Vamsi Grussing’s Reviews > Father Material > Status Update

This book feels a bit bloated with unnecessary words, but the topic fits my situation perfectly since we want to foster a child. The author clearly wants to highlight the challenges in fostering a child, so I’m all ears. But I hope i can finish it before the return date. We might finally be getting a deep dive into Oliver’s character. I always thought of him as elitist.

As I started thinking if the title refers to being a “father material” for the adopted puppy, the human kids’ plot unfolded. Turns out, the plot of adopting a puppy is more challenging than fostering a child. Oliver casually mentions that raising a puppy prepared them for a child, but he planned it all one-sided. It felt a bit manipulative. May be that’s the way to deal with a character like Luke.

This author’s humor suits me really well. Luke’s character is annoying yet endearing, as I always thought throughout the three books. That hasn’t changed. I hope they make a good TV series based on these books, although that’s highly unlikely. The situations are impractical and silly, like Luke and Bridget ending up on a bridge and her going into labor. But the author’s hilarious writing makes up for it.

Luke remains noncommittal and selfish, while Oliver remains calm. I enjoy the book, especially the line, “And after deftly separating the infant from the implement…” It’s the first book I’ve read that humorously acknowledges the collective loss of our youth to the pandemic. However, I’m still not ready to relive those years. But glad to be back in the London Calling series.