A review by gracetiblem
Husband Material by Alexis Hall

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

So, major spoilers ahead, but I unfortunately hated this book, which sucked because I really enjoyed Boyfriend Material!
While I was ultimately relieved that Oliver and Luc did not get married, I felt that it was a bad idea from the moment Luc first proposed. They spent the entire book fighting and arguing. There was heavy implication that Oliver really needed to be in therapy while Luc also obviously has a traumatic past himself that he hasn't properly addressed either, but never any  acknowledgement that maybe he needed to do some personal growth himself. I understand that Luc is supposed to be an unreliable narrator, but So Much of the book was spent fighting, it made me resent them both entirely. The entire first half of the book is all about how Luc is completely neglecting his relationship with Oliver in order to support his friends. While having strong relationships outside of romantic ones is crucial, the way he completely ignored Oliver for weeks was never really resolved. Finally, the fact that Luc was so upset at Oliver for calling off the wedding when he had had the same thought a mere week before felt incredibly frustrating. As I mentioned earlier, I felt it was best that they didn't get married, but it was also disappointing to me there wasn't more time spent exploring the ways that marriage enforces heteronormative ideas and was just a solution reached within the last seconds of the book.
 
I must add, the eulogy was a wonderful moment, and a loved the line about avoiding being "allonormative."
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