Review- Isn't It Bromanctic? by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Goodreads Summary:

Having fallen in love in The Bro-Magnet, ultimate man's man Johnny Smith and D.A. Helen Troy marry at the outset of ISN'T IT BROMANTIC? Never has a sports-loving couple been so well suited. Now everything should be wedded bliss, right? Not exactly. On a honeymoon cruise, both contract a virus but Helen recovers more quickly. Still confined to their stateroom, Johnny is fine with her going off on her own, until Helen has a little too much fun playing beach volleyball with an all-male group of German tourists. And things only grow worse as they return home to CT and try to set up life as a married couple. Can Johnny and Helen's marriage be saved?

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Isn't It Bromantic? from author Lauren Baratz-Logsted in exchange for an honest review. We thank Lauren for the book! 

I absolutely like and thoroughly enjoyed reading Lauren Baratz-Logsted's The Bro-Magnet (my review of which can be read here) and I was delighted when the author contacted us to review her book, Isn't It Bromantic?

Without even looking much into the book, I said yes because I know for a fact that Lauren's books come with the guarantee of the reader having a good laugh and a good time while reading. 

I thought Isn't It Bromantic? would be the story of one of the friends of Johnny, the protagonist in The Bro-Magnet although most of them were already married. I don't read summaries (yes, that's how it works for me) so I was in for a surprise with this one. 

I must admit that on the one hand, I was fairly surprised that Isn't It Bromantic? is the continued story of Johnny and Helen since they already got a happy ending in the first book. On the other hand, once I began reading, I realised how much I'd missed this cute couple. I even missed the whole of Johnny's gang and was happy to meet them again. Hell, I even missed his cat (although I'm not a cat person)! 

Isn't It Bromantic? starts off with Johnny and Helen's wonderful marriage ceremony followed by their cruise honeymoon and the two of them trying to fall into the marriage routine. They still find it amusing and hard to believe that they're married. 

Johnny is such a hilarious man, I love his sense of humour. Like I already said, you're bound to have a rocking time listening to the voice in his head. Sometimes, he does seem way too nice and way too concerned for a guy, but all his friends love that about him. He is cluelessly super sweet. He really is a caring, genuine and sweet guy. All that matters to him is his wife's happiness and he makes sure she gets it. 

Helen seemed a little off to me in this one but we get to know all about her reasons later on in the book. She is a very nice and smart girl with her own insecurities and problems and she's perfect for Johnny. They're both perfect for each other. 

It was such a pleasure to again encounter the hilarious bunch of people from The Bro-Magnet. 

Johnny's dad Big John and his Aunt Alfresca get married and are trying to work on that. They were both their usual jovial , wonderful and weird self respectively. Johnny's gang of friends Billy and his wife Alice and Drew were super interesting as usual and in their own ways, they all help Johnny with adjusting to the married life. 

Sam, Johnny's best friend, ex neighbour and business partner was her usual feisty self. I love her as a character. She keeps Johnny in line and I sincerely hope she gets a happily ever after for herself. 

An addition of characters brought more enthusiasm in Isn't It Bromantic? 

Johnny meets a little girl Willow on the cruise and the two remain friends. Willow was a complete darling and rather highly intellectually developed for her age, but lots of fun nonetheless. Johnny's barber Stavros, who takes shelter in the newly wed couple's home was entertaining and I admired him as a character. He had a great personality. Although I must admit that I missed meeting Helen's large, boisterous and cuddly family.  

Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted's writing keeps the reader awake, entertained and wanting more. Isn't It Bromantic? was an hilarious riot of the ups and downs of marriage. I adored how Johnny rounds up his married life with Helen. 

"We are flawed human beings, and we will spend the rest of our lives being flawed together." 

It had me go all 'aw, Johnny!'. Just like the first book, I absolutely liked and thoroughly enjoyed reading Isn't It Bromantic? as well. It was  an adorable read. The Nice Guy series is truly a nice series of a really nice guy. 

REVIEW:

Review- Pursuing The Times by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Goodreads summary:

All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review - just one - and she'll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing's for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Pursuing The Times from author Lauren Baratz-Logsted in exchange for an honest review. We thank Lauren for the book! 

When author Lauren Baratz-Logsted contacted us about reviewing her romantic comedy, Pursuing The Times, not only was I super excited about the book, but I felt so delighted to just see an email from Lauren sitting in our inbox. I absolutely liked and thoroughly enjoyed reading the author's The Bro-Magnet (my review of which can be read here) and I was sure Pursuing The Times would be just as entertaining. And trust me, it didn't disappoint. Not even a bit. 

Pursuing The Times was so funny that not only did I laugh while reading, but somewhere in the middle of nowhere, when I remembered an incident or a dialogue from the book, I found myself laughing just as hard as I did the first time. 
Mercury Lauren is the author of chick-lit novels and her only aim is to get her book, by any means whatsoever, in the hands of New York Times Book Review Editor-in-Chief Frank D'Arcangelo for a review. Mercury, however has no idea who she insulted at the National Book Awards until her agent and only friend, Angel from The Angelica White Literary Agency informs her later that the very object of her hideous insults is the very man she'd do anything to get hold of. 

Throw in another author Nick who supposedly writes "important" stuff, Mercury's crazy but absolutely cute family comprising of her parents, her brother Ralph, whose comebacks and views on Mercury and her career were too comical and a sweet sister in-law Sheila and you have a joyride at your disposal. 
Mercury was an imperfectly perfect protagonist. She was hilarious in her own ways and her absolutely whacky ways of looking at things made her so entertaining and likeable. She was pure fun and like one of the characters in the book rightly said, she had chutzpah. The lengths she went to in order to get the ARC of her novel, Falling For Prince Charles, in the hands of any well established NYTBR reviewer were oh-my-God-so-hilarious! 
At first, I thought that Pursuing The Times started out really slowly or maybe it was just my own reading slump, but once it kicked off, it really was difficult to stay away from reading this highly entertaining and ridiculously smacking book. 

Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted has a way of keeping the reader alert and entertained at the same time with a seriously bang-up plot, absolutely real, genuine and cool characters, nonchalant and smashing dialogue and lastly, the promise of an utterly amusing and awesome journey on which one has a really good time, which in the end, is all that matters- having a good time. 
I loved the craziness and the hideousness of Pursuing The Times. It was a funny, sweet, cheerful and playful read that doesn't require the brain to do any work except read and that makes those pretty laughter lines on your face a permanent feature throughout the duration of the book. It was a lightsome and comical read that I was in dire need of after having read a series of dark books. Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted's Pursuing The Times is truly a very great read! 

RATING:

Sarika

Review- The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Goodreads Summary:

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.

REVIEW:

I got a copy of The Bro-Magnet when it was free on Amazon and I was so eager to read the book. The whole concept of the book seemed great and refreshing as we get a glimpse into a man's head. About what men think about women, about dating, about relationships and about marriage. We've all read about women always being the bridesmaids and never the bride, but this was the first time I came across the tag line 'always a best man... never a groom'. I was excited to begin reading this book and I was not disappointed. 
The Bro-Magnet is a hilarious, awesome and an absolutely refreshing read that had me laughing out loud innumerable times. I mean it when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed every page and it was a totally colourful and entertaining ride. 
The Bro-Magnet is the story of Johnny who has a great family and a great bunch of friends, who wanted to become a lawyer but follows his father's footsteps by taking up the family's painting job, who is looked up to, appreciated and admired by majority of the male population, who has been best man in so many weddings, whose best man wedding speech is a hit among the crowd and who is a HUGE baseball and beer fan. 
Unfortunately, he has never had any luck with women. His mother dies after giving birth to him, his aunt Alfresca accuses him of killing her sister, his first crush, Alice hates him and marries his best friend, his best friend, neighbour and co-worker, Sam is a lesbian. After looking at his married buddies, Johnny feels the absence of a woman in his life and that's when he deicides to take matters in his own hands and gets serious about finding his own life partner. 
I loved being with Johnny on his journey to find the right woman. His family comprising of his dad 'Big John' and his aunt Alfresca was a riot. They are people with a big heart and an even bigger sense of humour. 
His friends made loyal and a strong gang. It was fun reading about the changes that Johnny sees in his friends after their respective marriages. 
His best friend/neighbour Sam was, for me, the coolest character. She was fun, lively and had a kind of razzmatazz personality. 
Another significant character in the book is Leo, the coffee-shop owner and his wife whom he calls 'The Little Lady'. His story and the role he plays in shaping Johnny's views about love was moving and touching. 
When Johnny finally meets lawyer Helen Troy at a baseball game, he is intrigued by her and wants to get to know her. This is where Johnny's world turns upside down. 
With a lot of help and advice (necessary and unnecessary) from family and friends, he goes from being Johnny to 'John', remodels his home by throwing in flowers and little girly things, almost gives up his love for sports, buys a rather lazy and crazy cat, finds himself asking other men about how to woo women and women about how to impress them, but most importantly, he evolves as a man. 
I enjoyed reading about this phase and transition of John. He is so nervous about dates (on the first date, Johnny does not eat anything because he is afraid of having bad breath!) that sometimes I found myself thinking 'do guys even bother so much about such things?' and the answer was yes, they do. It matters so much to John what Helen thinks of him, how she looks at him, how selfless he is when it comes to Helen that he willing to do whatever she says. 
The meetings between Johnny and Helen's very close-knit, huge and jolly family and between Helen and Johnny's riotous and fun-loving family were gratifying and very sweet.
Johnny was cute, funny, sincere and loving while John was still the same guy with only a stronger belief in himself and in his relationships. Helen is smart, cool, very kind and warm-hearted. They are great as a couple, balance each other perfectly and are similar in more ways than one, which I cannot elaborate further without giving away spoilers! 
Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted's writing keeps you awake and alive and laughing and wanting more. At times, a few things did seem a bit too girly, nonetheless The Bro-Magnet was an awesome book and in the end, that is what matters- enjoying what you are reading and The Bro-Magnet ensures that you do just that- relax, read and enjoy.
The Bro-Magnet is a hilarious refreshing read that makes you laugh, appreciate a man's efforts, look at how much relationships matter to men, how willing they are to make it work when they know 'she's the one' and how a little bit of help and lots of humour goes into making a beautiful relationship. 

RATING: 

Sarika