I absolutely loved the plot and premise of this novel. This book had SO MUCH potential, and Kelly Ohlert knows how to write and weave a feathery-tail (pun!).

To Get to the Other Side follows quirky Trixie and handsome Bear, centralized around an injured chicken named Chick-Chick and a sizzling landlord-tenant scenario. Bear’s family is close, and his sisters are constantly meddling – adding laughs to this slow build rom-com. But Trixie guards her heart and her emotions due to her past; can Bear help break down those barriers to end this platonic living situation?

Let’s start with – I was pulled in by the cover. I own 8 hen’s and 1 rooster, and love animals. Saying this, I couldn’t get past some of my general (very basic) knowledge of chickens, and I think this book would have made a lot more sense having a dog or a cat as the leading pet for multiple reasons. One, you do NOT incur $3,000.00 in vet bills over a chicken – not when you can go buy 500 new chicks for the same price, and your emotional attachment to a chicken (which I’m at least glad Trixie didn’t eat meat in the novel to make it a tad more believable) is not the same as to other animals. I own chickens and still eat at Chick-Fil-A once a week!

Next, this was a broiler chicken – which means they are grown only for human food consumption, so they grow 3x faster than other chickens. The issue is they simply die of a heart attack if not harvested quickly because their heart can’t handle the quick weight gain. No amount of medicine or nutrition can solve this. We unfortunately got a broiler chicken without knowing it and it was 4x the size of the other’s born on the same die and died from a heart attack at five months old. Therefore, I think sweet Chick-Chick would have passed during this novel’s timeframe no matter how attached Bear and Trixie were. Not to mention – chickens are really disgusting and stink, even if they are cute and let you hold them . . . believe me when I say that you do not want one roaming your house.

The whole chicken plot line was just too over the top for me – AND I paid a lot of money for my dog (a boxer) to have a dog wheelchair growing up when her hips gave out – but I would never spend that on a chicken. I think if you take the plot and insert a dog in place of a chicken, this would have been leaps and bounds better and logistically and emotionally have made a lot more sense.

The vulnerabilities of all the characters were refreshing. The sweet family elements added a level of warmth to his novel. However, at points I simply thought that Trixie was overly annoying with the whole “I can’t show any emotions” and I must constantly smile. That is not real life and (maybe) unhealthy lines of thinking which would require more than Bear to dissect.

I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I did but appreciated it for what it was – a fun, fluffy, sweet, quick read. I give it a 2.8 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC; all opinions are my own!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶/5


Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!

Get ready for a heartwarming journey that all began when a chicken crossed a road. Meet Trixie, a happy go lucky girl who happens upon a rogue chicken in the streets of Chicago. When a handsome yet quiet passerby helps her hold off traffic so she can catch the chicken, the shenanigans begin.

When Trixie’s pet hating landlord finds her with yet another stray, she gives her a week to get out.

Meanwhile, Bear (the handsome quiet passerby) wishes he had gotten the number of the spunky girl chasing the chicken in traffic. Thanks to his meddling sisters and one well timed, pet loving room rental ad later, Bear and Trixie’s lives will get turned upside down, finding something they never expected.

🐥🐓🐥🐓🐥🐓🐥🐓🐥🐓🐥🐓🐥

This book was an absolute joy. To sum it up in a quote form the book itself “the sexual tension between us was as thick as Tom Selleck’s mustache.” I had a lot of fun invading the privacy of Trixie and Bear. Reading their story, in dual perspective, was a ride. Both are stubborn but both so sweet. You will spend the whole book rooting for them!

If y’all love a sweet, slow burn, love story, check this out when it hits the shelves in December!


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Totally ridiculous but fun because of it! I’m giving it 3/5 stars because it had a lot of u touched potential and the dialogue fell flat a lot. The characters could’ve had more chemistry and I think the epilogue felt more rushed than other romance epilogues.

--3.5 Stars--
This book was cute! The way that we get to see Bear and Trixie go from their meet-cute on the street as Trixie is chasing a chicken to roommates who slowly begin to fall for each other is cute. The chicken slowly becomes the star of the book, and you can’t help but open up your heart to Chick-Chick. Unfortunately, this story just wasn’t totally for me. Both Trixie and Bear are working through traumas from their pasts and while at first, this seems to be a piece that we’ll get to see them work through (and we do) it suddenly becomes their entire personality and it did make them fall quite flat for me. The addition of Bear’s family into Trixie's life was super wholesome and I think did help her to heal in her own way. Bear working through his own past trauma of being told he wasn’t manly enough was nice to see, but then he would go full dude mode and only talk about Trixie's butt or boobs and I think I rolled my eyes every single time he thought something like this. Overall, this book was okay, but I wouldn’t go back to it too soon I don’t think. I do have to say that the cover is SUPER cute though!


Thank you Net Galley // Alcove Press // Kelly Ohlert for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Do you remember the saying, “Why did the chicken cross the road… to get to the other side..” yeah that’s basically the premise of this book.
We follow Bear and Trixie who meet when one saves.. you guessed it a chicken.
The story is a good one I will give it that but it’s a bit bleh. There is something on the borderline of a sexual tension but nothing further in my opinion. Slow burn at its finest.
Duo pov.
Couldn’t feel myself attaching to the characters which I love when I can attach to one but this didn’t happen with this book.
All in all it’s a good book but not something I will reread.
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book for my honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley for the e-arc copy

Bear and Trixie meet when she saves a chicken on the street. After this, they meet again when she introduces herself as a possible roommate with the chicken named Chick-Chick.
The plot is exciting and I expected a funny story with a bit of romance and many laughs, but honestly, I found it a boring story.
Between Trixie and Bear, there is sexual tension and attraction, but there isn't a very special relationship. No chemistry.
It's a Slow Burn romance.
It's easy to read and the story is not complex.
There are two POVs: Trixie and Bear.
Both of them have problems handling their emotions and they try to hide from others their feelings; during the romance, there is a long path of growth.
I didn't like the characters, mostly Trixie, which I found too childish. Bear is sweeter but it's only half of the whole novel.
Many situations are not well developed and they seem to be put out there for no actual reason and without going into much details.
I did not empathize with the characters and I did not feel love for them.
The ending is in line with the genre but is not engaging and emotionless.
I appreciate the special relationship between Bear’s family members and how they handle family problems, which I miss in the description of Trixie’s family where I would have liked a more detailed section and maybe an attempt to solve some family issues.
The relationship between the characters and Chick-Chick is very nice and well narrated.

Great novel about love at first sight. Trixie and Bear are made for each other, the only problem is navigating their own hang ups to believe that they are worthy of love.

I couldn't put this down. A wholesome novel about finding the right person to match your hang ups.

I was expecting this story to be fluffy and silly because of the blurb and that’s how it was.
This is a story about Trixie and Bear who rescue a chicken, become roommates and then start to catch feelings for each other.
Trixie stopped in the middle of the road to rescue this chicken and Bear was forced to stop in order to not hit Trixie’ scar. It had some ridiculously funny moments but it seemed to fall flat for me.
Trixie and Bear dealt with some trauma and they were trying to navigate that but I felt like both of them didn’t handle any of it that great.
To be honest, I’m not sure who this book is supposed to be marketed for..
This contains insta-love, grumpy-sunshine, meet cute, manic pixie girl.

First of all, Trixie names her adopted chicken which she rescues from being roadkill in the streets of Chicago, Chick-Chick. Cue eyeroll. I should’ve known from that point on that Trixie would do nothing but frustrate me. The start is slow but I thought it would get better but it doesn’t. The characters are very bland and there’s just no chemistry or tension. It’s grumpy x sunshine but I did not find the main guy, Bear, grumpy at all. Trixie, on the other hand I found too sunshine-y. I’ve read so many grumpy x sunshine books as it is one of my favourite tropes ever but I’m sorry to say this wasn’t it.

Thank you, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for the e-arc! All opinions expressed are my own.

Trixie unexpectedly saved a chicken in the middle of downtown which caused traffic and a little commotion. She didn’t even know why she saved a chicken, but because of this chicken, she will be able to meet “Bear”, a gentle giant who was unexpectedly amazed by what Trixie did, and that chicken scenario was the start of their unexpected friendship and romance.

First, I want to say that I am so happy and grateful to Netgalley that my request to read this in advance was accepted. Thank you so much! I requested this book because I became intrigued by the description of the story plus the book cover is gorgeous. It is my first time seeing a “chicken” on a book cover. Hehe.

Though it took me so long to finish this because well “life happens”. As to the story, there were parts that I find hilarious and some parts that I find beautiful. As I dived into the story, and I get to know more about Trixie and Bear, I realized that the plot was all about self-acceptance, being true to ourselves, and being honest with our feelings.

The relationship between Trixie and Bear was like a tug-of-war, it was obvious that they liked each other, but because of their reservations, it took them so long to finally admit their feelings. And as a reader, I was impatient at that time, I want to shout and say “hey, kiss already because it is so f*cking frustrating!” Just kidding. Hehe.

To the characters, especially to Trixie, she was likable but there were times that I get annoyed with her, I still can’t pinpoint the reason, but I still understand her ways and her reservations, especially about her feelings. She always shows other people that she was happy all the time even though she was not. To Bear, at this point, I don’t have any comments on his character, though I have some advice, “Accept and acknowledge what you are truly capable of no matter what this passion of yours, even if it will not be accepted by the eyes of the majority. You are still a man no matter what you are doing.”

Overall, I’m glad that I finally read this book. Again, thank you for the opportunity, Netgalley, and I hope you enjoyed my book review of “To get to the other side by Kelly Ohlert”.

This was a easy 5 stars rating! I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this book! It was so funny, but addresses serious issues. I absolutely loved Bear and his entire family! The character development was pretty great! This is a book where you get lost in it and forget you are reading!

This book was kindly gifted to me by net galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute and heartwarming! I giggled so much reading this book my face hurts. I even fell in love with the chicken and I don’t like chickens in real life.

This book is about Trixie and Chick-chick (her chicken rescue) worming their way into Bear’s heart. Trixie is perpetually perky (to a fault) whereas Bear is the strong silent type who hides his true self behind a “masculine” façade. Both of these characters have trauma they have to work through in order to have a successful relationship with one another. Bear is lucky enough to have a wonderfully large loving family of mostly women on his side.

His nosy sisters, Fawn and Zoey, are hilarious and brilliant plot devices. I like that they seem to be right there with the reader watching Trixie and Bear’s relationship develop and attempting to spur it forward.

Ryan is Bear’s next-door neighbor and best friend(?). Despite having a lot of potential as a character, I feel like he’s under-utilized in this novel. While this is disappointing I am hoping that that means that he will have his own novel eventually.

This book had me giggling and lecturing the main characters from beginning to end and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a heartwarming read.

Funny and cute story!

Description
In the vein of Lyssa Kay Adams and Abby Jimenez, Kelly Ohlert’s charming debut is a one-of-a-kind rom-com that explores the power of overcoming the past and fighting for the things you love.

Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.

Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.

This was a cute and easy romance read. It however lacked the passion and longing that I love in the romance genre. Interesting concept of the couple meeting because of a chicken and later that same chicken is a constan through the whole relationship and book.

I really liked the first maybe half of the book but then I feel like any passion just sort ran out. The character's did not have great chemistry in my opinion. Overall an okay romance read, but definitely not my favorite.
2,75⭐️

While I enjoyed reading To Get To The Other side by Kelly Ohlert, it was exactly what you would expect from a fun and light-hearted rom-com. However, I wish that some of the issues and struggles in the book were addressed and delved into more and developed in the plot, or brought into discussion as opposed to how it was currently just thrown in.

Overall the book was an extremely fun read, with outshining, lovable, and quirky character personalities and backstories to discover.

I had high hopes for this book. The roommate trope is a favorite of mine and this was not for me. Trixie was very unlikable and unrelatable. Bear tries to hard to be the hot, broody mmc. The sunshine/grumpy trope is overdone. The story focused on the chicken too much. The ending felt rushed and it felt a slow burn that would burn forever. Trixie used her trauma as a crutch and it became annoying. There was a lot of potential for this storyline and plot, but for me it fell flat.

I was so super excited to have been approved for this book. It’s has an adorable cover and such a cute and clever blurb, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my excitement. I just didn’t enjoy it.

I’m sad to say this let me down. I think in all, I just didn’t enjoy the writing, and that’s all just personal opinion!

I found it to be too cliche for my preferences, and I was getting annoyed with the characters too easily.

To Get to the Other Side had a promising start. The premise was cute and we were introduced to interesting characters, but the book started faltering around the fifty page mark. I really wanted to like Trixie, but she started hitting too close to that pesky 'not like other girls' characterization for me to really root for her. As I was approaching the half-way point, I was starting to realize that nothing was really happening in the book. The only thing standing in Trixie's way from being in an awkward relationship with her new-found roommate Bear, was herself. When we first learn the reason for Trixie's severe trust issues, I was willing to let it slide—even if the betrayed-by-the-college-roommate scenario was slightly too ridiculous for me to take seriously and revealed way too soon for my liking—I like to stew in mystery for at least a chapter. When we were told for the fiftieth time, however, that Trixie couldn't get close to anyone because of this one encounter, I started to get annoyed. As a reader, I don't want to be straight out told every single thing that is going on in a character's head or be given an analysis of their choices every two pages. I want to deduct that for myself through their interactions on the page. I think that my biggest problem with this book was its inability to follow the 'show don't tell' rule.
We were initially introduced to a ton of promising side characters, but they all seemed to fade away as the story focused on the literal carousel that was Trixie and Bear’s relationship—constantly going up and down, and circling the same issues over and over again. I was dying for more of Bear's sisters, who were oddly enough the clearest and best developed characters even though they were criminally robbed of page time. I also found the random sexual moments in the book a bit disconcerting. Something about Bear’s initially constant obsession with Trixie’s ass didn’t sit quite right with me, and every time a forced "spicy" moment came up it felt so out of place with the rest of the book it was almost comical.
One thing I did love about this book was the way it checked off rom-com tropes like nobody’s business. I’m a sucker for a book that I have to remind myself isn’t an AU fanfic as I read it. It’s a very specific vibe which I kinda love. Despite having a lot to say about this book, I genuinely didn't hate it. It was fun. It was light. It had a ridiculously-named chicken, which was different. I enjoyed myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC!

This has such a cute cover and an engaging blurb. But I just did not get into it. After a good start, it went nowhere for me. I put the book down one night.. and never felt inclined to pick it up again.