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vj_thompson's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book wasn’t my favorite, and I’m nervous to continue this series. Liv’s character was SO frustrating. She wasn’t willing to let anyone in (which makes sense because of her background) but still. Brandon is the most loving and kind man and she didn’t hear him out during the third act break up. That, by the way, was dumb. Terrible. Such a stupid reason to break up with a man. I wouldn’t break up with a man because of that.
It was a frustrating read, but I would still recommend because the friendship the Bromance have with each other is touching and shows what support between men should look like. Hyping each other during a rough break up or hard time in a marriage. To be there and listen. That what I love about this series. Vlad, aka the Russian, is also too funny. He’s probably one of my favorite characters 💙
It was a frustrating read, but I would still recommend because the friendship the Bromance have with each other is touching and shows what support between men should look like. Hyping each other during a rough break up or hard time in a marriage. To be there and listen. That what I love about this series. Vlad, aka the Russian, is also too funny. He’s probably one of my favorite characters 💙
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Cursing
Moderate: Grief, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Murder, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
lsm's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This entire series is such a good time. It’s well written, has great character development, and lots of humor and heart. I’ve been listening to the audiobooks through the Libby app (my library) which I highly recommend. Im moving on to the third installment now. The high praise from critics is warranted. This is one of the best romance series I’ve read. If you’re at all interested in exploring the genre, this series would be a great place to start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: June 21st 2023
“Fear is a powerful motivator, but so is love.”
I loved the first Bromance Book Club book, and I decided to read the rest of the series while memories of the characters are still fresh. Add the fact that I really liked Braden Mack's character in the first book, and I've been looking forward to read Undercover Bromance. It's true that Liv wasn't my favorite character in the first book, and I'm still not that big of a fan of her in this sequel, but thanks to Mack and the rest of the characters I still had a brilliant time reading it. I didn't expect this story to be quite so serious, as it has a heavy focus on sexual assault and power imbalance at the workplace. I liked how the topic was incorporated into the plot though, and I was rooting for them as they try to bring the bastard down. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is probably because of Liv; her stubbornness and attitude made it very hard to like her character, and it took way too long for her character to fully redeem herself. I absolutely loved Mack's character though, as well as the rest of the book club members and the new characters incorporated. I literally flew through this story, and I already can't wait to read the next book and learn more about Alexis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Cursing, and Sexism
Minor: War, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
pettie's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse and Murder
emilyharmonica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
(TW: sexual assault, harassment)
Warning: long-winded rant ahead.
I didn’t love the first BBC book, but it was cute and I thought the series had some potential. After this book, though, I’m pretty much ready to give up on this author altogether.
On one hand, I’m like, “Em, this is just a romance novel, relax.” But regardless of format, it’s so important that issues like sexual assault and workplace harassment are represented responsibly. It pisses me off is that someone wrote this, some more people published this, and now they’re all profiting off what is ultimately an insult to survivors of assault and harassment.
I’m still fuming about the flippant, irresponsible treatment of sexual assault in this book. First off, these women weren’t just harassed (as it was constantly referred to); they were assaulted, bribed, coerced, and threatened. And then they were bullied by one of the most clueless and just plain mean protagonists I’ve ever read. Liv straight up yells at these assault survivors for “covering” for their abuser and even compares them—to their faces—to their abuser’s enablers. Sure, she gets told off a couple of times for her behavior, and she sort of apologizes to the people she yelled at, but then they apologize right back. As if keeping the full story of their abuse to themselves is as egregious a sin as battering someone for not disclosing the full extent of it. Like, Liv gets mad at people for “lying” to her, and it’s like… no shit. Why should they feel obligated to tell her anything, if the way she’s going to respond is by shouting at them and making it about herself?
Survivors don’t owe their story to anyone, especially not to someone they don’t know very well. For Liv to take these as personal insults is the height of entitlement and self-centeredness, and it’s unclear why these characters are so quick to forgive her. Yeah, I get that her whole deal is that she has “trust issues,” but does that absolve her of being an objectively horrible person? And, frankly, I don’t know what the author was getting at, writing a heroine who was so cruelly oblivious—was she trying to give the issue of sexual assault some nuance “from the other side,” as if another side even exists? Was she trying to explain away the perspective of people who have never lived that experience and why they might be frustrated with survivors who don’t come forward? Because that’s a perspective no one needs and no one asked for.
What’s more, this book seems like it’s trying to be feminist (or at least give the impression of being feminist), but it misses the mark in so many other ways aside from the egregious ones listed above. This is the epitome of white-woman feminism: not a BIPOC or LGBTQ+ person in sight, rampant aggressive heteronormativity (including a scene that was not only dubiously consensual but refused to acknowledge oral sex as “real” sex), and yet it’s oddly lukewarm in that way where it wants to make a statement but doesn’t want to offend anyone. (And don’t even get me started on the side romance between the stereotypical 70’s feminist farm owner and her conservative, liberal-hating Vietnam war vet farmhand—seriously, wtf?)
It was delusional at best and irresponsible at worst for this ragtag bunch of well-intentioned but idiotic characters to take on such a serious issue. More importantly, it was reprehensible that such atrocities were used as mere fodder for what is supposed to be a romantic comedy (that’s right—this isn’t a dark romance or romantic drama or even a bona fide romantic suspense novel, but a rom-com).
And if all that weren’t enough, the spice was terrible (“her bombs bursting in air”? really???), and there was no chemistry between the love interests (no, mutual hotness doesn’t count), and the romantic development was nonexistent, and I still have no earthly idea what Mack saw in Liv aside from the way her boobs looked in a T-shirt.
So yeah.
Tl;dr: This book sucks. There was nothing redeemable about it except maybe the audiobook narrator, who was okay.
Warning: long-winded rant ahead.
I didn’t love the first BBC book, but it was cute and I thought the series had some potential. After this book, though, I’m pretty much ready to give up on this author altogether.
On one hand, I’m like, “Em, this is just a romance novel, relax.” But regardless of format, it’s so important that issues like sexual assault and workplace harassment are represented responsibly. It pisses me off is that someone wrote this, some more people published this, and now they’re all profiting off what is ultimately an insult to survivors of assault and harassment.
I’m still fuming about the flippant, irresponsible treatment of sexual assault in this book. First off, these women weren’t just harassed (as it was constantly referred to); they were assaulted, bribed, coerced, and threatened. And then they were bullied by one of the most clueless and just plain mean protagonists I’ve ever read. Liv straight up yells at these assault survivors for “covering” for their abuser and even compares them—to their faces—to their abuser’s enablers. Sure, she gets told off a couple of times for her behavior, and she sort of apologizes to the people she yelled at, but then they apologize right back. As if keeping the full story of their abuse to themselves is as egregious a sin as battering someone for not disclosing the full extent of it. Like, Liv gets mad at people for “lying” to her, and it’s like… no shit. Why should they feel obligated to tell her anything, if the way she’s going to respond is by shouting at them and making it about herself?
Survivors don’t owe their story to anyone, especially not to someone they don’t know very well. For Liv to take these as personal insults is the height of entitlement and self-centeredness, and it’s unclear why these characters are so quick to forgive her. Yeah, I get that her whole deal is that she has “trust issues,” but does that absolve her of being an objectively horrible person? And, frankly, I don’t know what the author was getting at, writing a heroine who was so cruelly oblivious—was she trying to give the issue of sexual assault some nuance “from the other side,” as if another side even exists? Was she trying to explain away the perspective of people who have never lived that experience and why they might be frustrated with survivors who don’t come forward? Because that’s a perspective no one needs and no one asked for.
What’s more, this book seems like it’s trying to be feminist (or at least give the impression of being feminist), but it misses the mark in so many other ways aside from the egregious ones listed above. This is the epitome of white-woman feminism: not a BIPOC or LGBTQ+ person in sight, rampant aggressive heteronormativity (including a scene that was not only dubiously consensual but refused to acknowledge oral sex as “real” sex), and yet it’s oddly lukewarm in that way where it wants to make a statement but doesn’t want to offend anyone. (And don’t even get me started on the side romance between the stereotypical 70’s feminist farm owner and her conservative, liberal-hating Vietnam war vet farmhand—seriously, wtf?)
It was delusional at best and irresponsible at worst for this ragtag bunch of well-intentioned but idiotic characters to take on such a serious issue. More importantly, it was reprehensible that such atrocities were used as mere fodder for what is supposed to be a romantic comedy (that’s right—this isn’t a dark romance or romantic drama or even a bona fide romantic suspense novel, but a rom-com).
And if all that weren’t enough, the spice was terrible (“her bombs bursting in air”? really???), and there was no chemistry between the love interests (no, mutual hotness doesn’t count), and the romantic development was nonexistent, and I still have no earthly idea what Mack saw in Liv aside from the way her boobs looked in a T-shirt.
So yeah.
Tl;dr: This book sucks. There was nothing redeemable about it except maybe the audiobook narrator, who was okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Rape, Physical abuse, and Stalking
macykey's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love witty banter. I love sarcasm. I love Braden Fucking Mack. And I love enemies to lovers. This book also fixed my biggest issue about the first book by taking it more public instead of keeping it secret.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Murder
khaleesimod93's review
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is quickly becoming my favorite series. Men reading romance novels and getting all in their feelings! And it doesn't make any of them less of a man. I adore them all. Braden was my favorite in the first book, and getting his book right after, was perfection. While Liv was a complicated character, it was really hard for me to end up liking her. The way she treated Thea and Gavin in the first book, and the way she treated her friends in this book, made it hard. I understood where she was coming from, especially with how shitty her dad is, but victim shaming was completely disgusting and uncalled for. She could have truly destroyed Alexis and Jessica. And other victims. I'm so so glad Royce got what he deserved. Though, it's crappy SA charges weren't a part of it. But that's the justice system. And I'm glad Braden was able to become himself and realize he's not his father. And that Liv finally opened up and learned to trust. I'm looking forward to seeing whose next on the list!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexism
Minor: Domestic abuse
solasbuchladen's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence