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.

This book got me all heart eyes. I absolutely loved it.
Boyfriend Material made me laugh out loud, cry, smile, be angry,...
In my opinion all characters were unique in their own way. Alex made me laugh most of the time, Lucien made me smile and cry and also laugh with how witty he is, plus he’s super relatable.
Hall’s writing style is very quick to read. It’s clear that a lot of effort has been put in the emotional aspects of this book, the humour aspects of this book, the love aspects of this book,...
I think this might be one of my favourite books of 2020.

Luc is sorta famous, and that means he's fair game to the media. When his newest "indiscretion" threatens to ruin what is left of his life, he has to show the media that he can have a normal relationship with a respectable guy.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Luc is the son of two rock stars - his mother Odile, who stopped music to live off the royalties and raise her son; and his "father" is the infamous Jon Fleming who abandoned his family for the rock n roll life.
Interest in the rockstar hasbeen has increased now that he's joined a reality tv series - which means Luc is under renewed pressure from the media, who already have him pegged as a junkie and sex addict.
The media's coverage of Luc is threatening his job, as he is coming across as "the wrong type of gay". As this is the only place that would even hire him, Luc will do anything to keep his job, including recruiting a fake boyfriend, preferably one that suits the heteronormative ideals that his clients imagine is a "good gay".

Luckily, his friend Bridget has just the guy. Oliver is perfect. He's a middle-class lawyer who charms everyone he meets. He's good-looking, perfectly-respectable, and willing to go ahead with the deal as he needs a fake boyfriend to take to a family event.

OMG this book was hilarious. Perfect British humour - I just wanted to give it a hug.
I completely love Luc's mum, Odile - she is so embarrassing, I loved all of her scenes and was full-on laughing when she got to meet Oliver. (Luckily I was in the house alone, so didn't have to explain what was so funny)

I definitely got vibes of Bridget Jones' Diary, especially with Luc's very loud, very sweary, but would-drive-to-the-ends-of-the-Earth-for-you friends.
With all the group messaging that went on, they did sometimes blur together as background friends, but they all still had their individual character traits.

They all deserve a medal for sticking beside Luc, who has increasingly become a prick over the last five years. But they remember what good-Luc is like, and they are waiting for that version to come back.
It seems like, after the world turned on Luc, he no longer makes any effort to be civil to friends and strangers alike.
I loved that Oliver called him out on his mean-streak, and other little jabs that Luc makes without even thinking about it.

I did feel that the book's climax came mid-way through the book, as Luc's story seems complete. I did keep checking how far through the ebook I was, and I was surprised to see how much was left.

I thought that Oliver's story was tacked on at the end, to mirror Luc's journey.
Don't get me wrong, it was very moving and very well-done, as you realise that Oliver is a product of his family's expectations, and... well, I don't want to say anymore, because it's all worth reading first-hand.
It did change the flow of the book, and was a little slower.

The ending did pick up the pace again, and I really enjoyed Luc's big expression of love, even if it didn't all go to plan.

This book was funny, cute and had emotional depth to boot. I will definitely be looking forward to more of this author's work.

I'm a fan of the fake boyfriend trope in general and this quintessentially British romance is the perfect example of it. While on the surface the funny dialogue and awkward situations make for a hilarious story, underneath is an abundance of feelings and an honest look at the way we present ourselves especially in a relationship. The main characters, Luc and Oliver, are both flawed and realistic, and their worries and fears are illustrated clearly. The romance is a slow-burn - seriously, don't expect anything romantic until at least halfway through the book. But the wait is worth it! That said, I thought the plot is very predictable and the bad guys are kind of stereotypical. I also found the supporting characters to be pretty thin. Except for a character named Alex Twaddle (seriously!) who absolutely needs his own spinoff.