The Borrow a Boyfriend Club

By: Page Powars

Narrated by: Christian Banas

A feel-good, coming-of-age rom-com from debut author Page Powars that follows a trans teen who joins a boyfriend borrowing service masquerading as an Italian Club to prove that he’s one of the guys, especially to its frustratingly handsome leader.

Noah Byrd is the perfect boy. At least, that’s what he needs to convince his new classmates of to prove his gender. His plan? Join the school’s illustrious (and secret) Borrow a Boyfriend Club, whose members rent themselves out for dates. Once he’s accepted among the bros, the “slip-ups” end.

But Noah’s interview is a flop. Desperate, he strikes a deal with the club’s prickly but attractive president, Asher. Noah will help them win an annual talent show—and in return, he’ll get a second shot to demonstrate his boyfriend skills in a series of tests that include romancing Asher himself.

If Noah can’t bring home the win, his best chance to prove that he’s man enough is gone. Yet even if he succeeds, he still loses . . . because the most important rule of the Borrow a Boyfriend Club is simple: no real boyfriends (or girlfriends) allowed.

And as long as the club remains standing as high as Asher’s man bun, Noah and Asher can never explore their growing feelings for one another.

©2023 Page Powars (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Christian Banas narrates this romantic comedy. Transgender Noah is navigating a new school and a legal name change. Hoping to present as masculine, Noah joins the secret Borrow a Boyfriend Club, through which students can rent a boy as a date.... Serious topics are handled fittingly: Asher speaks about a robbery near the school in low tones, and Noah's voice shakes as he deals with body dysmorphia. Noah's parents are effusive around his boisterous friends and reserved but supportive about his name change. Noah's confidence grows throughout this honest and upbeat production." (AudioFile)

“Charmingly chaotic and keenly observant, with real emotional depth. Page Powars’s debut is an absolute joyride.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Imogen, Obviously

“With so much wit and heart, Powars expertly explores just what it means to be a boy, a friend, and a boyfriend. The Borrow a Boyfriend Club had me laughing, clutching my chest, and rooting for Noah on every single page.” —Jason June, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Blue

"In vulnerable first-person prose, Powars renders Noah’s feelings about his gender identity alongside sweet messaging surrounding the power of friendship and connection." —Publishers Weekly

Cute story

I had an absolute blast listening to this book.
Originally I was enticed by a TikTok about the dedication at the beginning (Sk8 the Infinity). As the story played out early on, I was excited about the club giving me Ouran High School Host Club vibes. (Love the show).
This is definitely a book I’d recommend!

Charming, sweet, and absolutely hilarious

There is so much to love about this book! It centers on a young trans teen, Noah Byrd, as tries to prove to himself and everyone around him that he's really boy enough to be one of the guys. Trying to find the most masculine club to join, he accidentally stumbles across the school's Borrow a Boyfriend club, which rents out its male members to classmates needing a date. Noah strikes a deal with the handsome club leader, Asher, so he can join the club and prove himself, only to find himself falling in love.

There is something in this book for literally everyone. The romance between Noah and Asher is the perfect slow burn, building up from a mutual dislike to one of the realest and sweetest romances I've read in YA in a long time. Noah's personal journey to acceptance is touching and exactly the kind of story that trans teens around the nation need right now. And one of the best parts of this book is how insanely funny it is! I feel like rom-coms are sometimes unbalanced, feeling way more romantic than comedic, but this one had me laughing the whole way through. It captures both the sweetness of young love with the hilarious tomfoolery of awkward high school students.

This was such an amazing book, especially considering it's the author's debut. I read online that his next book, AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES, is coming out in early 2025 and I can't wait!!

Wholesome fun trans story!

This is the perfect cozy winter YA read. Well written, charming, and great rep. I especially appreciated seeing Noah’s struggle with his generally supportive but still hurtful parents. Usually I only see 100% supportive or fully transphobic parents in stories like these and the nuance was great.
The romance was cute too and while the premise might be over the top, the characters and relationships felt very realistic. Lovely read! Would recommend!

Trans positive, but poorly written book

This is a trans positive book. Too bad it was so...predictable, boring. So, Noah, a trans boy, needed to move to a new school to remove himself from the bullying at the previous school. The previous school, which was poorer, was less accepting. Now he's at a richer public school, which is more accepting. Notice the dichotomy here between poorer being 'less' in all things. At this rich school, Noah spends most of his time trying to fit in as a boy, instead of fitting in as Noah. Noah attempts to join the Football and Lamborghini Club, which is an underground business to sell themselves to the other kids as pretend boyfriend if someone needs on for a family function, a dance, etc. Noah spends all his time trying to join the club to prove to himself and others that he is truly a boy. Thus, Noah spends almost the entire book jumping through hoops to be accepted. This was tiresome - do they see me as a boy? Do I see me as a boy? Yes, probably all trans people do this at some point; I know I did and do. But to spend an entire book watching a kid flail around like that was just tiring. Luckily for Noah, things go remarkably well. In fact, the reader could guess at each outcome long before it happened. Noah's love interest is Asher, a very rich, very pretty, very popular, unloved boy. Noah spends half the book hating Asher and the other half loving him, depending on how Asher treated Noah. Very creepy behavior by both boys. Asher is controlling, passive-aggressive, and manipulates Noah because he can. Noah takes it because Asher holds all the strings to Noah's idea of becoming a true boy. The whole relationship was toxic. But by the end of the book, Asher suddenly turns into a good guy (I really doubt it), and Noah understands he was always a boy (more or less).