Reviews

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge by Matthew Hubbard

bookmarkedbybecky's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow! This book should be in every library and bookstore. If you don’t think you’ve been seen, read Matthew Hubbard's debut novel!  You’ll be singing “You Don’t Own Me” with the rest of the Harper Valley High School in no time. Yes, the song from The First Wives Club movie.   

I’m thoroughly impressed with Matthew Hubbard’s storytelling. He provides a great mix of serious life lessons and funny scenes. One of the scene stealers is Ezra’s dad. He is what every parent should strive to be: supportive, great listener, nonjudgmental, and offers sound advice.  His best advice is, “Best revenge is believing in yourself.”  

Matthew Hubbard dedicates the book to “Every Queer Person Who Has Fought To Exist.”  And Ezra proves the fight is worth it.   He lives in a community where politicians want to repress LGBTQIA+ rights (cough - sounds like parts of the US today - cough) by enacting a Watch What You Say initiative based on “true” family values.  However, Ezra and his friends take on the bullies, who are often disguised as adults, and empower kids to fight for their right to live without repercussions or erasure.  Cue the music again - “You Don’t Own Me.”  

Once again, I paired the physical and audiobook.  I’ve always loved Lee Osorio’s narrations, but this one!!!  He handles all the characters with such ease - multiple voices, great delivery with the humorous scenes, and his southern accent. ❤️ 

Other Highlights: Viral TikTok videos, Drag Queen Show, Taylor Swift references, Sour Patch Kids (my kids devoured these in HS).

lululiebs's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

katiefairchild's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

luchalibrarian's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5

I absolutely LOVED The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge by Matthew Hubbard! A fun, yet serious, story about a Southern small town and the LGBTQ+ students at the local high school who’ve had enough of their schools’ “Don’t Say Gay”-esque mantra. I loved the inclusive queer rep - gay, bi, pan, lesbian - and also the acknowledgment of queer identity as it coincides with youth athletes and that dynamic can be extra explosive.  …go back to Party City!

sevireene's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

3.0

danielghurst's review against another edition

5.0

A fun debut! We love queer rebellion!

noellesmagicallibrary's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book had me squealing in delight! It is perfection. So contemporary and relevant — I know there will be a large audience that relates to the book. These characters are so lovable!

I’m waffling between loving/not-loving the title of Lion King for the Winter Formal. It’s cheeky but also only has me thinking of Simba. 

I also loved all of the RuPaul/Drag Race and Taylor Swift references. 

thebookishren's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5 ⭐️

𝙄’𝙢 𝙀𝙯𝙧𝙖 𝙃𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢.

What a masterpiece of pride, progress, and friendship. At the core of this story is the bond between Ezra, Lucas, and Finley. Three young, gay men who forge a path through their teenage years by supporting each other no matter what. Ezra does struggle at times feeling like a third wheel, but that’s those teenage hormones talking.

All scorned by their exes, these friends pull a First Wives Club (a fave of mine!) and form the Last Boyfriends Club so they can create ways to get back at those loser exes. But what starts off as revenge quickly becomes a revolution within their high school as videos go viral and students begin to fight back against the school administration.

Such an inspiration! The care in expressing being vulnerable, wrong, mature, scared, sad, flirtatious, thrilled, lonely, isolated. So many emotions were felt and they were real. A very pleasant reading experience! Even the exes turned out to be pretty okay!

Kevin, aka Ezra’s dad, is the MVP side character. He was so cute and supportive. As was Ms. Dion, a teacher who supported the cause.

And y’all. We have a romance. A sweet, slow burn, friends to boyfriends little romance that meant so much! I absolutely adored this couple and all they stood for. The ending was just beautiful and while I always want more in the end, the book’s message finished on its peak and I salute Matthew for a wonderful debut!

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: April 30, 2024

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

transportedlfl's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

 Thank you to @getunderlined #GetUnderlinedPartner and Delacorte Press for the free book and to @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I was intrigued immediately by this title and the cover. The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge focuses on three queer high school boys in small town Alabama. They have been friends since childhood and share an experience of recent awful breakups. The book is primarily told from Ezra's perspective but equally highlights Lucas and Finley.

As I read, I was so excited to realize how much of the book was inspired by The First Wives Club. The boys band together to get "revenge" on their exes, but they do so in the modern time of social media accounts and hashtags.

I greatly appreciated some of the adults the book showed as supporting the boys, most notably Ezra's father. And I appreciated the multiple types of character growth the boys underwent. 

While it starts with a focus on three boys, the book becomes a much larger commentary about the policies including "Watch What You Say" which is a fictional schoolboard initiative clearly inspired by current book banning and other anti-LGBTQ school policies to make queer students hide their identities.

Overall, I found this inspiring and emotional while simultaneously powerful and important. The audiobook was narrated by Lee Osorio who did an excellent job differentiating the voices on the multiple main characters. 

cakt1991's review against another edition

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

4.0

 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.  

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge piqued my interest thanks to the bright cover (Pride colors!) and the blurb. The story is also rooted in topics I’ve become increasingly passionate about, like combatting institutionalized homophobia, and the legislation promoting  book bans and the stigmatizing of drag shows. But even beyond that, it’s not just a story of queer resistance, but also has time for queer joy too. 

I love the central friendship between Ezra and his best friends, Lucas and Finley. I loved their bond, especially how commiserating over heartbreak brought them closer, coordinating plans for revenge, and how seamlessly that also tied into actively fighting against their school district for their homophobic policies. 

I also really liked Ezra in his own right. He really comes into his own throughout the book,figuring out his place in the world. And having always been a bit of a romantic, I liked that he also found a guy who was actually a solid person, and their romantic moments were quite cute.    

This is a delightful, timely, affirming read, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a queer coming of age story with strong threads of activism and romance.