Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a really fun read. It seems like just your average rom com, but there was a lot more then meets the eye with this. The characters were really well developed that felt like had realistic problems. I appreciated the healthy conversations about grief, boundaries, and a really great therapy representation in this book. Though this has pretty heavy topics, this was still a fun and humurous story that kept me turning pages.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Hockey is my thing but unfortunately deception is not. Love the cover. Unfortunately it didn’t work out super well but still enjoyed it.

It breaks my heart to say this but this is by far my least favourite book of Forever Publishing's 2024 releases. As a Canadian, I wanted to enjoy this book so much! An American ballerina and Canadian hockey player falling in love? Absolutely sign me up. However, the further I got in this book the more the romance felt a bit forced and didn't flow as naturally as I expected. The issue with the letters doesn't seem that much an issue for me in the grand scheme of the plot either and that I think hurt the natural flow of the story. I also didn't fall in love with the characters as much as I really wanted to. I love the cover and I love the premise, but this book didn't pan out the way I really hoped it would.

Overall, this was a cute and quick read. The beginning started off really good and I liked the characters. However, the relationship was just so-so for me. I am not a fan of a third act breakup and this wasn't an exception for me. I loved the idea of this book, it just fell a little flat for me.

This was sadly a DNF for me. I just couldn't engage and found boht main characters dull and annoying. Maybe it is just wrong book wrong time or just wrong person!

Such a cute “hockey” romance dealing with some heavy stuff (TW: grief, parental verbal abuse, eating disorder). The audio was SOOO good - it was a duet so it was like listening to a show where each narrator performed their own dialogue. I just love that so much, why aren’t all audiobooks this way.

Outside of the heavy stuff it’s very surface level but Mike had me grinning and kicking my feet. Definitely worth the read/listen.

Read if you like:
🌶️ minimal spice (1.5/5)
🏒 Canadians
☕️ Tim Horton’s
🩰 dance
👀 forced proximity
🤭 nanny/single dad

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.
I was shocked to my core with how much mental representation is in this book. I also love how the author had proper coping mechanisms for the book also. The plot and the couple were so sweet and I love how there was only 1 described spicy scene. Other scenes are fade to black or not explicit.

Jenny Holiday writes the most fun, flirty banter that has me giggling quietly to myself as I read in public. Her characters are just so REAL, and I find myself wanting to be friends with all of them. I just want to give Aurora the biggest hug on the planet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

This was such an amazingly cute book! I’m going right out to look for more books by Holiday. The story had a few heavier elements, but not to the point that it strayed from being a rom com, which is perfect for me.

I love few things more than a hockey romance so I was excited for this one! I loved the ballerina/hockey player duo and also the single dad trope - it was very sweet and a quick read for me!

I also loved the therapy representation in the book as well!

I was really excited to read this book, expecting a fun and sweet romcom. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. Plot-wise, it took itself too seriously, attempting to elevate a silly white lie (which didn't hurt or affect anyone significantly) into something much more dramatic than it warranted. The male main character's reaction to the "reveal" rendered him completely unredeemable in my eyes. He was already barely attractive as a love interest, so this effectively ruined the book for me.

Additionally, the fade-to-black scenes were the most ridiculous I've ever read. It felt like there might actually be pages missing. At one point, a scene ended right before a kiss, only for the next scene to jump in time with the protagonist reminiscing about making out all night. I don't mind fade-to-black, but these scenes were so disjointed. Honestly, I would have preferred if they had never kissed or had any romantic scenes at all, as it would have made for a better book in my opinion.

I read this book a few months ago, and I still find myself thinking about how much I dislike it. I can't think of a single person I'd recommend it to.

A sweet and gentle slow-burn take on the wildly popular hockey romance. This title effortlessly blends romance with realistic depictions of grief, anxiety, depression and eating disorders while keeping the tone light and hopeful. The clever twist on the fake Canadian boyfriend cliche is very cute.

"Canadian Boyfriend" by Jenny Holiday is a delightful contemporary romance featuring Hannah, who creates a fake Canadian boyfriend to fend off her meddling family after a breakup. This humorous and heartfelt journey takes her to Canada, where she meets Ethan, the real-life counterpart of her imaginary boyfriend. With witty writing, relatable characters, and a charming setting, Holiday blends humor and emotional depth seamlessly. This engaging and fresh take on the fake boyfriend trope makes it a perfect, feel-good read for romance fans. 🌟💕📚

Definitely never judge a book by its cover. This book was not what I was expecting - in a good way! It had real topics that were addressed in a tasteful way. I really enjoyed this one. It was less fluffy and more real!

this was good, I liked it but wasn't crazy about it either. it felt too much fiction and I wasn't really happy but it was entertaining

TW - Eating disorder and death of a spouse

I have so many, many thoughts about this book

1. I can tell the author doesn't have a lot of dance experience - it felt like she just used dance as a side note and I wish she would have done more research about actual dance.
2. While there are dancers who have eating disorders saying you kind of have to have an eating disorder to be in ballet is fucked up. I am not the first nor am I the last to call out ballet for some of its toxic ideals but that statement doesn't help change happen in the dance world at all.
3. This book both characters from therapy and well I love that, but there were SO MANY scenes with them in it.
4. Honestly this book would have been more interesting as fiction with a romance subplot over being an actual romance. I was not rooting for the characters at all.

Overall from the perspective of a dancer - this book was not it, I am adding it to the list of dance books that don't have great dance representation it was not the worst (I read a book that mentioned Goodwill pointe shoes, dangerous, and gross) I have read and certainly not the best (Pas de Don't, and A Certain Appeal).

Loved this one so much! Full of Canadian goodness and perfect for fans of Jenny Holiday and for anyone that has been missing out on her talents - a perfect intro to her writing!

I also listened to parts on audio and you can’t find a more perfect narrator for Mike Martin than Joshua Jackson. Also the fact that he’s called Mike Martin (full name) throughout the whole book was also perfect.

I loved the single dad storyline, ballerina vs hockey player and how this book was SO much more than what you might assume from the cover.

4.5 stars