Boyfriend Material

So, this was one of those books, I don't know why I added them to my library. Some weeks (or months) later I read the blurb and was like "meh, sounds a little bit dull". But then a few weeks ago I just picked it up and gave it a go and oh boy was I mistaken: This is one of the funniest books I've ever read, at the same time being very queer and very British. What a wonderful combination! As a gay man in my early 30s I like to read wholesome queer stories. Many of them are about older teenagers or early 20s falling in love. I still like that, because that's what I couldn't have back then. It's at the same time comforting to read those stories I wish I'd had known earlier and also a little sad because I missed out on so much ... But now I really loved reading about men around my age still struggling with finding "the one" (which - sadly - I totally can relate to...). And although it was pretty clear how the story would be playing out, I still got surprised from time to time and loved every paragraph because of the witty writing style. And the side characters were so, so funny, too (especially Luc's work colleagues, obviously). Just great, great, great!

Wow, just wow. There are books which, I think, surreptitiously come along at just the right time in your life, and delight you with their contents, when at any other time they might have not been as effective.

[b:Boyfriend Material|50225678|Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575987260l/50225678.SX50.jpg|73590298] is certainly one such. Although the writing is patchy in parts, it is the heart of the book that really overwhelms you. I'd been in a reading slump for a while, and then BAM! I read this in one sitting, late into the night, and am I glad I did.

I sometimes think that rom-com-y books do a far better job than most of unpacking human nature, with its various quirks and complications, and often get to the heart of the uncertainties we all have when it comes to establishing relationships with others.

I loved the vulnerability of both Luc and Oliver throughout, and I empathised with them on many, many counts.

This one is a light but substantial read. Don't miss it.

 

“Are we really bad at this?” I asked. “We’ve been fake dating for three days and we’ve already fake broken up once.”
“Yes, but we fake resolved our difficulties and fake got back together, and I’m hoping it’s made us fake stronger.”

I cracked this book open with the full intention of loving the hell out of it. After all, it's by Alexis Hall, and he's one of my favorite romance authors. And my friends have been recommending it to me for ages. And everyone kept saying it had the vibe of a far more adult Red, White & Royal Blue, and I absolutely adored that one. Oh, and finally, it's a fake dating romance with a tint of enemies-to-lovers, how cool is that?
However, for the first looong half of the story, my heart just wasn't in it. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong. There were plenty of hilarious moments. And plenty of dramatic moments with feelings. And lots and lots of compelling characters and cool scenes and amazing banter. But somehow, all of it refused to come together into a single engaging tapestry. 

It was in the second half that I realized what wasn't working for me: I would have loved this book so hard if it was from Oliver's point of view and not Luc's. 

I mean, I don't mind Luc. And he's certainly the logical choice for the POV character if there only has to be one. He's the one with all the stuff going on: family and work and paparazzi and his life and mind both being a huge mess. But Oliver was just so more compelling to me. I would have loved a book focused front and centered on someone who is so put together (but also a strongly contained mess on the inside, because aren't we all), and who gets confronted by and pulled into all of Luc's chaos and inadvertently helps Luc find his footing while slowly losing and then regaining his own.

I felt like Oliver's arc was so much more interesting and had more depth, but it took so long for it to truly become prominent on page. Because we spend the entire book in Luc's POV, and Luc sure took his time to actually see Oliver. He kept catching glimpses here and there, but then his own insecurities kept getting in the way.

So all in all: I enjoyed the story, but not how it was told/presented, I guess. And it well may be a case of "it's not you, dear book, it's me," so I guess 4 stars will be a fair rating. 

I like to dip my toe into queer romance here and there, and these books are the reason why. This was a funny, quick witted, enjoyable read about a "fake relationship" gone 'real'. At times, it got surprisingly genuine, but for the most part it was an idealized story about a hopeless mess up of a guy and his hopeless romantic counterpart. This hit a lot of the standard beats you might expect from typical romance book but hey, if it aint broke... The queer aspect is definitely what kept me interested, but don't make the mistake of assuming that the plot could easily be translated for a straight couple. The 'queer variable' was of central importance to the development of the characters and I found to be done very sensitively. There were a few subplots that I wish were tied up better or had abrupt endings, but that didn't take away from this book's strength: the characters and their arcs. While not exactly realistic, the characters were all charming in their own way and had a very distinct voice that kept the story interesting with every chapter (I love every member of the friend groups!). The prose was nothing to write home about, but it didn't need to be in order to tell the story that it did.

As far as romance goes, this was nothing revolutionary. But it didn't need to be revolutionary to be good. And it was very good!