{"id":53341,"date":"2020-07-06T08:25:47","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T12:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=53341"},"modified":"2022-07-04T06:39:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T10:39:40","slug":"arc-review-boyfriend-material-by-alexis-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=53341","title":{"rendered":"ARC Review: Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1) by Alexis Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Audio<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/b><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

5 hilarious and wonderfully entertaining stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh, I loved this book! A witty, intelligent, delightfully entertaining m\/m opposites-attract romantic comedy with a fake relationship setup and a fantastic duo of flawed but fabulous heroes that you cannot help but cheer for. I read it in a day, absolutely captivated from start to finish, and enjoyed every moment!<\/p>\n

Lucien (Luc) O\u2019Donnell is an absolute hot mess. The son of now-almost-forgotten 80s rockstars, he is a sort-of-celebrity whose life is splashed across the tabloids, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of questionable behaviour as he gets closer and closer to rock bottom. He\u2019s pretty much there when his work with a local charity tells him he needs to improve his public image by entering into a suitable, stable relationship.<\/p>\n

He is set up by a friend with snooty, serious barrister, Oliver Blackwood. They have met before, but it didn\u2019t really go well, and neither of them think too highly of the other. But a temporary fake relationship also suits Oliver\u2019s needs, so they agree to spend time together \u2013 both in and out of the public eye \u2013 to make their relationship look as real as possible until they go their separate ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain to me again,\u201d said Oliver finally, \u201cwhy you need a boyfriend?\u201d
\nIt was the least I owed him. \u201cMainly for this big fundraiser we\u2019ve got coming up at the end of April. Our donors all think I\u2019m a bad gay.\u201d
\nHe frowned. \u201cWhat\u2019s a good gay?\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone like you.\u201d
\n\u201cI see.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OMG, I love these two boys! They are so well developed, as different as can be, and watching them bicker, argue and tease is so much fun!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you\u2019re wearing pyjamas wrong, right?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t look up. \u201cOh?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, you\u2019re supposed to just wear the bottoms, and have them hanging low on your hips, displaying your perfectly chiselled V-cut.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe next time.\u201d
\nI thought about this for a moment. \u201cAre you saying you have<\/i> a perfectly chiselled v-cut?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s any of your business.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat if someone asks? I should know for verisimilitude.\u201d
\nThe corners of his mouth twitched slightly. \u201cYou can say I\u2019m a gentleman and we haven\u2019t got that far.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u201d \u2013 I gave a thwarted sigh \u2013 \u201care a terrible fake boyfriend.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m building fake anticipation.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019d better be fake worth it.\u201d
\n\u201cI am.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I love their snappy dialogue and their text conversations are a real treat. But underneath it all, they both have their vulnerabilities, characterised by sweetly tender moments and adorably endearing awkwardness.<\/p>\n

I miss you.
\nSorry. Was that too much?
\nI know it\u2019s only been a few days.
\nMaybe this is why people don\u2019t want to go out with me.
\nNot that you\u2019re really going out with me anyway.
\nI hope I didn\u2019t sound presumptuous.
\nI\u2019m probably sounding really weird now.
\nI\u2019m assuming you\u2019re not texting back because you\u2019re still asleep. Not because you think I\u2019m disgustingly clingy.
\nIf you\u2019re awake and think I\u2019m disgustingly clingy, could you at least tell me.
\nRight. You\u2019re probably asleep.
\nAnd now you\u2019re going to wake up and read all this and I\u2019m going to die of embarrassment.
\nSorry.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And as they get to know each other, they begin to understand each other, and of course things start to change. They form a connection which sparks change in both of their lives, and watching them slowly evolve was just gorgeous! There are, understandably, some anxieties there, but they just go with it, which I loved, and the slow burn of their relationship plays out beautifully!<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want <\/i>fine. Fine isn\u2019t enough. Isn\u2019t not about the open fire or whatever other clich\u00e9s you can conjure up, but yes, I want a connection. I want you to care as much as I care. I want you to need it and want it and mean it. I want it to <\/i>matter.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the love story is so lovely. It\u2019s sweet and funny with great chemistry, and these two guys genuinely care for each other. They are thoughtful and kind with each other, but still with this sense of fun and playfulness, and seeing them together seriously gave me happy tingles! There is intimacy, but there are no actual sex scenes, so if you\u2019re new to the m\/m genre, this is a pretty tame one to start with.<\/p>\n

These weren\u2019t just <\/i>yeah whatever<\/i> kisses. They weren\u2019t <\/i>take it or leave it, get your coat you\u2019ve pulled kisses. They were everything I thought I could never have, everything I\u2019d been pretending I never wanted, telling me that I was worth it, that he\u2019d be there for me and put up with me and wouldn\u2019t let me drive him away.
\nOliver Blackwood was giving all that to me, and I was giving it right back. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The book is written entirely from Luc\u2019s perspective, and though we get a really good sense of Oliver (who I adore), I loved that we got to experience everything through Luc. He is such a disaster, and he has created a disaster of his life, and as much as this is a love story, he also has other issues that he needs to work through and I loved that we get to see him deal with his problems, work to get himself out of his funk and get his life back on track.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the fantastic crew of supporting characters. Luc\u2019s friends and colleagues are a fantastically developed group of weird and wonderful personalities \u2013 all very realistic (some of them scarily so) \u2013 that add so much to the story. From the bland and truly idiotic to the devastatingly selfish, the lovingly devoted and everything in between. Watching Luc\u2019s interactions with the people in his life is a real highlight of the book.<\/p>\n

Mum patted him reassuringly. \u201cOh, Oliver \u2026 I am sure you are one of the best gays.\u201d
\nI glanced back to find Oliver looking faintly flustered. \u201cMum, stop ranking homosexuals. It doesn\u2019t work like that.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of wonderfully character-driven English comedy movies Four Weddings and a Funeral<\/i> and Notting Hill<\/i>, you\u2019ll love this book. So many times while reading, I thought of those movies with their imperfect characters and diverse and quirky friend groups, and then all of those fantastic British-isms that add so much charm. This book is an experience that sucks you in and doesn\u2019t let go until the final pages.<\/p>\n

There is a bit of drama to bring the emotion, but mostly this is an angst-free read that made me smile, laugh out loud and fall in love, and I just adored it!<\/p>\n

5 stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

London Calling<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Boyfriend Material (#1)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

Husband Material (#2)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

Father Material (#3)<\/strong>
\nTo e released 2 June
\nPre-order:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Audio Review 5 hilarious and wonderfully entertaining stars! Oh, I loved this book! A witty, intelligent, delightfully entertaining m\/m opposites-attract romantic comedy with a fake relationship setup and a fantastic duo of flawed but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,1132,65,335,9],"tags":[1168,59,48,76],"class_list":["post-53341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-fake-relationship","category-lol-funny","category-mm","category-romance","tag-alexis-hall","tag-arc","tag-review","tag-standalone"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Boyfriend-Material.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-dSl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/53138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}