it STILL doesn't hold up. The reason it works in the movie is because both parties do not realize that the other is also faking the relationship. They both kind of suck for that (but it makes it funny and endearing when they start to catch feelings.) But here, it just makes it hard to root for Eli and his endeavors because the only person getting lied to is Peter. Which is silly because why does Eli only tell Peter about the 1 article if Peter is already aware of the entire faking dating scheme and Eli's plan to write his real article?

(Also, just now realizing that I would have liked some closure regarding Eli's real article. Would have loved for it to have gotten picked up somewhere or any other indication in the “epilogue" chapter- but that mainly focuses on Peter's success.)

And I know that this makes it sound like I might not have enjoyed the book but there are actually many things that I loved too.

1. Deaver's character work for Peter and Eli.
* Peter Park is one of the sweetest, most endearing love interests that I've read recently and I absolutely adore his story. (I think the author's history in the YA genre is very evident in the richness of Peter's character.)
* Even Eli, as frustrating as his decisions and thought processes were sometimes, still had a very complex history that tugged on my heartstrings. (There are two particular moments where we get insight into Eli's past/ his relationship with both of his parents that genuinely had me tearing up.)

2.Despite it being painful, I really liked the way the conflict came to a head in the final bit of the book. Eli was left stewing in regret and honestly, he deserved it. I liked the way it brought about his decision to build himself back up and finally do something to move forward with his life.

I think, overall, this book had some really beautiful moments that got lost in the overly complicated "fake dating" plot.


Audiobook specific thoughts:
Unfortunately, I don't think Logan Rozos’s narration really did anything for the story. There was not a lot in the way of variety or inflection and it left all of the interactions between the characters feeling really flat. It is one of those cases where they narrated but they didn't voice act and I think the audio suffers for that.

The Build-a-Boyfriend Project was a cute, cozy, and reflective story about a blind date gone horribly wrong that ends up helping both characters challenge their assumptions, get out of their comfort zones, and figure out what they really want. Eli, a trans man working with his ex of seven years in what feels like a dead end career, begrudgingly agrees to go on a date with Peter, a Korean man who grew up in the south and has never really dated, despite being in his 30's. On their first date Peter is a disaster--he's an hour and a half late, he dumps things on Eli, he's rude and absorbed with his phone and phone calls from work, and even misses the movie they still try to see. Eli is mad until he finds out that Peter never really got the chance to date or be part of a queer community due to growing up in the south and especially while Asian. Eli is forced to reconsider what he thought he knew about Peter and their date. As he's considering this, he pitches his editor an article where he helps Peter reform into someone who can date--while secretly writing the kind of article he really wants to on queer community, queer elders, the lavender south, etc. His editor agrees--to the fluff piece--and Eli and Peter start fake dating. If you love a fake dating to feelings turn real trope, you'll love this one. I really loved the important topics Eli and Peter discussed from dating apps to setting boundaries to growing up in the south to Eli's transition--all of the topics were handled with care yet were thoughtful and deep. I also really appreciated the twists and turns (no spoilers!) and how Deaver kept us guessing--not just about what would happen to Peter and Eli together but individually as well as they both discovered they want more from their personal and professional lives than they've dared to risk before. If you like romance, especially queer romance, stories of self-discovery, fake dating, or finding your voice, you might love this one too. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

OMG! This book is the perfect 90s romcom! The vibes are all there. I love Peter that much, he’s my new book boyfriend, of course! I love Eli too, he’s so damn cute!
This book left me all happy and giddy and I just want to re-read it! Instant comfort book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A journalist in a dead-end job agrees to teach his disastrous blind date how to be a better boyfriend.

^from the publisher!

Having read and loved all of Mason’s YA books, I knew I needed to read their adult debut. Let me tell you - it is absolutely fantastic. Eli and Peter are such real, authentic, and flawed characters. I loved being a part of their love story and falling in love with every character in this book. I have already read a physical copy but this time I did the audio and it was incredible! Logan Rozos did a great job bringing these characters to life, especially Eli.

The kinship I felt with Peter cannot be overstated. As a fellow late bloomer, I truly cannot tell you how much I related to Peter’s experience. The anxious, awkward energy. Wanting to be in love someday. Minimal experience with dating. Feeling overwhelmed in social settings. I just really love him so much.

Eli was so relatable to me in another way. I already told Mason this, but I had the same feelings when my own mom got remarried after my dad died. I hadn’t really seen those feelings in a book before. I also really loved Eli’s inner thoughts regarding his queerness, growing up in an environment that allowed him to explore his gender identity, and his intense love of his family.

The way that Mason writes grief and love and heartbreak and happiness and hurt and friendship and family just gets me all in my feelings. All of our secondary characters were important to the plot, and I really felt so much love for Eli’s family and friends!

I absolutely loved the conflict in this. I loved the love story and the growth. I loved every single thing about this story.