beckyyreadss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have seen this book all over the book community. I was dying to read it as it seemed right up my street. I was right. This book should be hyped up. It was funny, cute, a small amount of spice – the whole works.
This book has two points of views. The first is Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always been faking the Big O. After he finds out, he loses his cool and it was the final straw on the already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce and Gavin realizes he has let his pride and fear get the better of him. Gavin is desperate and he 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: Courting the Countess, a steamy Regency novel, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it will take a lot more than fictional words and flowers to get his girl back. The second point of view is Thea Scott. She has been married for three years and even though she loves her husband, she hates some part of his job. Mainly having to socialise with the other WAGs. See, she isn’t like the rest of them who plan their life around being a WAG. She is a mother first, a mother who gave up her dreams of being an artist three years ago when she got pregnant with twins. She has to be a solo parent for 50 percent of the year whilst Gavin is away and she hasn’t told him she doesn’t like going to all the social events that Gavin goes to. She is trying to make sure that her girls don’t witness any of the fighting as she grew up witnessing her mum and dad fight. Will she be able to forgive Gavin? Will she ever give him the Big O?
I think this story is adorable, and so heart-warming. For a story that I was expecting a lot of spicy in, we didn’t get it but it was made up with a cute and fast-paced storyline with the portraying of the real issues of marriage and you know having to keep the marriage alive by working on it and being open and honest with each other. I loved the twins I think they were adorable and having Thea see the fact that one was like her and one was like her sister when it came to the family dynamic was sweet and heart-breaking at the same time due to the fact that Thea was working so hard to avoid that. I have seen that this book is a series and I really hope that Thea’s sister get a book and I would have loved to seen more of Del in the future.
Overall, I loved the MCs and the storyline was realistic but also funny, like all I’m imagining now is grown men saying they are going the pub or the gym but instead they are going to the basement of someone’s house to read romance books to try and impress their significant others. However, I do think men should read some romance novels because why not. I am looking forward for the next one in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Bullying, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
awhitemoose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Miscarriage, and Vomit
thesmutsister_emma's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Here's to Breaking the First Rule of Book Club.
I'm not going to lie. I was worried about this one. I was soworried in fact, that I broke my own habits and rather than buying the whole series at once, I only bought the first book. I can (thankfully) say I was pleasantly surprised. I truly loved this book and have to have the rest of the series PRONTO.
The Characters
Thea: Look girlie pop... I loved you. And I loved you because I saw WAY too much of myself in you. With my parents' divorce just finalized November 15th, I truly related to the way Thea felt about her father. I liked seeing the way she handled everything because my parents' divorce has impacted me as well. It was interesting watching one of my worst fears at this point play out in a way and see the way that I as a person might deal with it. Thea honestly had just as much character development as Gavin did and it was something that made me happy because in these situations, it's easy to put all of the blame on one party, but the fact that Thea made it back to who she truly feels she is meant a lot to me.
Gavin: I honestly liked Gavin a lot. I felt like he was extremely dense and prideful at times, but I liked his character. Once he was willing to let go of his manhood and be vulnerable. I honestly liked him more than Thea 😅 I was worried that he was never going to wise up and do it, but we were able to get there.
Things I Loved
I loved the way that Thea dealt with Gavin, just in general through the whole thing. I also really liked the rest of the Bromance Book Club so much. They were amazing and I honestly can't wait to read about the rest of them.
Things I Didn't Love
I think my biggest problem with the book was how long it felt like it dragged out. It was very realistic, but it felt to me as though it went on for ages.
The Final Verdict
I feel like this will end up being a book I read over and over. I loved it so much and plan on coming back to it as a comfort read.
I'm not going to lie. I was worried about this one. I was soworried in fact, that I broke my own habits and rather than buying the whole series at once, I only bought the first book. I can (thankfully) say I was pleasantly surprised. I truly loved this book and have to have the rest of the series PRONTO.
The Characters
Thea: Look girlie pop... I loved you. And I loved you because I saw WAY too much of myself in you. With my parents' divorce just finalized November 15th, I truly related to the way Thea felt about her father. I liked seeing the way she handled everything because my parents' divorce has impacted me as well. It was interesting watching one of my worst fears at this point play out in a way and see the way that I as a person might deal with it. Thea honestly had just as much character development as Gavin did and it was something that made me happy because in these situations, it's easy to put all of the blame on one party, but the fact that Thea made it back to who she truly feels she is meant a lot to me.
Gavin: I honestly liked Gavin a lot. I felt like he was extremely dense and prideful at times, but I liked his character. Once he was willing to let go of his manhood and be vulnerable. I honestly liked him more than Thea 😅 I was worried that he was never going to wise up and do it, but we were able to get there.
Things I Loved
I loved the way that Thea dealt with Gavin, just in general through the whole thing. I also really liked the rest of the Bromance Book Club so much. They were amazing and I honestly can't wait to read about the rest of them.
Things I Didn't Love
I think my biggest problem with the book was how long it felt like it dragged out. It was very realistic, but it felt to me as though it went on for ages.
The Final Verdict
I feel like this will end up being a book I read over and over. I loved it so much and plan on coming back to it as a comfort read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Vomit, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
rakizaka's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage
mandaraffe's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
lunahale's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
still thinking about when thea said “and for your information, yes, gavin stutters in bed. and it’s fucking beautiful.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage
Spoiler
a side character’s miscarriage is mentioned once when she announces a pregnancy. not explicit.notalightbulb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Vomit
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
aishablue's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Gaslighting, and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Violence
katsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“That’s why fiction resonates with people. It speaks to universal truths.”
"Backstory is everything."
I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to. I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a romance about a married couple but turns out, it's definitely for me. I liked how the book club allowed the book to make it's own commentary on itself without taking itself too seriously. I really liked the quote "Backstory is everything." I've recently started my journey with therapy and one of my goals is to unpack the things that make me who I am and how it affects how I show up in my relationships. While this was quite oversimplified in the book, getting to know each of the characters through that lens was really intriguing. I also really liked how both Thea and Gavin were not perfect. They definitely weren't realistically flawed, in my opinion, but their issues were a main focal point of the book which was really nice.
I think my only critique is the grand gesture at the end. In general, I'm not a fan of the grand gesture, especially in contemporaries. Sometimes, fantasies and sci-fi can get away with it because stakes tend to be a lot higher in those types of stories (like the main character is saving the world kind of stakes) so it's easier to believe that the grand gesture was necessary. When the gesture is grand just to prove a point or make a declaration, it feels cringy. Maybe I just struggle to express my emotions but having something so personal on display for lots of people feels dreadful. Maybe I should work through that bit in therapy. Otherwise, this was a really fun romance. I will definitely be picking up the other novels in this series.
"Backstory is everything."
I enjoyed this book way more than I expected to. I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a romance about a married couple but turns out, it's definitely for me. I liked how the book club allowed the book to make it's own commentary on itself without taking itself too seriously. I really liked the quote "Backstory is everything." I've recently started my journey with therapy and one of my goals is to unpack the things that make me who I am and how it affects how I show up in my relationships. While this was quite oversimplified in the book, getting to know each of the characters through that lens was really intriguing. I also really liked how both Thea and Gavin were not perfect. They definitely weren't realistically flawed, in my opinion, but their issues were a main focal point of the book which was really nice.
I think my only critique is the grand gesture at the end. In general, I'm not a fan of the grand gesture, especially in contemporaries. Sometimes, fantasies and sci-fi can get away with it because stakes tend to be a lot higher in those types of stories (like the main character is saving the world kind of stakes) so it's easier to believe that the grand gesture was necessary. When the gesture is grand just to prove a point or make a declaration, it feels cringy. Maybe I just struggle to express my emotions but having something so personal on display for lots of people feels dreadful. Maybe I should work through that bit in therapy. Otherwise, this was a really fun romance. I will definitely be picking up the other novels in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
belle2008's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage