I found this book to be mediocre but with glimmers of goodness. Trixie is one of our narrators and has some pretty serious repressed trauma that goes lightly unexplained and majorly unresolved. Bear is our other narrator who has an endearingly overbearing family and a fair amount of anxiety that again, is kind of explained but also majorly unresolved. And there’s a chicken at the heart of this story that I just could never get to a place where I believed and was rooting for this fowl. Maybe if you love our fine-feathered friends more than I do this could be fun, but I mostly found it strange and distracting and it was stressful to consider how much emotional weight a chicken is asked to bear in this book. 3 stars for a nice college try and an attempt to do something original, but ultimately this chicken does not scratch, in the end. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute. I giggled. I like the main characters well enough. I thought the chicken crossing the road was a funny way to start a romance. I think it was great that Trixie and Bear grew as people while they were together and I loved Bear’s family.

The characters were great the ideas were great. The plot was where I got stuck. There were important things that were just dropped in exposition that I think would have been great as conversations between Bear and Trixie. Like Trixie’s issue with having a roommate. Immediately, after she admits to being traumatized from a past roommate she tells the reader all about what happened when I think it would have been great to tease and expand on and then reveal in a conversation. The big final argument between her and Bear felt forced and blown way out of proportion.

It was a fun light read some of the drama just felt forced and there was more telling than I usually like to see in a story.

I definitely enjoyed it for what it was--a fun, light-hearted rom-com. I also loved the animal rescue bit of it.

The whole chicken in the road thing was a little ridiculous and that being the premise of the two main characters moving in together was even more ridiculous. The characters weren't fleshed out much and had little going for them, but I feel that's pretty typical within the romance genre. The end dragged out a bit for me, and seemed like it was added just to be a reminder that the chicken is somehow important to the relationship the two main characters have. If those pages had been used instead to explore the traumas of the two characters and help them develop a little further, I would've enjoyed the story more since a lot of Trixie's past is glossed over. I did like Bear's family and how tight knit they were. The sisters immediately embracing/befriending a total stranger was a bit over the top though.

Also, there was no spice for how much they were lusting after each other which was basically from when they first met. I'm not one for a ton of smut though so that was fine by me.

While I understand other peoples' negative reviews, I don't think these types of books are supposed to be taken very seriously.

I really enjoyed this one! I only have two complains; the fact that Trixie never let her feel due to her past traumas was making me angry,. I was like, please girl go to therapy. But I definitely liked when Lindsay told her that no one stops loving the people who they care just because they are sad. That was realistic and made Trixie a little more mature. Another think that I dislike was that she didn´t let Bear near her when she was sad and when he left she was angry, I mean that is really imature. I would like that as Bear has his resolution with his family so do Trixie. Now I can say this was a fun reading and really adorable, I wanted to hug them and their hearts. They were just normal human beings who cared for each other and the animals

I could not get through this entire book. Do not finish is rare for me, but I just couldn't get into the characters. I though that the quirky premise would be enough to sustain it for me after a time, but it just didn't. I don't think this is necessarily the fault of the author or the story. Ultimately, I just don't think the book clicked for me.

Trixie was an interesting character, with her past issues playing the lead role in her decision making, she is defiantly a unique lead for the novel. I felt that this book had a good base but never managed to really take off. It's characters and story had potential and I hoped that the story was building but in the end it fell quite flat. The roommate angle has been heavily done at this stage and while it can still work and be a big hit I think more groundwork had to be done on this story to benefit the overall experience. An easy read and enjoyable but left me wanting a lot more. I will look out for this author in the future and I think she will grow her style and become a great read.

The author works some good laughs in and having a chicken play a major role was an interesting new route. I enjoyed the general story but tired of Trixie often. Her constant and extreme doubt really started to make her unlikeable. I was invested in Bear’s character and appreciated the way his story played out.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The title of this book, had me saying to myself "Oh dear, a Chicken joke?", I have to read this to figure out what/why/how!

And true to the title, it truly is a story about why the chicken crossed the road, in love story format of course.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side! --Why did Trixie give sharing herself with another person a try? To grow herself and realize that history may not always repeat itself. --Why did Bear agree to let a complete stranger move into his house (especially one who he once saw chasing a chicken)? Because we wouldn't have our story without it! I kid!

Truly, a silly premise for a book, but it works really well. Bear and Trixie each have their faults, their own little quirks, but it is this little injured chicken that brings these two out of their shells, and able to fall in love. Throw in some meddling sisters and you've got yourself a delightful little rom com with the tail feathers of a chicken joke thrown in for fun.

Oh, the age-old question, why did the chicken cross the road? The answer is to bring Bear into Trixie’s life. After picking up an injured chicken on the side of the road, Trixie needs a new pet-friendly place to live. Bear’s sisters decide he needs to meet new people and since he won’t leave the house, the best option is to bring the people to him by putting an ad out for a roommate.

This story has a ton of humor. Some of it was cheesy but I can appreciate that. I laughed out loud multiple times. While the story is cute, this book has a plethora of issues. Trixie is a relatable character in the way she speaks, but the constant reminders about her past in every chapter multiple times were over-done. Bear is a more relatable character with genuine history and valid insecurities. However, both act like teenagers with all the talk of childhood trauma.

The worst part is that this book is way too long. One-third of the book can be removed if the mention of Trixie’s old college roommate and how her parents required her to smile didn’t come up nearly 45 times. By chapter 9, I was already over the old roommate complaint. By Chapter 14, I just wanted it to be over and there are 46 chapters and an epilogue. Books don’t need to be that long. Long books don’t need to be that long. The Stand was 78 chapters and felt shorter.

I see potential in this book, but it needs to be edited down to move faster and remove some of the same topics that appear over and over.

With an unique meet-cute (a literal chicken crossing the road), To Get to the Other Side has a memorable beginning. The rest of the story has familiar elements of chemistry and obstacles of the couple getting together. I liked the main characters, even if they felt a little frustrating at times. The boundary-crossing of Bear's sisters to create the scenario for our couple to live together (they put an ad in the paper for a roommate) felt easily forgiven which felt a little off to me. This one was a fun palette-cleanser sort of read, even if it wasn't my favorite romance or there were elements that weren't the most believable to me.

The writing and storyline are pretty much what I’d expect of a contemporary romance. The plot wasn’t particularly interesting but it still wasn’t that bad. I think there could’ve been something else added to the story to make the roommate trope more high stakes.. having Bear and Trixie obsess with each other from the beginning didn’t give me any time to get excited about them getting together.

My biggest problem was with the characters. Bear makes a comment that he finds the fact that Trixie doesn’t mind eating in front of him as an attractive quality. Personally I don’t like it when eating habitats are deemed an attractive or unattractive quality in a character. Bear also forms the opinion that because Trixie has a lot of friends there’s no way her relationship with people are that deep. Although by the end of the book Trixie determines that she does have issues opening up, it was a weird opinion to form based on her having a lot of friends.

Trixie was also a mess. She is overly happy all the time and refuses to show any emotion aside from happiness, yet cries when she has to say goodbye to animals when they get adopter from the shelter she works at. For me this didn’t really make sense.

The last nail in the coffin was that the final conflict of this book was completely due to miscommunication.

i wanted to like this story, but unfortunately, i had a really difficult time trying to get through the book and had to force myself to finish it. the characters fell a bit flat for me and the parts i was looking forward to were anticlimactic. although this book did not work for me, i am sure other readers will have a more enjoyable reading experience. special thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this e-ARC to read and review!

Cute book!

My feelings on this book are a bit mixed. I liked the characters, but I also did not. There were parts in the book that I loved Bear and Trixie, but then in others, I felt they lacked personality. Though I liked Miss Chick Chick, I felt that her presence was somewhat not needed. In all, I thought Bear was a good character with good traits, but his commentary was weird at some points. And I thought Trixie was cute. Overall the concept of the book was good, but it was not my favorite. But I did like it!

This is by far my favorite romcom starring a chicken! Such a cute story! Dancer turned animal shelter helper saves the life of a chicken, having a meetcute with grumpy, introverted Bear. Through some meddling from his sisters, Trixie and Bear become roommates and hilarity ensues.

This was the feel good book I needed. I was so invested in Trixie and Bear’s story. There were so many scenes that I laughed out loud. The side characters in this book were so fun! Not gonna lie, I need a spin-off book about Ryan and Zoey falling in love.

I wish this book would have had more spice rather than fade to black or off page scenes. The sexual tension was *chefs kiss* but I definitely wanted more.

My only real complaint is that there was so much of the miscommunication /misunderstanding trope used. Towards the end it started to verge on annoying and I wanted to slap the FMC. A few scenes she mentions what her trauma is, but each time, it doesn’t really further the plot too much, just makes her seem annoying. Other than that, flawless book!

This book doesn’t come out until December of this year, but I was lucky enough to snag an ARC. @kellyohlert is definitely one to watch! Can’t wait to see what else she writes!!

#togettotheotherside #kellyohlert #arc #netgalley #romcom #romance #romancebooks #amreadingromance

The beginning of this book peaked my interest and throughout there were important gender norms and I loved Bear and his family. I didn't care too much for Trixie though she wasn't relateable as she never actually addressed her insecurities with her family just used them to brush people off so I'm not sure why Bear felt the need to prove himself to get her back.

Overall it was a cute story and quick read, but could have elaborated and done more to get me to care for one of the main characters.

I was expecting more from this book.
I really loved how it began, the first chapter was so successful at providing intrigue that I was sure that I was going to finish this book in one day and love every minute of it. But it started going downhill very quickly as I felt as though the writing suddenly changed the tone after the first chapter.
The plot is absurd and has the potential to be very fun and funny, however the execution of it fails. So do the characters who felt very one-dimensional to me.
The romance wasn't my cup of tea either. I was left with the impression that the lead characters — Trixie and Bear — had no chemistry between them so everything that transpires between them, including the friendship they have before they hook up (which comes out of nowhere) and later decide to date feels off.
This book wasn't for me. I hope that someone out there enjoys it much more.

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

While there were some things I did enjoy about the book, such as tackling gender norms in society and Bear’s family, in general. Bear himself was also relatively likable. Trixie on the other hand was completely unrelatable for me. Although she put on this front of being Miss Happy-go-Lucky, she was anything but. She was boarder line abusive to Bear and led him on at numerous points, only to push him away moments later. I don’t blame the guy for not thinking she was into him.

And now the chicken. I liked it as a meet cute… and I am ALL about developing a bond with animals. But going into insurmountable debt to save the life of a chicken that isn’t even genetically meant to live a long, happy life that you just found on the street?!? WHAT!? That not cute or quirky to me. That’s just ignorant.

I loved this book. The jokes in the beginning were immaculate.

Thanks to netgalley and alcove press for giving me a e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

Meet cute meets chicken crossing the road. Literally.

Who would have thought that the iconic ‘chicken cross the road’ line would make for a good plot of a romance novel? This book had everything one could want. It was quick witted, fast paced, and split perspective. The book was relatively short but every page was entertaining.

When Trixie spots a chicken crossing the road, she stops to help it and runs into the man of her dreams; Bear.

Unbeknownst to Bear, his meddling sisters have posted a classified ad for a roommate as their latest rouse to find him a girlfriend. The last thing he wants is for them to set him up especially since he can’t get the girl who saved the chicken out of his head. If only he had gotten her phone number. We’ll luck is on his side when she shows up at his doorstep after being given a week to move out of her pet unfriendly apartment. He jumps at the chance to have her as a roommate but doesn’t realize she is bringing along the chicken she rescued.

Trixie is having a hard go of life with so much change. A chicken for a pet, having to move, and now living with the man she craves. What could go wrong? Living across the hall for the man of her dreams who she has declared off limits shouldn’t be too hard. Right?

Dialogue: the story moved at a great pace and that was due to the dialogue. The conversations between all characters were well developed and felt very organic. Nothing felt rushed or over the top.

Narrative: the story was cute. The idea of the chicken crossing the road being the meet cute sold me on this book. I had to know where the story was going to lead and I was not disappointed. The only negative thing I have to say about the book is I wanted to see more of the next door neighbour Ryan. Hopefully there will be a sequel with him and one of the sisters… The chemistry between them in the few interactions we get is enough to fuel my hopes and dreams.

Spice: 🌶 I thing too strong or too intimate but suggestive enough to know what went down.

“You like your men built like mountains, huh?”
“Man,” she corrected. “And apparently I do.”

Hands down these are the best lines in the book. Did I gasp when I read it? Yes. The correction was 100% necessary.

Overall this book was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The cover art is beautiful and sells the theme of the story really well.

This was a disappointing read. The set-up was great, but the execution was lacking, specifically in the areas of characters and themes. Argh.

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 plot was so transparent that a couple of chapters in you can predict all of the outcomes (including the ~shameful secrets~ that Bear and Trixie are both harboring). This is typically fine in the case of a rom-com because even through you know the outcome, the fun part is the journey. Not so in this case. Bear and Trixie are supposed to experience an insta-love but their feelings aren’t very believable because the descriptions of their feelings are so packed with overused and tired language. Further, the descriptions are so over the top it’s just like COME ON.

The biggest issue in my opinion is that Trixie basically sucks as a human. She’s noncommittal, she leads Bear on MULTIPLE times, he follows her around like a puppy dog and makes plans to “wait her out” (all while actively trying to get her to come around to the idea of dating him). It’s just icky. Then they finally do get together, and she immediately acts like a jerk and then when he gives her space like she screams at him to do (Hats off to you, Bear! Continuing to respect the boundaries that she’s constantly changing on you!) she blames him for leaving her. What??? She is irrational, unlikable, and honestly pathological when it comes to her childhood “trauma” of her overbearing stage parents teaching her to look happy all the time. Come on, girl. You’re an adult and you’ve only had one close friendship your entire life (which ended in a SUPER bizarre and not believable at all way) and you somehow believe that only happy people deserve love? It’s just so implausible. ALSO she’s adopted this chicken (that the vet apparently explained to her was bred as a feed chicken and NOT MEANT TO LIVE) and when she finds out the chicken is dying, she basically jumps off an emotional cliff and loses it. I’m sorry, what? It felt actually disrespectful to anyone who has lost a legitimate pet. That is not to say that a person and a chicken can’t have a beautiful bond, but after knowing said chicken for only a few weeks and when you went into the relationship knowing the chicken was going to die, I was simply incredulous when it came to her ridiculous reaction. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Trixie needs to go to therapy and work a lot on herself before she’s ready to be in a relationship. That’s not to say that Bear is ready either - dude is portrayed to be this big burly boulder of a man (a stereotype that Trixie herself seems to enjoy very much) who drinks beer to please other people, works construction because it’s a manly job, and won’t step foot in his mother’s flower shop that he loves, let alone consider taking over this family business (what?? Again, this is a fully grown adult! He lives in the real world!). He thinks if he drinks wine in public, or makes the floral arrangements that he so adores, people will believe he’s effeminate, or something, because of his own “childhood trauma” of his dad being a gender stereotyping asshat. As if his physical description and fake persona aren’t manly enough for you, oh yeah, his name is Bear. But by the end, don’t worry, he’s overcome all of this false ideas his father has put in his head, and he has accepted his place as the rightful heir to the Family Tree throne. Now he’s a burly man who drinks wine in public, strokes his beard, and makes flower arrangements. Sadly, a character arc that could’ve been relatable and meaningful just ends up somehow making Bear come off really weak. It’s shocking how this was achieved in an effort to portray the complete opposite.

I had some issues with this book, clearly. But there were parts that were fun (the whole clan of Bear’s family, for example) and the writing was at times, really enjoyable when it wasn’t hitting you over the head with tropes. There was promise here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 stars.