I must admit that the first half of this novel was really hard to get through, because nothing interesting was happening and the main character Nick was rambling about his male friends. We get to know about bro code, and how it actually complicates the relationship between him and his friends instead of making it easier. The second half of the book is waaaay better. It starts with a party where Nick's crush on his best bro's sister is revealed. It definitely complicates everything since it's against the bro code that they are all supposed to follow. I really appreciated the topics brought by this book especially how sexist not only boys but also grown up men can be and to what sort of disasters it can lead - rape, lack of consent and the general lack of respect towards girls and women. If the book consisted only of the second part I guess I would give it 4 stars, but since I hardly made it to the second part I will stop at 3 stars.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review. It’s a good quick read that deals with high school and issues in life. It’s touch’s on things like the me to movement. I really enjoyed it I just wish the characters didn’t seem it’s the everything when they are just in high school and lives just starting

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read & review an E-ARC of this novel!**

This one started off slow for me, but by the end I was wanting the story to keep going! I wonder how things turned out...& the story gave me major nostalgia vibes for my high school days. Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Things I Liked:
-the nostalgia it brought back about my high days...lol
-the connections between the characters...although this was problematic at points if they were backing each other regarding misogynistic or homophobic topics...the strength of the friendships also led to the growth of each character
-the slow burn of the romance...it made it that much sweeter when things picked up
-how the author called out the toxic masculinity! YAAAAASSSSS!
-the re-written Bro Code at the end of the novel :)

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-this story started out slow & took a while for me to get interested in
-the way the original Bro Code was overbearing in parts of the story...in the beginning of the story it was brought up so much that it felt very oppressive in the story (but this let up & changed as the character progressed)
-while enjoyed the romance...I found it slightly irritating that it took a relationship with the "right girl" for the main character to realize his demeaning views & comments regarding women

Overall, I gave this novel 3 stars. It was such a good way to break up my recent "adult" reads & remind me why I love YA so much. It made me smile & laugh. I think it would be a great read for those interested in reading novels with high school themes, rom-com vibes, & just an enjoyable & funny read.

The Bro Code by Elizabeth A. Seibert is a young adult contemporary, romance novel which focuses on the lives of four characters - Nick Maguire, Cassidy, Carter, Eliza.

The book is filled the difference bro codes / rules in order to what needs to done and not done. There were many things wrongly portrayed in this book. And the book truely did not have any direction.

It was literally going around the bush and nothing concrete was happening since a pretty long time. I did not enjoy reading this book at all. The codes and everything is something we usually keep seeing around and nothing new came to out it.
-----------
Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for giving me e-copy in exchange of an honest review.

DNF @ 18%

This is just not grabbing my attention at all. I can't keep the guy characters straight; they're all blending into one stereotypical crappy dude-bro. And I dont understand the history between them, and how the sister ties in. The chapter are too long. Nothing is working for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Let me just start by saying that this is a fluffy romantic comedy. It also deals a bit with the "forbidden love" trope so if you're looking for that, this might be right up your alley.

However, I did feel that the flow wasn't always that great in this book; it was a little hard to read and it was hard for me to get connected to the plot. I also wasn't too attached to the characters and I didn't think there was a lot of character development.

There are a lot of pop culture references which can be funny and relatable, but can also take you out of the world of the bok for a bit.

This book also touched on certain issues which I think are very important like sexism, the #metoo movement, and homophobia which, while I think it could've gone deeper on those issues, was nice to see from a book that is from the POV of a male high school character.

Besides that, this is a fairly easy summery read that'll be good for all lovers of teen romance with a hint of comedy!

Unfortunately this book wasn't really for me. I did not finish it @ 30%.

(ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m unsure how I feel about this book... I know I’m outside the demographic but I typically love YA books. However, this one seemed a little TOO juvenile for my taste. While I liked some of the thematics regarding women’s rights, I don’t feel as though they were brought into the plotting appropriately. I also had a huge issue with the amount of unsupervised partying done by the underage kids. Call me a wet rag, or whatever you please... I just hate it. Even if it’s reality. I never understood the “party life.” I always wanted to stay home and read 😂 Torn between a 2.5-3⭐️ Rating for me.

Fast read very enjoyed. I truly like the ending! The writing style was easy to understand. I also liked that it was told in a males perspective.

I'm disappointed with the outcome of the book. I was liking it the beginning because the story was super entertaining, it obviously has several cliches and it reminded me of The Kissing Booth because of the rules and that. Unfortunately, I was waiting for the drama, and it didn't happen, where were the punches and the "I'll stop talking to you for months"?.

The narration style of this book was challenging for me, just because while I understood that the entire basis of this book was based on "bro culture," it was different to read everything from such an inflated bro-based lens.

I didn't really have any particularly strong connections with any of the characters, especially the "bros" and how their behavior was always excused for in certain ways, and by the time some of the toxic aspects of the culture were addressed I was already tired of it all. It didn't feel like a monumental moment for Nick either, just like an "oh."

In general, I appreciated the steps that the author took to try and write that moment and create it when so much of the book involved heavy influences of the bro culture, but I don't think that the pacing and overall narrative style worked for me this time.

I really enjoyed this book.
It was funny and enjoyable, overall a very fast and easy read that I enjoyed.

Bros before hoes
Typical frat boy type high-school boys. Don't date your friends siblings. But of course that's what happens and things go sideways like you know it would. Also shows how guys can just get away with a lot of stuff because us girls just think its normal

Thank you Net Galley, author and publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. I have to admit, for this particular young adult novel I might actually be too old (it’s not you, it’s me).
So, this book is about Nick – one of the Bros, high school senior, soccer team captain, an only child for his parents, who falls in love with his best friend's little sister. The story is about them finding a path to each other while dealing with a lot of high school drama, bad experiences, pressure from parents, and uncertain future decisions. On top of it, there is a Bro code he and all his best friends follow, that cannot be broken no matter what. As you can guess, Bro code does not allow to have a crush on bro’s sibling.

This was easy and light read. Overall, I liked the story and I think there are some very important topics captured that young people should be aware of and talk more about. However, I am left with a feeling that the author decided to go the easiest way and not address them properly. Issues felt brushed away without consequences. However, I see where the author was going with this because there was character growth through the book. I wish she would have pushed even further.

The whole story was told around bro-code. I have to be honest, in some parts of the story, it was confusing and too exaggerated. I liked how it captured the essence of the story and highlighted trust and friendship, but in some parts, it felt fake and overplayed. It left me feeling that this is more how we girls see boys, rather than how they actually interact with each other. I would really want to read a bro-code book written by a male author.

Overall, this was a cute read -- definitely for a younger audience than myself. The blurb for this one is what initially grabbed my attention. I am always a sucker for a cute, YA romance. The writing of the male characters was definitely over the top with the pro-bro language, but I think you have to go in expecting that by the title of the book. I wish some of the heavier topics would have been explored a little more instead of glossed over. I think more young readers could have benefited from more detail/analysis/explanation. This is good if you just need a light read that doesn't require much thinking that you can finish in one sitting.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

favorite quote: "We kissed until the sky turned purple, savoring each other until the last ray of sun had set our hearts on fire."

If that's not the cutest quote you ever read, I don't know what is. I honestly had so many mixed feelings throughout the book. Part of me loved a lot of it but I was slightly annoyed with the entire mention of the bro code throughout the book. I though the quotes and the way Nick thought about the bro code as well as his friends was a bit too immature. It doesn't make sense anymore, it is more of an unspoken rule between guys in high school, but the fact that it was mentioned I thought overdid it. I did love the chemistry between Nick and Eliza, so I enjoyed this story a lot.

*ARC book received in exchange for honest review*

The idea behind this book sounded so great!

Overall the book was not bad. The voice of the story sounded very young. I think maybe I was not the intended audience and it might be more well suited for younger teens. It was difficult to stay motivated to read the story only because I couldn’t relate to these characters. It also felt like a female writing from a male perspective rather than actually reading a males perspective, if that makes sense.

I see a sold base for growth from the author and I think we could expect great things from her as she grows. This story just was not for me.

Formatting:
I’m not sure if it was just to arc copy or if the final looks the same, but it was very difficult to focus on the text do to some major formatting errors. Sometimes there was no indent at the beginning of each paragraph and other times there was. There were also some spacing and typo issues throughout. Seems like it just needs a bit more editing to smooth out some wrinkles! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC. :)

Reading this, I wasn't sure if the male characters were intentionally written as over-the-top bros, or if there are still high school students who acted like this. Regardless, I think this would be a good read for reluctant male readers, and might be an especially important one for those student who might be most likely to unironically use "bro" on the regular.

This book had all the makings and potential to be a phenomenal book however it just fell a little short. In terms of romance, it was extremely cute. I loved reading the interactions and the romance between the two main characters. Where this book failed to deliver is everything else. I really appreciate that the story was trying to tackle social issues/themes such as toxic masculinity, misogyny, LGBTQ+ issues, etc. However, the way they were presented and dealt with felt a little juvenile for me personally. The way the characters talked about the Bro Code or something regarding those themes was a little underdeveloped for me. This definitely leans on the younger side of YA. I am not going to give this a low rating just because it wasn't my cup of tea, this was still a fun read and I am sure this book will find someone out there and become a favorite. I feel like this is perfect for young teenagers trying to get into YA contemporary romance that deals with deeper themes and issues and has more meat to the book other than just the romance between the main characters.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a free arc of the novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

- 3.5 stars -

one of my favorite tropes has to be "falling for my best friend's sibling", right after "falling for my best friend". THE BRO CODE tells the sweet story of Nick, "certified original bro," who falls in love with his best friend's, Carter, little sister, Eliza. in its essence, this is the story of the trials and tribulations of high school. Nick and his friends are high school seniors who are trying to balance school, sports, and their social lives, including their friendship and romantic relationships (or lack thereof). 

this book brought me back to my high school days, when i was worried about passing exams and turning in essays on time, visiting colleges and deciding on majors. though i never had the pressure of also trying to make a collegiate sports team, the memories were all there. i could relate to the pressure that Nick was feeling on wanting to do well on his interview and get into a good school. the depiction of his relationship with his dad was very real: his dad was once a soccer star in college but his career was cut short, so he was pushing those lost dreams onto Nick. throughout the book i felt that Nick's dad was being too hard on him, but i'm glad they were able to have a heart to heart by the end. 

there was a young voice to Elizabeth Seibert's writing, which is fitting because it is a YA book, but for some reason it struck me as very juvenile, even though i am a YA lover through and through. it was fast-paced and an easy read, though, which is exactly what i needed between the other books i had read. i also appreciated some of the themes that appeared--toxic masculinity, LGBTQ+ issues, harassment, and the power of words--and how they were handled for a younger audience. i do think that some of it could have been unpacked more, had the topic been discussed in greater detail in the plot. 

overall, THE BRO CODE is a nice, light read about making it through high school, learning who your real friends are, and falling in love (for real) for the first time. Nick and Eliza's journey to each other is also really sweet--the epitome of high school love! three out of five stars from me!