The Bro Code: Netgalley Review

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read an ARC of The Bro Code by Elizabeth Seibert!

This story was a fun and fluffy romantic comedy that not only tackled the friends-to-lovers trope, but also spoke about the power of friendship, revamping the sexist 'Bro Code' and speaking about the #metoo movement. 

Our story follows our main character Nick MacGuire who has been best friends with Carter O'Connell since they were in Kindergarten. The two "bros" are on the soccer team together and do everything together, including apply and try out for the same soccer team at a college that they are both hoping to get full-rides too. The catch? Carter has a younger sister Eliza who has always been "off-limits" but the more time Eliza and Nick spend together, the deeper their feelings become and the romantic tension between them grows. 

Oh and fun fact? Elizabeth wrote this book originally in 2012 (when she was still in high school) on Wattpad and it was so popular, a publisher picked it up and thus we have her debut novel hitting shelves on September 22, 2020.

1. Plot 

Overall, I enjoyed the plot. I thought it was fun to follow each of the characters and Nick's POV was hilarious. There were a lot of pop culture references and jokes (especially Harry Potter) and the author tackled the #metoo movement very well and integrated it into the overall story line making it more than just a fluffy romantic comedy, providing depth for the reader. We also see how powerful friendship can be, and each chapter is labelled after one of the Bro Code rules (ex:  Rule Number 22: A bro shalt cheat only on his homework. Never on an exam, a girlfriend, or himself) which I thought was super creative! At the end of the book we see new Bro Code rules that Austin, Carter and Nick create to pass along to the soccer team once they graduate. 

2. Character & Character Development

I really enjoyed Nick's character and how genuine he was. I liked the dialogue that he had with Austin and Carter, and how his feelings for Eliza developed over time and was not one of those insta-love scenarios. He seemed to genuinely care about her and her opinions, and making himself a better man because of her. 

The only character I really had an issue with was Nick's father, who is also the coach of their high-school soccer team. Nick's father was on the road to becoming a professional soccer player until an accident happened, so he puts all the pressure on Nick. I felt like he didn't think that anything Nick did was good until the ending. I didn't like that about him and how he seemed to care more about Nick the soccer player than Nick his son. He tried to redeem himself at the end but it just didn't work for me. 

3. Writing Style

The writing style was easy to follow and placed a heavy emphasis on dialogue. Because this is an uncorrected proof of the novel, there were a lot of times where it was hard to decipher where the dialogue began and ended, but other than that it was great. 

4. Overall Impressions & Opinions

I enjoyed this book overall. I liked how complex the story line was, and the themes that were present intertwined within themselves throughout the story. I found myself invested in the characters because they were so relatable and their relationships with one another were so realistic and fun. I would love to see a companion novel following Austin and his sexuality, or even Carter's POV as he starts college with Nick. I could see this book becoming very popular and a hot topic of conversation because of the themes that Elizabeth tackles in regards to sexism and sexuality. It was inspiring and I honestly was rooting for each of our main characters, except Nick's dad because fuck him. 

Overall, this is a solid 4 star book for me!

Thank you again NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before it's released! Ya girl loves a good romantic comedy, especially during a time like this. I would recommend this one to romantic comedy lovers all over.