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Review

5 hilarious and wonderfully entertaining stars!

Oh, I loved this book! A witty, intelligent, delightfully entertaining m/m opposites-attract romantic comedy with a fake relationship setup and a fantastic duo of flawed but fabulous heroes that you cannot help but cheer for. I read it in a day, absolutely captivated from start to finish, and enjoyed every moment!

Lucien (Luc) O’Donnell is an absolute hot mess. The son of now-almost-forgotten 80s rockstars, he is a sort-of-celebrity whose life is splashed across the tabloids, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of questionable behaviour as he gets closer and closer to rock bottom. He’s pretty much there when his work with a local charity tells him he needs to improve his public image by entering into a suitable, stable relationship.

He is set up by a friend with snooty, serious barrister, Oliver Blackwood. They have met before, but it didn’t really go well, and neither of them think too highly of the other. But a temporary fake relationship also suits Oliver’s needs, so they agree to spend time together – both in and out of the public eye – to make their relationship look as real as possible until they go their separate ways.

“Explain to me again,” said Oliver finally, “why you need a boyfriend?”
It was the least I owed him. “Mainly for this big fundraiser we’ve got coming up at the end of April. Our donors all think I’m a bad gay.”
He frowned. “What’s a good gay?”
“Someone like you.”
“I see.”

OMG, I love these two boys! They are so well developed, as different as can be, and watching them bicker, argue and tease is so much fun!

“You know you’re wearing pyjamas wrong, right?”
He didn’t look up. “Oh?”
“Yeah, you’re supposed to just wear the bottoms, and have them hanging low on your hips, displaying your perfectly chiselled V-cut.”
“Maybe next time.”
I thought about this for a moment. “Are you saying you have a perfectly chiselled v-cut?”
“I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”
“What if someone asks? I should know for verisimilitude.”
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “You can say I’m a gentleman and we haven’t got that far.”
“You” – I gave a thwarted sigh – “are a terrible fake boyfriend.”
“I’m building fake anticipation.”
“You’d better be fake worth it.”
“I am.”

I love their snappy dialogue and their text conversations are a real treat. But underneath it all, they both have their vulnerabilities, characterised by sweetly tender moments and adorably endearing awkwardness.

I miss you.
Sorry. Was that too much?
I know it’s only been a few days.
Maybe this is why people don’t want to go out with me.
Not that you’re really going out with me anyway.
I hope I didn’t sound presumptuous.
I’m probably sounding really weird now.
I’m assuming you’re not texting back because you’re still asleep. Not because you think I’m disgustingly clingy.
If you’re awake and think I’m disgustingly clingy, could you at least tell me.
Right. You’re probably asleep.
And now you’re going to wake up and read all this and I’m going to die of embarrassment.
Sorry.

And as they get to know each other, they begin to understand each other, and of course things start to change. They form a connection which sparks change in both of their lives, and watching them slowly evolve was just gorgeous! There are, understandably, some anxieties there, but they just go with it, which I loved, and the slow burn of their relationship plays out beautifully!

“I don’t want fine. Fine isn’t enough. Isn’t not about the open fire or whatever other clichés you can conjure up, but yes, I want a connection. I want you to care as much as I care. I want you to need it and want it and mean it. I want it to matter.”

And the love story is so lovely. It’s sweet and funny with great chemistry, and these two guys genuinely care for each other. They are thoughtful and kind with each other, but still with this sense of fun and playfulness, and seeing them together seriously gave me happy tingles! There is intimacy, but there are no actual sex scenes, so if you’re new to the m/m genre, this is a pretty tame one to start with.

These weren’t just yeah whatever kisses. They weren’t take it or leave it, get your coat you’ve pulled kisses. They were everything I thought I could never have, everything I’d been pretending I never wanted, telling me that I was worth it, that he’d be there for me and put up with me and wouldn’t let me drive him away.
Oliver Blackwood was giving all that to me, and I was giving it right back.

The book is written entirely from Luc’s perspective, and though we get a really good sense of Oliver (who I adore), I loved that we got to experience everything through Luc. He is such a disaster, and he has created a disaster of his life, and as much as this is a love story, he also has other issues that he needs to work through and I loved that we get to see him deal with his problems, work to get himself out of his funk and get his life back on track.

And then there’s the fantastic crew of supporting characters. Luc’s friends and colleagues are a fantastically developed group of weird and wonderful personalities – all very realistic (some of them scarily so) – that add so much to the story. From the bland and truly idiotic to the devastatingly selfish, the lovingly devoted and everything in between. Watching Luc’s interactions with the people in his life is a real highlight of the book.

Mum patted him reassuringly. “Oh, Oliver … I am sure you are one of the best gays.”
I glanced back to find Oliver looking faintly flustered. “Mum, stop ranking homosexuals. It doesn’t work like that.”

If you’re a fan of wonderfully character-driven English comedy movies Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, you’ll love this book. So many times while reading, I thought of those movies with their imperfect characters and diverse and quirky friend groups, and then all of those fantastic British-isms that add so much charm. This book is an experience that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the final pages.

There is a bit of drama to bring the emotion, but mostly this is an angst-free read that made me smile, laugh out loud and fall in love, and I just adored it!

5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

London Calling