I thoroughly enjoyed The Bromance Book Club, and I am happy to add Lyssa Kay Adams to my authors to watch. It's a great premise and the story keeps the promise of the premise. This novel is written with humor and I really appreciated Ms Adams' treatment of the issues raised. There are few trivial differences when it comes to relationships, and I was happy to see that the author covered some of the more usual rather than the sensational. Dialogue is first rate, the pacing is fast and the characters (even the less likeable) are well drawn and presented. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I found The Bromance Book Club such a sweet and heartwarming read. I think it's a unique twist on a romance book. From the outside it looks like Gavin has it all. He's professionally playing the sport he loves, he has a beautiful wife and two adorable daughters. Unfortunately, his marriage is crumbling from the inside. His wife Thea has shared that she wants a divorce and can't see their relationship working out in the future. Gavin gets introduced to the bromance book club group counseling group.. They take tips and tools from the books to encourage each other to work on their relationships. I love books with a friend group at the core but if you want to include a romance or a love story to that the book I'm over the moon excited. This is also interesting because this deals with a married couple, I think it's a great idea but, it's not something I'm used to however, those tropes are still there, will they won't they, and the why won't they just talk to each other. This was a great kick off to a series. The characters were appealing and even though I knew they were going to get together at the end it was still fun watching them get there and I found myself supporting the couple to make it happen. I love the idea of men reading romance books and not being ashamed about it and them using the books as tools to rebuild or begin relationships. I think it shows a level of love, care and respect for the romance genre.

This is one of the most interesting unique and enjoyable books that I’ve read in a very long time. The premise of the guys getting together and turning romance on its head was such a fun read I can’t wait to follow this series.

The Bromance Book Club starts with a man in a hotel lamenting that he got kicked out of his house by his wife...however we soon learn there was a lot more to it than that. Professional athlete Gavin has been putting his wife second for so long and his wife Thea had be putting her life second for so long caught up being a mother to twins and professional wife to her athlete husband that something was bound to break. This is a touching and enlightening story about a group of high powered men that came together to help other men learn more about women to save their relationships- the catch is they do that through reading romance novels.

The Bromance Book Club is the book that you wish your man would read to have him see another perspective about how romance books can help relationships and is also a fun, fast read for women.

When Thea finds herself making too many compromises for her marriage that she doesn't even recognize herself anymore, she asks her pro baseball player husband, Gavin, for a divorce. Gavin is devastated and has no idea how to save his marriage. Enter the Bromance Book Club! A few friends and teammates initiate Gavin in their secret group that reads romance novels to help them understand their wives better and how to get in touch with their own feelings and shortcomings. The results lead to funny hijinks, meaningful conversations, and a heartwarming HEA.

Thoughts:This story was simply adorable, and total #relationshipgoals -- if only husbands read romance books to get relationship advice! There are some serious intimacy and relationship issues discussed throughout the book, and IMO the author realistically portrays couples' insecurities and their trepidation with sharing their own shortcomings with others, even if it could help them in solving their issues. While there were some unrealistic aspects of the plot (I don't want to spoil anything here, so I'll leave them out), I really enjoyed the friendship and banter between Gavin and other members of the Bromance Book Club, and Thea's relationship with her sister and their issues with love and relationships stemming from their parents' ugly relationship made the storyline even more realistic and interesting to read. Looking forward to the next installment of the series!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review...

A great read! A wonderful well written story of coming back together and forgiveness, all characters feel so real and normal and I just want more! I loved the vulnerabilities that Gavin and Thea show. So well done.

I'm so late in reading this book. I'd heard a lot of good things about it but I just never got around to reading it until now when it's been chosen as the book of the month for my romance book club. I'm so happy I finally read it. Bromance Book Club was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It's one of the funniest that I've read in a long time. I love the concept of men having a romance book club that they use to actually help them out in their real life romances. The cast of characters were all so likable, except when you were supposed to hate them (looking at you Rachel). I loved that we got a twofer with glimpses inside the romance that Gavin was reading.
As a librarian who loves romance, and often finds myself having to defend the genre, I LOVED how the author talked about genre romance. She used almost word for word arguments I've made myself. I always say that only romance readers can make fun of romance books and I loved how tongue in cheek it was. Gaven and Thea's romance was a good one, they both had to really work hard to make things work. I know it's fiction but I actually thought there was a realness to the book in the sense that it addresses issues that lots of couples face in real life and lots of them just continue faking it until it falls apart. The characters here had to really look inside themselves to understand why they felt the way they did, and also try to see and understand things from their partners perspective. They both really grew through out the book and it was a pleasure reading their journey. I'm not always a fan of second chance romances but this was so very well done. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book. In this series.

Yeah ... I didn’t really enjoy this one. You can tell the author is still trying to learn how to write characters. The couple didn’t read like they were on the brink of a divorce and I didn’t believe that Thea had changed so much over the years. Also their children were annoying ... perhaps I don’t like married with children romances?
At some points I was more into the fake historical romance that Gavin was reading

I love that this book combines two of my fave tropes: sports & marriage-in-trouble. Gavin just got served with bad news: his wife Thea wants a divorce. So what does he do? Well, he does what any smart, alpha man does. Join a book club and read romance novels. 🥰😂
This one was really fun. It had some really hilarious and sweet moments. Plus, it’s really awesome to read about a man who knows he made a mistake and goes out of his way to correct that mistake.

Perfect escape reading. I love Gavin. He is so raw I love the way the characters are developed and having a male as the vulnerable MC really turns the genre upside down so glad there are other stories with these characters

Most contemporary romances focus on new relationships. That’s all fine and dandy but as someone who has been in a long term relationship for 15 years, sometimes I want to read about people in established relationships because I feel like I can relate personally. This book was fun and cute and sexy and hit me where I needed it most right now.

I absolutely loved this story. This author really knows how to get you invested on her characters. The concept of men reading romance books to help better their romantic relationships is wonderful. Its like if your husband would just pay attention during those Hallmark movies we are always watching and get a few pointers. Its hilarious the lengths they go to to keep this club a secret. But back to Noah and Thea, you can appreciate the struggles they go through. It's like they are your friends and you want them to succeed. If you enjoy second chance romances and laughter than you need to read this!

I put this book off for a long time, and now I know why. It just didn’t work for me. I love marriage in trouble books. Seeing a couple fight for their HEA is deeply appealing to me as a romance reader and realist. Reading about a couple stepping back and examining their whirlwind romance? I love it. Or I would have loved it if the heroine had done a little (or a lot) more self-reflection.

Okay, if you’ve read this book you might say, “Girl, the last 5% of the book the heroine realizes the hero isn’t the complete POS she makes him out to be the whole story and feels a little bit of guilt for her own actions.” Okay. Cool. I saw it. I wasn’t convinced. Yes, the hero contributed to the problems in their marriage, but so did the heroine. I love some good old-fashioned groveling… when it’s deserved. I felt like the hero was groveling the whole book and the heroine was sitting on her high horse kicking him.

The heroine had major communication and trust issues that are basically glossed over. I hate it when a heroine expects the hero to read her mind. I marked it down, there were two times in the book where the heroine said, “you should KNOW” as if the hero has some kind of divine insight into the inner workings of her mind. Spoiler, he doesn’t. Plus even when the heroine realizes she has some “small” part in the whole fiasco of their marriage, she doesn’t deliver on the grand gesture because she has to deal with her own emotional baggage.

I don’t want to go “full rant mode” on this book because I do understand why so many readers fell in love. But the sub-par plot and unlikeable characters ruined any “cute” moments derived from the men-reading-romance subplot. I was distressed about the whole situation and the book actually made me upset for a few days. In fact, I was going to give this book a generous two star rating, but writing this review upset me all over again and I knocked off a star.

Overall, I clearly had large problems with this book, but I know it worked with tons of other readers, and I’m glad! I am going to try and move on from this book and maybe, maybe read book two… but probably not because don't even get me started on the sister in this book and she's the heroine of book two.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

My second favorite trope will always be Second Chances. My first favorite trope will always be Enemies to Lovers. I love when characters get second chances at romance together. The Bromance Book Club has the Second Chance trope, and I loved how the male protagonist had to win back his wife by going to a Book Club with his baseball teammates. Romance books can help with relationships. 🙂

Female Protagonist: Thea Scott is the wife of a baseball player, and her marriage with Gavin Scott hasn’t always been about romance. They had a great relationship in the beginning, and then baseball happened and having children. Thea has always faked it with Gavin, and Gavin realizes it one night after a successful play in baseball. I didn’t like Thea in the story and how she reacted towards Gavin. I also didn’t like how she treated Gavin when he was trying to gain her trust again. There were parts I did like about her and how she handled certain situations with other baseball player wives and Gavin being teased with his stutter. Other readers may like her, though, but there were times I wanted to go through the book and tell her off.

Male Protagonist: Gavin Scott is the second baseman for the Nashville Legends Baseball team. I liked his character because he knew he messed up when he left his wife and his children after realizing what Thea was keeping from him. He’s not a perfect character, and he finds out he’s made some mistakes. One thing I loved about the character that makes him different from other male heroes in stories is that he has a stutter. He has been made fun of due to his stutter all his life. Gavin’s wife and his friends have stuck up for him for his stutter several times. I enjoyed Gavin’s character the most int he story because he was willing to win back his wife and be there for his daughters. He fought to prove himself in this book.

Storyline: The Bromance Book Club is all about Gavin, and Thea’s marriage is in trouble due to Gavin finding out that Thea has been faking the O for a while now. Gavin is lost because of it. He ends up leaving, and Thea wants a divorce. It’s up to Gavin’s baseball teammates to teach him the way to win back Thea’s heart by joining their Romance Book Club. Gavin is not allowed to talk about the romance book club. Gavin is going to find a way to win back his wife thanks to a hero in a Regency Romance novel. I loved this storyline because it was different, and I liked how Lyssa Kay Adams had the male characters create a book club to assist them in their relationships, etc. You don’t hear a lot about men reading romance books. My husband has mentioned reading the romance books I read, but he’s not into reading books like I am. Maybe one day he will read one of the books.

Steaminess: Some Steam. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Standalone or Series: It’s part of series, but each can be read as a standalone.

Cliffhanger: No

Trope: Second Chance at Love

Would I recommend this book? Yes, especially if you love books that have the trope Second Chance at Love. I love those kinds of books.

An adventure of a book that had me swooning the entire time. The characters draw you in so that you feel everything they go through. It was nice to see male characters portrayed in a way that showed their raw emotions rather than suppressing them.

Oh my god this book! I was nervous about this one once I found out it was a second chance romance for a married couple but wow did Lyssa Kay DELIVER. I was laughing and swooning through the whole book. I loved all of the characters and cannot wait to read about more of these characters.

I loved getting to know Gavin Scott in this story! The characters were relatable and it was so awesome to see such a strong female lead. This was a quick read, a fun escape, and I was so excited to see that there’s a sequel so we can see Gavin and Thea’s story continue! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I can’t believe I didn’t write a review for this when I read it a few months ago, as it has been one of my top picks for thoroughly satisfying light reads that packs a punch in all the right ways. Especially now that people are looking for something really fun to read to escape for a little while that pulls at your heartstrings, makes you laugh out loud, and gets just the right amount of steamy, “The Bromance Book Club” is a must read! I can’t wait to see what else Adams comes up with next!

Gavin Scott has screwed up his marriage. He's not sure how, but he has, and now his wife wants him out of the house. We meet him as he overindulges in drink at the hotel where he now resides. A group of his professional baseball teammates and few as yet unknown-to-him extras tag along and offer him a chance to get his wife, Thea, back. He doesn't believe that is really possible at that point, but he's willing to try anything. He truly loves Thea and he doesn't want to lose his two beautiful twin daughters either. His friends let him in on a secret club that's been operating right under his nose: a book club for men that exclusively reads romance novels. These guys have discovered the shocking truth of romance novels: that they are written for women and contain nuggets of wisdom that might be useful to men in terms of understanding what women want. At first Gavin is hostile and skeptical of the idea, but he wants Thea back, and he's willing to give it a try.

Thea has put up with a lot since marrying Gavin. Being a professional baseball players wife comes with significant social expectations, and Thea really doesn't fit it. Fed up with the way that the other wives and girlfriends have treated her and frustrated with Gavin's absences, both physically and emotionally, she has drawn her line in the sand. Thea is ready to move on from that life and embrace the dreams that she put on hold when she met Gavin. With the support of her sister, Thea agrees to an ultimatum with Gavin that will get him out of her life for good.

This story was both humorous and extremely sexy. There's a lot of description of what goes on in the bedroom, especially since that is a central conflict in the story. There's also a story within the story, which is the romance novel that Gavin is reading while trying to remedy the situation with Thea. In addition to the romance storyline, we also get to know Thea as she embraces her new life and comes to terms with the past that made her so hesitant to live out a fairytale. Of the two main characters, I definitely preferred reading about what was going on with her embracing her own power as opposed to Gavin getting over his ego to understand that he neglected her. It's always nice to see a romance novel tackle the bigger issues in relationships, and complacency in marriage, while not unique, is certainly important.

I loved the concept of men treating romance novels as though they were textbooks. To a certain extent, it's a realistic option for men who are trying to figure out how to communicate with women. I like that Adams is addressing the problems that arise when women think relationships are going to turn out like romance novels and then are disappointed in reality. By the time I got around to reading this galley, the second book in the series had just released, and according to Amazon, there's going to be a third addition to the series releasing in October. Adams definitely isn't wasting any time, and it looks like the second book in the series extrapolates a romance that was hinted at in the first book.

All in all, I think romance readers are going to enjoy this addition to the canon. The book got great reviews when it came out and has topped several recommended romance reading lists since then.

I loved this book SO much! I finally got around to it after reading so many rave reviews. I loved the way it subverted romance novels and had a strong feminist perspective while still maintaining all the usual romance novel tropes. I have the next book waiting in my queue and can't wait to pick it up.