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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
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
emotional
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
Adorable story with well-defined characters who will warm your heart. I felt that the side characters, though not super developed, were useful tools for moving the plot along and have potential for their own stories. I didn't want to leave this cast when the story ended.
Narration was well-acted and seamlessly produced. And if the narrator is who I think he is, my hats off to him on his recent graduation and using his platform as a commencement speaker.
I picked up this ALC to see if I actually wanted a physical copy from my book box and I'm happy to report that I will not be skipping this month!
Thank you to NetGalley and HaperAudio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Narration was well-acted and seamlessly produced. And if the narrator is who I think he is, my hats off to him on his recent graduation and using his platform as a commencement speaker.
I picked up this ALC to see if I actually wanted a physical copy from my book box and I'm happy to report that I will not be skipping this month!
Thank you to NetGalley and HaperAudio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Quite an enjoyable book, Eli and Peter were so cute together and apart, I do love my MCs to make mistakes and grow from them and do their best, and that’s exactly what happened here, no one was perfect, everyone made mistakes but they really tried their best.
The reason I didn’t rate it five is because it was predictable how the third act break up was going to happen, I was hoping I was mistaken but no, it happened exactly how I expected, how I hated Michael, but even that was well written and made me cry and feel all the emotions.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.
The reason I didn’t rate it five is because it was predictable how the third act break up was going to happen, I was hoping I was mistaken but no, it happened exactly how I expected, how I hated Michael, but even that was well written and made me cry and feel all the emotions.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.
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
The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is such a fun and sweet mlm romance! Eli is a relatable emotionally messy, late 20s, trans, gay man and Peter is an adorable, sweet, neurodivergent-coded, queer man. This book had great queer representation and the ensemble of characters was very diverse. The story was a good pace and kept me entertained throughout the book. I have really liked other books by Mason Deaver, but I think this is my favorite I have read by him so far. The Build-a-Boyfriend Project (TBBP) has all same earnest intimate qualities of I Wish You All The Best, but instead of highlight teen/young adulthood, TBBP is an intimate story of queer self-discovery in your late 20s / early30s. Personally, I found myself getting a little annoyed with Eli’s behavior, but it did feel realistic to the character and his overall story. However, Peter’s cute sweetness made up for the times I was getting tired of Eli’s choices. I also was lucky enough to get to read the audiobook which had fantastic narration by Logan Rozos; he is a wonderful narrator and I am always thrilled to see when he is narrating a book I am interested in. Overall The Build-a-Boyfriend project is a sweet, emotional, reflective, and intimate queer romance.
Thank you to HarperAudio for providing me an ALC of the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to HarperAudio for providing me an ALC of the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is your typically frothy romance with one spicy scene.
Eli is feeling stagnant. He's an assistant at an online magazine that no longer publishes the type articles he wants to write, not that they've asked him to write anything anyway. And on top of that his long time boyfriend, who works at the same magazine, recently broke up with him.
One sad night he agrees to be set up with a friend of a friend and it's a disaster. His date, Peter, is late, spills food all over Eli, forgot his wallet, and can't hold a conversation to save his life. Eli cannot wait for it to end.
When grousing about it at work, his smarmy boss overhears and cajoles Eli into spinning it into a article with Eli teaching Peter how to date while ragging on his failings. It's not what Eli wants to write, but he agrees, hoping the deeper article he develops about Peter's experiences growing up will be published instead.
Of course, as with all fake dating scenarios, real feelings happen. And, of course, no one communicates them until a major hurt has happened.
The characters are interesting, but there's no major character development or depths to discover. Even so, it's a perfectly sweet romance.
Eli is feeling stagnant. He's an assistant at an online magazine that no longer publishes the type articles he wants to write, not that they've asked him to write anything anyway. And on top of that his long time boyfriend, who works at the same magazine, recently broke up with him.
One sad night he agrees to be set up with a friend of a friend and it's a disaster. His date, Peter, is late, spills food all over Eli, forgot his wallet, and can't hold a conversation to save his life. Eli cannot wait for it to end.
When grousing about it at work, his smarmy boss overhears and cajoles Eli into spinning it into a article with Eli teaching Peter how to date while ragging on his failings. It's not what Eli wants to write, but he agrees, hoping the deeper article he develops about Peter's experiences growing up will be published instead.
Of course, as with all fake dating scenarios, real feelings happen. And, of course, no one communicates them until a major hurt has happened.
The characters are interesting, but there's no major character development or depths to discover. Even so, it's a perfectly sweet romance.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So so so cute! I'm a sucker for a good romance, and the cover and description caught my eye first. I didn't read too much about this one before I started it so basically just going off the cover, title, and description, I was really pleasantly surprised by the depth with which Deaver touches on growing up queer in an area that doesn't love you for it. It's such a journey, truly, and I felt very seen. The characters are also classic disasters and this I love - like yess please give me a fixer upper love story where EVERYONE needs fixer uppered!! I really liked this one and will need to check out Deaver's YA works, which I remember having on my TBR in high school right as I entered my Big Reading Slump that's just recently ended.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Mason Deaver, and publisher Avon for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Mason Deaver, and publisher Avon for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.
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
This is such a cute romance! I appreciate that the main character being trans wasn't the main focus of his identity, but was definitely a part of the story. The "watch list" had some great picks and helped me add to my list of movies I need to watch!
The narrator of the audiobook is great at bringing the story to life! I highly recommend recommend a listen/read!
The narrator of the audiobook is great at bringing the story to life! I highly recommend recommend a listen/read!
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
The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is a new queer fake-dating romance with a twist. The book is about Eli and Peter, who are set up on a blind date by friends. Their date is so terrible that the two decide that Eli should teach Peter how to be a better date. Eli will use the dating lessons to make content for the website he works for, Vent, in hopes of getting a promotion. Meanwhile, Peter will get the dating experience that he missed out on while growing up in rural Georgia.
At the beginning of the book, Eli is still mourning a breakup with a long-term boyfriend. He doesn't want to go on a date with Peter, but his friends encourage him to take steps to start moving on. Peter is sweet, but his awkwardness can easily come across as rudeness, and he doesn't really have many friends or a life outside his work. Their romance is a slow-burn, with them remaining strictly friends who go on fake dates for much of the book. Feelings do develop, of course, but it takes time, and complications arise.
While this is a lovely romance, it delves into serious topics that add depth. Eli is trans and discusses the difficulties that trans men face when dating, as well as other aspects of being trans. Peter is Asian American and mentions the racism he faces, and how growing up queer and Asian in the deep South affected him. Overall, this is an introspective and thoughtful romance with many earnest conversations about real issues. Along with being topics that many readers will identify with, these conversations also show how deep Eli and Peter's relationship is. These two have such a wonderful, open dialogue with each other!
While it tackles those topics (and others), the book never gets too heavy. It's still mostly lighthearted and fun with a few emotional moments mixed in.
One fun aspect of the book is that Eli is a big movie buff. There's some fun movie trivia mentioned as he fact-checks Vents's listicles, and he has strong opinions on films. He also watches many movies and references them often throughout the book. Each chapter is also named after a movie! It was fun to check off which of the films mentioned I've seen, and I'm sure bigger movie fans than me will have even more fun with all these moments.
I haven't read any of Mason Deaver's YA romances, but after reading The Build-a-Boyfriend Project, I definitely will be. All of their books are going on my TBR, and I'm adding them to my list of must-read authors! I've read a lot of queer romances this year and this is one of the best.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
I was originally going to rate this 3 stars. The "uhoh! I lied and now it's gotten out and my lover is disappointed!" trope is very overdone, so I could see the "3rd act breakup" coming from a mile away, and the more I read, the more I thought to myself, there's no way that Eli can manage to fix this to deserve Peter. But.. they didn't get back together right away. And that's one thing I hate the most.
But what I loved the most was the important discussion Deaver played out in this book about queer isolation and how growing up in a small town where it's rare to be queer is practically damning for queer kids who grow into queer adults. I feel the same way as Peter did; isolated from anyone and everyone. Now that I'm an adult and can get out more, I have no worldly clue how to make friends, much less romantic relationships or even entanglements. I fear I'd be much like Peter myself-- a bumbling virgin who has to be coached on how to date. It was so cringey at times, but in a way that I could see happening in real life, and that's what made me fall in love with it even more.
But what I loved the most was the important discussion Deaver played out in this book about queer isolation and how growing up in a small town where it's rare to be queer is practically damning for queer kids who grow into queer adults. I feel the same way as Peter did; isolated from anyone and everyone. Now that I'm an adult and can get out more, I have no worldly clue how to make friends, much less romantic relationships or even entanglements. I fear I'd be much like Peter myself-- a bumbling virgin who has to be coached on how to date. It was so cringey at times, but in a way that I could see happening in real life, and that's what made me fall in love with it even more.
funny
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
Just so perfectly tender and sweet. Everything about this book felt lovingly inspired by romcoms from the early 2000s. The farcical set up, the slow burn romance, the silly slapstick moments all worked together really nicely. I think this book would adapt really well into film and with Mason's YA novel being turned into a movie who knows it could happen. If you're a fan of a dorky anxious love interest I think you'll have a great time with this book. The ending of this book is really grounded so if you feel that romance novels are too unrealistic at times this book could really work for you.
Also it's always a joy to get to read trans romance. With the current political climate it's just nice to read about some trans joy. Now I just need a major publisher to give me some trans lesbian romances.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Also it's always a joy to get to read trans romance. With the current political climate it's just nice to read about some trans joy. Now I just need a major publisher to give me some trans lesbian romances.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Death of parent