Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Well I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The Bromance Book Club is the first book in a new series by Lyssa Kay Adams as well as the first book I have read by Ms. Adams and it most certainly will not be my last. This gem had hunky men, a bookclub and lots of opportunities for this reader to laugh.

The tale begins with Gavin musing over the news (in a big drunken way I might add) that his wife of three years and mother of his twin daughters has asked for a divorce. What is a guy to do? Friends of Gavin’s are not willing to let him mope and certainly NOT give up. Unbeknownst to Gavin, his buddies have formed a book club, a secret romance book club… hilarious idea, yet… very interesting to see the logic as to why the men believed in this SO much.

A quote which stuck with me:

“The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club”

The “guys” take Gavin in because Gavin and his wife were their OTP (one true pairing) so the “guys” could not let a divorce happen! Gavin must read a romance book (Courting the Countess) chosen by the book club. And IF he takes to heart the story, he just may be able to save his marriage – or so the book club members say.

At the heart of the story is an important lesson – trust in a marriage is everything. And communication is very important. Gavin has a tough task but early on I empathized with Gavin. I rooted the whole time for Gavin to have an epiphany. Luckily for him, he did AND he has a VERY forgiving wife. The steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess provide Gavin with more than just grand gestures and flowery words, it also showed Gavin that a relationship worth saving is a relationship that takes – you know the four letter word – WORK. I was glad to see that both parties were amenable to work, for the sake of their relationship and their children.

The story had it all, depth of story-line along with light and laugh out loud moments. And let us not forget the hot and steamy moments as well. I enjoyed the idea of the all male book club. Gavin’s buddies were so on point it was scary (and refreshing). An interesting twist on the story – a rom com (romantic comedy) from a male perspective. A perspective I have not read often.

From the very beginning, I was engaged with the story-line and the terrific writing. I can hardly wait to read the next story in the series, Undercover Bromance.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this one! It was a refreshing take on my typical romance reading! I can't wait to read the next one.

First, this one featured a married couple, which I loved! Our hero, a sexy baseball player, and his sweet wife have hit some trouble. Easy to understand when you learn how their relationship started. Like many married couples, they loved each other, but were having a hard time telling each other what was wrong and what they needed. Enter the bromace book club, a club of men, who secretly read romance novels to help their troubled relationships. The men in this club, trying to figure out what women need, are hilarious!

The relationships between our two main characters and their support groups were just as good as the relationship they had with each other. Watching this couple fight through their trouble and make their way back to each other was delightful and oh so satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

First Impressions...
Absolutely LOVED The Bromance Book Club! I loved Thea and I loved Gavin, and I'm definitely excited to see what else the Bromance Book Club is going to get into!!!

This Book In 5 Words:
Brotastic. Enlightening. Fun. Heartening. Dramatic.

What Did I Like:
- The whole "Bromance" Book Club aspect was amazing! I loved the book club concept and love, love, loved how the guys supported each other and turned to romance books to help them fix their marital issues and better understand their partners! Such a neat idea!

- The amazing way that feminism and equality were handled throughout the story. I absolutely LOVED how much conversation was had throughout this book. I loved that the guys actually talked things out and how they worked together and pushed each other to become better feminists. Honestly, the way the men discussed women's issues and how to better understand their partners, who in this book happened to be women, was absolutely wonderful. Gavin was a bit oblivious sometimes, but he genuinely wanted to learn and his bros totally helped him. I really loved seeing him open up to their help and push himself to understand what went wrong in his relationship with Thea. :)

- The way that Gavin and Thea worked to get to know each other and to heal their relationship. Some of the arguments and drama in this story were a bit ridiculous and not necessarily believable, but I did love that once Gavin and Thea were both committed to trying to heal their relationship that their communication did improve.

- Both Thea and Gavin had some emotional hang-ups in regards to their self-confidence, and I loved that they both accepted each other as they were. They didn't try to fix each other, but instead focused on supporting their partner which was so lovely. :)

What Didn't I Like:
- While I loved this book in general, I did find that while reading I felt like I was distanced from Thea and Gavin, and I didn't quite connect with them as well as I would've liked. I think it was a bit of a combo of the tense that the book was written in and the fact that when this book starts Gavin and Thea are already in a relationship, so we kind of missed the whole beginning of their story.

Star Rating:
★★★★.5

Overall, I loved THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB! I loved the whole idea of the book club full of guys reading romance books in order to better understand women, and the execution of the club was even better than I'd hoped for! I really enjoyed Thea and Gavin's story despite feeling a bit distanced from them, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with our favourite bros and book club in future books! ;)

An interesting concept. Fun and funny read. I was happy when Gavin finally woke up and realized he also deserved better!

Such a cute story that had me smiling like a fool and laughing out loud. Amazing characters too! Each were so vivid and dynamic, that practically leaped off the pages. It does get a bit predictable, but hey most romancy books are, this does not take away any from the amazing story.

Super cute and fun! Even better than I expected!

I think it’s a good book club read too. I will recommend to those who enjoy a good contemporary.

One of the better romances I have read in a while! The men were a little one dimensional, but I loved the tone and the writing style, and the idea for this one was so unique and fun. Definitely recommend this book for rom-com lovers, or someone looking for something fresh and different in the romance genre.

I adored this book so much!
Gavin and Thea were such a great couple to root for. I really fell for them and their relationship; I felt like their struggles were so real and relatable. It was so clear that they loved and respected each other, they just didn't know how to deal with this big bump in their marriage. Their daughters were adorable as well-I absolutely loved all of the scenes with them as a family! Gavin was such a hands on dad, and Thea was the organized mom I want to be.
All of the men in the Bromance Book Club were hilarious. The scenes of their meetings were so, so funny to read because they didn't shy away from how much they loved their romance books, and I loved how supportive of each other they all were.
This book made me laugh and blush and squeal, in all the best ways. I loved it so, so much. I can't wait for the sequel!

When Gavin Scott’s marriage is in trouble, his Major League Baseball team comes to his aide. Gavin recently discovered that his wife had been “faking” it for their entire marriage. The blow to his masculinity, causes him to stop talking to his wife. As a result, his wife, Thea, asks for a divorce. At a lose for what to do, Gavin turns to his team for help. In comes the Bromance book club. The first rule of the Bromance book club is that you don’t talk about the book club, and the second rule is that you don’t use the book for ideas on how to treat your wife. It should just be a guide to how women would like men to treat them.
The book follows Gavin, as he reads Courting the Countess, and gains insight into what he needs to do to win his wife back.
I personally loved this book. Between the actual story and the romance novel inside of the book that Gavin and his team were reading, I thought the story was very well written and was very unique. It was a interesting premise and if men actually read romance novels it would probably give them much needed insight into what it is their partners wanted from them.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and unique. The idea that there big bad men who read romance novels to help them communicate with their significant others is just hilarious. Professional baseball player Gavin Scott just found out that is his wife Thea has been faking it. Humiliated, he moves out of their bedroom. Thea decides that they should divorce, and Gavin will do anything to keep his family together. He loves his wife and wants to work things out. Realizing that he is out of his element, his friends offer their support in the form of inviting him to their book club. Each member has ran in to problems with the opposite sex and they find that if they read romance novels it can help them. This was such a great idea for a book! I loved the big, strong guys talking about the books. Such a fresh and fun take on book clubs!

I didn't like the way the men in this book spoke about women, romance reading or anything else really.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this one since I saw so many positive reviews. The relationship between Gavin and Thea is raw and heartfelt. It’s about second chances and falling in love all over again. This was a super cute and heartfelt read. I can’t wait to read the next book

Do you ever pick up a book that just brings joy into your life?

This book is so much fun!

When a professional baseball player finds his marriage on the rocks, he seeks out help from his friends... a group of alpha males trying to be better husbands and partners by learning more about women through romance books and Pinterest.

A witty, humorous, and heart-melting rom-com with touch of steam and a full supporting character cast to enjoy!

Gavin is a really great character. He has all of the right feelings, but he is clueless how to express them effectively. He’s super attractive and successful, but the book works because Gavin has some other characteristics that make it understandable that he has confidence issues, the most prominent being his stutter.

I felt that the trailer makes it sound as though their physical challenges in the bedroom are the reason for their separation. To me, that minimizes both the depth of their relationship, as well as the difficult problems they were facing. While her admission that she has been faking orgasms is the spark, the bigger issue is that Thea has been faking other parts of their relationship too--communication, happiness, and fulfillment.

Adams drew a very real portrayal of marital issues. I actually found this book so refreshing, because outside of the laugh-out-loud moments, Adams brought us a couple whose path to reconciliation was not easy. This wasn’t a simple case of an orgasm-can-fix-this. Thea and Gavin have real issues to work through and they need to communicate much more openly than either is comfortable with. It also made their ultimate conclusion to their story authentic and deeply satisfying.

The one part of this book that didn’t work as well for me was actually Thea’s sister Liv. I found Liv to be unnecessarily hateful towards Gavin, and her negativity really brought down the story at times. Interestingly, the next book in this series promises to focus on Liv and a man who I don’t believe we saw in this book. I’ll definitely read it because I loved this so much, and I think there is more to Liv than what we saw in this book. She did come through at the end with some great support for Thea!

There is a scene where the men try to understand Pinterest that had me laughing out loud. There is particular emphasis on them trying to understand the appeal of washi tape that I think will have almost every woman—whether that’s their thing or not—laughing along with the book!

Five glowing stars from me! It brought happiness and laughs to my life! Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

The Bromance Book Club is compulsively readable (so much so that I carried it everywhere, including at my friend's birthday party, searching for moments that I could sneak in a couple of pages), funny, charming, and I want more - much, much more! Gavin and Thea's romance is really sweet and it is refreshing to read about a married couple putting effort and work to rebuild their relationship. And the scenes with the book club guys - oh, they really steal the show! If there is one complaint, it's there is not enough scenes with them! I want to see more of them and I hope one day there is a book about the founding of the Bromance Book Club.

THIS SERIES IS GOLD TO ME!!! I absolutely loved this book and the super evolved big and tough men reading romance novels to guide their lives. This kind of storyline is so so so needed in our novels!

Although romance novels often top bestseller lists and are eagerly devoured by scores of readers worldwide, the genre is also the butt of many jokes and criticisms --- after all, anything made predominantly by and for women will always be under intense scrutiny, particularly by stuffy critics. But in recent years, this slight has taken a turn for the better. With the arrival of authors like Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory and Helen Hoang, romance has seen a dramatic rise in both editorial coverage and attention from readers who claim to dislike romance. So the question remains: Why aren’t men reading one of the most popular, bestselling genres out there?

In THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB, author Lyssa Kay Adams answers that question with a story that is equal parts hilarious and intelligent, feminist and romantic. Combining deservedly popular tropes with a fresh premise and some purely delightful characters, she invites a whole new world of readers to swoon with one of the most beautiful romances of 2019.

According to his fans, Nashville Legends baseball player Gavin Scott has it all: he is handsome, ripped, has a smoking hot wife, and he just hit the grand slam of his career. But what no one knows is that the night that should have been the highlight of his life is also the worst. Shortly after his career-making play, Gavin learns that his wife, Thea, has been unhappy for most of their marriage and --- even more disturbing --- has been faking it. Rocked by what he feels is an attack on his masculinity and horrified by his own shortcomings, Gavin shuts down, and Thea asks for a divorce. Enter the Bromance Book Club.

Drunk, smelly and sporting a three-day-o’clock shadow, Gavin is accosted by his teammate and best friend, Dell, along with a more surprising character: Braden Mack, owner of several Nashville nightclubs. The two clean up Gavin --- not without some well-deserved jabs at his appearance --- and demand to know what happened to cause his separation from Thea. Most importantly, they need to know if Gavin cheated. If he did, they can’t help him, but if he didn’t, he is to appear at their first official meeting the following day. Oh, and under no circumstances is he to visit his wife.

Naturally, Gavin does just that; he turns up red-eyed and slow, giving Thea even more reason to doubt him. While she is parenting their three-year-old twins, he looks like he is out on the town, enjoying his celebrity status. Defeated, heartbroken and very hungover, Gavin reports to Dell’s house, where he learns that Dell, a few other professional athletes and several local businessmen are part of a secret...book club? The situation is hilarious, and Gavin’s shock plays directly against the men’s ability to guess at parts of his marriage he never even knew were issues until it was too late.

The men explain that they read romance novels to become better husbands and boyfriends --- but not just the sexy parts. They read to learn about issues like toxic masculinity, consent, communication and emotional maturity. And like playboys with hearts of gold, they are all whip-smart, keenly attuned to the plights of women, and ready to help Gavin become the same. All he has to do is read Courting the Countess, the novel that they feel most adequately mirrors his own situation.

If you’re not laughing out loud at this point, you haven’t fully imagined Gavin’s face of shock and horror. But THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB is not just a hilarious comedy; Adams digs deep into the problems that many couples face and puts her characters to work to use books to examine their own lives and relationships. For Gavin, this means making several predictable missteps (with terrific commentary from his fellow book clubbers) as he tries desperately to rebuild his marriage. But as the men in his club remind him, it’s not about proving to Thea that he wants her (duh!) --- it’s about making her want him.

As Gavin moves back into his home and starts courting Thea, she begins her own journey of self-discovery. Thea became pregnant shortly after dating Gavin, and before she knew it, she was a professional baseball player’s wife and an unwilling (but pastel-covered) member of the WAG club (that’s wives and girlfriends for those of you not married to professional athletes). Now she is realizing that she has conformed to the wife Gavin needed rather than the young lady he started dating, or the woman she dreamed of becoming. With both characters on a path to becoming themselves and learning to date and love one another again, it’s going to take more than a few chapters of Courting the Countess to bring them back together. Luckily for Gavin and Thea, the Bromance Book Club has their backs.

This is one of those rare books that is just as funny as it is heartwarming, and just as romantic as it is intelligent. Adams does an outstanding job of unpacking toxic masculinity --- and not just the myriad ways it affects women. She also explores the dangers for men, and how they can stand against it for themselves and the women around them. At the same time, she champions the romance genre and reminds us that, as a branch of literature written by and for women, it's a place where female desires, experiences and emotions are given center stage. And it’s a heck of a good time.

Gavin’s journey, of course, makes up the main plot of the book, but Thea’s is equally fleshed out. To see the two characters grow and develop while still reaching for and learning from one another makes for one of the most heartwarming romances I’ve read in some time. Additionally, the members of Gavin’s book club --- from best friend Dell to charismatic Braden --- add tons of terrific commentary and sarcastic jabs. The way that they educate and help Gavin was, for me, the highlight of the book and made it accessible on so many wonderful levels.

Written with brilliance, humor and a true love of the romance genre, THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB is perfect for readers of all ages, backgrounds and genders. This would make an excellent book club read, especially for those who enjoyed THE FRIEND ZONE, THE BUCKET LIST or any romance novel (fun fact: Adams intersperses Gavin's and Thea’s stories with snippets from Courting the Countess). Great news for all you bromancers out there: this is only the first book in the series!

Yes, yes, yes, YES. This is exactly what I want in my romance books - a lot of heart, a lot of laughs, a lot of banter, and some good, well, romance! I was hooked on this story from basically the opening chapter, and it never let me go (so much so that I finished it in one day, practically in one sitting)!

I really liked the romance positive nature of the book, and a lot of the observations the men made in their book club were totally spot on and pretty hilarious. Thea & Gavin went through a lot in the scope of this book, but I loved that it was made clear that it wasn't just one person or the other that carried all of the blame; it was way more realistic this way.

The only thing that kept this one from being a 5 star read for me is the slightly aggressive nature of Gavin as he was initially trying to win Thea back - some parts of it just didn't sit right with me, as they had been having issues with sex and trying to seduce her with sex didn't really seem like it wasn't going to be the answer.

Overall this one comes HIGHLY recommended from me, and having already read the follow up, Undercover Bromance, I can say with complete certainty that it only gets better from here!

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This is no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

This is my first read from Adams and I really enjoyed it. I'll admit to some frustration with Thea but overall I really loved the overall premise and I'm really excited for the rest of the series!

Good second chance romance but the main heroine annoyed at times. The hero was much better and I enjoyed reading about their relationship that he made every effort to make better. It has a good perspective on the male point of view but I wish it has better female relationships.

This was a different take on a romance novel that I really enjoyed. Not only were the dudes great to read, they were also woke. Never something to complain about. I loved reading about Gavin trying to win Thea back and I thoroughly enjoyed the side characters. A fun, satisfying HEA and I was happy. Definitely would recommend.