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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
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
Although the blurb of this book clearly spells out what it’s about, I still found it to be unexpected. Maybe because the blurb often doesn’t match the book, in my experience. Maybe because the cutesy cover gives the idea this is going to be more of a comedy of errors rather than an emotional dive into the lives of these characters. Regardless, I got more than I expected and that’s a good thing.
While the subjects of a parent/spouse dying unexpectedly and being raised by a mother who demanded perfection in ways that have left deep scars are grave, there is still a lot of joy in this story. As Rory and Mike (and Mike’s daughter Olivia) find a rhythm to their new arrangement, they also start piecing their lives back together. Rory’s path has been long and hard-fought, but being around Mike and Olivia and their total acceptance of her helps her along that last lap. For Mike and Olivia, things are more fresh. Yet they both have to find a way to live again.
I appreciate that the author had this story span a year (other than the prologue and epilogue) due to the nature of Mike’s grief. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a slow burn because there isn’t a lot of heat this is going unanswered. Instead, there is a slow build for Rory and Mike and it’s lovely to see it slowly unfold. They have a beautiful relationship from the start; an intrinsic understanding of each other that nobody else has. Although Rory has a “big secret”, it doesn’t ever seem high stakes. It’s nothing cruel or even deceptive.
As well as the exquisite relationship that is built between Mike and Rory, there is a lot of other content in this story that is incorporated without being overbearing. Like Mike realizing the emotional labor his deceased wife took on in their relationship, the intricacies of disordered eating, and the heavy lifting that therapy can do to give us the tools we need to bolster ourselves when times get tough.
This is a new-to-me author and I was impressed. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of her work.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
lololovesthings's review against another edition
slow-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
2.5
2.5 stars.
"Canadian Boyfriend" by Jenny Holiday is decent, but it solidifies that she is just not the author for me. I really wanted to enjoy this story, but a few things rubbed me the wrong way about it. First, I absolutely *loathed* that the main female character, Aurora, calls the main male character by his full name, Mike Martin, the entire book. God, it grated on my nerves so much!! I liked the backstories of these two characters, as well as the inclusion of mental health, healing, and therapy as running themes in the book. Unfortunately, I didn't really dig Aurora and Mike as a couple. The whole gist of Mike knowing Aurora has a hard time saying no to people and not wanting to owe people anything but then asking her to watch his kid for months at a time felt odd to me. Like, he knew she would be stuck in a position where she didn't feel like she could say no to him, and then he essentially transferred all of the "emotional labor" his dead wife was doing onto Aurora because "hockey is his blood" or some shit. I am unsure if anyone else will read this the same way, but Mike was really annoying to me. Yes, he/they both grow as people by the time the book is over, but for all his talk about therapy helping him, he does some things that are antithetical to anything therapy would teach you. Things get even more muddied between them when the physical part of their relationship begins. They are both clearly into one another and think that they can turn their s3xual attraction on and off, leading Aurora to, once again, be put at a disadvantage and at the crappy end of the stick where he wields all of the power over her. I *hated* the third-act break-up to the point where I almost didn't finish the book. *spoilers* Yes, Aurora should have mentioned the existence of her letters a long, long time before she does, basically when Mike said he hates liars she should have spoken up, but Mike blows the entire thing way out of proportion. His friends knew it, his daughter knew it, and his therapist knew it. I get that she lied, and I get that she should have told him, but his reaction was bonkers over-the-top! I do love how Aurora handles the awful situation with her mother. All in all, this was a mixed bag for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"Canadian Boyfriend" by Jenny Holiday is decent, but it solidifies that she is just not the author for me. I really wanted to enjoy this story, but a few things rubbed me the wrong way about it. First, I absolutely *loathed* that the main female character, Aurora, calls the main male character by his full name, Mike Martin, the entire book. God, it grated on my nerves so much!! I liked the backstories of these two characters, as well as the inclusion of mental health, healing, and therapy as running themes in the book. Unfortunately, I didn't really dig Aurora and Mike as a couple. The whole gist of Mike knowing Aurora has a hard time saying no to people and not wanting to owe people anything but then asking her to watch his kid for months at a time felt odd to me. Like, he knew she would be stuck in a position where she didn't feel like she could say no to him, and then he essentially transferred all of the "emotional labor" his dead wife was doing onto Aurora because "hockey is his blood" or some shit. I am unsure if anyone else will read this the same way, but Mike was really annoying to me. Yes, he/they both grow as people by the time the book is over, but for all his talk about therapy helping him, he does some things that are antithetical to anything therapy would teach you. Things get even more muddied between them when the physical part of their relationship begins. They are both clearly into one another and think that they can turn their s3xual attraction on and off, leading Aurora to, once again, be put at a disadvantage and at the crappy end of the stick where he wields all of the power over her. I *hated* the third-act break-up to the point where I almost didn't finish the book. *spoilers* Yes, Aurora should have mentioned the existence of her letters a long, long time before she does, basically when Mike said he hates liars she should have spoken up, but Mike blows the entire thing way out of proportion. His friends knew it, his daughter knew it, and his therapist knew it. I get that she lied, and I get that she should have told him, but his reaction was bonkers over-the-top! I do love how Aurora handles the awful situation with her mother. All in all, this was a mixed bag for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Death, and Grief
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