The Build-a-Boyfriend Project
A Novel
Published on 11. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-0-06-339430-8 (ISBN)
Description
Bestselling and award-winning author Mason Deaver's adult romance debut follows a journalist in a dead-end job who agrees to teach his disastrous blind date how to be a better boyfriend. Readers will delight in this sweet and steamy queer romance with trans representation!
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"I was swept up in Eli and Peter's endearing romance about how searching for love can lead to finding yourself. Funny, honest, and full of fake dating tropey goodness, Eli and his cinnamon roll hero are your next must-have book boyfriends. Put this rom-com to the top of your 2025 TBR pile!" - Samantha Young, New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series"Sweet and sexy, The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is a delightful romance about taking chances and embracing the unexpected. Disastrous first date to possible true love...what could be more delicious?" - Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date
"The Build-A-Boyfriend Project is an addicting story full of hard-hitting emotions, balanced perfectly by a whip-smart and hilarious voice. An adorable love interest will have you rooting for a well-earned happily-ever-after until the very end. The trans masculine representation was glorious, and it was so exciting to see Eli's experience as a trans man on the page. Mason bravely does not shy away from difficult topics, and it's validating and gratifying to see Eli's realistic struggles. Mason has knocked it out of the park with this heartwarming romance." - National Book Award-Winning Author, Kacen Callender
"From the frustration of feeling creatively stagnant to the anxiety of exploring romance and love for the first time as a queer adult, Deaver captures the awkwardness and vulnerability of your late twenties in a fake-dating romance that's full of charm, authenticity, and so much yearning. Eli and Peter's messy, tender love story speaks to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, capturing at once the heartbreak and joy of finding yourself and your people." - Emma R. Alban, USA Today Bestselling Author of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend
"The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is full of heart, full of charm, full of swoons and, most importantly, full of things to say about life, love, and becoming who we want to be. Mason Deaver has built a winner!" - Adib Khorram, USA Today Bestselling Author of I'll Have What He's Having
"Deaver's adult debut will win fans with Peter's awkwardness and quiet appeal...The romance is lighthearted without glossing over the societal challenges experienced by Peter and by Eli, who is a trans man." - Library Journal
"Deaver sticks the landing. This should earn Deaver a whole new set of fans." - Publishers Weekly
"Trans protagonist Eli and love interest Peter are fabulous characters who begin with fake-dating and segue into a wonderful, sweet (but also steamy) romance." - Booklist (starred review)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
289 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-339430-8 (9780063394308)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2025
HarperCollins
€2.99
Available for download
Person
Mason Deaver is the bestselling and award-winning author of young adult books like I Wish You All the Best, an NPR Concierge pick with a movie adaptation; and The Feeling of Falling in Love, which earned a starred review from BookPage. The Build-a-Boyfriend Project was their adult romance debut.
Born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, Mason now calls San Francisco home, with three feline roommates.
Born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, Mason now calls San Francisco home, with three feline roommates.