Reviews with content warning for Classism - Boyfriend Material

"I think it’s usually better to face the world as it is. The more we try to hide from something, the more power we give it."

I didn't know what to expect from this book. Looking at the synopsis it looked like something that I would like, but then, I started seeing this book recommended more and more, and I got suspicions. Every time a book that I'm interested in gets some hype, I become suspicious because hyped books are always 50/50 to me.

But I really like it! It's cute. I certainly have read better romance books, but this one was close to being a solid 4-star read. It just fell a little short, but that's definitely a "me thing" rather than a "book thing". My guess is, because I didn't understand some references to British culture, I was out of the loop and didn't understand the setting of some situations. And that affected my reading experience.

However, what absolutely won me in this book was the character development. To be honest I didn't like Luc at first. I thought that at some times he has whiny and unreasonable, without having a real reason to be it, but, for some reason, I kept rooting for him and Oliver. And, with time, I started to like its development of Luc.

Furthermore, another positive point is that this book was able to surprise me since some plot twists were completely unexpected.

Overall, I quite liked this book. It's a cute romance story that I recommend. I can't wait for the sequel.

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emotional funny 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

Rating: 5/5 stars

Luc O’Donnell is the mildly famous son of an aging rock star, in need of serious reputation rehabilitation in order to save his job. Enter perfect (fake) boyfriend Oliver Blackwood.

This book was made for me and that is all. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I felt like a book was so utterly and perfectly *me* in terms of sense of humor and writing style, but this one landed in every possible way. I also craved French toast a lot. The romance is adorable and sweet and genuine, every page is more hilarious than the next, and the plot is simple but with a lot of depth and heart.

I want to have more eloquent words to explain in detail why this book is such a delight, but I honestly don’t—I just adored it. One of my toxic reader traits is that I don’t always love a book when I’m in it—I’d rather “have read” a book than “be reading it.” But with this book I loved every moment I spent with it, and never wanted it to end, and honestly that’s the highest praise I can give. Alexis Hall can have all my money because his books have my entire heart.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: LGBTQ rom-coms; British humor; French toast.

CW: Homophobia; emotional abuse; cancer; abandonment; brief discussion of eating disorder.

Content Warnings