Format read: ebook provided by author through Netgalley
Release Date: Dec 11th 2011
Number of Pages: 482 pages
Publisher: TKA Distribution
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple

Book Blurb:

Women have been known to lament, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” For Johnny Smith, the problem is, “Always a Best Man, never a groom.” At age 33, housepainter Johnny has been Best Man eight times. The ultimate man’s man, Johnny loves the Mets, the Jets, his weekly poker game, and the hula girl lamp that hangs over his basement pool table. Johnny has the instant affection of nearly every man he meets, but one thing he doesn’t have is a woman to share his life with, and he wants that desperately. When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to renounce his bro-magnet ways in order to impress her. With the aid and advice of his friends and family, soon he’s transforming his wardrobe, buying throw pillows, ditching the hula girl lamp, getting a cat and even changing his name to the more mature-sounding John. And through it all, he’s pretending to have no interest in sports, which Helen claims to abhor. As things heat up with Helen, the questions arise: Will Johnny finally get the girl? And, if he’s successful in that pursuit, who will he be now that he’s no longer really himself? THE BRO-MAGNET is a rollicking comedic novel about what one man is willing to give up for the sake of love.

My Thoughts:
The buzz around this book was getting bigger and bigger and I just couldn’t resists its lure anymore. Even with having read what feels like a million reviews The Bro-Magnet still surprised me- in a good way. This whole book is so different and refreshing in a genre that sometimes seems to be too set in its ways. For starters, our main character is Johnny a guy who’s hopelessly bad at dealing with woman. I loved Johnny. He is a nice guy with a sports obsession, an adoringly wierd family, a lesbian bff and one big problem: all the dudes love him and the woman not so much. He is a crowd-pleaser but only for the male crowd. Woman hugely start shaking their heads dismissively as soon as he opens his mouth. So here he is- wanting to finally fall happily in love and no idea how to achieve that. When Johnny meets Helen he is set on winning her heart- he just has to figure out how to achieve that.

The only woman in Johnny’s life that doesn’t seem to hate him is Sam- his bff. I adored these two together. Their easy banter was highly entertaining and to see that even both of them together were cluesless about how to make the girls happy was hilarious. Together they try to change Johnny and his life in a way that will please the ordinary woman even though they both don’t have much of a clue. But luckily advice and assistance isn’t beyond their reach. Friends, acquaintances and even the coffee shop owner help him along his way and share their secrets about a happy relationship. I loved to see what some of them came up with. I just say kittens and General Hospital.

Johnny tries to change himself so much that sometimes he accidentally says something that is out of his “new and better” character. Here’s a scene where Johnny tries to get out of liking loopholes in law cases because he thinks that that’s unattractive:

“Not only do I like ice holes,” I say, “but I like sinkholes.”
“Sinkholes?”
“I mean , I’d hate to get my truck stuck in one, but they’re so interesting, the way they just appear all of a sudden. And peepholes, I like those too.”
“Peepholes?”
“It is always good to see who’s on the other side of the door so you know whether you want to let them in or not. Oh, and blowholes- you know, whales. They should be saved.”

This whole changing-yourself is a huge topic in The Bro-Magnet. How much should you change to appeal to someone you’re interested in. And if you do change so much, will you still be you? Will this actually secure your shot at happiness. Johnny’s insistence on changing was funny yes- but at times i felt really bad for him. He shouldn’t be forced to do all that. He should be able to find someone who will love him just the way he is.

One of the main factors why I loved this book was that it just felt different and new. I loved to see everything through Johnny’s eyes. His confusion and uncertainty made me love him even more. A little thing nagged me a bit and that was that we only got a tiny bit of romance. If I would be forced to give this book a genre I would say Bro-Lit says it best. This book does feel a bit like chiclit with it’s cheeryness and all but well we see everything through a guy’s eyes. Also the narration does need a bit of getting used to. At points I would have wished that everything flowed a bit better.

Johnny’s journey to become a Chick- instead of a Bro-Magnet will make you giggle and cry from laughter. You will catch yourself talking to your ereader telling Johnny to “No don’t do that.” and “OMG he didn’t.”. The Bro-Magnet is a refreshing read that will keep you happy and smiling for a long time. Recommended for all who love a funny read

I give The Bro-Magnet 4 out of 5 stars.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

About Susi

Susi is a geeky vegetarian from Gemany. She just finished university and now works as a civil engineer in steel construction. Besides her reading addiction she also knits like a maniac while listening to audiobooks. Susi also blogs at the Secret HEA Society.

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