yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: July 9th 2023
"I think you should always consider opportunities when they come your way."
I know that I usually only read Christmas themed stories in December, but I decided to make an exception and join Christmas In July in spirit just so that I could read the fifth and final (for now?) Bromance Book Club book while memories of the previous books were still fresh. I confess that Colton didn't really stand out that much as a character for me in the previous books, but I was still curious about his story (and Gretchen as well). It did take me a bit longer to fully warm up to the story and A Very Merry Bromance wasn't my favorite of the series, but I can't deny that it was still a solid read. I think part of the issue might have been that the other bromance book club members aren't really all that visible especially in the first half? And somehow Colton and Gretchen initially didn't fully convince me... Although that improved considerably once Colton 'forces' Gretchen to go on dates with him. The second half of the story was considerably stronger, and as a result the book ended on a high note for me (although I could have done without the 'twist') . I was happy to see the book within a book feature appear again, although I would have liked to have more chapters incorporated... A little warning is also in place for more serious topics including toxic families, abuse and deportation. That said, A Very Merry Bromance also offers plenty of banter and lighter moments, all wrapped with a big red Christmas bow. Fingers crossed there will be news about a possible book six soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
creativelifeofliz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book really took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I struggled to fully support Gretchen and Colton in all their choices since they were being so frustrating for so long. Full warning: this book gets pretty dark so read the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Classism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Deportation, and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity
jackiepreston's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Deportation, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
krisalexcole's review
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Cursing
Minor: Violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
kathigh86's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not great. Felt rushed. Really got into the family trauma. Basically the same plot as the other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
itsme_lori's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a bit more emotional than I was hoping for in a Christmas romance. But it was still good and tackled some tough topics. Overall it was a good book. I didn't care as much for the MCs as I did in earlier books though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
octygon's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Fun romance, interesting cast of characters, not too graphic
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Cursing
amandamyers's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
There's some kind of magic in all of the books in this series, and mixed with the Christmas sparkle, this book shines. At the heart of it, this is a second chance-ish romance, plus a healthy dose of sunshine/grump, with plenty of Hallmark movie vibes. I loved getting the chance to see the happy ending for Colton and Gretchen, who were interesting background characters in other books in the series, especially Gretchen, as the ex-girlfriend of one of the earlier MMCs.
Colton is a famous country singer, who feels like he's about to lose his career as he hasn't been able to get a new album out, much to the displeasure of his record label. He's charming, handsome, and wealthy, and he hasn't been able to stop thinking about Gretchen since they spent a night together about a year ago, at the wedding of his friend, who is also Gretchen's aforementioned ex.
Gretchen is an immigration lawyer, running her own pro bono clinic, just trying to keep the lights on so she can help her clients. Meanwhile, her capital-w Wealthy family that she mostly stays away from wants her to convince Colton to become the face of their whisky brand. Her family is absolutely the worst, but if she does this, she'll be able to join their charity's board, and make a real impact with the millions of dollars the charity is in charge of.
He wants an actual date, while she has commitment issues (an understatement, really). They have fun banter, and smoking hot chemistry. The clips of the romance novel within the romance novel is always a treat in this series, and there's plenty of that. You can definitely read this without prior knowledge of the series but the big extended family of the bromance book club is so much fun and definitely better consumed together.
I recommend this book if you like: grumpy FMC/sunshine MMC, lowkey celebrity romance, found family
I would not recommend this book if you don't like: stubborn MCs, family problem, Christmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Violence
abusive/neglectful family:Spoiler
Gretchen spent her entire childhood being mistreated by her immediate family, including physical abuse at the hands of her older brother, which was in turn ignored by her parents, along with basically all of her other needs beyond literally food/shelter/schooling.Spoiler
At one point Colton does punch a character and is subsequently arrested for it.Spoiler
There is a lot of casual alcohol consumption, by many characters, including some references to a possible alcohol problem for one character. A lot of scenes include alcohol due to location (bars, the distillery) and also because Gretchen's family owns said distillery.purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Classism, Deportation, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Child abuse