Boyfriend Material

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Boyfriend Material
Boyfriend Material book cover.webp
Author Alexis Hall
LanguageEnglish
SeriesLondon's Calling
Genre
Publication date
7 July 2020 [1]
ISBN 1728206146
Followed byHusband Material 

Boyfriend Material is a 2020 contemporary romance novel by Alexis Hall. It centers on the character of Luc O'Donnell, the only child of two 1980s rock stars, and his romantic relationship with Oliver Blackwood, a barrister.

Contents

Hall has stated that the novel was directly inspired by the Richard Curtis rom-coms of the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Notting Hill , Four Weddings and a Funeral , and Love Actually . [2]

Synopsis

Luc O'Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

Characters

Luc's family

Luc's friends

Oliver's family

Oliver's friends

Reception

Entertainment Weekly , Business Insider , and Bustle all named Boyfriend Material one of the Best Romance Novels of 2020. [3] [4] [5] The novel was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance, coming in fifth place. [6]

A Publishers Weekly review called it "a triumph" and said that "Hall breathes new life into the fake dating trope with this effervescent queer rom-com." [7]

Olivia Waite, from The New York Times, called the series, "...terrifically funny. Not just tonally upbeat in the way of many so-called rom-coms, but text-your-friends, chortle-'til-you-cry funny." [8]

Sequels

The novel's sequel, titled Husband Material, was released in August 2022. [9] [10] A third novel, entitled Father Material, will be released in March 2026, completing the trilogy. [11]

10 Things That Never Happened, a spin-off novel following different characters, including one who was introduced in Husband Material, was released in October 2023. [12]

See also

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References

  1. "Boyfriend Material". Goodreads . Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  2. Kramer, Gary (10 April 2020). "Fake It Till You Make It: PW Talks with Alexis Hall". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  3. Lenker, Maureen Lee (16 December 2020). "The 10 best romance novels of 2020". EW.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  4. "The best romance books of 2020". Business Insider Australia. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  5. Herman, Lily (31 December 2020). "Don't Sleep On The Best Romance Novels Of 2020". Bustle. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  6. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Romance!". Goodreads. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. "Romance/Erotica Book Review: Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $14.99 trade paper (432p) ISBN 978-1-72820-614-1". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  8. Waite, Olivia (27 May 2022). "They Went on a Fake Date. Then Sparks Started to Fly". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022.
  9. "Husband Material by Alexis Hall".
  10. "HUSBAND MATERIAL | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews . 2022.
  11. "Books – Alexis Hall". August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  12. "10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall".