Review: "The Bro-Magnet" by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

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! The Bro-Magnet is available in eFormat for a variety of readers for only $4.99 and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this copy for review.