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a_ab 's review for:
Crazy Stupid Bromance
by Lyssa Kay Adams
2.2* (better than the first and second books, but not by much)
This is probably the best book in the series so far, but it suffers from the same pitfalls of the previous ones: blatant wish-fulfillment, unrealistic dialogues, too much gratuitous detailed sex on page (I had to skip over 3 full chapters, and it felt like more - it was never ending!), over-dramatized conflict that's a none-issue really, tropes and cliches, formulaic plot, etc. These books are far from perfect, but they are entertaining and funny, and this one succeeded in making me laugh, which is rare enough for me, so I really appreciate it.
One thing that annoyed me the whole time, however, was how misunderstood the cat was - and nobody called it out! - the gestures of the cat which were a cause for fear or drama are actually not just normal, but usually a sign of catty appreciation and friendliness. If your friend of 18 months has a favorite pet, and you like spending time with that friend to the point of considering yourself in love with her and wanting to be together forever, shouldn't you learn about the pet's needs and behaviors, too? This continuous misunderstanding felt like willful stubborn ignorance and made me mistrust the hero and the truth of his professed feelings, which in turn brought the whole story down.
I was also sad to see that even the book that calls out toxic masculinity, clearly and on page, did not show meaningful and realistic ways of moving past it and getting over it. But that bit actually is realistic - even people who recognize the problem and its causes often fail to see and deal with all the manifestations of it - that's how pervasive and insidious the effects of this problem are!
My main problem, however, was that I felt that the book focused on all the wrong things and wasted the potential its premise gave it: We don't see how the MCs' friendship started and grew, or what made that friendship precious and special. And then the MCs worry about the stupid standard "ruining of their friendship", instead of properly considering each other's needs and worrying about how a new relationship might fit into them. The emotional underpinnings or even just simple mechanics of trying to build a healthy relationship after recovering from an abusive one are never properly addressed. Instead, it seemed, we get lots of sex as a sufficient substitute for emotional depth and relationship work... - that sort of invalidated the bromance book club's philosophy for me. And the list keeps going.
So once again, not a bad idea, but very sadly lacking execution. I so much wish for this idea to be picked up and explored by a more capable author...
This is probably the best book in the series so far, but it suffers from the same pitfalls of the previous ones: blatant wish-fulfillment, unrealistic dialogues, too much gratuitous detailed sex on page (I had to skip over 3 full chapters, and it felt like more - it was never ending!), over-dramatized conflict that's a none-issue really, tropes and cliches, formulaic plot, etc. These books are far from perfect, but they are entertaining and funny, and this one succeeded in making me laugh, which is rare enough for me, so I really appreciate it.
One thing that annoyed me the whole time, however, was how misunderstood the cat was - and nobody called it out! - the gestures of the cat which were a cause for fear or drama are actually not just normal, but usually a sign of catty appreciation and friendliness. If your friend of 18 months has a favorite pet, and you like spending time with that friend to the point of considering yourself in love with her and wanting to be together forever, shouldn't you learn about the pet's needs and behaviors, too? This continuous misunderstanding felt like willful stubborn ignorance and made me mistrust the hero and the truth of his professed feelings, which in turn brought the whole story down.
I was also sad to see that even the book that calls out toxic masculinity, clearly and on page, did not show meaningful and realistic ways of moving past it and getting over it. But that bit actually is realistic - even people who recognize the problem and its causes often fail to see and deal with all the manifestations of it - that's how pervasive and insidious the effects of this problem are!
My main problem, however, was that I felt that the book focused on all the wrong things and wasted the potential its premise gave it: We don't see how the MCs' friendship started and grew, or what made that friendship precious and special. And then the MCs worry about the stupid standard "ruining of their friendship", instead of properly considering each other's needs and worrying about how a new relationship might fit into them. The emotional underpinnings or even just simple mechanics of trying to build a healthy relationship after recovering from an abusive one are never properly addressed. Instead, it seemed, we get lots of sex as a sufficient substitute for emotional depth and relationship work... - that sort of invalidated the bromance book club's philosophy for me. And the list keeps going.
So once again, not a bad idea, but very sadly lacking execution. I so much wish for this idea to be picked up and explored by a more capable author...