Boyfriend Material by Alexis J. Hall (2020; 425 pages) is freaking delightful. If you are a fan of Rom Coms and you’re looking for a funny, swoony summer read, let this be the next book you put on hold. We even have it in multiple formats for your convenience: it’s available as an e-book on Overdrive/Libby and as an e-book and downloadable audiobook on Hoopla.

Luc O’Donnell, son of an aging rock star, has been in the papers one time too many and not for good reasons. The Paparazzi love to print the worst stuff about him and his boss at the nonprofit where he manages donors has had enough. Luc’s got to clean up his image or he’s fired. Enter Oliver Blackwood. Oliver is everything Luc’s not: he has a real job (lawyer), a clean apartment, he eats right and reads books. The two of them are not at all right for each other, but Oliver’s just what Luc needs for image control, so they make an arrangement. They’ll be fake boyfriends, seen in public and at each other’s important functions, and once Luc’s in the clear with his job, they’ll go their separate ways. But of course, things don’t go to plan at all.

This is a laugh-out-loud funny book that had me grinning to myself as I was listening and walking around my neighborhood or driving to work. Luc and Oliver are both great characters that I cared about and their friends and coworkers make up a funny, appealing cast of secondary characters. Originally published in England, I adored the London setting and this makes for great escapist reading. I have to give a plug to the audiobook; narrator Joe Jameson gives a fully voices performance and he does all the different accents really well. It was a delight to listen to.

Readalikes:

  • Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (2020; 321 pages). This is another LGBT RomCom in which fame and Paparazzi complicate the lives of the protagonists.
  • Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (2019; 421 pages). Although this one’s steamier than Boyfriend Material, it’s another fun LGBT RomCom, this one featuring an enemies-to-lovers plotline.
  • Beach Read by Emily Henry (2020; 361 pages). This is another funny RomCom with an appealing setting that makes for great escapist reading.