Thank you for the ARC to reveiw!

I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a little slow to start, but once the author hit their stride, it REALLY took off. Once the story committed to itself and all its weirdness, I was ready to commit as well. The pacing was a little bit off, and not in a genre-bending way. It felt like maybe it could stand to go through another pass at the editor. I LOVED the premise, the creativeness of the situation and the tropes - who DOESN'T love close proximity? While I felt that the characters were a smidge two-dimensional, it didn't distract from the story. I really saw myself in the main character, Trixie, and her fear of getting close to others. I also love a dual POV, so this really checked a lot of boxes for me. Overall, I liked it! And I'm so glad I got a chance to read it.

'To Get To The Other Side' focuses on Trixie and Bear, two people who end up living together, after Trixie is kicked out from her apartment because she saved a stray chicken that's running across a road.

The pair have a rocky start to their friendship, but will their proximity, and chicken parenting ignite a flame of romance? Will the pair find the love, they so clearly deserve?

This story was very hit or miss for me. I didn't enjoy the way the couple got together, and I loved, and hated Trixie at different points of the story. Good characters. Very unique and interesting plot. Good writing. I would recommend this for readers, particularly YA romance fanatics.

Rated: 3 stars

Thank you to Netgallery for allowing me to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Certainly different! like nothing I've read before.
The main character is called Trixie (or is it the chicken)
she names the chicken chick-chick.
really who gives up their home for a chicken?
anyway, it wasn't for me and in the end, gave up on it.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for choosing me to review.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

What an adorable and fun read. To Get to the Other Side was the rom com I’ve been waiting on. A perfect mixture of quirky personalities, chickens, and battling through unfortunately realistic traumas had mr struggling to put this one down. I flew through this ARC In less than two days and enjoyed every minute. Highly recommend for a quick, fun read. I hope you also fall in love with Chick chick, Bear and Trixie. To Get to the Other Side publishes December 2022. Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

I have to start by thanking NetGalley and Alcove Press for giving me the opportunity to read this quirky, enjoyable romance novel.

The cover helps start the story as we notice the lady chasing the chicken, where? Well to the other side of the road, of course. Or is that where she chases the chicken? This book starts with Trixie, a lady who lives in Chicago, chasing a chicken who is clearly misplaced. In the process of trying to gather up the chicken, she runs into a man - a good looking one of course - who attempts to quiet traffic momentarily. When she finally secures the chicken in her arms, she brings it into her car. Trixie is a pet-lover who works at an animal shelter and while her landlord does not allow pets at all, she tries to sneak the chicken in. Of course, that doesn't exactly work and she is given a week to find a new place to live.

That's where the story starts to build - but slowly. As she is in search of a new place that will allow Trixie and her new feathered friend, a second character, Bear, is just trying to survive his sisters plan to help him find love. Bear is a quiet guy with an extremely close family. They regularly have family meetings to make decisions and believe it's time for Bear to find his mate. Unbeknownst to Bear, his sister's post a "room for rent" ad, that includes his picture and it goes viral. Like many other individuals, Trixie arrives at Bear's home to inquire about his available room and is just as surprised as he is when she realizes it is his home.

Of course Trixie gets the room - even though she didn't mention that she decided to keep her feathered friend - and all of the vet bills that have come with keeping the chicken alive. They both agree that they will remain platonic roommates - but can they keep that end of the deal, especially with Bear's family involved? Through the course of the story Bear faces various obstacles and Trixie tries to help, without getting attached and trusting him.

This book is a slow-build, but I really enjoyed it. It was also a predictable storyline, but again, it I liked it! Ohlert did a great job with the story, rotating the perspective from Trixie to Bear, though the character's could have been developed a bit more.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SO CUTE. Animal lover and the grump who is actually a softie for Trixie and her fur/feather friends. I fell in love with Trixie and Bear’s relationship and his close family.

The character development of the main characters is just *chefs kiss*. I would have been so devastated if Chick-Chick didn’t pull through… now to find me a man to build me a chicken wheelchair.

For me, this book just didn't do it. The premise sounds interesting: Trixie grabs a chicken out of the road (presumably to save its life) and then can no longer live in her pet-free apartment, so she moves in with Bear after his sister posts an ad renting out his spare room.

There's just not enough in this story. It feels more like an idea for a story than a finished copy. The characters are bland and one-dimensional and many of their actions don't make sense.

The premise just felt...weird. Like OK, Trixie saves the chicken from traffic. As someone who has saved many a turtle, I get that. But then why didn't she find the chicken a nice home at a local farm? Why did she spend thousands of dollars saving this chicken at a vet even though it means she went into debt? How does this girl actually get through life making these sorts of decisions? Trixie is the classic *not like other girls* manic pixie dream and it just didn't work for me. She didn't feel real or relatable. We don't even really see her bonding with the chicken - it's just assumed that she must save the chicken because that's the kind of person she is.

Meanwhile, Bear is the classic *grumpy* hero who doesn't like to be around people. He gets pretty obsessed with Trixie right away (which was confusing, because you'd think someone like her would be very annoying to a grumpy hero) and can't stop looking at her butt for the rest of the book. He also has a bunch of trauma from his dad telling him to "be a man," and I get it: those are real issues. However, the way they were portrayed was strange. For example, he drinks beer when he wants to drink wine because he needs to be a man? Plenty of guys I know drink wine and no one makes fun of them for it.

The writing itself has a lot of telling, not showing, which took me out of the story over and over. It felt a bit like a child's book rather than a young adult romance novel. Even some of Trixie's dialogue reads more like a child.

I do appreciate what the author tried to do by showing the characters grow and change from each other's influence, but they were flat from the beginning so it just didn't work for me. I needed to know...more about the characters, to actually feel them jump off the page, in order to care about their growth.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be available on December 6th, 2022.

BOOK REVIEW BLOG:
https://fromthereadingroom.com/review-to-get-to-the-other-side-by-kelly-ohlert/

Thanks to Net-Galley and publishers for providing the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
There were 2 things that felt off.

Firstly, both of the lead characters are flat. Trixie was all over the place. But I liked her monologue. And then we had Bear who is...honestly I hated him. He is my least favorite character ever. He is boring and he constantly talks about how fine Trixie's ass was, which is so weird. Parts with his POV, I was struggling to read them. I just wanted it to finish.

Secondly, there was no chemistry between them. I was expecting some cute romance. But all I felt was this weird sexual tension that they both think they have.
Also, the story is needlessly long. It would have been so much better if it was half the size.
The idea of the story was really cute.

I had a mix feelings about this book, it has some things that are good (very good) and others not so good.

Firstly, I really loved to read about family, it was so wonderful. It made me laugh a lot. And I loved Zoey and Fawn, they reminded me of my own sisters. Secondly It was beautiful to read how Trixie and Bear relationship evolved, from strangers, to friends and then lovers. And how they faced their own fears and they became honest with each other at the end.

However, at the beginning it was difficult to connect with their story, specially with Trixie. Sometimes I felt like she was arrogant, because Bear should follow her ideas and that's it, there wasn't any other option to choose for him. Also some scenes were very repeated (like why she was forced to be happy all the time).

Apart from that, the book is well written and the characters are well developed. But I'd have liked to read how she faces her parents, how she'd overcome her traumas. Because she spent more time with Bear's family instead of her own.

⭐️2.5/5

Who knew a story that was brought on by a chicken would be a delightful treat for our hearts? This story was beautiful. Had me feeling so many emotions from tearing up to laughing to being in awe of the sweetness. I enjoyed every page of this book! The quirky, sweet Trixie was so relatable and fun with her mishaps and flaws but flawlessly sincere and heartwarming. The emotions I felt between her and Bear kept me absolutely in a trance the whole time waiting to see how this story would play out. Absolutely flawless! Quirky, funny and relatable characters!

This book was super cute and quick witted! I found myself laughing at the cuteness of it all. Great summer read!

Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with the e-arc of this book in return for an honest review.

Also, as always, huge props to anyone who successfully writes and publishes a novel!

I’m giving To Get to the Other Side 4/5 stars. It’s a light romcom full of quirky characters (including a chicken) and lots of fun.

Here’s my two stars and a wish:

⭐️ The side characters are so fun. You can tell that they are living their best lives on and off the page. Further, Bear’s family felt like a family unit rather than Bear plus his family. Also, I love that it was Bear’s family who was included, and that they showed healthy family vibes.
⭐️ It was great to see a male lead who was strong and handsome but who also enjoyed Grey’s Anatomy and wine. I don’t know that everything stuck fully (such as the beer aversion) but I understood what Ohlert was doing and how it showed Bear’s growth, so, overall, I loved that part of his character.
💫Now, for my wish. I was hooked from the start. I’m a sucker for insta-love romcom’s (I know, I know) but I also love to understand the motives/stakes. I do feel that it got lost a little bit in the middle and the story, as a result, shifted to being primarily about Bear’s growth. I don’t know that the stakes were high enough to make me, as a reader, feel fully satisfied with the ending.


Overall, if you like insta-love, animals, and roommates (more than one bed), this is a fun, light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This book should have been around 200 pages (max).
The characters are somewhat endearing and the topic itself is what made me reach out for it, but the truth is that in the second half of the book, everything drags on, and on, and on...
The main female character is very childish to the point that all of the interactions she has with the people in her life (especially with the male interest) are cringey.
A little therapy would have helped her a lot. I must say, I found some of her actions to be very hard to explain and her reluctance to create bonds with other people was not only unhealthy, but also unreasonable. The fact that you had a bad experience with a friend when you were younger doesn't automatically mean that all people have extremely bad sides and might betray you.
Her inability to trust the male character and accept what she is feeling toward him made me feel very tired.

I guess this could be a 5-star read for someone who has a lot, and I mean a lot, of patience.

Quirky characters and weird situations they've gotten themselves into. Ah, and a chicken... This book definitely deserves a place on my for-a-rainy-day shelf on Goodreads.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

To Get To The Other Side was such a wholesome story featuring a bunch of adorable animals. This actually warms my heart. The story started when Trixie picked up an injured chicken she stumbled upon on the road and caused a traffic which caused an uproar from the cars behind her. She then got saved by Bear who just happened to pass by. Bear is such a sweet guy totally opposite of his huge physique. His name is really unique and cute too I couldn’t help but love him!

The intro was super epic and heartwarming I instantly knew I was gonna love Trixie. She has the biggest heart ever especially for animals and I adore her so much. She’s super friendly and kind too. I just hope she learns to open up and trust again despite what happened in her past. She adopted an injured chicken and named it Chick Chick which is super cute and even payed for the medical bills even though she’s running short of cash. This resulted in getting her kicked out of the apartment she’s staying in and met Bear for the second time as she was looking for a new place to live in. His sisters suddenly decided to play a little joke on him and posted a very funny ad that got viral online, stating that he’s looking for a roommate. Trixie immediately grabbed the chance and of course Bear couldn’t resist this beautiful woman he failed to ask out the first time they met. They had a very shaky start especially when she failed to mention that she’s bringing the chicken with her but Chick Chick unexpectedly grew on him so he decided not to kick them out.

It was great that they don’t hide their attraction to each other even though they both tried to keep a boundary between them and have a platonic roommate relationship. The miscommunication between the two ticked me off though. I hoped they talked it out earlier rather than ignoring the issue for so long. But it ended pretty well and I’m pretty contented with it. I love how supportive his family is too especially the sisters! Some issues I hade was that I found the plot a little bland and I think the characters lacked more depth in them, they fell a little flat for me. Overall, it was a really fun and is perfect for someone looking for a fast and light read.

I was completely on board to read this book when I read the name and saw the cover! I really enjoyed the main character, Trixie. She is constantly saving animals, even though her apartment does not allow them. So she isn’t thinking clearly when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off. Now she and her new friend are looking for a new home.

Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, 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. Now they are sharing a house with each other and a chicken.

Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.

I thought this was a very cute story. It did lag a little in places but I enjoyed it. I hope additional books come out focusing on each of his sisters!

What a fun, witty romance! Kelly Ohlert has captured the essence of a whimsical romantic comedy. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

I was quite excited about this book. I won't say I had high expectations for this book, just that I expected a cute, fluffy read and for the most part, this was but on the other hand it erred on the side of boring and uneventful.

I didn't particularly enjoy the story that much. This could have been partly because I was in a mood and the lack of cute interactions between the two MCs frustrated me a bit. Their whole shtick just felt a little forced. And the whole chicken thing was so bizarre. I guess it feeds into the whole eccentric character trait that the female character has. But she isn't even that eccentric. Just pretends to be. What this book has in spades is people behaving in a way that isn't the "real" them. Perhaps that was the plotline because it certainly wasn't the love story.

The story was decent enough but it came up short on so many things and all throughout I was hoping it would get more intense and the loved-upness would dial up to 100, but at the end I sort of just felt like, that's it? Not particularly exceptional but had a lot of potential to be great though.

Thank you to netgalley for this gifted ebook.

Book Review of To Get To The Other Side

To Get To The Other Side by Kelly Ohlert is a romance joined by a chicken. The protagonists of the story, Trixie and Bear, come to know each other due to a chicken. Trixie is an animal lover and works at an animal shelter. Her landlord has a no pet policy, but she has recently found a chicken and is looking for a pet-friendly home. Bear is a carpenter who hates his job and needs some extra cash. His sisters post an ad for renting out his house and mentions that it is pet friendly. This ad and the chicken are the reason the two of them collide again. Despite chasing out several prospective roommates, Bear finds himself sharing the flat with Trixie. The tension is obvious but both are ready to ignore it. The book goes on to explore more about their dynamics while bringing out their past traumas and the actions inspired by those traumas.

This book is written in easy to read style with straightforward descriptions of the events without excessive ornamentation. I enjoyed reading this and was able to finish reading this in 2 days. The story gives a lot of instances of slow-burn romances between our protagonists. I enjoyed those slow burn descriptions and wanted to read more about them.

The book also discusses childhood trauma, bullying, toxic parenting, and trust issues. If these are triggering to you, then you should avoid this. The author has done good work by bringing out the severity of the situation through the simple use of sentences. However, the one thing that bothered me was the 'Chick, Chick' situation. It was really weird to read more and more about the chicken in the book. The weirdness went away as I, too, became accustomed to the chicken, but it was weird nonetheless.

Overall I liked this book and will give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The falling in love at the first sight was a cliched opening, but the exploration of past trauma and explaining the family dynamics was really well done. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read a slow burn romance (although the slow burn happens in parts, and breaks away abruptly), exploration of past trauma, and the process to overcome it.