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lisa_m's review against another edition
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.
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
includes complicated, toxic relationship with parents / familyeamily's review against another edition
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
ladythana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
redheadorganist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content
pey333'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
lettuce_read's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder
ehmannky's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Honestly this book was a 3.75 kind of book for me but so many people in the reviews are just like...mischaracterizing Luc that out of spite and annoyance I'm rating it higher. And actually, in thinking why so many of these reviews are annoying me, I've worked out some things through reading this book that make me like it more than I did while I was reading it. I do still think that every wedding section could have been about 50 pages shorter though.
One thing that thinking about this book kind of highlighted to me was the ways in which queer folk can get trapped in heteronormative thinking. Like, Luc has no way to tell Oliver how much he loves and care for him other than proposing to him, because that's just what you do when you feel like you want to be with someone forever. And it's interesting that the second they switch to being fiancés, their entire dynamic changes. So many people in the reviews are mad that Luc and Oliver don't communicate better after two years of a relationship. But they're actually great communicators when they're not forcing themselves into a dynamic they don't want to be in and feels wrong to them. Like, compare any of their fights over petty wedding shit to the fight they have during Bridget's section. During that fight it is clear Oliver and mad and disappointed, but they both handle it rather well and healthy. Entering into the fiancé dynamic changes their ability communicate because now instead of their relationship being just for them, it's about everything outside of them. I know a lot of the reviews are upset because they feel Luc is calling Oliver a Bad Gay because he doesn't like or even want to entertain the idea of having any outwardly queer signifiers at his wedding, but it's pretty clearly spelled out that the reason Luc is so hung up on this is because it feels like Oliver is rejecting a big part of who Luc is (because Luc does intensely relate to Queer Culture and outward signifiers of being gay). As Bridget's section spells out, in traditional heternormative culture, your wedding is the Biggest Day of Your Life and it has to be perfect because it represents you and what kind of couple you are to the world. Because they're caught up in an institution that wasn't designed for them or one that either of them ever really wanted to be in (Luc even mentions multiple times that he really never did dream of what it would be like to be a groom), they can't resolve their differences the way they would normally. Because the problem isn't each other, it's the institution they're thinking of entering. Even before you get to the cold feet at the end of the book (which I get why so many people don't like, but I think reading it again you'd probably see a lot more signs of both Luc and Oliver's reluctance to actually get married--they both offer a "we can postpone the wedding if you want" to each other multiple times), it's really clear that Luc doesn't want to get married. He just wanted to tell Oliver he loves him and wants to commit to him and Oliver wanted to make Luc happy (because it's only been 2 years of therapy and he is a profoundly messed up man). The fact Luc couldn't even fathom an alternative just kind of shows that he's also trapped in heteronormative thinking just as much as Oliver can be, because he truly couldn't think of an alternative way to be with Oliver forever outside of a thing he didn't really want to do. And it comes to a head towards the end of the book when they decide, in fact, that this does feel wrong and that they have been unhappy ever since they got engaged and that they should be together but not get married.
Also, so many people in the reviews are like "how dare Luc even vaguely hint towards Oliver that he has internalized homophobia (which he phrased badly because they were running on 2 hours of sleep) just because he has no queer friends outside of his boyfriend, was raised in an intensely homophobic household by emotionally abusive parents, and is repulsed by all queer iconography and doesn't want any at his wedding." Like, yeah, if I met this man irl I would also think he's repressing something. Even Oliver says he should really think about this with his therapist cause there might be something there. Why are you all mad!
One thing that thinking about this book kind of highlighted to me was the ways in which queer folk can get trapped in heteronormative thinking. Like, Luc has no way to tell Oliver how much he loves and care for him other than proposing to him, because that's just what you do when you feel like you want to be with someone forever. And it's interesting that the second they switch to being fiancés, their entire dynamic changes. So many people in the reviews are mad that Luc and Oliver don't communicate better after two years of a relationship. But they're actually great communicators when they're not forcing themselves into a dynamic they don't want to be in and feels wrong to them. Like, compare any of their fights over petty wedding shit to the fight they have during Bridget's section. During that fight it is clear Oliver and mad and disappointed, but they both handle it rather well and healthy. Entering into the fiancé dynamic changes their ability communicate because now instead of their relationship being just for them, it's about everything outside of them. I know a lot of the reviews are upset because they feel Luc is calling Oliver a Bad Gay because he doesn't like or even want to entertain the idea of having any outwardly queer signifiers at his wedding, but it's pretty clearly spelled out that the reason Luc is so hung up on this is because it feels like Oliver is rejecting a big part of who Luc is (because Luc does intensely relate to Queer Culture and outward signifiers of being gay). As Bridget's section spells out, in traditional heternormative culture, your wedding is the Biggest Day of Your Life and it has to be perfect because it represents you and what kind of couple you are to the world. Because they're caught up in an institution that wasn't designed for them or one that either of them ever really wanted to be in (Luc even mentions multiple times that he really never did dream of what it would be like to be a groom), they can't resolve their differences the way they would normally. Because the problem isn't each other, it's the institution they're thinking of entering. Even before you get to the cold feet at the end of the book (which I get why so many people don't like, but I think reading it again you'd probably see a lot more signs of both Luc and Oliver's reluctance to actually get married--they both offer a "we can postpone the wedding if you want" to each other multiple times), it's really clear that Luc doesn't want to get married. He just wanted to tell Oliver he loves him and wants to commit to him and Oliver wanted to make Luc happy (because it's only been 2 years of therapy and he is a profoundly messed up man). The fact Luc couldn't even fathom an alternative just kind of shows that he's also trapped in heteronormative thinking just as much as Oliver can be, because he truly couldn't think of an alternative way to be with Oliver forever outside of a thing he didn't really want to do. And it comes to a head towards the end of the book when they decide, in fact, that this does feel wrong and that they have been unhappy ever since they got engaged and that they should be together but not get married.
Also, so many people in the reviews are like "how dare Luc even vaguely hint towards Oliver that he has internalized homophobia (which he phrased badly because they were running on 2 hours of sleep) just because he has no queer friends outside of his boyfriend, was raised in an intensely homophobic household by emotionally abusive parents, and is repulsed by all queer iconography and doesn't want any at his wedding." Like, yeah, if I met this man irl I would also think he's repressing something. Even Oliver says he should really think about this with his therapist cause there might be something there. Why are you all mad!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abandonment
snowydaze's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
I received an ebook copy of Husband Material by Alexis Hall from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. As someone who has read multiple books by Alexis Hall over the years, this one was an amazing read that had an unbelievable amount of character growth. I enjoyed getting a second look at Luc and Oliver’s relationship and can’t wait for more books set around their friend group. The plot flowed nicely and allowed for more exploration of Luc’s friend group. Furthermore, there were many memorable quotations throughout the book that helped lighten up some of the more emotional sections of the book. Overall, I highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Eating disorder
stardustandrockets's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit and Eating disorder
josieruby1's review
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Vomit