[Skye’s Review:] The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Bromance Book Club
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Series: The Bromance Book Club #1
Pages: 352
Release Date: November 5th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romance
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC, eBook

The first rule of book club:
You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“You guys read romance novels?”
“We call them manuals.”

This book starts off with Gavin’s friends giving him an intervention. Gavin’s wife, Thea, has asked for a divorce which Gavin doesn’t want. He’s been staying in a hotel room and moping for the past couple of days. Enter Gavin’s teammates and friends. They decide to induct him into their secret club–a book club. However, this is not just any book club. This is a book club dedicated to fixing and bettering their relationships with their partners. How do they do this, you might ask. Well, they read romance novels. Now, you might laugh like Gavin when he heard this, but the guys provide him with a good argument. You see, romance novels are written by women for women. The content of romance books contain examples of how differently men and women think along with what women would like in a relationship. Gavin has nothing left to lose, so he decides to join the book club. Can a romance novel save his marriage? Well, you’ll have to read to find out. 😛

The dynamic between the guys in the book club is phenomenal. I couldn’t stop laughing every time they were on the page! Gavin’s hatred of Mack is just the cherry on top. Their bickering will have you cracking smile after smile. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a scene with Mack and the Russian that will have you cackling! It was absolute perfection. I need this book to be made into a movie just for the book club scenes alone. 

I do have two smallish complaints though. First off, I wish we had a few more scenes with the book club. I’m greedy, what can I say? Secondly, there are times when you might think that the guys’ conversations aren’t very realistic. They talk of how movies like The Little Mermaid could be giving off the wrong message to little girls, telling them they are expected to change for men. They also talk about how society has taught men that they shouldn’t talk about their feelings for fear of being seen as weak. Not many guys talk like that in real life, but maybe now they will! 😉 I just wanted to mention it since I know some of my friends wouldn’t find it believable which might detract from their reading experience. 

“Book club isn’t just about books.”
“It’s a brotherhood, man.”
“A way of life.”
“An emotional f****ing journey.” 

This book is told from both Gavin and Thea’s points of view. Gavin regrets his reaction when he found out that his wife has been faking it in the bedroom since they got married. It’s hard for him to keep his cool when his pride is in the mix. Meanwhile, Thea is living out a self-fulfilling prophecy. Her parents divorced when she was young. After that, her father was barely in her life as he flitted from one marriage to the next. Needless to say, she has trust issues and abandonment issues. Her marriage failing isn’t too much of a surprise. In fact, she wonders why she had thought it would be any different than her parents. 

What Thea didn’t count on was Gavin fighting for their marriage–fighting for their family.

I have to be honest, Thea annoyed me a little bit. It felt as if she put all of their marital problems onto Gavin’s shoulders instead of taking part of the blame. Gavin owned up to his part, apologized, and tried to improve their relationship. Thea didn’t take any accountability for her actions until the very end of the book. I understand that her childhood plays into how she acts, but I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse. She had been keeping things from Gavin for years which is part of why they grew apart. Her sister’s judgment of their marriage also annoyed me. Liv acts as if Gavin has committed some heinous, unforgivable crime. She basically tells Thea that she would be an idiot if she took Gavin back. I don’t want it to sound as if I don’t like Thea, I do. I just feel like my issues with her held me back from truly loving and connecting with this book which is why I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I love the concept, the writing, and my book club boys! I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series. Something tells me it might center around Mack and Liv!