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A review by cloudbunny
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
This book seemingly starts with a buzzword every third word which, to be quite honest, is a bit much for me and I almost gave up on it. I ended up reading it anyway because I was having a bad time and wanted to feel something, and I'm glad I did.
It goes from 'haha you get it right gays?' to INCREDIBLY RELATABLE at speed that will give you whiplash. I became completely invested in the MC's journey, his struggles with his fears, past experiences, and depression, and I think in the end he comes out remarkably well.
His love interest also is a delight, and I love the way the story changes as the MC (and we) grow closer to him and learn to see deeper behind the facade (oddly similar to my own journey through this read).
The rough start sort of sets a poor lens on the MC, and that's not aided by the way his voice is just ever-so-slightly still patronising to lgbt+ internet users throughout the rest of the book, but overall this was a decent and easy read with a lot of emotion.
It goes from 'haha you get it right gays?' to INCREDIBLY RELATABLE at speed that will give you whiplash. I became completely invested in the MC's journey, his struggles with his fears, past experiences, and depression, and I think in the end he comes out remarkably well.
His love interest also is a delight, and I love the way the story changes as the MC (and we) grow closer to him and learn to see deeper behind the facade (oddly similar to my own journey through this read).
The rough start sort of sets a poor lens on the MC, and that's not aided by the way his voice is just ever-so-slightly still patronising to lgbt+ internet users throughout the rest of the book, but overall this was a decent and easy read with a lot of emotion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia
Fair warning, the descriptions of depression and feelings of unlovability felt by the MC are real as hell and half of the reason I read it so fast is so I didn't have to stop and mope and cry. Be warned if you've also got depression that this one hits hard.