Fast read very enjoyed. I truly like the ending! The writing style was easy to understand. I also liked that it was told in a males perspective.

I'm disappointed with the outcome of the book. I was liking it the beginning because the story was super entertaining, it obviously has several cliches and it reminded me of The Kissing Booth because of the rules and that. Unfortunately, I was waiting for the drama, and it didn't happen, where were the punches and the "I'll stop talking to you for months"?.

The narration style of this book was challenging for me, just because while I understood that the entire basis of this book was based on "bro culture," it was different to read everything from such an inflated bro-based lens.

I didn't really have any particularly strong connections with any of the characters, especially the "bros" and how their behavior was always excused for in certain ways, and by the time some of the toxic aspects of the culture were addressed I was already tired of it all. It didn't feel like a monumental moment for Nick either, just like an "oh."

In general, I appreciated the steps that the author took to try and write that moment and create it when so much of the book involved heavy influences of the bro culture, but I don't think that the pacing and overall narrative style worked for me this time.

I really enjoyed this book.
It was funny and enjoyable, overall a very fast and easy read that I enjoyed.

Bros before hoes
Typical frat boy type high-school boys. Don't date your friends siblings. But of course that's what happens and things go sideways like you know it would. Also shows how guys can just get away with a lot of stuff because us girls just think its normal

Thank you Net Galley, author and publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. I have to admit, for this particular young adult novel I might actually be too old (it’s not you, it’s me).
So, this book is about Nick – one of the Bros, high school senior, soccer team captain, an only child for his parents, who falls in love with his best friend's little sister. The story is about them finding a path to each other while dealing with a lot of high school drama, bad experiences, pressure from parents, and uncertain future decisions. On top of it, there is a Bro code he and all his best friends follow, that cannot be broken no matter what. As you can guess, Bro code does not allow to have a crush on bro’s sibling.

This was easy and light read. Overall, I liked the story and I think there are some very important topics captured that young people should be aware of and talk more about. However, I am left with a feeling that the author decided to go the easiest way and not address them properly. Issues felt brushed away without consequences. However, I see where the author was going with this because there was character growth through the book. I wish she would have pushed even further.

The whole story was told around bro-code. I have to be honest, in some parts of the story, it was confusing and too exaggerated. I liked how it captured the essence of the story and highlighted trust and friendship, but in some parts, it felt fake and overplayed. It left me feeling that this is more how we girls see boys, rather than how they actually interact with each other. I would really want to read a bro-code book written by a male author.

Overall, this was a cute read -- definitely for a younger audience than myself. The blurb for this one is what initially grabbed my attention. I am always a sucker for a cute, YA romance. The writing of the male characters was definitely over the top with the pro-bro language, but I think you have to go in expecting that by the title of the book. I wish some of the heavier topics would have been explored a little more instead of glossed over. I think more young readers could have benefited from more detail/analysis/explanation. This is good if you just need a light read that doesn't require much thinking that you can finish in one sitting.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

favorite quote: "We kissed until the sky turned purple, savoring each other until the last ray of sun had set our hearts on fire."

If that's not the cutest quote you ever read, I don't know what is. I honestly had so many mixed feelings throughout the book. Part of me loved a lot of it but I was slightly annoyed with the entire mention of the bro code throughout the book. I though the quotes and the way Nick thought about the bro code as well as his friends was a bit too immature. It doesn't make sense anymore, it is more of an unspoken rule between guys in high school, but the fact that it was mentioned I thought overdid it. I did love the chemistry between Nick and Eliza, so I enjoyed this story a lot.

*ARC book received in exchange for honest review*

The idea behind this book sounded so great!

Overall the book was not bad. The voice of the story sounded very young. I think maybe I was not the intended audience and it might be more well suited for younger teens. It was difficult to stay motivated to read the story only because I couldn’t relate to these characters. It also felt like a female writing from a male perspective rather than actually reading a males perspective, if that makes sense.

I see a sold base for growth from the author and I think we could expect great things from her as she grows. This story just was not for me.

Formatting:
I’m not sure if it was just to arc copy or if the final looks the same, but it was very difficult to focus on the text do to some major formatting errors. Sometimes there was no indent at the beginning of each paragraph and other times there was. There were also some spacing and typo issues throughout. Seems like it just needs a bit more editing to smooth out some wrinkles! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC. :)

Reading this, I wasn't sure if the male characters were intentionally written as over-the-top bros, or if there are still high school students who acted like this. Regardless, I think this would be a good read for reluctant male readers, and might be an especially important one for those student who might be most likely to unironically use "bro" on the regular.

This book had all the makings and potential to be a phenomenal book however it just fell a little short. In terms of romance, it was extremely cute. I loved reading the interactions and the romance between the two main characters. Where this book failed to deliver is everything else. I really appreciate that the story was trying to tackle social issues/themes such as toxic masculinity, misogyny, LGBTQ+ issues, etc. However, the way they were presented and dealt with felt a little juvenile for me personally. The way the characters talked about the Bro Code or something regarding those themes was a little underdeveloped for me. This definitely leans on the younger side of YA. I am not going to give this a low rating just because it wasn't my cup of tea, this was still a fun read and I am sure this book will find someone out there and become a favorite. I feel like this is perfect for young teenagers trying to get into YA contemporary romance that deals with deeper themes and issues and has more meat to the book other than just the romance between the main characters.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a free arc of the novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

- 3.5 stars -

one of my favorite tropes has to be "falling for my best friend's sibling", right after "falling for my best friend". THE BRO CODE tells the sweet story of Nick, "certified original bro," who falls in love with his best friend's, Carter, little sister, Eliza. in its essence, this is the story of the trials and tribulations of high school. Nick and his friends are high school seniors who are trying to balance school, sports, and their social lives, including their friendship and romantic relationships (or lack thereof). 

this book brought me back to my high school days, when i was worried about passing exams and turning in essays on time, visiting colleges and deciding on majors. though i never had the pressure of also trying to make a collegiate sports team, the memories were all there. i could relate to the pressure that Nick was feeling on wanting to do well on his interview and get into a good school. the depiction of his relationship with his dad was very real: his dad was once a soccer star in college but his career was cut short, so he was pushing those lost dreams onto Nick. throughout the book i felt that Nick's dad was being too hard on him, but i'm glad they were able to have a heart to heart by the end. 

there was a young voice to Elizabeth Seibert's writing, which is fitting because it is a YA book, but for some reason it struck me as very juvenile, even though i am a YA lover through and through. it was fast-paced and an easy read, though, which is exactly what i needed between the other books i had read. i also appreciated some of the themes that appeared--toxic masculinity, LGBTQ+ issues, harassment, and the power of words--and how they were handled for a younger audience. i do think that some of it could have been unpacked more, had the topic been discussed in greater detail in the plot. 

overall, THE BRO CODE is a nice, light read about making it through high school, learning who your real friends are, and falling in love (for real) for the first time. Nick and Eliza's journey to each other is also really sweet--the epitome of high school love! three out of five stars from me!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 1.5/5 Stars
Plot: 1/5 Stars
Setting: 1/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5 Stars
Writing: 2/5 Stars
Memorability: 1/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
I really wanted to like this novel, however, I felt that everything was cliche and made the story such a common one. There was nothing special about it, and I just couldn’t get past the first half of the novel. This is one of my shorter reviews as I didn’t finish the novel, but I had a few thoughts on it that I wanted to express.

~Other Information~
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Page Count: 320 pages
Release Date: September 22, 2020

~Quick Synopsis~
Nick is friends with Carter and Austin, he sticks to their Bro Code, which must never be broken any under circumstances. That is until he has a crush on Carter’s sister and Austin’s ex, Eliza. He must decide whether he risks it all for Eliza or whether he stays true to his friends and their code of friendship.

~Characters~
I actually somewhat liked the characters. I totally see Eliza and Nick working out great together, they had great chemistry. However, I felt like all of the characters were written like how an adult imagined teenagers acting/interacting with each other. It just felt fake to me, but nevertheless I enjoyed the characters.

~Writing and Setting~
The writing style of The Bro Code was just not for me, and I found it very confusing. There were way too many details in a lot of places and too little detail in others, which I found very frustrating.

For as long as I read the novel, the setting had absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bro Code definitely takes place recently, but it just wasn’t important to the story, at all.

~Plot~
I was really interested in The Bro Code when I first requested it, and was so, so excited to read the novel. However, after reading through the first half of the novel, it became clear that this story was just like many others. There was nothing special about this novel, which really disappointed me. I cannot speak for the second half of the novel, as I did not finish it, but I was so disinterested that I could not continue reading.

~Overall Review~
I really wanted to like this novel, the book description had my expectations through the roof. This novel was just not for me, I just didn’t like it. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t like the novel. As I said, The Bro Code was just not my style.

Maybe I’m a little too old to be reading this book but I honestly don’t remember there being so many bro codes. I definitely didn’t follow or get them.

I was excited to read a book through the eye of a males but it was a bit too “bro-y” for me and began to annoy me. I skimmed most of the book and it took me a long time to get through it because of that. I do think important topics are discussed such as sexism and sexuality and assault but I don’t like the way it was executed exactly. Thank you for the advanced copy netgalley and to the publisher!

Okay, after the first half of the book I had my review ready – that the book was okay and fluffy. However, the second part of the book was much better. Despite it all being a fluffy read for teenagers, it talks about some important topics – for example, gender discrimination and consent. I admire how the author incorporated these important issues into the book, so when a teenager reads it they can learn something.
I enjoyed the idea of the book - I'm never getting tired of best friend's sister/brother's best friend trope. It's just a classic trope I love, but I had a very hard time getting through this book since the writing was not my thing. In my mind, the characters were a bit flat – I wish we could get to know more of their characters traits throughout the book. I liked the references to different movies, and I liked the friendship between Carter, Austin and Nick (though I think Austin was a bit omitted in some parts). I was a bit disappointed because they all acted like such stereotypical high school characters – the player, the nerd etc. I enjoyed the part where at the beginning of every chapter there is a bro rule – some of them were adorable, and some were pretty weird.
Overall, it is a nice read when you want to relax. It was a bit annoying for me though, but I think I might be too old for teenage books (I’m not suited to sustain such amounts of awkwardness and cringe). And, there is a big plus for approaching a serious issue in an approachable way.

I struggled a bit with this book. I really liked the love story between Nick and Eliza, and for me, that was the saving grace of this book. I liked their characters and interactions. But so much of the book focused on the "bro code," which was often sexist and played into the toxic culture of masculinity that we have today. Thankfully that was addressed at various points in the book, but I still feel like the final code was not quite where it needs to be. I think it was a good effort at addressing the bro culture in the time of the #MeToo movement, but I just don't think it completely hit the mark.

Overall, I liked the story and the romance plot, but I just feel like some of the details could have been better. The story often felt disjointed and I had a hard time paying attention at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book!

honestly, i'm not sure why i actually read this whole book, since i wanted to dnf it for a while, but i never actually stopped reading this, and i honestly regret it.

one of my biggest issue with this book is the talk about "bros before hoes." it was just so sexists and annoying because they just made random crap up, about "bro cannot hit another bro with a dodge ball." and more and more and it was just so stupid because it was more drama here and there. and they honestly said 'bro' literally 1,000 times in this damn book. and the whole 'villain' of the book was so good in the end of the book, since he did tell all the boys to shove it.

like i already said, i have no clue with what happened in the end of the book. it just didn't make sense, so i honestly just skim read. because it was honestly so annoying with all this stupid talk about literally everything and anything.

the writing style wasn't even good. it was just so cringey and she tried to write like a teenager, when they don't write like this what so ever. and it was just so annoying that this happened. and that they used like "deffffff" and "bisexys."

this is going to be a spoiler- but i really hated the whole rape talk. and that we learn (????) that Austin and Carter sexuality assault a two girls (one each.) but i honestly don't know if they actually did, but from what i read, i believe they did and it was so annoying and it was honestly just brushed over.

this will also be a spoiler- but i really hate how the bisexual and being queer was talked about in this book. i feel like it was pretty toxic and nick was like "oh it's kinda weird that you are." and just like never that open to talk about his sexuality. and it honestly grossed me off and i'm not even gonna lie.

i also thought it was so weird that the main characters love interest is Eliza, when the authors name is Elizabeth. it honestly felt like the author's high school fantasies that probably never happened. but, it still made me uncomfortable.

Nick- i really hated his character so much. he was such a dick and his whole personality was, my friends are always right, soccer, and getting into college. i personality didn't care for him and he annoyed me.

Eliza-unlike Nick, she didn't have a personality, less then what Nick had. all that she did, and what we got told about her, she only liked orange, she drew, and that she lived in Australia fora little bit. it was just so annoying.

trigger warnings- rape and bad talk talk about sexuality

This trope, I don't think I could ever get over this trope. So many amazing books written about this trope and this is another one that does not disappoint. While there were certain aspects of this book that felt a tad bit repetitive, I did enjoy it.

DNF around 40%.

I was intrigued by the concept, and wanted to expand my horizons since I don't read as many books with a male narrator. But it was just way too bro-y for me. There were moments where the characters attempted to seem woke, but it didn't land. They'd bring up #MeToo and white privilege but just in passing. And the characters didn't seem to practice what they preached. Overall, the boys kind of turned me off, and the story just wasn't for me. Not to say it wouldn't work better for someone else!