User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
this story is cute, funny, heartwarming, a tad bit steamy, and a realistic portrayal of what it means to work to save a marriage. i really enjoy when a book is pure entertainment, but can also teach value life lessons in the process. and i didnt expect such depth from this story, but its what i got and i couldnt be happier.
and while i did enjoy the story, i was really impressed with the writing. the pacing is phenomenal and there is no wasted page, no wasted scene. everything has a purpose and, even though there are some really entertaining scenes, they also play an important role in the narrative.
as i admired the writing, i couldnt help but find myself really rooting for the main characters. i knew how it would end, but i was still invested in their effort to work on their marriage.
overall, this has some really great storytelling and im so ready for the sequel to be released!
↠ 4 stars
Rating: really liked it
“You guys read romance novels?”
“We call them manuals.”
Gavin Scott, second baseman to the Nashville Legends,
seems to have it all under control.
His career has taken off like crazy, he has a gorgeous wife and two twin daughters - everything is coming up aces...or is it?
He loses his cool when he learns that
Thea has been faking it in the bedroom and his reaction was the straw that broke the camel's back for her.
Thea asks for a divorce and Gavin is devastated. He has no idea how things got to this - he's desperate enough to try anything.
And that's when...he gets an invite to the most exclusive of groups.
“Book club isn't just about books.”
The guys have figured it out - women write romance books for other women.
They are literally writing out what to do in every situation under the sun - and men just never bother to pick them up.
Will this be enough to save his marriage? Or is it too little, too late?
Well, let's just say that Gavin has a lot of reading to do?
“First rule of book club?”
They finished in unison. “You don’t talk about book club.”
This one ended up being SUPER cute!
I really did not expect to love this one so much - so special shout out to Tucker the Reader for putting this one on my radar!
This book was such
a fun role-reversal with the way romance occurred.
I LOVED watching the guys pour over the romance books - nitpicking them and tearing them apart as they sought out the hidden messages and tips for rebuilding the relationships.
I also adored the twins in this book - I very (very) rarely enjoy children in books (they often feel just too...precocious...) but this time I was quite pleased with the way they were written. The girls were cute but never cloying.
I do think there was
a smidge too much cheese - the constant winking did stick out like a sore thumb - but other than that, this book worked really well.
I cannot WAIT for the next one!! YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
2.5 starsA light hearted second chance sports romance, which sadly didn’t really deliver I seem to be in the minority here, but I didn’t love this. I thought I would, as it’s a sports romance, and is a story about a couple staying together, getting a second chance. It even has a men’s book club supporting each other, helping each other to understand their partners more!
It was an original concept! ✔️ I liked that it was about men in a secret book club, trying to understand and connect more with their partners and wives. ✔️ I liked that it was a quick read.✔️ I liked that it was a story about a couple staying together, I don’t see that much! ✔️ I liked that it was quite steamy! ✔️ The second half of the book was quite cute!✔️
Unfortunately, there was also a lot that I didn’t like…
I have to start with the female main character, Thea. She was unreasonable, irritating and a liar. The woman faked her orgasms for over three years, and it wasn’t the only thing she was faking. What was the point in that? She didn’t get what she wanted, and her husband thought he was doing all the right things, so carried on doing them! I’ve never understood women who do that. You should be able to be honest with your husband, and communicate your needs. But that’s the crux of this story. This couple aren’t honest with each other about anything! They don’t talk to each other. How was Gavin to know that she was unsatisfied, she acted, and lied about it. I’m not just talking about in the bedroom. She didn’t like the life of a WAG, she wanted a different life, wanted different things, but expected him to know all of this! Did she tell him any of this? NOOOO! He was not a mind reader!
Another thing that bothered me was that Thea accepted no responsibility for the breakdown in her marriage. Gavin was in the wrong, and she was in the right, and my goodness the book hammered that home to me! I actually ended up hating her, and feeling sorry for Gavin! She even kicked him out the house, and then was mad when he left? It was a test, and he wasn’t supposed to leave
Like. She. Asked. Him. To? So of course he failed that, and then she asked him for a divorce… Poor Gavin actually hadn’t done much wrong. Yes he wasn’t as attentive as he should be, but with young twins, and a busy career, these things happen. He also wasn’t that sexually experienced, so didn’t always hit the spot with Thea, but she could have helped him out there…There are two people in a marriage, and Thea could have voiced her wants and needs, and they could have worked on their marriage together. He really loved her and his kids! Thea also compared all men to her absent, philandering father. Yes we get it, your father was an arsehole, but you can’t judge everyone by his standards, you have to have a little faith and trust. I actually think she needed some counselling, to move past her unhappy childhood, and perhaps they could have had some couples counselling? Gavin spent the whole book trying to win her back, and she shot him down over and over. By the end of the book, Thea realised these things and her character does grow, but by that point, at about 80% it was too little, too late for me! I just couldn’t stand her!
Other things that bothered me was the unsubtle feminism. The men in the book club, turning to regency romance novels to help them with their love lives, was just pure fantasy! And all of the unrealistic things that came out with..like talking about toxic masculinity! It felt preachy and overly political to me. I keep reading romance books with all of these “woke” men in, and it just makes me roll my eyes! You can have male characters who are feminists, and all round decent guys, without shoving it down my throat! The chapters from the regency romance which Gavin was reading also felt unnecessary to me. They were overly cheesy, and made me cringe.
Then there was the fact that Gavin actually used the actual lines and moves from the book he was reading! Word for word! It was really manipulative and Thea was angry about it, but got over it. I would have been furious to find that out. That the lovely, sweet things my husband was saying were straight out of a book, and not his real feelings!
I didn’t like Thea’s sister either! She was such a jealous, interfering bitch! She was the one who encouraged Thea to throw Gavin out, and every time they made any progress, there she was trying to undo it!
One final thing that bothered me was the twins. They were about 2-2 1/2 years old, yet were written as if they were 4/5 years old! I know it’s a minor thing, but it really irritated me how they didn’t act like toddlers!
To sum up, I felt that this story was too light hearted for the serious topic it covered. And the couple would have avoided all of the hassle and heartbreak if they had actually just talked to each other like mature adults. Urgh I hate the miscommunication trope! It might work in YA, but it really irritates me in adult fiction! JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER DAMNIT!
Many thanks to Berkley and edelweiss for the chance to download an e-arc in exchange for an honest review
Rating: really liked it
Reread x2.
Still as perfect as I remembered it to be.
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“Book Boner.”Introducing: my new favourite bookish phrase!
This book was the one! My emotional state is in a frenzy right now. THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!
All you need to know is that it’s a book-club starring all dudes, who read romance novels to help them understand the women in their lives better. The relationship these men had between them was so awesome and full of humour and support! It was such a great bromance!
The story was adorable, it was (at times) cheesy, but it fuckin’ worked for me! 'Twas the perfect amount of cheese.
We are so in need of more romance stories that actually explore the dynamics of a relationship. About couples who are going through rough times and seeing how they salvage their relationship. Or not.
What I loved about this book is that the main plot runs parallel to an actual story-line from a book our main character is seeking guidance from. I liked what that indicated. That books are what we turn to for answers when we run away from life.
I loved this book! I already want to reread it.
Rating: really liked it
I need a jetpack.
Ideally, actually, I would like to transform into a small bird (the best animal inarguably - if I could spend the rest of my life watching lil finches hop around and eat crumbs, that would be bliss). I would settle for a proportionate set of wings that I have on my human body if necessary.
But a jetpack seems most realistic.
Anyway, the reason that I now have the life ambitions of a more whimsical Wright Brother is this:
I’ve decided I do not want to grow up.
Yes, I’m 22 years old and technically an “““adult,””” or something heinous like that, and so this might seem a little late to make that decision, but better late than never as they say.
It’s time for me to find that second star to the right and fly straight on till morning because I’m pulling a Peter Pan and opting out of being a grown-up PERMANENTLY.
The idea of romance in this book, where the main characters are in their mid-to-late thirties and a handful of years into a depressing marriage, is not something I want to sign up for! No thanks.
I read romance for an ESCAPE. Not for realism. If I wanted to experience men doing the bare minimum in order to lock down a beautiful and caring woman I could just live my daily life with open eyes.
I’m here for happily ever afters and healthy emotions and communication! Not reality. Gross.
Instead this book gave me shotgun weddings, people who weren’t mature enough for long term relationships OR babies and had both, unplanned pregnancies resulting in TWINS, lack of communication, arguments that could validly end a relationship, basic incompatibility...
The fun of a romance novel is rooting for a couple to get together because you feel the chemistry.
The fact that the potential of divorce between our lovely protagonists seemed like more fun to me is not a good sign.
There were just so many problems between these two!!
On top of that, it relied too heavily on female stereotypes for me. Like, the whole point of this book is that the wifey, whose name I don’t remember, is too #NotLikeOtherBaseballWives. She’s better than them. She wears, like, black and band shirts, you guys. You wouldn’t get it.
But still, she and every other woman in this book is portrayed as exactly the same. All of them love and read romance novels. All of them love and collect washi tape. All of them are obsessed with what they wear. It’s silly.
And then, I sh*t you not, every relationship somehow falls apart AGAIN in the last 10% and has to be hurriedly pressed back together like a wedding cake getting dropped on a sitcom.
And it’s equally stressful and unpleasant. With a similar lack of edible cake.
Bottom line: Now I want cake. And also to never think about this book again.
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pre-reviewwomen be reading romance novels!!!
review to come / 2 stars i think
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currently-reading updatesnot sure if i'm capable of reading anything besides romance right now. better not risk it
Rating: really liked it
The Bromance Book Club has quite the interesting premise. Men who are experiencing trouble in their relationships get together to read romance novels, so they can better understand their women and strength their relationships. Ha! Gavin is in this exact position. He and his wife Thea are having trouble in their marriage, and he will do anything to save them.
There's a lot that I liked in here. Gavin is a sweet and well-meaning husband, though a little clueless and makes a lot of mistakes. When he realizes his relationship is in trouble, he makes the pledge that he'll do whatever it takes to win her back, including reading romance novels. His gestures and words are kind and endearing. And I have to say it was interesting to read a romance book from a man's perspective for a change. The story also includes some blurbs from a Regency romance thrown in, which is a genre I've never read before, and I found it all to be great fun.
But unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with Thea's character. She doesn't meet Gavin halfway. She has this attitude that since he messed up, well tough luck, she's done. She lies to him for years and then complains that he doesn't know what she's thinking. I couldn't connect with her at all, and I found the parts written from her perspective to be considerably less compelling. Also she and her sister Liv spend a lot of time bashing Gavin behind his back. It was all very whiny and childish.
Overall, this was a bit of a mixed bag. I found Thea to be grating, but I liked Gavin enough to keep going. Having men read romance novels to improve their relationships is an interesting concept, but for me, the overall story didn't quite hit the touching or charming notes it should have.
Still, I'm excited this book introduced me to Regency romances, which I can't believe I've missed till now.
Rating: really liked it
10 pages in and I knew I was gonna love this book when the Bromance Book Club (or BBC boys, as I like to call them) claimed that they didn't help cheaters and stood up for Pumpkin spice latte.
"If masses of women like something, our society automatically begins to mock them. Just like romance novels. If women like them, they must be a joke, right?” Imagine what a great place the world would be if all bros took a stance and stopped enabling toxic masculinity.This was so much more than a chick-lit. Also, the redemption/second chances trope was so neatly done.
Gavin and Thea's relationship was flawed, yet beautiful. Behind the rose tinted glasses and glamour of a perfect celebrity marriage, Thea is unsatisfied. In the bedroom and outside of it. And Gavin throws a fit when he realizes she's been faking it for 3 years. Tempers escalate and divorce is on the cards. Enter the BBC to mend Gavin's broken heart and marriage.
Despite the serious tone of Gavin's marital woes, his mind voice is bound to crack you up. Especially his regency-swears. And the parallels between his relationship and Lord Chest Hair's story in the HR novel/manual he reads to save his marriage were on point.
"That’s why fiction resonates with people. It speaks to universal truths.” This line was everything!
Thea was a good heroine, but kinda forgettable. I only got glimpses of her as a dedicated mom/sister or as a despondent wife. There's nothing much about her personality as an individual.
The secondary characters were great, especially Mack and the BBC boys. Should be interesting to read about his relationship with Liv in the next book.
This was overall a fun, feel good romcom guaranteed to make you smile. 4.5 ⭐
Rating: really liked it
Standalone Series #1 The Bromance Book Club — 4.5 Stars
#2 Undercover Bromance — 3 Stars
#3 Crazy Stupid Bromance — 3.5 Stars
#4 Isn’t It Bromantic? — 3.25 Stars
Huh, and people say romance books are trash . . . They obviously haven’t found the wonders inside them and need a lecture of their own from the guys at
The Bromance Book Club. Am I right? XD
“You guys read romance novels?”
“We call them manuals.”
This book didn’t give me a book boner, but it did leave a HUGE smile on my face and made me cackle like a madwoman in the middle of the night. LOL. It was brilliant, marvelous, refreshing, cheesy, and hilarious. If you think about it, the conflict behind the marriage (miscommunication) and the couple’s personal issues (their backstories) were typical. But it was the concept of the story and how it was executed that made this such a unique book.
“Men are idiots. We complain that women 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 appreciated the relationship dynamics in this book. It seems baffling how anyone can live under the same roof with their spouse for years, yet rarely do they have proper adult communication. However, I’ve also seen it happened in real life. I love the idea of a married couple trying to reconnect, win each other’s heart back, and salvage their marriage. Gavin and Thea did all of it with flying colors.
The side characters were an absolute treat to read, except maybe Liv. The twins were total adorbs even though I did think they acted older than their three years. The unsubtle feminism from the male characters was a little too in your face, but I didn’t mind. Also, the chapters from
Courting the Countess were a cringe fest, but at least I got a good laugh out of them. They might seem redundant, but I think it’s cool seeing how they mirrored and influenced Gavin and Thea’s predicament.
The audiobook was
P H E N O M E N A L. I absolutely adored the narration. Gah, it was all that Southern drawl that did it. The British accent was a nice complement too. I’m adding it to my top audiobooks of the year list. With all that being said, make sure you don’t miss out on this quirky rom-com! And I believe audiobook is the best way to do it. Oh, also I’m raising a petition for Netflix to turn this into a movie. Anyone, who’s with me?
(Read as an Audiobook)
Rating: really liked it
The romance genre has its problems which I discussed in my latest booktube video that you can
click here to watch) but there are occasionally books like these that break down the problematic tropes.
Skip to
9:44 to here my thoughts on this specific book and what it does to push back against problems with the romance genre.
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AHHHHHHHH
IT'S STILL SO GOOD
also Liv sucks
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AND AWAY WE GOOOOOOO
aka i'm re-reading this masterpiece
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Many thanks to Berkley and Edelweiss+ for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review Gavin had called this little proposition a competition. No, this wasn't a competition. This. Was. War.
This is one of those rare displays of love at first page. I was barely five minutes into the audio book when I thought to myself, Yup, this one’s a keeper. And when the final seconds played, my heart ached because the definition of bittersweet is finishing an amazing book.
So, what’s this book about? The Bromance Bookclub follows Gavin, a hot baseball player whose marriage is in trouble. After being kicked out of the house by his wife, Thea, Gavin realizes that he wants to save his marriage. And so, he reluctantly enlists the help of the Bromance Book Club, a secret group of men who read romances to better understand women’s perspectives.
You’re probably thinking that this sounds super romantic and funny but you’d be wrong because that doesn’t even begin to describe it. I think one reason I loved this so much was because it was so meta. Kind of like
Waiting for Tom Hanks, this book referenced plot points of romance novels and tons of pop culture.
I haven’t had too much experience with middle aged romance so I can’t say that this is the best one out there but I can say that it is the best one I’ve ever read. I think I have discovered a new favorite romance trope. Falling In Love Again. This trope seems to only be found in middle aged romances so I’ll definitely need to read more of them.
Finally, the sex. I don’t remember the last romance I read (yes, I do. I just don’t want to name names) but it was very disappointing when it came to sex so I was going into this novel with low(ish) expectations. (Why? I don’t know. I’m weird.) But this did not disappoint. There were many sexy and steamy scenes and each one of them were perfectly sexy and steamy.
Overall, I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. GO READ IT NOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
Bottom Line
5 Stars
Age Rating: [ R ]
Content Screening (Spoilers) - Educational Value (0/0) ~ Violence (1/5) - [Punches are thrown, walls are broken] ~ Sex (5/5) - [Detailed sex scenes, sex innuendos, constant sexual content] ~ Langauge (4/5) - [F**k, cl*t, d*ck, b*tch, sh*t] ~ Drinking/Drugs (4/5) - [Alcohol, main character is drunk multiple times throughout the book]
Trigger and Content Warnings - Female sexual dysfunction, Divorce, Vomiting.
NOTE: This is an adult novel. It contains frequent and detailed sex scenes. Please do not read if those details make you uncomfortable.
Reps: [Female sexual dysfunction (?)]
Cover (4/5) ~ Characters (5/5) ~ Plot (5/5) ~ Audio (4/5)
Publication Date: November 5th, 2019
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Romance/Comedy
➵
The Bromance Book Club (#1) - ★★★★★
➵
Undercover Bromance (#2) - ★★★★☆
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F*ck...
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goddamn it, that big green DOWNLOAD NOW button is so tempting... i just couldn't resist
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Rating: really liked it
A Rom Com book from a man’s perspective! Brilliant! Gather around ladies (and gentlemen)! You are going to love this!A love story. Gavin and Thea have hit an impasse in their marriage! It all started in the bedroom, escalating off the charts from there. Ultimately ending with Gavin moving out.
Only problem is....they really love each other! I mean pure, deep-down, can’t ever see myself with anyone but you kind of love!❤️ But alas, their lines of communication have broken down and they’re on very different paths. Thea is asking for a divorce, while Gavin is determined to win her back!
Sometimes you need to go back to the beginning... Enter his baseball teammates and affectionately known as
The Bromance Book Club! That’s right ladies, look out! These husbands and boyfriends developed their own book club to read romance novels hoping to learn the art of
“wooing”!! Is that sweet, or what?!
Oh my gosh, this was one of the most fun and delightful reads I’ve come across this year! I read this with a permanent smile on my face from start to finish, only to be interrupted by fits of giggles!🤭
If you’re looking for an adorable, fun Rom Com look no further!
A Rom Com buddy read with Susanne that we both just loved!
Thank you to Edelweiss , Berkley Publishing and Lyssa Kay Adams for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
Reviewed on: Ashes Books & Bobs.Whew! Where to start with this problematic, trainwreck of a book? The Bromance Book Club is a fun, endearing, and exciting concept. Unfortunately, it should have remained a concept, because the execution of this story was the worst I've ever experienced.
As my friend concluded within the first 20 pages of reading, "Gavin didn't need to win his wife back, he needed a new wife." I felt nothing but pity for Gavin throughout this story and any real-life Gavin's who have to deal with monsters like Thea. This book starts out with the characters contemplating divorce after Gavin discovers his wife has been faking the big O for their entire marriage. However, this isn't the real issue - Thea asks Gavin to leave as some sort of test regarding his mind-reading abilities. Apparently, she didn't actually want him to leave, and when he did as she asked, she decides to hold this "failure" over his head for the entirety of the story. What?
This is where the book club comes into play - the guys decide to mend Gavin's floundering marriage by consulting a romance novel. This sounds like a cute idea, but things continue to spiral further down the toilet. Unfortunately, the guys' dialogue in this story did not resemble real male conversation in the least. Every interaction between the men in the story seemed fake, forced, and utterly laughable. I highly doubt professional male athletes are going to drink their pumpkin-spiced lattes over a romance novel while discussing their habits of toxic masculinity. This read as a feminist manifesto of male stupidity rather than a fun ROM-COM. As with many novels heavy on feminism, there was also plenty of cat-fighting and bickering between the female characters. This makes absolutely no sense to me. If we are going to encourage women to be strong and have each other's backs, why are the women always playing games and trying to one-up each other? Will our gender never get past this fifth-grade drama?
Every decision or word of Gavin's was written in a way to make him seem moronic and wrong, while his wife was the genius alpha in the relationship. Not only was this endlessly annoying, but Thea's sister, Liv, was consistently pressuring her to give up on her marriage. When Liv didn't get her way, she held it over her sister's head, guilting her out of loving her husband. Again - what?!
I honestly can't believe the amount of hype this book received as problematic as it was, and I especially cannot believe I trucked through it to the final page.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
This may be a book I bump up to 5 stars depending on how it sits in my feelings. Y'all know I am a sucker for second chance romance, and this is a story between a young married couple on the verge of divorce. The husband, Gavin, is brought into the "Bromance Book Club", where a group of men all read romance novels in order to unpack their own toxic masculinity, be vulnerable, explore their feelings, and reconnect with their partners. IT IS A DELIGHT! We get both Gavin and Thea's perspective in all this and what allows it to work is neither person is an asshole; just flawed from past experiences. When they come together and open up more, it's magic. This was an excellent depiction of two people trying to work it out, and I was pulling for them. The only thing that grated on me slightly was Thea's sister, who also has her own baggage but was being way over the top about them not getting back together, and also that this couple reads like they are in their early 30s instead of mid-20s. But other than that, I adored it. Also, Gavin has a stutter which is shown in dialogue throughout the story and Thea is supportive and it's great to read. I plan on continuing with the books in this series, even though I know the next one involves Thea's sister. Maybe it can make me pull for her...
Rating: really liked it
Might be more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up because this was a lot of fun! I can't lie and say that it wasn't a smidge pander-y and contrived at some parts, but overall this was a really fun ride and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're interested in reading a romance about a couple
staying together rather than getting together. I 10000% will be carrying on with the series!
Rating: really liked it
this was pretty damn good, even for a trad published romance ;)
the premise of the book is that this MLB player has "lost" his wife in a sense... and the fact that he's never given her an orgasm is a big part of that. other guys on his team apparently has suffered similarly so they've formed a book club to read romances to learn how to reconnect with their wives/gf/whatever and COMMUNICATE.
i'll start by saying that i typically do not like second chance romances. i'm a pretty forgiving person in real life but to make a second chance romance angsty you typically have to make the guy a jack ass and a half. and i'm not really here for that.
this book worked because if you've ever been in a long term relationship you get it. sometimes you lose each other and need to reconnect. and we get to see this relationship built almost from scratch. not to mention the whole idea behind the plot is cute as hell.
i think that our hero, gavin, could have stood to grow a bit more throughout the book. and thea could have been more forgiving/tried to grow a bit more as well. but overall i found this to be a really sweet romance and by the end of the book i was swooning.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
When I went into this book, I was crossing my fingers that the execution of it and the writing style matched how great the synopsis was. I'm so glad the book held up to how good it sounds, and it's definitely a memorable romance I'll be recommending!
My primary concern about this book was that since it's about a married couple with kids, I wouldn't be able to relate to it or enjoy it since they're several years ahead of me on the maturity scale. Attached to that, I was hoping this wouldn't become a women's fiction book about fixing a marriage with no steamy scenes. Quickly, both of my fears became obsolete. The fact that this book follows characters who are already in a relationship makes it so much more real. Rather than two characters living out a dolled up romance, this is about a relationship that's dead and both characters having to fight to reanimate it. It's different than anything I've ever read and was so interesting and realistic and human. In addition, the scenes of Gavin and Thea interacting with their kids were SO wholesome.
I jokingly told my friend while I was reading this that it reads like what a Nicholas Sparks book would be if Nicholas Sparks books were actually good. It talks about family issues--both in their current relationship and in their childhood trauma--while also being a cuddly romance about two adults rediscovering each other through honesty. This book was SO soft because Gavin was making an effort to be attentive to Thea's needs and insecurities, and watching them reblossom to one another was so heart warming and emotional.
The writing of this book is spectacular in all areas except one. I loved when the author would delve into the character's backstories and they way she wrote their dialogue and all the humor that was folded into the Bromance Book Club. I especially loved how this book was a mix of real-time action with scenes interspersed from the regency romance book the men were reading. The reason I took off .5 stars, however, was there were moments in this book where the characters would randomly get on a soapbox about feminism that didn't match the context of the conversation at all. There were seriously some paragraphs that read like an essay for a women and gender studies class rather than a romance book because it wasn't subtle at all. The men in the book club are self-aware about feminism and toxic masculinity, which is good, but it wasn't subtle at all and ended up sounding like fan service to other women reading the book because those random feminism rants didn't sound authentic to the men's voices at all. But a part of the book I did like is that Thea, the wife, was strident in her independence and her feminism, which I enjoyed way more than when the characters went off on tangents about the male gaze and the patriarchy.
But overall, this book was so addicting and enjoyable. It was quick and sweet but also the perfect amounts of meaningful and realistic. I love any romance book that takes the shininess away from relationships and delves into real human lives, and this book definitely fits that category. I can't wait to pick up a copy when it comes out!
