The Bromance Book Club
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You know when the world is just a lot and you need something that 1) is guaranteed to have a happy ending and 2) is never going to be particularly stressful but 3) is still interesting enough to actually read? I’m almost always going to recommend romance books to fill that particular niche, but The Bromance Book Club is particularly satisfying. All romance readers can agree that one of the best parts of (well written) love stories is the character growth - when a person not only finds their soulmate and says, ‘you make me want to be a better person,’ but also follows through and actually puts in the work.
There is an entire subgenre of straight romances where the guy lacks emotional intelligence, ruins his relationship, then goes to therapy/changes his behavior and is able to earn a second chance at happiness. (Please note that in real life I do not believe that you need a partner to be happy or that there is only one true love out there for you. I’m talking within the bounds of modern straight romance books.) The distinguishing factor here is that the growth on the man’s side isn’t pushed along by the woman he’s interested in - instead, our emotionally stunted hero has a full peanut gallery of fellow straight men who religiously read romance novels and try to apply the lessons within to their own lives. Talk about cathartic.
If I have one complaint about the book, the dialogue of the bros when discussing their lessons learned often feels like it was ripped straight from a gender studies textbook. I’m not sure that’s actually a bad thing, since the characters are teaching each other in the context of the book, but it definitely stuck out to me.
Overall Lyssa Kay Adams wrote a witty, well-paced, occasionally steamy romance that’s perfect when you need some escapism in your life. I immediately binged the rest of the series that’s been published so far, so stay tuned for the rest of the reviews. In honor of such a fun series I’m pairing each book with a daiquiri variation, and kicking off the first with the classic daiquiri!
Classic Daiquiri:
2 oz. light rum
1 oz. plus one tsp. fresh lime juice
½ oz. simple syrup
In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously, then strain into cocktail glass. In the spirit of perfect honestly… I used Tequila Blanco instead of light rum. We’d run out and I didn’t feel like going to the store. I also added a dash of Triple sec so technically its a classic margarita but shhhhh. Both are delicious.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/classic-daiquiri-235570
