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A review by whendevreads
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
3.0
TW: Welcome to Night Vale mention … I’m kidding, but as someone who was a fan of WTNV years ago and hasn’t listened to it since, I had a weird reaction to seeing it mentioned in the book.
I enjoyed myself while reading this book. I do think that, at times, there was too much going on and it made it a little hard to read.
This is a book where I think the main characters really carried the book; I didn’t feel positively toward most of the side characters. Alex (and Clara/Miffy) being essentially a “dumb blonde” was funny at first, and then he started saying extremely ignorant things and it got old very quickly. As well, every minor character using terms like “the gays” or being casually homophobic for comedic value just didn’t really land with me. So many of the friends in Luc’s friend group were selfish and annoying. I would say that it’s the type of characterization that is typical with straight writers, but upon further research the author is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. So… that makes it more confusing.
And that isn’t even mentioning the two MCs. It’s hard to tell if I think Luc is annoying or if I relate to him. Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle. He’s actively a dick to everyone around him - friends, coworkers, etc. - and even admits to it himself. And Oliver is extremely uptight and snobby at times. They’re characters that only work a) together and b) because they’re fictional and we don’t have to sit through a conversation with them IRL.
However, there were positives of the book. I love the fake dating trope so I was excited for this one. I think the author kept the suspense of the relationship well by having them agree not to kiss at the beginning. It kept me waiting for the kiss to finally happen and I was so excited when I got to that part. And I think the kiss was in such a cute, vulnerable moment between the two of them so I definitely approve of that choice.
I enjoyed myself while reading this book. I do think that, at times, there was too much going on and it made it a little hard to read.
This is a book where I think the main characters really carried the book; I didn’t feel positively toward most of the side characters. Alex (and Clara/Miffy) being essentially a “dumb blonde” was funny at first, and then he started saying extremely ignorant things and it got old very quickly. As well, every minor character using terms like “the gays” or being casually homophobic for comedic value just didn’t really land with me. So many of the friends in Luc’s friend group were selfish and annoying. I would say that it’s the type of characterization that is typical with straight writers, but upon further research the author is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. So… that makes it more confusing.
And that isn’t even mentioning the two MCs. It’s hard to tell if I think Luc is annoying or if I relate to him. Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle. He’s actively a dick to everyone around him - friends, coworkers, etc. - and even admits to it himself. And Oliver is extremely uptight and snobby at times. They’re characters that only work a) together and b) because they’re fictional and we don’t have to sit through a conversation with them IRL.
However, there were positives of the book. I love the fake dating trope so I was excited for this one. I think the author kept the suspense of the relationship well by having them agree not to kiss at the beginning. It kept me waiting for the kiss to finally happen and I was so excited when I got to that part. And I think the kiss was in such a cute, vulnerable moment between the two of them so I definitely approve of that choice.