{"id":13388,"date":"2020-09-02T16:10:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T20:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=13388"},"modified":"2023-05-14T09:42:13","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T13:42:13","slug":"boyfriend-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13388","title":{"rendered":"Boyfriend Material"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boyfriend Material<\/a><\/em> (2020) Alexis Hall<\/p>\n

\"Boyfriend<\/a>This story was an utter delight.<\/p>\n

I started it mid afternoon, and pretty much didn’t set it down until I’d finished it–past my bedtime.<\/p>\n

Luc O’Donnell is a mess. Because both of his parents were semi-famous musicians, he’s always been in the eye of the press, and when his relationship went up in flames, the ensuing disaster all but ruined his life.<\/p>\n

The rational version of Luc, the one from the parallel universe where my dad wasn\u2019t a famous shithead and my ex-boyfriend hadn\u2019t sold all my secrets to Piers Morgan, tried to tell me I was overreacting. Unfortunately, I wasn\u2019t listening.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But now he has a job at a charity working to save the Dung Beetle (CRAPP).<\/p>\n

Dr. Fairclough would argue that homeless people are human beings and, thus, plentiful and ecologically somewhere between insignificant and a net detriment. Unlike dung beetles, which are irreplaceable. Which is why she looks at the data and I talk to the press.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His mother and his friends have remained steadfast and everything is mostly ok–until a literal stumble ends with him in the tabloids and in need of rehabilitating his image. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you said I wasn\u2019t going to get fired.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as the Beetle Drive is successful, you may go to whatever bars you please and wear whatever mammalian appendages you like.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYay.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBut right now\u201d\u2014 she cast me a cold glance\u2014\u201c your public image as some kind of barebacking, coke-snorting, buttockless-trouser-wearing pervert has scared away three of our biggest donors, and I need not remind you, our donor list is straying perilously close to single digits.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maybe not the best time to tell her about the emails I\u2019d received this morning. \u201cSo what am I supposed to do?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cRehabilitate yourself fast. You need to go back to being the sort of harmless sodomite that Waitrose shoppers can feel good about introducing to their left-wing friends and smug about introducing to their right-wing friends.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It doesn’t go well.<\/p>\n

This books is marvelous. Utterly marvelous. It is snarky and angsty and funny and had me laughing and sniffling in turns.<\/p>\n

It’s over-the-top, and his friends are ridiculous, but is also slowly peels away the layers Luc has been building around himself till you see that he is an absolute mess, but trying to hide if from his friends for the past five years. <\/p>\n

The scene when his friends come over to help him clean his apartment is the point you realize he really is just as much of a mess as he had been joking he was, and the damage done by his ex and by the press was heart-breakingly deep.<\/p>\n

This book is told only from Luc’s POV, and that is perfect for this story. To Luc, Oliver is pretty much perfect, and with Luc’s damage, it’s easy to miss just how human Oliver is as well, until suddenly Oliver’s damage is right there in your face.<\/p>\n

It’s just lovely AND there is no on-the-page boinking! All but perfect!<\/p>\n

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca<\/p>\n

Rating: 9.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall This story was an utter delight. I started it mid afternoon, and pretty much didn’t set it down until I’d finished it–past my bedtime. Luc O’Donnell is a mess. Because both of his parents were semi-famous musicians, he’s always been in the eye of the press, and when his relationship […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[192,30,204,207,510,148,26],"tags":[227,210,211,208,544],"class_list":["post-13388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-5-10","category-british","category-good","category-mental-health-rep","category-own-voices","category-queer","category-romance","tag-alexis-hall","tag-anxiety","tag-depression","tag-eating-disorder","tag-mm"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-3tW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13604,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13604","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":0},"title":"Boyfriend Material","author":"Michelle","date":"November 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall I don't care that I just read this. I managed to hold off before re-reading, and then tore through it, no better able to put it down in a second read than it was on the first read. In fact, I'm lucky I didn't just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boyfriend Material","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Boyfriend-Material.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20577,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20577","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":1},"title":"Husband Material","author":"Michelle","date":"August 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Husband Material (2022) Alexis Hall (London Calling) Although the characters are the same, this is a very different book from Boyfriend Material. Which I utterly adored. That doesn't mean this book wasn't excellent, just that you need to go into it with different expectations. First and foremost, Alexis Hall said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Husband Material","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Husband_Material.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Husband_Material.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Husband_Material.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14138,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/14138","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":2},"title":"Waiting for the Flood","author":"Michelle","date":"March 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Waiting for the Flood (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) If you've read Alexis Hall, you may think you know what to expect from this story. Chances are you are completely wrong. It has been two years since Marius decided he was no longer in love with Edwin, and moved out of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Waiting for the Flood","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Waiting-for-the-Flood.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13528,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13528","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":3},"title":"Glitterland","author":"Michelle","date":"October 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Glitterland (2018) Alexis Hall (Spires) I kept reading the synopsis of this story and thinking, \"I don't know if this is my kind of story.\" But I utterly adored Boyfriend Material as well as Waiting for the Flood, so I decided to try it. It opens with a the aftermath\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Glitterland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Glitterland.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17578,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/17578","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":4},"title":"Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake","author":"Michelle","date":"July 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (2021) Alexis Hall (Winner Bakes All) Rosaline Palmer gave up medical school to become a single mother. \u201cThe last bold thing I did was decide I was keeping the baby, and while I\u2019m glad I did, as decisions go it\u2019s not exactly been without consequences.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rosaline-Palmer-Takes-the-Cake.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13662,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13662","url_meta":{"origin":13388,"position":5},"title":"Iron & Velvet","author":"Michelle","date":"December 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Iron & Velvet (2013\/2019) Alexis Hall (Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator) Kate Kane is a paranormal private investigator, called when something goes wrong i the supernatural world. She's called out to Velvet--an expensive nightclub--to investigate the exsanguiation of a werewolf in the back alley. It doesn't look like he had been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Iron & Velvet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Iron-Velvet.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13388\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}