Boy Friends

by Kai Spellmeier

A cosy, contemporary queer romance perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Rainbow Rowell.

Luca has secretly been in love with his best friend Simo for as long as he can remember. But when an anonymous message on the town noticeboard announces that SIMO AND LUCA ARE IN LOVE, the two boys are forced to confront their true feelings for one another.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Queer, Romance, LGBT, Gay, M M Romance

Paperback

Expected publication May 21, 2026

About the author

Kai Spellmeier studied Literature in Berlin and Edinburgh. He writes unapologetically queer books.

Reviews

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

you’ll love this book if you like:
- sorrowful poets with good hair
- book-shopping as a form of therapy
- Gilmore Girls
- chocolate chip muffins
- boys helplessly in love
- complex family dynamics

you’ll hate this book if you dislike:
- dogs
- the sea
- slow burn romance
- Cate Blanchett or Josh O'Connor

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you've been using Goodreads for a while, like I have, and reading YA stories, then you’ve probably come across one (or many) of Kai Spellmeier’s reviews. I know I did when I first started using the platform. I devoured his reviews and ended up adding so many of the books he’d read to my TBR—everything from Adam Silvera, Adib Khorram, and Shaun David Hutchinson to Zack Smedley and William Hussey. So when I saw that Kai had written his own book, Boy Friends, I was eager to read it.

I’ll admit, it took me a little while to get into the story. The ARC formatting didn’t work in my favor (those double sentences kept popping up), and the lack of a tense shift during the first flashbacks threw me off a bit. But the more I read, the more I got invested in Luca and Simo’s story. It’s clear that Kai is an avid reader, and it has the feels of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Heartstopper. The bones of Boy Friends are strong: there’s a wonderful relationship between Luca and his very young gay dad, Luca's secret love for Simo, the strained relationship between Simo and his parents, Simo grieving his older brother without talking about it, and the secret message on the notice board.

I did wish for a bit more consistency in some places (Luca never questioned why his dad took his mum’s last name, even though they never married?) and wanted to connect a little more with the side characters (where did Miss M. go for a long time??). I also would have loved spending a bit more time with the boys in certain scenes, rather than cutting them off so quickly. Even though the writing is really beautiful, the cut off scenes made the story sometimes a bit too fragmented for me.

Overall, though, Boy Friends is an adorable and wholesome story, and I loved Kai’s beautiful descriptions of that small coastal town. Those last chapters made me blink and blink until I couldn’t stop the tears. And that ending… I can’t wait to read the second book of this duology that comes out in 2027!

Actual rating somewhere between 3.5 and four stars, but of course rounded up to four.

Thank you Bloomsbury UK and NetGalley, for this great ARC.

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[emily]

close enough, welcome back simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda

[Luce · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love Heartstopper… *gestures vaguely*

The romance was a bit meh for me to be honest. I actually enjoyed Luca and Simo’s separate storylines more but it was a super easy read overall.

Luca’s father was my favourite character and I aim to achieve as much sass as that man has in my own life.

The ending had a slight cliffhanger… not sure if that means a book 2 or?

I received an advanced copy for free through the publisher (Bloomsbury) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Drakoulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

There was no doubt that a book written by Kai would be soulful, cozy and full of beautiful scenes!

Luca and Simo's story has a Heartstopper and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda vibe - boys having their first crush, coming to terms with themselves and navigating their fears, their friendship and the curveballs of teenage life while struggling with their feelings.

The small town setting is wonderfully done, it feels like a gateway to the past sometimes, with the "everyone knows everyone" Lombard society, the small island where the boys escape to be with their thoughts, the one cafe and one restaurant in the whole town.

Complicated families is another theme, with one twist after the other. I particularly loved Luca's interactions with his father, they are very honest and hilarious.

It's a book full of heart with a dual POV of two boys who hopelessly love each other and you can see it in every interaction!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC!

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars
Boy Friends is a beautiful story about two boys as they figure out how to go from friends to boyfriends.

At it’s heart, this is a small town romance that focuses on love yet it is unafraid to delve into deeper topics such as grief, sexuality, and complicated family struggles.

Kai Spellmeier has wonderful prose which is especially shown in his delightful descriptions of the small town our story is set in, and more importantly shown in his writings on love. He describes love in many different ways, from the experiences of queer love, to the love of a parent to a child, and even the love we’re too scared to admit we harbour.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did!! However, as I began to read through the book, I became enraptured by this story, and truly didn't want to put it down. The main characters were so lovable, and incredibly relatable. They were written very well, and fully fleshed out.

I really enjoyed how Spellmeier explored grief, especially through a younger person’s lens. I haven’t read many novels that explore grief in this way so it felt very refreshing! Truthfully, I didn’t expect this book to make me cry but it did and honestly? Not mad at it all.

Additionally, there was a strained family dynamic for both Luca and Simo which we get to explore in different ways. Luca's family dynamic in particular was especially fleshed out in a way that really hooked me into the story. I don’t want to say too much about this particular theme as I truly don’t want to spoil anything but I felt it was very well done.

The romantic elements were really strong as well! I thought the love that grew between the two characters was so cute and really adorable. The further I got through this book, the more the smile grew on my face!!

Overall, this novel was such a fantastic read! It was unapologetically YA, unapologetically queer and 100% a story that deserves all the praise!! The characters, setting and important themes paired with the author's prose made for an excellent read! I truly believe that this book is perfect for anyone of all ages and I can’t wait for more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK for this ARC.

[Conwenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

THATS ENDING?!?! HELLO?!?!!?

[Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to be honest. Kai is my friend. So, I was planning on writing a great review either way because.. that’s what friends do. I had no clue if the book will be any good and I was kinda scared of figuring out what to say if I didn’t like it or thought it was just mediocre.

So, I’m quite frankly shocked I inhaled it in almost one sitting. I had no idea I was even able to do that anymore, being a mom to a baby.

I think what I love most about this book, is that it was… easy. It doesn’t weigh on you, maybe the opposite. I think it feeds you, in a way. Books sometimes try too hard to make you go somewhere, feel whatever it is they want you to experience. This book had this quiet quality that allowed you to exist alongside it. You feel for the characters, but they don’t try to push you out of yourself.

It was warm and comforting, honest, and idunno, just full of love. It spilled out of it, waves and waves of emotion. And I’m not just talking about romantic love, but love in general. For books, for the value of history, for the meaning of family, for the strength and complexities of a community. For love, love for love. Maybe respect for it, too.

It wasn’t without its flaws, the book. But it didn’t matter much, even while I was seeing them.

I’m not one for straightforward reviews so that’s what you’re gonna get from me:

I, as honestly as I can, am giving this beautiful bool 5 fluffy stars.

[sonjas27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sweet, wonderful, and an amazing spring/summer read, which is why its release date is perfect :). The vibes were Gilmore Girls meets Heartstopper, and, honestly, what more could you ask for? I immediately fell in love with Simo and Luca and their beautiful friendship and budding romance, since I've always been down bad for a well-executed friends-to-lovers trope and this book did it perfectly. Kai Spellmeier's writing is incredibly atmospheric and has gorgeous descriptions that truly transport you into the town of the book. I was so shocked by the epilogue ending until I read some other reviews and realised it's supposed to be the first book in a duology, so I absolutely can't wait until the next one comes out!! This is a perfect comfort read to devour while lying on a picnic blanket in a park or on a beach during a sunny day :).

[Laura Marita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I have alot to say about this book, it being my 1st ARC copy and all.

It might've taken me a few weeks to read but I've enjoyed every page. The slow burn of the MMCs is well written and the way they are fighting feelings that they each hold is fun. I liked how it was nearer the end of the book the boys relationship starts to change and with a few snags thrown in the path they still find eachother. I would love to see more about Lucas parents as its clear they are definitely hiding things, but from what I can guess only for love.

Luca and Simo are cute characters and different in many ways and the added side characters including Lucas dad being so supportive when they can't admit it to eachother. I found myself wanting to read more.

This is the 1st book I've read by this author and I can confirm I'll be reading more, the chapters were nicely laid out and short enough for my dyslexic brain to stay focused.

Though I have to say the cliff hanger ending is CRIMINAL!

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first: thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury UK for the ARC of Boy Friends. I’m genuinely so grateful I got to read this early, because this book stayed with me in a way YA rarely does anymore.

If you’ve been on Goodreads long enough — like I have — you probably already knew Kai Spellmeier before you knew Boy Friends. His reviews were everywhere when I first started seriously reading YA, and I trusted his taste completely. My TBR owes him a personal debt thanks to authors like Adam Silvera. So when I found out he’d written his own book, this was an instant yes.

You’ll love this book if you enjoy sorrowful poets with good hair, book-shopping as a form of therapy, Gilmore Girls energy, chocolate chip muffins, boys helplessly in love, and complex, slightly messy family dynamics. You’ll hate it if you dislike dogs, the sea, slow-burn romance, or Cate Blanchett or Josh O’Connor — which, frankly, would be alarming.

I’ll be honest: it did take me a little while to fully settle into the story. The ARC formatting didn’t do it many favours, and the early flashbacks threw me slightly. But once I found my footing — once I really met Luca and Simo — I was completely invested.

The bones of this story are incredibly strong. Luca’s relationship with his young, gay dad is tender and refreshing. Luca’s quiet, aching love for Simo feels painfully real. Simo’s strained relationship with his parents, his unspoken grief over his older brother, and the weight of everything he doesn’t say are all handled with so much care. The secret message board is such a simple idea, but it adds an emotional pull that really works.

This is a book that lets feelings breathe. It allows longing to sit in the silence. It allows grief to exist without being rushed or neatly tied up. The small coastal town is described so beautifully that you can almost smell the sea air, and Kai’s love of books is woven into every page. There are echoes of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Heartstopper, but Boy Friends has its own voice — quieter, sadder, and more poetic.

I did wish for a little more consistency in places and more time with some of the side characters, and there were moments I wanted to stay in scenes longer instead of being pulled away. Occasionally, the story felt slightly fragmented. That said, these are small things in a book that is clearly written with so much heart.

The final chapters absolutely wrecked me. Proper blinking-back-tears, sit-in-silence-afterwards kind of wrecked. And that ending? I already know I’ll be counting down the days until book two, even if 2027 feels cruelly far away.

Boy Friends is a gentle, emotional, beautifully written small-town romance that doesn’t shy away from grief, trauma, or complicated love. It’s soft without being weak, sad without being hopeless, and romantic in a way that feels earned.

Five stars, without hesitation.

[Thebookwitches_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boyfriends by @kaispellmeier

3.75/5 stars 🌟

This book was an amazing little read and was definitely an easy reader! I really enjoyed the storyline and the relationship between our main characters Luca and Simo.

We really got an in depth look into their family dynamics and more which really helped build out their personalities and reasons for how they grew up.

The concept of a small village/island off the beach was fantastic for the storyline as it made the close knit gossipers feel realistic as a small town would know everyone and talk and spread rumours.

Here we have Luca an openly gay man who fancies his best friend Simo but has never openly confessed incase it was to damage their best friend relationship, but even tho they’re best friends they don’t seem to talk about things as normal best friends would for example relationships and sexuality.

His father Maz is also an openly gay man /‘d very accepting and open in his parenting techniques and his mother poppy isn’t really in the picture as much as she’s following dreams of helping animals far off.

Simo’s relationship with his parents is awkward and very distinct due to death in the family. Simo also has some mixed feelings in regard to Luca but this is explained nicely in the book.

We have an unexpected family appearance for Luca, lots of poking into Luca and Simo’s relationship by the town and friends and honestly so much more happens so you’re just gonna have to buy the book when it comes out on May 21st 2026!

Thanks @bloomsburypublishing and @kaispellmeier again and hope you enjoy the book x

[Ditta Reads (Ditalion) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adored the book!

In Boy Friends, Kay Spellmeier artfully maintains a sense of coziness for the reader while at the same time compellingly writing about the difficult and layered feelings experienced by Luca and Simo.

With a delightful small-coastal-town backdrop featuring a crowd that is just the right amount of nosy - in an interested-in-your-personal-business-especially-if-it-involves-romance kind of way, it is the perfect setting for this story.

Both Luca and Simo’s voices ring true. As a reader, I couldn’t help but fall for both of them. The writing is super atmospheric - but the best part about the writing was how I could sense the reassurance and love behind the writing and behind the story. Kay Spellmeier has done an amazing job in this!

Overall, recommended!
4.5 / 5 stars.



And on a different note,
O my goodness that ending though — !!!
When I started reading this book, I hadn’t expected that there would be a cliffhanger on the last page.
Can only hope this means we haven’t heard the end of Luca and Simo’s stories yet ;).



Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury UK for providing me with the ARC ♥.

[Louise Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to start by saying that I am absolutely livid that I’m going to have to wait so long for a sequel to THAT cliffhanger as this book doesn’t officially publish until May!

This book was so good I have finally been compelled to create a good reads account. Boyfriends was sweet, charming, witty and unexpectedly complex in the themes it tackled, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a day and a half!

The writing was beautifully poetic without being inaccessible and dealt with some difficult subject matter with nuance and grace, keeping this book firmly suitable for a YA audience.

As an adult reader I enjoyed every moment of cosy comfort, falling in love with the whole cast of characters and the seaside town of Lombard. What started off as a simple and sweet friends to lovers romance kept me on my toes throughout with further revelations about the two boys and the residents of the town, I actually gasped at several plot points I never saw coming.

I am only disappointed to have finished this book so quickly and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I hope this book gets all the praise and attention it deserves, it is absolutely beautiful.

[Misty Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK...
I am probably not the 'target audience;' for this, being some decades past Young Adult, but I came to love this and was almost sorry to binge read the last quarter of the story as I wanted MORE...!

The characters are engaging and believable, though could have done with a little more filling out. I also read the first quarter or so assuming the setting was somewhere in the USA - maybe California - but it then became fairly clear that it is England. I really needed an actual location - I found myself trying to fit 'Lombard' to somewhere I know. It would fit several places in Cornwall or, had it not been made reasonably clear that it is England, could have fitted Tenby in south Wales.

This should appeal to its intended audience, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, or 'questioning'

[aroareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of Boy Friends in exchange for a review.

I really really enjoyes this book, if you are a fan of gilmore girls you will probably love this book.

The friends to lovers trope was done beautifully and the characters were so nice to follow. Both had complex relationships with their families and the themes touched (like grief) werr handled really well.
I do wish we would have seen characters have a bigger support system or spend more time with the side characters since it seemed like they just came out of nowhere at some points. I
Since this is going to be a duology i’m sure that will be explored on the second book that I am super excited to read.

All in all this is a super cozy read and a very nice book for younger people !! The romance was very cute :)

[Mani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyfriends. A small town romance that doesn’t shy away from difficult themes and addresses trauma in poetic and beautiful way. Kai Spellmeier has created an enchanting tale of two best friends and every word weaves a new thread into the tapestry of their love.

I don’t wanna reveal too much but I do hope that Kai Spellmeier releases a sequel. Luca and Simo’s, and all the other characters’ stories are definitely not finished, especially considering the cliffhanger on the last page :).

5/5 stars

[Rebecca Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a lovely book to read, the subject matter is handled sensitively, whether that be childhood trauma, hidden family, sexuality, all of it is written about with such care.

The story is told from two points of view and this allows for a steady reading pace that lets you learn more about the characters and what makes them tick.

Ultimately its a love story that touches on fear, courage, trust, betrayal and the ending made me very happy but it then smacks you with a cliffhanger that means there is another book to come which i am thrilled about.

[KC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book or connect with the premise. It seemed sweet and had an interesting premise it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Bethany Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC from Net Galley✨

Truly beautifully written novel about two MMCs figuring out the next stages of their relationship. I adored the exploration of different family dynamics and the small town environment. The ending was also such a cliffhanger! Thoroughly enjoyed☺️

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Kai never disappoints! I hugely enjoyed Boy Friends - such a cosy, thoughtful and life-affirming story, beautifully written. Already looking forward to the sequel!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute YA romance. Perfect for heartstopper fans.