“The apotheosis of the rom-com.” —Entertainment Weekly, A+ ReviewNamed a best book of the year by Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, The Washington Post, and more!
WANTED:One (fake) boyfriendPractically perfect in every way
Luc O’Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years … rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.
To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.
But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.
Discover the LGBT romance about exact opposites falling in perfectly imperfect love that New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CHRISTINA LAUREN calls “hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning.”
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All the swoon in the world. A beautiful slowburn that I couldn’t get enough of,
This fake-relationship romance is delightfully British and deeply romantic. Loved it!
When i started Boyfriend Material, i never dreamed i’d be writing a 5-star review at the end. In fact, if a friend hadn’t told me the book was brilliant, i wouldn’t have finished it at all. For the first third of the book, i hated the main character. His level of dysfunctional got so under my skin, I just wanted to tell him to shut up and i had no idea why his friends were so devoted to him. What kept me going was my friend’s voice in my head and the humor. This book is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. I was listening to it and my husband ran in to be sure i was okay I was laughing so hard. It’s super clever British humor and quite original.
Of course, since the stars are there, you have to know that Luc, the MC, ultimately redeems himself and starts to care for someone else as much as he cares about himself. Both of the main characters are dysfunctional, but their messed-upness matches in what turns out to be very romantic ways. The secondary characters are fun (and funny) and, all in all, the book is very worth reading — even if you, like me, dislike the first third! LOL
How? How was this book written? My vote is witchcraft. What a study in character development. It’s a how-to without even trying. I’m going to treat this novel like I do my favorite cardigan and buy 5 copies for when one wears out. Everyone needs to read this. Brilliance on every single page. Hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Basically the book of my dreams. The perfect romcom. Flawless. An instant classic. Hot-mess POV hero who you will want to cuddle. Enigmatic, perfect love interest who’s not so perfect after all, except I love him, so he is. Iconic friendship group. Glittering, knife’s-edge prose. I have lost the ability to sentence because I will never be as good at it as Alexis Hall so what’s the point. I’m not even mad I’m just ready to read it all again. Six stars. Seven. Ten. Let’s GO
Luc.
He’s the son of 1970 & 80’ies rock stars. He loves his mom – he never met his dad – who is now making a comeback.
Luc lives in London, works for a very weird charity and is looking for his romantic happily ever after. But he’s not really finding the perfect guy. Mostly because he’s a very complicated guy who is scared to find something serious because of that one bad relationship five years ago!
But now he really has to find someone, because his boss needs him to look good for the press.
Enter Oliver.
He’s a lawyer. A vegetarian … and kind of the total opposite of Luc.
They shouldn’t fit perfectly. And they really don’t. Which is okay, because it’s all fake. But it’s not staying fake for long … because we all know … opposites attract, right?
What will happen with Luc & Oliver?
Will there be a HEA?
Read the book to find out!
First of all – the cover! Soo beautiful!
And then the story. I just adored reading this!
Luc is so hilariously over-the-top britishly melancholy-ish … ‘strange’ – but we kind of totally get him and he’s so very lovable. And Oliver is just über adorable!
Those two should SO not end up together, but we SO want them to.
This was such an amazingly funny and beautiful love story. I just wanted to jump into the book and hug Luc. And shake some sense into him too.
How is this not on Netflix yet??? I would watch 25 seasons of this without getting tired of it.
All the friends and co-stars?! And can we please get an Alex spin-off??? That guy was almost the best part of this book. He made me fall off the couch laughing several times!
Ugh – I don’t know what more to say. This was such a beautiful story. So full of British everything. And full of … Fun, sadness, weather, friends, family, romance, kissing, cuddling, laughing, arguing, crying, falling in love …. and so much more. Basically .. this book is … EVERYTHING!
I ADORED EVERY SINGLE WORD!
BOYFRIEND MATERIAL was such an adorable & hilarious but also very melancholy & British love story! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Luc & Oliver – they’ll be sold out in no time!
#PreOrder this!
Thoroughly enjoyable, low-angst, at times hilarious, and as exceedingly British as a Mr Kipling cake. I loved it.
Oh my word, Luc and Oliver are my new favorite couple in the history of ever! So cleverly written, so charmingly crafted, and so heart-meltingly amazing. I love absolutely everything about this smart, witty rom-com!
I kept this book on my tbr list for far too long but I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It was just as amazing as I’d been told it was snd I fell in love with the characters from the very first page. Luc may be a complete mess of a 28 year old man and I’ve heard people complain that he can come off as childish or fake because of it but they’re wrong. For me, seeing a character just sort of rolling through life aimlessly and trying to keep his head above water and do his job, and be a decent friend and have a relationship with his family and find love felt more real than anything I have read lately. This book is funny and heartfelt and fun and achingly sweet at times. There’s no on page sexy times and we never see anything beyond kissing but the feelings are clear and obvious anyway. I don’t think I could love this book more.
Fantastically over-the-top, laugh out load funny, romantic comedy. It so reminded me of classic British romcoms like “4 weddings and a funeral” or “Bridget Jones’ Diary”.
This book reminded me of exactly how I like to write romance, (only so much less work because I didn’t even have to write this one myself). It had deep, no-punches-pulled emotion, laugh out loud funny banter, and a love interest so swoony they make ME crush on them as hard as the main character does. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I was reading. Perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue!
“It felt safe to let my guard down with you because I could tell myself it wasn’t real. But now it is and… Well… I’m coming to the conclusion I might be unbelievably terrified.”
“Me too, “I said. “But let’s be terrified together.”
This may well be my new favorite fake-dating romance. As this quote captures, BOYFRIEND MATERIAL dug deep into love’s vulnerability and explored brilliantly via the fake-dating trope that pretending something doesn’t mean much to us is sometimes the only way we can allow ourselves to take initial risks when it comes to love.
This book was delightfully British, dripping with dry, self-deprecating humor and snarky wit that I absolutely adore. Luc’s mother and Judy, not to mention his friend group, were top-notch zany characters whose banter was almost dizzying, sometimes near-ridiculous, but again very in keeping with that British RomCom style that you just roll with and enjoy for being slightly over-the-top and delightfully entertaining.
I will admit that I was initially peeved and a bit blindsided by Oliver’s crisis of confidence in their relationship at the end—he’s built up so much through the book as being emotionally solid and sure—but as I read on through the last few chapters, I really got why his family visit triggered that response, and I came around to empathize with and find his behavior believable. It also gave Luc a wonderful opportunity to enrich his character arc, stepping into the role of the patient, gracious, forgiving partner, providing a delightful coming-full-circle turn in the narrative that humanized Oliver and deepened Luc’s growth.
I really can’t praise this romance enough. It was nuanced, smart, swoony, and raw. It didn’t shy away from the realities of homophobia, microaggressions, familial toxicity, and the gritty truth that all of us have to work through past pain and questions of self-worth to be able to truly receive love.
Also? This book’s last sentence—which I will absolutely not spoil—is now tied with The Hating Game for best-concluding line.
A laugh-out-loud riot. I laughed, I cried. It was absolute and utter perfection. If you’re looking for a great summer escape, this book is it!
Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material perfectly balances laugh-out-loud-while-reading-alone-in-an-empty-room with those-aren’t-tears-in-my-eyes-just-allergies.
What a superb story!
Fans of Alexis Hall know to expect something marvelous, but Boyfriend Material goes above and beyond. The dry, silly, often heartfelt humor keeps this one moving at a fast pace, and I found it was over much too soon.
Hall writes incredibly interesting characters. From Luc’s zany group of friends, to his complex relationship with his folks – and the same to be said about Oliver’s people. Bonus: the whole thing comes from Luc’s point of view, which just keep the light-hearted insights rolling along.
An absolutely charming romance, plus a lovely hurt-comfort aspect, and a fabulous fake relationship trope make Boyfriend Material one of the most enjoyable novels of the year.
Humor, swoon and, the perfect amount of angst.
My depression had taken quite a bad turn when I read Boyfriend Material. And I remember laughing through my tears as I read until they dried up. Luc is such a sassy, hilarious, chaotic mess. And Oliver is a perfect cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs. The chemistry between these two loons was amazing. The humor had me laughing like a maniac at times. I absolutely adored this book and I can’t wait for the sequel.
I own this book in every iteration: ebook, paperback, and audiobook. It’s my go-to book when I want something to make me feel good. It’s hilarious and romantic and takes on some serious issues too. It’s a pretty perfect book.
This is the romantic story about the building relationship of an over earnest barrister and the truly messed up son of two musicians. Luc was raised by his mother after his rock-legend father abandoned them. He still bears the insecurities engendered by that betrayal. And after his last boyfriend sold him out to the tabloids, Luc’s been in a five year downward spiral, “living down” to his press.
Plagued by paparazzi always looking for the next chapter of shame, it’s become a hate hate relationship. Having grown up reading scandalous pieces about himself in the gossip rags, Luc’s self esteem and sense of self worth are about what you’d expect.
Problem is that his public notoriety has left him so stigmatized that he’s having trouble holding a job. When his latest debacle hits the tabloids, even his “CRAPPy” job won’t have him. No, that’s not exactly a scatological reference, but simply an acronym. He works as a fund-raiser for the Coleoptera Research and Preservation Project. It’s truly a CRAPP job… but Luc enjoys his somewhat loony workmates. Nevertheless, even the charity can no longer tolerate his press persona. His supervisor has given him an ultimatum; “Get a boyfriend, and become the “right kind” of gay, or get fired.
Enter stolid but boring (boorish?) Oliver. Oliver’s the seemingly perfect, put together, perennially principled boyfriend. Oliver’s all about mindfulness, and manners, and ethics. While being extremely fit and conscientious, Oliver’s the perfect complement to Luc’s overly chaotic life, Oliver has his own family issues and has been single for a while after being left by yet another boyfriend. With his parent’s 40th anniversary party coming up, Oliver can’t bear the opprobrium of going stag. So the two agree to this fake dating relationship to satisfy employers, donors, and demanding parents. But while they are fake dating, they discover that they like each other’s company.
Told primarily from Luc’s POV, this is a great fake boyfriends tale. In some ways it’s a much gayer, much less inebriated Arthur, without the Dudley Moore influences, and no faithful manservant. Both Luc and his “fake boyfriend” are both incredibly sympathetic characters and seeing them grow closer is a bit like watching the courtship of hedgehogs.
Luc (or Lucien as those who truly love him call him) is a modern little boy lost with more appeal and quicker wits than any paparazzi darling has a right to. Of course there will be a redeeming happy ending. There’s even a lot of jocularity along the way. There’s even one not so funny knock knock joke that manages to be the source of two laugh out loud guffaws and a chortle.
This title is available in audio form on HOOPLA and it’s even better when experienced as an audiobook as narrated by Joe Jameson.
Luc’s youthful voice is frequently self deprecating and at other times poignantly lacking in all self confidence. There are the “posh git” voices of his mostly upper crust workmates. There are several regional voices as well with a Welsh co-worker, Oliver’s upper middle class parentals, Luc’s loving but crazy mother, his deadbeat dad and a host of others.
Luc is the kind of guy that you find yourself pulling for even as early chapter one. The friends are all likable, the eccentric workmates are lovable.
Heck, I even liked the nice guy that tried chatting Luc up in chapter only to be disappointed by Luc’s paranoia. When he comes back later as something of a villain, I still liked him. So much so that I’m curious as to his story as well.
One measure of how much I liked this one… After listening to it on HOOPLA, and loving it, I asked the site I generally write for to see if they could get me a copy of the audio-book to review so that I could have one in my permanent collection. They couldn’t so I bought my own on audible.
Wow! Talk about a page turner & one that has ALL the feels! Luc & Oliver are total opposites with great chemistry. The characters are so well written & relatable that you can’t walk away from the book until you finish it…and even then you need time to truly process the entire story. Joe Jameson does an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life and humanizing them with their emotions, attitude and personality. He does more than giving their characters their voices, he falls into the roles and becomes the characters.
Let this be a stand in recommendation for all of Hall’s books. Boyfriend Material is funny and witty and just a riot 🙂