Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book): Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way
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.
MY OPINION: ****
This book was adorable! I loved reading about the sort-of enemies-to-lovers relationship between Luc and Oliver. It felt realistic and painful and lovable and beautiful.
Luc and Oliver both have their fair share of problems that I think helped them to come together and slowly begin to fall in love. The book features a fake-dating trope that I have always been a fan of and I loved seeing their relationship slowly evolve from a false image to something real.
Luc is the son of a has-been famous rock star father, who he's never met after he ditched his mother for the fame. However, Luc often finds himself in the eye of the public as his dad starts to make a comeback. He has made a fairly awful image for himself, as he always seems to be photographed drunk, partying, or lying somewhere in the middle of the street. To clean up his image, he and his friends come up with a plan to find a fake boyfriend who has a good, clean, polished reputation.
Oliver is a reserved, restrained, "stiff" man who I ended up loving. I would have loved to have read this book from his perspective because his character was so lovable once you got to see the real Oliver. He gave off a very dignified, professional, mature vibe that I thought I would get bored of but ended up finding so endearing and lovable.
As the book progresses, the two begin to realize that their relationship has somehow segued from fake to real, though both are afraid to acknowledge that fact. Luc has attachment issues and is more of a one-night-stand, no-commitment sort of person. He believes that he is too broken and messed-up to ever truly find real love. He has been hurt in the past and lives in perpetual fear of being hurt again, something that really deters from their relationship. Oliver has family issues, as none of his family really believe in him and aren't as accepting of his career and overall lifestyle as they should be. He also has been with several boyfriends but none of them felt like the right relationship for him, as he is more of a commitment, monogamous relationship.
I loved the writing style of this book because it was humorous, easy to read, and beautifully-written. I was not expecting to fall in love with the characters and this relationship like I did. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a sweet, heart-wrenching, beautiful love story.
Main Character: Luc, Oliver
Sidekick(s): Friends
Villain(s): Family, misunderstandings, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.
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