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loloreeds's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
“Is it possible you overreacted?” … “I don’t think I overreacted.”
^^ These ten words sum up this whole book. And reader, let me assure you, he *definitely* overreacted.
Mike Martin (it’s important that his name is said this way, as the FMC will refer to him as such approximately 300 times in the next 362 pages), a Canadian hockey player, and Aurora, a not-Canadian dance teacher, find love and healing (up for debate) in a not-Canadian town accompanied by his half-Canadian daughter and they go to Canada once because, in case you missed it, Mike Martin is Canadian.
Aurora is described as quirky about as much as Mike Martin is described as Canadian, which I hate. Mike Martin’s wife died SEVEN MONTHS AGO and he’s putting moves on his kid’s ballet teacher, which I also hate.
Also: he compares her eyes to a mud pit, which might be accurate, but is a deeply unflattering comparison. Later he tries again and comes up with a comparison to a horse. But he does self-identify as a hoser, so maybe that’s just staying true to character.
The real conflict in this book (Mike Martin grieving and learning to love again after his wife tragically died, and, Aurora healing and recovering from a traumatic parent and eating disorder) takes a back seat to the completely juvenile and ridiculous conflict in this book, which is that Aurora — at SIXTEEN — wrote about Mike Martin in her DIARY as her fake, let’s-not-forget-Canadian boyfriend and she’s worried he’ll find out and be mad because he hates liars, even though he has no problem lying to her on multiple occasions. And he does find out, and he is mad, and he throws a wild tantrum that is sadly not unexpected for a thirty-five year old man, but disappointing nonetheless.
Mike Martin is not the amazing hero the author wants him to be and Aurora is such a pushover, she barely has a personality at all. And yet, I can’t say that I *hated* the book, even though it’s two people dancing (haha) around each other for 362 pages, which I historically have never liked. Just kiss already, damnit. But there was something so fluffy and low stakes about it that was comforting, and it was so predictable and clichéd which, coming off of HOFAS, was the calm, no stress, no substance book I needed to reset my adrenals. 🤪
2.5/5 🌶️
2.5/5 ⭐️
^^ These ten words sum up this whole book. And reader, let me assure you, he *definitely* overreacted.
Mike Martin (it’s important that his name is said this way, as the FMC will refer to him as such approximately 300 times in the next 362 pages), a Canadian hockey player, and Aurora, a not-Canadian dance teacher, find love and healing (up for debate) in a not-Canadian town accompanied by his half-Canadian daughter and they go to Canada once because, in case you missed it, Mike Martin is Canadian.
Aurora is described as quirky about as much as Mike Martin is described as Canadian, which I hate. Mike Martin’s wife died SEVEN MONTHS AGO and he’s putting moves on his kid’s ballet teacher, which I also hate.
Also: he compares her eyes to a mud pit, which might be accurate, but is a deeply unflattering comparison. Later he tries again and comes up with a comparison to a horse. But he does self-identify as a hoser, so maybe that’s just staying true to character.
The real conflict in this book (Mike Martin grieving and learning to love again after his wife tragically died, and, Aurora healing and recovering from a traumatic parent and eating disorder) takes a back seat to the completely juvenile and ridiculous conflict in this book, which is that Aurora — at SIXTEEN — wrote about Mike Martin in her DIARY as her fake, let’s-not-forget-Canadian boyfriend and she’s worried he’ll find out and be mad because he hates liars, even though he has no problem lying to her on multiple occasions. And he does find out, and he is mad, and he throws a wild tantrum that is sadly not unexpected for a thirty-five year old man, but disappointing nonetheless.
Mike Martin is not the amazing hero the author wants him to be and Aurora is such a pushover, she barely has a personality at all. And yet, I can’t say that I *hated* the book, even though it’s two people dancing (haha) around each other for 362 pages, which I historically have never liked. Just kiss already, damnit. But there was something so fluffy and low stakes about it that was comforting, and it was so predictable and clichéd which, coming off of HOFAS, was the calm, no stress, no substance book I needed to reset my adrenals. 🤪
2.5/5 🌶️
2.5/5 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Death
readingonthefly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Car accident
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death
sking785's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, and Eating disorder
hjb_128's review
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Death
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
wendahh324's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.25
I should have DNF’d when I immediately realized I didn’t like the author’s writing style but I ended up finishing it. Also, not sure if I ended up with an ARC copy or something, but I found it irritating that she used the MC’s full name every single time the FMC talked about him. It pulled me out of the story and felt like a bad find and replace job.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident and Death
katrinaward's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death and Car accident
donohue_kathryn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
There were times this story had me rolling my eyes (which I think is common with romances) but there were also moments where I was smiling and could really believe they were falling in love.
I felt like each character had appropriate development for the timeframe of the story and could genuinely believe they stayed together in the end.
I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and appreciated the TW at the beginning. I felt like there was enough mention of ED to further the story without being too gratuitous.
I felt like each character had appropriate development for the timeframe of the story and could genuinely believe they stayed together in the end.
I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and appreciated the TW at the beginning. I felt like there was enough mention of ED to further the story without being too gratuitous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Death
abby2207's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This book was lovely! I loved how this book wasn’t afraid to tackle tough issues like loss of a spouse and mental illness. It is not a lighthearted read, but I didn’t mind because I thought the author did the heavier stuff very well. The love between Mike and Rory was so cute and I loved that they became close friends before they began their romantic relationship. I was really loving this book up until the last few chapters. The third act breakup made no sense to me and it just threw me off from the entire story. Overall though, I enjoyed this one!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Body shaming and Sexual content
emmasbookishself's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
3.0
I didn’t love this one as a whole but what I did really like included:
✨Single Dad
✨Hockey Player/Romance
✨MMC + FMC Growth Through Therapy
✨Doing Things Because You Love Or Enjoy Them without strings attached
✨Boundary Setting
✨Letter Writing
✨Overcoming Food Trauma/Disordered Eating
What I didn’t love:
✨FMC always referring to the MMC by his full name (Mike Martin)
✨MMC Seemed Way Too Trusting before inviting FMC to move in/watch his child
✨The Fake Canadian Boyfriend thing seemed very juvenile to me
✨The Pacing felt way off to me
TW: death of a parent, eating disorder, abusive parent, controlling parent,
✨Single Dad
✨Hockey Player/Romance
✨MMC + FMC Growth Through Therapy
✨Doing Things Because You Love Or Enjoy Them without strings attached
✨Boundary Setting
✨Letter Writing
✨Overcoming Food Trauma/Disordered Eating
What I didn’t love:
✨FMC always referring to the MMC by his full name (Mike Martin)
✨MMC Seemed Way Too Trusting before inviting FMC to move in/watch his child
✨The Fake Canadian Boyfriend thing seemed very juvenile to me
✨The Pacing felt way off to me
TW: death of a parent, eating disorder, abusive parent, controlling parent,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
agrandromance's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Lighthearted Warm and Emotional Romance
“Canadian Boyfriend” is a somewhat lighthearted, warm and emotional romance that deals with some heavy topics but is never heavy handed. However, the third act break up is a little ridiculous and left me wishing the author had made different choices.
Rory meets Mike at the Mall of America when she’s 16 and he’s visiting from Canada for a hockey tournament. She immediately designates him as the real inspiration for her fake “Canadian Boyfriend”. A Canadian boyfriend is a fake boyfriend that she can use as an excuse for being solo or for not attending social events. Rory also begins keeping a diary and writing entries to “Mike” for the next three years.
“I started writing my Canadian Boyfriend when I was in high school. I sat in the cafeteria and wrote him letters, and in so doing, I felt less alone. He became a diary, half fiction. Half what was happening, half what I wished were happening.”
Cut to 13 years later and Rory is teaching ballet to young girls. The mother of one of the girls passed away several months prior. Rory learns that the father is a hockey player who is extremely good looking and is Canadian.
It turns out that the father of her student, Olivia, IS her Canadian boyfriend, Mike Martin, but Rory remains unsure for a while. (Throughout the book, in her POV chapters, Rory refers to Mike as “Mike Martin” - it’s a little weird)
Mike and Rory very slowly develop a friendship. He kind of hires her to help take care of Olivia as he has two years left on his NHL contract. In doing so he provides her with a sensible car, a place to stay and health insurance so she can go to therapy for her panic attacks and eating disorder. So they are living together and developing a friendship while he is grieving and she is learning to be more of her own person. I really enjoyed the way their friendship developed. It was very unrushed and natural.
At about the halfway mark of the book they share their first kiss. It was a fade-to-black kiss which I’ve never experienced previously and kind of had me wondering about the rest of the book. But the sex scenes in later chapters are not fade-to-black, they aren’t really explicit either. They are off and on with the physical relationship and it also occurs in a very unrushed and natural way. I was happy about that as it gave Mike time to grieve properly.
The third act break up was my main quibble with the book. I just didn’t understand Mike’s over the top reaction to what he believed was “lying” on the part of Rory. He himself lied to her in regards to the car and the health insurance he provided her. (He tells her almost immediately about the lies though)
I did enjoy this book and it has a lot to offer in terms of wisdom about grief, getting over emotional abuse and living up to your dreams for yourself.
“Canadian Boyfriend” is a somewhat lighthearted, warm and emotional romance that deals with some heavy topics but is never heavy handed. However, the third act break up is a little ridiculous and left me wishing the author had made different choices.
Rory meets Mike at the Mall of America when she’s 16 and he’s visiting from Canada for a hockey tournament. She immediately designates him as the real inspiration for her fake “Canadian Boyfriend”. A Canadian boyfriend is a fake boyfriend that she can use as an excuse for being solo or for not attending social events. Rory also begins keeping a diary and writing entries to “Mike” for the next three years.
“I started writing my Canadian Boyfriend when I was in high school. I sat in the cafeteria and wrote him letters, and in so doing, I felt less alone. He became a diary, half fiction. Half what was happening, half what I wished were happening.”
Cut to 13 years later and Rory is teaching ballet to young girls. The mother of one of the girls passed away several months prior. Rory learns that the father is a hockey player who is extremely good looking and is Canadian.
It turns out that the father of her student, Olivia, IS her Canadian boyfriend, Mike Martin, but Rory remains unsure for a while. (Throughout the book, in her POV chapters, Rory refers to Mike as “Mike Martin” - it’s a little weird)
Mike and Rory very slowly develop a friendship. He kind of hires her to help take care of Olivia as he has two years left on his NHL contract. In doing so he provides her with a sensible car, a place to stay and health insurance so she can go to therapy for her panic attacks and eating disorder. So they are living together and developing a friendship while he is grieving and she is learning to be more of her own person. I really enjoyed the way their friendship developed. It was very unrushed and natural.
At about the halfway mark of the book they share their first kiss. It was a fade-to-black kiss which I’ve never experienced previously and kind of had me wondering about the rest of the book. But the sex scenes in later chapters are not fade-to-black, they aren’t really explicit either. They are off and on with the physical relationship and it also occurs in a very unrushed and natural way. I was happy about that as it gave Mike time to grieve properly.
The third act break up was my main quibble with the book. I just didn’t understand Mike’s over the top reaction to what he believed was “lying” on the part of Rory. He himself lied to her in regards to the car and the health insurance he provided her. (He tells her almost immediately about the lies though)
I did enjoy this book and it has a lot to offer in terms of wisdom about grief, getting over emotional abuse and living up to your dreams for yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident