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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 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 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 books81 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 818 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! 🩷
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.
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.
Currently Reading
June 8, 2026‧₊˚🌈✩ ₊˚🫧⊹♡ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉
PRIDE MONTH BUDDY READ WITH BRIANNA ‧₊˚🌈✩ ₊˚🫧⊹♡
PRIDE MONTH BUDDY READ WITH BRIANNA ‧₊˚🌈✩ ₊˚🫧⊹♡
June 3, 2026
Bromantasy is a chaotic and whimsy filled romance following two best friends, June and Mo, as they go on a reluctant quest to defeat some dragons. While the two make their way through the land and discover life outside of their small village, they find themselves confronting their obvious connection and history. This was such a fun and campy read! I loved that the plot was so bright and quirky, the story was definitely making light of the romantasy genre and it was so refreshing to read a book that didn't take itself so seriously. Aside from the plot, I loved how June and Mo fell into their relationship so hesitantly and with clear gusto at the same time. It was so obvious that the two were enamored with each other and just scared to make the first move. I appreciated that they came into their feelings as the plot progressed and the two gained the courage to fight for their relationship alongside their adventure. This cozy and lighthearted romantasy was well worth the read, every page was full of humor and coziness!
~Many thanks to Putnam for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
~Many thanks to Putnam for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
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
June 2, 2026
This book is not as good or as fun as the cover and title made it out to be. I was once again deceived by clever marketing.
It tried way too hard to be whimsical and funny. I don't know if the author was a fan of Shrek and the vibe those movies have of making fun in an original way of fairy tales, and decided to try writing this book in that sort of style by making fun of quests, royals and dragons, sadly, it didn't work at all.
Juniper was an annoying and whiny MC. It also didn't help that it was all from his POV. I just didn't care enough about his hardships or his weird relationship with the friend/roommate/love of his life.
It tried way too hard to be whimsical and funny. I don't know if the author was a fan of Shrek and the vibe those movies have of making fun in an original way of fairy tales, and decided to try writing this book in that sort of style by making fun of quests, royals and dragons, sadly, it didn't work at all.
Juniper was an annoying and whiny MC. It also didn't help that it was all from his POV. I just didn't care enough about his hardships or his weird relationship with the friend/roommate/love of his life.
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
June 21, 2026
ONE BRAIN CELL
June 1, 2026
I had to DNF this after the third use of “unalive” … the tiktok algo can’t get you on paper, babe
This started out ok, I saw the potential but wow. This is marketed as adult – it is not. It is marketed as hilarious – it is decidedly not. I just wanted a story about two dummies falling in love on a quest, but I found myself just not caring? That is the major crime here. Not to mention the world felt so underdeveloped. Even for satire, the world needs to feel real!
I feel like this book tried way too hard to be “quotable” and witty and just fell flat.
This started out ok, I saw the potential but wow. This is marketed as adult – it is not. It is marketed as hilarious – it is decidedly not. I just wanted a story about two dummies falling in love on a quest, but I found myself just not caring? That is the major crime here. Not to mention the world felt so underdeveloped. Even for satire, the world needs to feel real!
I feel like this book tried way too hard to be “quotable” and witty and just fell flat.
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.
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
June 21, 2026
Well that was a fun , adorable, low stakes and heartwarming adventure!! I love that both of them were basically all up in their head about everything and it just took this adventure to unlock them saying out loud everything!! Also .. dragons and one awesome princess. This was just so much fun !!!
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 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 it 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 more 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 more 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!
June 15, 2026
And done...
*sigh* that was cute!
Following Juniper and Mo on their quest to find a dragon was a fun and interesting read.
The romance was fcking adorable! Like, these two are sooo damn in love with each other it annoyed me, that they took so long to confess. You two are basically married and didn't noticed you were in love?! Scandalous!
Overall a great and fun queer fantasy book that is worth reading :)
*sigh* that was cute!
Following Juniper and Mo on their quest to find a dragon was a fun and interesting read.
The romance was fcking adorable! Like, these two are sooo damn in love with each other it annoyed me, that they took so long to confess. You two are basically married and didn't noticed you were in love?! Scandalous!
Overall a great and fun queer fantasy book that is worth reading :)
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.
June 16, 2026
3,25/✨ voor Bromantasy van Máire Roche.
Ten eerste wil ik Zomer & Keuning bedanken voor het prachtige recensie exemplaar.
Ik heb echt het idee dat ik de Not Another Teen Movie en Scary Movie franchise in romantasy vorm heb gelezen.
Er zat zóveel flauwe (en soms ronduit kinderlijke) humor in dit boekje, maar tegelijkertijd werd er ook constant gescholden en werd het aan het einde zelfs een beetje steamy. De toon is echt overal en nergens, maar gek genoeg is dat ook een beetje de charme van dit verhaal.
Waar het boek over gaat? Wat kan er misgaan als je met je beste bro, na een avondje mede drinken en een potje random vechten, ineens ingeschreven staat voor een queeste van de koning? O ja, en die queeste bestaat uit het doden óf vangen van een draak.
Maar ondertussen begin je ook op te merken dat de kont van je beste vriend wel heel juicy is. Dat zijn dijen verdacht stevig zijn. En O MIJN GOD, BEN IK VERLIEFD OP MIJN BESTE VRIEND MET WIE IK AL JAREN SAMENWOON EN WAAROM KRIJG IK EEN PANIEKAANVAL ALS HIJ WEG WIL?
Yeah, dat vat het eigenlijk wel perfect samen.
Dit is absoluut geen technisch hoogstandje, maar ik zou liegen als ik zou zeggen dat ik me niet vermaakt heb. Het is chaotisch, absurd, soms echt hilarisch en voelt als een fantasyparodie die zichzelf geen seconde serieus neemt. Daardoor vloog ik er eigenlijk verrassend snel doorheen.
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3,25/✨ for Bromantasy by Máire Roche.
First of all, I want to thank Zomer & Keuning for the beautiful review copy.
I genuinely feel like I just read the Not Another Teen Movie and Scary Movie franchises in romantasy form.
There was so much silly (and sometimes downright childish) humor in this book, but at the same time everyone is constantly swearing and it even gets a little steamy towards the end. The tone is honestly all over the place, but somehow that’s also part of the charm.
What’s the book about? Well, what could possibly go wrong when you and your best bro spend an evening drinking mead, getting into random fights, and somehow end up signed up for a quest for the king? Oh, and the quest just so happens to involve killing or capturing a dragon.
Meanwhile, you start noticing that your best friend’s ass looks suspiciously juicy. His thighs are looking a little too sturdy. And OH MY GOD, AM I IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND THAT I’VE BEEN LIVING WITH FOR YEARS AND WHY AM I HAVING A PANIC ATTACK EVERY TIME HE TALKS ABOUT LEAVING?
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
This is absolutely not a technical masterpiece, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun reading it. It’s chaotic, ridiculous, occasionally hilarious, and feels like a fantasy parody that refuses to take itself seriously for even a second.
Ten eerste wil ik Zomer & Keuning bedanken voor het prachtige recensie exemplaar.
Ik heb echt het idee dat ik de Not Another Teen Movie en Scary Movie franchise in romantasy vorm heb gelezen.
Er zat zóveel flauwe (en soms ronduit kinderlijke) humor in dit boekje, maar tegelijkertijd werd er ook constant gescholden en werd het aan het einde zelfs een beetje steamy. De toon is echt overal en nergens, maar gek genoeg is dat ook een beetje de charme van dit verhaal.
Waar het boek over gaat? Wat kan er misgaan als je met je beste bro, na een avondje mede drinken en een potje random vechten, ineens ingeschreven staat voor een queeste van de koning? O ja, en die queeste bestaat uit het doden óf vangen van een draak.
Maar ondertussen begin je ook op te merken dat de kont van je beste vriend wel heel juicy is. Dat zijn dijen verdacht stevig zijn. En O MIJN GOD, BEN IK VERLIEFD OP MIJN BESTE VRIEND MET WIE IK AL JAREN SAMENWOON EN WAAROM KRIJG IK EEN PANIEKAANVAL ALS HIJ WEG WIL?
Yeah, dat vat het eigenlijk wel perfect samen.
Dit is absoluut geen technisch hoogstandje, maar ik zou liegen als ik zou zeggen dat ik me niet vermaakt heb. Het is chaotisch, absurd, soms echt hilarisch en voelt als een fantasyparodie die zichzelf geen seconde serieus neemt. Daardoor vloog ik er eigenlijk verrassend snel doorheen.
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3,25/✨ for Bromantasy by Máire Roche.
First of all, I want to thank Zomer & Keuning for the beautiful review copy.
I genuinely feel like I just read the Not Another Teen Movie and Scary Movie franchises in romantasy form.
There was so much silly (and sometimes downright childish) humor in this book, but at the same time everyone is constantly swearing and it even gets a little steamy towards the end. The tone is honestly all over the place, but somehow that’s also part of the charm.
What’s the book about? Well, what could possibly go wrong when you and your best bro spend an evening drinking mead, getting into random fights, and somehow end up signed up for a quest for the king? Oh, and the quest just so happens to involve killing or capturing a dragon.
Meanwhile, you start noticing that your best friend’s ass looks suspiciously juicy. His thighs are looking a little too sturdy. And OH MY GOD, AM I IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND THAT I’VE BEEN LIVING WITH FOR YEARS AND WHY AM I HAVING A PANIC ATTACK EVERY TIME HE TALKS ABOUT LEAVING?
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
This is absolutely not a technical masterpiece, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun reading it. It’s chaotic, ridiculous, occasionally hilarious, and feels like a fantasy parody that refuses to take itself seriously for even a second.
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!
June 18, 2026
Although not as humorous as the tagline and back copy imply, this is still delightful, and I love how Roche writes Mo as neurodivergent without ever spelling it out. My one complaint is that one cannot "shrug off" one's trousers. This one line irritated me unduly, which resulted in me annoying everyone around me by complaining about it a lot.
June 3, 2026
Honestly it's very ironic that this is the book I felt I was in a time loop for. The cover makes it look very adventurous, but unless walking through the forest for 300+ pages counts as an adventure then this is plain false advertisement (they don't even ride a horse in this one). All this book is, walk a little bit, go in the river, camp, tell the same back story, review the stuff we already know and the same unfunny 3 to 5 jokes and rinse and repeat till the ending. No adventure, no hijinks, no fun.
The main character is painfully annoying and dumb as a rock and "bromance" aspect they were going for is a complete mess. Some of the worst romance and friendship dynamics I have ever read. He also makes some of the worst decisions of all time and his motivation sometimes doesn't add up.
There was momentarily a character I dare say I liked only for the author to ruin them in the next chapter. I have been trapped in this hell of a book and have finally been freed.
The main character is painfully annoying and dumb as a rock and "bromance" aspect they were going for is a complete mess. Some of the worst romance and friendship dynamics I have ever read. He also makes some of the worst decisions of all time and his motivation sometimes doesn't add up.
There was momentarily a character I dare say I liked only for the author to ruin them in the next chapter. I have been trapped in this hell of a book and have finally been freed.
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.
June 13, 2026
Cosas por las que me siento muy decepcionada:
1. En la portada montan un caballo. En la historia nunca tuvieron uno. Qué es esto? La decepción, la traición.
2. Morn nunca se convirtió en un oso. ¿Hola? Todas esas pistas sutiles... Esperaba que se hiciera papá oso y los matara a todos, sí que sí.
3. ¿Entonces sí habían más dragones o nel?
4. ¿Entonces todos pensaron que fue culpa de Juniper, o que fue todo gracias a Juniper? Quién sabe, yo no.
5. ¿Y a dónde se fue Morn cuando tenía 20 inviernos y no sabía lo que quería?
6. Quizás podrían haberse saltado el quinto, o sexto o séptimo escape de Juniper para darnos más respuestas y menos saltos a un río. Digo, creo, pienso.
7. Ah, cómo van a alimentar a su hija adoptiva, que es un dragón, cuando come de forma excesiva y la de cazar no les gusta.
8. Y vamos a obviar que la niña quemaba aldeas, porque, tú sabes, es una niña. Y un dragón. Algo debe hacer con su fuego. O no. No sabemos nada de cómo funcionan los dragones a pesar de que parte de la historia es cazar/salvar a uno. Bue.
Cosas que gustaron:
1. Animosidad entre Bill y Juniper, quién lo iba a creer.
2. Mor. Bueno, Morn cuando no está en modo cavernicola.
3. Juniper. O, mejor dicho, el Juniper que me recuerda que soy igual de pendeja y quejosa y que tomo las mismas malas decisiones porque pienso que están bien hasta que me patean en la cara.
4. En realidad, aunque el romance de Juniper y Morn es una cosa tóxica con patas, el que al menos estén dispuestos a pedir perdón y que tengan la capacidad de ponerse serios y decir "wey, ocupamos escucharnos más y taclearnos menos" les da puntos.
5. Ah, además Morn modo cavernicola romántico sí que me gusta. Seguirá a Juniper a cualquier parte del mundo, solo porque es Juniper.
6. Al menos hasta que su ética queda realmente en juego. Porque una cosa es pelearse con adultos y acompañarlo a una misión para cazar a un dragón con incomodidades, y la otra, completamente diferente, es cazar a una niña, aunque sea un dragón.
Tengo esta racha de ponerle 3 estrellas a todo que ya me anda fastidiando. Ocupo puras lecturas de 5, que me cambien la vida, por fas, me voy a cambiar de género 😭😭👊🏻👊🏻
1. En la portada montan un caballo. En la historia nunca tuvieron uno. Qué es esto? La decepción, la traición.
2. Morn nunca se convirtió en un oso. ¿Hola? Todas esas pistas sutiles... Esperaba que se hiciera papá oso y los matara a todos, sí que sí.
3. ¿Entonces sí habían más dragones o nel?
4. ¿Entonces todos pensaron que fue culpa de Juniper, o que fue todo gracias a Juniper? Quién sabe, yo no.
5. ¿Y a dónde se fue Morn cuando tenía 20 inviernos y no sabía lo que quería?
6. Quizás podrían haberse saltado el quinto, o sexto o séptimo escape de Juniper para darnos más respuestas y menos saltos a un río. Digo, creo, pienso.
7. Ah, cómo van a alimentar a su hija adoptiva, que es un dragón, cuando come de forma excesiva y la de cazar no les gusta.
8. Y vamos a obviar que la niña quemaba aldeas, porque, tú sabes, es una niña. Y un dragón. Algo debe hacer con su fuego. O no. No sabemos nada de cómo funcionan los dragones a pesar de que parte de la historia es cazar/salvar a uno. Bue.
Cosas que gustaron:
1. Animosidad entre Bill y Juniper, quién lo iba a creer.
2. Mor. Bueno, Morn cuando no está en modo cavernicola.
3. Juniper. O, mejor dicho, el Juniper que me recuerda que soy igual de pendeja y quejosa y que tomo las mismas malas decisiones porque pienso que están bien hasta que me patean en la cara.
4. En realidad, aunque el romance de Juniper y Morn es una cosa tóxica con patas, el que al menos estén dispuestos a pedir perdón y que tengan la capacidad de ponerse serios y decir "wey, ocupamos escucharnos más y taclearnos menos" les da puntos.
5. Ah, además Morn modo cavernicola romántico sí que me gusta. Seguirá a Juniper a cualquier parte del mundo, solo porque es Juniper.
6. Al menos hasta que su ética queda realmente en juego. Porque una cosa es pelearse con adultos y acompañarlo a una misión para cazar a un dragón con incomodidades, y la otra, completamente diferente, es cazar a una niña, aunque sea un dragón.
Tengo esta racha de ponerle 3 estrellas a todo que ya me anda fastidiando. Ocupo puras lecturas de 5, que me cambien la vida, por fas, me voy a cambiar de género 😭😭👊🏻👊🏻
June 20, 2026
This book was exactly what I needed it to be
However, the author lost me at “scrolling,” I felt like it tried a bit TO much to be funny an implement memes, which dates a book and I will not be relevant anymore in 5 years.
However, the author lost me at “scrolling,” I felt like it tried a bit TO much to be funny an implement memes, which dates a book and I will not be relevant anymore in 5 years.
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.
June 16, 2026
This was a hilarious and sweary story that I loved! I found it very enjoyable.
What stopped it being 5 stars was it did seem a bit repetitive in the "3rd act," but that didn't really spoil my enjoyment. I found the clever nods to modern life through ye olde ways very witty too!
I do agree with what others said, though. If only Mo and Juniper had just spoken to each other, a whole heap of bother might have been avoided!
I hope we get more adventures of Mo, Juniper, and Bear.
What stopped it being 5 stars was it did seem a bit repetitive in the "3rd act," but that didn't really spoil my enjoyment. I found the clever nods to modern life through ye olde ways very witty too!
I do agree with what others said, though. If only Mo and Juniper had just spoken to each other, a whole heap of bother might have been avoided!
I hope we get more adventures of Mo, Juniper, and Bear.
June 5, 2026
i should’ve dnf’d this, but i’m so behind on my reading goal. it just really wasn’t for me. i can’t stand a whiny, juvenile main character, especially when there’s truly no character development throughout. it was a cute story at its heart, but i couldn’t get past the whining. i fully agree with the other reviews saying that this should’ve been YA rather than adult. i’m so sorry in advance to my book club.
June 19, 2026
3.5 rounded up
This was silly, low stakes and satirical. It was perfect for what I needed which was an easy listen
This was silly, low stakes and satirical. It was perfect for what I needed which was an easy listen
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