Liv The Book Nerd: {Review} Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Page Count: 432

Published On: July 7, 2020

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Genre(s): Adult LGBT+ Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Wanted:

One (fake) boyfriend

Practically 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 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.

~ ~ ~

A massive thank you to Sourcebooks Casa & NetGalley for the eARC AND Hoopla Digital for having the book via audio!

Hey, guys!

If you've been following me for the past couple of months, you'd know that I've been on a sort of binge when it comes to romance novels. I cannot get enough of them. I just want all of the happiness that I can get from them. They've brought me so much joy during such a stressful time.

Boyfriend Material follows Luc and Oliver. Luc, the son of a monumentally public relationship between two British rock legends from the 1980s. While he'd rather not be, he's pretty famous and frequents the tabloids as the press continue to hound him and find any story to make him seem less than he is. To make sure his reputation stays PG, Luc has to find a boyfriend that can boost his image and keep him out of the trashy tabloids.

Enter Oliver Blackwood -- a barrister and ethical vegetarian. To Luc, Oliver is everything he isn't. Naturally, he fudges the first date. Unfortunately, both of the guys need a partner for their future events. So! They strike up a deal.

Enter the fake dating trope. Need I say more?

Boyfriend Material was everything I could have hoped for. It was charming, witty, and I adore the characters and their backstories. Alexis Hall is magical. There were so many moments where I would laugh out loud, yell at the characters, and I even teared up a bit.

While Luc's life is pretty radical and isn't technically like many people's lives, I couldn't help but relate to him. Especially his self-deprecating banter between his friends and those he encountered and his struggle to find his self-worth and confidence. Luc's character was incredibly likable, but his actions were so frustrating because I really do not think like him at all. However, Alexis Hall did a fantastic job setting up his character flaws, his reasoning, and shoving the reader into his thought processes.

Oliver's character was so well done too. His character development was just *chef's kiss*. I adored everything about his development and execution. His dry wit and eventual ability to open up to people was so wonderful to see. His backstory is so incredibly relatable and I couldn't help but tear up when he finally let Luc in. I've said it already, but his development was just god-tier. I am still reeling. I love him.

The relationship between Luc and Oliver was so delightful. Their chemistry was so well developed and their banter and moments together just made me squeal with excitement.

The side characters were also so incredibly entertaining and well developed. Luc's coworkers and best friends were so well written. They weren't just included to continue the story along, They had their own lives and individual personalities that just made my reading experience so enjoyable. I really hope I can get some companion novels or novellas with their backstories. I need more from them!

The humor in this book was just so well done too. If you enjoy British humor and references, this is definitely for you. I often cackled out loud because the lines or passages were just too freaking good.

Overall, this book was a definite 5-star read. While the opening bits didn't immediately captivate me, I was easily drawn in once I started to get to know the characters. Do not let Luc's melodramatic and self-destructive personality draw you out of the story! Once I hit the second or third chapter, I didn't want to put this book down. In fact, once I was 30 pages into the book, I practically didn't. Even a week later I just want to pick it back up and reread it. It was such a phenomenal read.

I cannot recommend this book enough. This was such an excellent read.

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!

Happy reading,

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~