The Build-a-Boyfriend Project Review: A Romance Worth Rooting For

Mason Deaver manages to switch things up a bit with The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by taking fake dating to a new level. With achingly human characters whose flaws we find ourselves connecting to, this first adult novel from the author is one worth reading again and again.

One of the wonderful things about this story is that each chapter is loosely defined by the film used as the watchlist item the chapter is named for. I am talking unforgettable films both within the romance genre and outside it. From How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith this love tale spans it all.

And honestly, that’s what makes this story so familiar and also one-of-a-kind. We know from the beginning that we are going to go on a journey of epic proportions from reading the chapter titles alone. Then, we get into the nitty gritty of it and the heart begins to show itself through Eli and Peter.

First Dates Are The WORST

Everyone knows that first date jitters are a real thing that can cause us to behave abnormally. However, I’m not sure many of us would go as far as to allow the pressures of a bad date, a stressful job, and residual heartbreak to go to the extreme that Eli Francis finds himself in.

That said, Deaver writes Eli in a way that allows us to know what he’s doing isn’t entirely kosher, but we also understand his logic behind it. While we may not have fake dated a guy for a disastrous article before, we have done things we later regret because we thought the ends justified the means.

This distinction alone is what allows us to commiserate with both sides of the relationship without vilifying Eli for his bad choices. It helps that in the end Eli takes full responsibility for his screwups and acknowledges that if he ends up alone it is his own fault.

Fake dating is a trope that many people love and crave in their romance stories. It’s a fun way to see two characters get to know one each other and feel their feelings without the pressure to perform, because the partnership is all for show in the end.

So, naturally, getting to see two characters get a second chance at a first date we are drawn in and want to see how things play out. This is how Deaver captures our attention very early on.

We can all understand being on either side of a disastrous first date only to find the person might be worth it after all. To get a second chance or a do-over is a dream setting up a story that is bound to be filled with the correct level of drama, love, heart, humor, and heartbreak.

Eli’s Heart is in the Right Place, Wrongly Executed

Eli’s thought about taking Peter’s experiences and writing an article that articulates the difficulties members of the queer community face in the dating world is a beautiful one. It’s just a shame his boss doesn’t know good journalism when he sees it.

Honestly, the whole time I am reading this book my thoughts kept wandering back to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and how I had anticipated this story to play out much the same way as that film had. Only to be pleasantly surprised by the unique notes of their budding love and affection for each other reaching beyond the atypical Hollywood love story.

Deaver’s care and attention to mental health struggles of people within the queer community is the underlying heartbeat of this whole journey. To start off we have Peter whose anxiety is very obvious and present from the word go and then there is Eli’s strive to find his place in a world where he feels painfully alone.

As we get to know these characters more intimately there are other struggles that come to light. They each have a past filled with hardship that has defined who they are and how they currently move through the world.

The body dysmorphia that Eli went through when he was younger he sometimes still contends with which hinders his ability to throw himself into the dating pool. Peter’s lack of experience due to being raised in a very conservative town forces him to be solitary when all he wants is companionship.

Peter shows us early on that he has a bit of neurodivergence in him that most people overlook, but Eli catches onto very quickly and validates Peter instead of criticizing him. We get to see these two people from vastly different family dynamics, cultures, and backgrounds come together over mutual understanding.

It’s because they see each other so clearly where others cannot that makes Eli’s ultimate betrayal that much harder of a sting. We watch in real time as Eli loses control of his plan, hurts the one person he’s come to care about, and crumble under all the pressure.

Despite knowing that Peter didn’t deserve any of Eli’s dishonesty, we still want to hug Eli because we also understand his pain. And honestly, if the book had ended with Eli living in the aftermath of his actions with Peter wanting nothing to do with him I would’ve been satisfied.

Picture Perfect Ending That’s Messy

As it is, we do get a follow-up 2 years down the line where Eli and Peter find a way to trust each other once again. But, if Deaver had decided to keep them friends or even acquaintances that sort of ending wouldn’t have felt like a disservice either.

Life doesn’t always get a happy ending. Sometimes the mistakes we make and the people we hurt remain hurt, never to be reconciled or healed.

Do I love that Eli and Peter ended up together and happy? Sure. Would I have loved an ending with Eli left in the wake of his mistakes even more? Perhaps.

It is really hard to decide which ending I actually wanted for these two characters. Regardless, their ending is as lovely as the journey it took them to get there.

We get to see how this experience changed them, both positively and negatively. It’s good to see that it took a lengthy amount of time for Peter to get back to a place where he could trust Eli again.

Stories that rush characters back into each others arms after a big betrayal like this just aren’t as satisfying. Which is why I’m conflicted on what I really wanted to have happen. I think them not getting together in the end might’ve been bolder, but it lacks queer joy which I am also a big advocate for.

At the end of the day, the journey from point A to point B was well executed, kept us captivated from start to finish, and gave us an ending worth rooting for. Now, lets go pop some popcorn and put on a classic romcom to celebrate.

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What did you think of Mason Deaver’s latest novel? Let us know in the comments.

The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver can be purchased wherever books are sold.

 

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