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A review by readandwright
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
I saw this cover and heard “ballerina + hockey player” and I was immediately sold. It was so much more than I could have imagined from the cute cover and tropes. I was particularly happy to read the therapy representation in this book and loved that it was a juicy, sexy, sweet romance paired with fully realized characters going through very real things in their life. I love a good frothy book but there’s just something a book that can give you both!
Synopsis:
“Once upon a time teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can't go to prom. I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again...
Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”
The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself.” —NetGalley
Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”
The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
- The Internal Dialogue—I loved the individual journeys both Rory and Mike went on. The grief, dealing with parents, the self discovery, therapy representation, Rory’s disordered eating and relationship ballet were all so powerful in their quietness. It was a great example of two characters working through their own things and working through things together.
- The Concept—I thought it was such a fun idea! I wish there had been a few more letters or maybe a few more flashbacks to young Rory and her letters.
- The Setting—I’m a sucker for lakes! I don’t think I’ve read a lot of books set in Minnesota and I loved it. Plus I thought the Little House references were fun too. It made me want to watch the show!
What Didn’t Work For Me:
- The 3rd Act Break Up—I kept looking at my reading percentage on my kindle, dreading when the 3rd act break up would happen. Now that I’m writing this, it’s not that I hated that it happened, it just felt like Mike’s reaction was really out of character. Still had a great time reading the book!
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Content Warnings:
Disordered eating, strained parent/child relationship, death of a spouse, grief, anxiety, panic attacks (on the page), death of a parent