Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Boyfriend Material

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.

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kirstencholewa's review against another edition

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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

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kemperwrites's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-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

3.75

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ceruleanshelves's review against another edition

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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

4.25

“You”—I gave a thwarted sigh—“are a terrible fake boyfriend.”
“I’m building fake anticipation.”
“You’d better be fake worth it.”
“I am.”

this had no right being as adorable & sweet & funny & clever as it was!

i loved watching their relationship develop. i thought both characters were really lovable. luc constantly sticking his foot in his mouth is literally me 😭 and oliver was so adorable as the stern on the outside, sweet on the inside LI (and vegetarian king 👑). watching them learn to open up to each other and be each other's support was a delight.

“I don’t want fine. Fine isn’t enough. It’s not about the open fire or whatever other clichés you can conjure up, but yes, I want a connection. I want you to care as much as I care. I want you to need it and want it and mean it. I want it to matter.”

alexis has very clever writing and makes scenes with all the eclectic side characters really fun, it adds a lot of charm to an already quite enjoyable story. also shout out to the 10 things i hate about you reference 💖

the narrator was excellent. i already have a harder time w processing audio vs reading, and accents typically make it all the more difficult, but i didn't really have an issue with this one and i thought he captured all the characters' essences very well!

i will definitely be reading the next book and checking out more of alexis hall's books!

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k_berry's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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sirenricobooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kathis_wonderland's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

I am still not over how much that book excited me. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is the first book in the London Calling series. Luc is looking for a fake boyfriend to make him look like one of the good gays. Oliver is the perfect match, but they actually don't like each other. Or so they think.

This book was a roller-coaster of feelings. The first five chapters were really not my cup of tea. I was thinking what the hell I've gotten myself into. Luc really annoyed me (and did throughout the whole book). He is 28 years old, but behaves like an unreasonable teenager. No communication, being annoying, only seeing the worst in everything and being quite mean to his friends and other people. He behaved more like a 17-year-old. BUT THEN Oliver came along. And I feel in love with this book.

I can't even describe all the emotions I felt while reading. I was jumping up and down with this book in my hands, had the biggest smile on my face and couldn't regulate my feelings at all. Still not sure what happened there. I just know that I want an Oliver in my life. He is pretentious and just so intelligent, but he is so wonderful. Both Luc and Oliver really do have their personal problems and they are the opposite of each other. But they fit so well together. They brought out the best in the other and had each other’s backs. I ROOTED FOR THEM! As soon as their fake relationship started, I started to love this book. It's by far one of my favourites now. It made me feel so happy!

This book blew me away. I did not expect to love it that much, but I can't help myself. It's one of my favourite books now. I can't wait to read the next book!

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