Hit me in the face with a bible and call me Avril Lavigne because what the hell was that?

I was going to try and write a professional review since this was an ARC but turns out I'm a dick like Lucien so now I'll criticize this book in the meanest way possible. I am way too pissed to be reasonable. This review will involve spoilers because y'all need to know what you're getting into if you decide to read this book in a moment of weakness.

The only thing this book did well was going in circles and not making any progress at all. The characters, the plot, all the stuff that has happened… They meant NOTHING. If you are reading this review you probably read the first book. Do you remember the part where there was a whole side-plot about Lucien's dad having cancer just to find out later that he actually didn't? Yeah, this whole book was like that.

In the first portion of the book, we watch Bridget think she got cheated on just to find out later that Tom was a decent human being and he was just doing his job. That whole thing added nothing to the story or the characters or the plot. The characters didn't evolve or devolve because of this. The plot didn't get affected. It was just a waste of time and quite frankly, boring as fuck. This is only ONE incident, there are many more like this. If stuff like this annoys you as it annoyed me, don't read this book.

Let me continue with another example, Lucien's ex's wedding. I think his name was Miles? I honestly couldn't care less. But Lucien gets stressed about the whole thing for PAGES just for the wedding to be boring as fuck. Literally, nothing happens at that event.

Plus if my boyfriend decided to go to his ex’s wedding, who sold his private info to the magazines, I’d either need therapy or bail money.

When I heard about Husband Material I thought this book would be about deciding you want to commit to a person and then pop the question at the climax. Or, I don't know, the couple would be engaged and there would be hella things they'd have to deal with to have their perfect wedding. (This would involve their personal life issues as well as some wedding planning crises'...) Basically, I did not expect this book to waste chapters about other characters' useless weddings that did nothing to the main couple other than peer pressure.

Then there is the part where Oliver's dad dies, which was just there? Again it was important only for one chapter. And in that chapter, Lucien somehow managed to make it all about himself. "Oh your dad died but I need reassurance about how I don't totally suck so let's talk about me instead of talking about your life-changing and traumatic thing." DUDE! I wanted to smack Lucien right across his stupid face so bad. I don't understand how can anyone stand him.

Speaking of Lucien… Honestly hate doesn't even begin to explain what I feel towards him. He was annoying, selfish, self-centered, insecure, and just horrible. It was torture to read this book from his eyes. I wanted to carve my own eyes out with a teaspoon. He had the emotional intelligence of a trash can. He just refused to grow as a character. "This is who I am." Well, who you are just fucking sucks so fix it.

I am pro-choice because if Lucien's mother had an abortion we wouldn't have to deal with someone like him. Thanos from the MCU must've decided he'd destroy half of the living things after meeting Lucien.

Oliver started off good just to end up being… Irritating. This book wasn't grumpy / sunshine. No, this was slightly-obsessive-and-always-anxious / I-know-I-am-an-ass-but-I-can't-help-myself. Oliver was better than Lucien but then again he was absent for like 50% of this book. He was supposed to be the main love interest but he ended up being as useful as a houseplant. He didn't have a personality other than being Lucien's boyfriend.

I was going to talk about how HORRIBLE the proposal was but it doesn't matter because they didn't get married anyway. Yes fellas, even the ending was like that. Lucien out of the blue asks Oliver to marry him, Oliver says yes because he doesn't wanna break his heart, Lucien figures out he doesn't wanna get married but decides to go through with it anyway because he doesn't wanna break Oliver's heart and so it goes up until Oliver decides to be the one to stop the wedding. All of this chain of events wouldn't have happened if one of them acted like their age instead of a horny high school student.

Lastly, I wanna talk about how toxic Lucien and Oliver were. It is actually convenient they didn't get married because it wouldn't just end up with an expensive divorce. It would've ended with two psychotic breaks, five screaming matches, probably one attempted murder, and a whole lot of magazine news articles about the two.

So in the end, I hated this book with all of my heart. I'd rather shove a rainbow balloon arch up my ass than read about these two ever again. If you read and enjoyed the first book, act like it was a stand-alone for your own sanity.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, how I love Alexis Hall's writing. The quirky and zany aspects of his books are always a source of endless amusement. The best thing about both Boyfriend and Husband material is how he is able to distil relationships down to their most basic and natural conflicts while managing to make them funny and relatable. A lot of it is also due to the incredible and over-the-top cast of supporting characters, that elevate both Luc and Oliver's relationship.

Husband Material had an interesting structure, following the Four Weddings and a Funeral format. Also, I think that both these books are big homages to traditional British romcoms. Which I love. In contrast, it also manages to explore interesting debates on sexuality, acceptance, religion, and how all of these things intertwine in our modern society. It's a smart book, and the conflicts feel real most of the time.

However, it is a bit too long, in a way that a few plots didn't need to be stretched as they did. Meaning, that some parts, especially in the middle, got a bit repetitive. Almost as if Luc and Oliver were having the same conversations over and over again - which I guess they were. And as realistic as that may be in real life, as I reader it wasn't as enjoyable.

I also didn't like the ending. I understand it. I can see clreary what Alexis Hall did, and I do appreciate his guts to "go there" and commit to the future he envisioned for Luc and Oliver. Fair play to him. It just wasn't the ending of a series that I wanted and that final period at the end of the book that could bring all the plot points together.

Still, it was a fun experience.

Received an ARC from Netgalley.

I loved the first book. I have both the ebook and the audio and they are great.

But not going to lie, I struggled with this book and this review.

Just in case, I'll mark this part for spoilers.


[ There was a lot I liked from this book. There were the side characters it was nice to revisit and some great scenes between Luc and Oliver. Early on in the book there are some really fun and humorous scenes.

But - there was just so much unconstructive arguing in this book. Luc kept telling how happy he/they were - but it never really felt happy. By the last section I wondered if they should be even be together. And the ending... Well. It would have been fine. Would have been if the last section hadn't been so hard to read. It's not that I think everything had to be sunshine. I thought the funeral section was the strongest part of the book.

I did preorder this book and though I considered canceling, because I more than a bit traumatized (over-invest in fictional characters? nah not me), I decided to let it ride and I will try to re-read and update my review with a little distance. It didn't help that I didn't realize that this would be a middle book in a trilogy. So that kind of explains a lot really.

I wanted to love this. I just couldn’t. I liked it and I still have hope for book 3.
I very much enjoyed Alexis Hall’s humor and laughed out loud many times during this book. But I just didn’t particularly like where he went with this or how he got there.
This book did not have enough Oliver and it did not have enough romance. It seemed to want to make points more than it wanted to give the reader what they wanted.
Relationships have conflict. And I am fine with romance books being more true to life and acknowledging this. But Luc kept getting in his own way with way less personal growth than Oliver. It made the couple lose some of their magic from book 1.
I get wanting to challenge the fact that all couples journeys need to look the same and follow a formula but the conclusion felt very rushed and forced. I think there is a way to have this ending and still give the reader the euphoric happily ever after feeling but this missed the mark.

From the very first paragraph I was grinning from ear to ear because LUCIEN AND OLIVER WERE BACK!! They were so very much themselves, with their relationship still very much intact (wobbles and all) that I felt like I'd connected with old friends. Wedding drama ensues with so many of their friends getting married in that madcap style that only Luc and Oliver are capable of. But what's best about this book is the way that Luc and Oliver navigate their relationship status, what they mean to each other, and what their forever is going to look like. Literally, 4 weddings and a funeral later, and some laugh out loud moments later, these two can claim their happy ever after.

Book 1, Boyfriend Material was one of my favourite books last year. So, when I found out that there was going to be a sequel, I jumped at the chance to request. This was because if you read my review *here*, you'd note that I felt the book ended somewhat abruptly and also needed some on page time with Luc and Oliver being a couple.

Also, having read book 1, I was sort of prepared for a LONG book, the sort of ridiculousness being in Luc's head entailed, the "unique" supporting characters and a whole lot of humour and heart. I was right.

We all know(or I hope you know) how sequels find it quite difficult to measure up to successful first installations, however, this one was just as brilliant as the first.

Luc was still a(loveable) mess, Oliver was still overthinking everything, there were some appearances from certain undesirables and the story overall invoked a gamut of emotions due to how well it was written. Alexis Hall is an auto-read for me for a reason and this book highlights many reasons why.

I had so much fun reading this book and will highly recommend it for lovers of romantic comedies.

My mixed feelings about this book earns it a three star rating. I loved Boyfriend Material so I was extremely excited for Husband Material. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed in this book.

Let me first say that this book is so funny. I almost moved it to four stars for that reason alone. Alexis Hall is one of the funniest authors there is. I was laughing out loud the entire time.

What fell flat for me is the general reason why I tend to shy away from romance sequels. The first book always ends in happily ever after and the second book goes "now wait a minute..." Luc and Oliver already got their happy ending, why were they being tested so much in this one? And then the ending did nothing to make me feel like they will be ok in the long run. A lot of their issues went unsolved. This book was also WAYYY too long with a lot of points being rehashed again and again.

I still love Luc and Oliver and Hall's writing, which is why I will be picking up Father Material when it comes out. I just hope it's more uplifting than this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Sequels in romances are tricky, because one needs to devise a plausible conflict between two people that ended up with each other in the previous book. Sticking a thorn between them needs to be believable. It's easier to write about fresh relationships than those that last for several years, but I can say that "Husband material" is a good example of how to tackle this topic in a satisfactory way. The author manages not only to advance Luc's and Oliver's relationship with all it's pros and flaws, but also writes his characters as people, who can be annoying, mean, hurt and confused, but therefore more credible.

This time Hall ditches "fake couple" theme for "Four weddings and a funeral" formula, which gives him an opportunity to explore different types of relationships, weddings as approaches towards marriage. As a cishet woman, found it pretty interesting to read about how LGBT+ people feel welcomed (or not) in queer community and how their perspective on marriage from society point of view can differ from mine.

Still, it was mainly a story about love and friendship and I really enjoyed it. The only thing that stood out (in a bad way) was the ending that felt rushed and just ended in the middle of the page. This felt a little anticlimactic.

The thing I look for in Alexis Hall's books is a chance to laugh, and here I got exactly that. I adore his dialogues and scenes where characters deviate from the main course of action and simply discuss topics that interest or trigger them, like we do in social situations. I have a special place in my heart for every exchange, when Luc tries to explain a joke to his dorky colleagues from work.

So it truly pains me to write this review but I, sadly, just did not enjoy this book. This was not the story I wanted to read. I absolutely adored Boyfriend Material. It is lovely and funny and just wonderful. And this just felt like a disservice to these characters and their original story.

The main reason that I didn't like this was it felt like all Luc and Oliver did in this book was fight. One of the things I hate most in romcoms is when some stupid fight happens that could've easily been cleared up if the characters had just talked to each other. And it felt like that's ALL this book was. I just got tired of the fighting.

And even though the ending did try to set things right, it also felt like it wasn't really what this book had been building toward? And I get that this is a realistic look at a relationship but that's not really what I'm looking for when I pick up a romance. I want a beautiful story of love. That's what the first book was. This one just... wasn't.

It still had the same wonderful wit and banter from the original and the same lovely characters. So part of me really did enjoy being back with them. But after a while, I just lost interest? This was way too long, especially since it felt like they were only fighting, and by the last hundred pages, I was just ready to be done. I almost didn't want to even read the ending since I feared it was going in a direction I didn't want.

So. I'm truly sad to be writing this and I actually put off reviewing this because it just makes me so sad even thinking about this book. I was so excited when this was announced. I couldn't wait to get back to these characters. But this just isn't the story I wanted to read, unfortunately. I wish I would've just stuck with Boyfriend Material and this story had ended there =/

I haven't really read other reviews for this book so hopefully others enjoy this more than I did. But for me, personally, this was a miss. I'll still continue to read other books from Alexis Hall though and hopefully I'll have better luck with some of the upcoming releases I've been anxiously awaiting!

Anyway, thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

I *think* this book would've worked for me better had I read the first one. Because I hadn't read the first one I really wasn't invested or certain about the "why" about these characters and therefore am rating it low. To be fair, I'm going to read the first one and reread this one and come back with a fuller review.

Husband Material's alternate title could be Almost Four Weddings & A Funeral. I liked several things about this book and a few things have left me sitting with it days after I wrapped, trying to figure out how I would review it. Overall, it's sassy, real, and encourages everyone to make the best of things and live out the life you choose. I can't find fault with that theme, ever.

First up, I always appreciate how Alexis Hall captures the multifaceted nature of young adulthood: ups, downs, in betweens, and often all thrown together in one setting. Those aspects of their writing always speak to me and feel like real life.

Second, I love this tight-knit friend group - it's straight out of a Disney channel show spun with caustic British humor. We all wish for friend groups like this who show up no matter what when things get tough and live nearby enough to get together regularly. They're smart, sassy, individualistic, and ultimately, kind and supportive, even when there's a necessary edge of truth to their feedback. We all need friends who keep supporting us as we become our better selves.

Third, I loved that Oliver and Luc are caught in this in between stage - they love their life but feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing. This is a classic queer relationship dilemma and I don't see it in romance novels enough - the choosing to take your own path, as so many of us do. I don't think romanticization of queer relationships has to lose that element of unique sel(ves).

Fourth, I love character growth and love exploring grief and self in young adulthood. Oliver's storyline in this book was most compelling to me, and I so appreciated seeing Luc and Oliver learn to support each other in a big unknown, and coming out on top.

On the structural end, there were a few things that knocked this down from a 4 to a 3.

1) I know we're supposed to feel like Oliver & Luc's engagement is kind of off the whole time and the side effects of planning a wedding are a real thing - but I didn't like them as much in this book. The novel dipped out of romance and into modern fiction a bit for my liking. Important themes and dynamics all, just not what I was sold.

2) I'm not sure if it's because this is one of my first few books read on a Kindle and you don't process the pages in the same way as a material book, but the pacing felt off. The first 3/4 were solid and then Luc & Oliver's wedding was in a matter of 10 pages. I liked that their split-second decision at the end best represented THEM but it left the reader with a lot of whiplash. Not quite so "riding off into the sunset" but "Oh, well, I guess we're done now. Huh."

3) The bitter ex plotlines never really do it for me. I know we all experience those moments deeply, but the best part was Oliver just being good about it all. Luc often feels like the more flawed of the characters, "extra", if you will, and is right at meanness's cost. After two years with Oliver I would have liked to see some of those edges soften, not just his cleanliness habits improve.

Ultimately, I liked several things about this book but I didn't finish it wanting to rave to all my friends, maybe because the book left me feeling sad. Sad for the boxes our community puts upon ourselves and each other, sad for early adulthood loss that shapes so much of who we are and our relationships, sad for the friendships that are good but can be sharp sometimes. I suppose I expected a little bit of truth, plenty of romance, and a little more joy. This one left me bittersweet and while I like that it exists in the world, I don't think it was the book I was looking for this time around.

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3

You know when you finish a book and you loved it so much that you just want to live in their world forever? For me that was my feelings after I read Boyfriend Material. Then I find out that there is to be a book two, Husband Material. To say I was overly excited for this book is an understatement! To get to spend more time in Luc and Oliver's world was just the cherry on top of the sundae.

Sadly, I feel that the author completely missed the mark on this one. This book was filled with so much doubt and uncertainty on behalf of both characters and Lucien certainly got so much more air time in this one than Oliver did. It was kind of a mishmash of other people's weddings and Luc's woe is me attitude but then trying to remind himself of the fabulous boyfriend he still has.

Also, the repetition in this book was just a little too over the top. We all know about the Rainbow Arch, it's been done, we're kind of over it. And Ana with one n after the first or second explanation I was good with it. Unfortunately the whole time that Ana with one n was in the book she was referred to as Ana with one n.

And don't even get me started on that ending. The whole book kind of dragged out all of this information that we didn't need to know about these two and then at the ending the author decided to pack the most important thing going on in their lives into a small percentage of this whole book and the ending was just like okay, so that really happened the way it happened.

In my honest opinion this book should have just not happened or had been a little treat to us while waiting for Father Material. It could have been a small little Novella just to explain their overall feelings from the past 2 years. Will I read Father Material? I don't know as at this point I'm kind of split 50/50.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Fun, Smart, Funny, Loving, British, Rom-Com, LGBTQIA.

I absolutely adored this book, it lived up to and exceed my expectations (which I thought was going to be hard since I’m obsessed with the first book). The story picks up 2 years after the first and follows Luc and Oliver as they navigate 4 weddings and 1 funeral. I love Hall’s writing style and being inside Luc’s head is wonderfully ridiculous. This was a fun, thoughtful and hilarious read and I cannot wait for the other 3 instalments. I highly recommend this book and series, and if you haven’t read the first “Boyfriend Material” not only is there heaps of “Rom” and loads “Com” but it also feels quite raw and authentic, just like the sequel, “Husband Material.”

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #AlexisHall and #SourcebooksCasablanca for sharing this digital copy, these are my honest thoughts on #HusbandMaterial.

HUSBAND MATERIAL takes place about two years after Boyfriend Material and, honestly, very little has changed with Luc and Oliver. The story features four weddings (of their friend) and a funeral, which were mostly boring filler for me. There are definitely some sweet and redeeming moments in the book, but the overall picture just wasn’t enough.

Sadly, this story did not hold the same appeal for me as Boyfriend Material. I’ll have to think twice (and read a lot of reviews) before investing my time in part three (Father Material).

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Husband Material takes place about 2 years after Boyfriend Material and focuses on Luc and Oliver deciding on the next steps in their relationship. While I liked some of the themes explored in this book and getting to see more of Luc and Oliver, I wish I could've gotten the story from Oliver's perspective as well as Luc's. Oliver and Luc are both dealing with some big issues in this book, but only getting Luc's thoughts first-hand left it feeling a little one-sided.

There were still some great comedic/fun moments in this book, but Luc's work colleagues have never been my favourite and they do feature prominently in at least part of the story. And where were Oliver's friends??

My only other issue with this book is that I don't love time jumps, and this book jumped forward months at a time to the next wedding/funeral.

Overall Husband Material wasn't a necessary addition to Boyfriend Material, but it was a somewhat realistic look into Luc and Oliver's lives together with some great comedic moments mixed in.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

➳ Rate:  3

Well, can’t say I’m not extremely disappointed. This book felt very pointless. There were so many stupid things happening. There were a lot of cute moments too, honestly that’s the only reason why I kept reading, for those moments between the main characters because these two are super cute together. But they also were both very annoying from time to time and yeah, idk I just barely enjoyed it.

It totally felt like the author just wrote this because she wanted to milk the success of book 1.
And now there will be a book 3? Well, I hope it’ll be better than this one and we’ll get all the cute moments of them forming a family.

Anywho, maybe you’ll enjoy it more than me lol. So if you loved book 1 and love this couple, read it for the cute moments.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I am devastated to say I did not enjoy this. The first three parts dragged for me. I didn't care about the side characters' weddings. Luc and Oliver constantly arguing and making up became repetitive. I didn't relate to why wedding planning was such a contentious topic (I guess I was lucky that neither my husband nor I cared too much about the details of our wedding). Part four was the most enjoyable but not until Luc realized he was being an arse making the death in Oliver's family about himself. Actually, that's the book: Luc being a self-centered arse and making everything about himself, being self-aware that he's doing it, but still arguing that he has a point before apologizing. I think having some chapters from Oliver's POV would have helped the flow of the book because it was rough being in Luc's head the entire time. And that ending...I don't disagree with what happened (it's what was best for Luc and Oliver and a great message for couples in general), but it was so abrupt. Just like the first book, there should have been an epilogue.

If you liked Boyfriend Material, you'll definitely love Husband Material. If I could remember only one thing about this book it'd be the humour. Every interaction between the characters is drowned in humour and it makes you feel like you're a part of the story. Lucien and Oliver have grown and are more comfortable in their relationship and I really liked the construction of the book with the series of weddings.
The argument about the fact that Luc is very much into being a part of the LGBT+ community and Oliver isn't was well thought and they both proved a point.
It tackled serious matters with a lot of humour.

I did not like Luc. Hes is mean with almost everybody. I know he passed for something very stressful but that`s no reason for acting like he acts with the pleople around him. I think Oliver should look for somebody else.

Husband Material has the same upbeat funny tone as Boyfriend Material does, which I can definitely appreciate. It’s a fun follow-up to Boyfriend Material that explores how Luc and Oliver are getting along being in a real relationship and the very real stresses that come with it.