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olivialandryxo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was eager to read this because I’d seen multiple comparisons between it and Red, White and Royal Blue, my favorite romance novel. While Boyfriend Material does feature a similar relationship dynamic and equally hilarious banter, it wasn’t quite as amazing as I’d hoped it would be.
I wasn’t expecting such a focus on Luc’s and Oliver’s complicated family dynamics. The former’s father has been diagnosed with cancer and wants to fix their poor relationship, whereas the latter has emotionally abusive parents. I sympathize with both guys—I wanna give Oliver a hug—and I can especially relate to Luc’s situation, as sans cancer, I have a similar relationship with my own father. However, some of Luc’s comments regarding his father’s diagnosis seemed insensitive, and it rubbed me the wrong way. That is, untilit was revealed that the asshole never had cancer. Are you kidding me??? This discovery had me angry at the character and unsure what to think of the author. I’m sure Hall is great, but I question why he made this choice.
The way Luc and Oliver supported each other warmed my heart. Theirs was a bit of a messy romance, since both of them are the epitome of gay disasters, but I loved it nonetheless. Recently I’ve realized that fake dating is one of my favorite tropes because I love seeing characters’ dynamics shift from an arrangement to real affection, so of course I loved these two, loved their story. And, as an added bonus, they teased each other frequently, which was quite amusing.
This would’ve been a five star read if not for the events of the last hundred pages. Everything seemed to be going well. I was grinning and laughing at almost every page. And then everything went so wildly wrong.I honestly thought the scene after Luc and Oliver had sex, where Oliver broke up with Luc, was just Luc’s bad dream. I thought he’d wake up, panicking, but find Oliver asleep next to him, cuddled up beside him, and all would be well. All was not well. They really did break up the following morning, and I was *this close* to throwing my book across the room. If not for the fact that I read the scene at four in the morning, thus didn’t want to wake anyone up and also didn’t want to damage my paperback, I might’ve. They didn’t make up until the last few pages, and I was genuinely concerned the book would end with them going their own separate ways. Thank every god it didn’t, because I can’t properly describe how much I would’ve hated that. While things ultimately worked out, I found the ending to be sadly unsatisfying.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. It was mostly enjoyable, and quite entertaining. I’d recommend to those looking for a quick romance read, so long as you don’t go in with extremely high expectations.
Representation
I wasn’t expecting such a focus on Luc’s and Oliver’s complicated family dynamics. The former’s father has been diagnosed with cancer and wants to fix their poor relationship, whereas the latter has emotionally abusive parents. I sympathize with both guys—I wanna give Oliver a hug—and I can especially relate to Luc’s situation, as sans cancer, I have a similar relationship with my own father. However, some of Luc’s comments regarding his father’s diagnosis seemed insensitive, and it rubbed me the wrong way. That is, until
The way Luc and Oliver supported each other warmed my heart. Theirs was a bit of a messy romance, since both of them are the epitome of gay disasters, but I loved it nonetheless. Recently I’ve realized that fake dating is one of my favorite tropes because I love seeing characters’ dynamics shift from an arrangement to real affection, so of course I loved these two, loved their story. And, as an added bonus, they teased each other frequently, which was quite amusing.
This would’ve been a five star read if not for the events of the last hundred pages. Everything seemed to be going well. I was grinning and laughing at almost every page. And then everything went so wildly wrong.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. It was mostly enjoyable, and quite entertaining. I’d recommend to those looking for a quick romance read, so long as you don’t go in with extremely high expectations.
Representation
- gay protagonist and love interest
- achillean romance (m/m)
- queer side characters (includes gay, bisexual, and lesbian rep; one achillean couple and one sapphic couple (f/f))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, and Grief
ramunepocky's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
5.0
1/3 — I listened to the audiobook again whilst working b/c I felt super shitty and ah yes, again, I rlly love this book, the audiobook is absolutely fantastic, the book itself is hilarious and it’s super sweet and best trope,,, would not at all surprise me if I end up listening to it again soon
I listened to the audio book of this whilst working, and oh my god, the audiobook is amazing !!!
also, I really just genuinely thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was hilarious, the fake-dating trope is my literal favourite, and it was handled incredible well, the slow burn pining and the “oh god, I have genuine feelings but don’t want to admit it was”👌🏻👌🏻 I loved so many of the characters, especially Oliver, Lucien’s mum and Alex!! Obviously, it generally focuses the most on Luc and Oliver, but there were a plethora of other LGBT characters too!!
I listened to the audio book of this whilst working, and oh my god, the audiobook is amazing !!!
also, I really just genuinely thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was hilarious, the fake-dating trope is my literal favourite, and it was handled incredible well, the slow burn pining and the “oh god, I have genuine feelings but don’t want to admit it was”👌🏻👌🏻 I loved so many of the characters, especially Oliver, Lucien’s mum and Alex!! Obviously, it generally focuses the most on Luc and Oliver, but there were a plethora of other LGBT characters too!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder
a lot of the minor warnings are more mentioned rather than detailedmezzarella's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
While Boyfriend Material is certainly a romantic comedy novel with plenty of British humor, one of the greatest plot threads throughout the story is Luc's complicated relationship with his famous father. Much of the story is focused on Luc, his feelings of abandonment and inadequacies, and the mistakes he makes as a result. The fake boyfriend trope is used wonderfully here, as Oliver is everything that Luc isn't, creating its own sources of challenges for the main characters as they learn more about each other.
When deciding whether or not to pick up Boyfriend Material, I read many reviews on other websites which viewed this book as an adult version of Casey McQuiston's debut novel Red, White, and Royal Blue. While both books are romantic comedies which execute fake dating tropes, these books aren't that similar in characters, premise, or humor. Boyfriend Material is very British, no doubt due to its author's English origins. Characters talk formally and with slang expected of the regions they are from, which means that other readers from other nationalities may not instantly relate to the humor or certain conversations.
For those looking for a cute novel about a romance written by an Own Voices author, this book will do the trick. I liked Luc and Oliver's slow steps towards a realized relationship and was invested in Luc's journey to meet a middle ground with his father. For the most part though, I felt myself feeling as though there were simply better and more diverse stories featuring two LGBT leads.
When deciding whether or not to pick up Boyfriend Material, I read many reviews on other websites which viewed this book as an adult version of Casey McQuiston's debut novel Red, White, and Royal Blue. While both books are romantic comedies which execute fake dating tropes, these books aren't that similar in characters, premise, or humor. Boyfriend Material is very British, no doubt due to its author's English origins. Characters talk formally and with slang expected of the regions they are from, which means that other readers from other nationalities may not instantly relate to the humor or certain conversations.
For those looking for a cute novel about a romance written by an Own Voices author, this book will do the trick. I liked Luc and Oliver's slow steps towards a realized relationship and was invested in Luc's journey to meet a middle ground with his father. For the most part though, I felt myself feeling as though there were simply better and more diverse stories featuring two LGBT leads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Drug abuse
Throughout the book, discussions of homophobia and microaggressions occur. One of the main character's father is mentioned to be seeking treatment on and off at a rehabilitation facility.
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