amandaarpe 's review for:

Crossing the Line by Kelly Jamieson

3.75

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense fast-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: Complicated

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I enjoyed this read from Kelly Jamieson about Ben, a shy hockey player who needs to step out of his comfort zone to become captain, and Mabel, an extrovert librarian starting over after leaving a narcissistic relationship. I will give a content warning that if you are a survivor of narcissistic abuse, this book could be triggering for you. Mabel had a major crush on Ben when they were teenagers and when she moves in with her brother after leaving her ex, she has no idea that Ben is staying there too while he waits for his condo to be ready. Ben asks Mabel to help him come out of his shell and their forced proximity blossoms to more.

Ben's sweet demeanor was a welcome change from other hockey romances who feature the MMC as an outgoing, loud, confident hockey player. And I found Mable's quirky personality making me laugh.

I'm rounding up from 3.75 stars because this book would have been a normal 4 star read for me but I found the loss of child by a side character to be unnecessary in the book. It didn't really add to the story and seemed quickly forgotten for the remainder of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kelly Jamieson for an advance copy of Crossing The Line in exchange for an honest review.