Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Forever Material

It’s not as fun as its predecessor and it kind of feels like Luc and Oliver haven’t grown at all since they got together. They still have frustrating fights because they don’t see eye to eye on some topics and readers get told how much they’ve grown without seeing the evidence. We find out that Oliver has been to therapy to deal with his eating disorder but honestly both of them should be in therapy so they can work through their insecurities and feelings of inadequacy.

My favorite section was Oliver working through some of issues with his family. Maybe its the American in me but sometimes you just gotta fight it out with your sibling so you can understand the other’s point of view on your awful parents. If you’ve seen The Good Place, it reminds me of Tahani and Kamilah.

Overall I’m not mad that I read it but it doesn’t live up to the first one so I’m a little disappointed.

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cheye13's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

I put off reading this for quite a long time, believing Boyfriend Material didn't need a sequel (or a series). And it really doesn't. It's a book that stands alone just fine.

But that doesn't also mean that this book didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go. It is also a wonderful story that stands alone just as well. Yet it has the added bonus of being a wholly faithful continuation of the characters and their trajectories from the previous story.

So often I finish a book and had such a good time that I wished it simply kept going and this sequel is the closest I will ever see to providing that for its predecessor. My new fear is that this book spoke to me so well because I'm in a very similar life stage; I hope my affection for this series doesn't fade in time.

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tshepiso's review against another edition

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4.0

After inhaling Boyfriend Material in a day I was excited to get to its sequel. And, for the most part, it didn't disappoint. Firstly the concept of this novel is something I adore. I'm generally much more interested in the 'staying together' portion of relationships than 'getting together' and given that most romances stick to the latter I've been starved for content. But as he's consistently done Alexis Hall delivers exactly what I've been craving in Husband Material. This book sees Luc and Oliver two years after the end of Boyfriend Material blissfully dating yet increasingly surrounded by happily married couples. After attending a string of weddings Luc impulsively proposes to Oliver and the two embark on the harrowing process of planning a wedding.

What I loved most about this novel is how it approaches Luc and Oliver's relationship. While the two deeply love each other that doesn't mean their relationship is free from conflict. And rather than the contrived relationship drama most writers force established couples into the struggles these two go through are deeply informed by their previously established characterization. While Luc loves Oliver he's still insecure and impulsive and that impacts their relationship. Getting the guy didn't magically fix all his problems. However, despite still having conflict, Hall never makes Luc and Oliver's relationship flimsy. White lies and misunderstandings never break the two apart in serious ways and the cliched cheating plotlines are completely avoided. Because despite the growing pains in their relationship Hall always keeps a firm grasp on why the two love each other and want to be together.

Another thing I loved about this novel is its themes which I, unfortunately, can't discuss without heading deep into spoiler territory.

The way Hall answers the question of what marriage means for Luc and Oliver was beautifully rendered and perfectly constructed. Throughout the novel, Luc and Oliver are bombarded with the cultural expectations of marriage and its place as the one true symbol of true love and eternal happiness. The genuine angst about their marriage and the conflict that angsts created while occasionally frustrating never felt contrived but honest and true. Throughout the novel Luc and Oliver see marriage play out in both the most traditional and queer ways possible yet they still decide that mould doesn't fit them. Seeing that choice validated was so beautiful and so fitting for them as a couple. Hall's overall unpacking of the heteronormativity of marriage and the weight the societal ideals of what marriage means puts on especially queer people was done perfectly.

I especially appreciated the ways Hall tied Luc and Oliver's contrasting relationships to the queer community into this overarching narrative. I was initially skeptical of the way Oliver's distance from the aesthetic trappings of queerness in contrast to Luc's unabashed embrace of "stereotypical" queer symbols and activities would play out but this ultimately resolved itself well.

Hall balances validating Oliver's feelings while challenging him to interrogate where they come from and Luc backing down from his ultimately insecurity-based fears that Oliver doesn't present his queer identity in the same ways he does excellently.

I did still have some problems with Husband Material. The biggest was just how much time we spent on the side plots, especially early on in the novel. The most egregious was Luc's best friend Bridge's wedding. While this plotline is thematically relevant to the overarching story I found the hijinks surrounding it more than a little tedious. The antics Bridge and y extension Luc finds themselves in during the leadup to Bridge's wedding were a tad too convoluted for my taste. It didn't help that they took up almost a third of the novel.

This book also highlighted for me that I don't enjoy a lot of Alexis Hall's humour. Outside of Luc and Oliver's banter which continued to be delightful the running gags surrounding most of the side characters started wearing thin very quickly. In hindsight, I didn't find these jokes all that amusing in Boyfriend Material but they comparatively took up much less space in that novel than in this one which made them more tolerable. From the quirkily named James Royce Royce's and Ana with one n (yes, she's referred like to like that the entire time) to Luc's "charmingly" annoying colleagues, it was all getting a little too twee to bear at a certain point.

As I did in Boyfriend Material I continued to long for Oliver's POV throughout the story. He, again, has the most compelling conflict in this story as we follow up on his messy relationship with his controlling, slightly homophobic family. Some of the most emotionally engaging and moving moments in the book centred on his relationship with his family and I wish we'd gotten to see those moments from his perspective.

From the processes of grieving his complicated father to repairing his relationship with his brother Christopher and even connecting with his long-closeted uncle Jim there were so many moments I wish I had been closer to through Oliver's perspective but never could be.

Further, I do think the narrative does lose something from never seeing Oliver's perspective. While I do love and believe in their romance Luc is such a self-deprecating person that there were moments I struggled to understand what Oliver saw in him. And because Luc often saw Oliver through the rose-tinted glasses of a lover I often felt I didn't have as deep an understanding of Oliver's flaws as I could have.

In this end, I think what made Husband Material so successful despite minor flaws was Alexis Hall's excellent character work and stunning command of romantic storytelling. His work never ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to read the next chapter in Luc and Oliver's story, but until then I'll content myself by binging the rest of his backlist.

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lisa_m's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I really wanted to love this. And I do still very much love the writing style of Alexis Hall. I don't think Boyfriend Material needed a sequels though.
I loved Boyfriend Material. It's so funny and charming and real. That is still true for Husband Material but the story is just.. not that great. It's basically just a series of weddings

and a funeral

.

I was really excited for this book and now I'm unsure what to think of it. Was is funny? Yes, absolutely! Alexis Hall is one of the few authors that can actually make me laugh out loud. I really enjoy this books humour. Still the plot just kind of fell flat to me. After all the turmoil of the first book it felt like a bit of a betrayal to have the characters struggle again.

I do appreciate the realness of the book. Especially the ending was amazing and I really loved to read about this conclusion. BUT even though I loved the plot of the ending it felt really abrupt and sudden.

Also Luc is such a hypocrite. I get that you need it for the drama of the big conclusion but it still annoyed me. Honestly the whole book was just soo full of misunderstandings and fights I started to doubt whether Luc and Oliver are actually good together. I like that it shows how in real relationships you do fight and have disagreements but sometimes it just felt too personal.

All in all I loved some parts of this book, enjoyed others. Sometimes I was really bored and thought about dnfing the book. Sometimes I was just ambivalent and sometimes I gut really angry at the book. It was okay and did the best it could I guess but also I don't think anything could really live up to the expectations I had just because of how much I loved Boyfriend Material.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

4.5

Husband Material is the first direct-line sequel to a romcom I've read, and it didn't disappoint! I was so happy to have more of Oliver and Luc, and the shenanigans of their friends.

Healthy communication, check
Sexy banter, check
Romantic as fuck, check
Explorations of community and self-expression, check

I relate to Oliver so much in his identity crisis. I'm demisexual, but I'm also straight and cis, and my demisexuality has never impacted my relationships or how I'm perceived by the world. It makes me feel like I'm not queer enough to be queer, and honestly, after this book, I'm saying f**k it I will express myself however feels authentic to me. So thanks, Oliver (and Alexis Hall), for giving me the courage to do that.

Back to the book, I really loved it. It didn't quite give me the five-star ~vibes~ but I honestly couldn't tell you why. I loved this book, I love this series, and I can't wait to read more from Alexis Hall. I'd highly recommend the London Calling series to anyone who enjoyed Red, White & Royal Blue, or who likes their romcoms to have a side of intense character growth through big struggles. 4.5 stars.

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franzis_buecher's review

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emotional funny

4.0

Also zuerst fand ich den zweiten Teil sogar besser als den ersten:
- die beiden Charaktere, Luc und Oliver, sind ausgewogener (weniger "ich hasse mich und bin ein Arschloch" von Luc und weniger "er ist so perfekt" über Oliver, sondern sie haben beide ihre Schwächen und ihre Stärken und kennen sich auch schon gut genug, um das zu erkennen)
- außerdem fand ich die Struktur in Anlehnung an 4 Hochzeiten und 1 Todesfall sehr gut gemacht!
- und teilweise fand ich es noch witziger als den ersten Teil (zb der Kartoffelpü-Witz, wo ich mich frage, wie das wohl im englischen Original hieß, oder auch die christliche Hochzeit, bei der Luc nur verwirrt dasitzt während um ihn herum alle im Chor irgendwas sagen, war köstlich)
- außerdem fand ich die Diskussionen rund um Heteronormativität, Ehe, und Zugehörigkeitsgefühl zur queeren Community sehr interessant.

Allerdings ist das Buch für meinen Geschmack genau wie der erste Band ein bisschen zu lang, einige Szenen hätten echt auch gekürzt werden können.
Und der Konflikt erschien mir auch sehr künstlich am Schluss bzw. sehr unnötig, sie hätten einfach mal miteinander reden müssen aber gut:D Das ging dann soweit, dass ich teilweise auch dachte, dass sie eben doch nicht so gut zusammenpassen leider ...
Allgemein finde ich, dass der Autor leider nicht so gut darin ist, Enden zu schreiben. Aber das meiste, was davor kam, war ziemlich gut:)

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owliglot's review against another edition

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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

4.25

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