Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - בנוי לחתונה

Oliver and Luc are drowning in weddings. It seems like everyone they know is getting married, and they're happy for them of course. They're happy together, but every book need some sort of conflict and there are a few sprinkled throughout all surrounding the theme of weddings/marriage. This almost felt like a novella collection until I got to the end, and I was honestly feeling like it was all vibes/no plot. I feel like for the actual point of the story, this could have been a LOT shorter. Even with that, I love them so much that I happily listened to all the aimless fluff.

The ending was an interesting choice. I've heard this discussion in other queer books, but I've rarely seen people willing to commit so hard to not submitting to heteronormative behavior in this way. I love that they get to stay together, because I love them, but I'm furious that it took so long. You literally have done all this work, got all these people there, and neither of them ever brought this up. They kept getting lost in the details, and maybe that's a good way to avoid discussing what's actually important. This might be the most realistic representation of miscommunication I've read now that I think of it.

I would love another "Five years later" novella just to see where everyone ends up.

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rdubs15's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The cast of characters in this series reminds me a lot of the cast of characters in Friends, for better and for worse. Sometimes lovable, sometimes infuriating, they’re always up to something that could probably be solved with some open communication. I found the first half or so of the book nearly insufferable, but the back half (and especially the ending) brought things back around.

As someone who has a mixed relationship with sitcoms like Friends or Schitt’s Creek, I have a mixed relationship with this series. If shows of that nature are your jam, you’ll probably love these books as well.

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mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed the continuation of Luc and Oliver’s love story. This book starts 2 years from where the last one ended and everyone around the couple are getting married. The guys have very different ideas of what a wedding should look like, traditional, super rainbows and loud music, parents invited… there is a lot to work out. I did like the first book better, but I will always love a fake dating trope better than just a normal relationship story.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Look, I cannot lie, I wasn't planning to read this. I loved Boyfriend Material, but I was also happy with where it ended and didn't know if I needed/wanted more from the story. And then. And then the RWARB movie came out and I watched it daily for a week and I was struggling with some *real* emotions because I needed more like it...like I needed everything I read/watched to be exactly that, over and over. It's been awhile since I've had feelings like that about something I've read/watched. The hangover feels were (are) SO big. Googling read-alikes brought me quickly to Alexis Hall's work, which makes sense (I actually should have gotten there on my own, tbh)...it's all similarly snarky and steamy and wonderful. But the issue was that I have already read quite a few of his novels (at least the ones my library has, which is where I am financially at in my book-life), because, let's be honest, I already knew I loved his work. And thus, I found myself picking up this sequel in the hopes that it would ease my heart a bit.

In the last book, Luc and Oliver met, fake dated, fell in love for realsies and fought through a number of family issues with the help of each other and their friends. Now, as seems to be the natural progression of aging and relationships, everyone around them is getting married and the pressure to follow suit is intense. But are they ready? And is that even what they want for themselves? Told in the well-loved format of "four weddings and a funeral," Luc and Oliver work through the difficulties of attending and planning weddings as their relationship develops in depth and they try to figure out what their HEA actually looks like.

Let me just start by saying that picking this up was the right call. I was one chapter in and had already laughed out loud a couple times. Alexis Hall success! I mean, don't get me wrong, it's mostly fluff and filler. There's not really a plot, per se, just a lot of time spent with characters you already know and love and you're just watching them live their lives. Like, look, I realize this may not be everyone’s cup of tea (British jokes!) but I loved this long-term-committed-relationship banter. It’s honestly not something you get a lot of in romance, the snark and love and (borderline ridiculously inane) arguments, without the tension and drama of "will they, won’t they" because they already have. And I get that that tension is part of what makes romances great to read, but sometimes, and in this case as a person in a similar-sounding committed relationship, seeing it on page it’s really heartwarming and enjoyable! Kudos to Hall for keeping it real in this way. (And also, what a perfect book vibe to read to start a ten-year anniversary trip). So basically, it's fluff, but it's exactly the fluff I wanted.

In other news, Hall's writing remains unmatched, in my opinion. It's hilarious and creative (he uses words like "flummoxosity" and how can you not love that?) and real and so easy to read. Plus, there is one moment, during the funeral part of the novel, where Oliver gives a eulogy that is just...stunning. It’s a literary masterpiece of writing and Hall is a genius of humanity complexity and that sweet-authentic-messy-funny that is the hallmark of being a person. So good.

Despite there not being much of a plot, I could not put this down. The growth that Luc and Oliver experience separately and as a couple here is everything. Perhaps it's not as break-neck or groundbreaking, but it felt so genuine and there are so many times that, as a reader, I could recognize myself in their feelings and choices and even if mine were different, the conflict remains so relatable, while also retaining enough of a comic edge that it doesn't overwhelm and keeps the reading experience on the lighter side. The side characters mostly help with that as well - all our favs are back, with some new or bigger roles from previous bit characters - and as always, that supporting cast added a lot of fun and movement to the overall novel, even though the focus remained largely on Luc and Oliver.

A final note, I've seen a ton of reviews of people hating on the ending. Honestly, I loved it. It was the right choice for the characters and the way it played out, and when, was so in line with who they each were.And it's both because of their growth and because of how much more growing they have left that it happened like that. Everyone's HEA is different and they got the one they wanted and isn't that what we all deserve? Yes, it is. And I was here for it.

A delightfully entertaining read that filled the exact hole I needed it to, I acknowledge that my original reaction of not wanting to read more about Luc and Oliver was misguided and I'm thrilled to have been proven wrong.

“You had a bad experience once, and you’re afraid it’ll happen again. But past performance is no guarantee of future results.”

"Even after two years. When surely it should have stopped feeling this way: all, you know, intense and stuff."

"...it’s for those of us left behind to pick over ourselves and ask, ‘Am I this way in spite of this person or because of them?’ And so often the answer is simply yes."

"How could something that objectively did not matter become the hill you were most determined to die on?"

"Lucien,” he said softly. “You know you are the truest thing I have ever dared choose for myself. And we are the only thing I’ve ever had that I haven’t let other people define for me."

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teresateza's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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whatifitsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional sad

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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evelynyle_88's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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christinereads1823's review against another edition

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emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hall's wonderfully-flawed characters and true-to-life feelings make up for the complete and utter lack of a plot. Husband Material's sole driving force is the thought of a wedding, and Luc and Oliver spend the majority of the book in fights that are both silly and extremely sociopolitically relevant. The ending was cute, but I wish it hadn't come out of pretty much nowhere. I honestly think the book would have been much stronger if it had had Oliver's perspective.
Still a cute read, and I enjoyed the additional look into Luc and Oliver's lives.

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