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maybreads's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.5
I greatly enjoyed this. The romance is snarky, funny and heartfelt. The chemistry between the two leads was great. Luc is a mess and Oliver is a stick in the mud and the result is a weirdly sweet and definitely entertaining romance.
The supporting cast was slightly gimmicky, which was funny but at times a bit too much. There were many references that felt very tumblry as well as outright mentions of tumblr which felt a little bit dated even to someone who is well versed in the tumblr sphere.
But overall, this is amazing. Such a fun romance to read. Wish we got a little bit more at the end after they patch things up.I enjoyed that it was Oliver‘s mess in the end that they had to overcome and not Luc‘s .
A fantastic romance, that will be a standalone for my enjoyment for spoiler reasons which I‘ve heard about the sequel :)
The supporting cast was slightly gimmicky, which was funny but at times a bit too much. There were many references that felt very tumblry as well as outright mentions of tumblr which felt a little bit dated even to someone who is well versed in the tumblr sphere.
But overall, this is amazing. Such a fun romance to read. Wish we got a little bit more at the end after they patch things up.
A fantastic romance, that will be a standalone for my enjoyment for spoiler reasons which I‘ve heard about the sequel :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Eating disorder and Abandonment
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.0
BOYFRIEND MATERIAL is a fake-dating-turned-real-feelings story between two gay men who both need the appearance of a relationship long enough to get through some big upcoming events. A mutual friend pairs them up for their fake relationship, and somehow this fake boyfriend thing is one of the most stable relationships Luc has ever had.
This is the first book in a series, which slightly hints at the direction of the ending. The ending fits their relationship very well, and I like their overall dynamic. The ongoing status of their relationship is established for future books, and several major plot points are resolved. There are secondary plots related to each of their relationships with their parents. Luc's father walked out of his life twenty-five years ago, and has walked back into it with no warning and a declaration that he has cancer and would like to get to know Luc better. Luc's mother, who was also abandoned by Luc's father (her husband and musical collaborator), is supportive of any decision Luc might make, all the way from reconciliation to telling his father to go fuck himself. I adore Luc's mother, she's written very well and I love the audiobook performance for her. Oliver's parents only appear briefly, during the event for which he needed Luc as a fake boyfriend, but they cast a long shadow which has implications for later books.
The dung beetle charity and Luc's co-workers there are an endless source of exasperation and delight for me. Between his co-workers, his friends, and Oliver's friends, there are so many vibrant and specific people that it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of anyone. Normally I have trouble keeping track of characters (let alone their names) when the cast gets past five or so, but I had no issues here.
Things I love, in no particular order: Luc telling jokes to Alex, everything dung-beetle-related, Oliver being pedantic about law, Luc's friends, Bridget's publishing fiascos.
This is the first book in a series, which slightly hints at the direction of the ending. The ending fits their relationship very well, and I like their overall dynamic. The ongoing status of their relationship is established for future books, and several major plot points are resolved. There are secondary plots related to each of their relationships with their parents. Luc's father walked out of his life twenty-five years ago, and has walked back into it with no warning and a declaration that he has cancer and would like to get to know Luc better. Luc's mother, who was also abandoned by Luc's father (her husband and musical collaborator), is supportive of any decision Luc might make, all the way from reconciliation to telling his father to go fuck himself. I adore Luc's mother, she's written very well and I love the audiobook performance for her. Oliver's parents only appear briefly, during the event for which he needed Luc as a fake boyfriend, but they cast a long shadow which has implications for later books.
The dung beetle charity and Luc's co-workers there are an endless source of exasperation and delight for me. Between his co-workers, his friends, and Oliver's friends, there are so many vibrant and specific people that it wasn't difficult for me to keep track of anyone. Normally I have trouble keeping track of characters (let alone their names) when the cast gets past five or so, but I had no issues here.
Things I love, in no particular order: Luc telling jokes to Alex, everything dung-beetle-related, Oliver being pedantic about law, Luc's friends, Bridget's publishing fiascos.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Body horror, Death of parent, Cancer, Racism, Child death, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Death
levilore_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
I would highly recommend the audio book because the narrator was so incredible that I actually liked the book more than the last time I read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Fatphobia, Cancer, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Pregnancy, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Vomit
its_vendetta's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Cancer
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
brenna1127'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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
abbie_eibba's review
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder
lanie2024's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Drug use
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? It's complicated
3.75
Cheesy, with fanfic-esque writing, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It reminded me of red white and royal blue in the haters to lovers with need for fake dating that that book had.
I won’t critique the writing because honestly it was overdone and compensating for something and I could go on for ages about it.
-the charities name was stupid
- Oliver’s parents were assholes
-homophobia never adds anything to the plot
- token straight or gay friends being a highlight/plot point is stupid.
Overall I’m glad luc and Oliver ended happy and I’m interested to see how the next book goes.
I won’t critique the writing because honestly it was overdone and compensating for something and I could go on for ages about it.
-the charities name was stupid
- Oliver’s parents were assholes
-homophobia never adds anything to the plot
- token straight or gay friends being a highlight/plot point is stupid.
Overall I’m glad luc and Oliver ended happy and I’m interested to see how the next book goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Homophobia
kirstencholewa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
adrienanthony'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
Graphic: Abandonment, Fatphobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder
One character seems to briefly not understand consent, implications that the character may have been taken advantage of