Rom-com redesign: The Bromance Club

I love romance. Sprinkle in a little fantasy and badass warrior-esque characters and I’m hooked for at least a few chapters. But I’m also a rom-com lover, and I loved this novel, and I’m surprised I didn’t see the series before now.

Bromance Club lives up to the rom-com formula that every romance lover knows and loves about the genre. The novel doesn’t shy away from it. Since the couple has already met cute and answered the call before the story begins, the romance seems like an easy next step. However, Bromance’s rejection of the relationship seems more severe since it means the end of a marriage rather than an end to what might have been. 

Fortunately, they agree to give the relationship a chance and experience the trials that bring them back together. Still, husband and wife reconnected without fixing what was broken, so Gavin and Thea break up, Gavin making a sacrifice that they need to improve, or their marriage is doomed. Yet, when positive steps are taken, a big declaration is made.

The Bromance Club makes two big changes that redefine romance.

First, the novel isn’t a dating story but rather a second chance romance. Instead, the couple is married with two kids, on the brink of divorce. So, the couple already has a complicated relationship that they must figure out even as they find their sexual spark. The stakes are higher for the couple because a family is breaking apart. The audience wants the family to be happy not just two lovers. It also shows romance is for more than new lovers. Such a twist is abnormal for romance novels, and the difference is appealing to a larger audience, adding divorcees, married women, and even men to the audience.

Second, the story is told from the man’s perspective. Romances rarely delve into the male protagonist's point of view for more than a few chapters. And even then, the men appear emotionally stoic and sexually aggressive, which doesn’t build good relationships. The man’s doubtful view of romance novels, earnest efforts to seduce his wife, and his unthinking mistakes are touching. Even as he reconnected with his wife, he discovers the problems in the marriage—their sex life and communication—are more complex than he realized. To be better, husband and wife both needed to face their fears and make changes. This change shows men take the emotional side of the relationship seriously. Given the opportunity to be romantic and build a better relationship, they will, which is appealing to men and women.

Seeing men as sensitive and concerned about their marriage adds to the story’s appeal. 

Bromance Club teaches writers to reshape the formula and expectations of the genre. While they can offer the story features that are popular for romance, expanding and changing the perspective can reach a broader audience. 

Women have been drawn to dating romances. They enjoy the emotional roller coaster with a guaranteed happy ending. But this story brings other types of relationships into this group of happily ever afters. It subtly encourages women to share the novels with their partners.

The best aspect of this novel is the accountability on both sides of the relationship. Often rom-coms depict horribly imbalanced relationships of bad behaviors, immoral activity, bad attitudes, etc. Most romance couples overlook real problems that complicate or destroy the relationship—such as the guy’s womanizing, the woman’s self-doubt, or the couple’s plan to move abroad where one of their careers doesn’t exist. Bromance stops the relationship for introspection and steps of growth before the declaration. In this story, the sacrifice isn’t about giving up some aspect of oneself to join the coupledom. Instead, the sacrifice is stepping back from a relationship so that the relationship can be healthier.

With all this in mind, I understand the appeal of The Bromance Club series. It is a fun romance that maintains romance rules while introducing a new view.

But is it blockbuster-worthy? After a couple months, I remembered the basics of the story, which is great since I had to look up the characters’ names. But the recall didn’t draw me back to the book.

For me, the best stories (both books and movies) are the ones that trigger a desire to repeat them when you remember a moment, a phrase, or a character from the story. I reread each book of Amy A. Bartol’s series each time a new book was released. I wanted the story fresh in my memory for a new installment. I’ve finished K. F. Breene’s six-book series three times because I remembered the main character’s badass warrior chick moves. I’ve rewatched Warriors and Along with the Gods because I remembered a facial expression. When the work makes an impression, it sticks with the reader and draws him/her back. Bromance doesn’t do that for me and fails my blockbuster test.

Still, Zuckerman’s list is the ultimate blockbuster measure--high stakes, larger-than-life characters, a dramatic question, high concepts, multiple points of view, and an amazing setting. I concede the story requires high stakes (a broken marriage and family) and multiple points of view (he said, she said). However, the characters, settings, questions, and concepts seem common. These elements are common, possibly intentionally like everyone else. These features--as often the case in romances--need to remain familiar and relatable aspects of the story. 

So, Bromance is certainly popular, but is it a blockbuster?