For What It's Worth


Thursday, November 7, 2019

Review: The Bromance Bookclub (bromance Book Club #1) by lyssa Kay Adams


The first rule of book club:

You don't talk about book club.


Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review:

I adored this book SO much! It had all the humor, friendships, romance and showed the work to the couple’s HEA.

We start from Gavin’s POV, where he’s shaken to his core to find out his wife has been faking the Big O for their entire marriage. he does not handle it well and his wife, Thea ask for a divorce.

As Nashville Legends second baseman, he’s put his all into the game but thought he had a solid marriage. He’s stunned by Thea’s revelation but is sure he can get her back but of course goes abut it all wrong and pushes her further away.

His teammates see him fumbling along and bring him into their secret club where they read romance novels to learn what the women in their lives want, need and use them to help communicate better.

Oh man, did I love Gavin’s friends and their willingness to help him but also to see things from Thea’s pov. The romance book club could have been used as a gimmick – and it does make for a lot of laughs – but it never stoops to making fun of the genre or it’s readers. This aspect was so brilliantly done that I hope it somehow sweeps the nation and becomes a thing in marriage counseling/communication. Not to mention how well it tackles misogyny and toxic masculinity without missing a beat or getting preachy.

The club chooses a Regency title called, Courting the Countess, for Gavin and excerpts from this story alternated between Gavin and Thea’s chapters – giving a blueprint for how things went wrong and how they could move forward.

Gavin is so clearly a good guy and husband who still adores his wife. If I had a nitpick it would be with this. He’s so awesome (and introduced to the reader first) that Thea comes off as too harsh. But once you get to know her better, she’s someone I think we can all relate to. They married quickly after her pregnancy and she was swept up into Gavin’s lifestyle and being a mom that she lost most of what made her Thea.

She grudgingly let’s Gavin move back in but only to prove that it’s over and they agree to date rather than jump all in. It was really sweet seeing them fall back in love and really listen to each other – not just play the blame game. They both needed to make changes and do the work.

It’s interesting how both Thea and Gavin’s parents marriages had an impact on them in totally different ways. Gavin’s parents marriage seemed perfect to him so he felt like a failure by having any problems while Thea came from a broken home and didn’t trust people to stick around when it got tough. Thea’s sister was aggressively against Thea and Gavin's reconciliation and really pissed me off at times. I thought she overstepped but a) I got it. She has baggage too and was just being overprotective and b) Thea didn’t stand for it. She made her own choices. I ended up having compassion for her sister and hope she gets a book! There was a hint of who her love interest would be and boy will that be a doozy! lol But girrrrrrlllll BACK OFF! lol

This is one of the few romance novels I’ve read that showed a truly messy marriage with bad sex *gasp* so that couldn’t be used as a crutch or easy way out to solve things.

This is being marketed as a rom-com and there are LOTS of laughs! but this one hit me in the feels a lot and felt much more emotional than I was expecting.

The Bromance Book Club was funny, with relatable problems and solutions using a a very clever take on the romance genre and tropes.

So maybe – rom-com with a gut punch?

26 comments:

  1. Lol this looks awesome. It definitely looks like a book I need to read and take a break from the heavy thrillers and horror books I've been reading.

    Ash @ JennReneeRead

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    1. this is definitely a lighter read even with the serious aspects.

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  2. I love a book that can make me laugh.

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  3. I want a laughing book! Dang it has been ages

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    1. I think you might be annoyed with Thea. But you'd love the guys.

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  4. "rom-com with a gut punch?" I like that description. :)

    This definitely sounds fun, and I like the premise a lot.

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  5. I agree with you. It had many, many humorous moments, especially where the Bromance was concerned, but there were some painful and heart wrenching moments as well. Like you said, it shows a couple working to save their marriage, and like you, I adored this book

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    1. I've been having mixed luck with this new crop of romances so I'm happy I loved this one so much.

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  6. LOL I love that reference to Fight Club despite never watching it. I'm super happy to hear The Bromance Book Club tackles marriage counseling and communication well while being humorous! When I first heard about the book and read the synopsis it sounded like the book would be fun, but it could also go horribly wrong and I was kind of hesitant to look further into it for that reason alone.

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    1. I had requested it so long ago that when it was time to actually read it I was afraid lol

      i was really afraid it was going to make fun of the genre or make the guys treat the genre weird but it was done so well!

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  7. Imagine guys reading romance and sitting around and sharing stories and working on their self improvement. I honestly can't imagine it but it makes for a hilarious read! I love this, from the premise, to the awkwardness to tackling toxic masculinity. Totally my cup of tea. Absolutely loved your review Karen, I'm sold!

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    1. They totally should!!! This idea that romance is unrealistic or gives women the wrong idea is irritating. As opposed to what? Porn??

      I mean - if more guys would read romance I think it could help navigate some of the ways we communicate differently.

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  8. So, we’ve already chatted on Twitter about my issues with Thea. LOL But I think you make a good point. Gavin was so crushed in the beginning chapters, and obviously a sweetheart of a guy who loved his wife, that it made Thea unsympathetic in comparison. You really nailed my issue right there. But I adored Gavin and his friends and they all totally made this one for me. :)

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    1. Yeah - I really think that was a miscalculation there. You don't ever get to SEE Thea neglected or struggling. And you know how much he adores her so it's difficult to see why she's so set on a the finality of a divorce.

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  9. So much coverage for this book at the moment and I both really want to read it and don't want to read it. I think I'll snap at some point and give it a try... I like your description as a rom-com with a gut-punch.

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    1. People are really divided on the heroine and her sister so I recommend it - with reservations lol

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  10. As you well know, this is one of my anticipated reads this month. I'm in the waiting list at the library but it would probably take forever and a day before I can pick it up. Sigh.

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  11. Great review for a book I've absolutely adored. I actually dithered if I was even going to read it before it was released but as soon as I saw it was a second chance romance between a husband and wife then I just knew I needed to read. Gavin was such a sweetheart and I loved seeing him grow and realise the mistakes that he made in his relationship and work to be better. But his time with his twins just melted my heart, it really did.

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    1. I very reluctantly read it only because I had requested it months earlier and had to.

      I was so pleasantly surprised!

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  12. I just adore the premise of this one! I'm glad to hear you really loved it. It's on my wish list!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. A few people didn't like the heroine or her sister but I felt like I understood where they were coming from even if I didn't like it.

      it's a REALLY fun premise!

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  13. I think it definitely is interesting that their parents marriages had some influences on them, but it is something that we see happening time and time again in real life too as much as we try and fight against that. This one is waiting for me on my kindle and I cannot wait to dive into it.

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  14. Yes! HEA's take WORK! I'm so happy it was evident in this one. I'm also happy the book club is humorous without being insulting, and I'm here for the laughs! I've been looking for happy-making books these days. I know you recommended this one weeks ago, and I think you're totally right. <3

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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