I absolutely loved this sweet book. Luc is the son of a famous rockstar who’s reputation is in tatters. Oliver is a stuffy Barrister who can’t seem to keep a boyfriend (and might have an eating disorder). They both need a boyfriend to help their image so they agree to fake date and of course romance insues. If you were looking for a queer Bridget Jones’ Diary look no further. This story is a quick romantic romp filled with witty banter, zany side characters, and so many bad jokes. I loved it!! Luc and Oliver perfectly compliment each other and I loved watching their romance blossom. I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version and it is lovely. I think Luc’s mom is my favorite side character and audiobook perfectly brings her to life. But I also loved the comic relief of our resident twit Alex Twaddle. The side characters are so well developed and wonderful. If you’re looking for a light-hearted romance this summer this is your book. Honestly just read the dang thing. I LOVED IT!

I am a long time fan of Alexis Hall and this has been one of my most anticipated romance releases of year and it lived up to my expectations and well beyond them. I loved everything about that story, the main and side characters, the romance, the growing up both Luc and Oliver go through, the humour that made me laugh out loud more than once. It's a truly hilarious story, I can't remember when was the last time a book made me laugh so much! There are so many memorable lines in it - the dick pics jokes, Alex and Miffy (short for Clara), the CRAPP foundation, and more.

It’s a light-hearted romcom with unexpected depths of feelings. It’s mostly drama-free though some serious life issues show their heads. It’s an opposites attract fake romance that gets real pretty fast. The story is told from Luc’s POV and we get to see a messy young man find his way towards a more fulfilling life. Oliver is all prim and proper (on the surface), with a good career, seemingly in complete control of his life. As the story progresses we see that he has his own issues, just like the rest of us. It does take him a while to accept that and the allow himself to be loved for who he is and get the help and support he needs.

I liked the very Britishmess of the setting and characters, it shone through in every scene and it made me very happy. What I like the most about Alexis Hall’s stories in general is how real and relatable his characters feel to me. Yes, there are over-the-top moments and situations, all the more here since it’s a romcom, but at the same time it all feels real - the relationships, their fears and dreams and coping mechanisms and the things that bring them joy and frustration. We see a multitude of characters here, both straight and queer, upper and middle class, successful and struggling. All of them stand on their own, have their quirks and weaknesses and make mistakes and grand gestures.

It's a low-heat romance with more focus on the getting the characters to talk honestly to each other than of their sexual relationship. The heart-to-hearts of Luc and Oliver were most tender ones, so much truth and feelings in simple, everyday words and actions.

We get to meet found and bio families in all their glory and heart-break, they both can be amazing and fun and supporting but also destructive and abusive and we see it here.

My only minor complaint is that the ending felt rushed, or I simply wanted more time with Luc and Oliver dealing with their personal issues together as a couple that loves and supports each other.


CW: homophobia, cancer scare, gaslighting, emotional manipulation

3.75 stars out of 5

This was a lot of fun to read. I laughed out loud on a few different occasions and I had a smile on my face throughout most of the book!

However, there was A LOT of build-up to the two events that were the reason Oliver and Luc started their fake relationship, but the execution of the events fell flat. I don't think there was enough time spent at them or in the direct aftermath.

There were also a few jumpy timeline moments that I think could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Overall, this was such a fun, light-hearted M/M rom-com and exactly what I needed. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author!

I adored this book soooo much!

Que hilariousness - sass galore - sarcasm - and an adorable swoon worthy love story between enemies-esk to lovers.

Also, that last line of the book 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I was excited to read this book, often times seeing it compared to Red, White, and Royal Blue (which I really enjoyed and definitely recommend!) Unfortunately, Boyfriend Material just didn't live up to that at all and I have to say that this one wasn't what I had been expecting or hoping for at all.

Everyone in this story was immature and silly at times, and honestly none of them acted their ages. It drove me nuts most of the time, there were times that I found things funny though. This one was just so over the top at times though that I struggled. That coupled with the fact that the main characters were unlikable for good portions of this book just didn't work for me. I really wanted to love them and see them get on the right track, but it was just setback after setback. I also wasn't totally feeling the romance. They had chemistry and a connection, but they also doubted each other as often as they doubted themselves. While I don't need a book to be super steamy, we saw them be affectionate but everything else was closed door and I really would have liked to see them getting to know one another better both in and out of the bedroom.

By the time I reached the ending, I was just hoping that we would get a satisfying ending and I felt this one was rushed. I have heard that Alexis Hall has great books, but this was my first read and I'm not sure if i'd give any others a shot or not. I have seen a lot of really positive reviews for this one though, so it might be for you if you like OTT rom-coms and don't mind some immaturity.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

The writing was not for me. I had a hard time immersing myself in the story. I also had difficulty connecting with the characters and knowing who was who. Many introduced at one time and that left me confused. I had to DNF.

I absolutely loved this one. Luc and Oliver are the perfect couple. Luc is a bit of a mess and Oliver is a bit uptight, but it works for their relationship and they complement each other well. The humor really took me by surprise. I had no idea Alexis Hall was so funny! The supporting cast is over the top, but they are all so charming that it works. Luc's interactions with his friends, family, and coworkers were endearing and hilarious. I fell in love with everyone and laughed through nearly every page of the book. I really can't recommend this book enough and am planning on rereading it again in the future.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks for review.

This was SO cute!!!

I love me a good fake dating romance, and this one doesn't disappoint. Luc and Oliver's relationship was so precious, and I think they made such a great couple. The story contains several tropes that I absolutely love, including the famous "there's only one bed" (one of my personal faves).

I also wasn't expecting this book to be so funny. Luc was an absolutely hilarious narrator, I laughed out loud several times while reading it!

Overall, I had such a great time and I can totally foresee this book becoming one of my favorite romances of the year!

Luc O'Donnell is famous for having famous parents. His father, who is a known musician, walked out when Luc was three and Luc doesn’t even know the man. Yet, the paparazzi follow Luc and the ones Luc thought he could trust sell him out. Luc needs a respectable boyfriend and barrister Oliver Blackwood looks good on paper. He is also just looks good to Luc but Oliver does not care for Luc at all, or so Luc thinks. Oliver needs a date as well and the men start a relationship that they try and convince themselves isn’t real at all.

Boyfriend Material is a character driven novel and there is great depth shown for both Luc and Oliver. There is much more going on with both of them then it appears a t first glance and while the men think they have nothing in common, they are exactly what the other needs.

The book is long and the pace did slow down in a few places and there are many side characters here that may have been too much at times for the amount of page time they had. At the end, I would have liked to see more time with them as a solid couple, but there is a great sense of both men and the relationship they are working on together.

Boyfriend Material is a rom-com done right. This book actually made me laugh out loud, and frequently, too. It's adorable, funny, and with lovable characters. The plot is cute, the cast of characters is eccentric without feeling unbelievable, and I really, really loved Oliver.

Luc is the son of a rockstar, and as a C-list (or lower) celebrity, he's often in the tabloids - which is causing the charity (CRAPP, which is working to save dung beetles) to lose donors. To clean up his reputation and keep his job, Luc enters a fake relationship with Oliver, a barrister who's ethically impeccable, well-mannered, and respectable in every way. The two men are complete opposites, and even maintaining a fake relationship seems impossible, but they have to keep it going until after the charity ball Luc's been organizing for his work. Along the way, Luc's estranged rockstar father suddenly re-enters his life, and Luc has to figure out to stop being such an asshole to everyone.

The story is told in first-person, entirely from Luc's perspective, which makes it difficult to really get inside Oliver's head, since Luc is super self-centered for most of the book - but this also makes relationship anxieties feel more realistic, since we're not getting more information than Luc does. The relationship drama sometimes felt a little tedious, but it was worth it for this delightful couple. Loved this.

I had a difficult time with this one. It was a bit too cheesy in some places. Other places I didn't really like Luc, as he was rude, even when he was trying to be witty. I didn't like the biphobia, or Oliver's friends. I just really didn't like enough things in this book that I would recommend it.

Nicht ganz mein Humor und etwas zu besonders

„Boyfriend Material“ ist mit einem tollen Cover gesegnet und hat mich aufgrund der Kurzbeschreibung angesprochen. Ich habe eine locker flockige, romantische Komödie erwartet, bekommen habe ich einen Liebesroman, der mich ganz gut unterhalten hat, aufgrund des speziellen Humors und der zu besonderen Charaktere für mich aber nicht ideal war.

Den Humor mag man oder nicht, mehr kann ich dazu nicht sagen. Zu den Charakteren kann ich dagegen etwas weiter ausholen. Sie sind allesamt recht komplex und besonders angelegt. Was ich an sich mag, mir in diesem Buch aber zu viel war. Ich hätte mich über ein bis zwei „normale“, bodenständige Charaktere als Gegengewicht zu den anderen gefreut. Und bezogen auf die verschiedenen Problemchen der Hauptcharaktere, wäre für mich weniger wiederum mehr gewesen.

Es gab Momente im Buch, die mich zum Schmunzeln gebracht haben. So richtig mit dem Liebespaar mitgefiebert habe ich aber nicht. Auch war mir das Ende etwas zu knapp, ich hätte mich über einen schönen Epilog gefreut, der alle losen Fäden zusammenbringt.

Denke ich an mein Leseerlebnis, so lande ich bei einer Bewertung von drei Sternen.

4/5 stars

This was super adorable. I will admit I've been hearing this compared to Red, White, and Royal blue, and while It's kinda is but not really similar. I felt a little disappointed because it wasn't up to that level of hype, However It still an awesome book. I loved that we have two perfectly imperfect people. This made me connect to them as characters so much more than I thought I would. It was a very cute romance, even though it took me a minute to get into it, the man did I get invested in this relationship. I completely adored the banter that our couple had between each other, I lived for it. I would highly recommend picking up this book. It's cute, funny and adorable.

Today I finished #BoyfriendMaterial! It was absolutely hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud several times. I really found Luc to be the perfect main character. He was funny and sweet, but also had flaws and i thought he lacked a little ambition. Oliver was the perfect match for Luc because he helped balance him out. I thought Luc’s job was also really interesting and I wondered if there wondered if there really are dung beetle charities? ⁣
⁣
I’ve seen this compared to Red, White and a Royal Blue a lot and I might have a minority opinion here, but I liked Boyfriend Material a lot more. I thought the writing was sharper, the banter funnier, and I loved all the side characters, particularly Alex and Luc’s mother. ⁣

Boyfriend Material was such a cute, fun and real read! Luc was such a relatable character with his self-deprecating ways as he tries to improve his image with a fake boyfriend in order to keep his job.
Luc and Oliver's relationship was adorable and I loved their banter. They're complete opposites but also so compatible! I also adored Luc's group of friends. Each character in the book served a distinct purpose and I love the levity that most of the side characters brought to situations.
This book was absolutely hilarious! I found myself actually laughing at loud many times throughout the book. It was so witty and entertaining while also having serious, real-life moments that made it all seem more realistic.
I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a fake-dating romcom with captivating characters!
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cute.

So this is a cute male-male haters to lovers romance. I love how the author brought together two different men who both have emotional trauma because of previous relationships and they were able to heal each other. There were miscommunications between the two that led to them arguing and breaking up multiple times. I wish that the author gave us some descriptive sex scenes. Every time they were about to have sex she cut to the next day or played it off as Luc wanting to keep the experience to himself. I feel like in an adult romance I deserve at least one sex scene haha. Also I would've loved to read some chapters from Oliver's perspective because he was such a closed off character. Overall I think this was a good book and I would recommend it to those who are interested.

Thank you netgalley for extending me an invitation to read an advanced copy and give my honest review.

This was a hysterical read! I love seeing queer romance novels becoming more popular and ai hope that that continues. This had the perfect combination of laughter, heart wrenching moments that kept you wanting to keep reading. And then bonus points for making this take place in Britain!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review!

This is not your average fake dating story - Boyfriend Material is a sweet, slow burn contemporary romance of awesome that I was utterly captivated by. The hype is real!

The book is told solely through Luc's self-deprecating POV. We get a front row seat to the psychological downfall of having celebrity parents. It’s a well balanced perspective of fiction versus reality.

Luc is pessimistic and stuck in a rut. He doesn't know - doesn’t have the confidence - how to live, so he wallows in a barely there form of human existence. He undervalues himself time and time again, making it difficult to even form a working fake relationship. You want to root for him regardless because - even though Luc can't see it - the reader quickly sees his value as a person, a friend, a son, and a partner. I like Luc and enjoyed following his well written, exponential character growth.

Oliver is eloquent, outwardly posh, and an incredibly good person. The total handsome and perfect package. He sounds like a walking dictionary but that’s a part of his charm I love so much. You can see in the little things he does the kind of person he is and sneak peeks into his personal struggles. He's remarkable but I have bittersweet admiration for him because he can see the good in things - in Luc - for what they are even when he can't see them in himself.

Luc and Oliver were meant to be!

I adore Luc's friends. They are such an odd mix of wacky wonderfulness - the ultimate squad goals!

Luc's co-workers are an interesting bunch but I didn't care for the offhand “polite” homophobic comments and extremely disliked what led to Luc needing a fake boyfriend in the first place.

I think most people will be able to relate to Luc and Oliver in some small way. I definitely did and that's why I was so invested in the story and characters, fervently wishing for some sort of HEA.

Boyfriend Material is the perfect summer read. It's a delightful story but a sluggish journey that will make this book hard to put down. I would read more books by Alexis Hall. He is an inventive storyteller and creates such endearing characters.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and netgalley for sending me a copy of Boyfriend Material in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: absent father, selling of relationship secrets to tabloids (historic), alcohol, homophobia, mentions of cancer

Luc is famous by proxy due to his parents being super popular musicians in the 80s. This means that Luc’s life is often captured by paparazzi and splashed across tabloids. After one night, unfortunate pictures are posted he’s in danger of losing his job. So he decides to ask Oliver to be his fake boyfriend, as he is (in Luc’s eyes) a dull barrister who will definitely help with his image.

This is one of the best rom coms I have ever read, and when I say that I mean it is actually funny. I often find books that are marketed as a rom com aren’t even slightly comedic, but I Boyfriend Material had me literally cackling out loud many times, and that rarely happens. I read this along with Kate as a buddy read and we kept sending each other voice notes just screaming with laughter whilst reading.

I loved both Luc and Oliver; their growth throughout the book is just so great, through their relationship with each other they learn to open up. Oliver was definitely my favourite though, he was just such a softie and I just wanted to give him a massive hug a lot of the time. Through the novel you can see the different ways that emotional abuse from parents affects people. Luc’s is more outward and obvious as he wears his heart on his sleeve and has an absentee parent. Whereas Oliver is a lot more subtle, he doesn’t recognise the awful way his parents treat him and spends a lot of his life trying to please them.

I was just rooting for the romance the whole way through my read of this novel. Whilst I’ve talked incessantly about how funny Boyfriend Material is, it’s also so incredibly tender. I definitely got to that point where I was yelling “just kiss already” at my kindle. By the endmy heart just felt so full!

There is a whole host of interesting side characters in this book: from James Royce-Royce and his husband, also named James Royce-Royce, to Luc’s mother, all of them added enjoyment to the experience. Luc has a coworker called Alex, who just has his head in space and made me laugh so much, especially when he didn’t understand Luc’s terrible jokes. Bridget, who set up Luc and Oliver, works in publishing and somehow always has some sort of work disaster going on. And then we have Luc’s mother, who is well-meaning, but not exactly politically correct; her antics just had me in stitches, but she was also such great emotional support for Luc.

One thing I want to mention is that there is a lesbian Muslim character in this book who isn’t practising and drinks alcohol. The author isn’t Muslim (to my knowledge), and I don’t know if he used a sensitivity writer. This is only really mentioned in one scene with this character but I wanted to let you all know in case this is something you’re sensitive to.

If you, like me, love Richard Curtis rom coms like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones, then Boyfriend Material is perfect for you.

I've been sort of done with the whole "fake relationship" trope. That is until I found out Alexis Hall was releasing Boyfriend Material and well, you know how you tend to make exceptions for authors you like/trust? I made that exception here and let me tell you, I am IN LOVE with Boyfriend Material!!

Boyfriend Material's charm has everything to do with Hall's writing. I honestly love the way he writes and phrases things and emotions and moments. Oftentimes they're amusing anecdotes and other times they're absolute gems of clarity. In Luc and Oliver, I also saw a little bit of me. Who hasn't gone through that insecure feeling that they're not worthy of love and attention? When that kindness is directed at Luc and Oliver, it's almost an alien-like feeling. Luc has learned to be super protective about himself and is highly cynical of new friendships or attention because he's been a magnet for the gossip rags. Thanks to the antics of his famous parents, and especially his neglectful father, Luc's been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. When that spotlight threatens his job he has to find a way to clean up his image. The problem is solved somewhat when his best friend hooks him up with Oliver, a lawyer whose pedigree and refined mannerisms are the exact opposite of Luc's. But since they both could use some help with their love life, they go for it - fake dating to appease Luc's employer and Oliver's family.

What makes this story standout for me aside from the writing is how Luc and Oliver's characters are developed. Relationship-averse Luc almost self-sabotages their arrangement a few times but it's Oliver who redirects with kindness and reassurance. In fact, I was so blown away by how he helped Luc through his more neurotic moments that I might have gotten a little jealous of Luc. Then when the table is turned and Luc is the one providing all the support and encouragement to Oliver ... it's just remarkable how much growth took place for him to even venture outside of his comfort zone to be a friend to Oliver in return.

I've been anxious lately about a number of things so I savoured every single second I had reading Boyfriend Material. It was an entirely delightful escape that gave me several moments of laugh out loud joy. I appreciated Luc's self-deprecating humour, I loved Oliver's dry retorts to Luc's silliness. They balanced each other so well and I definitely liked how their relationship gradually deepened. I also enjoyed all the quirky side characters. They just own their quirkiness. I giggled through any scene where Luc interacted with his somewhat dimwitted co-workers because they were so far out there it was hard not to love them.

It's truly intimidating to write a review after reading something so perfect so I hope it's sufficient to say that Boyfriend Material is one of my favourites of 2020. Top 5, for sure! It was also educational because it taught me what 'versimilitude' is 😉 And I do believe that this will be a comfort read for me, one I revisit for its amusing and enigmatic personalities, and its happily ever after!

~ Bel