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ktdakotareads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Grief
niftyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Joshua Jackson (Pacey!!!!!! š) reads the male PoV of the audiobook and it is glorious. GLO-RI-OUS! Such a cute romance. A hockey player and former ballerina - I liked that storyline very much seeing them get over their own individual issues and come together. It also made me want to go camping to see the Northern Lights and I am totally a hotel girl!
Hereās my vote for Joshua Jackson to narrate more audiobooks šš»āāļø
Hereās my vote for Joshua Jackson to narrate more audiobooks šš»āāļø
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Death, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
tannerlauren's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Car accident
grace33's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident
jennp28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Cute, mildly spicy and heartwarming story of finding love again and learning to love yourself.
Although Iāve never heard someone my age *actually* refer to themselves as a hoser, multiple times. May wanna recheck your Canadianisms on that one. But other than that the Canadiana was pretty well done, eh?
Although Iāve never heard someone my age *actually* refer to themselves as a hoser, multiple times. May wanna recheck your Canadianisms on that one. But other than that the Canadiana was pretty well done, eh?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Car accident, and Emotional abuse
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! This book mixed the comedic and heartfelt moments really well! Honestly, parts of this book were a little dark, but it was done well and reflected how life is often a mixture of sad and happy moments.
I loved how Mike, Rory, and Olivia made a little family! Iāve read a lot of books featuring a single parent, but Iām not sure that Iāve ever felt the connection within the developing family quite like how I felt it in this book! I loved how Jenny Holiday was not afraid to shy away from the effects that change can have on children and their behavior. Families, especially in the wake of tragedy, are complicated and this book did such a great job at conveying that!
My favorite parts of this book were all of Mikeās POVs. He was just perfect! He had so much depth to his character that made him feel so real. I loved watching his growth as he juggled his grief with learning to be a single parent while also continuing his NHL career and finding love again in the wake of his loss. Also, I listened to the audiobook and Joshua Jackson has an amazing narrator voice! Iād listen to him narrate a thousand audiobooks!
I loved the chemistry between Mike and Rory! They felt like a real adult relationship in ways that few books achieve! They also just had the type of chemistry that led me to tell āJUST KISS ALREADYā at my book!
I really appreciated how complex Rory was as a character. It was both heartbreaking and really inspiring to watch her grow and heal from her emotional abuse at the hands of her mother. I also get why she wrote those letters. While they were a little cringey, I really appreciate when books write 18 year olds as dramatic and stupid, which is much more accurate than a lot of portrayals of teenagers in the media. And when you factor in her trauma from dancing, her escapism into the world where āMikeā is her only confidant makes sense.
Now, with that being said, I did still kind of hate the third act conflict. I donāt often like when thereās a big secret (often secret identity) hanging over the head of one of the MCs and this book didnāt really change that opinion. I do completely get why she didnāt tell him, but I will say that (slight spoiler) when she does decide to tell him, she does it in a terrible way and that his reaction is somehow simultaneously justified and way too harsh. I donāt know, I just know that I didnāt like it.
Overall, I do really recommend this book, especially if you love your romance books to feature a lot of emotional depth!
Thank you to Jenny Holiday, NetGalley, and Forever for providing me access to this book.
I loved how Mike, Rory, and Olivia made a little family! Iāve read a lot of books featuring a single parent, but Iām not sure that Iāve ever felt the connection within the developing family quite like how I felt it in this book! I loved how Jenny Holiday was not afraid to shy away from the effects that change can have on children and their behavior. Families, especially in the wake of tragedy, are complicated and this book did such a great job at conveying that!
My favorite parts of this book were all of Mikeās POVs. He was just perfect! He had so much depth to his character that made him feel so real. I loved watching his growth as he juggled his grief with learning to be a single parent while also continuing his NHL career and finding love again in the wake of his loss. Also, I listened to the audiobook and Joshua Jackson has an amazing narrator voice! Iād listen to him narrate a thousand audiobooks!
I loved the chemistry between Mike and Rory! They felt like a real adult relationship in ways that few books achieve! They also just had the type of chemistry that led me to tell āJUST KISS ALREADYā at my book!
I really appreciated how complex Rory was as a character. It was both heartbreaking and really inspiring to watch her grow and heal from her emotional abuse at the hands of her mother. I also get why she wrote those letters. While they were a little cringey, I really appreciate when books write 18 year olds as dramatic and stupid, which is much more accurate than a lot of portrayals of teenagers in the media. And when you factor in her trauma from dancing, her escapism into the world where āMikeā is her only confidant makes sense.
Now, with that being said, I did still kind of hate the third act conflict. I donāt often like when thereās a big secret (often secret identity) hanging over the head of one of the MCs and this book didnāt really change that opinion. I do completely get why she didnāt tell him, but I will say that (slight spoiler) when she does decide to tell him, she does it in a terrible way and that his reaction is somehow simultaneously justified and way too harsh. I donāt know, I just know that I didnāt like it.
Overall, I do really recommend this book, especially if you love your romance books to feature a lot of emotional depth!
Thank you to Jenny Holiday, NetGalley, and Forever for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Sexual content
hannahs_library__'s review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Probably won't ever think about this again āØ just being honest but it was fun to read while traveling to Canada!
I loved the premise of this. In theory, dance teacher recovering from years of toxic dance culture + recently widowed (trigger warning), pro hockey player should have led to a sparkling sweet romance. There were just too many issues with the writing imo for it to be higher than 3 stars. I think there were too many tropes that took away from the issues the characters were dealing with and their growth.
The book got better as it went but the romance ended up being my least favorite part. š I liked their individual character arcs and the commentary on the body shaming, eating disorder promoting environment in the dance world though.
Thanks to Forever for sending over a copy :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Eating disorder
aqtbenz's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, and Death
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Closed Door Mod: Chapter 15 (some parts)
Canadian Boyfriend is a hockey-adjacent romance about a woman who accidently runs into the man she made up to be her boyfriend in high school and agrees to nanny his tween daughter.
With more emotional depth and complex themes compared to some hockey romances currently on the market, I felt that Holiday was able to capture those themes into Rory and Mikeās respective backstories. Adding a core group of supporting characters to round out the two MCs, Holidayās writing style was alright (other than inconsistent pacing when you get to the second half of the book) and the plot in it of itself was a bit more than decent. However, I felt that this book was just okay, plain and simple. There was nothing there for me to cherish this book and make it a new favorite. Do I think this book could wow some reader out there? Yes, I do. I just donāt think this book was for me, but I didnāt had a terrible time with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Eating disorder
Minor: Abandonment and Pregnancy
asreadbyfeb's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent