I envy the way Hall can put together a conversation between the characters – the back and forth of the dialogue is so smooth and readable. However, even though Husband Material tackles some pretty weighty topics, that doesn’t stop it from being absolutely laugh out loud funny at times. And if Boyfriend Material is about starting a relationship, Husband Material is about keeping that relationship, and how it isn’t always easy, but definitely worth it. It’s interesting because the book is told completely from Luc’s perspective, but I still feel that the reader gets enough insight from Oliver’s conversations with Luc that you can really feel how Oliver is struggling. If Boyfriend Material was more Luc working out his issues, it felt like Husband Material definitely leans toward Oliver working out his issues. One of the aspects of this book that was so fascinating to me was that in a “typical” romance novel, you generally have two characters who are not together and you spend the book wondering how they’re going to get together in the end, but in Husband Material, we have two characters who are already together, and I spent the book wondering how they were going to manage to not break up at the end.
There’s a lot of heavy material in this book, as Luc and Oliver clash on self-expression, feeling like part of the LGBTQ+ community, and how family mindsets really can mess you up. Husband Material follows Luc and Oliver as they navigate being a couple surrounded by friends getting married and dramatic family dynamics. Husband Material doesn’t feel like what one might expect from a romance novel, but it is still strongly focused on the relationship arc of the characters and ends with a happily ever after. I’ll admit to being a little wary about Husband Material, being that it is the sequel to Boyfriend Material, which in my opinion is a self-contained romance novel. Published August 2, 2022, by Sourcebooks Casablanca
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