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A review by caitandthelibrary
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you Forever and Hachette for the ARC!
I really appreciated the way Olivia and Mike's grief were explored in this book, especially how their grief related to their relationship with each other. I also appreciated how Rory's relationship with her mom, her past and her eating disorder were explored. I think all of these topics were handled maturely, realistically and in a way that can be relatable for those who have faced similar experiences. I loved the on page therapy, I think it was done well and added a lot to the story and reinforced the normalcy of therapy.
I didn't love Mike as a character. In fact I quite seriously disliked him. He was great as a dad with Olivia, and was great at consent, but those were his only redeeming qualities for me. I hated the way he referred to anything slightly spiritual as "woo-woo" and some of the things he said/thought were leaning towards misogynistic. I found his character to be immature, which he made improvements on in therapy like when he realized all of the emotional labor Sarah was doing, but especially in the way he handled the third act conflict.
The third act conflict felt unnecessary and didn't really make sense to me. I found the justification for both of their reactions, guilt, anger and the subsequent breakup weak and the overall issue clunky. I liked the concept of what was trying to be done, but found the execution to be lack luster. I think with better execution of the third act conflict the overall pacing of the book would have been better as well. I found the pacing to be quite slow and felt like the book was 50-75 pages too long and the resolution too quick.
I found the cover art and the marketing of this book to be slightly misleading. Yes, this is a book about grief, self-love and overcoming personal demons, but it is not a hockey romance. Mike may be a hockey player, but this book was only hockey adjacent. There was not enough about the details, logistics or game play for this to be a hockey romance.
I wanted to love this book, I was really excited to read it, but it didn't hit the mark for me.
I really appreciated the way Olivia and Mike's grief were explored in this book, especially how their grief related to their relationship with each other. I also appreciated how Rory's relationship with her mom, her past and her eating disorder were explored. I think all of these topics were handled maturely, realistically and in a way that can be relatable for those who have faced similar experiences. I loved the on page therapy, I think it was done well and added a lot to the story and reinforced the normalcy of therapy.
I didn't love Mike as a character. In fact I quite seriously disliked him. He was great as a dad with Olivia, and was great at consent, but those were his only redeeming qualities for me. I hated the way he referred to anything slightly spiritual as "woo-woo" and some of the things he said/thought were leaning towards misogynistic. I found his character to be immature, which he made improvements on in therapy
The third act conflict felt unnecessary and didn't really make sense to me. I found the justification for both of their reactions, guilt, anger and the subsequent breakup weak and the overall issue clunky. I liked the concept of what was trying to be done, but found the execution to be lack luster. I think with better execution of the third act conflict the overall pacing of the book would have been better as well. I found the pacing to be quite slow and felt like the book was 50-75 pages too long and the resolution too quick.
I found the cover art and the marketing of this book to be slightly misleading. Yes, this is a book about grief, self-love and overcoming personal demons, but it is not a hockey romance. Mike may be a hockey player, but this book was only hockey adjacent. There was not enough about the details, logistics or game play for this to be a hockey romance.
I wanted to love this book, I was really excited to read it, but it didn't hit the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent