Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Bro-Magnet (Nice Guy #1)

by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Goodreads Author)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 469 ratings · 170 reviews

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 affec...more

Kindle Edition, 261 pages

Published December 11th 2011 by TKA Distribution

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 992)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 21, 2013 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-for-netgalley, reviewed-by-me, reviewed-at-blithelybookish, 2012-reads, books-for-review, 3-5-stars

The Bro-Magnet is a laugh out loud story about life and love, told in the first person POV from a man’s perspective. If you’re married or have spent any length of time in a relationship with a guy, you know how clueless they can be when it comes to their feelings and the ways of the world… the real world, that is. Well, in this book we get to spend years inside Johnny’s head and while I still don’t think I’ll ever understand the way men think, at least I got a lot of great laughs from reading ab...more

like 23 likes · see review

Jan 20, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

Johnny Smith is a man's man. Johnny loves sports, beer and just being a guy. He has lots of male friends but that special female someone is elusive. When he has the honour of being the best man for the eighth time, he realises that if he ever wants to be the groom he's going to have to re-invent himself. Women just don't go for him. So when he meets Helen, he decides to have a makeover and become the type of man women want.

Written in the first person from Johnny's point-of-view this is a light,...more

like 9 likes · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Sophia (FV) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review originally posted at Fiction Vixen

Ok, let’s just get this out of the way right now. Ignore the cover, don’t think about the title, read the book, laugh a lot. That’s what I did and it works. Trust me on this. If I had not seen the buzz on Twitter and Goodreads about this book, I probably would have passed on the review opportunity. The cover and title just don’t say romance to me. Luckily I pay attention to my romance reading friends and this little gem did not slip through my fingers.

Jo...more

like 6 likes · see review

Jan 28, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

I heard a lot of talk about The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted on Twitter, and then I saw Dear Author give it a favorable review, so I had to check it out. Thank goodness, because I am not sure if I would have ever picked this book up based on the title and the cover. But put that behind you because this book will make you laugh and smile the entire way through.

Johnny Smith is a guy's guy. He loves sports and poker, he paints houses for a living and every man finds him very likable. He has...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 07, 2012 Sheri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

My grade: C+. This is like chick-lit, only it's told in the hero's 1st person POV. Parts of this book I liked a lot. Several times I laughed out loud. I was fond of Helen and Johnny, but didn't like how much he was acting like someone he wasn't in order to appeal to Helen. And she was doing the same. Johnny has always been a bust with women, but men love him. All in all, I kept wanting him to act like himself. I didn't find him appealing getting a cat he didn't want, watching General Hospital, e...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2read2, favorites

This book is totally made of awesome and I have laughed myself silly! General Hospital, Gone With The Wind, Pier 1, barn opera, a cat that walks on a leash. OMG, this was a total riot and I'm so excited that the author has a sequel in the works!

If you want an incredibly authentic and hilarious book about a clueless man's quest for love and the mistakes he makes in trying to reinvent himself along the way, run and get this book! You will not be disappointed!

like 4 likes · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Sarika Patkotwar rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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. (less)

like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Johnny Smith is a great guy. All his friends love him, and any man who's not his friend wants to be. Unfortunately, the things men appreciate about him are exactly the things that make women assume he's a laddish asshole. He isn't, truly. In fact, Johnny is a genuinely nice man, who would like nothing better than to find a woman to love and be loved by.

Johnny is also quite self-aware. He knows exactly what the problem is, he just can't figure out how to change things. So when he meets the lovel...more

like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Booklover, Indianapolis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, own-in-e-format, read-in-2012

(Sept) 3.5* Ok, when I started this I loved it - I mean, thinking it would be a 5* OMG tell everyone to read it loved it. Until I got about 1/2 the way through - and I didn't love it anymore. In fact, I started getting annoyed/and found parts almost painfully pathetic to read. I felt like Johnny was a 33 year old moron. Really - an opera in podunk CT and he buys a tuxedo. And listens to the heinous Allison about how all girls love GH (I think I know two women past their 20's who still watch soap...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Lodyangel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this book off of Amazon for free. I found it to be a difficult read. I almost stopped reading it, but plowed through. There were several problems with the story line. First off, Johnny is suppose to be a "man's man." He enjoys beer, pool, poker, and is everyone's best man. The problem with this is he is horrible with women. I think in most people's experience a "Man's man" is usually very good with the ladies which raises their value in another guys eyes. Johnny seems to repel woman....more

like · see review

May 28, 2012 Dyllan, The Brazuca Ekaterina rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone in need of a laugh!

Recommended to Dyllan, The Brazuca Ekaterina by: http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com.br

Shelves: contemporary, cover-freak, don-t-give-me-the-l-word, i-mean-wtf, laughed-my-butt-off, reviewed, sexxxy-v-read-this

I wasn't sure of what really I'd get when I started this book. The Bro-Magnet has really surprised me.

Johnny is this sports fan, 33 year old guy who isn't really luck with women. When he finds the one he thinks is "the one" for him, he'll do everything he can to have her.

While I loved how nonsense he was, he couldn't be that... Teenager-ish. Lol. There was a part around the middle of the book that was annoying the hell out of me. It was too much. I was thinking, This guy can't be this old and th...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Amy Jacobs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted is an author who never fails at giving a wonderful read. Whether it be young adult themed such as Crazy Beautiful, or adult contemporary like The Bro Magnet, I always know it is going to be a great read full of emotion. After reading the review of this book by Fiction Vixen, I just knew I had to read and review this book. Seriously, FV never lets me down on recommendations, and frankly, the author has never let me down either. So when I received a copy for review, I...more Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted is an author who never fails at giving a wonderful read. Whether it be young adult themed such as Crazy Beautiful, or adult contemporary like The Bro Magnet, I always know it is going to be a great read full of emotion. After reading the review of this book by Fiction Vixen, I just knew I had to read and review this book. Seriously, FV never lets me down on recommendations, and frankly, the author has never let me down either. So when I received a copy for review, I stayed up late reading the fun -- and at many times hilarious -- adventure of Johnny finding true love.

Think about it for a minute. Most romance books on the shelves focus on the women finding true love. It is usually a given since women are the main readers of romance. When I read the blurb and it was about a guy who was actually looking for romance I jumped for joy at seeing how it was going to be written.

What is a guy to do when the moment you are born, you realize you are going to be cursed at never finding love? Seriously, when you read about the day he was born, you can't help but laugh and think that poor boy! Either he would turn out with a complex for being a guy or embrace it and be a wonderful man. The only downside is if you turn out to be the all around great guy, you seem to make a bunch of girls as friends and less romantic relationships with them. We get to see flashbacks of his life and finally make it to the present with him in his thirties. When he meets Helen though, he really wants to make a relationship with her work. The only problem is that he needs help from his friends to basically give him a makeover. He likes his beer, sports and backwards baseball hats, but he is also a warm, funny and all around great guy. When you get a supporting cast of side characters who come to his rescue, you will laugh, cry and sometimes both at the same time. Of course, then we have Helen who is trying to be something different for Johnny as well. As they both struggle to impress the other with what they think each one of them would like, you can't help but laugh and hope they will both come to their senses and just be themselves.

There was so many times I laughed in this book that narrowing down some favorite quotes was extremely difficult. Trust me in the recommendation of buying this book. You will not be disappointed in the writing and I can guarantee much laughter from beginning to end.(less)

like · see review

Mar 17, 2012 Gaylin Walli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, romance

A tweet came across my Twitter stream last week from Deidre Knight (yeah, that Deidre, from the Knight Agency). She touted this book as a great little read and since I intensely admire the woman's choice of book recommendations, I figured there had to be something worthwhile in the book. But The Bro-Magnet? It sounded way too much like a bad 70s movie title and I was notably skeptical. Sadly, in my pre-caffiene induced haze of morning work I immediately fired off a tweet that was not too complim...more A tweet came across my Twitter stream last week from Deidre Knight (yeah, that Deidre, from the Knight Agency). She touted this book as a great little read and since I intensely admire the woman's choice of book recommendations, I figured there had to be something worthwhile in the book. But The Bro-Magnet? It sounded way too much like a bad 70s movie title and I was notably skeptical. Sadly, in my pre-caffiene induced haze of morning work I immediately fired off a tweet that was not too complimentary of the title and Ms. Knight took note. That was mistake #1.

Mistake #2 was deciding at the first page that I wasn't going to read it because it started out in 1st person voice ("I am doing this. I am doing that.") Here's the thing about my reading novels. I have a general rule of skipping them when they're in first person voice. It's that most authors get all twisted up in their undershorts when they use it. They mangle the prose and end up with everything stilted and uncomfortable, never really realizing that they've tripped and got their panties somewhere around their ankles. And the fact that this book came from a new author I'd never read before didn't really encourage me to continue much.

But then this little voice sat up in the back of my head and tritely repeated "Never judge a book by its cover." So I figured that if a lady I admire recommends this book and this is kind of her business, maybe I should knuckle under and give it a go beyond the first page, you know? There had to be something there worthwhile for her to tout it publicly.

So I settled down in bed content to read for 15 minutes or so and was immediately smiling at the tightly written and well-placed and paced intro where I met Johnny Smith, our hero. Then I was laughing. Two hours later and my husband was coming to bed asking me what was so funny and why was I still awake so late when I had to go to work very early in the morning the next day. That's when I realized Ms. Lauren Baratz-Logsted had me. I genuinely wanted to know if Mr. Johnny Smith, our "always a groomsman, never a groom" hero, really did end up with the girl and what it took for him to make that happen. I sincerely wanted to savor the words that Ms. B-L deftly wove because it's a rare thing to infuse a story like this with comedic wit and get the timing right every single time. She did it and made it seem effortless. Brava!

Funny, witty, delightful, charming....those are the words you'll read from other reviewers who, no doubt, think that's what people want to see in a book review. I'll not bore you with those, nor some rehash of the plot. I will, however, tell you this. If you read contemporary romance, I'm confident you'll laugh. Even if you aren't sure about contemporaries and stick to historical romances or some other genre in the field, I'm certain you'll smile at least once while reading, likely more. I'm glad I bought this book and I promise I'll never mock another one of Ms. Baratz-Logstead's titles again ever.

Ma'am, any book that not only keeps me up past my bedtime AND has me laughing while reading 1st person narrative is well worth the cash I forked out to read it. Please keep up the great work.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Feb 24, 2012 Marisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

The Bro-Magnet has an interesting narrative. The story is told by Johnny, and his insights, confusions, hopes and desires are wrapped up in his distinctive view of the world and his place in it. So much of his observations carry a tone of self-deprecation but also a keen and wicked sense of humor. For all his actions he’s incredibly self-enlightened. He knows exactly what he’s about but he doesn’t quite know what that means in terms of the opposite sex. He makes you laugh out loud so you don’t f...more

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Honour rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suits-my-tastes-perfectly, reviewed-by-moi, male-first-person-pov

I was going to write a nice long review for this one but then I read one that pretty much said it all.---> Fiction Vixen

So here I'll explain why I gave it four stars despite my great love for Johnny Smith. There were three reasons (and two of them contain mild spoilers):

The first: Till about half the book we had been regularly told that Johnny had a keen interest in law and after he helped out one of his lawyer clients with a case, Helen (who's a DA) declined to go out with him because he'd a...more

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 01, 2012 Juli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like many others, I passed on this book at first because the cover and the title put me off. But when another reviewer I trust read it and recommended it, I decided to give it a try. Glad I did, because it was an enjoyable read.

Unusually for a hetero romance, the book is in first person POV from the male character. I had no trouble getting into that, which surprised me a little. I think it was because the tone was very much story-telling; Johnny wanted to relate incidents that explained how he o...more Like many others, I passed on this book at first because the cover and the title put me off. But when another reviewer I trust read it and recommended it, I decided to give it a try. Glad I did, because it was an enjoyable read.

Unusually for a hetero romance, the book is in first person POV from the male character. I had no trouble getting into that, which surprised me a little. I think it was because the tone was very much story-telling; Johnny wanted to relate incidents that explained how he overcame being "a disappointment to women."

It also takes a little while to figure out who the female love interest will be; I know a lot of readers want the two main characters in a romance to meet quite early in the book, but about a third of the book passed before Helen was introduced. I thought it was worth the wait, because the rest of the book revolves around Johnny changing, or pretending to change, in order to make romantic progress with Helen, and it was good to have a strong sense of who he was before he started trying to be different. Plus the early incidents are funny -- the whole book is.

It's really rare for me to find a comic romance that works so well (it helps that I'm a sports fan, although not of the Mets or the Jets, much). This book reminded me of a screwball comedy from the late 30s or 40s -- in fact, I can see Katharine Hepburn playing Helen. Events happen, but the focus is all on how the characters negotiate those (hilariously) in order to end up together, even resolving the misunderstanding that turns out to be ridiculous. The reader sees it coming a mile away, which in first person POV is a neat accomplishment. There's no suspense plot, there are no evil exes trying to derail the relationship. On the contrary, everyone in the book seems to want these two people to get together. That's right: no villain. There are some stereotyped stock characters, but I felt that those were mostly used to good effect, as in those screwball comic films.

This is the kind of contemporary romance I frequently see readers asking for -- fun, light-hearted, without external conflicts that detract from the focus on the developing romance. It is not sexually explicit; in fact, the description of Johnny and Helen's first time having sex is one of my favorites in recent reading, and it only refers to body parts as "body parts." Yet it's still clear that they used a condom, which I really appreciate in a contemporary story.

So what kept this book from being a five-star read for me? A couple of things. One was the portrayal of Johnny's lesbian best friend, Sam; she just didn't ring true for me, and sometimes it felt like her sexual orientation was being exploited for a cute plot point or funny moment that demeaned her a bit. I felt that way occasionally about many of the secondary female characters -- there was a nasty edge to them that I didn't sense in the male characters. The ending also didn't work for me a hundred percent; I won't spoil it, but I felt that Johnny's grand gesture might not have been appreciated by the other people present.

Overall, though, this was a very enjoyable book, and just what I needed -- it made me smile, and laugh, and feel warm and fuzzy, without any angst. I think readers who like Jill Shalvis or Jennifer Crusie would enjoy this book.

(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jan 24, 2012 Brie C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

This is a perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. I know it’s bad, I also know the title isn’t helping, but believe me, you’re in for a treat.

Johnny Smith is man’s man. That means that every single guy he’s ever met loves him. They all find him funny, clever, approachable, admirable, all the guys want to be his best friend and they all want Johnny to be their Best Man. In fact, he’s been Best Man at eight weddings and count...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Jonita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Johnny Smith has been the best man in eight (count 'em) weddings. Since childhood he's been known as a real man's man. He loves sports, wears a backwards ball cap every day, and drives a big truck. Men love him, and women don't want to be with him. And that's the problem. When Johnny finds himself giving the best man speech at his best buddy's wedding, and his best buddy just happens to be marrying Johnny's childhood crush, Johnny knows that it's time for him to put himself out there and find th...more Johnny Smith has been the best man in eight (count 'em) weddings. Since childhood he's been known as a real man's man. He loves sports, wears a backwards ball cap every day, and drives a big truck. Men love him, and women don't want to be with him. And that's the problem. When Johnny finds himself giving the best man speech at his best buddy's wedding, and his best buddy just happens to be marrying Johnny's childhood crush, Johnny knows that it's time for him to put himself out there and find that special person to share the rest of his life with.

That's when Helen walks into Johnny's life. She's gorgeous, she's a DA, she loves wine and the opera, and she hates sports. Johnny enlists the help of his married friends, his father, his BFF (who happens to be a lesbian who lives next door) and even his ex-crush to help him to win the heart of the woman that Johnny is quickly falling for. But what parts of himself will Johnny have to give up in order to win the heart of the woman that he loves?

The Bro-Magnet is fantastic, funny, light-hearted chick lit at its best. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and can't recommend it highly enough. It's a light read, but perfect for these winter months when the lack of sunshine is getting you down.

Johnny is absolutely lovable. Having always been a man's man he appears to have no clue about women. When he meets Helen, a sassy DA, he knows that he will have to pull out all of the stops to win her over. He finds himself buying throw pillows and a cat, he changes his wardrobe and pretends that he hates sports, even though he really lives for them. He is willing to do absolutely anything to win the girl. The other characters are fantastic as well. Helen is the perfect woman for Johnny and she certainly isn't a demure wallflower. Sam, Johnny's best friend is a lot of fun as well. As the female sidekick she was perfect.

I have a very minor critique for The Bro-Magnet. It is written from the point of view of a man, and for the most part Baratz-Logsted does an excellent job of finding his voice. There were a few parts, though, where he sounded more like a woman than a man, primarily when he was trying to figure out what side of himself to present to Helen as they start dating.

The Bro-Magnet literally had me laughing out loud at parts. Before you say "so what?" keep in mind that I was completely alone in the house at the time and probably sounded like an idiot. The book is funny and heartwarming and wholly enjoyable, and I would absolutely love it if Baratz-Logsted decided to write a sequel. I would be first in line to read it!(less)

like 1 like · see review

Dec 26, 2011 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-netgalley, my-favorites, x-read-in-2011

This has got to be one of the BEST "GUY" stories out there! Seriously!
If you've ever wanted to get inside of a guy's head while growing up, meeting someone, messing up that relationship, meeting someone else, falling in love - This book is totally for you!

I LOVE getting into a guys head - How the heck does Lauren Bartatz-Logsted do it?? WOW!

The book starts off with Johnny Smith telling his story -
"Right from the start I've been a disappointment to women"

When he was born, his mom held him for...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 11, 2012 Jill Sorenson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the humor in this but found a lot of it unbelievable. The hero is a sports nut who comes across as kind of girly even before his transformation. He paints his lesbian best friend's toenails, for example. He thinks he'll be more successful with women if he goes to the opera, watches General Hospital, and gets a cat. If not for the heroine and lesbian bff, I'd have cringed at this stereotypical potrayal of women as cat-loving soap fans.

At one point, Johnny impresses Helen's friends with...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2012 Bri rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

When I started this book, I was super excited. It had a great premise that I hadn't ever read before. Plus, it was told first person, MALE narrative! I'm a sucker for getting into a guy's head, and I actually really love first person books.

I think in this particular piece, it HAD to be done that way. There's no way that Johnny's voice could have come through if this was done in third person. Let's talk about his voice a little, should we? I was laughing so. damn. hard. through the first...more 3.5 stars

When I started this book, I was super excited. It had a great premise that I hadn't ever read before. Plus, it was told first person, MALE narrative! I'm a sucker for getting into a guy's head, and I actually really love first person books.

I think in this particular piece, it HAD to be done that way. There's no way that Johnny's voice could have come through if this was done in third person. Let's talk about his voice a little, should we? I was laughing so. damn. hard. through the first half of this book. Loud, barking laughter that had my husband looking at me like I was crazy. The storyline was engaging, Johnny was engaging. The first half of this book gets a solid 5 stars from me. And I'd give that part 10 stars if I could.

His humor and personality had me hook, line and sinker. His relationship with Sam was amazing--one of my most favorite things about this book.

But then we got into the second half of the book.

Which, to be honest, was a great big letdown. I felt it dragged on unnecessarily, and it lost the humor that had me wowed in the first place. Through the last half, Johnny...er...John changes almost everything about himself to get the girl (name change, clothing change, complete condo redo, no sports, starts watching General Hospital (whert?), AND HE BUYS A CAT.).

You could see where the story was going from the half way point, which was probably why it was so frustrating. It wasn't hard to see what was going on with Helen, and I think that's why I was waiting for it to just get there already.

Finally, when we did "get there", it was at the end of the book. I had no warm & fuzzy time, as I like to call it--when I get to bask in the wonderfulness of the characters and their eternal love. I got half a page.

This is my not amused face.

So, while this one started out with a bang, it crashed and burned by the end. I'd give the second half of this book 2, maaaaaaaaybe 3 stars, because it was somewhere between being just ok and being likable. But the first half was so funny, so engaging, that I rounded my 3.5 overall rating to a 4 star on here. Who knows? Maybe the 2nd half won't drag for others, and I'd hate to have you miss out on this hilarious book because of how it bothered me.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Annie the Destroyer *Leather Lust* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, ebooks, netgalley, genre-contemporary-romance

Posted on Under the Covers

I will be honest. I overlooked this book countless times because I have no idea that this was a romance novel. The cover confuses you, but once you read the blurb you kind of know what to expect. Even then, I was still caught by surprise over this book. This is definitely not your typical contemporary romance.

THE BRO-MAGNET is written from a male’s perspective. I don’t know about you, but this is a first for me in romance. Wildly refreshing and outrageously funny, Laur...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very clever book that had me laughing out loud from beginning to end. Written in the male 1st person POV The Bro-Magnet tells the story of 33-year old Johnny, a guy's guy who has lousy luck with women.

There is a strong cast of supportive characters, all amazingly well developed for a story written in the 1st person. What I really liked is that every character is functional, there are no deep dark secrets, no baggage to deal with, and no deep mystery to solve. Straight up character driven The Br...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 11, 2012 willaful rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: made-me-laugh, netgalley

I started this with some trepidation, because humor based on gender stereotypes is rarely my thing. It sounded fun though, so I gave it a try -- and it turned out to be a lot of fun, as well as sweet and unexpectedly wise.

Johnny is a really good guy, who somehow rarely gets credit for his stellar qualities from women. The traits that other men love in him, like being good at sports and able to fix junker cars, always seem to lead women to one conclusion: “asshole. “ They rarely notice that he’s...more I started this with some trepidation, because humor based on gender stereotypes is rarely my thing. It sounded fun though, so I gave it a try -- and it turned out to be a lot of fun, as well as sweet and unexpectedly wise.

Johnny is a really good guy, who somehow rarely gets credit for his stellar qualities from women. The traits that other men love in him, like being good at sports and able to fix junker cars, always seem to lead women to one conclusion: “asshole. “ They rarely notice that he’s considerate, generous, warm-hearted, chivalrous and at least makes an effort to remember to put the seat back down.

When Johnny meets a woman who seems like she might just possibly like him, he’s determined not to mess it up this time. And seeking advice from pretty much anyone who’ll give it, he performs a make-over, becoming “John” (because “y” ending names are too little-boyish) who likes wine instead of beer and opera instead of sports. What happens next is partially incredibly obvious and partially a real surprise.

This is a light story -- lighthearted, lightly characterized, lightly over-the-top. The beginning description of Johnny’s adolescence, in his first-person narrative, made me feel like I was reading YA -- and actually I think young adults could love this story. (There’s some swearing but no graphic sex.) It’s very funny in a wry sort of way, and though there is some ridiculous situational humor, it’s not what entirely drives the book: in one memorable scene, John takes his date to an opera that turns out to be put on by a farm family in a hayloft, but they just go with it and have a really good time.

I think what I liked best about the story is that it’s essentially non-judgmental. Although Johnny’s “manly,” low-brow tastes are embraced, he discovers he actually likes some of the new things he’s tried -- but more importantly, he discovers that “things like who loves sports and who loves GH (General Hospital) and who loves both… none of that stuff mattered so long as, somehow, you saw down into the essence of the other person and they saw you.”

It’s hard to categorize this book: it’s not traditional romance, not exactly YA, certainly not realistic fiction. Its most obvious category is humor. But I think romance readers will also enjoy it; I certainly did.

(reviewed from e-arc provided by netGalley)(less)

like 7 likes · see review

Feb 15, 2012 Chrissy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, netgalley

I think I'd seen this book before on NetGalley, but I passed it by, based only on the cover. I mean, if you take a quick glance at this cover, it just looks like -- well, a "boy" book. And yes, by now I should be beyond such trivial gender stereotypes and should definitely not be judging my books by their covers, but alas -- I do.

However, once I saw that the author was Lauren Baratz-Logsted, I had to give it a chance. I've always been a fan of her chick lit novels, like The Thin Pink Line, A Lit...more I think I'd seen this book before on NetGalley, but I passed it by, based only on the cover. I mean, if you take a quick glance at this cover, it just looks like -- well, a "boy" book. And yes, by now I should be beyond such trivial gender stereotypes and should definitely not be judging my books by their covers, but alas -- I do.

However, once I saw that the author was Lauren Baratz-Logsted, I had to give it a chance. I've always been a fan of her chick lit novels, like The Thin Pink Line, A Little Change of Face, and How Nancy Drew Saved My Life. I have a definite weakness for chick lit, and although this author isn't really known for realistic literature here, she *is* known for giving her reader an all-around good time.

So, Bro-Magnet is actually told from a male perspective, which is something I wasn't expecting. Johnny Smith, age 33, is a self-proclaimed man's man. Always the best man, never the groom, Johnny has a way of impressing other guys, but he never gets a second glance from another woman -- unless, of course, it's his best friend Sam, who is a woman (but who is also a lesbian. Sorry Johnny -- no chance here.)

When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to reform his ways a bit and show Helen the man that a woman *wants* to see -- instead of that man that other men all want to be. So, Johnny buys a kitten, changes his music, redecorates his home, shortens his name, alters his wardrobe, and develops an impromptu love for opera and all things General Hospital. Surely Helen can't resist John, who hates sports and loves doing anything he can to win the heart of a lady --- right?

Except, it seems Helen might be hiding something too....

Cute, quirky, and funny, Bro-Magnet was a quick, enjoyable read that really didn't disappoint me at all -- as long as I knew what to expect. Sure, it's not really realistic (I don't really know any 33 year old man who really lives either like Johnny or John, honestly) and things are just a bit *too* convenient at times (of course Helen has a secret! Of course it's almost the *same* secret that Johnny has -- of course!). So, if you're looking for serious, realistic, relatable fiction, Bro Magnet probably won't be your first choice. But, if you're seeking lighthearted chick-lit from a male perspective, I think you should give this one a chance. It's a quick read, so there's really nothing to lose here!(less)

like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Sarah Eiseman rated it 5 of 5 stars

I heard about this book through a blog I follow (Romance Around the Corner). The review there for this book was good, and quite accurate. This story is about a man's-man, Johnny, that we meet as he's coming to realize that he's no good with women. I don't usually like first-person stories, and I often shy away from stories written about the opposite gender (women writing from a man's perspective), but this book worked. As Brie mentioned in her review, you really felt like Johnny was sitting next...more

like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Cheeyee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, 2012, chic-lit, romance

Review At: I Read, I Think, I Share

Review Date: 8 Mar 2012

Review URL: http://littlemermybooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/bro-magnet-by-lauren-baratz-logsted.html

Summary:

Bro-Magnet is like a chic-lit, except it's from a man's POV. I don't normally read chic-lit book but I found The Bro-Magnet is very interesting. It's like reading Johnny telling his very own story on how doom he is when come to woman. The narration surprisingly is not boring at all. Despite his tone of self deprecation, but his wicked...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Susi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 2012-02, contemporary-romance, funny

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 lesbia...more 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.(less)

like 1 like · see review

May 04, 2012 Nora rated it 5 of 5 stars

“The Bro-Magnet” is an incredibly funny romantic comedy about Johnny (never John) and his quest to find true love. Johnny has always been the best man (11 times so far) but never the groom. After his best friend gets married to the girl he’s always wanted, Johnny starts to examine his life and tries to figure out why guys like him and women hate him. This leads to getting a cat, repainting his house, trying to like opera, and falling for district attorney Helen Troy. The question is will she st...more

like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for_review

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads

Hell, I think all women in all their various colors and shapes and sizes are cute or pretty or gorgeous or handsome or attractive. Women: they’re a beautiful thing. But scary too. Very scary.

The one word that kept coming to mind as I was reading about Johnny and his life was likable. He’s such a nice, likable guy that I completely understood why guys would be drawn to him and want to be friends with him. Women, on the other hand, never moved beyond what...more Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads

Hell, I think all women in all their various colors and shapes and sizes are cute or pretty or gorgeous or handsome or attractive. Women: they’re a beautiful thing. But scary too. Very scary.

The one word that kept coming to mind as I was reading about Johnny and his life was likable. He’s such a nice, likable guy that I completely understood why guys would be drawn to him and want to be friends with him. Women, on the other hand, never moved beyond what Johnny was showing them on the outside, for the most part. He’s a guy that loves his baseball cap backwards, loves sports, can’t cook, and even though he could be a professional in a business suit world, he enjoys his job as a painter. As he watches all of his single guy friends get married, Johnny wishes that for himself one day. He starts realizing, with a little help from his friends, that he might need to change a few things in his life to be more appealing and he starts reinventing himself, as only Johnny can.

Johnny starts changing things up when he meets Helen, a woman he desperately wants to impress and find some common ground with. And so starts the advice that gets thrown at him from many different people. His best friend, Sam, is a lesbian who has her own difficulties in the love department, tosses in her two cents, which end up being zero help to Johnny when he wears a tux at her suggestion to an opera - that ends up being held in a barn. The advice and comments keep coming at Johnny throughout the whole book, and he listens and tries his hardest to make himself into someone that Helen would want to be with. While I don’t like the idea of changing who you are for someone else, Johnny never fully did that. He might have started dressing better, bought a few throw pillows and tried not to watch sports around Helen, but he was still that guy deep down and that’s what worked for me. I never got the feeling that the Johnny we meet in chapter 1 was completely different by book’s end. But the laughs and some nice moments he gives us along his way to figuring things out with Helen were very charming and he’s an incredibly likable character throughout the story.

I’m getting ready to pay when I see something behind the counter that grabs my attention. “Can I get one of those too, please?” I ask the guy behind the counter.

“Which one you want?”

“Doesn’t matter, just so long as it’s sturdy.”

The guy brings down the item and places it on the counter next to the rest of my stuff.

“So you’re getting a cat and a dog?” he says.

“No, just the cat.”

“Then what do you want a leash for?”

“The cat. So I can take it for walks.”

“People don’t usually – ”

“Don’t even bother,” Sam cuts him off. “He’s probably got this whole thing pictured in his head: him walking down the street, his cool new sleek black cat on the leash strutting by his side, maybe the two of them popping into the neighborhood bar for an ice cold beer for him and a saucer of milk for his furry little friend.”

Really? Am I that transparent?

The story is told in first person and I got a lot of laughs reading about the thoughts that would zoom through Johnny’s head during the book. He takes everyone’s advice to heart and he was a fish out of water in so many scenes, but being the guy that he is, things always had a way of working out in his favor. The ending was a very fitting, full circle moment and I like the match that he ends up finding with Helen. I would have loved to have a little more between these two at end, just being themselves, but there’s no doubt left at the end that they really are a great match.

I really enjoyed getting to know Johnny and the best thing I can say about him is that I started the book liking who he was and ended it feeling the exact same way. He’s a nice guy, trying to find that one person that fits him and watching him bumble along through all the advice and tips he gets is endearing, funny, and completely enjoyable.

A fun read and one I recommend for anyone wanting a little different take on dating and romance.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 33 34 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Feedback: bug: can't comment on added books	2	21	May 16, 2012 02:41pm

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Romance

51 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

40 users

Contemporary

36 users

Humor

15 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

11 users

Humor > Funny

11 users

Sports And Games > Sports

5 users

Humor > Comedy

4 users

Adult

4 users

Love

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Within Reach
by Sarah Mayberry
The Perfect Dish
by Kristen Painter
Ride with Me
by Ruthie Knox
The French Detective's Woman
by Nina Bruhns
The Last Good Man
by Kathleen Eagle

About Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren grew up in Monroe, CT, where her father owned a drugstore at which her mother was the pharmacist. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she majored in psychology. She also has what she calls her “half-Masters” in English from Western Connecticut State University (five courses down, another five to go…someday!).

Throughout college, she worked semester breaks as a...more

More about Lauren Baratz-Logsted...

Books by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Bro-Magnet

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Bro-Magnet

“So,” she says slowly, reviewing my case item by item, “you like ice holes, sinkholes, peepholes and blowholes?”
I nod.
“But not loopholes?”
I nod again.
Hole this, hole that – even when I’m determined not to just be myself, I’m such an asshole. I just can’t help it.” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Bro-Magnet
avg rating	preview: The Bro-Magnet Goodreads rating: 3.44 (469 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13233993-the-bro-magnet?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327944704l/13233993.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13233993-the-bro-magnet?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted[/url]

The Bro-Magnet (Nice Guy #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website