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

I genuinely enjoyed this tale of two disasters whose broken parts just might fit together. Alexis Hall's main couple, the celebrity-progeny Luc and the straight-laced lawyer Oliver, are initially an odd couple, and the burn of their romance is slow enough to make it that much more meaningful when fake dating turns to real feelings. But it's Hall's side characters that elevated this book for me, from clueless posh coworkers to old friends who have known you too long to fool.

My Rating : 3.5🌟
Kindle/ Netgalley/ July2020
#mabookyardchallengeJuly2020
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Thank you so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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This book follows our two characters Luc, who is a mess and needs a boyfriend if he needs to keep his job, and Oliver, who is the perfect candidate but has opinion of his own when it comes to Luc.
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First, I really loved the writing style and the way the characters were introduced. Luc was a mess, with a lot of self wallowing, you can't help but feel bad for him. But, when it came to Oliver, it wasn't done in a contrast, but it was complimentary. Luc and Oliver might look like polar opposites, but they got an amazing character arc and portrayal.
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Second, I really like the development of relationship between the characters. It wasn't full on hate or miscommunications. There were a lot of scenes I could relate to, and gives them depth even. I loved that there were scenes where they both come back to each other after a shitty thing and resolves them instead of just staying away.
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Now coming to the side characters, I kind of liked that they were annoying but hated the fact that they were annoying? It's confusing and it's tripping me, but I hated them. Especially the friend circle grated on my nerves and I don't know why.
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Overall, it had a really good plot-line evern though fake dating is a trope that's been done a lot, really good writing, good character arcs, nice relationship development, slightly annoying (okay mostly annoying) side characters, and a good ending! If you are a fan of British people trying to get by life or fake dating trope, you would like it !

I loved the premise of this novel ... fake boyfriends with so many issues to overcome together! YES.

Unfortunately, the voice of the main character pulled a thread in my reader brain that was truly distracting. The over the top camp of his coworkers and his group of friends felt like a different tone from the intimate moments of later on. The pace didn't work. And I found the main relationship problematic. Overall, I had high expectations and it just wasn't my cup of tea.

YMMV. Obviously. Since it has like 4 stars on here.

I requested this book on a whim, to be very honest and before I even realised that there was a huge hype over this – which meant that I went in without any expectations hanging over my head.

Which is EXACTLY WHY I fell in love with the book – I actually spent the whole day reading it because I found myself invested in Luc and Oliver’s romance!

Luc, with his absentee Rockstar father who is now making a comeback – has made paparazzi all the more interested in Luc’s not so exciting life! Case in point – his photo being clicked just at the wrong time and taken out of context means that he will lose his job unless he shows that he is in respectable mature relationship.
With his friends in tow; and eccentric co – workers, he hatches a plan to get himself a fake boyfriend – just so that his charity fundraiser will go smoothly and wit irritating negative press for him and the charity he works for.
The only candidate he can find is the staid, intelligent friend of a friend, Oliver, who has already refused his advances in the past and who he knows is totally wrong for him – and thus, he knows that it would be the perfect solution, not just for him but apparently for Oliver too!

This was a slow burn romance between two individuals who look like they are only superficially broken; but have deep seated issues that seem to come between them and successful romantic relationships – and when I say slow burn; I do mean a while lot of slow burn; because Luc and Oliver do take their time to find themselves falling for each other!

Hilarious banter, opposites attract romance that could have been made only better with Oliver’s PoV!

Review: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall // Or, Fake Your Way Into A Relationship

★★★★☆ | Yes, I love the tropes

❤️ m/m fake relationship
❤️ opposites attract & hate to love
❤️ “we’re so different but are we really??”
❤️ emotional baggage

ARC received from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Luc O’Donnell is a messy, anxious, and disastrous individual.

As a son of a rockstar, all his mistakes are well documented on the pages of magazines and gossip portals so when a compromising photo is about to ruin his life again he enlists the help of his friend group to find him a pleasant boyfriend who could help him repair his reputation.

Oliver Blackwood seems like a perfect man for the job. A barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and zero scandals on his account.

Except he hates Luc, doesn’t he?

I liked how those supposedly complete opposites managed to find a common ground and work through their issues. I’m a huge sucker for opposites attract AND hate to love so this was my jam.

The fake dating trope was also quite fun and organic though I would like it more overt in the early stages of their relationship? Hard to explain without spoiling anything but after [redacted] it didn’t feel like fake dating fake dating?

It was fun and tropey and had lots of British humour which I loved — Luc’s snarky narration was the best part of the book.

But it also had a deeper side with Luc’s and Oliver's emotional baggage.

There’s dealing with anxiety, difficulty with talking about one’s emotions, lots of back and forth, messing up and apologising.

In the end, I liked it very much but I still felt like something was missing? I loved the characters and had fun listening to it but I missed the intensity that would make my heart beat faster here.

3 I thought I'd love this more stars. The characters were quirky, unique and for the most very likable. There is plenty of British humor (Oliver's texts were the best part and very funny). Luc one of the MC's lives a life where nothing seems to go right and he has his foot in his mouth more often then not. But not a lot happens in this book plot wise and the fake boyfriend trope is used a bit differently in this plot as well. No steam (it's fade to black) and not much angst. It's actually a bit of enemies to lovers and while Luc did grow on me he'll never be one of my favorite characters. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what was missing for me except maybe some drama or angst or maybe it was just Luc sometimes seemed a bit whiny to me. Still overall I think a lot of people will enjoy this book if for nothing else then the humor and the diverse cast of characters in the book.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters. I could make the comparison to Red, White, and Royal Blue. The vibes were similar with fun banter and an adorable story. I always enjoy a fake dating trope so this was a fun read. Overall I would give it a 3,5/5

This book started out a bit slow for me and I was just about to call it quits then I held out for a bit more and ended up liking the story.

Luc O'Donnell character is a bit of a Debbie Downer and jaded about like. He has a legit reason but his bitterness got a bit tiresome at the beginning. Luc needs help with a fake boyfriend to help change his image, and this is where Oliver Blackwood enters.

Oliver is a bit stiff of a character but he loosens up as the story continues and his dry sarcasm comes out and is super endearing.

The banter between Luc and his friends and Oliver's friends is the best part of the story. Also Luc's mom and her bff are quirky and hysterical. They're such a great addition to the story.

As Luc is trying to mend his life he starts to trust more. I loved the chemistry and communication between Oliver and Luc. Even though Oliver came across as the one who has it all together as the story unfolds we realize he doesn't which is on par with life because too many pretend they have their life together when in reality they don't.

Even though it started off slow for me once I got hooked I couldn't put the book down as all the characters grew on me. I'm super happy I didn't quit.

"I don't want fine, fine isn't enough. Isn't not about the open fire or whatever other clichés you can conjure up, but yes, I want a connection. I want you to care as much as I care. I want you to need it and want it and mean it. I want it is matter."

Boyfriend Material is a British slow burn romance that is humorous and witty. Lucian and Oliver dwell on their imperfections through humor. Luc's last boyfriend sold him out to the paparazzi.. Luc's father wants his son back in his life after being diagnosed with cancer. Lucian gets Oliver to pretend to be his boyfriend, their relationship turns real.

Unfortunately this one just wasn't my writing style. However, I know that it will work for some of my patrons, and the plot was still fun.

I always love me a good gay rom-com, and Boyfriend Material did not disappoint. It's very much in the vein of Red White and Royal Blue, in that it deals with an unlikely match that leads to a storybook romance. I thought that Oliver was one of the most beautifully drawn characters that I have read in a long time. That being said, I think that the book could be about 20% shorter. We didnt need so much of the office banter, and the part with Oliver's family felt a little forced. But all in all, I found it a really enjoyable read, and I was certainly rooting for them at the end. And there's a little bit of Love, Actually thrown in there, so that should be enticing for an audience as well.

I had the pleasure of both reading and listening to this absolutely hilarious fake dating M/M romance. This is my first book by Alexis Hall, but I was immediately drawn in by the witty writing and laugh out loud humor. Luc and Oliver couldn't be more different, but their opposites attract/forced proximity romance completely worked. I loved seeing them slowly lower their walls and show a more vulnerable side to each other. The relationship grows and builds in the perfect way. It felt honest and true to the characters and I appreciated that the misteps were included right along with the milestones. I found this closed door romance incredibly sexy and sweet.

The entire cast of characters was delightful. Even Jon Fleming played his role perfectly and I fell even more in love with Oliver during that first meeting with Luc's father. Luc's group of friends, coworkers, and mother were an absolute highlight of the book and so many times I laughed out loud while reading and listening. They were all so loyal and supportive in the most goofy ways and I'm pretty sure I cackled every time Odile was on the page.

The narration by Joe Jameson could not have been more perfect and I am incredibly impressed by his performance. He gave each character (male and female) a wonderfully unique voice that truly fit with their personality and I had no trouble differentiating between who was speaking. His comedic timing was spot on and his delivery really made the audiobook truly one of the best I've listened to.

Boyfriend Material was exactly the book my heart needed!

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5+ stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book. Thank you Libro.fm, Dreamscape Media, and Sourcebooks Casablanca.*

Received an ARC on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is being touted as the next Red, White & Royal Blue but honestly it doesn't pull me in the same way.

It was a fun read with some comedy but I just didn't fully believe the love story and some the humor didn't land the way it seemed to be intended?

Overall it was a good book but it definitely is not my favourite.

LOVED LOVED LOVED. Such a sweet romance. This one was hilarious - I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to romance fans. Light on the steam if that's not your thing (basically closed door) - I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Mostly fun, interesting story, but there were a few issues that would require content warnings. The part near the ending also stressed me out so it ended more of a 4 star book rather than a 5 star one.

Boyfriend Material is filled with excellent friendships, terrible jokes and (by some serious Alexis Hall sorcery) dick pics that make you smile. It’s a book brimming with ridiculous names, Britishness, and supporting characters with quandaries so bizarre that a sense of being inside a Hugh Grant era romantic comedy seems unavoidable.

Those eclectic supporting characters really are the backbone of this story. A lot of how this romance comes together is because Luc’s colleagues and friends offer him unconditional support –in small, frivolous ways, and in the ‘come over to help clean your apartment’s evidence of the depressing last few months because your fake-boyfriend is coming over’ moments, too.

The tabloids have crushed Luc’s self-esteem, along with any vague sense of joy and ambition, career or otherwise. And while Luc objects to how offensive and homophobic it is, the fact of the matter is that donors to the non-profit he works at see him as “entirely the wrong sort of homosexual” and to keep his job, he needs to find a means of ‘correcting’ that image. So, fake boyfriend it is.

Enter, Oliver. He is thoughtful, kind, and so sincere it almost breaks my heart. He also well-and-truly fumbles his way through texting Luc, which is fantastic and endearing every time. Both men were feeling somewhat hopeless about their romantic future, but this fake relationship begins something completely wonderful (and awkward, and frustrating, and upsetting, of course) between them.

Amidst the workplace drama, blooming emotions and doorstep apologies, Hall manages to include nuanced conversations about ethical consumerism, the merits of having straight friends, navigating strained family relationships, drag culture, and the judicial system. It’s brilliant, and beautiful, and truly the perfect read for right now.

I had an actual smile on my face the entire time I read this book. My family fully thought I was texting someone I had a crush on. I really, really recommend you read Boyfriend Material.

Side note: I don't particularly enjoy when the first romantic encounter / flirty meetcute in a book is with someone outside of the pairing we’re here for. That's maybe the only thing I wish was different in this book, mostly because it was really cute between them in those opening scenes. Until, of course, when it wasn’t.

Content warnings: homophobic workplace, parent with cancer diagnosis, (what is the word for 'A man I trusted sold me out to the tabloids'?) Brief moments suggesting Oliver’s disordered eating. At the very end, we meet Oliver’s emotionally abusive, super mean parents. You can definitely still follow the story if you need to flip past those pages.

I had an awesome time reading this one and it was exactly what I needed. It made me feel good and that is always a big plus in my book ;)

I loved the writing style of this one and being new to Alexis Hall, this is good news, because this means I can now start a whole new list of books to my TBR list.

Now as funny as this book was to me, it's not all there is to it. There were definitely some other emotions involved while I read this one, though the snark and banter were my favorite :P

It took a while for the characters to grow on me, but once they did, I was all in. I could have done with an epilogue though... It is one of my pet peeves, I just NEED one ;)

All in all an awesome read and I will definitely be checking out more work by this author.