A review by brittaneenash
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

If you enjoyed Red, White, & Royal Blue then this book is for you! It's packed full of similar tropes (namely, fake dating someone who the main character thinks they don't like all that much) and gives you all the warm, fluffy feelings that RW&RB does. 

After an incident with the tabloids, Luc is forced to reluctantly agree to pretend to date Oliver in order to improve his reputation in the media. Things start off with an awkward, bumpy opening, as is seemingly necessary in most novels with this trope, but the two are able to begin to navigate things properly as they actually start to get to know one another. 

  • The side characters, at times, did seem like caricatures rather than actual people with well-rounded personalities, but I still adored each and everyone one of them. 
  • I enjoyed that Luc and Oliver didn't commit to their relationship until the 'grace period' of fulfilling their promises to one another was complete. It made the story that much more enjoyable to listen to, and had me hanging on the edge of me seat to find out what would happen at the next turn. 
  • Luc's relationship with his dad is heartbreakingly real. 
  • The casual homophobia from side characters throughout the book is so realistic that it had me internally facepalming at times. 
  • I loved, loved, loved the narrator of this audiobook. His differentiation in accents and tone for all the different characters is exquisite, and he also read the story as though it were his inner monologue rather than a novel. 
  • The last couple of chapters had me terrified about how the book would end. I loved the suspense it instilled in me, because I felt like I was right there in Luc's car with the entire friend group, rooting for him to get his happily ever after. 

Overall, it was a solid book that talks about finding pieces of yourself in your late twenties that you never knew existed and learning to live with and accept them with the help of others along the way. It talks to complicated familial relationships in a beautifully simplistic way, and gives you all the feels that you want both during reading and after completion. I can't wait to get stuck into Husband Material next!
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