I really enjoyed book one in the series, Boyfriend Material (somewhat to my surprise as it isn't my normal cup of tea). When I saw book 2 was coming out to continue Luc & Oliver's story, I was curious & interested so requested it on Net Galley. After being approved, I was both a bit excited and cautious. After all, sequels are always a risk (will it be as good as the 1st book or was that a fluke) as can continuing a story about a couple that has already found "happy" (there's a limit to how much angst or torment one couple should have to go through but don't want "boring" either). I'm happy to say this book didn't disappoint. While I may not have enjoyed it quite as much as the first, it was pretty close (no fluke here) and while there was angst (after all it is Luc & Oliver & crew), there wasn’t too much (not bored). It had many of the qualities of the prior story – quirky friends & clueless coworkers, humor & a bit of snark, some angst & sweet moments as Luc and Oliver still fumble a little even after 2years together as they navigate relationship expectations – both their own, those around them & society in general.

Also similar to the prior book, it is long (over 400 pages) and occasionally a little slow (particularly to start) but is well written, overall nicely paced and interesting. It’s much like hanging out with a friend, sitting with a drink after a cookout, or gathered around a dinner party table, or sitting on the front stoop watching the world go by as you chat and listen to them tell you (in an occasionally slightly meandering but still entertaining way) what’s been going on in their life since you last got together. Luc’s telling made me laugh, occasionally want to smack him, made me think a couple of times and always entertained and provided a good sense of the other characters in the story. The physical relationship continues to be “behind close doors”, the intimacy of their relationship isn’t missing at all.

All in all, Husband Material is a story I can happily recommend you take the time to check out. You don’t need to read the 1st book to enjoy this one, but you should since you’ll probably want too afterwards anyway.

When I read Boyfriend Material I thought to myself, oh I'm such a Luc! And now, reading Husband Material, my brain is having tiny sparks coming out of it because I AM such a Luc!

Husband Material follows Oliver and Lucien after some bitter, but mostly sweet events of Boyfriend Material. We get to meet with our favourite gang - Priya, Bridge, James Royce - Royce, Alex Twaddle (my personal favourite!😂) and more.

This book had some very interesting ups and downs going on but none without the classic alexis hall found family perfection and a great deal of humour. When I was not swooning, I was cracking up. Reading this book felt a lot like eating cotton candy under a balloon arch! (see what I did there?)

The thing that always keeps me on tip toes is the dynamic between Luc and Oliver. On one hand, we have this extremely collected, i-have-my-shit-figured- out Oliver and on the other hand, we have am-i-even-a-whole-person Luc. The two of them put together should follow the typical sunshine/grumpy dynamic, right? But, no. These two somehow manage to defy that as well to have their own myriads of problems and then solve them in their own way. And I really enjoyed this take! Because relationships, of any nature, are hard. This is one of the most interesting non-fairytale fairytale books I have ever read.

I found Luc's anxiety and tendency to spiral very much relatable. Like, how are you so on point? And thanks for the hope, I guess?

Anyways, happy pub day to this beautiful book!

Have you read it? What do you think of it?

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for an arc! ❤️💙

I have a love/meh relationship with Alexis Hall stories but this one is in the LOVE sector. It's a gripping page turner that made me laugh but also think.
There's a lot of humour, laugh out loud moments, but there's also some very serious issue and I like how the author deals with them.
A well plotted and well told story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Really enjoyed this sequel to Boyfriend Material. It takes place about two years later, and as you can tell from the title, it focuses on marriage. Not just Luc and Oliver's potential marriage, however. There are three weddings and a funeral they have to deal with before their own. Luc and Oliver have to deal with balancing being good friends and sons with being good partners. Like the previous book, it focuses on relationship challenges and insecurities, exploring anxieties and issues that probably feels familiar to a lot of people.

This book is sweet and funny and real. It's got more depth than your average romcom, which I think Alexis Hall is great at portraying.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc! I thoroughly enjoyed this follow up and getting to see the next step of Oliver and Luc’s relationship as viewed through their attendance at 3 other weddings and a funeral. Also appreciated the commentary on relationships and heteronormative traditions and the idea that not everyone needs to and not every relationship benefits from marriage. A solid 4-4.5/5 stars for me!

I know I’m way in the minority with this, and I rarely write lengthy negative reviews, but I needed to get my thoughts out with this one…

There was once a sitcom series that I absolutely adored. If reruns were on, I watched them. I DVR-ed every new episode and saved them to rewatch. It was an absolute favorite of all time. Then they aired the series finale. I HATED it. Most of the world hated it. I wished I had stopped watching at the next to last episode and pretended that the series was over there. The finale felt like a slap in the face to everyone who loved the show. It completely undid all of the character development that had happened over the years, and seemed to be a total 180 from the story it seemed they were telling. The finale aired in 2014, and to this day, I get irrationally angry if I so much as hear the who mentioned.

That is kind of how I feel about this book.

I really enjoyed Boyfriend Material. I loved Luc and Oliver. They are/were perfectly imperfect people that you couldn’t help but root for. I loved their personal growth in the story, and how they grew together as a couple. I feel like this book blew it all up. Luc’s insecurities and flaws made him endearing and relatable in the first book, but those same traits made me low-key hate him in this one. I didn’t expect or want a totally different personality, but I DID think some of his personal growth would have carried over. Communication felt like it was near non-existent for the bulk of the book, which is one thing with an newly formed couple, but sure doesn’t bode well for an established couple headed for the alter. There was a good bit of humor and some endearing moments (as I would expect from this author and these characters), but the conflict and drama felt excessive for an established couple, and that outweighed any enjoyment I found elsewhere in the story.

I DO feel like the message around society expectations and the idea that happily ever after doesn’t look the same for every couple is an important one. I don’t have a huge problem with how the book ended (though it definitely felt too abrupt and a bit out of left field), it’s everything that led up to that that frustrated me. In this case, as a reader, I was better off not knowing what happens after the implied HEA. Maybe I’ll feel differently down the line once I've marinated on this a bit longer, but in this moment, I feel like this book totally ruined a book and couple that I dearly loved.

I TRULY hate that I so adamantly disliked this book. I do still dearly love this author and will absolutely read future works, but will probably steer clear of the ones that are part of this universe.

I loved Boyfriend Material so much - I fell in love with Luc and Oliver and their messy, sweet romance. It was one of my favorite books of the year. I was so thrilled when I saw that Husband Material was coming. Unfortunately, it didn't capture the magic of the first book for me.

We fast forward 2.5 years and see Luc and Oliver's current life together: everyone around them is getting married and Luc is feeling the pressure to join the masses. That's it, that is the summary. This has strong 4 wedding and a funeral vibes.

I wanted more of the sweet, tender, real moments that we saw in Boyfriend Material. The Luc / Oliver connection is still there in Husband Material the author chose to focus so much more on the challenges in their relationship. It took me out of it tbh. The ending was cute and yet also somehow unsatisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC - I will continue to read every single thing Alexis Hall writes because I loved Boyfriend Material so much and believe in this author. Husband Material is out now!

I have read many books from Alexis Hall and have enjoyed every one of them. Boyfriend Material was one of my favorite books from last year. Sadly, Husband Material did not live up to my expectations. I ended up just being bored throughout this story, which I also felt was way to long. Not a fan. I will continue to recommend the first book though!

Husband Material is an absolute delight!

I love Luc, Oliver, and their entire chosen family so much, and my heart was so happy to be able to spend more time with them. Alexis Hall knows how to write banter, hilariously awkward social conversations, and endearingly wonderful humans like no other.

I was so sad to close this book and say goodbye to my book besties… but with Hall’s announcement on social media this week, I am jumping for joy and counting down the days until October 2024 🙀 (and July 2025 😵)!!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks/Casa for providing me with the opportunity to read an eARC of this book via Netgalley

Five stars to Alexis Hall--laugh out loud funny, heartwrenching AND heartwarming...couldn't have loved it more!

I didn't love this book as much as I expected to, but I did enjoy it. I found Luc to be very annoying in this book and the lack of communication between him and Oliver was driving me crazy. But the book was nice overall. The first one was better though.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having absolutely adored Boyfriend Material, I was over the moon when I received an ARC of this book. This has certainly made it onto my disappointing reads of 2022 list and this disheartens me deeply. Whilst there was certainly moments in the story that were fun and light, much of the book felt dragged and exhausting.

A large portion of the book is spent exploring the various facets of Luc and Oliver's wedding rather than focusing on their relationship and whether them tying the knot is indeed the best decision. I enjoy weddings but the constant talk about preparations and expectations was frustrating. Not all wedding planning has to be difficult and the cause of serious consequences between the couple and their families. I wish there would have been more positivity surrounding their wedding.

Luc and Oliver have numerous small fights through the book that seem largely insignificant and the constant bickering got monotonous. When it came to talking about the big issues, they seemed to brush past communicating clearly and deeply to simply deciding to stay a couple. You can't be considering marriage when there is a lack of respect and strong communication between the pair. At times the relationship has shades of toxicity which made me feel uncomfortable.

I wanted so much more romance between these two! The lack of intimate and romantic scenes didn't have me really rooting for them to end up married, which shouldn't be the case! Luc and Oliver have little character development from the first book and reading Luc's perspective was often painful.

It breaks my heart that this sequel didn't live up to its potential for me and I don't mean any disrespect when I say that this is a series I wish would've stayed as a standalone (Boyfriend Material). It simply didn't work for me.

Like everyone else I've spoken to it, I loved Boyfriend Material. With that in mind, this was always going to be a hard book to read. I mean, what if I hated it?
Ha, as if.
Husband Material is an absolute delight from start to finish. The banter is worth the read alone.
It's very much 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' vibes, and while a tad over the top at times, it was entirely relatable. I felt like I was there for the ride.
It's been mere hours since I finished the book and while I straight away knew it deserved a five star rating, I had to dwell on the ending. It wasnt what I had prepared myself for... I just need a bit of time to recover, and I'll go grab myself a print copy and savour the whole thing again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced reading copy.

Husband Material is the sequel to Boyfriend Material which was a Book of the Week back when I read it in early 2021. We rejoin our erstwhile heroes two years into their actual relationship (as opposed to the fake one, see Boyfriend Material) and its all going well for Luc and Oliver. They’re making their relationship work - Luc’s trying not to bring the chaos and Oliver’s getting therapy and it’s all lovely. Except that suddenly everyone is getting married and Luc thinks maybe they’re meant to too, because that’s what you’re meant to do when you love each other, right? Right?

I have strongly mixed feelings on sequels usually. I know I’m always saying that I want more of the happily ever after at the end of my romance novels, but I appreciate that an actual novel needs tension and conflict. Most sequels do this by breaking the couple up and getting them back together (or variations thereof) and that often drives me mad. Particularly when the breakup is because of something you could solve by having a conversation. This does not do that. There is conflict, but I was not really ever worried that Luc and Oliver going to end up together - just how were they going to work it all out. And I can’t really explain any more than that without massive plot spoilers.

All the supporting cast are back too - Luc’s friends, his crazy mum, thankfully not too much of his awful dad. And there’s lots of banter and pop culture references. And if I didn’t quite love it as much as the first one, it was a pretty high bar to hit and it was lovely being back with some old friends for a few hours. This is apparently a universe now - so there’s a third book coming, but about a different couple, one of whom briefly featured in this book. So that’s fun too.

I had serious sequel anxiety about this book but it did not disappoint!

This book takes place two years after the first novel but the flow is maintained between them. The characterization and the whimsy hold up as well - this is a perfect example of how to write a sequel. Boyfriend Material could have been a clean end to Luc and Oliver’s story; I wanted a sequel but I didn’t NEED a sequel which makes me all the more thankful for their story.

Alexis Hall’s writing is funny and quirky while still allowing the story and the emotions of the characters to have depth. An unexpected surprise of this novel was Hall’s growth as an author. The comical dialogue and situations were incorporated into the story more naturally than in the first book. The level of humour and the contrast between the lighthearted and serious moments weren’t noticeable whereas in the previous novel they were sometimes a bit jarring.

I flew through this novel and enjoyed every part! 5/5 would recommend!

My favorite book of the year. It was a complete joy to jump back into the world of Luc, Oliver & their crazy friends & family. This sequel lost none of the charm & humor of Boyfriend Material.

Luc and Oliver are such wonderful and true characters. So different and yet so similar and just so perfect. I didn't want it to end!

My love for Alexis Halls books run deep and Boyfriend Material is one of my favorite books ever, god-tier level book for me. So maybe my expectations were too high with this one, but it was just an okay experience for me. I truly love Luc and Oliver’s banter, I adore the chaotic nature of these books, I’ll never get over how much I adore the side characters, but the plot of this one was just a miss for me. It felt all over the place, a bit preachy, and honestly I was struggling to power through it!

Will it still sit on my shelf? Absolutely! I own the audiobook too because it was a preorder and I’m not mad about it. I just doubt I’ll reach for it as much as I do Halls other books!

Boyfriend Material is one of my favourite books of all time so I was SO excited to get to read an advanced reading copy of Husband Material.

This book picks up Luc and Oliver’s story after being in a relationship for a while. Everyone around them seems to be getting married and they are spending most of their free time either helping to plan or attending a wedding. Are Luc and Oliver heading towards marriage as well?

I loved getting to see more of Luc and Oliver’s relationship and really enjoyed seeing their relationship after they had been together for a period of time. I thought this was super cute! It didn’t quite live up to Boyfriend Material for me but I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review!

I adored this book, truly and fully. Alexis Hall has gone all out with Husband Material and thank goodness for it.

Two years ago I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of "Boyfriend Material" and I'm glad that I have gotten the opportunity to read and review the next chapter of Oliver and Lucien's story. The story flows with ease and I can confidently say that Hall's writing has grown since Boyfriend Material in such an amazing way. The cast of characters are wonderfully fleshed out, the banter is wittier and much more accessible, and the flow is seamless and immersive.

The story deals with how Luc, Olliver, and the Gang all deal with relationships and the labels we give to them. I loved that Hall explored the different ways that people interact with community and labels in a really raw and honest way. Oliver's disconnect with the stereotypical lgbtq iconography was very honest and I connected with it.
I want to say I was surprised to like this as much as I did, but let's be honest, this was exactly how Luc and Oliver are meant to be.

P.S. I still LOVE Odile to pieces. Favorite character hands down.