Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Hopeless Bromantics
SERIES: Love & Luck Book #4
AUTHOR: Isla Olsen
NARRATOR: Michael Dean
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 4 hours and 10 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2021
BLURB:
Wade
Here are some things I wish someone would have told me a few months ago:
- Putting together an Ikea desk does not make someone qualified to help with home renovations
- It’s impossible to un-teach a five-year-old the word “dildo”
- Two straight guys messing around with each other is not as uncommon as people might think, so don’t freak out
Of course, I freaked out…
Moving back to Staten Island after my divorce was the simple choice, and hiring a contractor to help make my new place somewhat livable was an even simpler one.
But I wasn’t expecting the contractor to be Brendan Kelly, an old high school buddy I’d lost contact with over the years. And I definitely wasn’t expecting what happened next …
Pay attention, folks – we’re here to revolutionize the bromance!
Warning: This book is not appropriate for anyone who doesn’t like laughing, anyone who doesn’t like environmentally-conscious five-year-olds, and anyone who doesn’t like hot single dads and sexy contractors rekindling a friendship in an unexpectedly steamy manner.
*Happily Ever After Included
REVIEW:
Hopeless Bromantics, the fourth book in Isla’s Olsen’s Love & Luck series, provides a fun, light-hearted, low angst romance in keeping with the general tenor of the series as a whole. This book focuses on Brendan, one of the many siblings in the Kelly family, and Wade Anderson, high school best friends who fell out of touch with each other once Wade left for college. (You’ll see that Brendan often calls Wade “Andy”, a shortening of Wade’s last name Anderson. I note this because Ms. Olsen doesn’t explain that upfront.)
Newly divorced and with custody of his toddler son, Wade returns home to Staten Island to take up residence in his Granny’s Hurricane Sandy-damaged house. He quickly realizes he needs a contractor to renovate and contracts Brendan’s construction company to do the work. Wade and Brendan immediately reconnect and pick up like they haven’t been apart for a decade. Except this time, sexual attraction layers on top of their existing bond.
This is a gay awakening for both Wade and Brendan. Personally, I thought that storyline was rushed. They jump into a relationship and readily accept their newly recognized sexuality without much hesitation. I’m not saying that couldn’t happen, but the way it played out here didn’t feel authentic. That being said, Wade and Brendan really do work together well. They are a likable couple and you can see how they fit. There’s also lots of emotionally connected, hot AF sex.
Ms. Olsen opened up a number of thought-provoking, complicated issues over the course of the book. I wish a bit more time had been spent unpacking them. As it was, they were dealt with only superficially. For example, labels (bi, gay, straight) and identifying which one applies, or rejecting the use of a label at all. Or Wade’s ex-wife’s lack of interest and ultimate relinquishment of her parental rights. The presentation and resolution of these issues felt incomplete likely because the more complex aspects of decisioning around these types of difficult issues weren’t reflected in the story. Also, the gay awakening/GFY theme was treated very similarly to Book 1, Fake it ‘til you Make Out, although there was opportunity to dig in and make it something different.
Joel Leslie narrated Book 1 and Book 2, Virtually Screwed, of this series. Michael Dean was introduced into the mix by splitting the narration with Mr. Leslie in the Book 3, Crazy Little Fling, audio. Hopeless Bromantics is the first one in the series fully narrated by Mr. Dean. This circumstance presents an inherent challenge for Mr. Dean especially since the same group of characters shows up across the whole series. He needed to acquaint us with a new set of character voices when the audience already hears them in a different way.
Despite the challenge, Mr. Dean does an admirable job here, bringing his considerable experience and talent to bear. As we have come to expect from him, he creates distinct character voices and consistently delivers them across the narrative, and he effectively communicates emotional import and authentic reactions from Wade and Brendan through his vocal choices, inflections, and pacing.
But let’s talk about Mr. Dean’s Brendan voice for a minute. Brendan, and the Kelly clan generally, are born and bred New Yorkers from Staten Island. Mr. Dean gives Brendan a New York accent, which makes sense. (Although none of the other brothers seem to have an accent, which is puzzling.) You hear the replacement of “ing” with “in” (like in “working”, pronounced as “workin”). And you also hear the prototypical New York “attitude”, the assertiveness and emphatic expression. But at the same time, Brendan’s accent often sounds like the non-rhotic Boston accent, dropping the “r”s and flattening out some vowels (for example, “jars” is “jahs”, “yard” is “yahd”, “sister” is “sistah”, etc.). According to linguists, New Yorkers used to drop their “r”s at the end of words, but that’s really not the current dialect except in (wait for it …) Staten Island.
Ironically, Mr. Dean delivers Brendan’s accent with perhaps too much accuracy and authenticity. The average listener likely doesn’t know that the accent is spot-on. Rather, you may hear a New York accent but at times question if it’s a Boston accent not realizing it’s actually an authentic Staten Island accent. And thinking about any of this just distracts from the story. Of course, maybe it’s just me and it won’t bother you at all. YMMV.
All in all, Hopeless Bromantics is an enjoyable book. It also contains Ms. Olsen’s hallmark family interactions and group texts, which are hilarious, and frankly one of the best parts of the Love & Luck stories. So if you are looking for light-hearted, low-angst, hot sex, and a HEA, this will fit the bill. Mr. Dean’s narration adds color and dimension to the story (despite any accent issues) so I’d definitely listen to the audiobook or pair it with the book to get the best experience.
RATING: 
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