“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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Alexis Hall knows how to draw in the readers and make them root for his characters because they are all such flawed human beings that one can relate to. This is a wonderful emotional roller-coaster. Some of the supporting characters are totally off the wall but the distinctive British humor made this a treat.
5 Star book hangover!
I absolutely loved this story. A sweet and swoony, slow burn, fake relationship romance that kept me entertained from start to finish.
“You” – I gave a thwarted sigh – “are a terrible fake boyfriend.”
“I’m building fake anticipation.”
“You’d better be fake worth it.”
“I am.”
I loved the writing and humor. It is smart and funny without being slapstick.
-5 Stars-
I’m probably the last person to have read this book, but I’m kind of glad I saved it for after a tough week because it was the perfect distraction back into happiness. At times I wanted to throttle Luc, then hug him, then help clean his apartment and make him food then throttle him some more. But god bless this messy wonderful disaster baby. Oliver was just the epitome of perfect, while being a complete mess at the same time. Who doesn’t love a control-freak attorney with a v-cut and bacon issues and unfailing standards? But these two characters were so perfectly meshed in said messiness that I was laughing, cheering, yelling, and cursing while watching them get together then un-get together then get together again. Fave line had to be “I wanted to lay down on the floor and cry, but there was no room.” Just a fantastic voice, wit and humor, messy love spilling everywhere, and a great cast of supporting characters. Listened to the audiobook and highly enjoyed the narration. Long but so worth it, and sad blubbery crying over the lack of the epilogue. No matter, bring on the sequel!!! One chapter wouldn’t have been enough anyway.
This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. The comedic timing is beyond perfect, the love story is incredibly swoony, and the cast of characters filled my heart to the brim. I’ve also listened to this as an audiobook and the narration was stellar.
Fantasic Queer rep and an engaging romance! Very, very British. Loved this book so much!
Well, I adore everything by Alexis Hall, and BOYFRIEND MATERIAL is no exception! Great characters who tackle real issues, clever dialogue, funny dialogue, and so much more encompass this phenomenal romcom novel!
From the moment I came across this book on Facebook it intrigued me, and it did not fail. I have recommend this book to anyone and everyone that will listen. Beautifully written with characters that make you fall in love with them for their flaws and all. Wonderful story of two men who, though they seem like opposites, truly belong together. I additionally loved the inside peek into how celebrities can manipulate the media into looking at them a certain way by creating falsehoods about them. Great book, great read. Definitely a 10/10
Like with most authors that truly captivate me, I’ve not read everything Alexis Hall has ever written. I want to. I want to read everything Alexis Hall and those other authors write. Only, like with a good meal I try to parse out the best parts for last. Only to discover I’m too full and have to gorge myself in order to enjoy the best bits. Given my age and our current global pandemic which only half of the global population takes seriously, I’ve reached the stage where the good parts have become now or never.
Thankfully, the NYPL has an audio copy of Boyfriend Material and I only had to wait a few weeks. And then there was the joy. Between the laughter which forced me into the harsh realization that I have way too much in common with excited puppies, I was thinking a lot about this book I was listening to while concurrently following along with the eBook.
Of course I want to lavish outlandish praises for the book, because they’re not really outlandish and justly deserved. Everything about this novel convinces me Alexis Hall is an evil genius. One of those last two words we’ll have to strike, but it probably won’t make sense keeping one without the other.
So, going off on a tangent, because tangent is my default, I recently read Less by Andrew Sean Greer. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. Here comes the caveat. I gave that novel four stars, but I kind of felt obligated to do so. Honestly though, Less did win a Pulitzer … and … I liked it.
But then I read Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material.
So, to sum up, Boyfriend Material is funny, clever and seriously loads better than an LGBTQ novel that won a Pulitzer.
Warning! Choking hazard!
Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. This book is like a Lily Morton book on steroids and coke. In some places I thought it was campy with the characterizations of British men, then I saw a Boris Johnson clip and thought maybe it’s understated.
I loved Luc and Oliver, cheered for them.
There’s not much sex, and what is there is essentially fade to black, but the story was so good and entertaining that I didn’t care.
Highly recommend!
I have officially become a HUGE Alexis Hall fan. Boyfriend Material was sweet, funny, quirky and just overall a wonderful read with characters I adored. It reminded me very much of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” I highly recommend reading Boyfriend Material before the sequel comes out in August 2022! You won’t be sorry!
Oh, Luc…
And, while were’ at it: Oh, Oliver… Honestly, I didn’t expect to get all the feels over these two whose awkward is dialed up to 11. But it works. And it made me smile and swoon and laugh (and cry, dagnabbit – I really didn’t expect that one).
One of my favorite reads of this summer! Totally fell for both MCs and absolutely love this writer’s way with words (even though I had to look up some of the British slang) and can’t wait to read more from him.
New to me author. This mm romance is set in the UK. Main characters are Lucien and Oliver but told from Luc POV. A prefect story of there is someone for everyone. Both characters had major personality characteristics but after starting as fake boyfriend and an on and gain off again relationship they both find a way to be together. Fade to black sex, great life quotes and hard fought fir love.
Luc is the son of two washed-up rock stars from the 80’s. His father is a mess who he knows more from tabloids and news stories than in-peeson, given the fact he walked out on Luc and his mom when Luc was three. And while Luc isn’t really famous, the tabloids love following him around to find and publish his every mistake, rubbing his insecurities in his face. And now some of those latest stories have put his job at a charity at risk. In order to appear more respectable to their donors, his boss suggests he find a nice boyfriend to better his image or find another job. But Luc sucks at love and relationships thanks to a horrible ex. There’s no way he could find the right guy in time.
In desperation, he reaches out to his closest friends who insist on helping him find the perfect fake boyfriend to fill the part. The worst part is, the only person they come up with is Oliver, a posh, stuck-up barrister that Luc has met before and they seemed to share a mutual distaste for each other. But desperate times for desperate measures and while Oliver may be stuffy and too perfect- the exact opposite of screwed up Luc- he’s exactly the type of boyfriend to bring Luc’s reputation up to par. Luc is a little surprised when Oliver agrees to go along with the scheme but also very grateful. At first, things go just as awful as Luc expected but as Luc gets to know Oliver better, the fake relationship starts to feel a little too real.
This book stole my heart on page one and never let go! The story was a bit predictable in general (romances tend to be that way, I think) but it had so many carefully crafted moments and twists that it never got boring. I honestly couldn’t put the book down. It was just so well written and flowed marvelously. I found myself laughing so hard at the classic dry humor and wit. The characters were so wonderful and real and I absolutely adored them. This is the sort of book that once you’ve finished you want to pick it up and read it again right away because you’re not ready to let go. I cannot reccomend it enough!
Different sort of story line. Found the character “Luc” to be incredibly annoying more than I wanted to. The annoyance clearly fit the story line but it got rather weary.
The self-centered aspect of Luc was really pushing things and particularly that the character could ignore the sort of emotional trauma/pain that he could inflict–particularly when that is the foremost aspect of what Luc has lived with.
The other noteworthy aspect of this book that frustrated me was the fact it makes so many references to social items or activities that are specific to the UK. Such references for readers in the UK probably seemed standard but for those less familiar with expressions and activities in the UK with today’s society, it lost a lot in translation.
So, yes, I struggled to keep myself interested in the book at various points but plowed on to complete it. Was pleased I got to the end but felt less than satisfied with the overall story even with its ending.
Perhaps a bit too much of angst for my liking–other readers may find it enlightening, refreshing or something they are familiar with.
I loved this book! The humor is fantastic. The snark is wonderful, the pop culture references sublime. The secondary characters add so much to the story. And the emotional scenes get you right in the gut. In short, the book has everything you could possibly want. There’s even awful relatives I want to throat punch! What more can you ask for from a book?
Great and entertaining book
If you like funny books–like, full on ugly laugh in public places, or books that make you smile like a weirdo while you’re reading–then pick this book up. Just save yourself some time, skip the rest of this review, and start reading the actual book.
Still here? Okay, fine, I’ll say more things.
With Boyfriend Material, Hall has managed to mesh witty, sharp writing and laugh out loud moments with deep, engaging vulnerability. Which isn’t an easy thing. I connected with the hot mess that is Luc pretty hard. So even when Luc is making poor choices, you’re cheering for him. And the side characters…I loved them. On one hand, I wish I’d picked up the book sooner when everyone was raving about it, but on the other hand, I had a really bad week and this book still made me laugh. So I guess I’m glad I waited, but Boyfriend Material is going on my keeper shelf and I’m going to be tearing through Hall’s backlist now.
Boyfriend Material is a fake relationship trope, beautifully written in the first person (Lucien’s) POV (which I love) and full of actual laugh-out-loud lines. I adored the main characters Lucien and Oliver, and the way their relationship developed throughout the book. They are both flawed and delicate and strong and funny and so relatable, and possess all the great characteristics that make the reader fall in love from the get-go.
Luc is the ‘slightly off the rails’ product of (divorced) famous parents, with all the drama and media interest that goes with it, whilst Oliver is a middle class barrister with painful parents and very high expectations. The friendship groups are fabulous characters in their own right and actually reminded me a lot of Bridget’s friends (from Bridget Jones’ Diary).
Such a brilliant, feel good book
Highly recommended, all the stars!
I’m not really sure how to rate this book. I loved the love story, but Luc frustrated me to no end, he was truly a jerk for a lot of the story. To himself and everyone else. Especially to himself, which was boring to read after awhile. I adored Oliver, in all his uptightness. I adored the friend group. It was really just Luc that I kinda hated.