Series: The Bromance Book Club, #1
Author: Lyssa Kay Adams
Publication Date: November 05, 2019
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Add to: Goodreads / Amazon
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 stars)
The first rule of book club:
You don't talk about book club.
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.
Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.
Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
I know, I KNOW, a lot of people like (even love) this book but it truly wasn't it for me. Yes, there were some parts that were memorable and fun and sweet AND HILARIOUS but majority of the time I was just so tired of the progress of their relationship. Now, I'm not a married person but it's not that hard to realize that when you're in a relationship (marriage or not), YOU COMMUNICATE. YOU MAKE AN EFFORT - ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED THROUGH PROPER COMMUNICATION. I don't like typing so much in caps lock but please do read that in the tone you read when the words are capitalized.
I love the idea of the book club where the men are reading romance novels. I love how these guys made an effort in saving their relationships and are actually trying to be better not just for their partners but also for themselves. It was also really precious and funny reading them help Gavin out with their own knowledge from the books they read. I also appreciate how Gavin was actually trying. He was reluctant at first and thought it was a waste of time but he did try. Because he wants to save his marriage. Because he realized he was also at fault and wants to be better for Thea, for the kids, and for himself. Because he still loves Thea deep down. And that really made my heart happy.
Thea was the biggest issue here. And also her sister, Liz, but that's for later. I can understand the trust issues given the sisters growing up in a broken home and being unloved but that doesn't excuse you to be shitty to your partner? You being mad at them for feeling angry at you lying and using the fact that you have trust issues and your broken home as an excuse to justify it? NO. If you have those problems, then why marry Gavin? Why put your partner in that position and constantly painting them as the bad person when they're trying to hard to make things right and you're the one who won't even meet them halfway? I was actually hurt AND TIRED for Gavin. Also Liz was like an annoying and spoiled sister who seemed to act like the president of the Anti Gavin Club and the constant force who always tells Thea that she's in the right even though there were a ton of times when she really wasn't.
Thea and Gavin's chemistry was actually really good when they're also good. And I really would've loved it if their relationship didn't took a dive down when things were starting to get better. Anyone who's read this would know or let me spoil it here via highlight (: when things were going so smooth and happy and they were happy and I was happy but she found out the romance novel in his closet and she got HELLA PISSED! Lorrrdddd... I really wanna fucking fight her. And continued to piss me off when she was accusing him of being fake lmaooo. AND GAVIN WAS STILL THE ONE WHO TRAVELED BACK JUST TO FIX THE MESS. I couldn't even...). SIGHING SO LOUD. This was supposed to be a favorite trope of mine: second-chance romance and the marriage on the rocks tropes. The execution though? POOR.
Also what's with the deal with their twins? I'm trying to do the math here and guess their age (or it might have been mentioned and I missed it) because I'm pretty sure they're around 2-3 years old but they talk like... 6-8 years old.... Was the age mentioned? Can someone help me here, please. Thank you.
I am still interested in continuing this series though.
The book club and the members were the highlight of this book.
I will admit, I struggled a bit with Thea, and I felt like she kept all her grievances to herself for way too long, but I still loved this book. I loved Gavin, the twins, and all the Bros. I had a great time reading it. I laughed, I cried, I swooned -- it was all there for me.
ReplyDeleteYES! You nailed my feelings, too, Chai! I enjoyed this one more than you (I gave it 3.5 stars) but not nearly as much as everyone else seemed to. And my aim reason: Thea. Ugh! The fact that she kept silent for 3 YEARS about her issues with Gavin and then was resentful when he didn’t read her mind and figure it all out... grrr! It took her way too omg to finally realize she was partly to blame. She was all too willing to paint him as the bad guy and kick him out. And don’t even get me started on her sister, Couldn’t stand her! I get being supportive of your sister, but she was actively using Thea to end the marriage. You just DON’T meddle in other people’s marriages. That’s a big NO. I did love Gavin, though. And his friends. And the humor. So it wasn’t all bad for me.
ReplyDeleteLol, you are one of the few who aren't raving about how incredible this book is and I appreciate that! I haven't read it. Part of me wants to but I honestly dont know if I will... I think Thea would annoy me and ruin the book, to be honest. But I'm curious... So so curious. So, who knows!
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