Review of Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
3.48 out of 5 Stars

***Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

A cute fluffy contemporary romance, Boyfriend Material is such a sweet joy read. The characters were a little simple, the plot a little basic, but overall it was fun to read and there were moments that were truly funny! It is the perfect quick read for a lighthearted weekend.

Luc and Oliver both need a fake boyfriend, Luc to restore his reputation and have a date for a Beetle Drive, and Oliver to bring to his parents' wedding anniversary. They had previously known each other only through their mutual friend, but said mutual friend gets them together so they can both have a "fake boyfriend." This plot concept alone is a little too Hallmark Channel for me, but nevertheless, it is still a super cute concept. Luc and Oliver begin to "date" each other, but over the course of their dates, their individual desires and insecurities gradually emerge and they tease out the possibility and then the reality of their "fake" relationship becoming a real one. Of course, there were truly groan-worthy moments along the way when I wanted to smack the characters' heads together. But then there were other moments that were so tender and sweet my heart melted a bit.

As a whole, it wasn't the most sophisticated writing. By that, I don't just mean it was easy to read, but there wasn't much depth to anything either. For example the characters were fairly flat. Different depths would be hinted at sometimes, like how Luc was destroyed by his previous relationship with Miles, but then we wouldn't really go anywhere with it. Random nuggets of background and characterization would be thrown in and promptly forgotten. Honestly, I wasn't super frustrated by this, I'm just noting it because that for me was why I didn't connect as much to the story as I think I could have. It's something that I think unfortunately happens a lot across contemporary romances because the focus is so zeroed in on the relationship, everyone forgets that the two people are the grounding tethers that need to be developed first in order for the relationship between them to hit home with the reader.

Another way that I thought the story was a bit simple was through the plot itself. It's a cute concept, but not one that is very standout-ish. It makes for truly adorable light and fun reading material, but I couldn't really pull much else out of it. I loved that the story was set in London. I'm not sure what the city setting did for the story, but I loved it anyway because it's London. I loved that Luc and Oliver had such different careers. They needed that, especially as their whole thing is how they balance each other out and work wonderfully because they are so different from each other. And I also loved how they called each other out on their crap. It needed to be in there of course, but I liked how the author handled each character's response differently from the other's. Luc just sort of freaked out and then listened to Oliver's rant. Oliver on the other hand, really freaked out and it took him a long while to accept what Luc was telling him. I liked that, how they each responded in a way fitting to their own character. 

The best thing about this book was, hands down, the humor. So funny. So so funny. This was one of those books where I was reading it in public, looking like a loon because I was trying so hard to restraint my giggles. There were great zingers, but my favorite funny moments were when there was just awkwardness between the characters. Like, the comfortable kind of awkwardness if that makes sense? I loved when Luc's group chat would be going off and riffing off each other, I loved when Luc would casually tease Oliver and Oliver didn't know how to respond, I loved whenever Luc had to explain that we worked at a dung beetle organization. It was all great. 10/10 for humor on this one. 

Again, it was a cute fluffy read. While there wasn't too much to really sink your teeth into, it was enjoyable and is the sort of book that would be perfect for a holiday, bringing to a beach, curling up with for an afternoon... something casual to pick up.

 Thanks for reading!