A review by theladysparks
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday

5.0

As a teenager, Aurora Evans had a brief encounter with a Canadian hockey player while working at a coffee shop in the mall and later took an opportunity to use him as inspiration for her fake Canadian Boyfriend. Aurora was known around her school for being someone who thought she was better than everyone else and because of that, found herself lacking in the friend department. So she conjured up the story of her Canadian Boyfriend to help her in awkward social situations. Prom? Can't go because my Canadian hockey player boyfriend has a thing. Perfect right? But for Aurora Evans, it turned out to be more than just a harmless excuse. Years after she made up a boyfriend from Canada, she found herself in a complicated situation, hurting people on both sides.

Fast forward to the present, Aurora is now an ex-ballet player turned dance teacher who meets a pro hockey player named Mike Martin. Recently widowed and struggling with his daughter's behavior, Mike seeks Aurora's help in navigating the upcoming school year and hockey season. They quickly develop a strong bond, with Aurora proving to be a perfect nanny and a great support for Mike emotionally.

However, things get complicated when Mike finds out about Aurora's secret, leaving him unsure about trusting her. Despite this, their connection is undeniable and he discovers that Aurora truly understands him, even beyond his professional persona.

"And you - you - are so much better than the idea of you."

I went into this book with zero expectations other than the vibe that the cover gave off and honestly what a cute cover for such a wonderful story. This book had me feeling all of the things; I laughed, I cried, I was frustrated but mostly I was just so happy. Canadian Boyfriend was my first book to read by Jenny Holiday and because I enjoyed it so much, I'm definitely going to be picking up her backlist. This book is the perfect amount of sweet romance mixed in with healing trauma and growing as individuals.

Aurora aka "Rory" is a character that I would fight for. I love her so much and love the journey that she takes throughout this story. I think that the way that Jenny Holiday wrote about Aurora's experience with ballet felt real and made me want to scoop Rory up and protect her at all costs. The way that her anxiety manifests and how she dealt with it also hit super close to home and specifically the relationship with her mom I think was written in a really relatable (unfortunately) sort of way that I think a lot of people will resonate with.

Mike is genuinely such a good guy. I loved seeing his perspective but also getting to see the perspective of Rory regarding him because you can just see that he's a great sort of guy and it's honestly impossible not to fall for him and want the two of them together. I think his chapters navigate grief in a really beautiful way, especially with it being the loss of his wife while he's also navigating being a single dad.

I loved the slow pace of their relationship and how they would sometimes take a step forward only to take a few steps back. It just made it feel all the more genuine due to their particular circumstances. These two are probably one of my favorite literary couples. The chemistry is fantastic and I love how they just . . . sort of happen but not in a forced way, just like it made sense for them to be together.

I do want to note that although this cover is so cute, it does deal with some heavy-hitting topics like the above-mentioned loss of a spouse but also an eating disorder. I often struggle reading this particular topic because I don't always think it's handled in a way that it should be but Jenny Holiday wrote it in a really great way that didn't leave me feeling shamed by the author or glorified in any way.

I definitely think Canadian Boyfriend is going to be one of those books that blows up so make sure you read it!

- hockey player / single dad mmc
- ex ballet dancer / dance teacher fmc
- slow burn
- healing trauma
- let me take care of you
- therapy positive
- anxiety rep / panic attacks
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity