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Title: Boyfriend Material
Author: Alexis Hall
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Trope(s): enemies to lovers; fake dating
You know when you start reading a book and from the very first chapter, you know it’s going to be perfection? Yeah, this is one of those cases. I was instantly enamored by the voice and the wit and I absolutely loved every second of this book.
Luc is kind of a mess. A child of two former rock stars, one of whom is making a comeback on reality TV, he’s often caught in the tabloids and has a pretty *not great* reputation. When his antics start to affect his work at a non-profit, one of his workmates suggests he get fake boyfriend and help clean up his image. But only the right kind of boyfriend will work, so Luc is forced to rely on his best friend’s friend Oliver, whom he considers rather stodgy and boring. Luc and Oliver seem to be total opposites, but they both need each other–Luc for the job, Oliver as a date for a family party. Of course, the more time the two spend together, the more they start to fall for each other, but there are some emotional issues they both have to grapple with in order to fully commit to one another. It’s a romance, so of course grappling happens and they live happily ever after.
For me, both as a reader and a writer, voice is probably number one for me. There are a lot of books out there in the world, and for me, what makes an author stand apart from others is that intangible something that makes their book theirs. This book is full of voice. It grabs you from the moment you start reading and pulls you in, never letting go. A very close second for me is characters, and these ones are perfection. I love that the book is told only from Luc’s point of view. I love that even though Luc seems to be the total hot mess and Oliver is perfect, they are both equally flawed and vulnerable. This is one of those books where I felt their plights in my chest, and I loved both of these characters so much by the end of this book that I wish I could reach into the pages and pinch their cheeks.
Honestly, it was perfection from beginning to end, and if you need a book that will make you smile, this is definitely one you should seek out.
Overall Rating: 5 stars