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diana_raquel's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
So, I really liked Boyfriend Material. It was a cute rom-com. And because I liked it, I decided to read Husband Material, which continues the story of Luc and Oliver. And I liked it. It's another cute rom-com. However, I didn't like it as much as the first book.
What won me over Boyfriend Material, was the character development. Although I didn't like Luc at first, I kept rooting for him and Oliver. And, with time, I started to like him. But when I started reading this book, I already know Luc and his character development. And, although this book also has strong character development, it wasn't as impactful as the character development of the first book. So, the book ended up falling a bit short, for me. However, on a positive point, this book was able to surprise me since some plot twists were completely unexpected.
Overall, this is a cute rom-com that I would recommend to fans of Luc and Oliver.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual content
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
sarahna's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cancer, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
junovverse's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Classism
nickoliver's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Vomit
botanicalprofanity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, Vomit, Death of parent, and Classism
spookieboogie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Classism
claracavanaugh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit
Minor: Classism
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
- There's no reason for HUSBAND MATERIAL to exist, it's about 100 pages too long, and it's and absolute joy.
- I was so happy to sink back into this world: Alex misunderstanding jokes, Luc fumbling every important conversation, Bridget being a hopeless romantic.
- Plus, I didn't see the ending coming until we were upon it; I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks of it!
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
casreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
Minor: Classism