Husband Material
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4.0 • 230 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
An Instant USA Today Bestseller!
"Our favourite chaos demon & stern brunch daddy return in this delicious, ridiculous, and often poignant romcom about all the ways love can grow." —Talia Hibbert, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
They fake-dated their way into love. Now it’s time to face the one thing scarier than falling for someone—figuring out how to stay in love.
From Alexis Hall, the USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author of Boyfriend Material, comes a hilariously heartfelt sequel about love, identity, and the absolute madness of wedding season.
Husband Material reunites readers with Luc O’Donnell and Oliver Blackwood as they navigate the next chapter in their beautifully chaotic relationship. They're committed. They're happy. But when everyone around them starts tying the knot—often in extravagant, anxiety-inducing fashion—Luc begins to question whether "forever" needs a formal dress code.
This isn’t a story about falling in love. It’s about everything that comes after: the growing pains, the missteps, the tender, terrifying truth of building a life together in a world full of expectations.
You’ll love its brilliantly British rom-com voice; full of sharp humor, emotional vulnerability, and authentic LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s perfect for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Charm Offensive.
Praise for Boyfriend Material:
"Brilliance on every single page."—Christina Lauren, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, for Boyfriend Material
"The apotheosis of the rom-com."—Entertainment Weekly, A+ Review, for Boyfriend Material
"Every once in a while you read a book that you want to SCREAM FROM ROOFTOPS about. I'm screaming, people!"—Sonali Dev, award-winning author, for Boyfriend Material
"FAKE DATING, REAL FEELINGS, BEST JOKES."—Olivia Waite, award-winning author, for Boyfriend Material
"Fresh and vibrant."—Annie Carl, The Neverending Bookshop (Edmonds, WA), for Boyfriend Material
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Love’s a funny thing in this heartfelt rom-com. In Alexis Hall’s sequel to his popular LGBTQ+ romantic comedy Boyfriend Material, reformed bad boy Luc O’Donnell and his sensible but sexy barrister boyfriend Oliver Blackwood have been together for two happy years. The joys (and annoyances) of attending their friends’ weddings make them wonder if they should tie the knot themselves—but between major family drama and the stress of planning their nuptials, will this romance even make it to the altar? Fans of the first book will appreciate how the two leads have evolved since their love story began, but newcomers will still enjoy all their witty banter and hilarious comic situations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set two years after rom-com sensation Boyfriend Material, Hall's unnecessary sequel sends reformed wild child Luc O'Donnell and his straitlaced boyfriend, Oliver Blackwood, to four weddings and a funeral. The first nuptials belong to Luc's BFF, Bridget, and strained comedy ensues when she fears her fiancé, Tom, is cheating on her. Next, Luc gets invited to his ex's wedding, which fuels his anxiety but provides an opportunity for closure. It also inspires Luc to first accidentally, then properly, propose to Oliver. A work colleague's wedding comes third, and feels the least integral to the plot. Much of the book's humor comes across as forced, from Luc's disastrous cooking to a running gag about a photocopier. But there is real drama as both Luc and Oliver grapple with their complicated relationships with their respective fathers, one of whom unexpectedly dies. And the heart of the story is Luc and Oliver's debate about their own wedding, which stems from their differing styles of expressing love. The banter between them is strong as ever, and fans of book one will be glad to see them again, but the frothy, episodic plot contains so much filler that it's difficult to invest in. This lacks the magic that made Boyfriend Material feel so special.
Customer Reviews
“🥰 🥰🥰 It ‘Til The End…‼️”
Hopefully this won’t count as a spoiler because I’m not going to give away anything specifically, but I need to say that I was 🥰 this SO, SO much that by the time I was more than halfway through, I went and re-read/re-listened (📖🎧) to its predecessor.
By doing so, my memories of the first 📕/🎧 were elevated above where they’d been, 🥰 but at times found the protagonist to just be TOI, TOO insufferable. It was his humor, sneakiness and inner dialogue that I truly DID ❤️ about the 📕 and even more so, his “boyfriend”, their friends and the protagonist’s family (Dad excluded).
The banter, interaction, etc. amongst everyone, which is continued and possibly even bettered in this sequel, caused me to revisit the first in the series (a third, the obvious next step in the evolution of their relationship, this series comes out September 2026).
This has been a long way for me to say why I gave it only four stars. I absolutely HATED the last two chapters. I’d hoped that it was going to be just the second to last, but sadly it ended up being the FINAL two.
The one lingering reservation, sense of displeasure that I’d carried from “Boyfriend Material” is how THIS iteration was ended.
Mind you, I still 🥰 it. I still definitely enjoyed it. I just HATE how it ended. Not the decision that was made per se, but more the mental mastabatory gymnastics that made up the last two chapters.
However, I’m still looking forward to “Baby Material”, the most likely wonderful banter, inner dialogue, quirky family, friends and coworkers and hopefully, excellent narration by Joe Jameson…
What an unconventional, delightful story!!
Luc and Oliver were delightful in Boyfriend Material, so I had high expectations for Husband Material… and I am happy to confirm that these two men did not disappoint. Ups and downs, sometimes scary and hard to follow, characterized the relationship these two continued. The title suggested that the eventual marriage would come, especially as the story included other weddings. I was delighted to see and hear Luc and Oliver interact, and I was perfectly happy to see their relationship confirmed formally… but the ultimate conclusion was very fitting and did actually affirm this special bond. Such a great read!!
great sequel !
husband material is definitely different vibes than boyfriend material, and i am here for it! this was such a great exploration of luc and oliver’s relationship and how they go through life and its big events together. they find their own version of love and it’s amazingly queer and lovely and perfect for them! so excited for the next in the series!