My first Alexis Hall book was an overwhelming success! I listened to the audio version of this book and it was delightful. I probably looked like a fool grinning and giggling my face off while listening during my daily walks. I’m a sucker for a grumpy character — and even more so for TWO of them. I loved everything about this closed-door m/m romance.

“Fake it till you make it” romances are my catnip. I love them for so many reasons, but not the least of which is the fact the reader knows where things are headed far before the characters figure it out for themselves. It was impossible not to love Luc and Oliver. They were just so imperfectly perfect for each other. Opposites definitely attract — and gave a delightfully heartwarming slow burn romance — in Boyfriend Material.

Not only was Boyfriend Material perfect and swoony AND live up to my sky-high expectations, but it was also utterly AMAZING on audio. Joe Jameson did a fantastic job bringing Luc and Oliver to life. And his voice. Whoa. I could legit listen to him read the dictionary.

I wanted to love this book. I went in expecting to love it as much as I did Red, White, and Royal Blue and I think I was comparing them too much. It was a little slow and drawn out. It was cute but could have been better.

Boyfriend Material is so thoroughly a Christina book, chock full of banter and people who are sweet and adorable and lovely but also know fuck all about dealing with their emotions.

At 432 pages in the paperback, Boyfriend Material runs long, and I'm not going to lie and say it couldn't have been edited down. Prepare to get many details about everyone that Luc interacts with at any time and to follow Luc down many mental rabbit holes. Expect no opportunity for bantering to be missed, even if it doesn't necessarily advance the plot. If you are a plot person and not a banter person, this book will probably strike you as tedious. However, I am a character arc and banter person, so I loved the voice and the commitment to constant banter.

Another thing you should know is that this book is very deeply British. I suspect this book is going to attract a lot of readers who loved Red, White, and Royal Blue, and, if they're not regular readers of romance or watchers of British television, I feel like they're going to be distinctly surprised. My book club read RWaRB, and all the people who usually don't read adult romance were talking about how graphic it was, and all the regular romance readers were like "pretty tame actually". Boyfriend Material doesn't get graphic in the sex scenes, but there are constant frank discussions about penises and stuff like that, so it could easily be a shock to some readers. In terms of Britishness, there are jokes about the English perspective of Welsh and Irish people and things like that, and an arseload of British slang. I didn't have an issue with at any point (loved it, actually), but if your only exposure to British culture is a couple episodes of Doctor Who, it might be rough.

From looking at reviews, I can see that some people didn't like this book because of the way Oliver and Luc, particularly Luc, go hot and cold. That's totally a fair take, and I see why some people feel that way. For me, though, this is one of those books where I didn't mind tropes I usually cannot stand (miscommunication, constant break ups to protect the other person from their undeservingsness), because everything felt so one hundred percent like what the character would do. Luc and Oliver are traumatized, messed up little beans, and they do not know what to do with their feels, so obviously I love and adore them and want to protect them.

The audiobook was super excellent as well. Joe Jameson's narration was perfect, particularly his super stern and deep voice for Oliver, because it totally captures the awkward Darcy-ness of Oliver, who gets more pompous the more nervous he is. Ugh so thoroughly precious I absolutely cannot okay. Anyway, Jameson did a nice job distinguishing the large cast, and I was able to remember everyone without a problem, which can be tricky in single narrator audiobooks with large casts.

Think Bridget Jones meets Coupling meets awkward Darcy, and you've got something sorta like Boyfriend Material. If you love precious fuck ups who mask their discomfort and inability to handle emotions with a fuckton of banter, this is the book for you.

This book took me a hot minute to get into but I ended up really loving it. Luc is a little awful for the first half or so of the book but I was really satisfied by how he owned up to his issues and the growth we see from both him and Oliver as the story progresses. A lot of these contemporary romances shift perspectives between the two love interests and I found I really missed that in this one. I loved Oliver and I would have loved to read from his pov. But, I recognize that the way it was written makes sense for how the storyline evolves, so it wasn't a huge disappointment to not have that. This book also features some really great side characters who added to the humor and tons of emotional support for the two main characters. Overall, very cute, very funny, a little steamy. I would definitely recommend this to patrons

There’s something about a book set in London that makes me unable to stop reading. I’ll be honest the first few chapters of this one almost lost me, the set up was a bit cringe worthy BUT I think that was the point? HOWEVER! Once I got past the set up I was able to forget it and enjoy a really cute story. There is nothing heavy here. The stakes were super low.. It was just an easy, cute read. Cute boys kissing and being hopeless disasters. Be aware this is NOT YA. I would consider this an Adult Romance, it didn’t have any graphic content but it was definitely about adults in adult situations. There were also several sections I genuinely had no clue what was happening because they kept dropping really Welsh and English words/phrases. Most people would have hated that, but as someone who wants to live in the UK so desperately, I reveled in it.

This was a highly anticipated romance read for me! I thought it was really good, the fake boyfriend trope is always a favorite of mine. There was definitely a lot of humor. There was a lot of chemistry and angst between Luc and Oliver, which I loved. This book definitely lived up to the hype.

This book was so fun to read! I did go into this book kind of comparing it to Red, White and Royal blue because that was my favorite M/M romance last year so I had very high expectations for this one. I learn now I shouldn't do that cause it can kind of ruin an experience for you. While I did enjoy the characters and the overall story, the second half of the book kind of drug for me a bit. I do love having a happy go luckey main as well as a more grumpy main but their relationship felt just a little bit forced. Overall, I did enjoy this series and would recommend it to romance readers. 3.75/5 stars.

I love all of Alexis Hall's books! They all have so much heart in them and the angst and the feelings (good and bad) are all hyper realistic. These characters just need a big hug for pretty much the whole book. Ugh I just love them and I'm sad the book ended.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a very fast read, For fans of Casey McQuiston or Joe Keenan. Very fun narrative voice with almost a Wodehouse-ian humor. Pacing slowed down a bit in the second half.

I enjoyed this immensely. Usually I don't care for the fake relationship trope, because so much of the book is often spent on angst about "but I can't TELL him I actually have feelings for him!" but this book entirely avoided that in favor of genuine issues that emerged organically, were appropriate for the characters, and absolutely made sense and are difficult to solve. It's funny, sweet, just the right amount of angsty - I'll recommend it widely.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I really loved the voice of the main character. He was sometimes funny and even when the situation wasn't, but it played well with the other characters.

Sometimes I think the inhead dialogue lasted a bit too long and would go off topic and not really make sense. But it was a good story.

While I wanted to like this book, hoping it was in the same vein as "Red, White, and Royal Blue," however this was not the case. I think the main problem can be traced to the book being too long. Pacing is key in a romance novel, and this one missed the mark. The characters were also too old to be acting the way they did. I could see people in their early adulthood (18-22) acting the way they did, but not people in their late 20s.

This book was everything I wanted and more. The BANTER. Ugh i loved the boys so much and it was a perfect ending to such a fun fake boyfriend book!

4/5 stars.

TW: barrister, possible eating disorder, self depreciation etc.

Amazing. This. Was. Absolutely. Amazing. Honestly Lucien annoyed the shit out of me every now and then but he grew phenomenally from start to finish. Lucien hasn’t had a boyfriend in five years, since his ex sold him out for money. Lucien needs a “fake” boyfriend for good publicity and surprisingly, Oliver agreed. Oliver is a barrister. He has many opinions ethics and beliefs. As Lucien and Oliver spend more and more time together, it becomes blatantly obvious that someone will get hurt.

Lucien and Oliver made an amazing team. I did not expect for them to work at all in the way they did, but I guess opposites attract, right? Oliver opened up something in Lucien that Lucien had believed he’d never feel see or even want ever again. While Oliver opened Lucien up, Lucien also opened Oliver up when they were together.

This book made me make good book noises. Sighing to myself after each chapter, just loving two people trying to be good to one another. A 2020 essential comfort read.

A character-driven book should have at least some characters who are likable.

Oh, this was really disappointing.
Didn’t like the deep insecurities of the two main characters, even if it’s what drove the story.
Didn’t care for any of the parents except perhaps Luc’s mom, although she seemed very cavalier concerning his feelings.
Didn’t like how “smart” (precious) so much of the conversation was. Perhaps it’s because it’s British, or maybe it’s just pretentious. Either way, I needed a dictionary for so much of it.
I especially didn’t like all the gay-bashing. The only people who weren’t homophobic were his group of friends. I also found it problematic that Oliver had no gay friends.
I wish it were more steamy. After enduring the boredom of the slow-build romance, the least Hall could have done was reward readers with some sexy talk and action.
Finally, what was the deal with Luc’s co-workers’ cluelessness, especially Alex’s nitwittedness, which supports the argument that British nobility suffer from centuries of inbreeding?

Overall, this was a big fail for me. I only reason I didn’t give it 1* was because I finished it.

I loved this story from the beginning! I loved the humor, character growth and steamy tension! Both of these characters took a minute to love because of their particular issues, but they quickly won me over. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes witty banter and appreciates a good character arc!

I was both excited and a little apprehensive about this book. I loved Red White and Royal Blue so much, and the comparisons worried me. What if it did not live up to the hype? Well, my worries were unfounded because this book is an absolute delight from start to finish. Luc, the main character, is an absolute disaster in the best way possible. The relationship is imperfect, and I loved that. But what I loved the most is that the character actually communicated. Yes, there were times when Luc freaked out and ran away, but they always talked it out quickly and I feel that is something lacking in many romance novels. So much could be solved by the characters just using their words. My only two issues, and they are minor, is that I wanted more of the friend group, and I felt the ending was a little rushed. Still a 5 star read, and I cannot wait to see what Alexis Hall comes up with next

3.48 out of 5 Stars

A cute fluffy contemporary romance, Boyfriend Material is such a sweet joy read. The characters were a little simple, the plot a little basic, but overall it was fun to read and there were moments that were truly funny! It is the perfect quick read for a lighthearted weekend.

Luc and Oliver both need a fake boyfriend, Luc to restore his reputation and have a date for a Beetle Drive, and Oliver to bring to his parents' wedding anniversary. They had previously known each other only through their mutual friend, but said mutual friend gets them together so they can both have a "fake boyfriend." This plot concept alone is a little too Hallmark Channel for me, but nevertheless, it is still a super cute concept. Luc and Oliver begin to "date" each other, but over the course of their dates, their individual desires and insecurities gradually emerge and they tease out the possibility and then the reality of their "fake" relationship becoming a real one. Of course, there were truly groan-worthy moments along the way when I wanted to smack the characters' heads together. But then there were other moments that were so tender and sweet my heart melted a bit.

As a whole, it wasn't the most sophisticated writing. By that, I don't just mean it was easy to read, but there wasn't much depth to anything either. For example the characters were fairly flat. Different depths would be hinted at sometimes, like how Luc was destroyed by his previous relationship with Miles, but then we wouldn't really go anywhere with it. Random nuggets of background and characterization would be thrown in and promptly forgotten. Honestly, I wasn't super frustrated by this, I'm just noting it because that for me was why I didn't connect as much to the story as I think I could have. It's something that I think unfortunately happens a lot across contemporary romances because the focus is so zeroed in on the relationship, everyone forgets that the two people are the grounding tethers that need to be developed first in order for the relationship between them to hit home with the reader.

Another way that I thought the story was a bit simple was through the plot itself. It's a cute concept, but not one that is very standout-ish. It makes for truly adorable light and fun reading material, but I couldn't really pull much else out of it. I loved that the story was set in London. I'm not sure what the city setting did for the story, but I loved it anyway because it's London. I loved that Luc and Oliver had such different careers. They needed that, especially as their whole thing is how they balance each other out and work wonderfully because they are so different from each other. And I also loved how they called each other out on their crap. It needed to be in there of course, but I liked how the author handled each character's response differently from the other's. Luc just sort of freaked out and then listened to Oliver's rant. Oliver on the other hand, really freaked out and it took him a long while to accept what Luc was telling him. I liked that, how they each responded in a way fitting to their own character.

The best thing about this book was, hands down, the humor. So funny. So so funny. This was one of those books where I was reading it in public, looking like a loon because I was trying so hard to restraint my giggles. There were great zingers, but my favorite funny moments were when there was just awkwardness between the characters. Like, the comfortable kind of awkwardness if that makes sense? I loved when Luc's group chat would be going off and riffing off each other, I loved when Luc would casually tease Oliver and Oliver didn't know how to respond, I loved whenever Luc had to explain that we worked at a dung beetle organization. It was all great. 10/10 for humor on this one.

Again, it was a cute fluffy read. While there wasn't too much to really sink your teeth into, it was enjoyable and is the sort of book that would be perfect for a holiday, bringing to a beach, curling up with for an afternoon... something casual to pick up.

Thanks for reading!

This was a super fun read, and reminded me a lot of Red, White, and Royal Blue. Luc and Oliver had such funny banter and cute chemistry, I really enjoyed reading their story. I love the fake dating trope and this one was no exception. The only reason this isn't a five star read is because the beginning felt a little long and took me about a third of the book to really get into it.