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Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

56 reviews

liren's profile picture

liren's review

4.0
emotional 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

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emotional funny reflective sad 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

I should have read content warnings going in. The plotline heavily relying on shitty parents is something I would have avoided but by the time I realized it, I had already become invested in the characters and their relationship. 
I had to look up about 4 words a page so that was fun. 
It took me a minute to enjoy reading Luc's style of speech/narration. He mostly was coming across as chaotic and a bit of a run on. While some of this was his unique personality, you can literally "feel" Oliver's impact on Luc just by noticing how much more coherent and self aware his self-talk and narration is. It was a really fun technique to experience. 
I wish the intimate scenes weren't closed door/fade to black, but you still get a decent sense of how that physical connection changes their relationship. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

 A slow burn LGBTQ+ male/male romance while also showing growth within all types of relationships. I found that the author did a good job exploring topics of toxic family dynamics and personal struggles of the main characters.
While this story shows both healthy and unhealthy relationship styles a couple unlikable characters creep in, but I suppose that makes it more relatable.
Another observation I found intriguing was the introduction of potentially neurodivergent characters. I appreciate the inclusion of a diverse group of characters within the story. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I'm not sure what to make of this book.  It was honestly kind of bad, and yet I couldn't put it down. 

I almost DNFed this book just a couple of chapters in.  I quite honestly found the set up for the fake dating scenario quite ridiculous, and not in a fun romcom sort of way.  I'm very aware that this genre isn't supposed to be taken as seriously as others, but I still prefer my plot hooks to be somewhat engaging and believable without leaving me thinking "seriously??"

Despite this, I persevered because I had heard good things about this book and I am nothing if not a hopeless queer man looking to read fluffy romance stories about other hopeless queer men. 

Once we got past the set-up and into the meat of the fake-boyfriends-doomed-to-develop-feelings I did start to enjoy it a lot more.  I was rooting for Luc the whole time, both his and Oliver's character growth was heartwarming to see, and the fluffy romance scenes where exactly what I wanted.  I've seen some reviews complaining the drama was too over the top, but I disagree.  Was there a lot of it?  Kind of.  Is it exactly what I'd expect in any sort of romance media? Also yes. For the type of book it is, I think it was just right and the resolution was always handled well.

While I was wholly onboard with Luc and Oliver once they actually got fake-together, I did really struggle with a lot of the background characters and parts that were clearly supposed to be funny and, to me, were just awkward and jarring.  I could see what Hall was trying to do with Alex's character and yet I still found every scene with him (and Miffy) genuinely uncomfortable to read.  The James Royce-Royce joke (was it even really a joke?) wasn't really confusing so much as trying too hard to be quirky, and Dr Fairclough felt like a not-so-subtle, decently offensive caricature of neurodivergence.

The ending of the story was cute enough, but could have been stronger. I read the last page thinking "is that it?" I was so genuinely happy when Oliver came to fix things, but I think the resolution of what is probably the biggest conflict in the story was weaker compared to some of the excellent conversations Luc and Oliver shared at earlier points in their relationship.

Overall, the actual romance in this book does a lot of heavy lifting, which I suppose isn't a bad thing in a romance story, but you have to struggle through a lot of awkward characters and unfunny jokes (ironically, this doesn't include the actual jokes Luc tries to tell in the office) to read the good stuff sandwiched between a bad start and underwhelming ending.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a bit. It reminded me a lot of the Georgia Nicholson series, but for adults. The second half felt like it dragged a bit. 

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Very cute rom-com filled with sarcastic banter, which is my favorite 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My biggest gripe with this book is the audiobook narrator which I know isn't a reflection on the book itself. But if you listen to the audiobook, ALL the women sound absolutely catty, pretentious, and awful. I wanted to attribute it to the British accent, maybe, but it doesn't bother me in other audiobooks or British media.

Honestly I expected more from this story. It was kind of a let down. There were some incredibly witty moments where I laughed out loud and I do really like Luc and how he grows in the story. Oliver was okay. Bridget was annoying as hell, which maybe was the point but dang tone it down just a little. The James Royce-Royce bit doesn't hit in the audiobook (I have also likely spelled this wrong because of that). I don't know...Red, White & Royal Blue did it better in my opinion.

This book is also incredibly British, and there was quite a lot of slang and British English that flew over my head. I know Hall is British and I'm not saying it should have had less slang, but I, as an American who never had an Anglophile phase, was lost several times because of the language. Also, I've never been to London and this book definitely assumes you have been to London. Considering Luc breaks the fourth wall, we could've explained some of the geography better. I would have been equally lost with this amount of information given if the city were Chicago or New York.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny lighthearted reflective
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings