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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book was so amazing. I loved the connection they had and the need to protect her. To make sure she was okay from the very beginning.
This book was a great read that is full of emotions and the characters endure a lot of hurt throughout. Eric isn’t like he was in book one when we would see him, he is more intense and broodier because he feels so much pressure weighing him down. While he is trying to live up to his family’s expectations of him Julia is also struggling with her life. She is doing things to stay afloat and keep these loan sharks off her back while her mother suffers with addiction. As Julia struggles and all the men that ever comes into her life tries to tear her down Eric steps in to help her one night. These two go through so much and the more time they spend together their attraction from the past seemed to have never went away, but with all the things trying to keep them apart or tear them down can they make it? This book was a tad darker than most by this author and while I loved it I also felt that Eric and Julia were more friends than lovers because we don’t get a lot of romance from them since so much is happening to them both. Overall, this was a great read with lots of drama and angst that will keep you guessing what will happen and hold you captivated to the end.
I received an arc for a honest review.
I feel like I've been waiting for the next book in this world for the longest time. I'm so happy that it's finally here!!! It didn't really feel like an enemies to lovers for me. It was a bit more of second chance and friends to lovers for me.
Julia had a crush on Eric when they were both in prep school. He was the popular boy, but he's the kind of one time and done. He did that to Julia, broke her heart. Three years later, they're both at Hawthorne University. Both totally different lives now. Obstacles after obstacles for them both.
I feel really bad for Julia. Eric coming to the rescue makes it really swoon worthy. While I enjoyed this book, I feel like Julia and Eric needs more time together. It was not enough for me. LOL
I really hope we'll get more books in for this series!!!
I feel like I've been waiting for the next book in this world for the longest time. I'm so happy that it's finally here!!! It didn't really feel like an enemies to lovers for me. It was a bit more of second chance and friends to lovers for me.
Julia had a crush on Eric when they were both in prep school. He was the popular boy, but he's the kind of one time and done. He did that to Julia, broke her heart. Three years later, they're both at Hawthorne University. Both totally different lives now. Obstacles after obstacles for them both.
I feel really bad for Julia. Eric coming to the rescue makes it really swoon worthy. While I enjoyed this book, I feel like Julia and Eric needs more time together. It was not enough for me. LOL
I really hope we'll get more books in for this series!!!
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea
I am voluntarily leaving a review after receiving an ARC from the author.
Julia is down on her luck. She is going to college and working as a stripper to pay off her mother's debt to a drug dealer. Julia was working a private event when she runs into Eric, her ex-boyfriend from high school. Eric has never forgotten Julia and what he did to her. Eric apologizes for his past behavior and the form a friendship that leads to more. Julia and Eric are dealing with family issues.
It is an angsty book. Julia is prideful. Eric is trying to live in his brother's footsteps but is constantly following short in his family's eyes. It is a good book. I like both Julia and Eric. They have goid hearts.
Julia is down on her luck. She is going to college and working as a stripper to pay off her mother's debt to a drug dealer. Julia was working a private event when she runs into Eric, her ex-boyfriend from high school. Eric has never forgotten Julia and what he did to her. Eric apologizes for his past behavior and the form a friendship that leads to more. Julia and Eric are dealing with family issues.
It is an angsty book. Julia is prideful. Eric is trying to live in his brother's footsteps but is constantly following short in his family's eyes. It is a good book. I like both Julia and Eric. They have goid hearts.
We hit the ground running in this book with the angst and controversy surrounding Julia.
She's had a rough go of it and is doing the best she can to survive and here comes Eric.....someone from her not so distant past trying to be a stand up kind of guy but Julia has her reservations about his motives.
This book was good and hit a lot of the boxes I expect to see from ilsa; I definitely wanted to shake a lot of sense into both Julia and Eric!
She's had a rough go of it and is doing the best she can to survive and here comes Eric.....someone from her not so distant past trying to be a stand up kind of guy but Julia has her reservations about his motives.
This book was good and hit a lot of the boxes I expect to see from ilsa; I definitely wanted to shake a lot of sense into both Julia and Eric!
Just when I think Ilsa is going to deliver a light hearted, super steamy college romance, she flips it on its head. Boyfriend Material is angsty, chock full of drama, and emotionally packed- a gritty second chance romance where the second chance is hard-fought and tumultuous, full of missteps and growing pains. But like always, Ilsa finds the path to a swoony HEA, with a couple that couldn’t deserve it more.
This one is certainly heavier and darker than the first book- not only because of the literal physical danger that Julia often finds herself in, but also because of the emotional baggage that both of these characters carry courtesy of the weight of expectations and responsibility they feel from their families. If you’ve read the first book, this features Hawthorne Hockey star Eric and ex-fling, turned stranger Julia. These two were not on the same page when they were an item in high school, leaving Julia heartbroken. Years later, after three years at the same college where they’ve mostly avoided each other, these two reconnect under a bit of danger. Eric comes to Julia’s rescue, forcing them back in one another’s orbit. And not only do they have their past issues to confront, but TONS of individual baggage.
It’s been a minute since I’ve read the first book- and I agree that Eric does feel a bit different. But we were also seeing Eric through someone else’s eyes, and at a different time. Now a senior, Eric has to confront the grim reality that he’s been able to back burner- that he’s expected to follow in the path of his brother, a path he has little interest in taking, but is resigned to courtesy of the guilt he’s been swallowing for years. This is a character distinctively lost- and I’m not surprised we get the more angsty, depressed, less vivacious side of him- because he’s about to give his life away to live a life he doesn’t want. But Julia ignites doubt in him- in part because he can be so openly himself with her. She’s battled much more than him- like lordy, what else can go wrong for this poor girl? In the first chapter alone like 10 bad things happen to her- girl’s got battles. And no one seems to care- but Eric. He’s a bit of a safety net- the stability and safety she needs. But can that last, particularly when she doesn’t fit into the life Eric is destined for?
The chemistry in this story feels different than some of my other Ilsa favorites, less of a bright spark and more of a slow burning ember. But I found that to be really intentional and refreshing. Eric and Julia’s pace is marked by high-burning lust and insatiable chemistry. Sure, that’s hot- but Ilsa makes their second chance distinctively different, because whether they knew it or not, there was an unhealthy tinge to their heart. All physical, no heart- a vessel for both of them to hide from their insecurities and ignore their baggage. Eric’s dissociation flashed with Julia’s desperate need for connection. By the time they reconnect, they're not the same people- their bagage has festered, the stakes are higher, and now they have emotional trauma associated with each other. But even though they still have a lot to deal with, they’ve also grown up, are more self-aware, and enter into their new relationship with more gravitas and groundedness. Sure, some of that has to do with the conditions through which they reconnect (hello, danger), but I think it’s also a sign that both have evolved. Eric might still be scared of connection, but he’s also less selfish. Julia still craves connection, but she knows now what she deserves, and can stand on her own. In the past they staunchly refused to see each other, because Eric was scared to fall and Julia wanted to so badly she ignored the red signs. But now they TRULY see each other, flaws and all. And so their relationship feels like one more step in genuine respect and friendship. Much of the story feels like them figuring out how to be friends. Sure, we have heat, but this is an emotional romance- one where two people somehow wind up being each other’s best friends. The love isn’t loud, the connection isn’t sparkly- it’s meaty, it's quiet, but it’s hella stable, even though they really go through the ringer. And while I know others may see that as a different type of chemistry- I really appreciated it. Despite all that is going on around them, there is an easy friendship between them. It may not feel like the fire we sometimes get from Ilsa’s couples, because they’d already found the fire in the past. Their second chance was about authentic connection- finding stability.
There certainly was a LOT going on in this story- obstacle after obstacle, and I’m grateful for the epilogue so we do find a bit of light in all of the gloom this couple faces. Even at their highest together, everything around them is so weighty. Eric does some swoony things, but he certainly has a lot to make up for, and we’ve only scratched the surface of the path to happy for these two since they have a pretty Herculean task with everything up against them- past, present, and future. The non-romance plot side of this does weigh heavy- particularly given all that Julia is battling, so the story has a more melancholy aspect to it - particularly as it relates to their families. Their beginning can feel depressing- like so much bad happens to poor Julia, and lordy are there NO good men at this university?! But this is a story about mistakes and adversity- OWNING UP to your “ish” even when it’s hard. These characters have to learn to fight for themselves and what they want and stop accepting less- and that means it takes time for them to to fight for each other, even when it’s almost too late.
This one is certainly heavier and darker than the first book- not only because of the literal physical danger that Julia often finds herself in, but also because of the emotional baggage that both of these characters carry courtesy of the weight of expectations and responsibility they feel from their families. If you’ve read the first book, this features Hawthorne Hockey star Eric and ex-fling, turned stranger Julia. These two were not on the same page when they were an item in high school, leaving Julia heartbroken. Years later, after three years at the same college where they’ve mostly avoided each other, these two reconnect under a bit of danger. Eric comes to Julia’s rescue, forcing them back in one another’s orbit. And not only do they have their past issues to confront, but TONS of individual baggage.
It’s been a minute since I’ve read the first book- and I agree that Eric does feel a bit different. But we were also seeing Eric through someone else’s eyes, and at a different time. Now a senior, Eric has to confront the grim reality that he’s been able to back burner- that he’s expected to follow in the path of his brother, a path he has little interest in taking, but is resigned to courtesy of the guilt he’s been swallowing for years. This is a character distinctively lost- and I’m not surprised we get the more angsty, depressed, less vivacious side of him- because he’s about to give his life away to live a life he doesn’t want. But Julia ignites doubt in him- in part because he can be so openly himself with her. She’s battled much more than him- like lordy, what else can go wrong for this poor girl? In the first chapter alone like 10 bad things happen to her- girl’s got battles. And no one seems to care- but Eric. He’s a bit of a safety net- the stability and safety she needs. But can that last, particularly when she doesn’t fit into the life Eric is destined for?
The chemistry in this story feels different than some of my other Ilsa favorites, less of a bright spark and more of a slow burning ember. But I found that to be really intentional and refreshing. Eric and Julia’s pace is marked by high-burning lust and insatiable chemistry. Sure, that’s hot- but Ilsa makes their second chance distinctively different, because whether they knew it or not, there was an unhealthy tinge to their heart. All physical, no heart- a vessel for both of them to hide from their insecurities and ignore their baggage. Eric’s dissociation flashed with Julia’s desperate need for connection. By the time they reconnect, they're not the same people- their bagage has festered, the stakes are higher, and now they have emotional trauma associated with each other. But even though they still have a lot to deal with, they’ve also grown up, are more self-aware, and enter into their new relationship with more gravitas and groundedness. Sure, some of that has to do with the conditions through which they reconnect (hello, danger), but I think it’s also a sign that both have evolved. Eric might still be scared of connection, but he’s also less selfish. Julia still craves connection, but she knows now what she deserves, and can stand on her own. In the past they staunchly refused to see each other, because Eric was scared to fall and Julia wanted to so badly she ignored the red signs. But now they TRULY see each other, flaws and all. And so their relationship feels like one more step in genuine respect and friendship. Much of the story feels like them figuring out how to be friends. Sure, we have heat, but this is an emotional romance- one where two people somehow wind up being each other’s best friends. The love isn’t loud, the connection isn’t sparkly- it’s meaty, it's quiet, but it’s hella stable, even though they really go through the ringer. And while I know others may see that as a different type of chemistry- I really appreciated it. Despite all that is going on around them, there is an easy friendship between them. It may not feel like the fire we sometimes get from Ilsa’s couples, because they’d already found the fire in the past. Their second chance was about authentic connection- finding stability.
There certainly was a LOT going on in this story- obstacle after obstacle, and I’m grateful for the epilogue so we do find a bit of light in all of the gloom this couple faces. Even at their highest together, everything around them is so weighty. Eric does some swoony things, but he certainly has a lot to make up for, and we’ve only scratched the surface of the path to happy for these two since they have a pretty Herculean task with everything up against them- past, present, and future. The non-romance plot side of this does weigh heavy- particularly given all that Julia is battling, so the story has a more melancholy aspect to it - particularly as it relates to their families. Their beginning can feel depressing- like so much bad happens to poor Julia, and lordy are there NO good men at this university?! But this is a story about mistakes and adversity- OWNING UP to your “ish” even when it’s hard. These characters have to learn to fight for themselves and what they want and stop accepting less- and that means it takes time for them to to fight for each other, even when it’s almost too late.
medium-paced
Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers an outright masterpiece! Boyfriend Material is everything I'd expect and want in a romance with a well-developed plot, sweet and swoon-worthy moments I crave, enough angst to make your heart squeeze, some seriously witty banter, and all the sexy!!!
IMM has long been a favorite author of mine and I never let a release pass me up that I don’t participate if I can help it. As a die-hard fan who'd want to, amIright? And if you’ve yet to read a book by Ilsa—which I can honestly say is a serious travesty if you are a romance junkie—Boyfriend Material is without a doubt an excellent choice to find a comfortable corner and snuggle in because you won't be putting this one down before you've read the book cover to cover as I did!
Boyfriend Material is the second book in the Hawthorne U series. Told in dual POV, this single parent, fake relationship, sports romance is original and funnier than many romcoms I've read this year. Only, I won't classify this as a rom-com. This one is an ALLLLLLL the feels, sizzling page-turner. From the first page, Julia and Eric's story will pull you in with the angst of unrequited love—although strictly speaking, it is not—and an almost tangible chemistry that makes their romance sizzle.
Boyfriend Material was so much more than I expected. It's exceptionally entertaining. It's easy to get lost in the storyline and finish it in one session while offering readers just the right balance of emotionally heavy plot with LOL antics and banter. You're rooting for Julie and Eric even when it seems like they are never going to be together for real. I love how spicy Ilsa's romance are and Boyfriend Material is scorching hot! Plus, you get to revisit the characters from Boyfriend Bargain, Zack and Sugar as well as the other members of the hockey house!
I don't want to ruin the plot, so I won't say more. Go in blind... don't read a lot of reviews. Don't spoil the book for yourself. I highly recommend this one and honestly, I can’t imagine someone not loving the story or the characters as much as I did! Easiest Five Star review I've ever given!!
IMM has long been a favorite author of mine and I never let a release pass me up that I don’t participate if I can help it. As a die-hard fan who'd want to, amIright? And if you’ve yet to read a book by Ilsa—which I can honestly say is a serious travesty if you are a romance junkie—Boyfriend Material is without a doubt an excellent choice to find a comfortable corner and snuggle in because you won't be putting this one down before you've read the book cover to cover as I did!
Boyfriend Material is the second book in the Hawthorne U series. Told in dual POV, this single parent, fake relationship, sports romance is original and funnier than many romcoms I've read this year. Only, I won't classify this as a rom-com. This one is an ALLLLLLL the feels, sizzling page-turner. From the first page, Julia and Eric's story will pull you in with the angst of unrequited love—although strictly speaking, it is not—and an almost tangible chemistry that makes their romance sizzle.
Boyfriend Material was so much more than I expected. It's exceptionally entertaining. It's easy to get lost in the storyline and finish it in one session while offering readers just the right balance of emotionally heavy plot with LOL antics and banter. You're rooting for Julie and Eric even when it seems like they are never going to be together for real. I love how spicy Ilsa's romance are and Boyfriend Material is scorching hot! Plus, you get to revisit the characters from Boyfriend Bargain, Zack and Sugar as well as the other members of the hockey house!
I don't want to ruin the plot, so I won't say more. Go in blind... don't read a lot of reviews. Don't spoil the book for yourself. I highly recommend this one and honestly, I can’t imagine someone not loving the story or the characters as much as I did! Easiest Five Star review I've ever given!!