Father Material by Alexis Hall: My Honest Review
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⭐ Quick Verdict
⭐ My Rating: 3 ★
💭 Quick Take: A heartfelt return to Luc and Oliver’s world that explores parenthood, found family, and all the anxiety, humor, and love that comes with building a family together.
👉 Read If You Love: Established couples, found family, parenting storylines, opposites attract dynamics, character-driven romances
🚫 Skip if: You want a romance-focused plot, prefer faster pacing, or are looking for high steam
Book Details
Release Date: June 2026
Genre: Queer Romance
Tropes: Married Couple, New Parents, Found Family, Opposites Attract
Series: London Calling
Steam Level: Very Low
What This Book Is About
Luc and Oliver have settled into their partnership, but a new question looms over their future: are they ready to expand their family?
As friends around them embrace parenthood and major life changes, Luc finds himself spiraling through every possible outcome while Oliver remains his usual steady, reassuring self. What begins with caring for a new puppy eventually evolves into something much bigger when they unexpectedly become foster parents to a teenager.
As they navigate the challenges of parenting together, both men are forced to confront their own complicated relationships with family, love, and what it means to become the kind of parents they never had.
My Review of Father Material
I absolutely loved stepping back into Luc and Oliver’s world.
It’s been a while since I visited this series, and while I initially needed a moment to remember the details of their friends’ lives and Luc’s wonderfully bizarre nonprofit work, it didn’t take long before I felt completely immersed again.
Alexis Hall immediately throws readers back into Luc’s wonderfully anxious brain, and honestly, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend. His tendency to catastrophize every possible scenario remains the perfect contrast to Oliver’s calm, grounded nature. That opposites-attract dynamic continues to be one of the strongest aspects of their relationship.
One of my favorite parts of the book was watching them navigate “new puppy” life. It perfectly captured their personalities, with Oliver researching every possible detail while Luc essentially wings it and immediately convinces himself he’s failing. The infamous poop diary was one of several moments that reminded me just how funny Alexis Hall can be when he’s at his best.
The emotional heart of the story comes when Luc and Oliver become foster parents to a teenager. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book because it allowed Alexis to explore how both men carry the scars of parental neglect and difficult family relationships. Watching them try to build a parenting style that worked both individually and as a couple felt thoughtful, nuanced, and incredibly authentic.
That said, this is where the book occasionally lost momentum for me.
While I enjoyed the fostering storyline, there were stretches where it felt like the story wasn’t moving forward significantly. I also found myself missing Luc and Oliver as a couple. Their relationship often takes a backseat to parenting challenges and Luc’s increasingly chaotic work crises, which made the romance feel less central than I would have liked.
Similarly, Luc’s work escapades started to feel repetitive over time. While they provide humor and are very much part of who Luc is, they occasionally distracted from the stronger emotional storyline surrounding parenthood and family. At over 500 pages, I definitely felt the length and think the story could have been tighter without losing its emotional impact.
Still, what ultimately works is the thing that has always made this series special: Luc and Oliver themselves.
Alexis Hall has such a deep understanding of these characters that even when the plot occasionally meanders, their voices, vulnerabilities, and love for one another remain compelling.
What I Loved
- Returning to Luc and Oliver’s relationship
- The opposites-attract dynamic that still feels fresh
- The humor, especially the puppy and poop diary moments
- The exploration of foster parenting and found family
- The nuanced portrayal of parental neglect and family trauma
- Luc’s wonderfully chaotic inner monologue
Things to Know Before You Read
- Works best if you’ve read the previous books in the series
- The romance takes a backseat to the parenting storyline at times
- Very low steam
- Over 500 pages and occasionally feels its length
- Strong themes of family, parenting, fostering, and parental neglect
Final Thoughts
Did I love returning to Luc and Oliver’s world? Absolutely.
While the story occasionally loses focus and could have benefited from a tighter edit, spending time with these characters again was ultimately worth it. Alexis Hall continues to excel at creating deeply nuanced characters whose flaws, anxieties, and love feel completely authentic.
If you’re already invested in this series, this is a rewarding continuation that gives readers exactly what they’ve been hoping for: more time with Luc and Oliver as they navigate the next chapter of their lives together.
More Books by Alexis Hall:
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