A Book Club Kit for THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB

Dear Readers, Thank you for choosing The Bromance Book Club for your discussion! I hope you enjoyed reading the antics of the men in the book club as much as I did writing them.

I’ve often been asked how I came up with the idea of The Bromance Book Club. I actually came up with the characters of Gavin and Thea Scott first. I wanted to write a second-chance romance about a married couple. In an early version of the book, I wrote a scene in which Gavin seeks help from his teammate, Del, when Thea asks for divorce. Originally, it was the teammate’s wife, Nessa, who suggested he try reading romance novels to better understand Thea. But then I thought, wouldn’t it be funny if Del suggested it? The book club idea grew from that.

The Bromance Book Club tells the story of how Gavin’s book club friends coach him to repair his marriage by learning his wife’s “love language” using lessons from the many romance novels they’ve read. Gavin is reluctant at first to accept their help or to believe that romance novels are going to solve his problems, but he eventually realizes the Bros are onto something. Reading romance is like viewing the world through a different lens. And as he starts to apply some of what he’s learned, he’s amazed to realize how much he never knew about his own wife.

Though The Bromance Book Club is a romantic comedy, at its heart, it’s a story about identity. It’s so easy for women in particular to become lost in the roles that define us—wife, mother, daughter, sister—that we sometimes lose sight of who we are as people. So while Gavin has to learn how to reconnect with his wife, Thea also has to learn how to reconnect with herself. And I, for one, can certainly relate to that!

Thank you for reading!

Lyssa

Discussion Questions 1.

How could Gavin have reacted better to finding out that Liv has faked the Big O for the duration of their marriage? Do you think Thea would have still asked for a divorce if he reacted less negatively from the start?

2.

In what ways do you think The Bromance Book Club challenges gender roles and toxic masculinity? And how can we, as a society, confront stereotypical gender roles and toxic masculinity?

3.

Throughout the book, Thea questions her identity. She’s a mom, a wife, a sister, and a daughter, but who is Thea? What happened to the spunky artist she once was? It can be easy to lose ourselves among the many roles we play in life. How can we better balance who we are? Is it possible to be both “Thea” and “Mom”?

4. Discuss how the excerpts from Courting the Countess paralleled Gavin and Thea’s experiences.

5.

What did you think about the relationship and marriage advice the men gave Gavin? Do you think it was good advice?

6.

How did you feel about Thea’s reaction once she found out that Gavin was using Lord Benedict’s words to woo her?

7.

Thea has never found it easy to get along with any of the wives and girlfriends of Gavin’s teammates. But Rachel, in particular, seems to be the most difficult relationship for Thea. Why do you think Rachel is such a mean girl?

8.

Liv clashes with Gavin at every turn because she does not want to see her sister or her nieces get hurt again. But in the end, it’s Liv who calls Gavin to let him know where Thea is. What do you think is the reason for this about-face?