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Bromantasy
Two heroes. One brain cell.
BROMANTASY is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth.
Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?
Juniper O'Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything else—taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labor—falls to Juniper’s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.
But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he’s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and there’s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesn’t hate? How good Mo’s thighs look in his questing pants—he doesn’t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.
But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they’ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from their family, they’re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.
BROMANTASY is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth.
Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?
Juniper O'Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything else—taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labor—falls to Juniper’s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.
But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he’s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and there’s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesn’t hate? How good Mo’s thighs look in his questing pants—he doesn’t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.
But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they’ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from their family, they’re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2026
About the author
Máire Roche
2 books59 followersMáire Roche is a former teacher who now writes fantasy for all ages.
When she's not writing, Máire enjoys exploring new coffee shops, hiking, and teaching martial arts.
She also writes thrillers and contemporary romance as Mary E. Roach, where her recent & upcoming titles include Better Left Buried, Seven for a Secret, and We Are the Match.
When she's not writing, Máire enjoys exploring new coffee shops, hiking, and teaching martial arts.
She also writes thrillers and contemporary romance as Mary E. Roach, where her recent & upcoming titles include Better Left Buried, Seven for a Secret, and We Are the Match.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
May 17, 2026
Bromantasy asks the age old question of “Fellas, is it gay to pine after your homie for a decade before having to confront it while on a magical quest?”
Juniper and Mo are two bros who live together in an idyllic cottage (platonically) with the cat they adopted together (so platonically). Juniper gets roped into a dragon hunting quest, and Mo (very platonically) says that he won’t leave him to face it alone. They set out into the forest admiring each other’s form-fitting hiking pants (but like, in a platonic way). Is it obvious how platonic and totally not romantic their friendship is yet?
Hijinks ensue, and Juniper and Mo find themselves on a quest to help the dragon they set out to hunt, while also figuring out that ten years is a long time to not communicate properly with each other!
I want to force everyone to read this book because it was everything I wanted and more! I genuinely don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. I LOVED it! The tongue-in-cheek humor was so funny! I definitely laughed out loud multiple times. The romance and found family aspects were so sweet and heartfelt.
Overall this was cheeky, charming, a little cheesy, and an easy 5/5 ⭐️ Excuse me while I run to preorder myself a physical copy! 🩷🩷🩷
•••••
One of my most anticipated arcs of the year! 😍 Huge thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the advance copy! 🩷
Juniper and Mo are two bros who live together in an idyllic cottage (platonically) with the cat they adopted together (so platonically). Juniper gets roped into a dragon hunting quest, and Mo (very platonically) says that he won’t leave him to face it alone. They set out into the forest admiring each other’s form-fitting hiking pants (but like, in a platonic way). Is it obvious how platonic and totally not romantic their friendship is yet?
Hijinks ensue, and Juniper and Mo find themselves on a quest to help the dragon they set out to hunt, while also figuring out that ten years is a long time to not communicate properly with each other!
I want to force everyone to read this book because it was everything I wanted and more! I genuinely don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. I LOVED it! The tongue-in-cheek humor was so funny! I definitely laughed out loud multiple times. The romance and found family aspects were so sweet and heartfelt.
Overall this was cheeky, charming, a little cheesy, and an easy 5/5 ⭐️ Excuse me while I run to preorder myself a physical copy! 🩷🩷🩷
•••••
One of my most anticipated arcs of the year! 😍 Huge thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the advance copy! 🩷
April 8, 2026
A couple of twice-shy besties have spent a decade secretly pining for one another because men will literally hunt dragons before they discuss their feelings, which is a pithy, but faithful recap of this book. Juniper O’Reilly is a hedonist at his core, so his preferred modus vivendi includes ample mead, rowdy bar fights, cat cuddles, and bougie skincare. His roomie and object of his every affection, Morn Elmthorn, is a lumbersexual Aragorn with thick thighs, kind eyes, and endless patience, so the infatuation is unsurprising. Neither are thrilled when Juniper’s proclivity for folly lands them on a royal mission to the Gray Mountains, but at least they can pretend they’re not in love while on what the gossip scrolls are calling the Hottest Quest of the Season! They opt to camp along the journey as opposed to staying at local inns that never have enough sleeping arrangements because while they insist upon sharing a horse, these idiots refuse to share a bed. It’s down bad dimwits-to-lovers, chock full of lamentable yearning, dragon halflings, pants on fire, and locally sourced lard for moisturization. Legolas and Gimli walked so these queer DINKWAC’s could run. Let’s just hope they don’t run out of cheese.
December 27, 2025
You know those spoof/parody movies, Not Another Teen Movie or Scary Movie etc? This feels like that in book form for romantasy.
If you enjoyed those movies or humor like it, you’ll probably have a great time with this book.
There is a quest, dragons, and two idiots (complimentary) totally in love with each other but pretending not to be.
Plenty of silly funny humor that pokes fun at modern slang, books in the genre, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of those types of movies or that type of humor so this book was a kind of a miss for me. I did enjoy it enough that I wanted to find out what happened with the dragon, but this isn’t one I’ll read again and I’d only recommend it to ppl that really enjoy that parody/silly humor style.
I’ll also emphasize that this is two idiots in love and denying it for most of the book. This reads like miscommunication, so if you’re not a fan of that style of conflict this might be one to skip!
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
If you enjoyed those movies or humor like it, you’ll probably have a great time with this book.
There is a quest, dragons, and two idiots (complimentary) totally in love with each other but pretending not to be.
Plenty of silly funny humor that pokes fun at modern slang, books in the genre, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of those types of movies or that type of humor so this book was a kind of a miss for me. I did enjoy it enough that I wanted to find out what happened with the dragon, but this isn’t one I’ll read again and I’d only recommend it to ppl that really enjoy that parody/silly humor style.
I’ll also emphasize that this is two idiots in love and denying it for most of the book. This reads like miscommunication, so if you’re not a fan of that style of conflict this might be one to skip!
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Bromantasy is a cozy fantasy book about best friends who secretly love each other. There's also a baby dragon that may or may not be a little girl.
It's a sorcery and small magics meets the house in the cerulean sea.
It was very cute and a fun time, I'd recommend it if you like cozy fantasy.
Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC.
It's a sorcery and small magics meets the house in the cerulean sea.
It was very cute and a fun time, I'd recommend it if you like cozy fantasy.
Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC.
September 21, 2025
yes, it is gay
Read
May 12, 2026Dnf @ 15%
I got drawn in by the tagline "two guys, one braincell" because I love idiots to lovers and this sounded like a really funny book.
Alas, my eyes kept glazing over and I had to call it quits at 15% because I still didn't care one bit about the characters, their relationship, the quest, or the world building. I also didn't laugh once though the entire thing is trying very hard to be funny.
A bit bummed this one didn't work for me and I guess maybe it gets better but I don't think it's worth it for me to force myself to stick with it to find out.
Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC
I got drawn in by the tagline "two guys, one braincell" because I love idiots to lovers and this sounded like a really funny book.
Alas, my eyes kept glazing over and I had to call it quits at 15% because I still didn't care one bit about the characters, their relationship, the quest, or the world building. I also didn't laugh once though the entire thing is trying very hard to be funny.
A bit bummed this one didn't work for me and I guess maybe it gets better but I don't think it's worth it for me to force myself to stick with it to find out.
Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC
April 4, 2026
dnf at 15%. Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the arc but this book is far from ready for even arc readers let alone actual publishing.
For a book being marketed as adult and with characters about to be in their thirties, this book has a surprisingly limited and stilted use of vocabulary. That coupled with the juvenile sentence structure that's being repeated, I have a hard time believing that this should be in the older YA section even. The start is clunky, so much so that it took me 2 days to get past the first three chapters, the characters are introduced in such a way that they're instantly not interesting and the mostly thought train style of narration is exhausting to read.
What's funny is that I was genuinely going to push through and finish it just for the sake of the review and the fact that I got it as an arc but then I read the word, "unalivement" and knew I couldn't go on. It's so ridiculous too because the author had the word beheaded in the VERY NEXT LINE. We can't say execution but we can use beheaded?? So silly
For a book being marketed as adult and with characters about to be in their thirties, this book has a surprisingly limited and stilted use of vocabulary. That coupled with the juvenile sentence structure that's being repeated, I have a hard time believing that this should be in the older YA section even. The start is clunky, so much so that it took me 2 days to get past the first three chapters, the characters are introduced in such a way that they're instantly not interesting and the mostly thought train style of narration is exhausting to read.
What's funny is that I was genuinely going to push through and finish it just for the sake of the review and the fact that I got it as an arc but then I read the word, "unalivement" and knew I couldn't go on. It's so ridiculous too because the author had the word beheaded in the VERY NEXT LINE. We can't say execution but we can use beheaded?? So silly
December 15, 2025
Bromantasy is a fun, cozy, campy read great for those looking for something in the vein of Legends & Lattes or The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Juniper and Mo's "friendship" is rife with stupidity and missed opportunities and poor communication, and while that would normally frustrate me to no end, I felt Máire Roche did a great job of instead portraying it as endearing and an understandable result of their histories, both shared and individual. I definitely enjoyed the pining and yearning weaved throughout, though I'll admit to wishing there had been slightly more of an on-page payoff in the romance department.
That aside, I enjoyed how much this book leaned into common fantasy and romance tropes (friends-to-lovers, only one bed, etc.) and didn't take itself too seriously. There were numerous contemporary references and phrases tied in to the fantasy setting, which added a lot of humor and helped maintain the lighthearted tone, even when Juniper and Mo's personal stakes were higher.
As someone who loves when a book puts me in an emotional chokehold, there were moments throughout, primarily related to Juniper and Mo's character and relationship development, when I wanted the author to dig a little deeper and really dive into the core of things. I can, however, accept that this book is about the vibes, and the vibes are meant to be silly and playful and tongue-in-cheek. I think, in that regard, it's important to go into this book with the appropriate expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Juniper and Mo's "friendship" is rife with stupidity and missed opportunities and poor communication, and while that would normally frustrate me to no end, I felt Máire Roche did a great job of instead portraying it as endearing and an understandable result of their histories, both shared and individual. I definitely enjoyed the pining and yearning weaved throughout, though I'll admit to wishing there had been slightly more of an on-page payoff in the romance department.
That aside, I enjoyed how much this book leaned into common fantasy and romance tropes (friends-to-lovers, only one bed, etc.) and didn't take itself too seriously. There were numerous contemporary references and phrases tied in to the fantasy setting, which added a lot of humor and helped maintain the lighthearted tone, even when Juniper and Mo's personal stakes were higher.
As someone who loves when a book puts me in an emotional chokehold, there were moments throughout, primarily related to Juniper and Mo's character and relationship development, when I wanted the author to dig a little deeper and really dive into the core of things. I can, however, accept that this book is about the vibes, and the vibes are meant to be silly and playful and tongue-in-cheek. I think, in that regard, it's important to go into this book with the appropriate expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 26, 2026
A thoroughly lovely, frolicsome read! A direct quote from Bromantasy could be the blurb for it: “Men would literally go on a quest to find a dragon than talk about their feelings.” And this book puts Juniper's inability to do the latter and willingness to do the former to the test. And what unfolds is a quick, lively story that sees him and his best friend (love of his life), Mo, on a twisty quest with lots of action, complaining, and emotional revelations.
Bromantasy is overall a very lighthearted read, but I like that there were also some poignant moments to balance out all the silly. The reason for Juniper and Mo's miscommunication is one that goes deep, and the moments where they really talk about it had me getting emotional. However, the humor was a bit hit or miss for me. There were a few lines that had me cackling out loud, but I think where some of the jokes fell flat were when I found myself more annoyed rather than endeared by Juniper. I wanted to shake him so badly at times and was frustrated with how long it took for him to finally open up and the misunderstandings that still happened following that.
I absolutely adored Mo though and thought he was an angel. So sweet and so lovely, though not without his own faults and inability to express how he was truly feeling all these years. His dedication to Bear, an unexpected character we meet in the second act of the book was also incredibly sweet. From there, the action really takes off, and I found myself swept away in the whirlwind of their adventure that includes princes, betrayals, hurt feelings, lost cheese, and, ultimately, an ending that had me feeling warm and fuzzy.
This is a great one for anyone looking for a goofy, playful read that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also makes the emotional beats really count.
﹙ three stars ﹚
— thank you putnam books for the gifted finished copy and e-arc via netgalley to review!
Bromantasy is overall a very lighthearted read, but I like that there were also some poignant moments to balance out all the silly. The reason for Juniper and Mo's miscommunication is one that goes deep, and the moments where they really talk about it had me getting emotional. However, the humor was a bit hit or miss for me. There were a few lines that had me cackling out loud, but I think where some of the jokes fell flat were when I found myself more annoyed rather than endeared by Juniper. I wanted to shake him so badly at times and was frustrated with how long it took for him to finally open up and the misunderstandings that still happened following that.
I absolutely adored Mo though and thought he was an angel. So sweet and so lovely, though not without his own faults and inability to express how he was truly feeling all these years. His dedication to Bear, an unexpected character we meet in the second act of the book was also incredibly sweet. From there, the action really takes off, and I found myself swept away in the whirlwind of their adventure that includes princes, betrayals, hurt feelings, lost cheese, and, ultimately, an ending that had me feeling warm and fuzzy.
This is a great one for anyone looking for a goofy, playful read that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also makes the emotional beats really count.
﹙ three stars ﹚
— thank you putnam books for the gifted finished copy and e-arc via netgalley to review!
Did Not Finish
May 8, 2026DNF @ 27%, end of chapter 6
Adult Categorization:
I'm a little confused about this book being marketed as Adult when on the author's own website she appears to differentiate between her Adult novels and this book. This reads very, very young and very, very simplistic.
Without knowing how explicit the romance develops, I'd peg this as upper MG, lower YA. It does not feel appropriate for an Adult audience with Adult reading expectations, so it's really just not the book for me.
The Writing:
I didn't enjoy reading from Juniper's POV, and tonally he seems to remain the same (I skipped ahead to the final act to verify before finally deciding to DNF). Humor's subjective and I picked this up because it seemed cute and funny, but I personally didn't find it to be either and it's probably mostly because I didn't get on with Juniper's character.
This also holds the achievement of being the first time I actually read "unalive" in a book. So it's got that going for it, I guess.
Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Adult Categorization:
I'm a little confused about this book being marketed as Adult when on the author's own website she appears to differentiate between her Adult novels and this book. This reads very, very young and very, very simplistic.
Without knowing how explicit the romance develops, I'd peg this as upper MG, lower YA. It does not feel appropriate for an Adult audience with Adult reading expectations, so it's really just not the book for me.
The Writing:
I didn't enjoy reading from Juniper's POV, and tonally he seems to remain the same (I skipped ahead to the final act to verify before finally deciding to DNF). Humor's subjective and I picked this up because it seemed cute and funny, but I personally didn't find it to be either and it's probably mostly because I didn't get on with Juniper's character.
This also holds the achievement of being the first time I actually read "unalive" in a book. So it's got that going for it, I guess.
Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Fellas, is it gay to wanna kiss your bff while on a quest you kinda sorta got yourself stuck in? Yes? Well, that's the premise of this laugh-out-loud, gorgeous romantasy by Maire Roche. Juniper and Mo are best friends who live together, because of course they are. Juniper is really not the questing type. Or the camping type. Or the outdoors type at all. But after an absolutely stunning gaffe, he finds himself with the only solution being going on a quest to kill a fearsome monster, and of course he enlists Mo to help. But is the fearsome monster actually a monster at all? And will Juniper and Mo finally realize they've been in love with each other for literal years? Find out in this wild ride.
First of all, these two are absolute idiots (affectionately). Their feelings for each other are so obvious from page 1 and they dance around it again and again. But Roche makes it feel super endearing, and weaves in a lot of the classic romance tropes to produce a really fun ride! Also, the fearsome monster play was really effective, and provided a reasonable source of conflict without making anything feel too out of character. Plus, as I already stated, idiots in love (TM). What's not to like? Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the E-ARC.
First of all, these two are absolute idiots (affectionately). Their feelings for each other are so obvious from page 1 and they dance around it again and again. But Roche makes it feel super endearing, and weaves in a lot of the classic romance tropes to produce a really fun ride! Also, the fearsome monster play was really effective, and provided a reasonable source of conflict without making anything feel too out of character. Plus, as I already stated, idiots in love (TM). What's not to like? Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the E-ARC.
April 26, 2026
3.5⭐️ (Rounded up)
BLURB:
Juniper O’Reilly and Mo Elmthorn, two best friends and farmers, have their lives derailed after a bar fight lands them in trouble and sends them on a quest to hunt a dangerous monster. When they discover the “monster” is actually a frightened shapeshifting dragon girl, they reconsider their mission while dealing with ridiculous mishaps and unexpected enemies.
REVIEW:
This book is exactly what you’d think based on its clever, campy title—a cozy romantasy parody that swaps the typical epic heroes for idiot roommates who are secretly pining for each other. You also get parodied versions of other tropes—ridiculous miscommunication, comedic one-bed scenarios, and fade-to-black scenes that are more ridiculous than romantic. If the eye-catching cover or title doesn’t pull you in, the ridiculously charming characters and campy humor will!
Told in a 3rd-person POV and with very straightforward writing, it’s perfect for YA to adult readers. The main characters, Mo and Juniper, are best friends, roommates, and farmers—and the fact that they’ve lived together like a couple for so long but never even revealed an inkling of feelings for each other is far-fetched but highlights how idiotic they both are! They also have the opposites-attract vibe going—Juniper is gullible, quick-tempered, and constantly getting himself into trouble (especially bar fights fueled by too much “mead”), while Mo is grounded and patient, always stepping in to clean up Juniper’s mess—exactly what happens to land them both in jail and on this ridiculous quest. On the quest, their dynamic has chaotic energy with hilarious banter, physical comedy, and mishaps—mostly caused by Juniper’s terrible decisions and impulsiveness.
To give the book a bit more substance, there’s a slow reveal of their shared past in the cozy cottage, how they met, and small details of Juniper’s abusive father—but it’s very much secondary to the comedy and ridiculous quest. Add in eccentric characters—from the unpredictable, changeling dragon girl they’re meant to capture but decide to save to a shady prince, an enemy couple, and townspeople they meet along the way—and you get more absurd humor and cozy fantasy vibes!
At around 350 pages (just over 8 hours on audio), this book is easy to fly through. The world-building is quite simple, and the plot has a few twists and turns but isn’t really an epic or intricate quest—so if that’s what you’re expecting, you may be a bit disappointed. Instead, it’s a heartwarming, laugh-out-loud idiots-to-lovers romance that feels fresh and fun. After a big build-up, the climax feels a bit anticlimactic, and you may have to suspend your disbelief with how everything resolves. But it ends on a feel-good HEA note with a few good laughs at the end that will leave you smiling!
BLURB:
Juniper O’Reilly and Mo Elmthorn, two best friends and farmers, have their lives derailed after a bar fight lands them in trouble and sends them on a quest to hunt a dangerous monster. When they discover the “monster” is actually a frightened shapeshifting dragon girl, they reconsider their mission while dealing with ridiculous mishaps and unexpected enemies.
REVIEW:
This book is exactly what you’d think based on its clever, campy title—a cozy romantasy parody that swaps the typical epic heroes for idiot roommates who are secretly pining for each other. You also get parodied versions of other tropes—ridiculous miscommunication, comedic one-bed scenarios, and fade-to-black scenes that are more ridiculous than romantic. If the eye-catching cover or title doesn’t pull you in, the ridiculously charming characters and campy humor will!
Told in a 3rd-person POV and with very straightforward writing, it’s perfect for YA to adult readers. The main characters, Mo and Juniper, are best friends, roommates, and farmers—and the fact that they’ve lived together like a couple for so long but never even revealed an inkling of feelings for each other is far-fetched but highlights how idiotic they both are! They also have the opposites-attract vibe going—Juniper is gullible, quick-tempered, and constantly getting himself into trouble (especially bar fights fueled by too much “mead”), while Mo is grounded and patient, always stepping in to clean up Juniper’s mess—exactly what happens to land them both in jail and on this ridiculous quest. On the quest, their dynamic has chaotic energy with hilarious banter, physical comedy, and mishaps—mostly caused by Juniper’s terrible decisions and impulsiveness.
To give the book a bit more substance, there’s a slow reveal of their shared past in the cozy cottage, how they met, and small details of Juniper’s abusive father—but it’s very much secondary to the comedy and ridiculous quest. Add in eccentric characters—from the unpredictable, changeling dragon girl they’re meant to capture but decide to save to a shady prince, an enemy couple, and townspeople they meet along the way—and you get more absurd humor and cozy fantasy vibes!
At around 350 pages (just over 8 hours on audio), this book is easy to fly through. The world-building is quite simple, and the plot has a few twists and turns but isn’t really an epic or intricate quest—so if that’s what you’re expecting, you may be a bit disappointed. Instead, it’s a heartwarming, laugh-out-loud idiots-to-lovers romance that feels fresh and fun. After a big build-up, the climax feels a bit anticlimactic, and you may have to suspend your disbelief with how everything resolves. But it ends on a feel-good HEA note with a few good laughs at the end that will leave you smiling!
December 19, 2025
4.25 stars
This was such a fun and lighthearted book about two definitely platonic best friends who are sent on a quest to find a dragon. It was cozy and campy with a good
mix of humor and some more serious moments.
Juniper and Mo were the somewhat stereotypical main characters of this genre of book. Juniper was the well intentioned bumbling idiot who keeps getting himself in trouble and Mo was the quieter, serious character who gets them out of trouble. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it works. They played off each other really well and I loved their incredibly codependent friendship. They very much acted like an old married couple while trying their hardest to pretend they didn’t have actual feelings for each other.
The quest was fun and interesting and I liked all the side characters and the way they drove the story forward. There’s not a lot of world building or set up to this book - you’re kind of just thrown into the story. I personally don’t mind that, I found that the book gave me enough information to know what was going on but if you’re the kind of person who needs to know every detail of the setting or the magic system, just know that you don’t really get that.
This book is perfect for fans of:
-cozy fantasy
-quests
-found family
-shapeshifting dragons
-friends/idiots to lovers
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!
This was such a fun and lighthearted book about two definitely platonic best friends who are sent on a quest to find a dragon. It was cozy and campy with a good
mix of humor and some more serious moments.
Juniper and Mo were the somewhat stereotypical main characters of this genre of book. Juniper was the well intentioned bumbling idiot who keeps getting himself in trouble and Mo was the quieter, serious character who gets them out of trouble. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it works. They played off each other really well and I loved their incredibly codependent friendship. They very much acted like an old married couple while trying their hardest to pretend they didn’t have actual feelings for each other.
The quest was fun and interesting and I liked all the side characters and the way they drove the story forward. There’s not a lot of world building or set up to this book - you’re kind of just thrown into the story. I personally don’t mind that, I found that the book gave me enough information to know what was going on but if you’re the kind of person who needs to know every detail of the setting or the magic system, just know that you don’t really get that.
This book is perfect for fans of:
-cozy fantasy
-quests
-found family
-shapeshifting dragons
-friends/idiots to lovers
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!
May 29, 2026
This was an absolute delight to read! I giggled so many times. I feel like this book found me (and was released) at the perfect time. It was such a lovely cozy romantasy with a wonderful blend of silliness and beautiful storytelling. Everything felt as advertised and I’m so glad I was able to hear the author talk about the book on her book tour right before I read it! It made the reading experience even more enjoyable.
Overall a certified hoot!
Overall a certified hoot!
May 27, 2026
2026: 4.25
Cute
Cute
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
May 13, 2026This is a book I probably should have quit early on. The need for further editing is apparent in the first few pages so I waffled about continuing with the story or stopping. About a third of the way through, the story became more compelling and I continued to read until the end. While I can confidently say this book is a vibe, I can also confidently say that I do not believe this book is ready for publishing yet.
A book cannot thrive on vibes alone, not even cozy fantasy. It cannot exist as quips and basic bitch personality while wrapped in modern parlance. While the story has a beginning/middle/end and a murky catalyst for the quest, it does not flesh out the world or the story.
The MMC is a walking contradiction named Juniper. He is abhorrently self involved, an egotist, and as petulant as a child. His main qualities are that he likes cheese, skincare, Mo, and himself. This book felt like a court ordered thoughts and feelings journal from a contradictory guy who liked to fight and knit in equal measures. It was a lot. His character was a lot.
And by the blurb, I expected more himbo action… two guys, one brain cell does not really describe this book, even though I think it makes a fantastic hook.
Lastly, I read a lot of m/m romance, and am no stranger to sex talk. With that being said, the sexy talk in the last 3% of this book was stilted and uncomfortable. The intimacy either needed to come way earlier in the story (one kiss a decade ago does not count as romance) or not at all.
I wish the author good luck. I do believe with a lot of tweaking and streamlining the base of the story could be something that the masses like.
Things I enjoyed: Mo, Bear, the fact that Juniper hated Bill and did not realize that he and Bill were basically the same person, and the cat named Mumford.
A book cannot thrive on vibes alone, not even cozy fantasy. It cannot exist as quips and basic bitch personality while wrapped in modern parlance. While the story has a beginning/middle/end and a murky catalyst for the quest, it does not flesh out the world or the story.
The MMC is a walking contradiction named Juniper. He is abhorrently self involved, an egotist, and as petulant as a child. His main qualities are that he likes cheese, skincare, Mo, and himself. This book felt like a court ordered thoughts and feelings journal from a contradictory guy who liked to fight and knit in equal measures. It was a lot. His character was a lot.
And by the blurb, I expected more himbo action… two guys, one brain cell does not really describe this book, even though I think it makes a fantastic hook.
Lastly, I read a lot of m/m romance, and am no stranger to sex talk. With that being said, the sexy talk in the last 3% of this book was stilted and uncomfortable. The intimacy either needed to come way earlier in the story (one kiss a decade ago does not count as romance) or not at all.
I wish the author good luck. I do believe with a lot of tweaking and streamlining the base of the story could be something that the masses like.
Things I enjoyed: Mo, Bear, the fact that Juniper hated Bill and did not realize that he and Bill were basically the same person, and the cat named Mumford.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Goodreads give me half stars please - this would be a 3.5 if I could! It delivered on the silly cozy queer vibes but I just didn't feel like the core romance itself was terribly strong.
I liked the narrative tone, which makes a lot of jokes about the genre and fits modern references into an old-timey fantasy setting (felt a bit like Shrek's tone to me, which I mean as a compliment!).
It felt like we lost the romance thread a bit amongst the questing - we're in Juniper's POV and as the story went on there just wasn't enough of that delicious tension of him not seeing Mo's reciprocal feelings that we can clearly see as readers for my taste in an oblivious friends-to-lovers romance. The ending also felt a little abrupt but overall I had a silly goofy good time reading this book!
Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC ✌️
I liked the narrative tone, which makes a lot of jokes about the genre and fits modern references into an old-timey fantasy setting (felt a bit like Shrek's tone to me, which I mean as a compliment!).
It felt like we lost the romance thread a bit amongst the questing - we're in Juniper's POV and as the story went on there just wasn't enough of that delicious tension of him not seeing Mo's reciprocal feelings that we can clearly see as readers for my taste in an oblivious friends-to-lovers romance. The ending also felt a little abrupt but overall I had a silly goofy good time reading this book!
Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC ✌️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC review:
This hurts to write!! I had big hopes for this book and truly thought I would enjoy it, but overall I found it difficult to follow and ultimately a slog. It read like a book that could be enjoyed by a Very Online crowd, but that also dates it so completely that I can't imagine it will be relevant for very long. I think it will probably age like milk, and I wish more had been done to make it feel timeless -- or at least less immediate to the past, like, year.
What really disappointed me is that author clearly has some comedic chops, but at times the flow of the book felt like scaffolding for a punch list of jokes they wanted to tell, plot be damned. It made the pacing, dialogue, and even action feel strange and disjointed.
This hurts to write!! I had big hopes for this book and truly thought I would enjoy it, but overall I found it difficult to follow and ultimately a slog. It read like a book that could be enjoyed by a Very Online crowd, but that also dates it so completely that I can't imagine it will be relevant for very long. I think it will probably age like milk, and I wish more had been done to make it feel timeless -- or at least less immediate to the past, like, year.
What really disappointed me is that author clearly has some comedic chops, but at times the flow of the book felt like scaffolding for a punch list of jokes they wanted to tell, plot be damned. It made the pacing, dialogue, and even action feel strange and disjointed.
April 2, 2026
Bromantasy is a cozy, completely unserious vibe. While it’s not there to poke fun at Romantasy, it does highlight and turn many of the tropes into something to laugh at & feeling very campy. I enjoyed myself for the first few acts, but noticed it becoming repetitive in its jokes. For all of that in-book talk about one bed, we never did get a scene with the MCs doing what usually happens in one bed. All you find is a kiss inside with brief mentions of more making this a mild read.
Overall it had its moments and the quest was interesting. Out of the “two heroes, one brain cell”, Juniper stood out. His lack of brain cell made the bulk of the ridiculousness and hilarity come directly from him. He gets it right when it counts and that made the resolve all the better. This is for those who enjoy a light & silly PG-13 romcom, but make it a queer fantasy. I think I’m finding cozy isn’t my jam, but I’d still recommend it for those who are looking for that!
***Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review***
Overall it had its moments and the quest was interesting. Out of the “two heroes, one brain cell”, Juniper stood out. His lack of brain cell made the bulk of the ridiculousness and hilarity come directly from him. He gets it right when it counts and that made the resolve all the better. This is for those who enjoy a light & silly PG-13 romcom, but make it a queer fantasy. I think I’m finding cozy isn’t my jam, but I’d still recommend it for those who are looking for that!
***Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review***
May 27, 2026
Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGelley for the opportunity to read this ARC before release and to give an honest review.
I started reading this book having expectations of two best friends who went off on a quest that they didn’t want and they would end up together by the end. What I got was 60% of book was complaining about not wanting to walk anymore. 10% complaining and explanations on cheese and why its so incredible and why can’t they have more. 15% of one-sided pinning that was repetitive and easy to skim and finally 15% of the actual heroic plot that I was expecting. There were also so many references to the real world like “rizz” , their own version of YOLO, and I don’t know how many times you can say “there is only one bed” without it feeling pushed but this was way past it and more.
Overall, I was very disappointed by this book, and it was not what I was expecting at all.
I started reading this book having expectations of two best friends who went off on a quest that they didn’t want and they would end up together by the end. What I got was 60% of book was complaining about not wanting to walk anymore. 10% complaining and explanations on cheese and why its so incredible and why can’t they have more. 15% of one-sided pinning that was repetitive and easy to skim and finally 15% of the actual heroic plot that I was expecting. There were also so many references to the real world like “rizz” , their own version of YOLO, and I don’t know how many times you can say “there is only one bed” without it feeling pushed but this was way past it and more.
Overall, I was very disappointed by this book, and it was not what I was expecting at all.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.75 stars.
Part quest shenanigans, part squabbling royals, part part found family, and fully queer delight.
Juniper O'Reilly and Morningthall Elmthorn (aka Junebug and Mo) are best friends. Definitely just best friends. When Juniper gets into a drunken brawl the consequences are participation in a king's quest and he and Mo set out as a party of two to catch a dragon.
Along the way Juniper learns that the path of a quest (just like life) is made by walking, gets a little more wise in the ways of the world, and maybe even finds himself a family.
Tongue in cheek though a bit on the nose at points (scrolling! only one bed!), Bromantasy is a bunch of fun and just the right read to escape from a world that is far too serious.
Thank you to Putnam and Book Huddle for providing me access to his ARC through NetGalley.
Part quest shenanigans, part squabbling royals, part part found family, and fully queer delight.
Juniper O'Reilly and Morningthall Elmthorn (aka Junebug and Mo) are best friends. Definitely just best friends. When Juniper gets into a drunken brawl the consequences are participation in a king's quest and he and Mo set out as a party of two to catch a dragon.
Along the way Juniper learns that the path of a quest (just like life) is made by walking, gets a little more wise in the ways of the world, and maybe even finds himself a family.
Tongue in cheek though a bit on the nose at points (scrolling! only one bed!), Bromantasy is a bunch of fun and just the right read to escape from a world that is far too serious.
Thank you to Putnam and Book Huddle for providing me access to his ARC through NetGalley.
May 29, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ - Absolutely adorable. It made me laugh and want to scream with the tension and pining of these two. A perfect read for someone who wants a little (mostly) lighthearted adventure but with a touch of sincere emotion and plenty of digs at most Romantasy books these days. I found the quips that twisted modern day times inside charming.
I had read a few reviews before starting and one had mentioned this book as like a spoof or parody movie version of common books. If you read this knowing that in advance you’ll take it less seriously and enjoy the ride more. Though I felt it was in a good way and not at all the cheap/cringey and at times gratuitous movies that the reviewer was referring to.
Zero spice but lots of innuendo and denial!
I had read a few reviews before starting and one had mentioned this book as like a spoof or parody movie version of common books. If you read this knowing that in advance you’ll take it less seriously and enjoy the ride more. Though I felt it was in a good way and not at all the cheap/cringey and at times gratuitous movies that the reviewer was referring to.
Zero spice but lots of innuendo and denial!
May 23, 2026
THIS IS THE GREATEST THING IVE EVER READ OH MY GOD
the most masterful blend of hilarious and moving like I don’t think I’ve ever read something so perfect and delightful from start to finish
Also the way modern references were changed to fit a medieval world (eg “scrolling” is reading through gossip scrolls) had me cackling
An all time fave fr
the most masterful blend of hilarious and moving like I don’t think I’ve ever read something so perfect and delightful from start to finish
Also the way modern references were changed to fit a medieval world (eg “scrolling” is reading through gossip scrolls) had me cackling
An all time fave fr
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4⭐
G🌶️
This was silly but also cozy and happy and right now the world is kind of a scary place, so this book is exactly what I needed right now. If you're in search of some comfort and escapism, this book delivers it in spades.
G🌶️
This was silly but also cozy and happy and right now the world is kind of a scary place, so this book is exactly what I needed right now. If you're in search of some comfort and escapism, this book delivers it in spades.
May 26, 2026
Thanks to G.B Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book is out on May 26th.
Juniper O'Reilly shares a house with his totally platonic best friend, Mo Elthorn, and they run a farm together. Juniper has a tendency to get into bar brawls, while Mo holds him back and takes him home afterwards. One memorable evening, however, Juniper gets into a fight with the wrong guy and incapacitates a henchman enough that he is forced to take said henchman's place on an epic quest (opting out means death). Mo is obviously not going to let his extremely platonic BFF go off on a monster-hunting quest by himself. Especially since Juniper has absolutely no idea how to survive in the wild, hates sleeping outside, away from his comfortable bed and cosy house, and wouldn't be able to light a campfire if his life depended on it.
The quest Juniper and Mo have to try to complete (because they'll be killed if they quit) is locating a dragon who has been terrorising the nearby villages. They are not the only ones looking for this wicked creature. Among their rivals are Bill Bronson, whom Juniper hates (I'm not sure it was ever specified why) and also the dashing Prince Edward. Juniper gets quite star-struck by the prince, but Mo is less impressed.
When Juniper and Mo discover that at least one of the creatures flying about, setting fire to nearby forests and outbuildings, is just a child, things get even more complicated. Mo is not about to let anyone, royalty or not, hunt or hurt an innocent (if rather inadvertently destructive) creature, and he's determined to get the baby dragon to safety. Even if it means breaking the terms of their mandatory quest.
According to the blurb: "Bromantasy is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth." Juniper and Mo spend most of the book totally pining and lusting for one another, while also very studiously not talking about said attraction, or the misunderstandings that have arisen in their relationship since Mo took off for a couple of months about ten years ago, leaving Juniper absolutely bereft.
Juniper is truly terrible at trekking and camping, and also seems to have the common sense of a puppy that's been knocked over the head a bit too often. He has his utterly bull-headed dislike of Bill Bronson, but otherwise seems to be taken in by anyone, no matter how scheming they obviously are. He keeps wanting to do the right thing, and more often than not makes things worse instead.
I didn't find this book particularly cosy, and the fact that Juniper has the POV throughout, a character I found exasperating at best and downright stupid at worst, did not help. I think it's supposed to be a literary romp; I cared very little for the plot, and the stakes never felt all that serious.
There's a lot of hijinks throughout, and as previously mentioned, if Juniper can blunder in and make a situation worse than it was before, that's what's going to happen. By about 35% in, it became clear that this book was never going to be more than a 3-star read for me, and I debated whether I should DNF it or not. Instead, I skim-read the rest of the story, mainly to check if the plot gets any more engaging later on.
This is probably a perfectly fun and entertaining book for some readers, but it just didn't work for me.
Judging a book by its cover: Don't be fooled by the cat in the lower right corner of the cover. While there is a cat in the book, it stays behind on Mo and Juniper's farm when they go off questing. So it's not like it plays a prominent part in the story. The baby dragon needs to be instructed that cats are "friends, not food", though, which was pretty cute.
Juniper O'Reilly shares a house with his totally platonic best friend, Mo Elthorn, and they run a farm together. Juniper has a tendency to get into bar brawls, while Mo holds him back and takes him home afterwards. One memorable evening, however, Juniper gets into a fight with the wrong guy and incapacitates a henchman enough that he is forced to take said henchman's place on an epic quest (opting out means death). Mo is obviously not going to let his extremely platonic BFF go off on a monster-hunting quest by himself. Especially since Juniper has absolutely no idea how to survive in the wild, hates sleeping outside, away from his comfortable bed and cosy house, and wouldn't be able to light a campfire if his life depended on it.
The quest Juniper and Mo have to try to complete (because they'll be killed if they quit) is locating a dragon who has been terrorising the nearby villages. They are not the only ones looking for this wicked creature. Among their rivals are Bill Bronson, whom Juniper hates (I'm not sure it was ever specified why) and also the dashing Prince Edward. Juniper gets quite star-struck by the prince, but Mo is less impressed.
When Juniper and Mo discover that at least one of the creatures flying about, setting fire to nearby forests and outbuildings, is just a child, things get even more complicated. Mo is not about to let anyone, royalty or not, hunt or hurt an innocent (if rather inadvertently destructive) creature, and he's determined to get the baby dragon to safety. Even if it means breaking the terms of their mandatory quest.
According to the blurb: "Bromantasy is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth." Juniper and Mo spend most of the book totally pining and lusting for one another, while also very studiously not talking about said attraction, or the misunderstandings that have arisen in their relationship since Mo took off for a couple of months about ten years ago, leaving Juniper absolutely bereft.
Juniper is truly terrible at trekking and camping, and also seems to have the common sense of a puppy that's been knocked over the head a bit too often. He has his utterly bull-headed dislike of Bill Bronson, but otherwise seems to be taken in by anyone, no matter how scheming they obviously are. He keeps wanting to do the right thing, and more often than not makes things worse instead.
I didn't find this book particularly cosy, and the fact that Juniper has the POV throughout, a character I found exasperating at best and downright stupid at worst, did not help. I think it's supposed to be a literary romp; I cared very little for the plot, and the stakes never felt all that serious.
There's a lot of hijinks throughout, and as previously mentioned, if Juniper can blunder in and make a situation worse than it was before, that's what's going to happen. By about 35% in, it became clear that this book was never going to be more than a 3-star read for me, and I debated whether I should DNF it or not. Instead, I skim-read the rest of the story, mainly to check if the plot gets any more engaging later on.
This is probably a perfectly fun and entertaining book for some readers, but it just didn't work for me.
Judging a book by its cover: Don't be fooled by the cat in the lower right corner of the cover. While there is a cat in the book, it stays behind on Mo and Juniper's farm when they go off questing. So it's not like it plays a prominent part in the story. The baby dragon needs to be instructed that cats are "friends, not food", though, which was pretty cute.
April 2, 2026
A humorous and fun spoof of classic quest based fantasy.
This is such a vibes read. It was lighthearted, a little stupid and an overall good time. I saw another review compare the tone and vibe to Shrek (complimentary), and I totally agree with that comparison!
Juniper & Mo are lifelong bros in a “purely platonic” relationship. They have built a comfortable and cozy life together on their farm, which Juniper wouldn’t trade for anything. Winter is approaching and he senses Mo’s restlessness for adventure.
The two take up a king’s quest (not totally willingly) and anything that could go awry does. Along the way, these two bros have to face royalty, dragons, and worst of all: their not so platonic feelings for each other.
Have you ever picked a bar fight just so you can feel the body heat of your buddy behind you or his hands around your waist while he holds you back? No?? Then you’re not yearning anywhere near Juniper’s level.
The yearning and tension in the beginning was so insane, I ate it up. Unfortunately, some of this was lost through the rest of the story as Juniper’s thoughts turned toward self loathing and it became really clear he was projecting his abandonment issues onto Mo.
Juniper is an incredible emotionally detached character. He has a traumatic past that we got glimpses into, but didn’t get more than the surface level of his abandonment issues. It helped explain some of the dynamic between him & Mo, but I wish we got more. At every turn, Juniper shoved any relevant memory or emotion down. He had a great moment of character growth at the end, but I was so emotionally detached from his character, it wasn’t very hard hitting.
I wish this was dual POV. Juniper & Mo are very different, and I think it would have been nice to have Mo’s POV in there to balance out Juniper’s chaos and self deprecation. It also would’ve added more to their relationship and to the tension to have both of their POVs included.
There was great buildup and decent tension for the romance, the payoff was sweet but a little underwhelming. Listen, not every romance book has to have spice, I get it. Romantasy is a genre overrun with unessecary on-page sex scenes. Spoofing the genre and not including any spice seems like a funny silly idea in theory, but as a reader I do feel a little bamboozled. I don’t think it’s farfetched to have expected these dudes to at least smooch a little more. Maybe my expectations were wrong here, but I was disappointed and felt the romantic pay off was lacking. Spice (or lackthereof) aside, I also feel like the love confessions were also lacking in depth or emotion.
I thought the adventure quest was incredibly fun!! There was chaos at every turn, and I feel like I flew through this because I was having such a good time. It pokes fun at classic fantasy / romantasy tropes (some jokes were a bit overdone, like ‘only one bed at the inn’) but it never felt like it was taking itself too seriously while also not being too camp or feeling like it was trying too hard.
There are modern references / slang thrown into a classic fantasy style world (unalive, rizz, locking in, doom scrolling). Some of these things were woven in so cleverly it worked surprisngly well (doom scrolling had me laughing out loud).
This was just such a good vibes read. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun or a palette cleanser book!!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest review.
🗡️🧀🐉
This is such a vibes read. It was lighthearted, a little stupid and an overall good time. I saw another review compare the tone and vibe to Shrek (complimentary), and I totally agree with that comparison!
Juniper & Mo are lifelong bros in a “purely platonic” relationship. They have built a comfortable and cozy life together on their farm, which Juniper wouldn’t trade for anything. Winter is approaching and he senses Mo’s restlessness for adventure.
The two take up a king’s quest (not totally willingly) and anything that could go awry does. Along the way, these two bros have to face royalty, dragons, and worst of all: their not so platonic feelings for each other.
Have you ever picked a bar fight just so you can feel the body heat of your buddy behind you or his hands around your waist while he holds you back? No?? Then you’re not yearning anywhere near Juniper’s level.
The yearning and tension in the beginning was so insane, I ate it up. Unfortunately, some of this was lost through the rest of the story as Juniper’s thoughts turned toward self loathing and it became really clear he was projecting his abandonment issues onto Mo.
Juniper is an incredible emotionally detached character. He has a traumatic past that we got glimpses into, but didn’t get more than the surface level of his abandonment issues. It helped explain some of the dynamic between him & Mo, but I wish we got more. At every turn, Juniper shoved any relevant memory or emotion down. He had a great moment of character growth at the end, but I was so emotionally detached from his character, it wasn’t very hard hitting.
I wish this was dual POV. Juniper & Mo are very different, and I think it would have been nice to have Mo’s POV in there to balance out Juniper’s chaos and self deprecation. It also would’ve added more to their relationship and to the tension to have both of their POVs included.
There was great buildup and decent tension for the romance, the payoff was sweet but a little underwhelming. Listen, not every romance book has to have spice, I get it. Romantasy is a genre overrun with unessecary on-page sex scenes. Spoofing the genre and not including any spice seems like a funny silly idea in theory, but as a reader I do feel a little bamboozled. I don’t think it’s farfetched to have expected these dudes to at least smooch a little more. Maybe my expectations were wrong here, but I was disappointed and felt the romantic pay off was lacking. Spice (or lackthereof) aside, I also feel like the love confessions were also lacking in depth or emotion.
I thought the adventure quest was incredibly fun!! There was chaos at every turn, and I feel like I flew through this because I was having such a good time. It pokes fun at classic fantasy / romantasy tropes (some jokes were a bit overdone, like ‘only one bed at the inn’) but it never felt like it was taking itself too seriously while also not being too camp or feeling like it was trying too hard.
There are modern references / slang thrown into a classic fantasy style world (unalive, rizz, locking in, doom scrolling). Some of these things were woven in so cleverly it worked surprisngly well (doom scrolling had me laughing out loud).
This was just such a good vibes read. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun or a palette cleanser book!!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest review.
🗡️🧀🐉
May 29, 2026
Bromantasy is an adventure rom com with two of the most clueless childhood-friends-to-roommates-who-kissed-once-to-not-talking-for-three-months-to-roommate-besties who, thankfully, put aside their terrible communication skills (looking at you, Juniper, for interrupting everyone who ever spoke) to make their way back around to roommates who kissed more than once, aka lovers.
It also has the most hilariously relatable and also completely infuriating narrator ever. I swear, there were times I wanted to punch Juniper as much as he wanted to punch his nemesis Bill Bronson.
Mo and Juniper live on their sweet little farm that they've lived on for ten years. They do their farming; they go to the tavern; they do, essentially, karaoke; and they cuddle their cat Mumford. And, occasionally, they tend to brawl.
So, one day, after drunkenly finishing his singing and being insulted by a guy Juniper is *pretty sure* is his nemesis Bill, Juniper starts a brawl which injuries a mercenary on a king-sanctioned dragon hunting quest and is obliged, under threat of death, to either take this guy's place in the party or start his own party. Of course, Bill is in the party and Juniper will absolutely never willingly spend time with Bill, so Juniper and Mo start their own party of two.
Juniper doesn't want to quest. Juniper hates quests. Why can't he just stay home where he has his skincare routine, cheese, and his cat dammit!
So they go questing. There are many tropes. Juniper is an accident prone comical disaster who burns his pants, stops running from danger to make sure he saves his cheese, and many more things that make him convinced there is no way Mo even likes spending time around him, let alone reciprocates his feelings.
But feelings suck, so Juniper will always default to wrestling, cheese, and danger (but preferably no danger).
As should be expected, the quest goes off the rails, the relationship goes off the rails. There is fire, there is a baby dragon, there is apparently tiktok scrolling in the form of literal scrolls. It is absolutely hilarious. Despite me occasionally wanting to punch Juniper.
Then there is Mo. Mo is great, even if his plans for things are as simple as "attack" and believing he can catch a dragon in a net. He has a strong sense of justice, ties to the forests through his grandmam and her stories, and absolutely insists that sleeping outside is better than sleeping in an inn because inns "only have one bed." Nevermind that, as Juniper repeatedly points out, the woods have no beds.
Overall this is super fun, witty, and has an adorable found family built by the end of it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and Máire Roche for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
It also has the most hilariously relatable and also completely infuriating narrator ever. I swear, there were times I wanted to punch Juniper as much as he wanted to punch his nemesis Bill Bronson.
Mo and Juniper live on their sweet little farm that they've lived on for ten years. They do their farming; they go to the tavern; they do, essentially, karaoke; and they cuddle their cat Mumford. And, occasionally, they tend to brawl.
So, one day, after drunkenly finishing his singing and being insulted by a guy Juniper is *pretty sure* is his nemesis Bill, Juniper starts a brawl which injuries a mercenary on a king-sanctioned dragon hunting quest and is obliged, under threat of death, to either take this guy's place in the party or start his own party. Of course, Bill is in the party and Juniper will absolutely never willingly spend time with Bill, so Juniper and Mo start their own party of two.
Juniper doesn't want to quest. Juniper hates quests. Why can't he just stay home where he has his skincare routine, cheese, and his cat dammit!
So they go questing. There are many tropes. Juniper is an accident prone comical disaster who burns his pants, stops running from danger to make sure he saves his cheese, and many more things that make him convinced there is no way Mo even likes spending time around him, let alone reciprocates his feelings.
But feelings suck, so Juniper will always default to wrestling, cheese, and danger (but preferably no danger).
As should be expected, the quest goes off the rails, the relationship goes off the rails. There is fire, there is a baby dragon, there is apparently tiktok scrolling in the form of literal scrolls. It is absolutely hilarious. Despite me occasionally wanting to punch Juniper.
Then there is Mo. Mo is great, even if his plans for things are as simple as "attack" and believing he can catch a dragon in a net. He has a strong sense of justice, ties to the forests through his grandmam and her stories, and absolutely insists that sleeping outside is better than sleeping in an inn because inns "only have one bed." Nevermind that, as Juniper repeatedly points out, the woods have no beds.
Overall this is super fun, witty, and has an adorable found family built by the end of it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and Máire Roche for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
January 18, 2026
Stupid (affectionate)
Rtc
———-
Juniper O’Reilly loves three things: creature comforts, tavern brawls, and his best friend and roommate Mo Elmthron (wait what was that? Surely he’s not IN LOVE with Mo, just because he would do literally anything for him and thinks constantly about the way his butt looks in his pants). Unfortunately for him, he conks the wrong guy on the head and is suddenly forced to go on a quest to hunt a dragon. Mo, of course, goes with him, and the two certainly bring new meaning to the phrase “blaze of glory.”
I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect stupid book. BROMANTASY might be it. It’s so important that a silly book with a silly premise commit to that premise, and stay unserious. With lines such as a bystander pointing to Juniper and going, “Why is that man crying as he runs”, BROMANTASY certainly walks that line. I can’t say this is like, a good book, but I don’t think that’s the point. It’s a FUN book, and THAT’s the point. Juniper accidentally kicked his pants into a forest fire and then had to walk around without them for a while, Mo’s butt is so big it literally gets stuck in a cave they’re hiding in, there is a plot significant obsession with fine cheeses and every tavern has Only One Bed. Men will literally go on a life or death quest instead of talking about their feelings!!
If you want to let some fun into your life, BROMANTASY is out May 26, 2026. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Rtc
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Juniper O’Reilly loves three things: creature comforts, tavern brawls, and his best friend and roommate Mo Elmthron (wait what was that? Surely he’s not IN LOVE with Mo, just because he would do literally anything for him and thinks constantly about the way his butt looks in his pants). Unfortunately for him, he conks the wrong guy on the head and is suddenly forced to go on a quest to hunt a dragon. Mo, of course, goes with him, and the two certainly bring new meaning to the phrase “blaze of glory.”
I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect stupid book. BROMANTASY might be it. It’s so important that a silly book with a silly premise commit to that premise, and stay unserious. With lines such as a bystander pointing to Juniper and going, “Why is that man crying as he runs”, BROMANTASY certainly walks that line. I can’t say this is like, a good book, but I don’t think that’s the point. It’s a FUN book, and THAT’s the point. Juniper accidentally kicked his pants into a forest fire and then had to walk around without them for a while, Mo’s butt is so big it literally gets stuck in a cave they’re hiding in, there is a plot significant obsession with fine cheeses and every tavern has Only One Bed. Men will literally go on a life or death quest instead of talking about their feelings!!
If you want to let some fun into your life, BROMANTASY is out May 26, 2026. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
May 31, 2026
This was a quick and sweet read, but not one that I adored in any way. I was expecting it to be a lot funnier that in was (although humour is of course very subjective) and at points I just found it a little dull? Idk, some elements were great but overall I’d rate this as ‘just fine’.
Things I enjoyed:
✨ The puns. They read scrolls for entertainment and call it scrolling ahaha.
✨ It’s very tongue in cheek. All the inns have only one bed, and everyone is predicting the friends will become lovers. The book knows what it’s doing.
✨ It’s very Geralt & Jaskier (from the Witcher) coded, which I liked.
✨ Also very D&D coded; adventuring parties all over the place!
Things I didn’t enjoy:
✨ The plot. It’s essentially a fetch-quest to find a dragon, nothing really deeper than that.
✨ The romance. Ugh I did not feel the love between these two at all. Like I could have done with poor pining, more declarations, more everything. They just never seemed on the same page about anything, especially adopting this dang dragon kid.
✨ Bear the dragon’s mother died and this wasn’t addressed at all?? They just adopted her and moved on, like…???
✨ All the characters read as very immature. Like I enjoy silliness and humour but this was just that and nothing much more.
✨ Juniper was an annoying narrator; we get it buddy, you like skincare and cheese, don’t we all 🫠
Overall a lighthearted D&D themed read, but one (imho) without too much substance!
Things I enjoyed:
✨ The puns. They read scrolls for entertainment and call it scrolling ahaha.
✨ It’s very tongue in cheek. All the inns have only one bed, and everyone is predicting the friends will become lovers. The book knows what it’s doing.
✨ It’s very Geralt & Jaskier (from the Witcher) coded, which I liked.
✨ Also very D&D coded; adventuring parties all over the place!
Things I didn’t enjoy:
✨ The plot. It’s essentially a fetch-quest to find a dragon, nothing really deeper than that.
✨ The romance. Ugh I did not feel the love between these two at all. Like I could have done with poor pining, more declarations, more everything. They just never seemed on the same page about anything, especially adopting this dang dragon kid.
✨ Bear the dragon’s mother died and this wasn’t addressed at all?? They just adopted her and moved on, like…???
✨ All the characters read as very immature. Like I enjoy silliness and humour but this was just that and nothing much more.
✨ Juniper was an annoying narrator; we get it buddy, you like skincare and cheese, don’t we all 🫠
Overall a lighthearted D&D themed read, but one (imho) without too much substance!
May 20, 2026
When I read the tagline, "fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you're unqualified for?", I just KNEW I had to read this one! Bromantasy is the perfect combination of queer joy, friends to idiots to lovers, opposites attract, and cozy fantasy with a big, healthy dose of camp. I sped through this one and had a blast following along Mo and Juniper (Junebug!!!), both characters complemented each other perfectly. Where Mo could be a tad reckless when it came to planning adventures, Juniper was desperate for more of a plan but had his own chaotic streak when it came to throwing down with his nemesis, Bill, and Mo was always ten-toes down for his "bff" *cough, cough* love of his life *cough, cough*. Juniper very much felt like the comedic relief character at times and I felt a little bad for him, especially when Bear ate all of his skincare, as a skincare girlie I would've been DISTRAUGHT!! I loved witnessing Juniper finally stop pushing down and denying his very romantic feelings for Mo and I would've killed for another wholesome adventure with our now established couple. Juniper's character grew up so much over the course of their quest and I came to admire and love both Mo and Juniper for their unique qualities by the end. I end this review politely begging the author the write more queer stories in this cute, heartwarming fantasy world!
Thank you to Putnam, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!!
Thank you to Putnam, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!!
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