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quinntillion 's review for:
The Build-A-Boyfriend Project
by Mason Deaver
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eli is a guy just trying to make it to where he truly wants to be, as a staff writer for the website Vent, but he's stuck as an assistant to the boss. Peter is an awkward guy who's never been on a date before and works for a tech company, living the shut-in life and working hours far longer than he should. They meet through a mutual friend of a friend and go on the most disastrous of dates, only to later try again under the pretense of teaching Peter how to better date and be a solid boyfriend! Only, of course, it's not real and purely for the purpose of teaching Peter, and with the bonus of helping Eli write an article that he's sure will get his bosses attention and get him that promotion he deserves!
As a trans man, it's not often that I find romances from the perspective of a transmasc person, and it was a genuine surprise and delight to discover this about our lead boy, Eli. There was something also refreshing about the story not being tied up in those early years of figuring yourself out in a transition, or taking those first steps with your sexuality. All of it feels well established and we're able to really get going with the story without that being a rocky road to overcome.
While there's the necessary suspension of disbelief a lot of romances of this type require, the story is overall interesting and has a nice balance of plot and fluff, with a fairly believable conflict and resolution. Around 75% through, I was spinning in my chair and loudly lamenting about every turn to anyone who would listen! So often a romance novel will make the conflict, or character the conflict stems from, cartoonishly evil, and Deaver managed to make it believable and frustratingly real without resorting to them being malicious and malignant to make sure the reader KNEW they were unlikeable.
Overall I spent a good amount of my time reading this with a huge smile on my face, if not giggling and kicking my feet. The writing was superb, the dialogue believable and real, and for the most part it didn't feel like the author was using queer characters and situations to be a teaching opportunity for non-queer readers (as a lot of queer romance does, which can get extremely tiring). It's still kind of there, but much less than others, and as a queer person I appreciate that greatly.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review! It was so sweet!
As a trans man, it's not often that I find romances from the perspective of a transmasc person, and it was a genuine surprise and delight to discover this about our lead boy, Eli. There was something also refreshing about the story not being tied up in those early years of figuring yourself out in a transition, or taking those first steps with your sexuality. All of it feels well established and we're able to really get going with the story without that being a rocky road to overcome.
While there's the necessary suspension of disbelief a lot of romances of this type require, the story is overall interesting and has a nice balance of plot and fluff, with a fairly believable conflict and resolution. Around 75% through, I was spinning in my chair and loudly lamenting about every turn to anyone who would listen! So often a romance novel will make the conflict, or character the conflict stems from, cartoonishly evil, and Deaver managed to make it believable and frustratingly real without resorting to them being malicious and malignant to make sure the reader KNEW they were unlikeable.
Overall I spent a good amount of my time reading this with a huge smile on my face, if not giggling and kicking my feet. The writing was superb, the dialogue believable and real, and for the most part it didn't feel like the author was using queer characters and situations to be a teaching opportunity for non-queer readers (as a lot of queer romance does, which can get extremely tiring). It's still kind of there, but much less than others, and as a queer person I appreciate that greatly.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review! It was so sweet!