Title: Boyfriend Material
Author: Alexis Hall
Spec Spot
What's it about?
Luc's life isn't as easy as some would think. His father, who just happened to be a rock star, left for the lifestyle when he was little and his mother was a star in her own right, popular enough survive off of her royalties. When his father decides to make a come back, it also pushes Luc into the lime light again and he's not attracting the kind of attention his supervisors at work are happy about.
Desperate to keep his job and feeling like finding an "acceptable" boyfriend is the only answer, Luc agrees to enter into a fake relationship with Oliver who is also pretty much the anti-Luc. They don't agree on much and they tend to understand each other even less but sometimes as you embrace commitments, you realize that you're not there because you need to be but because you want to.
Favorites:
Favorite Character: I really liked both Oliver and Luc, but I think my favorite is Oliver. Sure, he was a little more type A then I am and then I would expect to favor but he was exceptionably sweet, caring and accepting. He wasn't the hot and heavy, bad boy super grumpy guy that we see so often, though he was kind of grumpy. But somehow he was softer then that. It was something deeper, more long term then "hot" and I was so there for it.
Least Favorite Character: Dr. Fairclough wins this title, and not because she thinks that dung beetles are more important than people (though she might be right about some of them), but because of attitude about Luc. I can't stand that she makes him feel like he's not enough and he has to be "the right kind of gay" to keep his job. Of course, some of the donator's to the non-profit also deserve some blame for this. I found it really gross the way she never defended Luc or saw him as more then a pawn to save the world through dung beetles.
Favorite Part: I am going to have to go with the first time Luc goes to Oliver's house. I think it's because it's one of the first times I felt like we were really getting to know them but also because of the back and forth between the two of them in the process.
Least Favorite Part: I'm sure this will be no surprise to you, but the part when Luc is called into Dr. Fairclough's office to discuss the press about him. It was really uncomfortable for me and hard to read since I couldn't slap the doctor or defend him.
Favorite Quote: "I don't mean to be. But you had a boyfriend, and he made you happy for a while, and now it is over. And if we let happy things make us unhappy when they stopped, there would be no point having happy things." (pg.393)
"Someone else's actions may affect you. But what other people choose to do is about them." (pg. 16)
Other Thoughts:
I'm not sure why, but I thought that this book would have more of a Red, White and Royal Blue feel to it. I was wrong but I'm not sad about it. In fact, I really appreciated the feel of this. In some ways, Oliver reminds me of my husband, though my husband is not nearly as Type A as Oliver. I also really liked the duelology of Luc and Oliver and how they somehow seemed to fit together and remain so opposite.
I will say, however, that while Luc's friend and co-worker Alex was a little cartoonish. So much so that he didn't seem to fit entirely into the feel and the vibe of the story. Granted, he was entertaining and amusing sometimes, but I think it was taken just a little too far. I hope that, if he shows up in the second in the series, Husband Material, Alex isn't so cartoonish but still a airhead.
This is one of those books that I had hears so much about, everyone was talking about and I jumped in a little late on the band wagon but it was worth the wait. I loved it just as much now as I would have when it first came out.
Ratings:
I give this book a
7
out of
10 Dung beetles
But that's just me. What do you think? Did you love Alex in a world of humorous and half way intelligent individuals? Or did you hate Oliver and Luc as a couple? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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