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alexelli's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Cancer, Chronic illness, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
leonormsousa's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
aexileigh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder
fromundertheashtree's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book is quite literally my favorite book of all time. i see myself in the thoughts and feelings of Luc and Oliver and honestly i just ashejjssjsjdhsj love it.
“I’m confused. What on earth has given you the impression I’m not miserable?” - Luc, Chapter 19
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
ingridmaria's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Homophobia
Moderate: Eating disorder, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
tinysierra's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The romance was cute and the side characters were fun. There was a lot of fun banter.
Luc’s friend group had a group chat that they kept changing the name to funny puns. One of them wasAll About That Ace. Yay, asexual acknowledgement <3
Luc’s thought process felt kind of convoluted at times and I do think the book could have been shorter.
The sex and kissing were fade to black, which was nice as an asexual reader who is used to reading YA.
I love continuing to see the normalization of male characters crying and express their feelings. The characters have struggles and self image issues that I felt were realistic.
As an American reader, I feel like there were some jokes and general things that kind of flew over my head and showed my ignorance about the British aristocracy and things like that.
There are multiple Harry Potter references, which make sense in a book set where JKR is from, but anyone who wants to avoid any mentions of the series should probably skip this book. The mentions are brief without getting detailed but they happen at least four times.
Welcome to Night Vale (the podcast) and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller were also mentioned.
There were talks about vegetarianism, ethical consumption, body image issues, homophobia, fat phobia, childhood abandonment. There was a bit of drinking.
Rant on parenting/childcare:
There’s this side couple that make a joke of how much their kids are “little shits” that they always need to make an effort to get a break from. I understand parenting is tiring. I agree parents need to take a break and participate in hobbies outside of taking care of their children. But it just felt like “ugh my kids are such a burden.” I mean, I guess it is realistic. Some people do talk about their children like that.
On the other hand, there was another couple that expressed that they did not want children and wished their parents would stop pressuring them to have them. I did appreciate the inclusion of happily childless characters.
Luc’s friend group had a group chat that they kept changing the name to funny puns. One of them was
Luc’s thought process felt kind of convoluted at times and I do think the book could have been shorter.
The sex and kissing were fade to black, which was nice as an asexual reader who is used to reading YA.
I love continuing to see the normalization of male characters crying and express their feelings. The characters have struggles and self image issues that I felt were realistic.
As an American reader, I feel like there were some jokes and general things that kind of flew over my head and showed my ignorance about the British aristocracy and things like that.
There are multiple Harry Potter references, which make sense in a book set where JKR is from, but anyone who wants to avoid any mentions of the series should probably skip this book. The mentions are brief without getting detailed but they happen at least four times.
Welcome to Night Vale (the podcast) and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller were also mentioned.
There were talks about vegetarianism, ethical consumption, body image issues, homophobia, fat phobia, childhood abandonment. There was a bit of drinking.
Rant on parenting/childcare:
On the other hand, there was another couple that expressed that they did not want children and wished their parents would stop pressuring them to have them. I did appreciate the inclusion of happily childless characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Cancer, Abandonment, and Body shaming
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Biphobia, and Eating disorder
literarypenguin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Boyfriend Material is about Luc O’Donnell, the semi-famous son of two former rockstars who are used to showing up in the tabloids detailing his out-of-control behavior. When his job decides to have a charity event, Luc must clean up his image in order to keep his job. One of the ways he can clean up his image is by getting a respectable boyfriend to take to the event. In comes Oliver Blackwood, an honest yet stoic barrister with great social standing and good looks to boot. They both need a boyfriend to make the other look good for events so they devise a plan. Pretend to fake date each other until the events are over. Should be easy right? This book was so good, the humor was hilarious, the romance was such a good slow burn, and the characters were very unique and had such charm to them. A lot of people who have read this book have said their favorite part was the romance and they were right! It was so sweet and downright adorable at times! As a person who is trying to read more romance novels, I feel like this is a good one to start getting into them more. I feel like this book used the enemies-to-lovers trope very well and the fake dating trope!
I enjoyed the writing this book had to offer! The humor was this book’s strong point for sure! The jokes were written in a way that they didn’t take too much away from the moment or the romance in the book. It gave some lightheartedness after some pretty hard emotional moments. This book was mainly written from the point of view of Luc which was a smart decision in my opinion. That way we got to see Luc’s growth as a person and his developing feelings for Oliver grow as time went on. We got to see him grow and change for the better! The romance was very well - written and I appreciated very much that it took time to develop over time not all at once. You could read little moments in the book that both characters would have never done before for each other. It handled the romance very believably and was on the point of realism.
This book focuses heavily on Luc and Oliver trying to keep up the ruse of being fake boyfriends while also both struggling with their real feelings for each other starting to bloom underneath the service. It also shows how both Luc and Oliver are changing as people like Luc began to see themselves in a more positive way while Oliver loosened up and started to take himself not so seriously. I liked that the story had both of them needing each other for events because that helped to move the plot forward and the romance along with it. The conflict was for both of them navigating how to get along with each other then the climax was Luc realizing his feelings for Oliver and Oliver realizing them back. The resolution is that they both want to date for real and try an actual relationship. The romance was the best part of the book and was what carried the plot throughout the whole book. I really enjoyed it a lot!
Luc and Oliver are the two main characters that we follow. Luc was a very complex and interesting character! I loved that he was unapologetically messy and knew that he was screwed up. He didn’t try to hide that he had issues but was hesitant though to face them by himself. He had some very serious trust issues and abandonment issues because of his childhood. Oliver was also very complex and had his own inner conflict as well! He was stoic, a perfectionist, took himself way too seriously at times, and was closed off to others. He also had issues with his self-esteem and possibly an eating disorder caused by his past. Both are very detailed characters and also some very interesting and great side characters as well! I loved Luc’s group of friends and how they weren’t afraid to say things to Luc that he needed to hear but also were very supportive of him and were always there when he needed them. I adored his mother too! She is such a sweetheart but she isn’t afraid to speak her mind either!
The book mainly takes place in London which is a beautiful city and has a lot of different layers to it. It is beautiful and the different cultures and people who live there are great to see in the book. It doesn’t have too many places that we go to but it has just enough for the story to develop and the characters to feel alive and realistic.
There are many different themes in the book one of which is changing as a person and accepting yourself for better or worse. Luc goes through substantial changes that make him grow as a person and brings him closer to who he wants to be. He accepts his estrangement from his father and starts to tackle his issues head-on. It also highlights workplace homophobia and how some workplaces show it in subtle ways or in more obvious ways. The thing I loved that this book showed was how expectations from family can be a benefit but can also be a detriment to a person’s well-being. It can cause this person to become self-deprecating and in Oliver’s case, it can cause an eating disorder and an unhealthy view of himself. It really shows how just because a person can look okay on the outside doesn’t mean they are okay on the inside. How everybody has their demons no matter what the circumstances.
I really recommend this book a whole lot especially if you are starting to get into a reading romance! I really hope you give this book a try and enjoy it just as much as I did!
I enjoyed the writing this book had to offer! The humor was this book’s strong point for sure! The jokes were written in a way that they didn’t take too much away from the moment or the romance in the book. It gave some lightheartedness after some pretty hard emotional moments. This book was mainly written from the point of view of Luc which was a smart decision in my opinion. That way we got to see Luc’s growth as a person and his developing feelings for Oliver grow as time went on. We got to see him grow and change for the better! The romance was very well - written and I appreciated very much that it took time to develop over time not all at once. You could read little moments in the book that both characters would have never done before for each other. It handled the romance very believably and was on the point of realism.
This book focuses heavily on Luc and Oliver trying to keep up the ruse of being fake boyfriends while also both struggling with their real feelings for each other starting to bloom underneath the service. It also shows how both Luc and Oliver are changing as people like Luc began to see themselves in a more positive way while Oliver loosened up and started to take himself not so seriously. I liked that the story had both of them needing each other for events because that helped to move the plot forward and the romance along with it. The conflict was for both of them navigating how to get along with each other then the climax was Luc realizing his feelings for Oliver and Oliver realizing them back. The resolution is that they both want to date for real and try an actual relationship. The romance was the best part of the book and was what carried the plot throughout the whole book. I really enjoyed it a lot!
Luc and Oliver are the two main characters that we follow. Luc was a very complex and interesting character! I loved that he was unapologetically messy and knew that he was screwed up. He didn’t try to hide that he had issues but was hesitant though to face them by himself. He had some very serious trust issues and abandonment issues because of his childhood. Oliver was also very complex and had his own inner conflict as well! He was stoic, a perfectionist, took himself way too seriously at times, and was closed off to others. He also had issues with his self-esteem and possibly an eating disorder caused by his past. Both are very detailed characters and also some very interesting and great side characters as well! I loved Luc’s group of friends and how they weren’t afraid to say things to Luc that he needed to hear but also were very supportive of him and were always there when he needed them. I adored his mother too! She is such a sweetheart but she isn’t afraid to speak her mind either!
The book mainly takes place in London which is a beautiful city and has a lot of different layers to it. It is beautiful and the different cultures and people who live there are great to see in the book. It doesn’t have too many places that we go to but it has just enough for the story to develop and the characters to feel alive and realistic.
There are many different themes in the book one of which is changing as a person and accepting yourself for better or worse. Luc goes through substantial changes that make him grow as a person and brings him closer to who he wants to be. He accepts his estrangement from his father and starts to tackle his issues head-on. It also highlights workplace homophobia and how some workplaces show it in subtle ways or in more obvious ways. The thing I loved that this book showed was how expectations from family can be a benefit but can also be a detriment to a person’s well-being. It can cause this person to become self-deprecating and in Oliver’s case, it can cause an eating disorder and an unhealthy view of himself. It really shows how just because a person can look okay on the outside doesn’t mean they are okay on the inside. How everybody has their demons no matter what the circumstances.
I really recommend this book a whole lot especially if you are starting to get into a reading romance! I really hope you give this book a try and enjoy it just as much as I did!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
josoko's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, and Addiction
Minor: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
jjjreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Classism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content