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ludmireads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
on contrary to what the title says, neither Luc nor Oliver is boyfriend material.
it looked so promising at the beginning (when you don’t question the fact that Luc might get fired for being „the wrong kind of gay“) but it gradually got worse and worse.
my main problem was the main character Luc, he was selfish and whiny and just not a good person in general. he was mean to everyone and didn’t respect anyone’s choices and opinions. i was gonna blame it on his trauma and was sure we would get a great character development but that somehow didn’t happen, even though he was trying to convince us otherwise. and don’t get me started on him boasting how mature he is literally ten seconds after he shouted at his fake boyfriend’s parents (they were shit and deserved it, but common) and forcing Oliver to eat a bacon sandwich even though he knew very well that he is a vegetarian. as a vegetarian myself i was so excited to finally read about a vegetarian character but Luc’s inconsiderateness to this matter and a slight shaming towards vegetarians and vegans made me sick and that bacon scene was honestly my last straw. suggesting that Oliver has an eating disorder was very insensitive and felt a bit too much (I'm definitely not one to judge if the claim is right or not, the problem is that it wasn't handled in a more gentle way and rather served as a punchline).
Oliver seemed like the mature one at the beginning but it turned out he’s was not mentally okay (which we didn’t really learn until the third act break up yay. i think that a dual pov would make the book a bit better). he’s unable to call out homophobes and speak out for himself on this matter. and on one hand, i get it. his friends weren't exactly treating him well and his parents are just awful homophobes who use his queerness as a joke and a way to make fun of him a bit.
both of them were emotionally unavailable and not in a right place mentally and they probably should’ve tried going to therapy:)
the two stars are for Luc’s mother because she’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. she was the only character who was bearable.
it looked so promising at the beginning (when you don’t question the fact that Luc might get fired for being „the wrong kind of gay“) but it gradually got worse and worse.
my main problem was the main character Luc, he was selfish and whiny and just not a good person in general. he was mean to everyone and didn’t respect anyone’s choices and opinions. i was gonna blame it on his trauma and was sure we would get a great character development but that somehow didn’t happen, even though he was trying to convince us otherwise. and don’t get me started on him boasting how mature he is literally ten seconds after he shouted at his fake boyfriend’s parents (they were shit and deserved it, but common) and forcing Oliver to eat a bacon sandwich even though he knew very well that he is a vegetarian. as a vegetarian myself i was so excited to finally read about a vegetarian character but Luc’s inconsiderateness to this matter and a slight shaming towards vegetarians and vegans made me sick and that bacon scene was honestly my last straw. suggesting that Oliver has an eating disorder was very insensitive and felt a bit too much (I'm definitely not one to judge if the claim is right or not, the problem is that it wasn't handled in a more gentle way and rather served as a punchline).
Oliver seemed like the mature one at the beginning but it turned out he’s was not mentally okay (which we didn’t really learn until the third act break up yay. i think that a dual pov would make the book a bit better). he’s unable to call out homophobes and speak out for himself on this matter. and on one hand, i get it. his friends weren't exactly treating him well and his parents are just awful homophobes who use his queerness as a joke and a way to make fun of him a bit.
both of them were emotionally unavailable and not in a right place mentally and they probably should’ve tried going to therapy:)
the two stars are for Luc’s mother because she’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. she was the only character who was bearable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
thebookraiders's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Det var en stark 4 hela vägen till slutet när Oliver, som jag absolut inte gillade i början men som visade sig ha en väldigt bra karaktärsutveckling 👏🏼, började bete sig lika idiotiskt som Luc gjort under hela boken. Det räckte liksom med en karaktär som var ett emotionellt inkompetent pucko. Det blev även alldeles för mycket will they/won’t they på väldigt kort tid i slutet för min del.
Blir ändå 3,5 stjärnor eftersom den var både mysig och rolig + otroligt bra inläst!
Blir ändå 3,5 stjärnor eftersom den var både mysig och rolig + otroligt bra inläst!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia and Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Classism, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
otbval's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Homophobia, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Eating disorder
annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent and Death
merryfaith'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Homophobia, Abandonment, and Sexual content
meghansarmiento97's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Cursing, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
jjjreads'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Classism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content
merah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Cursing, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body horror, Classism, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Racism
inkdrinkers'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
5.0
Luc O'Donnell is kind of a hot mess, in every definition of the words. He's the son of a rockstar who won't talk to him or have a relationship with him, working at a dung beetle charity aptly named CRAP, and somehow still managing to wind up in the press every other weekend for his drinking benders. When his negative press starts to effect his work life, he decides he has to at least appear like he has his shit together by fake dating a handsome lawyer who might just hate him.
This was my first ever Alexis Hall book and I absolutely ADORED it. I was told multiple times by multiple friends that I had to pick this up in the audiobook version because it was just so enjoyable - and they were right. I did originally try the ebook version of Boyfriend Material and gave up pretty soon into chapter one because I wasn't connecting to Luc's internal monologue, that did a complete 180 with the narration in the audio version! I adored learning about Luc's life and difficult background, I've never seen a book handle the concept of celebrity kids who just want to exist and be normal as well as this one did.
Oliver Blackwood is easily one of my favorite messy male love interests in anything I've read this year. Both him and Luc are total disasters in their own way, but even with that and a lot of their interests being total opposites of each other - it somehow really made it work. I totally adored how loving and adorable Oliver was through a vast majority of this book, and really found myself laughing out loud multiple times a chapter from the hijinks and very British jokes.
The only thing I hated about this book - and hate is a strong word - was the way Luc finds himself agreeing to the fake dating. The entire thing hinges on his very asshole boss saying he needs to be a "better gay" and get his shit together. The rampant casual homophobia in this book was really hard to listen to, though it's easily the most realistic part of the entire plot. I wished there had been moments for Luc to actively fight back against it, though the smaller ways he and Oliver did were good. I'm really hoping this plot gets addressed in Husband Material when I finally get a chance to listen to it!
I will say, I wasn't on board with Luc's friends in the entire first part of the book. They seemed to hinge on the line of being the same level of casually terrible that Andi's friends are in The Devil Wears Prada - but they all really grew on me and if there's anything Alexis Hall can do, it's write a well and fully formed character that I both loathe and love.
I had a great time with this audiobook and would honestly listen to it again and again. It was completely worth picking up and I found myself wanting to just relax and savor how great the narration was as it pulled me along with the story!
Content Warnings: homophobia, panic attacks, and cursing are prevalent throughout. Mild warnings for cancer, fatphobia / eating disorders / body shaming, biphobia, and mentions of alcoholism and addiction.
This was my first ever Alexis Hall book and I absolutely ADORED it. I was told multiple times by multiple friends that I had to pick this up in the audiobook version because it was just so enjoyable - and they were right. I did originally try the ebook version of Boyfriend Material and gave up pretty soon into chapter one because I wasn't connecting to Luc's internal monologue, that did a complete 180 with the narration in the audio version! I adored learning about Luc's life and difficult background, I've never seen a book handle the concept of celebrity kids who just want to exist and be normal as well as this one did.
Oliver Blackwood is easily one of my favorite messy male love interests in anything I've read this year. Both him and Luc are total disasters in their own way, but even with that and a lot of their interests being total opposites of each other - it somehow really made it work. I totally adored how loving and adorable Oliver was through a vast majority of this book, and really found myself laughing out loud multiple times a chapter from the hijinks and very British jokes.
The only thing I hated about this book - and hate is a strong word - was the way Luc finds himself agreeing to the fake dating. The entire thing hinges on his very asshole boss saying he needs to be a "better gay" and get his shit together. The rampant casual homophobia in this book was really hard to listen to, though it's easily the most realistic part of the entire plot. I wished there had been moments for Luc to actively fight back against it, though the smaller ways he and Oliver did were good. I'm really hoping this plot gets addressed in Husband Material when I finally get a chance to listen to it!
I will say, I wasn't on board with Luc's friends in the entire first part of the book. They seemed to hinge on the line of being the same level of casually terrible that Andi's friends are in The Devil Wears Prada - but they all really grew on me and if there's anything Alexis Hall can do, it's write a well and fully formed character that I both loathe and love.
I had a great time with this audiobook and would honestly listen to it again and again. It was completely worth picking up and I found myself wanting to just relax and savor how great the narration was as it pulled me along with the story!
Content Warnings: homophobia, panic attacks, and cursing are prevalent throughout. Mild warnings for cancer, fatphobia / eating disorders / body shaming, biphobia, and mentions of alcoholism and addiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Eating disorder, Cancer, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Biphobia, and Addiction
stacy837'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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Homophobia