Scan barcode
amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Bullying
yolie's review against another edition
funny
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Bullying
Minor: Cancer
I listened to the audiobook on Spotify and what a treat! The narrator was able to transform into each character and added distinct vocal characteristics to each character to set them apart. The characters are mischievous and loveable and the unfolding of Luc and Oliver’s relationship is sweet.beccaand'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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming
duchess_fayte's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Lucien: I unlocked my phone and pinged a message to Oliver: "do fake boyfriends fake text?"
Oliver: "Sorry to keep you waiting. I've thought about it and we probably should text each other for the sake of verisimilitude"
Lucien: "No wonder you're single if the second text you send a guy includes the word verisimilitude"
This is the first rom-com I've ever read, and I tend to stay away from the romance genre in general because I'm just not a big fan, but omg. "Boyfriend Material" is so funny! It has the perfect blend of actual relationship drama, pure comedic gold, and words that I had to google multiple times because I kept forgetting the meanings.
The conversations between the two main characters, Luc and Oliver, were so much fun and I found myself almost tearing the pages while laughing out loud. Of course, not everything in this book is hilarious, (in a book it rarely is) and Alexis Hall tackles plenty of serious topics as well. The author always does it with a little bit of humour though and this made this a really enjoyable and entertaining read.
The good thing about those moments is that they were all either called out or challenged by some of the characters (mainly ahem... Luc) and I really appreciated this approach. Alexis Hall deals with prejudices, bias and a good dose of discrimination but the author does it in a healthy kind of way.
ALSO; Luc and Oliver were such a great couple! Yes, they might have started fake dating because at that point in their lives they both needed it to save their reputation, but they were always honest and forthright! And this was extremely refreshing!!! And, most of the conflicts in this book didn’t actually come into being because of some miscommunication between the MCs but because the characters were so used to dealing with their problems on their own. They were stuck in their habits and problems and had a tough time letting anyone in, which considering both of their backstories was relatable.
There's only one thing I don't like much about the book, and that would be Luc's father. It's not even the character himself because of course he's a complete and utter asshole, but it's the way he was introduced into the story, the writing was kinda wack, and the way he just disappeared in the end? I feel like it was a loose end the author was desperately trying to tie up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Cancer, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, and Homophobia
Minor: Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Xenophobia
lilycallowhy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
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
The beginning was a little slow, but once I got into it, I was hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Eating disorder
kayladaila's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Homophobia, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Classism, and Alcohol
claudiamacpherson'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lucien's father is a famous rockstar, so despite never having met him, Lucien has suffered the consequences: paparazzi catching him at his lowest points. In desperate need of a nice, normal boyfriend to show that he is a respectable adult, Lucien allows his friend to set him up on a date with the most boring, uptight guy imaginable.
4.5 stars
This book was recommended to me as similar to Red, White, and Royal Blue, and it did not disappoint! It was delightfully trope-y (fake dating! one bed! showing up on a doorstep in the middle of the night!) and the banter made me genuinely laugh out loud. The only moments I didn't like were when Lucien apologized or felt guilty about saying something that was completely reasonable. I picked up this book to get out of my recent reading slump and absolutely flew trough it, but now I have a book hangover, so...if anyone has similar recommendations, please send them my way!
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):Predictably, very happy!!
4.5 stars
This book was recommended to me as similar to Red, White, and Royal Blue, and it did not disappoint! It was delightfully trope-y (fake dating! one bed! showing up on a doorstep in the middle of the night!) and the banter made me genuinely laugh out loud. The only moments I didn't like were when Lucien apologized or felt guilty about saying something that was completely reasonable. I picked up this book to get out of my recent reading slump and absolutely flew trough it, but now I have a book hangover, so...if anyone has similar recommendations, please send them my way!
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Homophobia
cluckieduck's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Everything I want in a rom-com
Boyfriend Material is sweet, funny, charming, angsty, poignant, adorable, snarky, heartbreaking...how many more adjectives can I throw at it?? It's a warm mug of tea on a foggy day. I loved everything about it (outside of the fade-to-blank sexy times, but I can overlook that ;) ).
Told only from Luc's POV, the book deftly follows his character growth as he comes to terms with how his childhood, as the famous-adjacent son of an absentee rock-star father, has affected his life and relationships. He's been in a bit of a rough patch the last few years and needs to present a more suitable face ahead of a major fundraising gig or else he'll be fired, so along comes clean-cut barrister Oliver to provide a grounding presence as Luc's fake boyfriend.
This is my first fake-dating trope in the romance genre and I loved it, especially because Luc & Oliver already had a bit of history.
Boyfriend Material is sweet, funny, charming, angsty, poignant, adorable, snarky, heartbreaking...how many more adjectives can I throw at it?? It's a warm mug of tea on a foggy day. I loved everything about it (outside of the fade-to-blank sexy times, but I can overlook that ;) ).
Told only from Luc's POV, the book deftly follows his character growth as he comes to terms with how his childhood, as the famous-adjacent son of an absentee rock-star father, has affected his life and relationships. He's been in a bit of a rough patch the last few years and needs to present a more suitable face ahead of a major fundraising gig or else he'll be fired, so along comes clean-cut barrister Oliver to provide a grounding presence as Luc's fake boyfriend.
This is my first fake-dating trope in the romance genre and I loved it, especially because Luc & Oliver already had a bit of history.
Someone had come up to us and asked if we were a couple, and Oliver had looked utterly disgusted, and replied "No, this is just another homosexual I'm standing next to.”
Neither are each others' type, but as they spend more time being fake-boyfriends, the lines begin to blur as they each work through their own struggles & flaws, and finally begin to realize how good they are for one another.
"Are we really bad at this?" I asked. "We've been fake dating for three days and we've already fake broken up once."
"Yes, but we fake resolved our difficulties and fake got back together, and I'm hoping it's made us fake stronger."
Anyways, fake relationship aside, there is so much more to this story, including a wonderful cast of supporting characters, some really funny inside jokes (in particular, one revolving around some Dick pics), and working through some ingrained abandonment issues. I can't wait to see where Luc & Oliver's story goes in the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Cursing
Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Cancer
Minor: Eating disorder
arthisthoe's review against another edition
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
I just... wow. absolutely hilarious but also a lil too real... just i just yeah this book fucking hits
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
0701mango's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Homophobia and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content