Boyfriend Material [Mass Market Paperback]

John Jeffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

In this hilarious, on-target romantic comedy, four gay friends try all the right moves--and too many wrong ones--in their search for true love, only to discover it in the most unexpected places.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jeffrey's breezy debut is a modest effort that follows four young, image-conscious New York gay men as they attempt to recalibrate their out-of-whack love lives while looking their best in the latest designer fashions. Carson St. John, editor-in-chief of trendy Throb magazine (the "gay guy's Cosmo"), has just returned from bedding a hustler in Los Angeles in time for brunch with his three best friends-entertainment lawyer Danny Kimura, aspiring gallery owner Nathan Williams and high school teacher Rob Cahill. Each friend has an urgent romantic dilemma. Rob is foolishly dating the father of one of his students; Danny initiates an affair with Leo, a client who happens to be lead singer of the hot boy-band "Four Deep"; and Nathan falls for a druggie thug/artist named Panther. Not to be outdone, Carson dumps his boyfriend, Rocco, for a married consultant hired to revamp the magazine's image. Each romantic misstep spells over-the-top drama, leaving Carson musing aloud about what it is that gay men really want in a potential partner. Jeffrey opts for implausible saccharine endings for the quartet, but it hardly matters since these characters are paper-thin and virtually indistinguishable. Jeffrey's rapid-fire one-liners, pop culture references and simplistic plot will go down easy as long as readers don't expect any literary nourishment.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

A group of single gay men meet regularly to bemoan the lack of decent "boyfriend material." Then one by one each finds a fellow who is part dream-boy in bed and part boyfriend-from-Hell. Carson St. John, editor of Throb, spends secret nights with a closeted married father of three. Conservative attorney Danny Kimura winds up being an official groupie to Leo Summer, lead singer of a rock group for whom he negotiates contracts, but Danny must endure decibel-splitting concerts followed by being a humiliated wallflower during on-the-road partying. Rob Cahill is a teacher whose sex-obsessed but gorgeous straight student, Brad, arranges a date for Rob with Brad's equally yummy-looking father. Meanwhile, Nathan, a naive young African American who manages an art gallery, winds up with a show of all-black canvases done by an arrogant, nontalented felon--not to mention a case of the crabs. So it goes, in lightweight sit-com fashion, in this predictable, but nonetheless, thoroughly enjoyable romp. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758201036
• ISBN-13: 978-0758201034
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,407,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Central Perk for the Gay Set, November 26, 2002

By 

Cambel "cambel" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boyfriend Material (Hardcover)

Have you ever sat in a resterant or a coffee house somewhere and seen a group a friends that looked both like a lot of fun AND like a bitchy crew of high maintenence drama queens? Well here is your chance to be part of that group without having to have the acid tongued zingers directed at you. So if you are looking for the a nice dose of mind candy this book gives you a fun easy read about the life of four friends.
One, the editor of a new, national gay entertainment magazine, juggling both an article an East coast v. West Coast hustlers, while at the same time trying to keep things going with his married boyfriend, the next, an African American raised in Greenwhich connecticut, going from one bad relationship with a closeted man to another equally as problematic, while at the same time being forced by his mother to set up lunch dates with a woman from his hometown, who not only dislikes him but makes Kevin Spacey's character in "Swimming with Sharks" look cuddly.
third we have the lawyer, sleeping with one of his clients who not only is in a boyband, and sleeps with women to keep up with his image but may or may not have a man at every airport stopover. And finally, the teacher, who is being set up with the father of one of his students.....by that student.
Weave around these characters a fun plot, noteable side characters like an alcoholic southern belle artist who makes millions selling paintings of vegetables with penises, many pop culture references and a nice tie up at the end.
No this is NOT a story about a decent into Crystal Meth laden hell which ends with the protagonist walking out of rehap and squinting at the sun. This is a fun, easily readable book with some notable one liners and dialogue that will have you laughing out loud more than once.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars i loved this book, March 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Boyfriend Material (Hardcover)

If you like light fiction, this is a great choice. Yeah, everybody ends up happy and with the perfect guy, but, hey, what the heck is wrong with that? While not in the same league as Robert Rodi... or Christian McLaughlin (Sex Toys of the Gods), Jon Jeffrey will get you to laugh out lound as you recognize aspects of real people in your life. The characters face real issues, and though the resolutions come quick and easy, it is nice to see some real life issues (unprotected sex, income disparity in couples, professional ethics vs. libido, etc)make it in to the story. Amazingly enough, not all the lead characters are white - a big step forward for this genre. Unfortunately, they are all still buff and gorgeous. What has happened to the average gay guy? And the only three memorable women in the book are an uptight mother, [an upset] sister, and a [promiscuous] straight gal. Sort of the Madonna/whore paradox. But, I am sounding picky. This is not literature of social change. This is a fun novel, and really makes no pretense of being anything else. This book was a pleasure and left me hoping for more...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absurdly Bad: An Assault on the Written Word, December 10, 2005

By 

Jacob Bel "humble student" (Boone, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boyfriend Material (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a very long commercial advertisement. People say "pop-culture references"? Try to swallow this line: "Carson's Motorola Timeport two-way smart pager beeped." As a writer myself this is an insult to everything I hold dear, and at least for this gay man, "everything I hold dear" does not mean the latest pair of Prada shoes.