Book Review: Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Husband Material

〰️

Husband Material 〰️

I really enjoyed the first book. It wasn't my favourite read, but I still enjoyed it all the same. The second book held promise but failed to hold up. This book was clearly written as a cash grab. That's not always a bad thing if the story is good. But this book? Nope. It was boring, and the characters felt assassinated by the end of it. Any character growth Luc had in the first book was gone in this one. He was an ass to basically everyone and made every situation about himself, including but not limited to the death of his boyfriend's father.

Also, I mentioned this in my last review, but who thought it was a good idea two have TWO characters named James Royce-Royce. Yes, you can have two characters have the same name, but even the author doesn't differentiate between which one is which. And if you didn't pick up what one looks like or what he does in the first book, you'll 1000% be lost on who is talking in this book. For example:

I'd agreed to meet James Royce-Royce -- the other James Royce-Royce, during my lunch hour outside an embarrassingly middle-end jeweller in central London.

Like, that doesn't tell me with of the two James it is. (And to be honest, even if it did, I still wouldn't know because they both have the same personality, which is "husband to James and loving father to Baby J").

This book was divided into four parts, and none of them tied together. Each could have been its own stand-alone mini-book. It was all leading up to Luc and Oliver getting married, which, spoiler, doesn't even happen. Which is fine. But with the title and blurb of the book, it made it seem like that was the endgame. And it all ended super abruptly. They both decided right at the end that, nope marriage isn't for us; we work better as a couple; then said bye to the wedding guest and pissed off. Not a satisfying conclusion considering the length of this boo.

I had high hopes of enjoying this book and was let down. Other reviews state all the issues better than I could. All I can say for sure is that if you enjoyed the first book, don't read the second. It could ruin your view of book one.

Book Review: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Boyfriend Material

〰️

Boyfriend Material 〰️

I loved this book. I get that Luc isn't the most likeable MC in the world, but he was still enjoyable to read. (His self-deprecating humour was a little much, but I enjoyed the writing style, so it's forgiven). I love a good fake dating story. Though truth be told, they acted and sounded more like a real couple who casually used "fake boyfriend" a lot just to justify it being fake. But I still loved it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for romance, even if the fakeness of the fake boyfriend plot wasn't super believable.

I felt bad for Luc and all he's had to go through in life, so I was happy he found someone who loved him for him and not his questionable past. I thought Luc and Oliver were really cute together. I love opposites attract stories. Yes, they both lead very different lives, but I still saw the chemistry between them. And honestly? If they were too much the same, it would have been boring to read.

As much as I enjoyed reading this book, there were still some issues. The casual homophobia was for sure a big one. But did no one else notice that besides Luc and Oliver (and their main friends/family) that everyone was complete idiots? Like, Alex is the obvious one. How he managed to get a job, let alone keep one, is beyond me. But it seems like every other character (like Alex's fiance or random rich people) all sound like absolute idiots. Was it the "com" part of the "rom-com"? Because I don't get it. Also, as much as I loved Oliver, who actually speaks that proper (posh)? Maybe it's a British lawyer thing that I'm not aware of, but he speaks a bit like a super well-knowledgeable Victorian butler.

Also, who thought it was a good idea to have two James Royce-Royce characters? (I mean, Hall did, obviously). But I could never tell if both of them were in the same room and if so, which one was talking. Could they not have had one be called James Royce and the other James Royce-Royce? That last observation was a bit of a nitpick.

I know it sounds like there was more negative than positive in my review, but I really did truly love this story. Was it the perfect LGBTQ+ romcom? No. But did I have a blast reading it? Absolutely. Will I read the sequel? Well, I've already started. :)

Though there are some issues, I still think this book deserves to be on everyone's gay TBR list.