When Trixie rescues a chicken trying to cross the road, it puts her in a bind. Her apartment building doesn't allow pets, and the animal shelter where she works only accepts cats and dogs. The logical choice (obviously) is for Trixie to find a new home. When she signs the lease, housemate and homeowner Bear doesn't realize she's got a chicken. After all, he never asked, and she wisely didn't volunteer the information. But Trixie is so adorable, he really can't resist. Will cohabiting and co-parenting an ailing chicken lead to love?

This is adorable. It's heartwarming and emotional and has more depth than you might expect. If you like whimsical, opposites attract rom coms with quirky characters and adorable pets, you won't want to miss this one.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The premise was cute as a woman who works at an animal shelter rescues a chicken and then must share an apartment with the hunky, but reserved and socially awkward hero. They each have their difficult histories that have molded who they are today. So we spent a lot of time enjoying their interactions while waiting for each to realize how perfect the other person is for them. Mostly, I was waiting for them to get over themselves.

I found it hard to see how adorable the chicken was. I guess it’s a sign of the heroine’s loving character that she sacrifices her apartment and finances to save a sickly chicken.

I normally don't give books bad reviews because I typically DNF them. I decided to push through and see if the book would become more enjoyable but it didn't
I couldn't connect with Trixie and bear's romantic relationship it just felt a little off with how different their personalities were.

How did the chicken cross the road? With Trixie and Bear's help, of course. It's a one-of-a-kind meet cute that ends with the two becoming roommates... and helping an injured chicken.

This book started strong but the lengths Trixie went to save this chicken was beyond my comprehension, especially when I felt like we were missing key background info on Trixie (i.e. her childhood was lightly touched upon and then forgotten.) Her effort might have been comical if it weren't for the vet bills and debt that followed.

With seriously impressive puns and lots of Grey's Anatomy, Trixie and Bear's slow-burn romance was sweet and a bit socially awkward. I did not expect his family drama and Chick Chick to play such a big role.

And what are the chances that my neighbor happens to have a chicken statue in their front yard ? When I saw it, I knew I had to knock on their door and ask to take a picture with a chicken book. Yes, I am that person.

READ 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 IF YOU:
• love quirky characters that think they are "punny" and has an interesting choice of replacement words for swear words
•enjoy close family dynamics
• are an animal lover of all kinds

I had very mixed feelings about this books somehow.

Started strong and I was so loving every piece but somehow got distracted in the middle and wasn't able to pick up from there anymore. I do remember all the laughter and fun I was having it so definetely give it a try, surely I will in the future with a better timing hopefully.

This book started strong, and I was loving the cute, quirky Trixie. Working in an animal shelter, rescuing an injured chicken who was running loose on the streets of Chicago, Trixie seems like someone you could see being your BFF. And Bear, big and loveable yet somber, seems the perfect match for Trixie's sunny disposition. But somewhere along the way, I think this story kind of lost its way. Trixie started to grate on my nerves more and more, and I just wanted Bear to tell her to hit the road. The plot dragged a bit in the middle, then seemed to wrap up too quickly. Overall the book was just okay for me.

And I still want to know how a chicken ended up in downtown Chicago.

This story got me feeling all of the emotions! All the intricate relationships made me root for a happy ending all through out the book.
The main characters was likeable and seemingly typical until you get to.know her thoughts and worries, then, you start to hope and dream for a happy ending.
The dynamic between the main characters and the love interest was really enjoyable and the banter was very funny.
All in all this book was such a fun and light-hearted read!

What do you get when you cross a sick chicken, an under employed Carpenter, and an animal rescuer? This book is the answer.
I was hooked by the first blurb about Trixie rescuing a chicken in downtown Chicago. And the main guy is named Bear.
It’s a cute, feel good read. Surrounded by her love of all animals, Trixie will go to any lengths to save them all. Bear has four interfering sisters who put him in semi hilarious predicaments.
Swirl all those ingredients together and what you have is a cute debut sure to please any reader looking for love and animals too.

How many times have you read about a meet-cute that involves a chicken crossing the road? Well, I can attest to this being a first for me, and I loved it. This was a rather adorable grumpy-sunshine romance. You had Trixie who was rainbows and ice cream with a touch of Snow White magic with the animals. Then you had Bear with little say and no desire to people.

But looks may have been deceiving, as both were hiding parts of themselves. Trixie’s parents raised her to hide any negative feelings. She had to be smiling and “on” all the time and believed that suppressing her emotions was the only way to get people to care about her. Bear’s biological father was a toxic male who made Bear ashamed of all the things he enjoyed or cared about. Though I appreciated the author taking on gender stereotypes, I sometimes felt that the inner monologues were a bit repetitive when the personal issues were already well established.

However, there were so many delightful things in this story, I was able to overlook it.

° Lots of laugh out loud moments
° Animal antics
° Pancakes
° Chick-Chick the chicken
° Bear’s family
° Lovable hero and heroine

These two bonding over a chicken made me giddy, but I really loved seeing Trixie and Bear learning to trust and to be their true selves. A super sweet ending left me feeling lighthearted and happy, and I am looking forward to seeing what else Ohlert has in store for us.

I had this book in my TBR and biggest expected book of the year. and maybe it's one the deception, because i thought i was going to like it more, don't get me wrong, the book is good and the story is solid, is just that there is something on this book and let me with a big meh feeling, i don't know if the narration of the story or what but it ended up feeling like meh

All this book had to do was mention greys anatomy and I was sold! Both characters were endearing and I loved the heroines quirky traits! The author was also nice when I interacted with her on instagram.

Thank you for an advanced copy of To Get to the Other Side.

Star Rating: 2⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: December 6, 2022

This book was cute, but honestly, a bit forgettable. The characters were a little bland, and the whole concept of a "rescue chicken" was just a little out of left field for me. I thought I would really like this book, but once I started reading, the book lost some of its appeal. It was a little bland, a little boring, and just kind of meh by the end of it.

It did have some cute moments, but overall, I was not super impressed with this one.

This was a cute story. Chick chick was my favorite character. She is cute. This book had several laugh out loud moment. Bear was nice and Trixie was okay. Near the end Trixie started to get on my nerves since she was so blind to what was going on. Bear's sisters actions seemed extreme. I did enjoy reading about Bear's family though.

Trixie is going about her day when she rescues you am injured chicken (you read correctly) from becoming road kill on a busy Chicago street. A stranger helps her. He’s really yummy to look at, but the slew of drivers honking make them part ways. They both figure they missed a chance, but the universe decides to help a little. Trixie’s landlord is adamant about no pets and when she finds an ad in the paper for a room rental that is perfect, she jumps at the opportunity. The ad has been placed by Bear’s meddling sisters, hoping that he’ll socialize more with a roommate. Bear is no one other than the handsome stranger! Trixie is sunshine impersonated and Bear is a cinnamon roll disguised as a grump. Soon, they’ll find out they’re perfect for each other.
Hmm, the chicken meet cute was quirky and fun, but Trixie’s obsession with the animal is way over the top. We get a little insight on why Trixie behaves the way she does, but it soon gets overshadowed by the chicken shenanigans and should’ve have been explored more.
I liked how Bear’s insecurities were portrayed. It shows how toxic masculinity can really do a number on a person and I liked how he came to terms with his own passions, though some stuff gets really stereotypical, like the beer drinking (Sweet Lord, men drink wine, people!).
I think the author has great potential. This is clearly a debut and we can see she has great ideas, but it needed some heavy editing. It is a rom com but the emphasis on the “com” brought too many silly and unnecessary plot points. I wish we got more character development rather than that.
All, in all, a sweet (yes, closed door, my friends) romance. I hope I see more of this author in the future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you, NetGalley and the author for the copy.
Possible triggers: toxic masculinity and toxic relationship with parents

Many thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the digital review copy,

I wanted to love this book. It has cute animals and a forced proximity romance, and what more can a girl ask for? There are definitely some great laugh out loud moments and plenty of mutual pining to be had in this rom com. I also appreciated the author’s efforts to tackle the impact of gender stereotypes and how they can influence the way men and women are comfortable behaving in public.

However, there were some aspects that felt a bit heavy-handed and repetitive. In particular, both characters are explicitly working through some issues from their past. While it’s great that they’re both self-aware, their thoughts around these challenges took up a lot of space witout necessarily moving the plot or character development forward. This pulled me out of the story after a while because it became a bit repetitive, so I wasn’t able to enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.

In all, this was a cute story that delivered on the adorable animals and the occasional laughs. I just wish it was a bit more streamlined and that the characters had a bit more breadth to them. To Get to the Other Side is a great fit for animal lovers and fans of a close proximity romance with a lot of tension between the leads.

Well wasn’t this charming? Who doesn’t love a good disaster meet cute involving a chicken? This has all the fun of a cute friends to lovers story with added pop culture references and lovable cast of characters. I was really drawn right in from the start and was honestly pleasantly surprised how incredibly delightful this book was, especially for a debut!

Quirky, complex Trixie was relatable, emotionally vulnerable and sincere and I really appreciate how the author allowed us to experience her feelings so deeply. Her relationship with Bear was just precious and I was just yearning for the two of them to admit their feelings. Although TBH, I’m pretty sure Trixie loves her chicken Chick-Chick the most (:P).

I swapped between the audio and ebook for this and the alternating POV is particularly effective in this novel and both narrators did an excellent job.

Did not finish.

To Get to the Other Side started off strong, with Trixie finding an injured chicken on the side of the road and rescuing her. She needs to find a new place to stay after her landlord kicks her out for breaking the no pets policy, and she ends up with Bear—the man who helped her rescue the chicken.

So I was invested and interested at the beginning. But then it just kind of went nowhere and I got bored. Trixie is a complicated character that I just didn’t connect with; she really needs some therapy. And Bear is kind of the same, damaged and still struggling with his childhood trauma.

So both characters were just kind of a mess and I just wanted everyone to get therapy. Thanks to Alcove Press for the review copy, but To Get to the Other Side was not for me.

This was a cute story! I wasn’t in love with it while reading, but i had a good enough time! I enjoyed most of the plot and many of the characters. I just felt something was missing

The first 5 pages was cute, but it was just totally downhill after that.. I couldn’t force myself to enjoy this book no matter how hard I tried. Huge miss for me!

I thought I had sent this book to my kindle only to discover I had not and it was too late.

I love the synopsis and plan on adding this book to my collection.