This was an enjoyable romance story with a few heavier topics. Virtually no spice which was ok with me. We have our two main character Aurora (Rory) and Mike Martin. Both flawed, both with history and both with growth by the end of our journey with them.
He’s a pro hockey player in the NHL, single dad whose ex wife dies in an accident. She’s a dance teacher who teaches Mike Martin’s daughter. They spark a relationship which is sweet, challenging and in the end cute and we root for them to be together. All in all a sweet love story.

I love Jenny's books and when she adds hockey into the mix, I know it is going to be a favorite. Canadian Boyfriend was a sweet romance with a little bit of spice in it as well, and I'm glad this is going to turn into a series.

Aurora is a dance teacher who has Mike's daughter Olivia in her class. Mike is dealing with his grief over the sudden loss of his wife Sarah and going back to play in the NHL where he has been on an extended leave. With Aurora being one of the few people Olivia will open up to and Mike enjoys being in her company, he asks Aurora if she will help out on keeping an eye on Olivia while he is at away games. What Mike doesn't realize is that him and Aurora met briefly years ago when they were teenagers and when that secret comes to the surface it can change everything for them.

Canadian Boyfriend deals with a lot, the loss of a spouse and mom and how your life still is moving on even though there is a gapping hole in your heart. Aurora suffers from panic attacks and throughout the story, she confronts her past with her mother and how it was not a healthy situation for her to be raised in. I thought the way Jenny took her time on each of these topics throughout the story was really well done. Nothing was tied up perfectly with a bow and both Aurora and Mike did not shy away from conversations on these topics and what they needed in their life to learn how to work best through them.

While I did like their romance, I think I enjoyed their friendship more. They both also put Olivia first and made sure that her grief over the loss of her mother was not overlooked.

I got more emotional in this book than I had expected. I adored both main characters. Aurora Evans has just started living - finally leaving the ballet world, she can experience more than she ever has and be free, which includes her overbearing mother.

Mike Martin is trying to live without his wife and take care of his daughter - he is unfamiliar with a lot but also removed from the loss of his wife,

These two meet at Oliva's dance class - they become fast friends, and then Aurora starts helping to take Oliva back and forth to class.

I loved that a friendship blossomed for Auroa and Daniel first - it was beautiful to read, as well as the healing that they both went through
I appeared to the constant Therapy they all were doing through this book.
I love the whole thing and enjoyed the romance and supporting characters. I can't wait for more.

As a Canadian, I didn't love the constant explanation of Canadian terms, but that could be specific to me.

i was so looking forward to this one and i really liked it! hockey player x ballerina is such a good trope!! it does handle some heavy topics but i loved the mental health representation. This book was so sweet and i had a fun time reading it honestly. great plot and i love both mc;s. olivia was so cute and i love her father daughter relationship with mike. wasnt a fan of the conflict at the end but i really enjoyed this one!

Napping midday really ruined my sleep pattern for a few days. But never fear, my kindle is always nearby. To that end - I finished this one tonight. I mostly love it! I just have one main issue and it’s that Aurora ALWAYS refers to Mike as Mike Martin. Once I noticed I couldn’t stop seeing and it really bothered me. I mean obviously I finished the book I’m not a monster and it wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it bothered me because he didn’t like being famous and she always referred to him as “first name last name” and I feel like he’d really hate that. Clearly I am thinking about this too much but it was a central part of the plot in my defense!

But the story itself! Yes! I loved Aurora and Mike and how they came together. The grief and pain they both had for different losses totally made sense. How romantic was that scene camping? Swoon!!!

Was his overreacting necessary to her reveal? No. Did it move the plot forward? In the most adorable of grand gestures, yes. I loved the letters!! I also felt so much empathy for Aurora and her childhood.

I really liked this story a lot. I keep finding these books with grief as a center of the story and honestly, it means a lot to me. As a girl still hoping and dreaming of her love story, seeing myself in the grief of it all makes me feel less alone in the romance world.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SUCH a pleasant surprise! I loved the IDEA of Canadian Boyfriend after I read the synopsis BUT after seeing that the book dealt with the loss of the MMC's wife and eating disorders, I got worried that this would not be the happy, lighthearted, rom-com that I thought it was... BUT I LOVED it!!! Jenny Holiday expertly handled the topics in a way that did not make them something that impacted Aurora (Rory) and Mike's relationship and made them more past personal history and while the topics are a bit of a focal point, it is handled in a way that doesn't seem to drag the rest of the story down!
I fell in love with the concept of Rory being a "not-nanny" and tap teacher to the daughter (Olivia) of the guy she based her imaginary boyfriend on in high school! I LOVE when rom-coms have some wild concept because it makes for such fun reads that will pull you in because you have to ask the question: how would someone handle this situation? 👀😂
I mean also the tropes/set up of the fact that Rory is a tap/ballet teacher and Mike is a hockey player is SO cute because you imagine them to be opposites but seeing the characters interact, fall in love, and kind of become a family makes for such a fast, consuming read!
I cannot wait to read more Jenny Holiday books, especially the sequel to Canadian Boyfriend!👀 Thank you so much to Forever for an early copy!💖

That is to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book about a windowed hockey player father and the bond created with his daughter’s dance teacher turned live-in nanny. Their friendship felt real and organically grown. You could tell he was really trying to be a good dad despite his own shortcomings and his own pain from losing his wife. I also loved how open they all were about talking about Sarah even as a new relationship was blooming. I will say I was surprised the big secret was really that big and I was taken aback by his reaction to the final conflict but otherwise I really loved the characters and their journeys with therapy and grief.

Canadian Boyfriend is perfect for Abby Jimenez fans!

Don’t let the cover fool you- while there are happy moments in this book, its overarching tone is much more heavy.

Once I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down! I really did love the characters, and I think it was a solid single-dad romance. I think the marketing/cover just threw me. I figured this would be a light hearted romcom, and it most definitely wasn’t. The writing style, especially how the inner-thoughts of Mike and Rory were worded, didn’t always match the general heavy tones of the book.

However, if you enjoyed Part of Your World and Yours, Truly by Abby Jimenez, you will love this one!

Thank you for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a remarkably sweet love story, I almost don't know what to say. The growth that both characters showed played out perfectly and I reaaaaally enjoyed the fits and starts in their relationship. My only complaint is that she referred to him by his first and last name the ENTIRE time and it was weird.

I’ve been in a romance kick, and this satisfied my never ending hunger for hockey romances. Absolutely love the ballet dancer female main character! Such a cute book.

Canadian Boyfriend is a fantastic slow burn romance. While it is poignant and a little wistful at times, Jenny Holiday creates a story with deeper themes and humor too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Rory has a lifetime of dance training that still shapes every aspect of her life. Even in high school, she invented a Canadian Boyfriend to soothe some of her social awkwardness and anxiety. Now as a teacher at a suburban dance school, she adores her student Olivia, whose mom died the winter before. NHL player Mike Martin will do anything to make his daughter happy, and if Olivia wants to spend more time with her favorite dance teacher, he’ll make it happen for her. Rory ends up taking Olivia home after class, and eventually moves into Mike’s house in a nanny-like arrangement. But Mike can’t bring himself to think of the attractive woman as simply someone who works for him. They have a noticeable attraction, but is either one in a position to do anything about it? And what about real life Mike’s role as Rory’s former imaginary confidant?

There is so much to love about this book! The examination of Rory as people pleaser, to go along with her anxiety and disordered eating rang true throughout the story. Plus there is Mike dealing with grief, and all of his emotional dad responsibilities. The juxtaposition of two people going through tons of emotional turmoil is actually fulfilling. And, I love love love the role of therapy in this story, and how it’s an important tool for both Mike and Rory to work through their tough emotions and experiences.

This book covers a longer period of time than most romances, but for this widower slow burn, it’s almost necessary for the story to develop in a realistic way. The deep connection between Rory and Mike builds gradually, and it is what makes their feelings so believable.

I adore Canadian Boyfriend. If you are a fan of a slow burn romance with lots of deep emotions and bumps along the way, and of course grilled cheese sandwiches, don’t miss this latest gem from Jenny Holiday.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Pub for this earc.

This was a slow burn adorable romance with a dance teacher and a hockey player who’s a single dad.
I liked that characters took time to get to know each other and even after falling for each other they didn’t jump into it right away.
It’s so rare these days to read a good slow burn that deals not only with the romance but with mental and physical healths of both main characters. There is a lot in this book about how to deal with grief, eating disorder and how to rebuild your life in a best way possible.
I did wish we saw a little bit more of how Olivia adjusted to Aurora officially becoming part of the family. But other than that, it was sweet and slow and cute.

This book wasn’t necessarily bad, but was not for me. I didn’t like it at all for the most part. My only good comment is that I liked that the author included grief and mental health and that therapy was mentioned and part of their story. Not enough to save the book for me though unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of this book.

I'm a huge Jenny Holiday fan - is it just me but did this one feel different? It definitely hits some deeper topics - toxic parents, death of a spouse, eating disorder. There's a lot of character development throughout the story and I was happy to see that. I liked them together but I also liked that they took the time to do some self healing before trying to work through their relationship.

Adorable side characters and I'm really looking forward to Gretchen's story next!

Here's the thing...this book isn't BAD per se but I really did not like it. In fact, I almost DNF'd this at 58%, so really take this review with a grain of salt.

First off we'll start with things I like and then I'll probably go on a little bit of a rant. I liked that there was therapy rep on both Aurora and Mike's ends. I actually really liked Liv, Mike's daughter, which is saying something since I don't always love kids in books (Do I think she talks older than she is? yeah probably but honestly ya'll i'm trying to find some positives). I like that Aurora didn't reconcile with her abusive mom who caused her to have an eating disorder amongst other things and I really liked how Aurora stuck up for both herself and Liv when her mom started making comments about food in front of Liv.

My major major issue with this book is the 3rd (really 4th) act break up at 91%. So the premise of this book is that Aurora met a young hockey player (Mike) at a mall once incredibly briefly and then made up a "Canadian boyfriend" that she wrote letters to all throughout high school - though since she never sent them because she didn't actually know Mike, it was really more of a diary than anything else. Many years later, Aurora is teaching dance in Minnesota and meets one of her students newly widowed dads. Turns out this dad is Mike, and he needs help with his daughter so Aurora ends up moving in (truly a red flag on all counts) and there's a bunch of will they/won't they and some casual sex. ANYWAYS - I could see this breakup coming from a mile away. Spoilers ahead but Aurora decides to show Mike the letters she wrote (why did she keep them?) and he gets incredibly irrationally angry, saying that she "lied" to him. He has this whole shtick about not wanting to be liked just because he's famous and I guess he thinks that because she did kind of maybe know who he was that she lied to him?? Honestly I still really don't understand what his issue is. IMHO she did not lie to him and he completely overreacted (which basically everyone in his life tells him). They get back together and everything is just wrapped up incredibly quickly since the conflict happens at 91%.

Really this book was fine up until this breakup - it was probably going to be close to a 4 star - something I liked the thought of, but didn't love the execution. But honestly this breakup was unoriginal and frankly ridiculous and made me knock this down to 3 stars. I'm really usually able to find more I like about a book and I really try not to be this negative but I really should have DNF'd this book when I realized where we were headed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was SUCH a great book! I wasn’t expecting to love it quite so much, but I literally couldn’t put it down. The characters grew so much throughout the book. While there were some cute and light moments, it definitely still dealt with some of the tougher parts of life. I loved Aurora’s and Mike’s relationship and how they always supported each other. If you love Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry, you will LOVE this author, too!

Read if you love:
✌🏻Dual POVs
💕 Friends to lovers
🏒 Sports romances
👨‍👧 Single parent tropes
🔥 Forced proximity
🧠 Mental health representation
💌 Letters and texts

DNF @ 60%

I wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t the book for me. I loved the premise but it felt underwhelming and I couldn’t connect with the characters.

I love how the author touched on the grief & mental health topics, I love how therapy & healing was included.

What I really struggled with was the characters & their chemistry. It felt very lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will always read a hockey romance. It is my go to for any sports romance books. I think the characters were very relatable and down to earth. This is my first jenny Holiday read but definitely won’t be my last.

Was this a perfect book? No. But did it give me 5 star feelings? Absolutely. And that’s really all a reader can ask for. I loved every second that I spent with Rory and Mike. I think they make an adorable couple, and I loved watching them evolve and thrive as individuals. The flirting, the romantic tension..ugh! Perfect. The tropes ALONE are enough to make this a 5 star read — single dad, dance, hockey, forced-proximity, nanny (but also not), mental health rep, found family, childhood crush, letters, text messages, etc. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who vehemently loves the aforementioned tropes like myself. I will definitely be reading anything else this author publishes! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. It started off promising but then I quickly became bored. All the characters seemed very surface level. I didn't feel the connection between Mike and Rory. I also just felt really weird with him moving on so quickly after his wife's tragic passing. 10 months just seemed unrealistic to me. Especially with how in love they claimed to be.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.