I DNF’d this book about 60% of the way through - it just wasn’t right for me and fell short of my expectations. The story felt slow (and not in an anticipatory, slow-burn type way), the writing was repetitive, and the characters were not as deep or self-aware for what I would expect for an adult/new adult book. Honestly, as someone who reads a lot of YA, these characters did not feel much more developed than the late high school teens in the other LGBTQ+ romances I’ve read. I appreciated the inclusive take on a classic rom-com storyline but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

This book combines three of my favorite things: love of movies, love of writing, and love, period. I’ve been a fan of Mason Deaver since I Wish You All the Best, and their adult debut is another stunner. The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is much sweeter than IWYATB, but no less poignant. Being queer in the South or heavily conservative areas is a struggle many can relate to - having to hide a crucial piece of yourself, and missing out on big milestones as a consequence - and one Deaver handles well in their writing, pointing out the good with the bad.

I absolutely love that Eli is a cinephile. The movies heading each chapter were perfectly selected for the events that followed. Every chapter title I didn’t recognize was immediately added to my watch list. The biggest question I have for this story: what is Eli’s Letterboxd handle?

Peter and Eli’s relationship may be one of my new favorites. It has everything a romance reader could want - second chance romance, fake dating, and a perfect “oh. OH.” moment. I was pleasantly surprised that their story didn’t follow Eli’s perfect rom-com movie arc - he did something that hurt Peter deeply, and had to earn his trust back with time rather than a big, public gesture. As much as I love a good Heath-Ledger-in-the-bleachers moment, sometimes, the best thing you can do for your person is give them time and space to heal.

All in all, a brilliant adult debut bursting with heart and queer joy of all kinds. I can’t wait to see what Deaver writes next.

I really enjoyed The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver — my first book by them. This rom-com had all the right elements: messy moments, heartfelt drama, and characters you can’t help but root for. The pop culture references (hello, Chappell Roan!) were the cherry on top, adding that extra queer touch that made it even more fun.

The best part? Watching Eli and Peter grow throughout the book. Their chemistry is amazing, and while the fake dating setup was fun, the real beauty came from seeing them face their fears, get real about who they are, and navigate both love and their careers. It felt so authentic, especially the way Peter’s experience growing up queer in the South was explored. I didn’t just laugh — I felt deeply for them both. This book was exactly the kind of funny, heartfelt escape I needed, and I’m so glad I found it.

Eli is transgender, but that isn’t why he doesn’t currently have a boyfriend. He broke up with his old boyfriend two years ago and still works with him at the same on-line magazine with him. Eli wants to be a serious journalist. Too bad he is at a trashy site, that only cares about sensationalism, and getting eyeballs on their stories.

HIs roommates persuade him to go on a blind date with Peter, who is so nervous that the date is a disaster. He spills food on him. Peter is an hour late. He keeps taking work calls on his phone.

He is telling his boss about all this, and his boss encourages him to write about it, and teach Peter how to be a good boyfriend. Eli agrees, but int he back of his mind, he wants to write something more serious.

So, yes, we can kind of see where this is going, but sometimes you can shout at characters, telling them, no, and they still do what they are going to do. It is a sweet love story, because of course, fake dating often leads to real feelings, no matter how many times the people involved think, oh, they won’t fall for that.

I enjoyed this one. But, I was annoyed that Eli didn’t see what he was getting himself into. But then, of course, there wouldn’t have been a story. And Peter, despite being a hard lad to date, is perfectly fine around peers and people he isnt’ trying to impress.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 5th of August 2025.

This book was a joy. It caught my attention and held it from the very beginning. I flew through it in one day!

The main conflict in the book is something you can immediately see coming simply to the nature of the plot. That’s not a bad thing - having a cozy romance is like chicken noodle soup for the soul. Part of the joy of romance books is that they follow a pattern.
That’s not to say that there wasn’t some surprises - I didn’t know how things would resolve (other than it having a happy ending) and how the conflicts would play out.
I loved the trans representation in this book and the author did a fantastic job showing how it plays into the dating experience.
This book is worth a read and worth your time.

Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for giving me an eArc - all opinions are my own

This was a different kind of story! It was funny and sweet. The characters are just ones that I would like to know.
I will give this a 4 out of 5. It is a terrific love story with a bit of a twist!

When they say don‘t judge a book by its cover, they certainly don‘t mean "The Build-A-Boyfriend Project".
And not only is the cover amazing, but inside you find a story full of humor, growth, and trans joy.

I fell in love with the story in the first quarter, and the premise as well as the main characters, Eli and Peter, gave this such a unique plotline; I couldn‘t stop reading.

While this book covers important topics like grief and boundaries, I have to admit that there was one part that kept rubbing me the wrong way.
Eli keeps saying that the whole scheme has the goal of "fixing“ Peter, even after it‘s established that his lack of dating experience is due to the unsupportiveness of queerness in his hometown and therefore the missing learning opportunities. Which is precisely the topic of Eli's article.
Eli as a whole is a really complex character, which made it really hard to understand the reasonings behind some of his choices at times.
Regardless, his growth in this story is not to be overlooked either, and the end of the book kind of redeemed the problematic actions a bit.

So if you want a rom-com-like story, filled with jokes, big feelings, drama, and characters that are taking their happiness in their own hands, while also getting lots of movie recommendations for your watch list... then grab yourself a glass of iced Americano and enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

I really love Mason Deaver’s work. The Fear of Falling in Love is a personal favorite, which is why I was especially disappointed that The Build-A-Boyfriend Project didn’t quite land for me.

The fake dating setup is one of the most overly complicated versions I’ve come across, with motivations that feel flimsy and stretched thin. It’s no coincidence that the journalist main character is torn between writing a lighthearted article and something more serious, because the book itself feels caught in that same push and pull. It wants to be a sweet, quirky romcom, but frequently shifts into political and social commentary that, while important, feels at odds with the tone and how the story was marketed.

Eli, unfortunately, is a difficult protagonist to connect with. His indecision and lack of self-awareness made it hard to root for him, even when he finally starts to come around. The supporting characters—like the over-the-top boss, the one-note ex, the flat friend group, and the overbearing mother—feel more like romcom archetypes than real people. The exception is Peter Park, who is charming, grounded, and carries every scene he’s in.

When the book leans into the romcom moments without getting bogged down in its messaging or the overly complex structure of Eli and Peter’s relationship, it shines. Those glimpses of heart and sweetness are where Deaver’s voice truly comes through. I only wish the story had trusted those moments more.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the EARC copy!

I love Mason Deaver, and I mostly enjoyed this book. However, I feel like there was more development that could’ve been done, especially for Eli and Peter’s relationship. I would’ve liked to be able to see Peter’s feelings grow, and honestly, even Eli’s. There were some parts that felt repetitive, like Eli’s feelings realization, but what I really didn’t care for was the big lie trope that arched over the relationship that of course led to the technical third act break up.

Outside of all that, it was an enjoyable read. I’d catch myself smiling as they got closer and with their inside jokes. While predictable, it did keep me from getting overly anxious as I read, so that’s something.

The Build A Boyfriend Project was such a refreshing story, Eli is working as an assistant for an editor but is trying to work his way into becoming a staff writer. He’s finally open to dating but as luck would have it, has a horrible first date. Peter, is new to dating and unfortunately does everything one shouldn’t do on a date. When Eli’s editor overhears how bad this date was, he’s tasked with writing his first story, pretend to date Peter and write about it, but can he separate fact from fiction. What made this story different was the representation as well, I really liked seeing Eli’s backstory and insight into things he faces as a trans man; Peter is a Korean gay man and he too faces his own issues from not only his culture but also the gay community. Neither of these guys are perfect and I found this brought realism to the story. With that said, there were a handful of times where I thought these characters created their own problems and some things could have been easily avoided but there are also many cute moments as their friendship blossoms. Seeing them realize feelings, was fun and I laughed a couple times, mostly to Eli’s reaction at Peter’s lack of pop culture.
This is my first read from Mason Deaver, I had a great time reading this, it’s a pretty quick read and I’m intrigued to check out more of his work.
This will be available to purchase on 8/5/25 but you can preorder this now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the build-a-boyfriend project was such a layered rom-com with realistic characters who you could really feel for. Mason Deaver is such a eloquent writer and the combination between the romantic aspects and the workplace aspects and the more serious topics of growing up queer in the south and the experiences of a trans person in the world, all of it flowed together perfectly and very well executed. Eli is a flawed, but incredibly lovable, down to earth main character and you really can understand his reasoning for what he’s doing because he genuinely thinks he can help and that he’s doing the right thing. Getting to know Peter at the same time as Eli was like a treat. He seems like such a red flag at first but I become enamored with his shy, sweet, socially awkward personality and I constantly wanted more of him. We start to learn about his secret passion for writing and I’m I’m so glad that we got to see how that played out in the epilogue. Going into it, it’s obvious from the start that the build-a-boyfriend project is going to backfire but the reveal of how it ended up being released still had me seeing red. I wish that we had gotten a bit more of the story between the final chapter and the time skip to two years later to see how they both dealt with the backlash of the article being published and the effects on their new (in a way) relationship but I genuinely loved this story so much.

4.5/5 Stars

E-arc provided by Netgalley

This was a solid adult debut, I enjoyed it overall however if that was me I could not have forgiven Eli - also while I am usually a sucker for fake dating this one had a bit too much lying for me

I’ve loved Mason Deaver’s work from their first book and was especially excited to see them writing an adult romance. I had high hopes for this one.

For the most part, I really enjoyed it. I grew to appreciate the dynamic between Eli and Peter, especially how Eli made it clear that boundaries were important. I liked that he didn’t want to change who Peter was, just help him be more mindful of himself and anyone he tries to date. I also appreciated that the fake dating aspect wasn’t entirely built on a lie. That said, it was still partially based on deception, which is something I struggle with in romance. I was hoping this story would avoid the “big lie” trope, but it didn’t, and that was a bit of a letdown.

That being said, I love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so I still had a great time with this book despite that issue. There were a few moments, certain passages or monologues, that gave me minor icks, nothing major, just enough to keep this from being a five-star read.

I also really liked the buildup between Peter and Eli, but I wish we’d seen more of it to really feel them falling for each other, especially on Peter’s end. His feelings are more told than shown, which made it harder to connect with his side of things. I would have loved a bit more development, especially in the ending.

Also. I’m going to hate Keith regardless of their conversation.

I almost gave up on this book around half way through. The plot was fairly predictable. Peter was a nice guy but Eli really wasn’t; he was self-centered, manipulative and I’m not sure he deserved the happy ending that he got. Having said that I did like the ending; it was worth persevering to see our two protagonists get there finally.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

I— 😭😭😭

I just love this book! I loved the trans representation this book brought! I loved the two main characters! I loved the supporting characters too! This book will stay in my heart forever!

This was such a cute book! I HIGHLY recommend this book! The romance, the intention, the little details, and then ending were so great!

I WILL BE PURCHASING MY OWN COPY FOR MY LIBRARY!

Deeply deeply charming, full of love for these characters and then finding their place in the world. I think that what really worked for me in this book was the way that both Eli and Peter felt so deeply tangible — I've known people like both of them! — and as a result nothing about their dynamic felt contrived, and they still ran into a lot of friction and the complications of people learning how to come together. Tbh I was just so genuinely delighted by this book, especially since it was pitched as a romance, which is a genre where I am often wary of the general genre expectations of it all!!

Mason Mason Mason! Imagine if 27 Dresses, She’s All That and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days had passionate sex and their love child would be The Build A Boyfriend Project. It was utterly addictive to the point where I was reading it (and reacting) at work! Peter and Eli had me laughing and screaming so so hard! The Build A Boyfriend Project was a truly incredible adult debut!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the other works I've read by Mason Deaver, so I was interested to see their debut into the adult fiction world. Build-a-Boyfriend started out a bit slow for me, but I saw the charm in Peter after their disastrous first date happenings were explained. I wasn't a huge fan of the plot, partially because I spent a lot of time worrying about when the whole fake dating/article plan was going to blow up in their faces (I have no trust in authors.. just kidding..). So the overall trope plus the outcome wasn't my favorite and didn't feel very unique, but I do enjoy Deaver's writing style and the way they craft their descriptions. I would recommend this book to those looking for a queer romcom with a trans main character, but it wasn't personally my favorite book by this author.

Fake dating is one of my favorite romance tropes, which was one of the reasons that I was excited to read The Build-a-Boyfriend Project. The main character, Eli, is working as an assistant at a Buzzfeed-like website, but wants to write more serious stories. His boss is toxic and, to make things considerably worse, his ex also works there. After a disastrous blind date with Peter, he pitches his boss a story about fake dating Peter in order to “fix” him. Meanwhile, he tells Peter that he wants to write an article about what it was like to grow up as a queer person of color in the South, in exchange for some tips on dating. Of course, as they spend more time together, Eli sees past Peter’s socially awkward exterior and starts to develop feelings, but isn’t sure how to communicate this.

I’d recommend this book to fans of movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Devil Wears Prada. Much like those movies, it did it drive me kind of crazy that the main character chooses to stay in such a toxic work environment, but then again, that’s kind of a key plot point. Overall, I loved the writing style and character development. Eli and Peter felt real and I was rooting for them throughout the book.

Eli and Peter’s story is like the perfect blend of humor, heart, and steamy romance. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for Peter’s adorable awkwardness and Eli’s snarky charm? Their fake dating adventure turns into something real, and it’s SO satisfying! The way Deaver explores self-worth and career ambitions is truly inspiring.