Boyfriend Material

I don't know how I feel about this one, so I won't rate it.

I really enjoyed some of the humor, but there were some jokes and other things that very much hit me the wrong way (transphobic humor, jokes about sex workers, vegetarianism as a plot point).

I liked the push and pull romance plot, but I had a lot of trouble sympathizing with Luc at first, because he can be so unnecessarily mean.

This is a contemporary, but a lot of the action feels a little tilted away from reality. Mostly this is fun, as with Alex, the unbelievably posh co-worker. But then Oliver's parents are over-the-top evil, and what's happening there is really important.

I could identify with these characters' issues, unfortunately for me, and I feel the author did a great job of handling some weighty stuff. Hall also portrays a lot of different types of homophobia; it's a depressing background to most of the book's plot, but he treats it with a relatively light touch. I can't remember another book that handles the topic exactly that way.

Overall, this book feels like a slice of life, and I think that's my favorite thing about it. I don't believe Oliver and Luc are necessarily riding off into the sunset together, and that's okay. Only some of the non-romance-plot threads are resolved and not all in happy ways. That all feels realistic to me, and very sweet.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Writing: 9
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 5
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8

Pros:
- Adorable characters: I loved Luc and Oliver they were such well fleshed out characters who had amazing personalities. And that isn't to mention the rest of the cast, especially Luc's band of friends, they added so much to the story and it made it so enjoyable
- Banter: Luc and Oliver are the kings of banter and there were lots of instances where I was laughing out loud at both their antics and how unbelievably ridiculous they were

Cons:
- Pacing: This book struggled in the middle in terms of pacing. I really struggled because I felt like we were at a standstill and the story was not progressing.
- Ending: I was really disappointed in the ending, it seemed very unfinished. I know there is a second book coming but I think this one would have benefited from one final chapter to do a better job of wrapping everything up.