I was sent a link to download and read an ARC. Had my doubts but hard for me to pass up a free book. I'm glad I went ahead and read this one. The characters are extremely likeable, the writing humorous and a really feel good book. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

I was so looking forward to reading this book. The concept of a secret all-male book club, many of them athletes, was something I had never heard of before. And I imagined all kinds of fun. Sadly, that's not what I got out of the book. There was too much swearing for my like and the historical romance that book club was reading really was not my cup of tea. I found the story hard to read. And I found the characters hard to relate to without rolling my eyes.

I was not able to finish the book so I will not give a formal review on a retail site.

I am so glad I read this book! I was hesitant to pick it up because the premise of a man winning back his wife by joining a romance book club felt so prosperous. Additionally, the characters are about as unrealistic as can be (to me) but they both have these lovely oddities that left me feeling like they could be me or my friends. Gavin is a professional baseball player with a stutter, who is startled to learn that there are entire Pinterest boards dedicated to him. Thea is a WAG (wife and girlfriend) who gets a far off look when thinking about washi tape and prefers to wear her husbands t-shirts to sleep. BUT IT WAS PERFECT. The story of Thea and Gavin finding their way back to each other was sweet and sexy. Interspersed with their story are excerpts from the romance novel Gavin is reading. I felt like I was able to appreciate the story on two levels, as they are parallels of one another.

I did not love this book. While the concept was original, it felt very unlikely and the characters weren't very dynamic. Luckily, it was a quick read, but I have no interest in continuing further with this series.

I really wanted to love this book but I no matter how much I tired I merely just liked it. Everything just felt forced; the characters, the plot, the friendships. I kept getting jarred out of the book by the weirdness. Like the character that would just randomly forget to speak the language everyone else is speaking. That is not how being bilingual is at all! You may forget a random word or have to think of something in your native language and then translate it in your head and then say it out loud but you don't randomly forget to speak the current language you're speaking.

Again, I wanted to like this book but I just couldn't.

Funny as anything. I couldn’t put it down. A bunch of pro-athletes help one of their own learn to romance his wife by reading romance novels. Absolutely loved this!

This was such an interesting take on romance! Men joining together in a romance book club in order to better understand woman and help make marriages better -- I just settled in for the ride. It was so funny and fun! I loved the characters and the second-chance the romance and the brotherhood. I will definitely keep reading books by Lyssa Kay Adams and can't wait for the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of this book.

This book had so much potential! The premise of an all-male athlete secret book club reading romance novels and helping each other with their relationships is so fun but the execution was blah.

None of the characters, not even our leads, ever felt like more than a caricature and I found the dialogue super unrealistic to the point of taking me out of the story. Especially the one baseball player who spoke random Spanish for simple phrases like “what’s up” and “me too” but used English for everything else. That took me out of the moment so hard, it was like reading bad fan fiction about a bilingual character by someone who is not bilingual. He’s a super minor character but this detail really bugged me!

Thea and Gavin definitely have chemistry together, and I like the message of needing to communicate better and understand each other’s “backstories” to really get your partner’s needs but those are the only positives for me in this one, unfortunately. I wanted to like it more than I did.

It was a fun take on marital problems where the man has to learn his flaws as the protagonist and the woman wasn't without blame.

So this wasn't my favorite romance read. It had a lot of foul language and it felt like it took the characters a while to really get to where is was going. I liked Gavin and that he was willing to go all out to get his wife back and to get another chance. Thea was stubborn and it was hard to like her. She knew she had messed up in ways too and she was using her past with her father as a comparison to her husband (which I know can be hard not to do). I just felt it took her awhile to show that her past was what was holding her back and being reluctant to own up to that and give Gavin the chances he deserved sooner.
I did find the men funny and I loved that they were in a romance book club and tried to take things from books to help their marriages.
Cute book, but not for everyone.

This book was such a blast to read. I could tell by the blurb it was going to be good, and it didn't disappoint. Reading this book was such a fun time.

The premise of this story is fantastic and unique. Gavin Scott who plays pro baseball for the Nashville Legends is separated from his wife. Things are not good and all he wants is to be back with is wife and daughters. There were a lot of reasons these two separated, but Gavin finding out that Thea had been lying about having the big O when they were intimate was the straw that broke it. He's not sure what he can do, but a few of his teammates come to him with a solution.

His best friend talks him into joining this group of guys for a book club. Yes, a book club. Gavin doesn't know what do think of this... can it really work? Can he did this? He's so bewildered by it at first, but like he said, he's willing to try anything so he gives it a go.

Gavin has trouble taking direction at first, but as he starts seeing little improvements, he works harder. He talks Thea into temporarily letting him move back and hopefully giving it another go. Thea is pretty darn stubborn. She isn't going to be easily swayed. But once she sees that Gavin is really trying and making an effort, not just by his words, but by his actions, she starts to come around little by little.

Gavin was by far my favorite character of the book. He's a bit oblivious, but sweet, charming, and determined. I adored him. Thea won me over by the end, but her stubbornness got to me at times. Once I learned more of her backstory, I could appreciate why she was the way she was. And when she stuck up for Gavin at one of the baseball events I legit cheered outloud.

This is one of those books that had some serious subject matter, but for some reason, I couldn't keep the smile off my face while reading. This was a refreshing and original story that made me smile, laugh out loud, and swoon. I can't recommend this book enough! I'm so excited there is going to be more from this series, I can't wait!

I loved reading The Bromance Book Club! Gavin and Thea's story was so fun to read. I found myself laughing out loud at several points. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I thought I would love this book because of its unique premise. And I do really think this will appeal to many readers, particularly historical and contemporary romance fans. Personally, I didn't enjoy it for several reasons. First, there was so much usage of the F word. I can't stand the word except when extreme circumstances call for it, so when it is used in casual conversation and with such regularity it really bothers me. I understand the author was probably trying to make her male characters sound authentic, but I think there are other ways to do that than having them throw around the F word every few sentences. Second, I couldn't warm up to Thea or her sister. I'm all for strong female protagonists, but she and her sister were so extreme and unlikable I never connected with either of them. I hate when books are preachy, and whenever they were in a scene I felt the author was using those two characters to preach a political message at me. That's not what I'm looking for when I pick up a romance book. Also, Gavin himself was just an OK hero. The best word I can describe him is bland. Overall, I felt no emotional connection to Gavin and Thea's relationship. That, ultimately, is why I'm giving the book 2 stars. As a side note, the historical love story that the book club reads was a huge missed opportunity. It came across as needlessly cheesy when it could have enhanced the main story itself. In short, whenever I put this book down I never felt the need to pick it back up.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this book! Romance with a twist! I loved the mix of romance with feminism & modern thinking men...a quick, romantic read!

MY RATING: 3.5/5 STARS 

I received an ARC from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for a honest review. 

This book was a very highly anticipated read for simply because of the title and the cover. It's gorgeous like any other Berkley Romance being published since last year so really? What could have gone wrong? For people who are not familiar with the story, it's existentially boils down to a wife of a major baseball player who decides that one day, her life has changed too much and not for the better. She lost her sense of self and believes her husband doesn't even love her so she decides to break it off. Well, also the fact that she kind of told him that she's been faking her orgasm the entire time they were together. Talk about buried down emotions and secrets.

This book's plot is very similar to another novel I read which is Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey. Now, Tessa's book comes out in January 2020 so really, it's Tessa's book is similar to this one? Both follow the trope of marriage breakdown and their complications and the difficulties of piecing things back together. I preferred how Tessa solved her couple's issues better. Why?

Because our main heroine, Thea, is forever right in this novel. It's definitely not her fault that she doesn't open up to her husband so they can create a deeper bond or a connection. And it's definitely not her fault if her husband decides to pack up and leave when every single sign she's been given to him since him trying is that he needs to leave her alone because she won't change her mind about the divorce. It was so frustrating for me to read because Gavin really loved Thea. He would have done everything to break down her walls so he could love her more but Thea, damaged by her relationship with her playboy father and cynical mother, won't ever do it. 

Until the last 20% of this book, Thea finally realizes she's not always right and Gavin was doing his best. But too little too late and I couldn't see Thea being painted as the victim any longer so I had to give this 3.5/5 stars.

MY RECOMMENDATION

It was a fun and light read. Hilarious in a lot of parts when Gavin's buddies all got around and I'm excited to see what Lyssa has in store for the next novel.

I can't decide whether I liked this book because it was quick and charming and sweet, or whether I hated it because it's the worst kind of pandering to women. (Y'all, he takes her to buy washi tape.)

Gavin Scott and his wife Thea have hit a rough patch in their marriage. He’s a professional baseball player who travels a lot…it comes with the job. And when he’s home, it’s difficult for them to go anywhere without avid fans fussing over him and asking for autographs. Thea sacrificed a lot for Gavin to pursue his major league dream, putting her own college aspirations on hold to become the dutiful baseball wife and raising their two daughters. But a recent revelation in the bedroom proves to be the last straw that drives a wedge between them. Gavin moves into the guest room and Thea is talking divorce.
Gavin is miserable and will do anything to save his marriage. His teammates come to his rescue with a most unexpected remedy, their tried and true solution, historical romance novels. They invite Gavin into their book club, supply him with novels and swear him to secrecy. Gavin has his doubts but he’s desperate enough to give it a try, and he sets his sights on winning Thea back one chapter at a time.
Readers will find this first book in Adams’ Bromance Book Club series to be an over-the-top fun read, a total home run. The clever story premise comes with great characters and dialog, loads of humor, drama, conflict, and some more humor. Absolutely loved it!

A quick, fun little romance. It was enjoyable to see the characters evolve into how you felt they should be..

When their marriage hits the rocks, baseball star Gavin Scott reluctantly turns to his teammates, who share their secret to a happy marriage: a top-secret romance book club just for men. This was an over-the-top read, but I love the idea that men would go to such lengths to identify with and understand the women in their lives. A fun read that's ripe for a sequel!

Wow, I enjoyed the heck out of this breezy romantic comedy that actually has some interesting things to say about relationships and literature. I'm a latecomer to the romance genre myself, in spite of the fact that my very intelligent grandma read them by the pallet. So I sympathize with the clueless Gavin Scott, professional sports guy (note to self: why have I read so many contemporary romances featuring sports guys lately?) and mediocre husband. Gavin's facing divorce, and the only thing that can save him is book club.

<i>Romance</i> book club.

Whose other members are a bunch of tough, manly, often flatulent, sports dudes who seem to have unlocked the secret to saving his marriage. At least, that's what they claim.

Quote: "Men are idiots. We complain that omen are so mysterious and shit, and we never know what they want. We fuck up our relationships because we convince ourselves that it's too hard to figure them out. But the real problem is with us. We think we're not supposed to feel things and cry and express ourselves. We expect women to do all the emotional labor in a relationship and then act confused when they give up on us."

I mean, this book is all feminist fanservice. I'm here for that. Men supporting men and helping each other become better people. That's hot. As Mack, my new book soulmate, says, "That shit is feminist as fuck."

My favorite exchange, between Mack and Gavin, which sums up why you'll probably enjoy this book too:

"What is this?"
"I don't know."
"Can I eat it?"

I can't wait for the sequel! (And then someday the movie, starring Chris Hemsworth.)