Trixie Ward's life takes a turn one day when she rescues a chicken crossing the road. Her landlady refuses to allow pets in her apartment, and she refuses to let go of the chicken. She later finds an ad for a living space which allows pets.

I have to keep that summary short because it's best to enter this story not knowing or expecting anything.

Do not let that candy-colored cover fool you. I read this book expecting a lighthearted romantic comedy, but I was not prepared for the depth and substance of the story. There's a bit of trauma discussed here, and it's not hard to empathize with the characters they affect. I loved how the characters grew here, and how the romance developed over time. The writing was for the most part really lovely, but there were also a few times where I cringed at some of the words used. The latter part didn't ruin the experience overall.

The title really hits differently after the book's over.

I give this 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, and Alcove Press for the e-arc!

Adult contemporary romance. As the cover and title suggest, this story starts off when Trixie rescues a chicken she sees crossing the road. Barrett (goes by Bear) sees her and helps her avoid the wrath of fellow motorists. Trixie works at an animal shelter, but they don't have the ability to care for a chicken. So she takes the chicken home, which gets her kicked out of her place. Luckily she sees an ad in the paper for a pet-friendly room.

Bear lives by himself and has never thought about changing that. His 4 sisters are concerned for his lack of romance and put out an ad for him to get a roommate, without consulting him. He has no intention of following up on their plan until the girl from the chicken rescuing incident shows up. He is drawn to Trixie and agrees to let her rent the room.

These two (and the chicken) form a peace and a routine of sorts. But with both Bear and Trixie feeling the attraction, it's only a matter of time before someone acts on it.

Both protagonists were dealing with some trauma from their pasts and I would have liked to see at least one of them in some kind of counseling for it. But at least they started to work through some of their issues by the end. The chicken plotline was enjoyable for me, and I also enjoyed the slightly overwhelming but ultimately loving presence of Bear's family. I thought the pace of the relationship was realistic, there was instant attraction but it was not acted on until there was more of an actual relationship.

i wasn’t expecting so big things from this book tbh. but it was so good. characters captured me. loved all of them <3 this book was quick and enjoyable. a page turner. i’m sure that it’ll stuck on you!

As the second in command to the powerful Kaden, Dianna Martinez is only looking to do one thing, protect her younger sister, Gabby, instead. Especially after giving Gabby her mortal life in exchange for forever serving under Kaden. Now, Dianna is left wondering whether she should escape from the hold Kaden has on her and run away to a far distant land where no one would find Dianna and Gabby. But, that is until Kaden wants something extremely valuable, and Dianna is now forced to be in the middle of two power hungry men, Kaden, and new introduced Liam, originally Samkiel, a millennium old God who has now come back.

I gave The Book of Azrael five stars, really enjoying the way Amber Nicole writes the tension between Liam and Dianna. It is so subtle yet in your face when you least expect it, including a romantic relationship. The more I pushed through this book, I really began to see these characters for the in depth portrayal that is done really well in this book. I like that The Book of Azrael was filled with irritation yet of aww as well an extra balance all the powers and the magic of the world. I think that this concept was well executed and fit well in this book.

I think the one part I enjoyed was the chemistry between Liam and Dianna. They were pure enemies from the start, Liam and his people would kill Dianna and her ancestors, yet when they came together, they unknowingly fit together. I think the one thing I enjoyed was the discovery of their love for each other. The build up of their relationship was slow but worth it because we were able to experience all the emotions that they felt for each other throughout the book; anger, love, lust, sadness, and also understanding. Liam and Dianna were unknowingly perfect for each other and it made me enjoy their relationship more.

I had such a fun time reading this and the one thing I must say is that the ending made me realize that we don’t have a release date for book 2, or any information for book 2. But, I’m extremely excited to dive into the world again whenever book 2 comes out.

Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I could not connect with any of the characters in this one which in turn caused me not to enjoy the story. I did not enjoy reading about this chicken so much and wish it had been left alone earlier in the book.

This fell flat as a romance for me. Also, the blue balls?? Come on. 3 stars because I finished it.

I absolutely loved this book!! It was so funny from the very first chapter and had me laughing out loud while I was reading it. I loved the concept and how Bear and Trixie ended up as roommates. Chick Chick was an essential character of course! But most of all, I loved the journey of growth and self-discovery that Bear and Trixie went on together. They were able to work through some of their past baggage together, and I loved how vulnerable they eventually became with one another. A really enjoyable and fun read!!

This book was cute but the main characters just didn’t capture me like I wanted them to. If you like quick romance, you’ll enjoy this. It just wasn’t for me.

Sweet and precious Bear + fun sister antics is what sealed me on this book! I will be rereading closer to the publication date so that I can accurately recommend to friends and patrons!

To Get to the Other Side was such a fun loving book. From the character names of Trixie and Bear, to a pet chicken, to funny swear words, this book had me smiling through out. But don’t let it fool you, there is definitely some hard hitting moments. Both Trixie and Bear had some pretty rough past trauma that kept them from letting others in past their walls and needing to learn the lesson "you can't let the past keep you from enjoying your future".

I can’t wait to read more books by this author!

Kelly Ohlert gives us a fun, cutesy, closed door romcom with To Get To The Other Side, and I think if you're looking for something low spice and light hearted, you will enjoy this book. I really enjoyed the main characters and thought the overall plot was cute.

Right away I was intrigued by Lexie, the main character, as I was introduced to her rescuing a chicken that was running on a street, dodging cars. Who would do that? Obviously, a woman with a huge heart and not much sense of danger.

Pair her with Bear, who is, well, a bear of a man, who also has a huge heart, and a romance is born. However, not easily. Each has plenty of reason to resist making that commitment.

While the story is sweet and endearing on so many levels - the growing relationship, the chicken in their lives, Bear's sisters who play matchmaker, Lexie's love of animals - the things of their past that hold them apart just didn't seem that huge. Plus, details were repeated so often that they lost impact.

Still, when the story focused on the couple, and their efforts to help the injured chicken, I couldn't help but smile and turn the page to see what was going to happen next.

Not a fan of the insta-love trope, so for me if I’m going to read a book with that plot line you have to crush it. This was a miss for me

This story begins when quirky Trixie stops her car in the downtown Chicago to save a chicken that was trying to cross the road. Trixie can't bring the chicken home with her to her apartment because her landlord won't allow it, so she ends up renting a room from Bear. Immediately sparks fly between Bear and Trixie, and they work hard to keep everything platonic. This was a fun story of Trixie and Bear's adventures and their ultimate love story. I loved this adorable, funny read.

The cover of this book is beautiful. I love pastel colours and this book is a shining example of that.

But sadly the inside is not as stunning. There's no chemistry between the main characters, which is an absolute must for a romance book. There was simply no motivation for me to root for them then.

Going into this, I was expecting some kind of contemporary exploration, but instead I got a romance I was rooting for from beginning to end. To me, this felt like a Jess and Nick (from New Girl) fanfiction, and honestly, I’m here for it. These kinds of inspired works are all the rage right now (The Love Hypothesis and It Happened One Summer are all over Bookstagram) and this one could fit right in.

Trixie, the loveable “girl next door”, was someone I really connected to. Part of her story included digging through why she always felt the need to be happy and smiling, and to read her work through that over the course of the book felt real. Bear was the “manly man” but on the inside he had stuff he had to work through, just like Trixie did. I loved their chemistry together, but also how much they truly helped each other grow and become their best selves.

Told from alternating points of view, To Get to the Other Side is a great, fun, light romance read. It’s not sad, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t touching. I should also note this is a closed door romance - there is no sex on the page - so if you go into it expecting a lot of spice you’ll be disappointed. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth you picking up - I loved this book and highly recommend it!

This book has a very fun and interesting premise! I admit that a chicken as a pet in a book truly sold me with this one. I actually want more from the chicken than the romance between Trixie and Bear, and that says a lot. There's no chemistry between our main characters and their interactions were bland AF. If not for the chicken moments in this book, this is going to be a very boring book.

To Get to the Other Side: A Novel
Book by Kelly Ohlert

First this cover is beautiful, love the colors and the character on the cover.

This was a fast paced story and it was fun ♡

Summary: While driving in Chicago Trixie stumbles upon a chicken in distress naturally she stops and rescues the chicken only to discover that she is in worse condition than expected and Trixie must bring the chicken home however her apartment does allow pets, especially farm animals, and now she has a week to find a new resident. Bear’s sisters often interfere in his life but he never expected them to place an ad renting out his room w nor for the ad to go viral or for the ad to bring the women he assisted capture a chicken to his door a woman he hasn’t be able to stop thinking of. However, the chicken is not the only unexpected roommate no matter how much they try to keep things platonic emotions keep growing, and now neither is sure how to keep the living arrangement and friendship from exploding in their faces.

Thoughts: I need a pet chicken in my life. This book is a fun lighthearted little romcom with an extra fun little pet. I loved the unique pet and Bear’s relationship with his sisters and just family in general. I need to take a moment and just say how much I adored Bear he gets a 10/10 I loved that he was the traditional masculine man of romcom and that he was sensitive. I also loved how his relationship with Trixie evolved it was super cute. Their romance was fun and natural. Trixie was a bit of a mess and I liked that the book had a little bit of darker backgrounds for the main characters although I think Trixie is a bit extreme and she definitely needs some therapy she is a lot for Bear to deal with alone. However, the two of them are super cute and she does acknowledge that she can be dramatic when she's not hiding: Bear is super patient and I love how they resolve their conflict. Overall it is super cute and I would recommend and will be rereading it if only to see the chicken again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cute. I love his family. They all were amazing. It was a friends to lovers trope. Honestly I didn't love it that much. But the plot was unique of course.

''I wanted to know her. I wanted to see that joy on her face over and over again, but I wanted her sorrow as well. I wanted to see the real her, the one behind all the smiles, real and fake. I didn’t think I cared how long it would take. As we hugged, the dynamic between us shifted with the force of an earthquake. I knew there was no turning back.''

This was the only scene I loved very much. He was always sure of her. I think she really pushed him away so much. It was an Ok read.

This book was so so so good!! The chicken crossing the road made perfect sense as a beginning to the book given the title and everything else in the book from there just fit together so perfectly too! Bear and his huge family are easy to picture and love, and Trixie is such an endearing weirdo that I would definitely be friends with. I hope we get more books about Bear's sisters!