Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Bromance Book Club

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

7 reviews

yvo_about_books's review

4.5

Finished reading: June 5th 2023

“That’s why fiction resonates with people. It speaks to universal truths.”

This series has been recommended to me multiple times since it was published four years ago, and I've been meaning to finally pick it up for ages now. I actually added it to my list of series I wanted to catch up with in 2023, and after a fantastic start with The Bromance Book Club I have no doubt that I actually will this time. Oh yes, this first book and me got along splendidly! I was warned about the female main character before I started, but thankfully I wasn't too bothered by Thea herself. I did find her sister Liv to be extremely frustrating, but that was probably the only minor blip in this story for me. It was so easy to warm up to Gavin and the rest of his friends, and I loved the twins from the start. As a result, I found myself rooting for Gavin from the very beginning... The bromance book club element was brilliant, and I liked how the Courting The Countess chapters were incorporated into the plot. Thea's behavior could get a little annoying, but then again it is understandable if you keep in mind her past... The smut was a bit too much for me, but somehow I didn't mind those scenes that much as the main focus of the story was on Gavin and Thea rebuilding their relationship. I can't wait to read the next book!

Content Warnings

drraytay's review against another edition

Go to review page

I think I would’ve loved this book if I was 21 but at 31 this was a nightmare. Way too much emotional manipulation painted as romance and chivalry.

Content Warnings

jackiie's review

Go to review page

slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

I can’t think of one person that I liked in that book. The two main characters and especially Thea‘s sister Liv drove me insane with their behaviour. Instead of the book club (as a concept a nice idea but not in this book) Gavin and Thea should have gone to a therapy to help with their marriage.

I don’t even know how I managed to finish this book. Almost every page I read made me so annoyed and the amount of times I rolled my eyes. It’s not often that I don’t hope for a Happy End but I was hoping that this two would just get divorced by the end of the book.

Content Warnings

kingrosereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A second-chance contemporary romance between a late 20-something married couple.

This book is about a man, Gavin, he’s a MLB player and he’s married to Thea, the mother of their twin 3 (or 4)-year-old daughters. After 3 years of marriage, Gavin finds out that Thea has been faking their orgasms since they married. Gavin’s reaction to this discovery is to move into the guest room and give her the silent treatment for a month. Then Thea kicks him out and he leaves. Enter the comedic relief. Gavin’s friends come to the rescue with their all guys romance book club. The club that helps the alpha men of Nashville figure out their women. Gavin uses what he learns from his friends and romance novel to help win his wife back.

The concept of guys reading romance books to better articulate their feelings and understanding their partner’s motives and emotions sounds like a great foundation for a romcom, but this unfortunately fell flat.

I’m hard pressed to call this a “romance”. Sure there’s a couple, they have sex 70% of the way through, there’s a last minute conflict, there’s a grand gesture and a HEA but geez it was anxiety inducing. The realism was stressing me tf out. It’s about two very immature people who got married too quickly and for all the wrong reasons. Gavin, fearing he’d never find a woman like Thea, uses their unplanned pregnancy to lock her down in a marriage. And Thea who clearly has issues with marriage pretends everything is fine and is upset that Gavin isn’t a mind reader. The first time Gavin leaves when Thea tells him to, I can forgive Gavin, and it was childish for Thea to “test” him like that when she’s never been open and honest about her past. But it was clear that leaving was a trigger for her, so every time that Gavin would wordlessly leave after an argument to process his feelings, it would piss me off. Like reassure your partner you just going to calm down and you’ll return.

Thea blames Gavin for putting her dreams on pause to raise their children and being a good baseball wife. No where in this book did it mention Gavin forced Thea to drop out and keep her from going back to school. He makes a SHIT TON of money, they have more than enough resources that could’ve helped Thea get her degree at any time. And I get parenting is hard and is a lot, but the girls are gone all day at preschool and have dance lessons a few times a week. If you’re not comfortable with a nanny, then hire someone to do the housework? You have the money for it! Like I hate when rich people do this shit.

For 3 years, Thea has kept back her past trauma of her father constantly cheating and leaving and her mother taking him back. She’s also pretended life as a baseball wife was fulfilling and that the other spouses weren’t treating her like crap. How is Gavin supposed to know any of this?

The weaponized incompetence was sending me through the roof. Gavin doesn’t know where the towels are kept in the house they’ve lived in for 3 years?! And he does all these very superficial things that are supposed to magically fix their relationship? NO. This book should’ve ended with them starting couples therapy. Because all their problems weren’t magically fixed.

From context the kids are supposed to be 3, but they act and talk more like 4-6 year olds. Which is a HUGE pet peeve for me in books. Mostly, I would’ve respected the book more if these were just two college kids that fell madly in love over a few months and got married and either didn’t have kids yet or had kids after they were married. Using an unplanned pregnancy as a reason to get married is such a stressor and problematic situation.

And the book points out the misogyny, heteronormative expectations, and gendered roles but does nothing to challenge these things? And Thea is such a “pick me girl” and “I’m not like other women cause I wear converses and band t shirts”. She thinks she’s better than the other spouses because she assumes she’s the only one with dreams and ambitions.

It’s a cold day in hell when I sympathize with an incompetent “alpha” dude. Don’t get me wrong, Gavin and Thea are both equally at fault for their relationship’s downfall, but dammit! It gets stars for being real in that sense. I didn’t like the realism, but the realism is done well and is realistic for a heteronormative couple. The problems with marriage and kids too quickly is a problem many people face. Do I want it in my romance novels? No. But I digress. It was also a little funny. The book club guys had their moments (the the fart jokes were excessive). Only a few grammatical errors.

Content Warnings

aishablue's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.75

Content Warnings

belle2008's review

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Content Warnings

emfass's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Things I liked:

•My first foray into the marriage-in-trouble trope, and I definitely want to read some others.

•A book club! For men! To read romance novels! And talk! About their feelings and vulnerabilities!! HOW DO WE MAKE THIS TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

•When Gavin and Thea were tender with each other, or had each other's backs...I really like these two and was rooting for them.

Things I didn't like: (mild spoilers)

•I cannot stand it when so many things could be solved if the characters would just talk to each other. I get that this can accurately reflect real life relationships, and also serves in creating the conflict, but it is SUCH a pet peeve and I get so frustrated. ESPECIALLY since they realize it during their breaking point. But do they actually work on getting better at communicating? No, or if they do, it's happening off screen (which I don't think it is, and also, what's the freaking point of that).

•The whole "backstory" concept as it related to her parents/childhood/baggage kinda came out of nowhere, at least as the path to a solution to their issues? As a child of divorce I felt the truth of this very deeply, but didn't actually feel like it worked its way into the consciousness of the characters in ways that they could then realistically resolve the issues in their marriage in just a few short weeks. Basically I'm saying, can we PLEASE get these people some therapy??

•Gavin turns to the Bromance Book Club and romance novels for help--which, yay--but NOT ONCE did he actually ask Thea what she needed from him in order to make things work. Or we got one small moment of him asking how he should touch her in bed. If this is the crux of the issue, then THEY SHOULD BE WORKING ON COMMUNICATING IN BED. Instead of just going at it and hoping for the best. Which, it's a romance novel, so of course it works out, but GAH. I'm glad he learned how to be vulnerable and share his feelings. I just really, really wish he--both of them, I guess--had done more reaching out to each other to figure out what the other needed in order to feel safe and rebuild trust. But nope, guess we'll just rely on this random-ass grand gesture at the end and everything will be hunky-dory.

Content Warnings

More...