Absolutely fantastic! This book was hilarious from the first chapter and had me truly laughing out loud through the whole thing. I’m mad at myself for taking so long to read it. The novel the men are reading of course parallels Gavin and Thea’s lives and it’s the perfect pairing with their story. I also just adore the idea of men finding it okay to love things like romance novels and pumpkin spice lattes. It’s all incredibly feminist and I love it.

3.5 stars

This is my first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised with this story! Bromance Book Club was a fun, new take on second chance romance with a twist...a bunch of men in a secret book club!

I really enjoyed the story between Gavin and Thea although I think her reasoning for kicking him out/divorce was a little extreme. However, Gavin’s ideas of winning Thea back were fun and the conversations with the other members of the secret book club had me laughing throughout the story. While some times I wanted to smack both Thea and Gavin with my Kindle, I thought the overall story was fun and cute.

Romance books sell more than any other genre, yet they’re often seen as guilty pleasures or dirty little secrets. As Del says in this book, “...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?” Yet, it’s these same books that this group of high-powered men use as self-help manuals to learn how women think, how toxic masculinity can destroy relationships, and how to shed it to win back their wives and girlfriends. The premise of a romance book club for men is laudable for its unique approach although it’s never explained how the group formed, they don’t hold regular meetings, and only half of the members appear throughout the book. Inexplicably, one of them is Braden Mack, a single flirt whose sole purpose seems to be to throw snarky and annoying roadblocks in Gavin’s path. Aside from the club, however, the story follows a standard romantic trope of a couple (Gavin and his wife Thea) who aren’t honest with each other and who will destroy their marriage if they don’t revisit their past (“backstory”) to acknowledge the baggage that stands in their way. It’s a fun and often frustrating read, and romance readers will enjoy the spin.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I absolutely loved The Bromance Book Club. I was a little nervous that the best thing about it would the premise but I should have worried because this book did not let me down! It was laugh-out-loud funny and completely swoon-worthy. Such a wonderful second chance romance with lots of great feminist themes. This slid quickly and easily into my Top 5 for 2019 and I will be recommending to anyone who will listen!

Lisa Kay Adams launches her Bromance Book Club series with the story of MLB second baseman Gavin Scott and his soon to be ex-wife is he can’t find a way to salvage their marriage.

Gavin and Thea’s relationship had been a whirlwind romance and a hasty marriage not long after they found out Thea was pregnant with their twins. She fell in love with Gavin for him, not his baseball career and wasn’t prepared to be a Major League Baseball wife. She soon lost herself trying to be someone she was not, but worst of all she lost her groove and her big O.

When Gavin found out she’d been faking it since their twins were born, he lost his confidence and nerve. But he knows one thing for sure, Thea and his girls are his life. What extremes will he go to, to get them back?

Lyssa Kay Adams did a wonderful job of capturing my attention right from the start. The book’s title was intriguing, who wouldn’t want to know what men talk about in a book club? What kind of books do they read? I know, I know… they’re not supposed to talk about it, but it was interesting. And then the blurb made it all but impossible for me to not want to read and then the book itself and the regency novella that was included to boot were absolutely delightful.

Gavin definitely stole the show. Yes he hadn’t realized a lot of things about his wife, but they had understandably gotten caught up in their initial romance without really getting to know each other. But mostly, he recognized her as his soul mate wasn’t going to go down without a fight, no matter how much out of his comfort zone he had to go.

I just loved the men in the book club, they didn’t just add an important layer to the story they were fun and I hope we get to know more about them as the series progresses.

I’m always unsure whether or not to write about what I didn’t like but I think in this case since it pertained to secondary characters, it’s ok. I was not a fan of Thea’s sister who was flat out against Gavin and his attempts to reconcile WITHOUT knowing the cause of the problem. But I stalked the author and seen that she’s the heroine in the next book so I can’t wait to read and see how she’s converted to the romantic side.

The Bromance Book Club is book #1 of the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams. It’s a standalone, contemporary romance, told from both points of view with a happy ending.

I knew I wanted to read Lyssa Kay Adams’ new novel, The Bromance Book Club, as soon as I read the synopsis and realized it has three of my favorite things: a sports theme, a second chance romance, and a book club. And not only does it have a book club, it’s a secret romance book club whose members are professional baseball players. Their goal: to use romance novels as a way to better understand women so as to improve their relationships with their wives. That just sounded like a recipe for a hilarious read so I was thrilled when Berkley approved my review request.

Let me start by saying yes, this is an absolutely hilarious read! I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud while I was reading and I just loved everything about the idea of the book club. The group of guys that are in the book club are just so much fun together and I just loved all of their scenes. The focus of their attention in this book is Gavin, a fellow teammate who is separated from his wife, Thea, but desperately wants to try to save his marriage. At each of their meetings, the guys gently rib Gavin over some of the dumb things he has done in his marriage, but at the same time, their hearts are ultimately in the right place and they do whatever they can to coach him to make better choices when it comes to Thea.

While the promise of humor is what initially drew me to The Bromance Book Club, the heart of the story is what really won me over. I just truly adored Gavin and Thea. Gavin is such a sweetheart, and Thea is too so it just broke my heart to see them at odds with each other. I became invested in them immediately and was desperate for them to work through what had gone wrong between them. I also loved how authentic their relationship issues felt, particularly when it came to issues with communication. I think many readers will relate to the sad truth that a few heartfelt talks along the way could have kept Gavin and Thea from the breaking point we find them at when the novel opens.

The Bromance Book Club was everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s delightfully funny, heartwarming, and oh yes, a little hot and steamy too! It’s also one of those books that I was immediately picturing as a film and casting the various characters in my head as I was reading, which made it even more of a fun read. If you’re interested in a fresh take on the second chance romance trope, you definitely need to add The Bromance Book Club to your reading list.

What a cute and fun book this is! Gavin is a major league baseball player on the road a lot, leaving his wife, Thea, alone with their two toddlers at home often during the season. When Thea finally stands up for herself and tells Gavin to leave, he's miserable. They've had problems preceding this altercation. Finally, his best friend and team mate Del brings him to a gathering of professional athletes. Then, the most unexpected thing happens: they all whip out romance books. This bookclub is a support system for Gavin, who convinces his wife to let him move back home and try to reconcile their relationship.
Using the romance books, he attempts to repair his relationship with his wife and make himself a better husband for Thea. I will definitely recommend this fun book to patrons!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Gavin loved his wife. He was IN LOVE with his wife, but after finding out she had been lying about their sex life, he erected a wall between them. When she asked for a divorce, he realized the error of his ways, and wanted to fight for his marriage. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, he began courting his wife, but was he too late?

I love romance, and read a plethora of romance books, but we don't get too many involving a husband and a wife trying to reignite their relationship. That was something I really enjoyed about The Bromance Book Club. I am always sad to hear, when a marriage ends, and therefore, was wholeheartedly behind Gavin's quest to win back Thea's heart.

I was also a big fan of how he went about the task. I mean, using a romance novel as a how-to guide was fantastic! As a romance lover, I abhor how the genre is constantly ridiculed. This book celebrates romance books, and actually highlights how wonderful they really are. Adams wove passages from The Book Club's selection into the story, and the placement was brilliant. They either guided Gavin in his attempt to woo his wife or helped him understand his mistakes. I enjoyed moving in and out of the story, and was impressed with how well these passages meshed with Gavin and Thea's tale.

When this story began, this marriage was very broken, though, it was difficult to understand why. I mean, it did seem like Gavin let his bruised ego get the most of him, but there was more to that story, and there was a LOT more to Thea's side of the story too. The issues seemed small, but they were complicated, and the way Adams revealed the whole situation, bit by bit, made the naked truth land with a greater impact. My heart broke for both of them, though, I felt like Thea could have spoken up a bit sooner. Whatever the obstacles, I loved seeing these two slowly work their way back to each other. Each relit flame gave me hope, and the payoff was so big.

Yes, the romance was lovely, but the bromance was fantastic! What a fun group Adams assembled for us. I always enjoy seeing manly men sharing their feelings and affirming their love and adoration for the women in their lives. Their friendship and support of each other was a thing of beauty, while their interactions were great sources of hilarity.

I had the BEST time reading this book! It equal parts fun and touching, and I am overjoyed that we will be gifted with more Bromance books.

Ugh, I loved this. Can we make this book required reading for, I don't know, any man who decides to join Tinder? Required college reading? I'm not sure what the best application is, but I think both men and women can learn a lot from this book.

Professional baseball player Gavin Scott's marriage is falling apart before his very eyes and he has no idea what to do about it. Drinking hasn't helped. Yelling hasn't helped. So when his teammates invite them to join their marriage-saving romance book club, he's skeptical, but what other options are left? Through the help of regency rogues and damsels who are not-so-in-distress, Gavin learns to speak his wife's language a bit better and learns a new love language of his own. Can he pull off a perfectly executed grand gesture and win her back?

This story was incredibly charming, tender, and heart-warming. There's always something warm and fuzzy that comes with reading about people who have a past together, even if they struggle to mesh their past with their present. I loved Gavin - he's a quick learner. Thea was harder to love, but it was enlightening to read about this couple pushing through emotional walls and opening up in ways that felt very true to life.

My only hope is that I can get my boyfriend to read some romance now...

This was my favorite romance novel of the year. Maybe even EVER. It is one of those books that you open and within the first few chapters you just know it is going to be a 5 star read.


Adams write a novel that is not only sweet and sexy, but also downright hilarious! Her voice is witty and the quips her characters make are so realistic, funny, and relevant to life in 2019. It astounds me that all of this humor and satire came from one author's mind. It kept me laughing the entire time, but also had strong themes of redemption and threads of dedication and hope that kept me interested in the story line. I loved it. If you like romance and need good laugh that is sure to turn into an "AW" by the last page, this is definitely for you!


This was a "me" read and since I am a school librarian, I won't be buying this for my library. However, if I served adults, it would be a 100% no questions asked buy. Bravo, Adams!

Might be more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up because this was a lot of fun! I can't lie and say that it wasn't a smidge pander-y and contrived at some parts, but overall this was a really fun ride and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're interested in reading a romance about a couple staying together rather than getting together. I 10000% will be carrying on with the series!

Ugh, this was just so cute I can't stand it. Caveat here: stories where the h/h are married & trying to keep from getting divorced are one of my least favorite tropes in romance... it just STRESSES ME OUT. That said, the sheer charm of the story and earnestness of the characters completely won me over. The writing was delightful, the characters were lovely (sidenote: loved seeing a hero with a speech impediment & how that was handled), the conceit (which is that a bunch of dude bros have a romance book club where they use romance novels to try to help them understand how to communicate with women) was just so rompy & fun, and I just had a great time reading this. I cannot wait to read the next in the series, because we already know/love the hero and it will be a trope that works better for me. Definitely recommend this one!
And side note-- I was way into the book within the book that they were reading for the book club... they should 100% publish it as an accompanying novella

It’s not often that an author comes up with a truly unique premise (especially in a contemporary romance) but this one felt so new and fresh. The idea of a bunch of super manly dudes reading Regency romance novels cracks me up, but there was so much more to this one than just humor. It seems like most of the time authors follow the same tropes, and that’s fine, I love enemies to lovers, second chance romance, etc as well, but reading about a couple on the verge of a divorce was also another aspect that I really liked. I found myself relating to Thea and Gavin way more than usual simply because I’m also married with kids and know how hard the balance between being a mom AND a wife can be, it’s hard sometimes to step out of the mommy role and into the wife one and I loved that this was explored here. It felt really authentic in the way that it showed the not so pretty side to marriage and I appreciated that.

While you do hear from Thea often the bulk of this is good from Gavin’s perspective and I’m so here for that. Throw in the male members of the book club as well and there’s plenty of alpha male hotness and hilarity at play. This was also heartfelt and raw and at times sexy and spicy. Basically this had a little bit of everything and I loved it, so excited it’s the first in a series, bring on book two!

Note: This can't be posted on Amazon until release date November 5. It will be up on my website soon:
http://katemcmurry.com/adult-romance-reviews/


Adorable, original, second-chance, romantic comedy

When major-league, second baseman, Gavin Scott, discovered that his wife, Thea, had been faking orgasms almost the whole of their three-year marriage, he was overcome with humiliation. He hid out in the guest room, ignoring Thea for over a month, until she shocked him out of his self-pitying funk by ordering him to move out. It suddenly hit him, like a fastball to the head, that he’d totally blown it with his wife. But apologizing and begging for another chance got him exactly nowhere. Thea wanted a divorce.

Thea was madly in love with Gavin when they got married when he was 26 and she was 20. Unfortunately, they had only been dating three months when she got pregnant, and they rushed into marriage. It was not the most promising way to begin their life together. Complicating matters even further, shortly after their shotgun wedding, Gavin was called up to the majors, and he has been on the road most of the time ever since. As far as Thea is concerned, however, their unsatisfying sex life is not their main problem, or even Gavin’s one-month, bruised-male-ego sulk. Those were merely the final straws. For three solid years, she has turned herself inside out to put in a solid performance as a good little Stepford, baseball wife in order to fit in with the snooty wives of the other players. She dresses conservatively and fake-smiles a lot at team-family events, and she dropped out of college without completing her art degree to shoulder the one-sided burden of raising their twin girls practically on her own. But, in spite of her endless sacrifices, Gavin takes her for granted, is emotionally unavailable, and she’s not even sure that he ever truly loved her.

Gavin is down and desperate, living in a lonely hotel room, when a small, tightly-knit group of his teammates rides to his rescue. They claim that they’ve all been in a similar predicament themselves with wives or fiancées, and they have a workable solution to offer him to get back in his wife’s good graces. They belong to their own private, relationship-at-risk, support group, which they call the Bromance Book Club. The only books they read together are romances, which they study carefully. “Romance novels,” they gravely inform Gavin, “are primarily written by women for women, and they’re entirely about how they want to be treated and what they want out of life and in a relationship.” The guys are determined, both for Gavin’s sake and the sake of the team—because he’s a depressed mess whose game is suffering—to help him salvage his marriage by learning how to be a better husband, the romance-novel way.

I love a good romantic comedy, and this one is simply terrific. Burly, macho guys hanging out together in a romance-reading book club, and acting as matchmakers to their clueless teammate, is a hilarious concept, and they provide a number of laugh-out-loud moments in this extremely original, reunion romance.

Both Gavin and Thea start out almost equally clueless about what it takes to build a solid marriage, but they both grow a lot in this book, individually and as a couple, as they gradually rebuild their broken relationship. It is particularly endearing that Gavin heartily repents his past unconsciously selfish ingratitude, and that he goes to such entertaining extremes to regain Thea’s respect and affection.

This is a slow-burn novel, and the eventual, well written sex scenes are both tender and sexy. That’s a big plus in a romance novel, for my particular taste.

This book is definitely a keeper for me, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series. The Bromance boys will make a second appearance, and they are a hoot.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Bromance Book Club Plot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

<em>The Bromance Book Club</em> is my introduction into Lyssa Kay Adam's writing and I enjoyed the experience. I thought the premise of this book (and of the series) was a pretty cute one and I wasn't sure how she'd pull it off but I thought she handled the bromance book club, the different characters really well and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series. So this book features Gavin and Thea Scott, a married couple who have lost their way and this book show us how they worked to fix their marriage.

Gavin Scott is a professional baseball player for the Nashville Legends and on the biggest night of his career, his marriage imploded and his wife asked him to leave...so he did. He's all kinds of messed up over it and after a few nights of thinking things through, Gavin, with the help of his best friend Del and some other friends, figures out that he wants to fight for his marriage and he wants to fight for his wife. He doesn't want to lose his family and even though he's got no idea how romance novels are going to help him woo his wife back, he's got nothing to lose so he picks up the book that his friends suggested he read, and he starts reading.

Thea Scott is a stay at home Mom who is fed up. She's fed up with her husband, the woman that she's turned into over the years and on the biggest night of her husband's career, she's fed up with her marriage. The minute he left, she swore that she was going to divorce him and get her life back. She was going back to school to finish her degree and she was going to find a fulfilling life that wasn't all about her being a Mom. She's ready for the next step but when Gavin wants a month to try to save their marriage in exchange for not fighting her for whatever she wants in the divorce she wants, she's stuck between a rock and a hard place because she doesn't want to give her husband another chance, she just wants to cut her losses and move on.

Seeing Gavin and Thea give in to the love that's been hiding between them and really working on fixing their issues made for a pretty emotional read. There were times when I wanted to strangle Gavin and hug Thea but then there were other times when I wanted to pull Thea's hair and hug Gavin. There were a lot of push and pulls in this book but I thought it worked for the overall story being told. The romance was smoking hot, the characters were engaging and the angst was pretty strong. I was here for it all. I'm glad that I picked this book up for review and I'm pretty anxious for more from the other characters in the book club. So yeah, I enjoyed this one and I definitely recommend.

This book is a fun, light read. I appreciated that it didn't take itself too seriously. However, the characters' voices didn't strike me as authentic. Nonetheless, it is a cute little story, with low stakes.

I'm always worried that a book I'm really excited about won't live up to the hype, and I was REALLY excited about this book. I mean, a romance book club for men sounds both hilarious and swoon-worthy at the same time. However, from the first chapter I was hooked and I knew this book was entirely worth my anticipation. The Bromance Book Club is a great second-chance at love story, but also a fun dissection of the romance genre, feminism, and marriage. I highly recommend for romance readers looking for their next great read!

With a title and cover like that, how could I not request this book immediately?! They're just SO good! I was absolutely thrilled when I was approved on Netgalley, and downloaded the book immediately. I'm happy to say I adored it! The story inside definitely lived up to the cover lust :)

My favorite part, probably obviously, was the idea of professional baseball players having a romance book club! I mean, too funny! And their book club meetings totally made me LOL! I loved the way the men riffed off each other and the banter they had going--it definitely kept me smiling. And I also appreciated the feminist angle with which the guys viewed these romance novels, and the women in their lives. Very refreshing!

Another aspect I enjoyed was that the main couple, Gavin and Thea, are a married couple trying to rekindle their love. Most romances I read are about falling in love for the first time, so it was interesting to read a book about falling back in love with a spouse. They were super cute...when they weren't making me crazy yelling at them to just kiss and make up!

If you're a fan of romances, I think you'll love this!

Take a baseball player at the top of his game with a marriage on the line and invite him to a book club. This book club has men reading romance novels so they understand how to relate to their wives. It is a refreshing twist on the second chance love story. Gavin (grew up with a stutter) and Thea (her father nicknamed her "Shotgun") have some baggage to unpack and this book deftly explores those themes. What I appreciate most is the message to work hard to preserve the marriage you are in. A wise pastor once asked his congregation: "How do you know you are married to the right person?" Answer: "You're married to them!" (Sadly there are desperate situations where abuse or illegal activities are occurring and this does not apply.)

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“From the moment I first saw you, I have been half a man, because you’ve always held the other half of me.”

Thea asked for a divorce, but Gavin won’t just give up her wife like that. Now, the bros are to the rescue. Their solution? Read romance. 😉

Oh, I absolutely love this book! I couldn’t even think of what’s not to love. 😍❤️ When I found out that this book has a bunch of hotties reading romance novels to save their relationships, I just had to get my hands on it! Lol 😆

This book was really so much fun to read. I think it was cute, sassy and sweet. Lots of funny parts too! I love every character and their personalities. I love all the relationships here from Thea and Gavin’s to the Bromance Book Club. I also love the feminist side of it. Finally, I love how unique the whole story is. It’s so different from other rom-com novels that I read.

Definitely. Worth. Every. Second. Of. My. Time!

This is a romance novel that I can definitely see myself reading again, maybe in the future. But for now, I love it and really enjoyed it and I would highly recommend to get this book.

Thanks so much for my digital copy of The Bromance Book Club! 🤗