“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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A gorgeously romantic slow-burn M/M romance with amazing dialogue and an “opposites-attract” dynamic between the very Darcy-esque Oliver Backwood and the dissolute, wayward son of an old rock and roll star, Luc O’Donnell. Incredible.
Oliver Blackwood stole my heart!! He had the British humor, as well as the delightful snark that I adore. He was so misunderstood for so much of the book that by the time Luc noticed exactly who Oliver was unbeknownst to myself I had fallen just as much in love with Luc. SO MANY FEELS!!!
“This was why relationships sucked: they made you need shit you’d been perfectly happy not needing. And then they took them away.”
I have absolutely no idea how I am going to review this book. I tried reading this book last year and I couldn’t get into at all, and I totally think that was a me thing. This time I tried the Audio, and I was hooked right from the start. That being said, this review should be easy about your typical “fake boyfriend trope” but this wasn’t your typical “fake boyfriend trope” story. Not for me anyway.
Boyfriend Material gave me so many feelings that even days later I don’t entirely know what to say. What I will say is I did love this book so much more than I thought I ever could, especially since it was almost a DNF last year. Oliver was completely misunderstood, and Luc was a lost soul who didn’t know how to behave when someone actually wanted him. I would totally recommend this book and Husband Material what I hope to be the continuation of Luc and Oliver’s story comes out Summer 2022 and I am totally here for it.
I loved Luc and Oliver so much! I’m a huge fan of the fake relationship trope so I overall really enjoyed this book, and the fact that it’s British… *chef’s kiss*. I ended up only giving it 4 stars because it felt just a little too long for me.
Oh, my gosh. This book was just the sweet little confection of a book I needed right now. The main characters were adorable, perfectly imperfect, and the other characters were wonderful, too. I highly recommend “Boyfriend Material” for a touching, well-plotted, and yet often hilarious story. There were some moments when I actually guffawed. This is rom-com at its finest.
Charming English m/m romance between the ne’er-do-well son of rock stars and the buttoned-up barrister who agrees to a fake relationship when both need dates to important functions. Fun and sweet but not just fluff, and delightfully performed on audio.
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I read it because I liked the way Alexis Hall toyed with language in the first chapter. I grew to actually care about Luc and Oliver, even though they were maybe too completely opposite in nature, and more than once I wanted to slap Luc silly for being an idiot…but the writing kept me going and I was glad. I even laughed out loud a few times. It could be a bit shorter, but that’s really not much of a complaint.
Fabulous and entertaining read! I loved these characters!
Boyfriend Material was a truly great read! I expected a lot of fluff, but what I got was a seriously well put together story with great funny scenes, a surprisingly good story that avoided a lot of the typical cliches and stereotypes and a good romance. I really liked how this turned out.
Listening to the audiobook made this story even better. The narrator is gem and made the story come alive. The narrator was able to voice the characters perfectly.
5+ star read and greatly recommended
“And that was when I remembered something—how fucking good it could be, just to be with someone. To let them see you. To be enough.”
There have been a handful of books that I have read that I feel wholly and utterly unqualified to write an adequate review on. This is one of them. But here we go….
This book is beautiful. I mean….gorgeous. Luc and Oliver are both at a time in their lives where they don’t want a boyfriend, necessarily, but need one for a short bit. Fake dating ensues. The dating is about all that is “fake” in this book. The raw vulnerability and insecurities that Hall puts on the page through these two is so real and deep and poignant that it both hurt and healed to read.
Luc, the son of two has-been rockstars, is seemingly very comfortable portraying a very outside messed up version of himself that makes you have to look very closely to see how strong and put together he really is. Oliver, a successful barrister, couldn’t be more disciplined and put together on the outside but is actually hiding quite a lot. Seeing the true character growth in both men as their fake dating moves towards real relationship, whether they realize it or not, is written in such a masterful way that is rarely found in books. Hall proves himself to be a writer at the top of his game.
And the skilled writing isn’t just in Luc and Oliver. The friendships, the family, the co-workers make up a world that is fun and sad and multi-dimensional. I laughed often and loudly at many points in this book. I savored it and know that I’ll be back for a re-read in the future and will find other hidden moments when I do so. I just finished this book and yet can’t wait for that re-read.
I knew that Boyfriend Material is a beloved book that has been recommended by many. I didn’t know how deep and stunning it would be in the end. I highly recommend this to anyone and will be looking for more from this author in the future.
I’m a lifelong romance reader and this is in my Top 5 favorite romance reads–ever! Hilariously funny, heartfelt, snarky, witty and more. Everything you could want in a rom-com! So good!
OMG!!! I enjoyed this book so so much. It made me laugh out loud so many times. It made me shed a few tears too. But mostly, it made me smile a lot and made me feel warm and fuzzy. Luc and Oliver were so amazing, so lovable. Also, every single secondary character was so funny and made this book an even better experience. I will refer this book to absolutely everyone.
I must also note that I listened to the audiobook for this and I LOVED the narrator, Joe Jameson. He really brought these already amazing characters to life.
I’m still smiling thinking about this book. 5+ stars from me!!!!
5 Star Review of Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
AUDIO REVIEW:
Both author Alexis Hall and narrator Joe Jameson are new to me and when I saw a recommendation from an author whose audio books I adore, I immediately one clicked.
This was a well written, steamy, fast paced MM story with characters you cannot help but fall for, hook, line and sinker. Joe Jameson did an outstanding job bringing these characters to life and he nailed the characters in my opinion.
Luc O’Donnell and Oliver Blackwood are total opposites and yet for me they really are a perfect match. What starts out as an agreement between them to pretend to be one another’s boyfriends, the relationship quickly becomes complicated.
This was at times an emotional story and my heart almost broke at times for Luc. From the moment they met you just know that you are in for a fabulous roller coaster of a listen.
The chemistry between them is intense and you could feel the sparks ignite between them. The banter is witty and there were so many fabulous moments throughout this book. The path to happiness will not be smooth and some of the twists and turns Alexis Hall wrote had me praying that all would turn out.
Honestly, no-one does quirky humor that makes me laugh out loud one minute and makes my heart sing with the romance of it all, quite the way Alexis Hall does. Give me a dorky, can’t-get-a thing-thing-right hero, who tells terrible jokes and an upper glass English love interest who reminds me of Mr Darcy and I’m hooked! I loved, loved, loved this book, the characters burrowed into my heart and will probably stay there forever.
This fake dating book is perfect. Hall has penned the perfect fluffy rom-con that also tackles tough subjects. Luc and Oliver are perfect together and watching them find their HEA is the most fun I’ve had in a while.
I have absolutely no idea how to write a review of this book. No idea at all. Not because it’s bad, quite the opposite. This is a great book, maybe even a fantastic book. There’s just a lot of feelings. Too many feelings to narrow it down in a coherent review. It has all the elements of your every day fake boyfriend trope book, yet it’s nothing like your every day fake boyfriend book. It’s just… large in a way not many romances offer. There’s beautiful language, and passages that makes you stop to really take them in. There’s feelings. So many feelings. All of the feelings and yet filled with the comic relief to not make it unbearable. It’s just a little of everything put together in a way that shouldn’t really work but yet still… does. I have never read Alexis Hall before, so I went in blind, unsure of what to expect.
So Gustaf? Why didn’t you rate this 5 Stars, you might be asking by now. And I get it. I totally do. And I do have a reason why this is a 4 star read for me and not a 5 star read. So, I have told you about the feelings. This book is a long ass rollercoaster ride of feelings. And after going through all of those feelings I was expecting an extraordinary ending. Like an ending with all the feelings we have had in the book but in reverse. I expected an ending that would make me happy cry. And all I got was a happy for now. And I couldn’t help but feeling a little (read a lot, very much), disappointed by that. The conflict basically went on until the end and then there’s a really fast making up for the conflict and done. The book is finished. I feel like suddenly I’m the one being lied to. Not the MC’s. Like, the author took her time writing this book and then rushed through the ending.
I loved this romance! Troubled emo rich kid and your grumpy strait laced lawyer doing a fake relationship. Gobbled it up. It’s funny and charming and one of the things I really enjoyed were the mutual group of meddling and entertaining British friends egging it all on in the background. If you like Richard Curtis movies for the friendships, you might like the vibe of this!
I’m not sure how I stumbled upon this book. I think I ordered it from my library because it was on Goodreads Reader’s Choice List. I had no idea what the story was about, except it was a rom-com romance (my favorite).
At first, I didn’t think I’d like the book. I mean, Luc was filled with a lot of self-loathing in the opening pages and wasn’t sure I want to read four-hundred pages of it. However, his dry wit kept me hanging on, and I’m so damn glad because the book was freaking fantastic (and don’t worry, it didn’t take me long to realize it)!
I recommend this book, who loves stories that will give them all the feels—happiness, sadness, angst, and love!
I absolutely loved this book. The dialogue had me cracking up several times. While some of the supporting characters were a bit too cartoonish for me, I loved Luc and Oliver. They seemed very genuine, each with their own type of baggage and yet complimenting each other very nicely. I liked how the author poked fun at cliche aspects of this trope without falling victim to them. A delightful read, can’t wait to read more books by this author.
I picked this book up because I’d seen so many people talking about it. Plus, I love the cover.
Luc needs a very respectable fake boyfriend. Oliver wants someone to accompany him to his parent’s ruby wedding anniversary. It seems like a sensible arrangement for both of them.
I loved Luc’s voice. It was funny and relatable. I thought Oliver, the perfect man with host of insecurities, was adorable. Some of the secondary characters were hilarious (Luc really dislikes Oxford grads!). The scene with Oliver’s friends was wonderful.
I really enjoyed this book. It was laugh out loud funny and incredibly touching in turns.
Oh my effing gaawd, this book is bloody amazing! I love it so much and I’m so sad it’s over. I want a sequel, or another one just like it. And I definitely want more stories by Alexis Hall. And I can feel myself entering a massive book-hangover right now as I’m sitting and writing this review.
Also, I listened to the audio, I didn’t read it. And the drawback with that format is that you can’t high-light stuff. Because I would have high-lighted the f*ck out of this book. I might even end up buying the kindle version so I can do just that.
Obviously, Boyfriend Material is worth all the stars and more. But I’m feeling quite overwhelmed right now, so I’m not sure how to properly describe it. It might be, that if a wait a few days and get some distance to the story, I’d feel less enthusiastic. But what would be the point of that? Books are all about the emotions. So there’s no better time to review a book than when you’re still all swept up in the feels.
So, Luc is having a bad few years. Or more like five years. That’s when his last boyfriend dumped him and sold all his dirty secrets to the press – something that can apparently happen if you’re an estranged son to an old rock legend. Now his self esteem’s at rock bottom and the press always appears to catch him when he’s at his worst, despite him trying his best to avoid getting caught on camera. The last photo of him was the straw for his employer though. If he doesn’t clean up his act, he’s fired. Luc needs a stable, respectable boyfriend. And Oliver – a friend of a friend – is a barrister, a vegetarian for ethical reasons and agrees to play the part. Oliver’s also very hot, and kind, and perhaps perfect for Luc. For real that is.
This is somewhat of a tired, old trope, the fake boyfriend one. But Hall gave it an entirely new spin. The whole story was like that. So bloody refreshing and surprising, in the best possible way. Luc and Oliver both had some serious issues, and they were both so awkward and endearing. They felt real. Like, real real. I think that was one of the things that impressed me most about this story. The perfectly imperfect interactions between Luc and Oliver.
Also, the humour. Hilarious doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Oh, and the large repertoire of characters, each so very full-bodied (pun intended), which is really unusual.
And the twists and turns of the story; awesome. Especially that last one, it just came right out of left field and kind of socked me in the head.
Basically, I’m really impressed by this book.
The only thing that could have made this story better would have been if the sexytimes had been, well, on-page. This was a fade-to-black kind of story for those sections. Which is so, so sad.
And the audio: The narrator, Joe Jameson was spectacular. Yeah, that sums it up nicely. I could go on and on about how perfect he was for the story, and how it was freaking brilliant the way he managed to do all the different characters and voices unique and funny without being over the top. But I’ll try to keep it short(ish).
I have to confess, that I thought I disliked British narrators. But this story made me realize I really only dislike American narrators trying to do British accents. You live and learn.
Anyway, I feel sort of sorry for my next read. There’s no way it could possibly measure up to Boyfriend Material.
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