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A review by tinkeringcheck
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Disclaimer: I'm queer and love rom coms (the cheesier the better in my opinion) so naturally this had been on my TBR for awhile. What wouldn't there be to like?
So.
The main character is insufferable, unlikeable, and his narrative voice is annoying. It's a bad rom-com that happens to be gay, except the leads have no chemistry and the humour is painfully unfunny. The plot's driven by the main character trying to appease his homophobic boss, who wants him to get a respectable, straight-passing boyfriend to be a "good gay." And that's supposed to be... funny and light-hearted instead of an HR nightmare.
So what made the main character so difficult for me? Luc's POV reads like a stereotypically sarcastic, insecure teenager but since he's supposed to be almost 30 it makes him come off really poorly. I'm almost 30 and can confidently say nobody has their life together at almost 30, but at least my inner monologue doesn't sound like an angsty 2010 YA protag. He isn't a lovable, quirky disaster gay. He's just rude and emotionally immature, especially to his own friends.
His queer friends, by the way, are huge stereotypes and not in the fun way. Like two indistinguishable married guys named James Royce-Royce who are literally only ever referred to as "James Royce-Royce" (yes, first name and surname) so you never know who's talking kind of way. I actually can't believe this was published recently - and by a queer writer!! - because overall it was really giving vaguely homophobic early 00s rom-com vibes.
So.
The main character is insufferable, unlikeable, and his narrative voice is annoying. It's a bad rom-com that happens to be gay, except the leads have no chemistry and the humour is painfully unfunny. The plot's driven by the main character trying to appease his homophobic boss, who wants him to get a respectable, straight-passing boyfriend to be a "good gay." And that's supposed to be... funny and light-hearted instead of an HR nightmare.
So what made the main character so difficult for me? Luc's POV reads like a stereotypically sarcastic, insecure teenager but since he's supposed to be almost 30 it makes him come off really poorly. I'm almost 30 and can confidently say nobody has their life together at almost 30, but at least my inner monologue doesn't sound like an angsty 2010 YA protag. He isn't a lovable, quirky disaster gay. He's just rude and emotionally immature, especially to his own friends.
His queer friends, by the way, are huge stereotypes and not in the fun way. Like two indistinguishable married guys named James Royce-Royce who are literally only ever referred to as "James Royce-Royce" (yes, first name and surname) so you never know who's talking kind of way. I actually can't believe this was published recently - and by a queer writer!! - because overall it was really giving vaguely homophobic early 00s rom-com vibes.
And for the love of god, will people stop using Red, White, and Royal Blue to recommend this? They're both MLM romances and that's where the similarities end. Stop doing free - and misleading! - marketing for the publisher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Cancer
The whole premise of the book is the main character experiencing casual homophobia at work (he needs to get a boyfriend to be a "good gay" in the eyes of his boss) and it's not really challenged - he goes along with it. Cancer warning refers to a parent of the main character. Also themes about dealing with an estranged father.