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levilore_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
I really enjoyed this book! It had a lot of great moments, but be aware that it is very different in vibes from the first book. Rather than Boyfriend Material which was much more "fanfic trope" this book deals with what it is actually like being in an adult relationship, what queer love means, marriage as an institution, and grief. It had a lot of amazing moments, but didn't have the iron grip on my heart like the first book, which honestly worked well for the plot/themes. Had some moments that genuinely made me yell out loud from excitement and other times I fully started crying. I only knocked it down a few points because the beginning was a bit slow for my taste.
Now the ending.I saw other reviews saying they hated this book because the ending was so disappointing and frustrating. I see where people are coming from, the whole build up to the wedding and then for them to not even get married was somewhat disappointing plus the last chapter felt a bit rushed. However, I do not think the ending didn't make sense and I believe many people missed the point of this story.
Throughout the different weddings, Luc and Oliver obviously have different opinions about what marriage means and in Oliver's case, he is still figuring out what being queer means for him. The other weddings celebrate the joy of marriage and how individualized the experience is for each couple. My main takeaway from the book was that for Luc and Oliver, the act of marriage isn't, well, that important. For them, not being married is more important because it's an act of protest. Neither of them really talk about why they want to be married, rather they are both focused on the expectations that they should want to get married. They already do all the things that a life partner does for each other. Luc shows this when he supports Oliver through his dad's death. Oliver supports Luc when they go to Miles' wedding. The only time their communication fully breaks down is when they are trying to plan an event neither of them want. For the characters, the ending makes sense. Is it extremely dramatic and surprising? Absolutely. But through that act, through their complete honesty with each other, they are able to have their version of what love means, which is them bailing on their own wedding, running into the rain, and making out. (I really enjoyed the sweet touch of the rainbow umbrellas)
In a larger context, I enjoyed this book because it explores the complexity of queerness and marriage. They talk about how marriage is an important right for queer people, but there is no right way to be queer. Having that conventional expression of love, for a relationship that started and continues to be unconventional, just doesn't work for them. And that's the point of the ending. Did it annoy me that they wasted all that time and money just to not get married? Yes, it did. Do I think they could have just had a big party and skipped the ceremony? Absolutely. But I think that's the whole point. From the outside, them running off looks absolutely ridiculous and stupid, but character wise it makes sense because honestly they are both kind of ridiculous and stupid. People want everything to be wrapped up in this beautiful bow of marriage = happiness but I think Alexis Hall uses this book to show how true queerness is about accepting that not being married, not having the flashy rainbow ceremony, should be just as beautiful as all those things. The idea of "love is love" should not just be "love is love if you follow the traditional normative conventions of how love should be expressed", but rather "love is complex and weird and that is beautiful too". And I personally think that is more impactful than them getting married in the first place.
Now the ending.
Throughout the different weddings, Luc and Oliver obviously have different opinions about what marriage means and in Oliver's case, he is still figuring out what being queer means for him. The other weddings celebrate the joy of marriage and how individualized the experience is for each couple. My main takeaway from the book was that for Luc and Oliver, the act of marriage isn't, well, that important. For them, not being married is more important because it's an act of protest. Neither of them really talk about why they want to be married, rather they are both focused on the expectations that they should want to get married. They already do all the things that a life partner does for each other. Luc shows this when he supports Oliver through his dad's death. Oliver supports Luc when they go to Miles' wedding. The only time their communication fully breaks down is when they are trying to plan an event neither of them want. For the characters, the ending makes sense. Is it extremely dramatic and surprising? Absolutely. But through that act, through their complete honesty with each other, they are able to have their version of what love means, which is them bailing on their own wedding, running into the rain, and making out. (I really enjoyed the sweet touch of the rainbow umbrellas)
In a larger context, I enjoyed this book because it explores the complexity of queerness and marriage. They talk about how marriage is an important right for queer people, but there is no right way to be queer. Having that conventional expression of love, for a relationship that started and continues to be unconventional, just doesn't work for them. And that's the point of the ending. Did it annoy me that they wasted all that time and money just to not get married? Yes, it did. Do I think they could have just had a big party and skipped the ceremony? Absolutely. But I think that's the whole point. From the outside, them running off looks absolutely ridiculous and stupid, but character wise it makes sense because honestly they are both kind of ridiculous and stupid. People want everything to be wrapped up in this beautiful bow of marriage = happiness but I think Alexis Hall uses this book to show how true queerness is about accepting that not being married, not having the flashy rainbow ceremony, should be just as beautiful as all those things. The idea of "love is love" should not just be "love is love if you follow the traditional normative conventions of how love should be expressed", but rather "love is complex and weird and that is beautiful too". And I personally think that is more impactful than them getting married in the first place.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Sexism, Grief, Homophobia, Classism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Transphobia, Vomit, Cancer, Infidelity, and Excrement
ashwaar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Vomit
annahamburger's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
eamily's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
sarahna's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Body shaming, Classism, Eating disorder, Cancer, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
nickoliver's review
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? Yes
4.0
I went into "Husband Material" with a very cautious mind. I'd been excited for it from the moment I'd heard that "Boyfriend Material" was getting a sequel, so when I suddenly got some Tik Toks talking about how much they hated the ending, I started getting scared. And I also remembered that I usually hated romance sequels that followed the same couple, because a lot of the ones that I've read before ended in break-ups. Which made me even more worried.
Thankfully, I actually kind of liked the ending! Yes, the direction Hall took was a bit unexpected and abrupt, but since I expected this precise thing would happen (I refused to believe Hall would break them up, so I chose to hope for this exact outcome instead), I wasn't thrown off. It also helped that I'm not big into wedding and marriages, anyway (child of divorce + living in a country that only legalized same-sex marriage less than two months ago will do that to you), so I wasn't looking forward for anything spectacular in the first place.
I do have to say I do overall prefer "Boyfriend Material," mainly because this sequel felt like it didn't have a clear plot line that it followed. Especially the beginning was more Luc's friends (and exes) getting married and him going to those weddings and the hijinks that sometimes ensued. Which was fun to read about, but I often didn't know what the point of writing a sequel was if it was just this? It could've just as easily been like a novella that followed Luc and Oliver a bit after the events of "Boyfriend Material". Only after Luc and Oliver decided to also get married did it start to have a red thread in the story.
Luc was also really frustrating sometimes, especially that he had a problem with Oliver not liking your typical "gay" stuff (for example, rainbow-coloured things) and had to have that fight several times in the book. He did end up understanding him, but it took him quite a lot of time to get there. And as a queer person who, like Oliver, doesn't feel so comfortable with overtly queer things on himself, it got a bit too personal for me. Though Hall did also show the progress they went through as individuals and as a couple as well, so that was nice.
The book had a lot of funny moments, hence how I managed to read it in two days. And it genuinely felt quick, too. I remember when I first read "Boyfriend Material," I was annoyed towards the end because it felt so drawn out, but that wasn't the case here. So overall, I definitely enjoyed this!
Thankfully, I actually kind of liked the ending! Yes, the direction Hall took was a bit unexpected and abrupt, but since I expected this precise thing would happen (I refused to believe Hall would break them up, so I chose to hope for this exact outcome instead), I wasn't thrown off. It also helped that I'm not big into wedding and marriages, anyway (child of divorce + living in a country that only legalized same-sex marriage less than two months ago will do that to you), so I wasn't looking forward for anything spectacular in the first place.
I do have to say I do overall prefer "Boyfriend Material," mainly because this sequel felt like it didn't have a clear plot line that it followed. Especially the beginning was more Luc's friends (and exes) getting married and him going to those weddings and the hijinks that sometimes ensued. Which was fun to read about, but I often didn't know what the point of writing a sequel was if it was just this? It could've just as easily been like a novella that followed Luc and Oliver a bit after the events of "Boyfriend Material". Only after Luc and Oliver decided to also get married did it start to have a red thread in the story.
Luc was also really frustrating sometimes, especially that he had a problem with Oliver not liking your typical "gay" stuff (for example, rainbow-coloured things) and had to have that fight several times in the book. He did end up understanding him, but it took him quite a lot of time to get there. And as a queer person who, like Oliver, doesn't feel so comfortable with overtly queer things on himself, it got a bit too personal for me. Though Hall did also show the progress they went through as individuals and as a couple as well, so that was nice.
The book had a lot of funny moments, hence how I managed to read it in two days. And it genuinely felt quick, too. I remember when I first read "Boyfriend Material," I was annoyed towards the end because it felt so drawn out, but that wasn't the case here. So overall, I definitely enjoyed this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Vomit
lethaltea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief
Minor: Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship
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