The book started off a little slow for me, but then started to pick up. I usually love holiday rom-coms. Even the cheesy ones. But this one left me feeling underwhelmed.. Sorcha is a relatable character as she has her ups and downs in life just as we all do, and she just has to figure out how to approach those hurdles in life and get over them. Did not hate the book but didn't love it either.

This second chance romance is a perfect combination of elements from holiday romance, rom-coms, and small-town romance. It's mentioned to be a sexier and sassier cousin to Hallmark movies and I have to agree. It gives the Hallmark vibe while also giving deeper topics a spotlight as well.

When estranged childhood best friends, Sorcha and Ryan walk back into each others lives the feels they thought they buried for each other come roaring back to life. Although they aren't the same people they once were when they had been friends and romantically involved ten years prior to the present events within the story. Sorcha is a struggling designer after her being stranded at the altar went viral, and Ryan is a hockey player with enough injuries and bad press that he is close to loosing it all.

Ryan's quick visit to Swans Cove soon becomes so much more when he finds himself not wanting to leave behind the person he let walk away once before. Even though he’s supposed to lay low, he can't stop thinking about Sorcha, the redhead who knows him better than even his therapist.

When Sorcha's former runaway groom becomes the Most Coveted Bachelor in America, all virtual eyes turn to Sorcha again. But this time, Ryan doesn't bolt—even when Sorcha blurts out on national TV that both she and Ryan are working on their so-called "Happy Lists" over the holidays…together.

Will the spotlight finally work in Sorcha and Ryan's favor? Or will their past get in the way of their Happily Ever After? I absolutely loved this book, and it made me feel all the wholesome feelings that Hallmark movies always deliver. Ryan and Sorcha are truly a wonderful duo, and seeing their journey back to love together was something special. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Great holiday read, a little cliche but still good! Sometimes it seemed a little played which leant into the cliche but there were some parts that made it original enough that it was a good read. I love a hockey book and this delivered enough to keep me happy.

I would honestly rate this as a 2.5 stars, but I rounded up. I wanted to like this book, but I truly despised both of the main characters. I just could not root for either of them, I didn't want them to end up together and I did not care what they did.

I think for me, the premise of this book just was not for me - I didn't love the reality tv aspect and her being left at the altar and then going viral for that. For me, I just could not relate to the protagonist and honestly, I didn't want to.

3.5 Stars

I'm a sucker for a second chance rom com and this one had me laughing out loud and I enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit with it. I was living for the angst and the build up but I will say it was a bit slow for me at times. I loved both Sorcha and Ryan's characters and I absolutely was here for the friends to strangers to lovers storyline. definitely expected more of the "sports romance" trope since Ryan is an NHL star #hockeyhottie but it's definitely not a sports romance so I will say that was a bit of a let down. There were also a few things I felt like didn't get enough closure.

Wedding dress designed Sorcha O’Conner didn’t expect to go viral, but thanks to her fiancé stranding her at the altar, she’s become #TheLeftoverBride. That and a series of other unfortunate events have convinced the public her dresses are cursed. To focus on something else, she creates a “31 Things to Do Before the 31st” list and works towards ticking all these off. But things change when #HockeyHottie returns to town. Seeing her former best friend Ryan throws Sorcha off, but when her #RunawayGroom is announced as the Most Coveted Bachelor in America, Ryan steps in to help Sorcha.

This was such an enjoyable read! It’s less focused on Christmas and less Christmas-themed than the others I’ve read in December, so if you’re looking for truly seasonal reads this one is more suited to November. There are a few events that take place around Christmas, and the book leads up to Christmas itself, but it’s not as much the focus as the cover would indicate.

I really liked the relationship between Ryan and Sorcha, and Nowodazkij does an excellent job of showing us flashbacks to give us more of an idea of their previous relationship. Ryan wants to help, but often doesn’t know the best way to go about it. He was such a good love interest, and he felt really human. And the comparison is made in the book itself, but there’s a real Roy Kent vibe to him that was kind of irresistible.

I liked the dynamics between them, but importantly the side-characters were great too, and there was a lot of room given to them. Ryan is trying really hard to work through his demons, while Sorcha isn’t sure what her next steps will be. These two really came together as partners, helping each other work through their problems and inspiring one another. Their characters were both written really well and you end up truly rooting for them!

I do really recommend this, and suggest you make sure you have it on your shelf for those dark nights when you need something bright to make you smile.

ARC received via NetGalley, reviews remain my own.

This is a great romantic novel. When Sorcha O'Connor found herself heading down the aisle at her wedding as her groom runs the other way, she went viral as #Theleftoverbride. She ended up losing her groom and her thriving wedding dress business as the brides viewed her dresses as bad luck. As the one year anniversary of being stranded at the altar looms up, she begins ticking off items on her "31 things to do before the 31 list" and is working round the clock to get her life on track.

Ryan Sawyer left Swans Cove right out of high school and has worked very hard to achieve his goal of being a success in Professional Ice Hockey with his hashtag of #HockeyHottie. He has currently been battling injuries which have benched him. He heads into town for his Mother's birthday and the Christmas holidays. Ryan ends up running into his former girlfriend Sorcha. Their meeting proves to both of them that the spark is still there. This is a fun novel that I recommend.

2.5 stars

This is a contemporary romance, with dual perspective. This story takes place during the holiday season and follows Sorcha and Ryan. They were best friends, and each other's first loves but went their separate ways. Ryan is now back in his hometown of Swan Cove for the holiday season, trying to figure out what to do next with his hockey career when he runs into Sorcha, who is famous in her own way after she gets jilted on her wedding day, and it goes viral. Can they help each other out this holiday season and get their careers back on track and figure out what to do about all this hot chemistry that is still between them?
The premise of the story I was very excited about, it is a second chance romance with a fun holiday look and feel. I was hoping for a more lighthearted and Christmas centered story then what I got. While the writing was good, the diary entries were jumbled, and confusing at times. It definitely had a more serious tone and dealt with some trauma and miscommunications both past and present. While I do enjoy a more hard-hitting romance at times, this one missed its mark for me. There ended up being too many miscommunication moments, which felt very repetitive. I really did not care for Ryan, he came off as angry, juvenile, and manipulative. Throughout the whole story he referred to his biological father and a step father, but it was really confusing because he kept calling one pop and the other father or old man and I kept getting them mixed up for a while. This story was not for me, but I definitely think that others would enjoy picking it up.
Trigger warnings: substance abuse, parental neglect
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion

a second chance romance at christmas, set in a small town. was funny and sweet. enjoyed the story. this is the first book I have read by this author. will read more from her.

The second chance romance trope is my jam and I loved this book. Both characters were likeable and relatable and I loved their story.

I did find at times the pacing was a little off and it dragged in parts but I still enjoyed the book.

When I started reading this book I felt like I was watching a Hallmark movie, and I really, really love those. And second chances romance set at Christmas are one of my weakness. However, it took me way too much to finish this book because I found myself thinking it was a little repetitive. I don't know if it was the pace or the length of the book, but there was a point in the story when I felt like we were going in circles, there's a back and forth between the characters that I did not like because at first shows the angst and the emotions but then turns into a vicious cycle. They want to be with each other and then they not, because of the past, but I didn't like the way their feelings where portrayed. I did not connect with them.

Also, I am a fan of memories and switching between past and present to tell a story, but in this one I felt like it was a little too much sometimes. Like they were living in the past and in love with a past version of themselves.

I absolutely loved Sorcha and Ryan! One of the things I enjoyed was the perspectives on both protagonists which gave a clear picture on why their relationship always contained an obstacle. It had humor, romance and oh those steamy scenes! Throughout the whole novel, all I rooted was for their happily ever after! I definitely recommend this Hallmark movie romance; I can’t wait for the second book of this series

Plot:
When wedding dress designer Sorcha O'Connor got stranded at the altar and went viral as #TheLeftoverBride, she lost her fiancé, her thriving business, and her dreams. To forget the upcoming first anniversary of that fateful day, Sorcha is ticking items off her "31 Things to Do Before the 31st" list and working day and night to get her life back on track. Not on her list? Falling for her former best friend, Ryan Sawyer. Again. Ryan Sawyer skated out of Swans Cove right out of high school. Since then, he busted his ass, making sure he always had the perfect excuse to stay away: hockey. But even his own hashtag, #HockeyHottie, couldn't keep his injuries from possibly shattering his career. With the holidays and his mother's birthday coming up, Ryan's back in Swans Cove for a quick visit. Even though he’s supposed to lay low, he can't stop thinking about Sorcha, the redhead who knows him better than even his therapist.

Thoughts:
I liked this book. I thought I would love it but I just didn't. I'm a fan of second chance love and dual POV. This book just dragged on for me. I feel like at least a third of it could have been cut out and the flow would have been better. There was a lot of descriptions and lull parts without much going on. The two main characters were supposed to be checking stuff off a bucket type list. They barely talked about it. I loved the part where they are with the animals. The sex scenes were great too. All in all, I liked it.

I Love Reading this book. Sorry for muito bad english here, I'm a brazilian reader and it was such a fun and lovely reading. Sorcha and Ryan was a big surprise, I laughed with them, I learned with them.... it was such an amazing book!!!

I had a hard time getting through this one for some reason! Seemed like it drug in parts, but I did love our main character and her sense of humor! It was middle of the road for me, but I still enjoyed it!

3/5 ⭐️‘s

I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for me. The book blurb had me hooked, but I almost feel like it was a bit misleading? It talks about Ryan being a hockey player, so I went into this thinking it would be more of a sports romance, but it definitely wasn’t. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending, it felt more like a HFN vs a HEA, which isn’t what I expect from a holiday read.

I did really like both of the main characters though! Their past/history felt very realistic and their chemistry was really great throughout the book.

Although I didn’t fully enjoy this one, it was still a sweet holiday read. Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book and the main characters, Sorcha and Ryan. They had great chemistry and realistic storyline. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a great second chance romance.

Ryan and Sorcha were high school sweethearts and after getting dumped a year before Sorcha and Ryan meet back up. What I really enjoyed was the dual point of view of both of the main characters. This was a good second chance romance set in a small town.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

I picked up this book because the synopsis and tropes appealed to me. When I started reading it, I quickly found that the book had a lot of different elements. Those elements didn't feel like they were connected well, they felt chaotic, which made the book feel incohesive. Because of this, I didn't finish the book.

3-3.5 stars⭐

I enjoyed this sweet and lovely romance.

This was a second chance romance, friends to lovers trope. The male main character is a hockey player and the female main character is a fashion designer. There was some depth to these two characters that I enjoyed (including their career choices & decisions they needed to make to succeed) and a good pace to the story. I recommend this for those looking for a light romantic read.