The Bro Code

The Bro Code opens with a letter addressed, “Dear Nick,” and no signature. The Nick in question is Nicholas Maguire, our narrator and protagonist. He is “bros” with Carter O’Connor and Austin Banks. All three are in their senior year at Cassidy High and play on the high school soccer team coached by Nick’s dad. As you can see from the excerpt, Nick is a smooth operator, and his wisecracking narration is consistent throughout the novel.

Each chapter starts with a rule from the “Bro Code”. Chapter Four informs readers of the “Dating Code”. If a girl matches any of the following criteria, she shall be off-limits forever until the end of time…C) is your bro’s sister. Eliza is Carter’s sister, and, when she returns from an educational exchange in Australia, she is not the little sister Nick remembers. The plot trajectory from here is not too hard to figure out. Nick and Eliza fall for each other but don’t want to tell Carter.

The other major plot thread is Nick’s parents wanting him to get a full-ride soccer scholarship. His dad trains him hard, and his mother works extra hours to ensure Nick has the financial backing he needs to go to college.

The growing romance between Nick and Eliza (and the romantic interactions of other characters) is at the centre of the narrative. As the story moves on, the boys start to gain a social awareness, questioning the rules of the “Bro Code”. Carter’s and Austin’s backstory includes their having engaged in some unwanted sexual contact with inebriated girls, and, in their struggle to come to terms with their behaviour, the seed for re-writing the “Bro Code” is planted. There is a brief nod to consent, #MeToo and the power of language to shape society, notably the word “hoes”. This term is redefined in the reworking of the “Bro Code” at the end of the novel.

A couple of editing errors in the Advanced Reading Copy, (which may be fixed for the final edition) make the timeline of events confusing. For example: Eliza and Carter move to Cassidy in elementary school (p. 1), yet Carter comments on the friendship he and Nick have shared for 18 years (p. 240). The other glitch is Nick takes Eliza on a failed picnic date, (p. 182.) “Wish we had this conversation before I totally wrecked our picnic last night.” says Nick. (p. 198) This statement is made after readers learn he was too busy to make it up to her for at least a week. “Even though I promised Eliza I would make it up to her soon… A week went by and things got even worse.”(p. 186).

Eventually, everything works out. The letter that starts off the novel, readers learn at the end of the novel, is penned by Eliza and is given to Nick when he comes to tell her he is going to choose his bro, Carter, over her. The letter changes his mind, and eventually it all works out. Carter gets into therapy and starts to find the answers to his jealousy and moves beyond his past mistakes. Carter and Nick get accepted to the same college to play soccer, and Nick learns his parents’ back story.

The plot thread of Nick and Eliza’s getting together is sweet and timeless. The “Bro Code” and other slang terms and abbreviations will quickly date this novel. In spite of the glitches, The Bro Code is an entertaining teen romance. It will be primarily of interest to young women, and, because of this audience, I would have liked some stronger consequences for the young men in the story and perhaps more attention given to equality. The sexual descriptions and language will make this a choice for high school libraries and YA sections of public libraries.