Boyfriend Material
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4.4 • 93 Ratings
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- £10.99
Publisher Description
A feel-good queer romantic comedy that New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CHRISTINA LAUREN calls "hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning."
Luc needs a fake boyfriend. Oliver needs a date. It’s the perfect plan… until real feelings get involved.
Luc O’Donnell is a certified disaster. Tabloid drama, a wayward rock-star dad, and a trail of messy relationships have left his public image in ruins. The fix? A staged romance with the most respectable man he knows: Oliver Blackwood—uptight, principled, and infuriatingly perfect.
It’s supposed to be fake. Neither of them expects the awkward photo ops and staged brunches to turn into something that feels real. But as the lines blur, and secrets slip through carefully built walls, Luc must face the question he’s always avoided: what if someone could love him—exactly as he is?
You’ll love its brilliantly British rom-com voice, full of sharp humor and emotional vulnerability and authentic LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s perfect for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Charm Offensive, with its grumpy/sunshine dynamics and slow-burn chemistry.
"It's a fun, frothy quintessentially British romcom about a certified chaos demon and a stern brunch daddy with a heart of gold faking a relationship."—New York Times bestselling author Talia Hibbert
AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH
Named a best book of the year by Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, The Washington Post, and more!
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
With his wry, self-deprecating humor and unflinching vulnerability, Luc O’Donnell—the hero and narrator of Boyfriend Material—is the kind of guy we’d like to call our friend. Luc is also the son of two 1980s rockstars, and his fame by association means the tabloids will sensationalize his actions whenever they’re short a story. That’s why Luc needs levelheaded lawyer Oliver Blackwood to pose as his boyfriend and help reform his image. But, you guessed it, while the relationship is fake, the feelings these friends have for each other are very real. Alexis Hall’s rom-com is genuinely, gut-bustingly funny, but he perfectly balances the silliness with the depth of Luc’s and Oliver’s hang-ups over commitment. We loved this lighthearted, emotional read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hall (Fire & Water) breathes new life into the fake-dating trope with this effervescent queer rom-com. Luc O'Donnell, the hapless son of an aging British rock star, is tired of being a tabloid headline. When his employers at the small environmental charity where he works raise concerns about his public image and prompt him to find a stable relationship, Luc lets his friends set him up with Oliver Blackwood, a stuffy but sexy criminal barrister. Though their first date is a disaster, after Luc confesses his true motives, Oliver agrees to pose as his boyfriend at work events if Luc will return the favor at Oliver's parents' anniversary party. Their ruse gets its first test during a fancy work lunch in a hilarious, standout scene reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse. Oliver proves to be "Annoying. And thoughtful. And protective. And secretly kind of funny" as he inspires Luc to take control of his life, supports Luc through his absentee father's cancer diagnosis, and teaches him sex can be meaningful. But Luc's efforts to help Oliver cope with his hypercritical parents backfire, leading to a delightfully comedic take on the inevitable grand romantic gesture. The writing is witty, and Luc and Oliver's chemistry is irresistible, but it's Hall's insights about trust and self-worth that set the story apart. This is a triumph.
Customer Reviews
Delicious…
Romantic, sweet, fragrant. Like being fed a spoonful of Quo Vadis lemon posset. Oh, and bloody hilarious, but I couldn’t work that into the pudding analogy.