Really enjoyed this book. I was unsure going into it but I liked the almost mini stories which made part of the big one. I think the ending felt very fitting for them both as a couple and individuals. Solid sequel.

Oh, to have the lovely banter of Luc and Oliver back in our lives! This sequel gave me just as much as Boyfriend Material did, and I don't know WHAT it is about those two, but I could read an entire series of their daily lives and bickering. I really enjoyed how it was sequenced into the different weddings, which makes me really inquisitive of the third installment!
The only thing that really got me was the pacing at the end; it feels like the "Regina-school-bus" moment happens with 12 pages left to go, and that's never a good feeling as a reader. We don't want to feel like we're going to be left with a cliffhanger or without a plot line being wrapped up.

DNFing at 32%. There's nothing really WRONG with the book -- it's perfectly fine. The writing is good, just like Alexis Hall's writing always is. It's the characters, for me, that I just cannot get past. I feel like we're just rehashing basically everything from the first book. I seriously can't think of a good reason why we needed a second book in this series. Luc, especially seems to have backtracked on all his character growth. I can't connect to any of the characters because I just don't care. There's no real reason to. I'm sure someone out there will really like this book, but I feel like I've been struggling to get even a LITTLE into the book, so I'm stopping. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this sequel. I really loved the Boyfriend Material but this sequel didn’t do it for me.

Such a delightful sequel. Luc's voice is just as much fun the second time, and the format of successive events leading up to Luc & Oliver's wedding works really well to advance them through their various ups and downs. Luc's crazy antics are always good for a smile, but there were several moments that were also downright tear jerking. The ending was brilliantly perfect. I love these two together, so it was really nice to get a second volume to their story.

Husband Material by Alexis Hall has brought back one of my favourite odd couple pairings in this sequel that I’m calling a Four Weddings and a Funeral remake! (Note- I have not actually watched said movie, I can can guarantee you there are 4 weddings and a funeral in this book- I counted!)

This book follows Luc and Oliver as they go from wedding to wedding and life event of Luc’s friends, which prompts Luc to question his relationship and what he and Oliver are doing in their lives resulting in his proposal to Oliver. Subsequent wedding planning and life drama puts their relationship on the rocks.

I absolutely loved catching up with this couple but I found that I missed hearing Oliver’s voice. I remember boyfriend material was also a singular narration and sometimes I feel like I’m missing half the story in these circumstances. This turned out to be a fun comfort read, which surprised/not surprised me in the end.

Overall, I think this was a very well done return to these characters and kept with their feel and brought them ahead in their story. The London Calling series is going to have a third book and I’m anxious to see if it revolves around Luc and Oliver or their side characters.


I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


#HusbandMaterial #AlexisHall #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

I really loved Boyfriend Material. Like one of my top five romance novels of all time. And I was so, so excited for this one. And yet, it sort of... fell flat. Luc and Oliver spend literally the entire book arguing or trying to recover from an argument. There is nothing in terms of their healthy, fulfilling relationship to balance out the arguing and convince you that they've grown and are great together. It's just sort of repeatedly hinted at around the edges, which doesn't quite work. I love them together - like REALLY love them together - and am all in on the relationship, but man. Where were the good parts? They're just sort of having the same argument over and over. This feels like a book that would realistically be set, say, 6 months after Boyfriend Material, because they're having a bunch of the same arguments they have in that book. (Seriously, it's been two years, shouldn't these things be at least marginally more ironed out?) There's also a major subplot here that's just... deeply anti-marriage for no discernable reason? I sort of ended up feeling like literally every problem here might have been resolved by just going to whatever the British equivalent of a justice of the peace is and doing the legal thing without the huge giant wedding planning mess. This one basically just didn't work that well for me. Still giving it three stars because it was, much like the first one, laugh out loud funny, I still love Luc and Oliver together, and I'm still here for the supporting cast. But it could have been markedly better.

3 3/4 stars

Hmmm. I’m torn. On the one, Luc and Oliver. Oliver and Luc. I love them. On the other, Luc. He did my head in. I felt that he spent most of the book second guessing or self-sabotaging his happiness.

𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 is modeled after Four Weddings and a Funeral. So there are plenty of weddings thereby giving Luc and Oliver plenty of opportunities to wax poetic about what marriage means to them especially in terms of being gay and buying into a heteronormative tradition. Spoiler alert: they had differing views. Many times it felt like Luc was baiting Oliver into an argument so that he could call out flaws. It didn’t feel good. Not saying that Oliver is perfect, but I was sad that Luc didn’t feel that contentment that he was in a healthy relationship with someone who loved him. Luc is Luc and he’s a bit dramatic and high maintenance. Oliver simply accepts him as is and loves him through his moments.

My favorite moment is during the funeral. I know; it sounds horrific but it’s a pivotal “FU” moment. Then there’s Alex Twaddle, he who never gets the punchline to any joke, but is so darn endearing in a frustrating way. No he’s not a major part of the story, but he makes me giggle.

So overall, I liked it and I was also meh about some of it. The ending was a bit out of left field. Will I continue reading the series? Yes, because I’m so invested in Luc and Oliver, and I’m choosing to see this as a personal growth period that both are working through. I’m so excited that there’ll be another book in the series!

Thank you to @sourcebookscasa for my ARC. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really liked "Boyfriend Material" and was excited when I heard there was a sequel called "Husband Material". The book shows Luc and Oliver together and still with two residences but Luc practically never goes to his anymore. Luc's best friend is getting married. His co-worker is getting married. His ex-boyfriend is getting married. And out of the blue Luc proposes to Oliver. This definitely follows the four weddings and a funeral thing because there is a funeral they attend as well. This is a very hard review to write because I don't give spoilers and so I can't really expand on the reason this book is only a three star read for me. I loved seeing the characters again but Luc is definitely still very immature in this one. Oliver is amazing and the parts of him that are less than perfect are well explained. He is a great, well written character. He still feels like the Oliver from the first book. I enjoyed the side characters and some of the zany messes Luc and Oliver get into in the book and I also appreciated the look into grief and working through childhood trauma that came up a bit in this book. However, this book was pretty long for a book that essentially leaves everything in the exact same place it was when the book first opened. I was unsatisfied with the ending and don't feel like the decisions made by Luc and Oliver were clearly explained. I'm definitely disappointed here. I love Alexis Hall's other books and think "Duke for a Lady" is one of my top reads for 2022. This was just a miss unfortunately. I did hear another book is being set for future release called "Father Material". I am very nervous about that one after the experience I had here.

Honestly, I was so excited to hear that a sequel had been announced for Boyfriend Material, and I jumped on this book the moment I had the chance. And, boy, I'm glad I did!

I honestly adore Luc and Oliver. They are two wonderful characters and I love seeing them together. I love the growth that we see from both in this book and in the unwritten time prior to this book. Luc could still use some therapy (I would include Oliver, but he's in therapy), but it's clear that they have both grown. One thing that I really appreciated about this book is that we get to see Oliver doing some serious self-exploration and learning more about who he is as a fully-realized person. His questions are realistic and relatable to a lot of members of the queer community. Additionally, Luc and Oliver's communication through conflict feels realistic, which I appreciated.

In addition to Luc and Oliver, the side characters are absolute DELIGHTS in this. Getting to go through so many different scenarios really gave the side characters (both Luc's friends and coworkers) the opportunity to shine and show that they were more well-rounded.

All that said, there is truly so much conflict in this book and conflict makes my tummy hurt. So a fair heads up to anyone who uses books as a form of escape from conflict and disruptions. In places, the resolution to the conflict feels rushed, and I'm not left feeling secure which may say more about me than the book. The ending in particular felt like we didn't have enough time to rest in the resolution after such intense conflict. This could be explained by the fact that this is not the last book, but my tummy still hurt. I need more time to settle in the resolution before the book ends.

However, I still had a great time reading this book and am looking forward to the next one. It was hilarious, the characters were wonderful, and at the end of the day, Luc and Oliver are still in love which is all I can really ask for.

I was lucky enough to snatch an ARC and I was pretty excited about it. However, the book was a DNF for me, at 52%. I might finish it one day, I just needed to put it away at the moment.

I don't like sequels, at all. I think some books just don't need to be dragged out. Some stories don't need a continuation, and I feel that's the case here. Everything I came to love about Luc was obliterated, he seemed so annoying and mean and selfish that I just couldn't go on anymore. I had a few laughs because the side characters were funny (they started to get annoying at some point as well), but overall everything was just.... chaotic.

I'm not sure what else to say, I'm quite shocked... me not liking an Alexis Hall book??? I know, it's unbelievable. I think I'm just not into witty romcoms at the moment.

Another Luc and Oliver book!! <3 I’m a sucker for a good sequel and Husband Material delivers on this front. The ever-present humor in Alexis Hall books keeps me reading all that he writes. This book was for sure frustrating at some points, but then again that’s very reflective of Luc and Oliver lol. I will say I get the discourse about the ending, but I found it fitting for Oliver and Luc.

I think most contemporary romances are better off as standalones. While I definitely had fun with this sequel, I don’t think it was strictly necessary because of how well Boyfriend Material concluded. Luc and Oliver never fail to make me smile, though, so I still looked forward to their future endeavors (which based on this title, I thought entailed the next level of their previous fake-dating …maybe fake-fiancés?). It was nice to see the progression of their domestic life together two years into their relationship, though it was hard to ignore the plot going in circles, with Luc and Olievr having essentially the same argument for what felt like the course of this entire book.

Hall’s writing is still super fun, especially since Luc’s narration maintained the humorous undertones I came to love in Boyfriend Material. Despite this, I like that Hall still manages to address some more serious topics amidst the broader storyline. Seeing Oliver coming to terms with his family’s mistreatment of him and his brother—as well as dealing with some grief later on—gave a lot of extra substance to his character.

The main aspect I grew annoyed with was the main plot of this book…. all of the weddings Luc and Oliver were invited to. I think there was four or five? While some of them were amusing, others kind of got on my nerves (like Bridget’s, since the girl had pretty much nothing in order and needed her friends to fix everything). I admit it was entertaining to see Lucien deal with the less-than-ideal circumstances that arose at most of the weddings, though many of them mainly made me hate the side characters when I feel like I wasn’t really supposed to.

The ending was also pretty abrupt, which I wasn’t a fan of until I noticed there’s apparently going to be two more books?? I don’t know if they’ll focus on Luc and Oliver again, but the description says they’re set in the Boyfriend Material universe. Guess we’ll have to wait and see!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc!

I was SO hyped for this since I loved the first one in the series. However, I DNF´d it at 40%. I feel like there was no need for this to be a series and that continuing their story sort of “ruined the magic” of the first one? I kinda have nothing negative to say about this book. The writing, banter, and humor were top tier just like the first one, but I just couldn’t get into it. Boyfriend Material had such a natural and amazing ending that I felt like this one became almost a bit tedious.

I will say, the initial snafu gave me major Bridget Jones vibes (which is ironic for obvious reasons).

I believe I would rate this higher had I read it in its entirety, which I may well do at some point, but for now I feel obliged to give it a 1 star rating since I can´t rate the story as a whole.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well first of all; I'm an idiot. When requesting this book I forgot to do my research on this one and forgot to see this was a sequel so a couple days later I read the first one just so I knew what I was getting myself into.

I must admit though... I wasn't as much of a fan of this one as I was of the first one. I actually really liked the first one and was very eager to read the sequel which I was kindly given. This one however seems to just fall flat in all ways. It wasn't as intriguing, I didn't csre enough anymore where I wanted to know what wiuld happen to them and where it would lead. It felt settled in the first book where the second book made unnecessary problems that weren't needed to be solved so to say. I loved Luc and Oliver and their fun friends, they were all still as adorable and lovable as in the first one, and they are just basically showing their happy ever after and what comes with that. And that way you see that it is not always happy.

I did think this book had a lot of fun potential but it just simply wasn't as good as the first one and I believe a sequel really wasn't necessary for this one.

Oh my god, so so good! I loved reading about Luc and Oliver's continued adventures. This book was funny, dramatic, and so much fun to read. Alexis Hall can basically do no wrong.

Lucien O'Donnell and Oliver Blackwood are back in Husband Material, which follows our dear heroes into their HFN. The book starts about two years into their relationship, with Luc and Oliver in that stage of life where all their friends are getting married. We get a lot of the same hilarity and chaos we loved from Boyfriend Material, appearances by many of the side characters, and a bit of growth and development for both Luc and Oliver.

The thing about romance novels is that they help us escape from the everyday ups and downs of our lives and relationships. Husband Material is a glimpse into Luc and Oliver navigating those ups and downs through the course of "four weddings and a funeral". I'm not sure it even really would count as a romance. Much of the story seems to center more on Luc and his own reactions to his colleagues and friends getting married - I really wanted to see more of Oliver and Luc together on the page. Alexis Hall is a brilliant writer, which makes his work a real pleasure to read even when the story isn't my favorite. I went back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, which is narrated perfectly by Joe Jameson.

Content warnings: Oliver navigates some pretty intense homophobia from his father. MC's parent dies of a sudden heart attack.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the gifted ebook. All opinions are my own.

Alexis Hall writes characters and dialogue that are laugh out loud funny, while also being immensely relatable. For teens, these books will pull them in and hold them tight. They can also learn a lot of strong writing skills from reading Hall's work.

I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Husband Material the second that the follow up to Boyfriend Material was announced.

It didn't take long to get back into the swing of Luc and Oliver's dynamic. The book explores the growth of Luc and Oliver both separately and together, as their friends get married and have kids and they balance the pressure of whether those things are right for them too.

I enjoyed the continued exploration of Oliver's character, and what that meant for both himself and his relationship with Luc. One of the things that I liked so much about the first book was that they felt so realistic as people, and their reactions to each other felt so true, and this book continued that in a brilliant fashion. Oliver and Luc loved and fought and *actually communicated with each other* in a way that was both familiar from book 1 but indicative of the growth that they'd both had since then. Oliver's continued self analysis took centre stage in this one, in a series of hard hitting scenes that were well balanced with the humour that Hall nailed in Boyfriend Material.

However.

There is a lot of conflict. It's conflict that makes sense, and for the most part the balance was good, but the conflict that's introduced at the climax isn’t done so with enough time to make it feel worth it. While I agree that everything worked out the best way for the characters in the end, there wasn’t enough time to let that sit at the end. It's hard to appreciate a HFN when three pages beforehand the whole relationship felt in doubt. With another chapter or an epilogue, it would have been fitting and well done, but instead it just felt rushed and uncomfortable.

Having said that, the majority of the book was a delight, and knowing that there's more to come makes the ending a little more forgivable. The side cast of characters is half the fun of these books, and they do not disappoint. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

I liked this book only slightly less than the first one, which I absolutely loved. I loved seeing how far Luc and Oliver developed, not only in their relationship, but as their own characters as well. I was especially thrilled about Oliver's, seeing that he had started going to therapy and you could really see that he was more confident and sure of himself. He still has a long way to go and that became very apparent throughout the book but his growth really showed in the way he dealt with his parents and their toxicity. I will also say that one of the things I wanted more of in the first book was Luc's friend group and this book delivered just that which I was thrilled about.

I will say I am not too sure about how I felt about the ending. I liked what they decided to do at the end, it felt right for their relationship and it was clear to me that it wasn't heading in the best direction between all the stress and the kind-of-communicating-but-not-really(as in all of their disagreements never really came to a conclusion and were kind of just pushed aside until they had to deal with it again) that they were doing and everything that happens with Oliver's father. Between all that, it was clear that it wasn't the healthiest decision so I am glad that they changed that decision at the end. My main complaint here is that it felt too abrupt and I would have liked a little more. Though I'm not too hung up on the abrupt ending since I know that there will be another book

I do think both Luc and Oliver still have a lot of things they have to deal with and work through and I can't believe that Luc still isn't in therapy especially since Oliver is, but the progress is there and it's not the kind of progress that happens quickly. They both have a lot of issues they need to unpack and I'm looking forward to seeing them grow even more in the future of the London Calling series.