Luc is only famous because of his rock star parents. He has never met his dad, who left his mom and him when he was young. When he gets bad press in the tabloids, his boss tell him, he needs to clean up his act or lose his job. His friends help him make an arrangement with Oliver to pose as his fake boyfriend. Oliver needs a date for his parents anniversary cookout, and helping Luc seems like a good idea.

Luc and Oliver were interesting guys who both have issues with relationships, that is about they only thing they have in common, otherwise they are like oil and water. The agree to help each other and then go there separate ways, but neither expects a fake relationship to start to feel like a real relationship.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, it was a bit slow at the beginning as you learn all the intricacies of Luc and Oliver situations. It felt like 65% of book dealt with Luc's issues and the 25% was Oliver, with the rest being the conclusion of Oliver and Lucs' relationship.

Maybe 2.5 stars?

I didn’t know how to feel about the main character, Luc. He did some pretty shitty things not only to his friends, but also to his love interest, Oliver. He definitely wasn’t very likable IMO.

I did start to enjoy the book once Oliver and Luc got together, and I liked the “quirky British” vibes of the writing style. What annoyed me a lot was how many times they broke up and got back together throughout, especially in the last 200 pages or so. Also, the book was way too long.

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

TWs: Homophobia, discussions of cancer, discussions of eating disorders, absentee father, emotional manipulation.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Melia publishing for providing me with a Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of the book.

This ended up being an unexpected new favourite for me. I was worried it was going to be very similar to Red, White & Royal Blue, but it was completely different in tone, plot, and character development.

The story follows Luc, the son of an aging rock star who ends up tangentially famous because of his Dad and gets followed by paparazzi far more than he'd like. After a particularly scathing photo about him makes the news, Luc decides he needs a his fake boyfriend for events so he can salvage his tarnished reputation.

Luc is the epitome of chaotic gay and I loved him for it. He works for a dung beetle charity, doesn't feel like he has his life together and often accidentally says the wrong thing when socializing. Oliver is basically the opposite; he's a barrister, has his own house (in central London???) and always seems to know what to say.

Needless to say, this is a fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers romance (two of my favourite tropes) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for the slowest of slow burns, then this, my friends, is it. The gradual build-up of Oliver and Luc's feelings for one another leaves you almost wishing that the romantic progression would hurry up. We don't see them properly discuss feelings until over halfway through the novel, but it makes the eventual get together even more worth the wait.

The humour woven into the narrative was so good. I found myself laughing out loud in most chapters, which is RARE for me. Luc's witty quips and even his jokes really tickled me and I enjoyed his sarcastic banter with Oliver immensely.

This book also challenges both internalised and overt homophobia, socioeconomic descrimination, and media treatment of celebrities (especially young celebrities). The one thing I wasn't sure about was the Mulsim rep. I'm not Muslim so I can't speak to it, and I just wasn't sure how accurate or sensitive it was (the only Muslim character is non-practicing, and makes occasional jokes about their faith).

I buddy ready this with Kirsty (KirstyReadsBlog), but I found myself getting so caught up in the characters and plot that I kept accidentally skipping ahead of her and then having to slow down. And then she did the same, so we were even.

On the whole, I loved this. It was such a fun, light-hearted rom-com and I ended up getting completely sucked into the story.

DNF at 40 %

This was my most anticipated romance read to come out this year and it was a complete let down. I began reading this one as soon as I got approved for an ARC back in June I've been reading it and setting it back. down. The mere thought of continuing to read this one was a struggle and something I did not look forward to. It was then, then I knew I needed to DNF it ( toke me way too long to DNF tho)

Characters: Luc and Oliver I felt soo disconnected from their romance. Luc was not a character that was very likable ( constant complaining and put downs). Oliver was annoying and the romance I just could not buy it was so surface level.

Writing: The writing.. was just so surface level and lacked depth. I felt as though i was just reading the motions of the characters. I did not enjoy the quirkiness of the characters and the overall tone of this book was flat and sooo slow and honestly boring. The humor was British humor ( that I could not get(

Overall: I really enjoyed the premise of the fake dating troupe this was just not one I could finish. I know I'm in the minority here, so I am happy to hear others enjoyed this one. It was just not my cup of tea.

This is was an ARC provided to me by Net-galley for the purpose of my review. Thank you to Netgalley!

*. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I actually started listening to this on Audible during my commute and couldn’t wait the weekend to listen to more so I switched to reading the ARC.

I’m a sucker for love/hate relationships and this did not disappoint! An added bonus that is featured a queer couple. Any sex was off the page for anyone who prefers that. There were some interesting personalities but were also pretty one dimensional.

Nice queer romance. Not my favorite one but not bad either. Worth reading.

Once again, I’m in the minority here because I found this extremely disappointing.

All the people I know on GR praised the book and the cover looked like something I might like, so when I got my ARC approved by NetGalley I just had to read it ASAP. I thought this was going to be a new favorite and boy, I was so wrong.

I had several problems with this book but let me tell you about it first: Boyfriend Material is an M/M romcom that features the famous fake dating, opposites attract and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Which are totally my thing! After reading the synopsis I was sold and like I said, I thought this was going to be a new favorite. Unfortunately, there were more things that made me feel like I wasted my time:

- I didn’t get the humor at all. i.e. Most of the time, Luc is pitying himself and making jokes about his messy life but instead of laughing or even chuckling, I just found it annoying.

- People don’t really talk like that. And if they do, I’m sorry for the people who have to deal with them. In truth, none of the characters felt real, instead, they were cartoonish versions of real people. Using Tumblr slang and saying dad jokes doesn’t make you cool, just so you know.

- Side characters were just as obnoxious as the protagonist. Sometimes I don’t like the MC, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t like any of the supportive friends or relatives, but in this case, none of them were able to make me feel empathy towards their case. Actually, if people treat you like how they treated Luc, well, I think you should find yourself new friends.
I think only Luc’s mom was a bit entertaining.

- Writing from Luc’s POV. The author should have made this book from a third-person omniscient POV instead of using Luc’s, because instead of making us feel empathy for him, it kind of make me hate him even more. I can’t stand people that complain about their lives but do nothing to change them.

- I skipped some lines, and you know what? It didn’t change the fact that my eyes kept rolling over and over again. The character growth is almost none-existent, and you know, having sex doesn’t mean everything will work out.

I’m only giving this 2/5 stars because I did care about Oliver and I think he deserved better. I never understood why he liked Luc other than the fact that they were different. Yes, opposites do attract but they don’t always complement each other. The ending felt rushed and anti-climatic but I was so done with this that I was more glad I could actually move on to other, more enjoyable books after finishing this.

Last but not least, I only finished the book because I was buddy reading it with a dear friend, but if I were on my own, I would have DNF this @ 20% or less. I don’t think I’ll ever read another work by the author ‘cause I just feel like I wasted a lot of time in something I couldn’t even enjoy.

Overall, this was a pretty fun book! I can see why a lot of people have enjoyed it, and I definitely see an audience for it within my own customers at work. The writing style and the narrative voice didn't really work for me, personally, and it hindered my own enjoyment. Still, I know many people will love this book!

This book was witty, sweet, and such a fun cast of characters. You can't help but to root for the characters!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Boyfriend Material was a great read. It was definitely something generally light to get me through this time of isolation. I definitely connected with Luc with his abandonment issues and because I am a crybaby I cried a few times when the situations hit a BIT too close to home for me. Oliver is adorable and I'm hoping that Ms. Hall will write a followup to see what happens next. The interactions between Luc and his band of crazy friends definitely brought to mind several similar scenes I remember from Notting Hill with Hugh Grant his ragtag group of friends. I enjoyed watching as Luc slowly became better due to Oliver's influence and I could see the potential of Oliver loosening up a bit due to the fake relationship.

Would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good romantic comedy.

REVIEW {gifted} Dear Bookstagram: please meet my new favourite romance (ok one of my new favourite romances) of 2020. #BoyfriendMaterial by Alexis Hall was everything I wanted in a romance.

Luc is tangentially famous – his rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

I don’t even know what to say about this book except that you should all just read it. This book is the perfect antidote to 2020. It was swoony and fun and laugh-out-loud funny and had so, so much heart. These two wonderful characters grew so beautifully through the book and their romance was sheer perfection. It is quick and easy to read, and the cast of supporting characters was pure gold – they reminded me of the best friends from Bridget Jones’ Diary and I wanted to be adopted into their crew My only complaint is that it ended too soon! I wanted more Luc and Oliver! Please could someone arrange for this to be made into a movie??

Thank you to @netgalley for the free copy of this one. All opinions are my own

If I could ever describe something as "aggressively British," it would be this book. That is not a bad thing though. The banter, the flirting, everything!!! It was a really great book, I will definitely recommend, especially to people who read "Red, White, and Royal Blue."

This was a cute and quick read. THe two conflicting personalities made for great source material. I recommended our library buy it!

3.5
Not my favorite Alexis Hall book, but still very sweet. I'll start with what I liked, which was everything except for two particular things. I loved Oliver with a passion that frightens me a little. I liked Lucien fine, but Oliver shook me. I liked the supportive groups of friends who tease and mock one another. I laughed a lot. And Hall writes queer books for queer readers. In a world full of MM romance written by women for women, that's a gift (and I say that as a woman).

The two things that held me back from giving this 5 stars were kind of amorphous. One, Hall loves himself some messy heroes. Which is fine. I like messy heroes too. But I have somewhat limited patience for them. The reason is that so often, in their mess-a-tude, they slip over into cruelty towards those who care for them and I sometimes have a hard time forgiving them for it. Luc did that here. I suppose toward the end Oliver did too. But it was Luc I had trouble forgiving because it felt like a pattern with him.

And two, while I laughed a lot, some of the characters played for humor went overboard. Most of the aristocratic characters are unbelievable buffoons. I would have liked this aspect a lot more if it had been pulled back a little bit and was a tad more believable.

All in all, I call this a success in the more general sense. I did enjoy the last half more than the first half, but on the whole, it's a winner for me. I'll close with a humous personal anecdote. For a while, in the beginning, I was driving myself absolutely crazy because I was certain that I remembered another of Hall's books with an Oliver in it and thought there might be a crossover. But I couldn't figure out which book. I suspected For Real, but it seemed unlikely that Oliver would be into BDSM. Finally, a friend (P.), who has all the book on kindle started simply opening them one by one and searching Oliver. I was just deciding that I'd made the whole thing up when she messaged me that there is in fact an Oliver in In Vino, but it's a completely different one, no crossover. What a relief to discover, at least, that my brain didn't just decide to make it up and taunt me with it.

This is such a fun fake dating, slow burn, sort of enemies to lovers romance! I loved Luc as a hot mess narrator and Oliver is such a cinnamon roll. The pacing of their relationship was really well done and progressed just slow enough to be slow burn but not so slow as to be boring and dragged out. And the side characters are an absolute riot and I would totally read a companion novel that follows one of Luc's friends or colleagues.

While it was primarily a romance I did enjoy the more heavy topics it explored, particularly parent-child relationships.

Luc is the son of an aging rock star who abandoned him years ago. Unfortunately, his life is still tabloid fodder. After yet another unflattering picture in the tabloids his job his on the line. He needs to clean up his image fast. Luckily one of his friends sets him up with Oliver. Oliver is a young barrister and definitely has a clean image. Luc and Oliver could not be more different, yet sparks fly.

This is a great read for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue. The chemistry between Luc and Oliver is fantastic. They are so stinking cute from their texts and chats to their uncomfortable talks about feelings. I loved the humor. They have a running joke about dick pics that is hilarious (no spoilers here!). Luc's job is a charity that wants to save dung beetles which adds a whole nother level of humor to the story. But there are real feels as Luc comes to term with his relationship with his dad and realizes what is important in life. Loved it and might have to go read it again!

A fun rom com that deals with two complete opposites that try to make their fake relationship work. I enjoyed luau and Oliver development their throughout the story and some scenes were really heartwarming. I wished we saw more Oliver family troubles and not just near the end of the book. Overall a great story and can’t wait to read what Alexis hall writes next.

What a fun read! I loved Luc and Oliver's romance. So sweet and hot. Great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely adored this book, and it's fake dating at its best! This was exactly the kind of book I needed to get me out of my reading lull as it was a super fun and quick read. I loved Luc right off the bat, and it didn’t take me long to also fall for Oliver. They’re funny, clever, and their relationship and growth is incredibly heartfelt. While both Luc and Oliver had some really great banter, I also appreciated the interactions with Luc’s friends and the support systems they had. I was super engaged with this book the whole way through and absolutely adored every minute. I really appreciated the build up of trust throughout the book, it definitely felt like a steady and organic relationship being built (despite the circumstances) and I became very invested in their relationship and them as characters. Super well done, and I would absolutely recommend!

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is a contemporary romance. Luc O'Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

Boyfriend Material is a book with everything I love. It is a slow burn, acquaintances to lovers, fake dating, there's only one bed trope filled romance with a slew of fantastic secondary characters that I desperately want to have more of. Luc is a hot mess, and knows it. He is struggling with being a functioning adult while trying to keep everyone at a distance. Oliver is so busy trying to be perfect that he neglects to see what makes him actually happy rather than just doing what everyone expects from him. They seem to be opposites, but they each have family and emotional issues that they need to work on, and they seem to do that best together. I loved the circles of friends for both the guys, and I want more of them all, so much more. The banter was hysterical but also so painfully that it was real. There were feels that made me want to throw things, some that made me want to cry, and others that just had me grinning like a maniac. I think the only issue people could have is if they are completely stymied by the occasional slag and cultural references that they might not get, but that is the only thing I could imagine anyone complaining about- and that would be if they were really reaching for something to complain about. There was so much goodness in this book that I think this has become my go to reread for when I hit a reading slump and need to remember why I love to read.

Boyfriend Material is a book that hit all the sweet spots and had me grinning through most of the read. There are no enough words to describe the love I have for this book. Now I need to go read everything else from this author!

This was unexpectedly wonderful. I devoured this book! I could not get enough of Luc and his amazing wit and banter. He was so real about his insecurities. His work life and friend relationships had me rolling in laughter.

When Oliver comes around as his fake boyfriend we discover a slightly different Lucien. Its amazing to watch him transform into his true self.

Oliver is amazing. I love how he decidedly takes care of what matters to.him whether that be his body, his job, or Lucien. We slowly start to see his insecurities and it's so endearing. We are able.to watch two individuals become true to themselves in different ways.

It was such a beautiful book. It's written so well. I frequently loved the made-up words that were added in. Beware if you are sensitive to swearing, there is quite a bit. The steam level isnt terribly high in this book which I quite enjoyed. It allowed for you to fully invest emotionally in this couple. This was very well done!

Thank you sourcebookscasa and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinion are my own.