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diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
“I am yours, more truly than I have ever been anyone’s. Because when I’m with you, I’m me. Not someone I think I should be. And I’ll be with you, however you want, for as long as you’ll have me.”
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Vomit, Homophobia, and Cursing
Moderate: Classism and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Eating disorder
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Classism
soobooksalot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
"Now that you're not in a cupboard, will you marry me?"
How does Alexis Hall achieve hilarious in every single line? Is there not an enactment of limitations on wittiness?
For those who are fans of Boyfriend Material (and if you're not, why not? You don't like nice things? Who hurt you?), Husband Material is an obvious must.
Luc and Oliver are back! (That's not a spoiler, they're on the cover.)
As are their friends and family and coworkers. (Not on the cover - how big do you think it is?) As is the insecure charm that made us love them all in book 1.
Dearly beloved, this book has much to do with matrimony. There are multiple weddings! (That's more than perhaps you had planned upon!)
It's not all wine and roses and twee rainbow balloon arches though - family dissent and losses are part of the package.
Seek this book out at once.
Recommended!
How does Alexis Hall achieve hilarious in every single line? Is there not an enactment of limitations on wittiness?
For those who are fans of Boyfriend Material (and if you're not, why not? You don't like nice things? Who hurt you?), Husband Material is an obvious must.
Luc and Oliver are back! (That's not a spoiler, they're on the cover.)
As are their friends and family and coworkers. (Not on the cover - how big do you think it is?) As is the insecure charm that made us love them all in book 1.
Dearly beloved, this book has much to do with matrimony. There are multiple weddings! (That's more than perhaps you had planned upon!)
It's not all wine and roses and twee rainbow balloon arches though - family dissent and losses are part of the package.
Seek this book out at once.
Recommended!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Death of parent
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
nickoliver's review against another edition
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
alyxinthestars's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Vomit
spookieboogie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Homophobia, Alcohol, Classism, and Eating disorder
kcbatts's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
Thanks to Sourcebooks for the free advance copy of this book.
- 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!
- 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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cursing, Homophobia, Classism, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content