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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mason Deaver's adult debut is a fun and entertaining read. I absolutely love Peter and related so much to his childhood. Eli was an interesting protagonist, even if the plot of the story was pretty predictable. I love a good queer fake dating/teach them to date story, and this is no exception. I wish there had been some kind of consequence for Eli's boss because, yeah, Eli ultimately screwed up, but that boss was awful. Anyway, much fun was had while reading this and I can't wait to see what Mason Deaver writes next!
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperAudio in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT
Eli is grinding day to day in a dead end job that doesn’t recognize his value at an online “news” entertainment company where he has to see his ex around the office constantly. A friend sets him up on a blind date with someone named Peter.
Peter is an anxious mess on their blind date and Eli was prepared to never speak to him again. But then his roommates passively muse that it might be sweet if someone taught him how to do better on dates. And then Eli’s boss suggests that writing about teaching Peter how to date would be great click bait for the website and may just earn him the promotion he wants.
Read to learn how it all turns out!
REVIEW
This book was so grounded, I wanted to be friends with our main character Eli for real. He and his sweet roommates and loving family were so wonderful, I wanted to jump into their world. Speaking of grounded, the narrator’s performance was SO well acted. Like they were truly such a good Eli. Eli isn’t perfect but he is precious and I appreciate how well he is portrayed.
Like with a lot of contemporaries, it’s very easy to tell where the story will go right away, but the journey to get there was sweet and full of life lessons.
I especially appreciate how even though the book spends a great deal of time on teaching Peter, he has a lot to teach the world in turn as well.
ABOUT
Eli is grinding day to day in a dead end job that doesn’t recognize his value at an online “news” entertainment company where he has to see his ex around the office constantly. A friend sets him up on a blind date with someone named Peter.
Peter is an anxious mess on their blind date and Eli was prepared to never speak to him again. But then his roommates passively muse that it might be sweet if someone taught him how to do better on dates. And then Eli’s boss suggests that writing about teaching Peter how to date would be great click bait for the website and may just earn him the promotion he wants.
Read to learn how it all turns out!
REVIEW
This book was so grounded, I wanted to be friends with our main character Eli for real. He and his sweet roommates and loving family were so wonderful, I wanted to jump into their world. Speaking of grounded, the narrator’s performance was SO well acted. Like they were truly such a good Eli. Eli isn’t perfect but he is precious and I appreciate how well he is portrayed.
Like with a lot of contemporaries, it’s very easy to tell where the story will go right away, but the journey to get there was sweet and full of life lessons.
I especially appreciate how even though the book spends a great deal of time on teaching Peter, he has a lot to teach the world in turn as well.
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:
Complicated
The Build-A-Boyfriend project, a book that I was desperate to get an arc for and that has cemented @mason_deaver as one of my all time fav authors!
Eli is an assistant stuck in a rut until a disastrous first date with Peter, a sweet but awkward guy, turns into fake dating lessons that quickly blur into something real. What starts as a deal for an article becomes a story about love, identity, and finding the courage to want more.
This book absolutely nailed the romance for me. So many romance novels get weighed down with side plots or long scenes with anyone but the leads, but this one kept giving me scene after scene of Eli and Peter, and they were all just good. I never had that moment of begging for the love interests to share a page again because they were constantly in each other’s orbit in the best way.
The writing was super approachable, easy to sink into, and the conflict was handled so well—no annoying miscommunication trope here because the lead actually brought up issues right away, which felt so refreshing.
I loved how real Eli felt and getting to see his journey as a trans man was done so beautifully. And Peter? He was such a lovable, puppy-like sweetheart with some really great character growth that made me root for him hard.
Overall, this was an easy 5 ⭐️ read that had me feeling all the feels and left me smiling like an idiot. 😍
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this one!!
This book releases everywhere August 5th!
Eli is an assistant stuck in a rut until a disastrous first date with Peter, a sweet but awkward guy, turns into fake dating lessons that quickly blur into something real. What starts as a deal for an article becomes a story about love, identity, and finding the courage to want more.
This book absolutely nailed the romance for me. So many romance novels get weighed down with side plots or long scenes with anyone but the leads, but this one kept giving me scene after scene of Eli and Peter, and they were all just good. I never had that moment of begging for the love interests to share a page again because they were constantly in each other’s orbit in the best way.
The writing was super approachable, easy to sink into, and the conflict was handled so well—no annoying miscommunication trope here because the lead actually brought up issues right away, which felt so refreshing.
I loved how real Eli felt and getting to see his journey as a trans man was done so beautifully. And Peter? He was such a lovable, puppy-like sweetheart with some really great character growth that made me root for him hard.
Overall, this was an easy 5 ⭐️ read that had me feeling all the feels and left me smiling like an idiot. 😍
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this one!!
This book releases everywhere August 5th!
5 stars
This was so good in so many ways and I just love that Mason Deaver has ventured into adult romance! I loved the exploration of being queer from a small town and how that could hinder the whole queer experience better available in more populated areas. Add to that the racial aspect of Peter being Korean growing up in a small southern town. But also showing that the south isn't all bad (honestly there have been many more concerning northern towns in my personal experience). PLUS we get Eli's experience as a trans man (and his nonbinary sibling!) and both MCs had supportive and loving parents which is SO NICE to see. I think we all could see what the catalyst would be for the 3rd act breakup from pretty early on in the story so I am always glad when that conflict makes sense to the plot and characters. The love though! It was so gentle and calm as it grew between the two in the midst of "dating lessons" which felt natural. And I am just a big fan of giving someone a second chance for being an unintentional disaster with good intentions.
Regarding the audiobook specifically, I believe this is the same narrator from the authors YA which is nice to see them stick together. I will say the narrator would be a fantastic NPR podcast host, such a calm and relaxing voice. Though the voice changes between characters weren't always easily decipherable, particularly Eli and his boss. Production was fantastic.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC and eARC!
This was so good in so many ways and I just love that Mason Deaver has ventured into adult romance! I loved the exploration of being queer from a small town and how that could hinder the whole queer experience better available in more populated areas. Add to that the racial aspect of Peter being Korean growing up in a small southern town. But also showing that the south isn't all bad (honestly there have been many more concerning northern towns in my personal experience). PLUS we get Eli's experience as a trans man (and his nonbinary sibling!) and both MCs had supportive and loving parents which is SO NICE to see. I think we all could see what the catalyst would be for the 3rd act breakup from pretty early on in the story so I am always glad when that conflict makes sense to the plot and characters. The love though! It was so gentle and calm as it grew between the two in the midst of "dating lessons" which felt natural. And I am just a big fan of giving someone a second chance for being an unintentional disaster with good intentions.
Regarding the audiobook specifically, I believe this is the same narrator from the authors YA which is nice to see them stick together. I will say the narrator would be a fantastic NPR podcast host, such a calm and relaxing voice. Though the voice changes between characters weren't always easily decipherable, particularly Eli and his boss. Production was fantastic.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC and eARC!
I really enjoyed this one! The personal character development was great. The development of their relationship from fake dating to real dating was done very well. I grew to love these two as individuals and as a couple. The only reason it is not a full five stars is because I struggle with the like secrets and lying that came with the article but that's me thing and it only took away a bit. Overall super enjoyable and I loved all the representation in mental health we got to see. I felt very connected to Peter in terms of his lack of relationship skills so I was extra rooting for him to find love. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
funny
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
Thanks to NetGallery for providing an advanced e-copy of the book.
I appreciate a cute LGBTQ story, especially when things are messy from the beginning. Eli Francis has been stuck for the past five years, still at a company where he was "promised" a position to be a writer for the past couple of years, and having to work under his ex- of seven years. Doing a favor for his friend, he decided to go on a blind date and write about it, in hopes that Vent will use his article and he can finally achieve his dreams.
First off, I love the fact that Peter Park is an Asian himbo; it's not often that one gets to see an Asian male character be not a nerd, and I enjoyed the fact that his character isn't the "knowledgeable" one in this gay world, because not everyone is "well-versed" in the dating community, and it's not shameful/embarassing to admit that.
A typical fake-dating turns into something more of a story, and also following your dreams, but don't give up your day job to do it. It's a cute story that incorporates some of SF's charms without pushing Castro within every page, which, in my opinion, is a good thing because one should not always push the gay agenda down people's throats. The title was a bit misleading, but it may be my own personal reading habits, because I thought it was going to be some sci-fi, actual build-a-boyfriend story, but in reality, it's Eli giving Peter pointers on how to be a better boyfriend.
I appreciate a cute LGBTQ story, especially when things are messy from the beginning. Eli Francis has been stuck for the past five years, still at a company where he was "promised" a position to be a writer for the past couple of years, and having to work under his ex- of seven years. Doing a favor for his friend, he decided to go on a blind date and write about it, in hopes that Vent will use his article and he can finally achieve his dreams.
First off, I love the fact that Peter Park is an Asian himbo; it's not often that one gets to see an Asian male character be not a nerd, and I enjoyed the fact that his character isn't the "knowledgeable" one in this gay world, because not everyone is "well-versed" in the dating community, and it's not shameful/embarassing to admit that.
A typical fake-dating turns into something more of a story, and also following your dreams, but don't give up your day job to do it. It's a cute story that incorporates some of SF's charms without pushing Castro within every page, which, in my opinion, is a good thing because one should not always push the gay agenda down people's throats. The title was a bit misleading, but it may be my own personal reading habits, because I thought it was going to be some sci-fi, actual build-a-boyfriend story, but in reality, it's Eli giving Peter pointers on how to be a better boyfriend.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
It was cute. It dragged a long quite much but I did enjoy the book. I was expecting more of a dramatic romance or dramatic fight but it felt a bit mellow. Like there was no spark either good or bad. It was just a story that exists in the world.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Mason Deaver for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
The representation in this book is vast: trans, immigrant, queer, neurodivergent, grieving people and more. I feel like many different populations will see themselves in this book. And for those that don't- it was such a wonderful walk in other's footsteps, ya know?
The romance was everything you would need from an "oops do I have feelings for my fake boyfriend?" situation. Add onto it a lifelong career goal marred by a toxic work environment with a gross boss it really does make for a good romance novel!
emotional
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
Perfect for anybody who might have watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days a concerning (read: totally healthy) amount of times in their life, The Build-A-Boyfriend Project is a fresh take on a classic story. I had such a fun time reading this book!! Eli is plugging away at a career that is no longer fulfilling (I know I've been there); he wants to write hard-hitting political + social commentary pieces, but his boss only cares for views and site visits. When his first date with Peter ends in disaster, his boss gives him the chance to write an article all about teaching Peter to date. Eli takes it upon himself to write two articles one for his boss and one about the realities of growing up queer in the rural south and it's effects on dating and romantic life. It's a real tongue twister ;)
I love that this book is so messy. I love that Eli is imperfect and still trying to figure out what he wants out of life. I love that Peter is so hot and so oblivious to that. I love that even with the jump to adult romance we still get the Mason Deaver charm. This story is full of second chances and forgiveness which makes their romance that much sweeter. It's also a story about getting to know someone, letting them in, learning to trust them, and learning that you might not be as alone as you thought. Eli and Peter go from strangers to friends to lovers and back again. It's beautiful, full of love, and maybe a good boy or two ;) I can't wait to see what's next for Mason Deaver!
I love that this book is so messy. I love that Eli is imperfect and still trying to figure out what he wants out of life. I love that Peter is so hot and so oblivious to that. I love that even with the jump to adult romance we still get the Mason Deaver charm. This story is full of second chances and forgiveness which makes their romance that much sweeter. It's also a story about getting to know someone, letting them in, learning to trust them, and learning that you might not be as alone as you thought. Eli and Peter go from strangers to friends to lovers and back again. It's beautiful, full of love, and maybe a good boy or two ;) I can't wait to see what's next for Mason Deaver!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Death of parent