Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Bromance Book Club

I don’t typically like books that center a couple that’ve already been established, but this one was done so well. I loved how realistic the conflict was and even though I don’t like miscommunication, it seemed more realistic. The side characters also seemed fleshed out even though they didn’t have lots of page time. The only things I’ll say about this book that I didn’t like was the fact that the guys went to such great lengths to keep the book club and the fact that they were reading romance books a secret. These guys were in an excellent position to legitimize romance books amongst cisgendered men, yet they fell into the same trap that they were talking about in the book.

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courtnoodles's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sinilukee's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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alliemikennareads's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

I’m hit or miss on split perspective books but it worked well here.
I loved the positive masculinity and wholesomeness of the book club and their friendships.
The scene where the men talk about Pinterest had me ☠️.
While this is wholly predictable, it delivers what I want in a romance. I enjoyed it from start to finish and liked both characters and their growth overall.
This one is SPICY. 8/10 🍆 on my steam scale.
I didn’t love that there’s a character they just call “the Russian” for 90% of the book. Like, why was that needed. Just call him by his name.
TW: Drinking, depression

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folded_between_pages_of_books's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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aargot1's review

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5.0

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katsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

4.0

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

"Backstory is everything."

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to. I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a romance about a married couple but turns out, it's definitely for me. I liked how the book club allowed the book to make it's own commentary on itself without taking itself too seriously. I really liked the quote "Backstory is everything." I've recently started my journey with therapy and one of my goals is to unpack the things that make me who I am and how it affects how I show up in my relationships. While this was quite oversimplified in the book, getting to know each of the characters through that lens was really intriguing. I also really liked how both Thea and Gavin were not perfect. They definitely weren't realistically flawed, in my opinion, but their issues were a main focal point of the book which was really nice.

I think my only critique is the grand gesture at the end. In general, I'm not a fan of the grand gesture, especially in contemporaries. Sometimes, fantasies and sci-fi can get away with it because stakes tend to be a lot higher in those types of stories (like the main character is saving the world kind of stakes) so it's easier to believe that the grand gesture was necessary. When the gesture is grand just to prove a point or make a declaration, it feels cringy. Maybe I just struggle to express my emotions but having something so personal on display for lots of people feels dreadful. Maybe I should work through that bit in therapy. Otherwise, this was a really fun romance. I will definitely be picking up the other novels in this series.

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