Boyfriend Material

03 · Reader evidence

What the evidence says

What readers repeatedly liked

• Complex Characters. The friend group feels realistic with varied opinions and giving both good and bad advice; Luc and Oliver have different histories of hurt and betrayal, with distinct defense mechanisms—Luc uses casual sex and preemptive awfulness, while Oliver hides behind rigid control; Luc is a mass of insecurities with trust and self-esteem issues, endearing and vulnerable despite outward prickliness, and Oliver is kind, considerate, intuitive, and charming despite seeming stuffy. Supported by 9 sources (source 53, source 54, source 10614, source 10617, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960, source 10964, source 18923).
• Humorous. Readers love the humor, calling it their ideal type of humor with careful word choice; Described as a lovely funny cliche romcom; The reviewer found the book extremely funny, describing eye-watering, tea-aspirating laughter that was rare and magical. Supported by 9 sources (source 53, source 54, source 10614, source 10616, source 10617, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960, source 18923).
• Character Growth. Characters showed more growth in book 1 than in the sequel; Both leads share a core struggle not with loving but with allowing themselves to be loved, which the story explores meaningfully; Luc gradually comes to accept he is worth loving and learns to recognize when others, notably Oliver, are struggling too. Supported by 7 sources (source 54, source 10616, source 10617, source 10619, source 10960, source 10964, source 18923).
• Witty Writing. The writing is praised as approachable, thoughtful, humorous, and at times heartbreaking; The reviewer praises the comedic writing and the large cast of riotously diverting, bright, and glorious supporting characters; Hall’s trademark humor and love of pop-culture are present throughout, with sharply observant and self-deprecating writing. Supported by 7 sources (source 53, source 54, source 10614, source 10617, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960).
• Fake Relationship. The fake-relationship premise is executed very well, turning a commonly used plotline into something special; The fake relationship is praised as more of a team effort than a big dark secret, setting up the right level of absurdity; The fake dating trope is used to great effect, allowing both characters time to practice relationships. Supported by 3 sources (source 54, source 10619, source 10960).
• Strong Narration. The audiobook narrator is repeatedly praised as amazing, brilliant, and top tier; Audiobook especially loved; The audiobook narrator was superb, with spot-on accents, excellent distinction among a large cast, and brilliant female voices. Supported by 6 sources (source 10614, source 10616, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960, source 10964).
• Likable Lead. Luc and Oliver are written endearingly and aren’t the typical perfect main characters; Reader sympathized with the main character in the first book; Luc is endearing and vulnerable despite being short-tempered and self-absorbed; Oliver is completely charming and perfect for Luc. Supported by 5 sources (source 10614, source 10616, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960).
• Low Heat. There is much less sex than in other Alexis Hall books, and the scenes are written less explicitly; they are sweet but some readers missed the more nuanced sex scenes of the Spires series; The book is noted as closed-door, a departure from Hall’s usual explicit style; one reader wished the sex scenes were more steamy; The book is a little sexy, with the author understanding that sometimes not showing things is hotter than describing them in detail. Supported by 3 sources (source 53, source 10619, source 10960).
• Strong Chemistry. Dynamic described as cute in the first book; Despite being very different with legitimate reasons their relationship shouldn’t work, Luc and Oliver’s relationship works wonderfully and the reviewer ended up thoroughly swoony for them both; From their first fake-date the chemistry between Luc and Oliver sings, and their gradual progression from fake to real feels extremely well done. Supported by 5 sources (source 54, source 10616, source 10617, source 10619, source 10620).
• Easy Comfort Read. The book feels like a warm hug and readers wanted to hug the characters; Considered a cozy reread and read many times; A fun, undemanding book. Supported by 4 sources (source 53, source 54, source 10614, source 10616).
• Satisfying Ending. The ending is loved for feeling healthy, long-lasting, and lifelike; The ending is praised for opting out of the standard forgiveness arc with Luc’s dad and letting Luc be vocally angry and set limits on his own terms. Supported by 2 sources (source 10614, source 10960).
• Beginner Friendly. The book introduced readers to genre romance and to Alexis Hall’s writing; Was one of reader’s first MM books and they adored it; A reader new to romance novels loved the book and felt it subverted gender roles and toxic masculinity in a way that felt good. Supported by 3 sources (source 10614, source 10616, source 10960).
• Banter. The romance is full of snark, tenderness, and genuine affection; The banter between the leads is enjoyable; Luc and Oliver make each other laugh with witty exchanges throughout their developing relationship. Supported by 3 sources (source 53, source 54, source 10619).
• Found Family. Luc’s friends are praised as amazing people with a realistic group chat dynamic; Luc’s circle of friends are a quirky, bonkers bunch who clearly adore each other, reminiscent of a Richard Curtis film; Luc’s friend group and his mother are praised as amazing support systems that a reader was jealous of. Supported by 3 sources (source 10614, source 10619, source 10960).
• Romance Forward. Luc and Oliver light up the pages whenever they are together, and the book is romantic, funny, and completely wonderful; One reader found the book exhausting because it mostly focused on relationship problems, saved only by the excellent writing. Supported by 2 sources (source 10619, source 10960).
• Emotional. The emotional themes of wariness and skepticism from past hurts broke the reviewer’s heart for both characters, and the book was worth every pang; Beneath the humor there is a serious, emotional side about self-worth, acceptance, and being true to oneself; The book made the reviewer cry a little and feel sad at times, with poignant moments of tentative closeness. Supported by 3 sources (source 54, source 10617, source 10619).
• Hea. A reader felt the book lacked a fluffy HEA epilogue; Readers debate whether the ending is HEA or HFN; some see Luc and Oliver as an HEA while others feel it is more HFN. Supported by 2 sources (source 10614, source 10960).
• Tender. The book is described as sweet, funny, and romantic, like a warm hug; The book is sweet alongside being funny. Supported by 2 sources (source 53, source 10614).

What readers repeatedly flagged

• Low Heat. A reader wishes there were spicier scenes in the book; There is much less sex than in other Alexis Hall books, and the scenes are written less explicitly; they are sweet but some readers missed the more nuanced sex scenes of the Spires series; Multiple readers wished for more steam, noting a preference for at least a little over the cuddling-focused content. Supported by 4 sources (source 10614, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960).
• Unlikable Lead. Luc found annoying and unlikeable by one reader; One reader never warmed to Luc and was not convinced he warmed to himself either; Luc’s character and shitty attitude is infuriating and hard to stand. Supported by 3 sources (source 10616, source 10960, source 18923).
• Flat Characters. Characters are noted as not being quite as deep as those in the author’s Spires series; Alex Twaddle is criticized as way too dumb and almost too over the top to be believable, though some see it as a meta joke. Supported by 2 sources (source 10620, source 10960).
• Trauma. The book depicts severe depression and a problematic father relationship; Luc has abandonment and trust issues from his father leaving, media scrutiny, and a terrible breakup followed by self-destructive partying. Supported by 2 sources (source 54, source 18923).
• Hea. A reader felt the book lacked a fluffy HEA epilogue; Readers debate whether the ending is HEA or HFN; some see Luc and Oliver as an HEA while others feel it is more HFN. Supported by 2 sources (source 10614, source 10960).
• Rushed Ending. Multiple readers felt the ending came too quickly, with Luc and Oliver not getting a minute to settle into being happy; an epilogue was wanted; The book ends in mid-conversation and could have used a slightly longer last chapter or epilogue. Supported by 2 sources (source 54, source 10619).
• Weak Chemistry. One reader did not finish the book because they felt no chemistry between the leads; The relationship was unstable throughout the book. Supported by 2 sources (source 10960, source 18923).

Where reader reactions differ

• Character Growth. Characters showed more growth in book 1 than in the sequel; Both leads share a core struggle not with loving but with allowing themselves to be loved, which the story explores meaningfully; Luc gradually comes to accept he is worth loving and learns to recognize when others, notably Oliver, are struggling too. Supported by 7 sources (source 54, source 10616, source 10617, source 10619, source 10960, source 10964, source 18923).
• Low Heat. A reader wishes there were spicier scenes in the book; There is much less sex than in other Alexis Hall books, and the scenes are written less explicitly; they are sweet but some readers missed the more nuanced sex scenes of the Spires series; The book is closed-door: sex happens but is not shown on page. Supported by 5 sources (source 53, source 10614, source 10619, source 10620, source 10960).
• Satisfying Ending. The ending is loved for feeling healthy, long-lasting, and lifelike; The ending is praised for opting out of the standard forgiveness arc with Luc’s dad and letting Luc be vocally angry and set limits on his own terms; The ending was not satisfying. Supported by 3 sources (source 10614, source 10960, source 18923).
• Romance Forward. Luc and Oliver light up the pages whenever they are together, and the book is romantic, funny, and completely wonderful; One reader found the book exhausting because it mostly focused on relationship problems, saved only by the excellent writing; The book fits rom-com structure more than romance, focused on personal and romantic development. Supported by 3 sources (source 54, source 10619, source 10960).
• Hea. A reader felt the book lacked a fluffy HEA epilogue; Readers debate whether the ending is HEA or HFN; some see Luc and Oliver as an HEA while others feel it is more HFN. Supported by 2 sources (source 10614, source 10960).

Individual observations

• Distinctive Voice Performance. The narrator uses different voices but the French accent for Luc’s mom is criticized as less than stellar.
• Weak Narration. One listener found the audio okay but not sparky, with Oliver’s accent not posh enough, though distinct from Luc’s.
• Third Act Breakup. The leads hurt each other one too many times, culminating in Oliver leaving the morning after they make love.
• Hfn. The story ends Happy for Now rather than establishing a HEA, with both characters admitting they have growing to do but are willing to grow together.
• Genre Fans. The reviewer cannot see anyone being disappointed in this book regardless of why they pick it up.
• Slow Build Heat. The relationship is a slow burn with poignant tentative details of closeness developing gradually.
• Uneven Pacing. Reader felt the beginning dragged due to too much time spent at Luc’s job, such as the wait in the lounge scene before the dinner at the club.
• Well Paced. The romance is beautifully written and well-paced.
• Strong Prose. The writing was strong.
• Emotional Intimacy. The romance develops gradually through shared experience and interaction, with physical intimacy growing in tandem with emotional intimacy.

Reader sources

1. cannonballread.com – Independent review
2. smartbitchestrashybooks.com – Independent review
3. Reddit discussion
4. Reddit discussion
5. twimom227.com – Independent review
6. allaboutromance.com – Independent review
7. Reddit discussion
8. Reddit discussion
9. Reddit discussion
10. Reddit discussion