A review by taliahsbookshelf
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I’m ignoring the people who tell me to go into books blind from now on :). So here’s the thing. I’m not a fake dating girlie. I have never been a fake dating girlie. I highly doubt I will ever be a fake dating girlie. And yet here we are, with a book whose entire premise is foundational upon fake dating being a trope you love and enjoy. Now, don’t get me wrong: if you are among the majority who likes fake dating, you might actually enjoy it. Even my cynical self found enjoyment from watching our two protagonists fall in love. 

I don’t want to spend this entire review just criticizing the fake dating trope, because that’s not what we’re here for. However, I do want to spend a paragraph at least talking about the lack of a logical premise, since it is inexplicably tied to the fake dating trope for this book. The entire thing hinges on the idea that having a partner is the only way to be seen as having self-respect. I simply don’t understand why Luc has to have a partner in order to be seen as someone worthy, or why it matters if someone has a partner at all. Yes, part of this is a cultural expectation. However, a bigger part of it is the author’s refusal to reject that and go a different route. It rubbed me the wrong way. 

That wasn’t the only thing that rubbed me the wrong way! As someone who is a vegetarian for ethical reasons, similar to Oliver, there were certain scenes that just felt pushy. At times, it felt like the author was making a commentary on vegetarianism and it often felt forced and like it had no place in the story. Truly, I think the exact same scenes could have played out in exactly the same way without forcing the vegetarian character to eat meat, despite an ethical objection to it. Alternatively, just… don’t make the character vegetarian in the first place? The whole thing felt wrong and definitely didn’t sit right with me. 

I did find myself rooting for Oliver and Luc, but I will say I was rooting even more for the book to just end. This book has been touted as incredibly similar to Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I loved RWRB, and I think part of that was that McQuiston knows when to just… stop talking. I didn’t find that to be the case here. The book felt like it was dragging almost the entire time, and I couldn’t stay engaged for longer than a few chapters at a time. 

With an aggravating main character/narrator, an inability to hold my attention, frankly lackluster writing, and some pretty objectionable scenes, I can’t find myself actually recommending this even to people who like the fake dating trope. 
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