I love love loved Husband Material. So much so that I can barely speak for I am a puddle of feels. I read Boyfriend Material again right before this sequel and it was incredible to be completely immersed in the London Calling world with Luc & Oliver and everyone we have grown to love. I hugged the book when I was finished.

First, this book is hilarious. I was literally going back and forth between cackling, cry laughing and saying “Awww” out loud. It is sweet, witty, poignant, romantic, entertaining, challenging and is trying to talk about serious things like identity politics, what is the “right way” to be gay, what it means to be in a relationship with different points of view, the idea of marriage and commitment, the hideousness of wedding planning, how love can grow, how you need communication to really last and overcome life’s obstacles. (Life always brings obstacles, it is not always rainbows and butterflies!!) Once again, Hall blends so many things together perfectly into a book that you simply can’t put down.

It is inspired by the 90s RomCom movie Four Weddings and a Funeral and there are Four Weddings and a Funeral, but it is just a loose outline because Hall takes it to another level with his creativity and ridiculously hilarious situations. I loved the journey you go on from one part of the book to the next. The book spans 10 months and feels like “a year in the life” of Luc & Oliver and, just like in life, so many things happen!

The banter between Luc and Oliver is the cutest. They really compliment each other despite or because of their differences. There are many romantic, sexy moments between them filled with love and feeling and talking and neuroses and kindness and humor and hugs. They grow together while being so in love and even the angst and arguing feels realistic to a long term relationship. They are simply the best and I adore them so much.

Also, the Audiobook is fantastic. Joe Jameson is my favorite narrator and even if I’m reading the paperback, I can still hear his voice. The way he does all the characters voices that you recognize from Boyfriend Material is just fantastic. I loved it so much.

I was delighted to receive this audioARC. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks.

I adore Alexis hall and her writing style. I devoured boyfriend material and I thought it could have been a standalone with no sequel. However when I saw that she was riding husband material I got really excited because I was excited to be back with these characters. Unfortunately this book did not hit the mark for me.

We get a lot of weddings, A lot of drama, and a lot of fights that aren’t actually fights. But we really don’t get the pay off in this book. This book is long for a romance book and Really goes through the romance of all of the other characters while putting our main characters love story as a secondary plot.

I know a lot of people weren’t a huge fan of the ending, and to be honest neither was I, but it did fit with the overall story. However because of the way it ended I immediately thought the entire book was nonessential.

Like I said this book did not hit for me but there were moments and I still really enjoy.

Sadly, this sequel fell flat for me. In the end, I just wasn't convinced that this was a necessary part of Luc and Oliver's story. While it presents an interesting story (revisiting characters twp years into their relationship), the way that the MCs treated each other was disappointing and changed my feelings about them. That being said, I didn't love Boyfriend Material as much as others have, so this will likely be well-received by fans of the first book.

Husband Material was quite an unexpected surprise and a bit all over. I had fun reading this sequel, I liked reading more about Oliver and Luc and the way that they seem to complement each other despite being quite opposites. Now, I did not enjoy the whole idea of how one should be gay, it was repeated quite a lot in the book and it’s just wrong because there isn’t a right way to be gay. In addition, the pressure of getting married because it is the “right” thing to do was exhausting because it was just so repetitive.

Luc and Oliver are in a relationship full of “flirty” banter but to me it just seemed like they had so many disagreements that did not help the relationship. Luc was just a mess, while that’s a part of his character, it felt just so extreme at how much he messed up.

This book is not what I expected. I expected a happy sequel to Boyfriend Material, which I liked a lot, but I am disappointed. The ending was rushed and just everything leading up to it could called a waste-of-time. While I laughed and giggled at some scenes, I will say it again. The amount of scenes that are in this book that did nothing to contribute to the plot, is too much.

The narration of this book was perfect. I liked the way the narrator portrayed each character and the entirety of the story.

What this book gives: Luc and Oliver!! I loved them so much together and we get this really sweet side of them. I had anticipated this so much from the minute I heard there was going to be a sequel.

Luc deals with even more personal growth in this book through its ups and downs. Oliver was also just the best.

What this book doesn’t give: the same feeling from Boyfriend Material. I didn’t feel that angst (I mean obviously, since the book deals with them as a couple instead of the dynamic they had previously), but I didn’t feel that same excitement in this book.

It was great in different ways. They both definitely made me FEEL, but in separate ways. Still, while this wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, it was such a wonderful read that I enjoyed so much.

I switch a bit between the audiobook and the paperback, enjoying both. The narration was fantastic so I recommend the audiobook!!

Oh my. I didn’t realize that exactly what I needed was to be back with Luc and Oliver. What a treat! It was like being back with old friends and jumping back into conversation like no time has passed at all. I love these characters, their friends, and family.

🇬🇧Again, the British wit and humor was perfection and the entire friend group still give me Bridget Jones vibes. They get into the craziest situations!
🇬🇧Tons of Pretty Woman references throughout the whole book …. Be still my heart!!
🇬🇧Luc’s mom. That is all.
🇬🇧Smashing traditional relationship norms and expectations.

If I’m being honest, I wanted more of Luc and Oliver happy together and less bickering - the point of the story I know.

I’ve got to say, that ending had me slightly shocked and very worried. But honestly, after thinking about it - perfection. ♥️

🤝This is a situation where you really HAVE to read BOYFRIEND MATERIAL first. You won’t regret it!

🎧The narration absolute perfection. I cannot recommend the audio of both books enough!!

While I was initially very excited to read Husband Material, this book ended up falling a bit flat for me. To keep this review spoiler-free, I'll keep some things vague. What excited me the most about this book was the opportunity to see Luc and Oliver together again, dating (for real this time). So I was disappointed when the first 2/3 of the book primarily surrounded their interactions with other people. In addition, I found the title to be quite misleading and the ending left me feeling less satisfactory than I did after Boyfriend Material. All in all, I wish I'd kept it at Boyfriend Material where these boys were safe, happy and comfortably in love. I will say, this book's saving grace in my opinion is Alexis Hall's unparalleled witty writing-- it always makes me laugh! I enjoyed the narration on this audiobook as well.

Heartfelt and hilarious with top notch narration. A recommended first purchase for collections where romcoms are popular.

I went back and forth listening and reading the audiobook of Husband Material. I absolutely ADORE the narrator. The way he can change his voice and the accent make this such a fun enjoyable audiobook.⁣
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As for the story, I enjoyed the continuation of Oliver and Luke. Luke still needs to grow up and so self deprecating but it also makes him quite relatable at times. Oliver, I always just want to give him a big hug. ⁣
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These two do eventually grow separately as people and together, and while it took Luke a bit longer I still enjoyed the ride. I always enjoy the chaos of his friends group and hearing about all the wedding drama for all the different weddings was a fun time. ⁣
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Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel, especially the narration!⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 stars

I am normally very skeptical of sequels to romance novels that follow the same couple, considering that you get the self-contained happy ending in the first book. However, Alexis Hall has not let me down yet! I was missing the zany cast of characters from Boyfriend Material, so I naturally requested Husband Material and settled in for more antics and angst.

I absolutely love Hall's authorial voice and his humor never fails to kill in any of the books I have read from him, this one being no exception. The structure is very Four Weddings and a Funeral, which definitely lends itself to absolutely bonkers shenanigans throughout. What I wished we had gotten more of, honestly, was Luc and Oliver. While what was happening on page was hilarious and entertaining, it felt like their journeys both as individuals and as a couple were stagnant for about 60% of this book. The pacing then goes into the complete opposite direction for the ending by going from 0 to 100, which left me feeling a tad unsatisfied.

Because of Hall's immense gifts, Husband Material is still an absolutely wonderful read and anyone who loved Boyfriend Material will absolutely be thrilled to see all of their faves back in action!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

In the second installment from Hall's London Calling series, we find Luc and Oliver 2 years down the road from their fake dating scheme. Surrounded by weddings, of both friends and foes, Luc is left having an existential crisis of what his and Oliver's relationship is supposed to look like.

In this adorable follow -up to 2020's Boyfriend Material, I felt like I was reuniting with old friends. Boyfriend Material was one of my favorites from a year when everything felt like it was falling apart. Watching Luc and Oliver fall apart and then find their happily ever after was something that was needed when the world was on fire. With romance series, we don't often get to see the after of happily ever after. To find out that Oliver and Luc are still this slightly odd puzzle, one might say a Moomin puzzle, is reassuring that the rest of us aren't just weirdos struggling through our not quite perfect, perfect relationships.

I also loved the narrators. It is rare for me to enjoy narrators that assign different voices for each character. All too often the accents and inflections feel either overdone or not different enough to count. This felt like a good middle.

Boyfriend Material was a standout for me a couple of years ago - and one of the few fictions books I listened to on audio and loved (audio just doesn't always work for me). I, like many, have been very eagerly waiting for Husband Material and knew that I'd be doing the audio again.

Everything I loved about listening to Boyfriend Material was evident again - Joe Jameson's narration is incredible. The full cast of characters and voices really brings this crazy group to life.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the story as much this time around. I'll try to keep things vague to avoid spoilers. There were times that dragged on a bit (i.e., the buildup to Bridge's wedding) - the whole thing was silly and fun at first, but eventually I was ready for the story to move on. I appreciated that things weren't all sunshine and rainbows for Luc and Oliver, because most long-term relationships aren't. Ultimately, I think I like how everything ended up at the conclusion of the book - but I had some issues with how we got there.

It was fun to be back with these characters and to get to see a story of a couple who are already together and how they navigate the next steps. While there were some things I didn't love, I know fans of the first will be excited for this next chapter. And I cannot recommend the audiobook enough - that alone probably added a half-star on to my rating.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for early access to the audiobook for Husband Material (had I not been approved I would’ve kept putting off Boyfriend Material. 😂)

So let’s start with the good stuff. I loved the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” vibe we got with this book and I liked how it was laid out. I loved that we got more from the secondary characters as they made book 1 so enjoyable. The comedy in HM was top notch and had me lolololing all over the place. 👍

Now the bad stuff (unfortunately I won’t be able to give a lot of details as I do not want to give any spoilers.) Luc and Oliver did not really do it for me in this book. I honestly feel like, at one point, they were toxic and I did not like it. There was also a lot of drug out back and forth between them that I also just didn’t like. There are other ways I could’ve seen their story playing out that wouldn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth but alas, here we are. 👎

All in all, this was an okay book. The audiobook was lovely and there were enough good parts to the story that I don’t feel like I wasted time on it or anything. Husband Material drops Aug 2 and I hope everyone that is excited for it enjoys it!

Charming and funny but serious look at two men who love each other struggling with following the norms of societies expectations or finding their own paths. The best part of this story is the ending. Touched my heart. The narration was excellent.

Another shot at living with Luc and Oliver and what a good time was had! The characters still felt just like they did in Boyfriend Material which helped get into the story. Luc is still very confused and Oliver is still very much helping Luc through life. This book felt very slice of life and worked almost as well as the first. The only draw back was the ending and the actions both men. Overall, a fun read!

I lucked out in that I had not gotten around to Boyfriend Material until earlier this summer on a road trip. I instantly fell in love with Luc and Oliver, their growth and how the relationship progressed was really refreshing. I also love Alexis Hall's ability to have diverse and dynamic side characters that you care just as much about. It was really great to see the whole gang back and see what they had been up to for the past 2 years.
When I first heard about this book I assumed it might focus on Oliver's development since I felt we only barely touched on his issues at the end of the last book. Boyfriend material felt a lot like Luc maturing and really working on himself. Oliver was presented as this perfect person that we learned has his own issues to work on. I realized this probably wouldn't be all about Oliver since we were still getting it from Luc's point of view. I found it nice to think that even though 2 years had passed they both had things to work on, kind of exploring there is no happily ever after. I did find it frustrating that they would approach very serious discussions from the start of an argument and then never really resolve that issue, just kind of move on and continue to be happy. I can't criticize it too much because I know it can be easier to avoid a scary conversation, but since they are pondering their relationship and their future it stressed me out that there were blatant future issues they would sweep under the rug.
This book had 4 clear parts, but they flowed really well and the plot never stalled. I kept thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it and always wanted to get back to it. There are definitely some serious plot points in this, it's a thought provoking romance, rather than a everything is great because romance. The only main issue I had was that the end was so abrupt. It did make me think and I liked that it wasn't what you were expecting but I really wanted some more time to digest it, it was just kind of dumped there and the book was over. I still loved reading it and still adore these characters, so I hope we'll see more of them in the future!
The audiobook narrator is the best. I love listening to this story because of the voices he does for all the different characters. I especially love that I know the difference between the two James Royce-Royces because of his voice. He does the prefect inflection for Luc and Oliver and I would definitely listen to other books read by this narrator.

Luc and Oliver have been making things work ever since they were honest about their feelings for each other. Now, it seems everyone around them is getting married and Luc’s feeling the pressure to propose to Oliver. However, it’s a long road to “I do” for our beloved boys.

The boys are back! 😍😍😍

Diving into this one felt like visiting old friends! This book was filled with Luc’s failed jokes of the day at work, Luc’s mom’s obsession with Drag Race, Oliver’s dry humor, and the fun friendship dynamics I fell in love with in Boyfriend Material. For me, it also provided a more realistic representation of a relationship filled with happy times, banter, disagreements, compromise, and apologies.

I do think this book is going to hit people differently, depending on their own relationship status and feelings towards marriage. I think I’m still digesting my feelings about that last chapter (no spoilers, but IYKYK 🙃). The lack of steam was the only real disappointment for me because I did love reading about Luc and Olivier’s steamy side of their relationship. Hopefully this won’t be last we see of Luc and Oliver’s love for one another! 👀

In September 2021, I listened to the audiobook for Boyfriend Material and completely fell in love with the story. It was clever, witty, and adorable. Not long after reading that novel, I learned that there would be a sequel and I immediately added it to my TBR. I was so excited when I was approved for the audio ARC of Husband Material.

To start with, let me just say that the narration was fantastic! Just like the first, this one was performed by Joe Jameson who is absolutely ideal for the characters of Oliver and Luc. Truly, I don't think anyone could portray them as well as Joe does. Not only that, but Joe performs the other characters magnificently - no matter their sexual identity. That's not something that every voice actor can do well, so, major props!

The way that the plot was set up for Husband Material was much more predictable than its predecessor, in my opinion. From the weddings at the beginning, to the lack of confidence on Luc's part, to the desire to conform to a social construct and get married. Unfortunately, for me, it lacked the emotional depth that I was hoping for. That's not to say that there was a lack of emotion in general, but when things got challenging and conflict began to arise, rather than it being handled in a mature way, all of the characters took an almost comically immature and selfish approach. This threw me off just a little bit.

There was a very, very heavy storyline in the middle of the book and while there were elements of it that were navigated really well, so much of it made me feel like it wasn't serious enough? Obviously, that's a very personal feeling and I'm quite sure that others would've handled similar situations with the same approach that Luc and Oliver (and the rest of the gang) did. But for me, it seemed like some of the depth was missing.

For the majority of Husband Material, I felt as though the primary focus was the "miscommunication trope." Now, this is quite possibly the most disliked trope across the board for bookworms. It's frustrating and the whole time, you're pulling your hair, wishing that the characters would just talk with each other, already! So, I wrestled with the story as a whole.

As with the first book, I loved the characters. I appreciate the growth that some of them went through, and there were many excellent discussions about sexuality that I really have no business touching on because it would not be OwnVoices. However, I appreciated the way that they were brought up because it provided more information to keep in my own back pocket. The CRAPP gang was especially hilarious with their ridiculous hijinks, and I absolutely loved learning more about Priya, Bridget, and the James Royce Royces. These characters were what kept me invested in the book more than anything else.

The ending is a HFN (happily-for-now). To some, that would be frustrating, but I found it to be more realistic. While the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed, I did like the very end much more than I expected to, considering my slightly frustrated feelings throughout the majority of the book.

This sequel isn't one that I would find myself reading again, but I did like finding out what was going on in the lives of the London Calling gang!

[CW: (major) Grief, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Death of parent, (moderate) Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Vomit]

I adored Boyfriend Material, so this was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. Luc and Oliver are two of my favorite protagonists ever.

I loved that this was a continuation of the same characters’ stories, rather than a book about another couple in the same universe. Getting to see after the happily ever after was a refreshing change of pace, too! That said, you definitely want to read Boyfriend Material before you read this one.

In this sequel, the theme is Four Weddings and a Funeral. Hall uses this medium to explore different types of relationships and the complications that can still arise regarding marriage as a queer couple.

Once again, Luc’s wit and sarcasm were unparalleled. Oliver was sweet and pensive. This book proves that even when you love someone, happily ever after doesn’t mean happy all the time, and that’s okay.

I do wish that we got to see Oliver’s POV, either as a dual POV or as a total switch after getting Luc’s POV in the first book. That would have really brought this book to the next level for me. My only other complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed, but maybe that will be resolved in book three! I can’t wait to see what Hall has next for us in Luc and Oliver’s world.

Audio Review: I adored this narration by Joe Jameson. He also read the previous book in the series. His voice is an awesome fit for Luc’s POV, and he adds even more humor to Hall’s prose.

So I have to say this was a surprise. This was one of my most anticipated summer reads and I’m not sure where it all went wrong.

Things I liked:
There were really interesting conversations from the LGBTQ perspective about marriage and being “the correct type of gay” which came up several times as a recurrent fight that Oliver and Luc have. Oliver is pretty quiet and reserved so yeah, it would be a huge out of character moment if he started putting up rainbow flags on everything he owns and whatnot.

Oliver’s speech at the funeral was probably the most authentic these characters felt in the entire book which was tied with the scene in the bathroom where Luc was very sensitive to Oliver’s body issues.

Things I did not like:
They didn’t really connect in the entire book. Every time Luc’s friends called, he was off and running. Date night? Nope. Have a drama to fix that takes 10 people. Special planned anniversary date? Nope. Luc rolls in late with a hangover. Oliver was just consistently ranked last and it rankled.

BUT the biggest thing I had a problem with was that they are getting married and they’re so in love (told and not shown in the writing) yet there were really only one or two moments in the entire book where they were affectionate or focused on each other. The rest of the time they were snarking at one another.

I can get into more but I don’t want this to be full of spoilers.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Alexis Hall for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.