The Bromance Book Club is an inventive romantic comedy by Lyssa Kay Adams. It all starts when Nashville Legends’ second baseman Gavin Scott hits the high point of his career and the low point of his personal life in one fell swoop — on the night of his game-winning grand slam, Gavin finds out that his wife Thea has been faking her satisfaction in bed for basically their entire marriage. And, after he responds to this revelation in the same way he tackles other shaky things in their relationship (i.e. burying his head in the sand and refusing to talk about it), Thea asks for a divorce. Terrified at the prospect of losing his wife and the sweet family they’ve made, totally aware that he’s at fault, and unsure how to fix any of it, Gavin is thrown for a loop. Luckily, his best friend Del steps in to save the day; he initiates Gavin into book club, a group of Nashville’s most eligible men who meet in secret to discuss their relationships, their inner lives, and most importantly, romance novels. The guys show Gavin how all the keys to a good relationship can be found within the pages of a romance, and under their guidance he makes a plan to win back Thea’s heart. But as we all know, life isn’t as straightforward as fiction, and watching Gavin’s frequently fumbled endeavors proves to be hilarious, surprising, and ultimately heartwarming.

This book is simply so much fun. I was sold from the premise (what’s not to love about guys starting a book club to better understand women?), but Adams’ multidimensional characters, entertaining plot twists, and interesting format kept me hooked throughout. As the two protagonists, Gavin and Thea both have full, satisfying character arcs, and the supporting characters (especially the book club members) share easy camaraderie. And although the book focuses more on Gavin’s experience, Adams pays equal consideration to both sides of the relationship with views on sex and relationships that feel feminist and fresh. I also enjoyed the “book in a book” format; every so often Adams inserts a chapter of the book club’s book, Courting the Countess, into the novel, and the way Lord Benedict and Countess Irena’s relationship mirrors Gavin and Thea’s is charmingly done. There were certainly passages that felt cliché or overly descriptive, but that’s all part and parcel of a romance book about romance books, and overall I had a blast with The Bromance Book Club.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone looking for a romance author who makes her female characters strong and her male characters emotionally accessible… it’s similar in style to Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
• Anyone who loves all the mishaps that ensue when a protagonist lets outside observers run his love life… it’s similar in theme to the movie Hitch
• Anyone craving a lighthearted, funny, wholesome-ish read… it’s similar in tone to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano