Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 1.5/5 Stars
Plot: 1/5 Stars
Setting: 1/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5 Stars
Writing: 2/5 Stars
Memorability: 1/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
I really wanted to like this novel, however, I felt that everything was cliche and made the story such a common one. There was nothing special about it, and I just couldn’t get past the first half of the novel. This is one of my shorter reviews as I didn’t finish the novel, but I had a few thoughts on it that I wanted to express.

~Other Information~
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Page Count: 320 pages
Release Date: September 22, 2020

~Quick Synopsis~
Nick is friends with Carter and Austin, he sticks to their Bro Code, which must never be broken any under circumstances. That is until he has a crush on Carter’s sister and Austin’s ex, Eliza. He must decide whether he risks it all for Eliza or whether he stays true to his friends and their code of friendship.

~Characters~
I actually somewhat liked the characters. I totally see Eliza and Nick working out great together, they had great chemistry. However, I felt like all of the characters were written like how an adult imagined teenagers acting/interacting with each other. It just felt fake to me, but nevertheless I enjoyed the characters.

~Writing and Setting~
The writing style of The Bro Code was just not for me, and I found it very confusing. There were way too many details in a lot of places and too little detail in others, which I found very frustrating.

For as long as I read the novel, the setting had absolutely nothing to do with it. The Bro Code definitely takes place recently, but it just wasn’t important to the story, at all.

~Plot~
I was really interested in The Bro Code when I first requested it, and was so, so excited to read the novel. However, after reading through the first half of the novel, it became clear that this story was just like many others. There was nothing special about this novel, which really disappointed me. I cannot speak for the second half of the novel, as I did not finish it, but I was so disinterested that I could not continue reading.

~Overall Review~
I really wanted to like this novel, the book description had my expectations through the roof. This novel was just not for me, I just didn’t like it. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t like the novel. As I said, The Bro Code was just not my style.

Maybe I’m a little too old to be reading this book but I honestly don’t remember there being so many bro codes. I definitely didn’t follow or get them.

I recieved an eARC from Net Galley for an exchange of an honest review.
I really liked this book, although i know some people won’t like it.
The best friend’s sister trope is one of my favorites, because we get to witness how every relationship changes when both parts realises what is going on. In this case, we see how Nick, Carter’s bf, starts feeling when Eliza, Carter’s sister, returns home after 1 year in Australia.
“Bros before hoes”, not going out with your bro’s sister and other (retrograde) rules were Nick, Carter and Austin (the OB’s, the Bros) saying, all because it was stipulated in “The bro code”, literally, they have a notebook with written rules for this code. But what happens when they all 3 start realizing that the “rules” they have lived by so many years and kept them together as bros may be the ones that drift them appart?
The only thing i haven’t liked about this book was that i found some rules of this “bro code” REALLY retrograde, and i didn’t like at all some comments about gay people, i think they were unnecessary.
It talks about sensitive topics, things that happen in almost every party and shouldn’t happen, like some form of abuse when people get drunk. Anyways, i think it was approached in a very careful and thoughtful way.
Also, i would have loved some chapters from Eliza’s POV, because i think the story would have been a lot more deep if we had known some of the thoughts from the other part.
I hope to read a second part about this, or a book about Carter or Austin in college, because i know that if that is written, it would also be great as this book!

I was excited to read a book through the eye of a males but it was a bit too “bro-y” for me and began to annoy me. I skimmed most of the book and it took me a long time to get through it because of that. I do think important topics are discussed such as sexism and sexuality and assault but I don’t like the way it was executed exactly. Thank you for the advanced copy netgalley and to the publisher!

Okay, after the first half of the book I had my review ready – that the book was okay and fluffy. However, the second part of the book was much better. Despite it all being a fluffy read for teenagers, it talks about some important topics – for example, gender discrimination and consent. I admire how the author incorporated these important issues into the book, so when a teenager reads it they can learn something.
I enjoyed the idea of the book - I'm never getting tired of best friend's sister/brother's best friend trope. It's just a classic trope I love, but I had a very hard time getting through this book since the writing was not my thing. In my mind, the characters were a bit flat – I wish we could get to know more of their characters traits throughout the book. I liked the references to different movies, and I liked the friendship between Carter, Austin and Nick (though I think Austin was a bit omitted in some parts). I was a bit disappointed because they all acted like such stereotypical high school characters – the player, the nerd etc. I enjoyed the part where at the beginning of every chapter there is a bro rule – some of them were adorable, and some were pretty weird.
Overall, it is a nice read when you want to relax. It was a bit annoying for me though, but I think I might be too old for teenage books (I’m not suited to sustain such amounts of awkwardness and cringe). And, there is a big plus for approaching a serious issue in an approachable way.

I struggled a bit with this book. I really liked the love story between Nick and Eliza, and for me, that was the saving grace of this book. I liked their characters and interactions. But so much of the book focused on the "bro code," which was often sexist and played into the toxic culture of masculinity that we have today. Thankfully that was addressed at various points in the book, but I still feel like the final code was not quite where it needs to be. I think it was a good effort at addressing the bro culture in the time of the #MeToo movement, but I just don't think it completely hit the mark.

Overall, I liked the story and the romance plot, but I just feel like some of the details could have been better. The story often felt disjointed and I had a hard time paying attention at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book!

honestly, i'm not sure why i actually read this whole book, since i wanted to dnf it for a while, but i never actually stopped reading this, and i honestly regret it.

one of my biggest issue with this book is the talk about "bros before hoes." it was just so sexists and annoying because they just made random crap up, about "bro cannot hit another bro with a dodge ball." and more and more and it was just so stupid because it was more drama here and there. and they honestly said 'bro' literally 1,000 times in this damn book. and the whole 'villain' of the book was so good in the end of the book, since he did tell all the boys to shove it.

like i already said, i have no clue with what happened in the end of the book. it just didn't make sense, so i honestly just skim read. because it was honestly so annoying with all this stupid talk about literally everything and anything.

the writing style wasn't even good. it was just so cringey and she tried to write like a teenager, when they don't write like this what so ever. and it was just so annoying that this happened. and that they used like "deffffff" and "bisexys."

this is going to be a spoiler- but i really hated the whole rape talk. and that we learn (????) that Austin and Carter sexuality assault a two girls (one each.) but i honestly don't know if they actually did, but from what i read, i believe they did and it was so annoying and it was honestly just brushed over.

this will also be a spoiler- but i really hate how the bisexual and being queer was talked about in this book. i feel like it was pretty toxic and nick was like "oh it's kinda weird that you are." and just like never that open to talk about his sexuality. and it honestly grossed me off and i'm not even gonna lie.

i also thought it was so weird that the main characters love interest is Eliza, when the authors name is Elizabeth. it honestly felt like the author's high school fantasies that probably never happened. but, it still made me uncomfortable.

Nick- i really hated his character so much. he was such a dick and his whole personality was, my friends are always right, soccer, and getting into college. i personality didn't care for him and he annoyed me.

Eliza-unlike Nick, she didn't have a personality, less then what Nick had. all that she did, and what we got told about her, she only liked orange, she drew, and that she lived in Australia fora little bit. it was just so annoying.

trigger warnings- rape and bad talk talk about sexuality

This trope, I don't think I could ever get over this trope. So many amazing books written about this trope and this is another one that does not disappoint. While there were certain aspects of this book that felt a tad bit repetitive, I did enjoy it.

DNF around 40%.

I was intrigued by the concept, and wanted to expand my horizons since I don't read as many books with a male narrator. But it was just way too bro-y for me. There were moments where the characters attempted to seem woke, but it didn't land. They'd bring up #MeToo and white privilege but just in passing. And the characters didn't seem to practice what they preached. Overall, the boys kind of turned me off, and the story just wasn't for me. Not to say it wouldn't work better for someone else!

The most important rule of the Bro Code? Always follow the rules of the Bro Code! Nick and his friends know the importance of the Bro Code and consider it sacred. But what happens when one of them falls for another bro's sister? Is a girl, even one that you're in love with, worth breaking the Bro Code? And if the Bro Code is broken, can you ever go back?

This fun book takes on a serious topic in our Me Too culture. Although much of the writing is light-hearted, the reader comes away thinking about gender differences, sexism, and even sexual assault. I would normally recommend a book like this to any high school girl. However, thanks to Elizabeth Seibert's wisdom in having a senior boy tell this story, it is definitely for boys as well.

Thanks to Net Galley, Elizabeth Siebert, and Wattpad Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I think this is a really fun story many teens will enjoy. It deals with many contemporary issues, and takes them on in a unique way that I haven't seen done often before. I also liked the character development with the protagonist, it was fun to watch her grow and develop through the story and really own her identity.

This book was cute, and I really loved the guys friendship and Nick and Eliza's relationship but I counted and the word Bro is used over 200 times in this book and quite frankly, thats too many times. I felt like at a certain point I had to take a break from it and there are definitely ways around using it so much.

Though my only real problem with this book is that there are little to no consequences to the instances of casual harassment from Nick's friends. I'm glad they learned and apologized and grew but it felt like another case of white boys getting off scott free.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! I felt like this book tackled many different themes for young adult aside from just a typical romance. As an educator I can see lots of my students reading this story as it is different from most YA in our library. I enjoyed the character development and felt as though the protagonist grows and develops throughout the story. The plot structure was okay, at times I felt like it was slow or drawn out and the ending seemed rushed.

I feel as though the author tried to use humor to talk about different issues young adults are facing on the daily basis. That was a unique twist and something I didn’t expect

Overall this was a quick read for me and I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced read.

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. The writing style wasn’t my favorite and the characters fell flat. I liked the concept of the story line though & if you’re looking for an easy romance to read, this might be for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book 4 stars. This was a great quick read. It’s not your typical YA book that focuses on romance. It has other points that are just as important; like getting accepted college, their friendships, the relationships that they have with their parents. Being someone who has raised boys this book spoke to me. It touched on things that I preached to my boys about. I taught that that it is very important to respect women at all times. This book teaches boys that they need to come up with a different “bro code” one that respects women at all times.

I would definitely recommend this book to be read by all.

Thank you to Netgalley, Elizabeth A. Seibert and Smith Publicity for sending me a copy of this book for review. This in no way effects my thoughts and opinions of the book.

I am on the biggest romance binge right now. I think I may have over done it the fantasy and science fiction last year to the extent that my brain will only focus on contemporary and romance novels. Saying that 'The bro code' should have been right up my street. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I wanted to really love this book, it has so many elements that I love such as the forbidden romance but by the end of it I just felt let down.

Our story follows Nick Maguire, a high school senior who swears by the rules of the bro code. He intends to spend his last year playing football, hanging out with his two best friends; Carter and Austin. But when Carter's sister Eliza returns from studying overseas, the awkward, academic girl Nick remembers is very different.

One of my biggest issues with this book was the pacing. I felt like it took forever for the book to finally get going. The first half of the book was incredibly slow and not a lot happened. I completely understand the need to set up plot lines and characters but for basically nothing to really happen for so long gets very boring. So, the first half was slow. When the story finally stared to get going it came across as very rushed.

The best part of a romance story is getting to watch the characters grow and develop feelings and potentially fall in love. However, you don't really get to see that happen. There are moments between the two characters that are really sweet but ultimately the relationship just happens and that was it. There was also no story to the romance, no real details of them as a couple. It just really lacked details and romance.

Being truthful, it felt like the book was more focused on the friendship of the three main boys and the idea of the bro code rather than the romance between Nick and Eliza. I can tell you more about Nick's friendship with Carter and Austin then I can with Eliza. It all just felt rushed.

The characters in the story had a lot of potential. They all are very different but yet loyal to each other but they are very one dimensional and we don't really learn much about them. I got slightly more of a grasp on Nick as the story is told from his point of view but ultimately I wanted more. I wanted to know more about all of them. Like I said some of them have the potential to be really incredible, complex characters with depth and scars and a story of there own to really get invested in but ultimately that is not what we got.

I know it sounds like I didn't like this book but that wasn't the case. The concept is interesting. I don't know if there is a 'Bro Code' or whatever but I idea that high boys abide by a set of very strange rules really entertains me. It is that level of immature yet loyalty that I witness in college (High school) myself. I like the characters, they are in no way bad, they are just lacking development. I feel like this story has a lot of potential. At only 320 pages it is so slow moving at the start that we had to rush and cram in the rest of the story into the 320 pages of the book. I would have been happier if the book was a little longer and allowed the author to delve more into the characters personalities and relationships.

My overall rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

I really struggled to get into this. I might try and give it good in a couple of weeks, but I wasn't really liking it when I picked it up. The characters felt very flat for me and I wanted more from them all. I wanted more from the story as well. I felt like it was a story I've read before and nothing new was added. I think I will try and pick it up in the future though.

Whilst I never read this book on Wattpad it is very clear that it is a story that originated from this site. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just felt a bit too young and cliche at times. I really loved the concept of this story, however for me, I felt that it just didn't quite catch my attention enough to really enjoy it. Despite this, it is a nice light read, that has an interesting take on the main character POV being Nicks. This isn't really something I've experienced in this genre of book before so was intrigued by this mix up.

If you want something light and easy this will be perfect for you.

The Bro Code is a contemporary romance, a debut of Elizabeth Seibert. It was originally posted on Wattpad, and although I do not use it anymore and have not read this particular book there, it still kept that certain Wattpad, fanfiction-y feel to it. I have not decided if that is a good or a bad thing. Maybe both.

It centres on the relationship of Nick (bad boy, a little stereotypey) and Eliza (which I now noticed is named after the author - I guess people do like imagining things), his "bro's" sister. I appreciated their dynamic, the issues that were discussed and the fact that Nick was the lead - that's still pretty uncommon in YA romance, HOWEVER, two things bothered me a lot:
1, the overuse of words bro, bro code and such. Mate, I get it. This book's TITLE is The Bro Code. Do you need to throw it into every other sentence?! Such a nuisance.
2, I feel like it took me a while to get into it and then bam!, it ended. Just like that. I had to check, if I didn't skip anything.

In conclusion, the book was light, fun and enjoyable and I'll probably read the next one by Elizabeth Seibert, but it wasn't anything memorable and there were various things that if removed, would make the book A LOT better.

This book had so much potential and it was really disappointing. I’ve read some really cute and rewarding relationships in the forbidden love trope but this love story did not feel earned. Overall it was too Bro-tastic. I liked that the chapters were just the Bro code rules and it could have been done well but there was some really questionable things. The main character did grow in his character but it felt like the main three guys only learned a little how misogynistic they were being and still have a long way to go. I writing wasn’t bad and I was curious how it would end, I think it would have benefitted by a dual perspective.