A review by happi_mess
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

3.0

"Good. First rule of the book club?"
They finished in unison. "You don't talk about the book club."
What. The. Fuck.

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Before you get any ideas, no this is not fight club.

This is a story about Gavin who is on the brink of losing his wife after he found out that she had been faking having orgasms. His friends let him join their secret small book club—a group of men reading romance novels to learn and understand better the language of women.

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really love the thought of this book. I would have rated this 4 stars if I did not think that the plot had dragged on a little towards the end. This is not a five star read because while the concept was really great, the writing is not in the same level of uniqueness of the plot.

Not gonna lie, I skimmed through this towards the end. I just didn't think that I would miss much in the story (and i know that i didn't so there's that).

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The things that I like

☽ THE CONCEPT. Let me tell you. This is pure GOLD. Chef's kisses. Mwa mwa mwa mwa everywhere! I loved it so much that I am wishing that somewhere out there, there is a bunch of people who are reading romance novels to better understand their partners. I don't know about you, but I have never encountered a book with the same plot as this one. So points for creativity and uniqueness.

"You guys read romance novels?"
"We call them manuals."

☽ This book is HILARIOUS. I found myself LOL-ing at the scenes. It was fun to see boys—especially brawny baseball players—get flustered about these things. I loved how this book showed more human sides of men.

"But what does BB stand for?"
The whole table spoke at once. "Book Boner."

☽ Toxic Masculinity? We don't know him! I loved how toxic masculinity was tackled in this book that I was just like YES YES YES YES YES say it louder for the people at the back! Men are allowed emotions. Men are allowed to have a feminine side. I love how these men show off their sensitive side and educate the newcomer in their club. I loved how this is a romance novel and we get the most feelings out of a MAN.

"...toxic masculinity permeates even the most mundane things in life. If masses of women like something, our society automatically begins to mock them. Just like romance novels. If women like them, they must be a joke, right?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The things that I DID NOT like

☾ The writing.It's not the worst. It was kind of good actually. I just wished that it had been trimmed more. Be more compact and precise. I honestly think that I could live without Thea's POV. I would have loved to hear everything from Gavin's side.

☾ Liv. Heavens, I hate her. She threw more tantrum than the kids did. I got really frustrated reading about her parts.

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In sum:

Highly recommend this for romance lovers and if you're looking for a palate cleanser or if you're in between books. I bet this would get people out a slump! It's a short fun read. It was a great ride of emotions. If you're also looking for something new, then go ahead and check this out!