The Build-A-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver Review

Eli Francis is stuck. Stuck in an assistant position at the online magazine Vent when he should be a writer. Stuck with a boss who dangles a promotion but would rather he just fetch the coffee. Stuck working alongside the ex who has had no trouble moving up at work…or moving on.
 

When Eli’s roommates push him to date so he can get over his ex once and for all, they set him up with Peter Park. Tall, handsome, and unbelievably awkward. The date is a complete disaster, and further proof to Eli that love isn’t for him. But when his boss overhears Eli recounting the catastrophic night, he suggests teaching Peter to be a better boyfriend through a series of simulated dates so he can write an article about it.
 

But Eli has other ideas…Eli plays along, pretending to write the article, while secretly interviewing Peter about growing up queer in the South and coming-of-age dating wise in adulthood. Eli hopes writing this sort of piece will finally get him the promotion he deserves. And in exchange, he will teach Peter how to be a better boyfriend.
 

But the more time Eli spends with Peter, the closer they become, and the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begin to blur. Before long Eli is forced to face his greatest fears to become the writer he wants to be and secure the love he’s always needed.

Fake dating, friends to lovers, trans and queer Asian representation oh my! Mason Deaver’s adult romance novel debut is a really wholesome and cute read that’s both lighthearted and well-meaning. Although the story utilizes several familiar romance tropes, Deaver’s clever ideas meshed with authentically honest discussions of identity give the book a refreshingly different feeling and intention to it. Written in the style and prose of a YA novel filled with more new adult content, The Build-A-Boyfriend Project is a fun book worth reading for the vibes as long as one doesn’t expect too much from it.

The fake dating trope is a narrative that has been utilized to death across the romance genre, and that’s no different when you narrow it further to queer literature. While the dating coach storyline utilized in this book is nothing new on its own, what is new is its application to the queer love and dating. Easily one of the best and most noteworthy elements of this novel is Deaver’s wonderful representation of minority groups, specifically trans male, queer Asian, and late-age exploration and dating. Besides Eli’s writing aspirations and romance history that I’ll be getting into shortly, this book heavily hinges on Peter’s character and challenges with dating.

While the book’s premise and blurb sound like a light-hearted and cringe-filled romp into the world of modern dating, the book’s hidden weapon is its light social commentary on the steep entry level and huge disparity of experience within the queer community. For those that are late bloomers whether it be due to fear of coming out when younger like Peter or delayed self-discovery, trying to pick up dating in your 30’s over a decade late in the modern era is both daunting and awkward perfectly captured here. Besides finding social cues challenging as well as navigating dating apps for the inexperienced (what an actual mood), the book also doesn’t shy away from also commenting on the queer communities’ less flattering areas. “No fats, no femmes, no Asians” is recurring thought represented by Peter’s ineffectiveness on dating apps despite being masculine and fit and is a topic a lot of M/M romance novels shy away from acknowledging. This book having an Asian American love interest itself is already a refreshing choice vs the more common white men pairing, even consciously having Eli mentally acknowledge that despite being a trans man, is stereotypically more desired than other minority groups. Discussed in a relatively casual and easy manner, the book commits to its premise via Eli’s dual written personal interest articles, one of which explores Peter’s upbringing and history that led him to his current sheltered and awkward situation. I found Peter’s plight and worries so relatable and honestly presented, not to mention his complete ignorance of many facets of queer culture. On the other end of the pairing, the trans representation and unique concerns Eli experiences are also well-presented and great to see. Outside of its M/M pairing, the book also features good diversity including lesbian, non-binary, and racially diverse supporting characters, a hallmark strength of Deaver’s past books. While the Build-A-Boyfriend Project purposely keeps the tone light-hearted even when it tips its toes into more serious topics (Deaver graciously does not care about Eli’s transition in the past which too many trans-led media projects focus on), the intention is admirable and balanced very well.

Besides its solid representation, the Build-A-Boyfriend Project also works well thanks to Eli and Peter’s excellent chemistry, much of it surprisingly being platonic rather than romantic. Unconfident, awkward, self-deprecating, not to mention emotional and petty, Eli is introduced as a hot mess of a main character. Yet to Deaver’s credit, the story is somehow able to present Eli’s low bar of relationships and low confidence expertise as a benchmark for Peter to shoot for, coming from an even lower level. Although this is first and foremost a romance novel, Eli and Peter play off each other really well and watching them warm to each other from strangers to friends is honestly quite heartwarming and wholesome. As expected from most “coaching” stories, both Eli and Peter learn a lot from each other and almost makes you wish you had someone like them supporting you in your corner. I’d go as far as saying this book does the friends-to-lovers trope better than it does the fake dating trope, despite the latter being the clear focus and having a far more elaborate setup. The story is also very character-focused compared to the romance which is more of a slow-burn affair.

While the representation and chemistry between Eli and Peter are excellent, not every element of the Build-A-Boyfriend Project is quite as solid. Although it’s pitched and marketed as Deaver’s adult novel debut, it still often still reads like a YA novel due to the prose being very informal, simplistic, and almost Gen-Z in feel most noticeable within the first third of the book. The internalized thoughts, feelings and character logic also feel YA/New Adult despite both characters being close to 30.  However, most notable is the book’s 3rd act separation, conflict and resolution that left me wanting more. The plot twist and conflict itself I thought was cleverly done, a full circle moment to the book’s premise and Eli’s conflict of interest/hidden agenda. Their character growth, but more importantly their reconciliation felt quite underdeveloped and rushed for my liking, especially with the novel’s choice of using “we’ll see how it goes” and then doing a huge time jump, effectively skipping over much of the difficult narrative content. Additionally, Eli’s own character story as an aspiring journalist and writer gets a bit lost in the ending which focuses more on his relationship with Peter and Peter’s own professional development. For how much time the book spends on Eli’s writing career, it’s given surprisingly little resolution similar to whatever hurt and Peter experiences (that said, I really liked what Deaver did with Eli and his ex-fiancé Keith’s parting conversation). The ending isn’t bad per say and largely works for those that are looking for an easy read with a happily ever after, but I found it a bit of a letdown personally with a pretty lukewarm final impression.

Additionally, Eli occasionally is difficult to root for given his emotional volatility and immaturity. It’s clearly an intentional choice written for character growth potential, but nonetheless Eli can be trying until Peter is introduced who then carries most of the book on his broad shoulders (the other reviews I’ve seen for this book are not exaggerating when they say Peter is a delight and ray of sunshine). Meanwhile, Peter’s lack of social cues and innocence often verges on being ridiculously silly at times (unless he is meant to be neurodiverse, which I doubt is the case) and despite being conceptually and narratively strong, there’s a certain level of nuance and depth that I felt was a little lacking. Outside of Eli and Peter’s social outings, I also found the pacing to occasionally drag, most noticeably at the beginning and leading up to the 3rd act separation. As a general note, for those that prioritize spice, there is one notable sex scene but it’s relatively short and leaves more to the imagination vs what’s on paper. I got the impression from Eli’s occasional fantasizing that there would be a second and more intense scene later, but the adult content is very much a one and done deal. This is more of a character-driven story rather than a spicy romance read.

Sweet, wholesome, comforting and refreshingly breezy, the Build-A-Boyfriend Project is a great recommended read for those looking for much needed minority representation in queer romance literature or those tired of the traditionally bland fake dating stories. While its technical execution and conclusion leave a bit to be desired, neither are deal-breakers nor are likely to be big issue for casual and vibe kind of readers. This book gets all the necessary feel-good moments right and the movie references in every chapter name plus Deaver’s unique handling of familiar tropes give the book enough originality to stand out on its own. This was an easy and enjoyable book that was a cute and good time!