Undercover bromance

Since the moment I finished reading The Bromance Book Club, I've been excited to jump into the sequel but I was prepared to wait for months. Imagine my surprise when I got approved for the ARC (Berkley rarely does) and I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. And it lived up to all my expectations and then some.

The writing in this book is as much fun as it's predecessor was and I couldn't put the book down at all. It's not exactly an enemies to lovers kinda story, but more like two bickering people who don't want to fall for each but just can't help it. This leads to a lot of amazing banter and dialogue in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions. If the first book tried to tackle one form of toxic masculinity, this book tries to shine some light on sexual harassment in the workplace and the power imbalance even in seemingly consensual actions. The author also doesn't shy away from pointing out that powerful men get away with their despicable actions because other “supposedly” good men look the other way. I also appreciated the message that not all survivors of harassment are in a position to fight and we shouldn't judge them for whatever decisions they make for their own physical, mental and financial well being.

I was really excited to read Mack's story because he was a total charmer in the first book and I wanted to get to know him better. It was really fascinating to get into the head of a man who is kind, totally considerate, a bit extra protective, always there to help, and an unapologetic believer of the power of romance novels. There is a whole backstory to why he reads romance and why the book club started and it was heartbreaking to get to know that. But he is a total charmed and he has completely made me fall in love with him and he is definitely the latest addition to my list of book boyfriends.

I won't say hated but I really disliked Liv in the first book and I wasn't sure if the author could make me like her this time around. And I have to say the author tried and while I could sympathize with Liv most of the times, she is still mostly arrogant and judgmental and doesn't think of consequences before taking any actions or saying what comes to her mind. Everyone around her was very supportive of her efforts to take down a serial sexual predator despite her not appreciating any of their help. I also hated how she judged the other survivors and only could see her perspective as the right one, and it took multiple people explaining and yelling for her to realize she was in the wrong. Her trust issues run deep and I totally could see how much she didn't want to be vulnerable, but I didn't appreciate her hurting others in the process. She does realize all of it eventually but it just wasn't convincing enough for me.

If I liked the book club in the first book, I completely fell in love with them here. They are all so much fun, taunting and teasing each other but also having each other's back, having thoughtful discussions about the book they were reading and also the wider implications of the story, about harassment in general and what they could do about it. They never once hesitated about helping Liv in her endeavor. They are also such amazing friends to Mack and were there whenever he needed them, even when he didn't know it. I think every guy needs such a gang in his life. While I like all of them, the Russian was a delight this time around (read the book to find his name

São 3,5 ★
E a perda de todas as estrelas e do favoritismo vai pra Liv.

Antes de mais nada, não espere o mesmo formato proposto no volume do Gavin. O livro do momento - um mistério policial, com romance de haters-to-lovers, é apenas o estilo preferido do Mack, e é discutido o backgroup da história entre os membros do bromance. Mas não temos paralelos entre a relação do Mack & Liv com os protagonistas do livro do mês.
Por outro lado, há maior interação do clube, uma super desconstrução de masculinidade tóxica, relações familiares amáveis, e o humor padrão do primeiro livro.

Quanto ao casal da vez, Mack era o playboy com pinta de fútil que prometia “camadas” no primeiro livro (alguém que monta um clube tão fora do padrão tem que ter algo mais, e acho que ele entregou o esperado.
Era perceptível que os dois desenvolveriam atração, porém, o primeiro beijo em si, foi um pouco do nada, e uma desculpa esfarrapada para a situação (porque não esconder o rosto engolindo a cara um do outro, não é mesmo? Ainda mais quando o outro era o Mack).
Como disse Rosie, com um homem daquele, eu estaria nua em 5 minutos. (Aliás, melhor personagem).

O problema desse livro é, sem dúvida, a Liv.
A falta de empatia e o egocentrismo dessa mulher não teve limites.
Como não foi suficiente ela não compreender o lado da Alexis (minha personagem fio lado feminino avorita até o momento), crucificou Mack por não contar “a verdade” antes. Uma verdade que, veja bem, senhoras e senhores, era mentira pra todo mundo. Não só pra ela. E claro que é super bacana e plausível você ter um sentimento super aberto e tranquilo com um pai agressor e assassino. Mack tem total direito em reagir da forma que ele reagiu quanto ao seu pais.
O mínimo esperado, era Liv ter um pouco de bom senso. Mas não ocorreu. Ela se agarrava e justificava a mentira do pai como razão para não confiar em ninguém, ser preto no branco, e achar que todo homem é crápula, quando este, pra mim, não é uma justificativa forte o suficiente para respaldar a falta (de novo) empatia com o próximo. Além de ter
É impossível atravessar o dia sem mentir uma única vez, imagine a vida toda.
Mesmo “no final”, quando ela percebe que quebrou a cara, e que é uma escrota, não senti qualquer ligação ou o que quer que fosse, para ficar do lado dela.
Liv, pra mim, é aquele ser humano lixo de pessoa que fica com o cara mais legal da turma - e todos ficamos com expressões idênticas de POR QUÊ, DEUS?.
Não tiro o crédito dela de querer ajudar, de querer tirar homens ruins como seu ex-chefe do sistema [observação histórica do Brasil em nov.2020: ainda mais quando recentemente tivemos a sentença de “estupro culposo” inocentando o agressor. Isso tornou essa leitura um pouco mais sensível no tema]. Apenas queria que o caráter dúbil e a falta de noção da Liv fosse menor.

Chega de reclamar de Liv.

Minha expectativa para o terceiro livro está ALTA. Num nível que me dói o coração. Noah , ah Noah.
Aguardo.

I'm obsessed with the Bromance Book Club. I think what lacked from this one was more of the club in this story. This book focus on a very serious topic and maybe that's why we don't get as much bromance book club as in the first one. I absolutely loved Mack, it took me a while to warm up to Liv but I ended up loving her too.
Really excited to read the next one in this series!

As with the first book in this series, I have mixed feelings about this book.

The book is wonderfully and unapologetically feminist in so many ways, that certain aspects were a joy to read. However, for most of the book, I was extremely frustrated with both characters and I just wanted the book to be over so I could stop reading about their antics.

Firstly, the heroine is over the top and has zero empathy. As much as she was fighting against sexual harassment in the workplace, she seemed more concerned about the principle itself, than about the survivors and the effect her actions could have on them. She is told by several characters that she needs to cool off and be more cautious in her approach but even to the very end, she just charges in high on righteous indignation and moral superiority. It's excruciatingly irritating to read about. Also, there's a point at which one of her friends calls her out for this behaviour and she goes to the hero, and instead of also (kindly) pointing out that she has a tendency to blame the very people she's supposed to be protecting, he just tells her that her friend is wrong about it (she wasn't). Sure, getting close to the end of the book she has a heart-to-heart with the very same friend and acknowledges her shortcomings but by that point, I was so frustrated with the character that I hardly cared. I get what the author was trying to do with the character but in my opinion, it was not executed well.

And then the hero. I should have loved him except I couldn't stand him either. For all that he spouts feminist ideals because of the sheer amount of romance he has read, some of his actions are extremely concerning. He breaks into the heroine's apartment at one point because she promises to call him in two days but doesn't. Umm... what? Sure the heroine calls the cops and physically hurts him but after that, the entire incident is brushed under the rug instead of being called out for the stalkerish nonsense it is. A woman tells you she will call you and doesn't and your solution is to go to her apartment, despite the clear signals she has given for you to leave her alone. Okay! Cool! . Then he spends the entire novel “protecting” the heroine. This is a trope I particularly hate in romance novels and is the exact reason I largely stopped reading romantic suspense. Yet its something the hero persists in doing, despite having a discussion with one of the other book club members about how inherently sexist that trope is. A bit of his personal background serves to explain why he consistently acts in this way but as in the case of the heroine, this explanation came late and by that point, I disliked the character so much that I really couldn't care less.

I think my biggest problem with this book can be traced to the same source. The author hopes to create some interesting dialogue both about romance tropes and sexual assault in the workplace by making different characters hold differing viewpoints. The issue with her execution is that the motivations of the main characters are not revealed until the very end, by which point the reader is already tired of them and cannot sympathize with the choices they have made. Also, revealing their motivations so late gives them little chance to bond over the more sensitive aspects of their respective pasts and it gives them little time to develop and grow as characters. What is left is a romance novel about extremely unlikable characters who are somewhat redeemed in the end.

The first book in this series was also a meh read for me. I might have to give up on the whole series after this.

loved this so much!!! it was way more serious than the first book but that made me love this series even more. the issues tackled here were handled from every perspective so well!
mack and liv's story was so angsty and that was very entertaining to read about! i loved mack since the first scene he appeared in the bromance book club so of course i loved that he got his happy ending. also i LOVE the men in the book club so much

This book was exactly what I needed at the time I picked it up. I needed something light and fun, and that's exactly what I got. This second book in the Bromance Book Club series is a delightful read.

In this story, Braden Mack, founder of the Bromance Book Club, finds himself entangled in a plot with feisty pastry chef Liv to destroy a womanizer who is victimizing his employees. Mack and Liv are like oil and water at first, but as things progress they find themselves enjoying each others company a lot more than either of them expected.

Both characters in this book have issues with trust, so it makes falling in love a bit of a challenge. Both have been scarred by past events focused around their fathers. Neither of them wants to let their guard down at first, but they begin to get past each other's walls. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow.

As in the first book, the men of the Bromance Book Club add both humor and warmth to the story. I'm excited to see which one of them is the main character in the next book in the series.

I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a fun contemporary romance.