Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe by Rob Rosen


"If the world is somehow in your hands, then Lord help us all." Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe.  

From the blurb:

What happens when a hunky demon visits you and commands you to break all ten commandments? Or
when a handsome angel orders you to do the opposite? And what if you’re Bobby Ray, and you’ve already broken nine of the ten, and thou shalt not kill is a close brick away, and the demon has tacked on a cushy afterlife in hell as a reward? Decisions, decisions. And poor Bobby Ray has never been good at one decision, let alone multiple ones. Broke, divorced, and pretty darn miserable, does he do what’s right or what’s easy?

In this darkly comical romantic adventure, Bobby Ray, with the help of numerous friends and just as many enemies, one being his ex-husband, travels from Georgia to Israel and ultimately across Egypt and the Gaza Strip in search of the one clue that will hopefully save them all, and possibly the entire world. Will good win out over evil, love over hate? Or will Bobby Ray ultimately break the universe?


Miki.J's Review:

I was cracking up in laughter on the first page and then it just steamrolled from there.  

Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe definitely has the Good Omens / Monty Python-esque vibe, but it’s not all rainbows and roses. (TW) You’d think love is love is love… and it can be… eventually. Bobby Ray initially was a tad annoying, but he grew on me and I loved how the author added the other characters along for the ride (Grindr in Gaza – bahahaha brilliant!!).  

Plenty of highs, but there were lows as well. I’ll just add that if you’re easily offended by religion used in a satiric manner, then this may not be a book for you. 

I really enjoyed this novel, even though I normally avoid any books when religion is featured. It’s funny, quirky, lighthearted, adventurous, and yet it’s also poignant and sad and thought-provoking.  

Having said that, the chance of redemption, the hope of 2nd, and 3rd chances is the HEA we do look for. Very well-written novel indeed. 

Rating: 4 Stars


Sheena's Review:

Well, this is an odd one, indeed. I finished this and I'm still not entirely sure what I read. I picked it up as the blurb got me right away, I love things that are straight up bonkers and thought this would fit that bill. It did.

For most of the book I didn't really have a clue what was going on, much like Bobby Ray really. He's an odd one, he's not a sympathetic character on the surface - he drinks, does drugs, hooks up with random people in his uber and is easily led by demons, apparently. He has a few hidden depths though which I loved finding out with him as the book went on. Yes, there are more than a few religious overtones but it never clubs you over the head with them. I'm not opposed to angels, demons and the like (I watch Supernatural so this is pretty much the norm for me 😂).

What I got from this is it's more about Bobby Ray's redemption and turning his life around, getting a second chance with his biggest love, and ultimately saving the universe. Not bad for a redneck from Georgia who's never really done anything good in his life before. It's alsofunny. I mean seriously, a lot of what happens is straight up hilarious and I loved the whole thing, actually. I'm still really not sure what was actually going on, and I love that.

Rating: 4 Stars


Pick up your copy of Bobby Ray Breaks the Universe today!

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