Canadian Boyfriend is a really tender and heartfelt story about finding yourself and finding love amongst family trauma and the death of a loved one.

Aurora teaches pro-hockey player Mike Martin’s daughter Olivia dance classes. After driving Aurora home one day after teaching, Mike and Aurora start to form a friendship and ultimately a connection that is intertwined with the two of them being in Olivia’s life.

I want to be really clear that if you’re looking for a fluffy or steamy romance this book isn’t for you. It dives into a lot of heavy topics and discusses them at length.

I did like this book, but unfortunately I didn’t love this book. I found it dragged on too long in many parts and the largest conflict point fell flat for me.

If you’re a fan of Mariana Zapata but are looking for even more depth this book might be for you.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Forever for the arc! 3.5⭐️

This was my first Jenny Holiday read and it won’t be the last! The stars of the Canadian Boyfriend are a hotshot widowed dad and star hockey player and a ballerina. Highlighted throughout the book was mental health and a beautiful friends turned lovers story line. You won’t be able to put it down!

I love a good hockey romance and Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday did not disappoint! We meet Aurora when she is sixteen and working at a coffee shop in the Mall of America. She struggles with the pressure her mother puts on her to become a professional ballet dancer, and this leads her to be extremely lonely. When she meets Mike during one of her shifts at the coffee shop, she decides he’s the perfect person to use as an excuse to get out of future commitments. He’ll be her new “Canadian boyfriend”. The problem is…he doesn’t know it! There’s no harm in this little white lie because she’ll never see him again, right? Wrong! Thirteen years later, Aurora is working as a dance teacher and in walks Mike with his daughter. This is a big problem because Mike is the man she created a delusional relationship with all those years ago.

Canadian Boyfriend was truly an original romance that kept me on the edge of my seat. Aurora is a character I think a lot of young women can relate to. She may be unconventional, but we’ve all done crazy things, right? Mike is a new favorite MMC of mine! I loved everything about him and his relationship with his daughter. Aurora and Mike have chemistry from the very beginning, and it is sweet to watch him fall for Aurora. They help each other overcome their struggles and it is truly a beautiful, blossoming romance. If you’re looking for a hockey romance that’s so much more, I HIGHLY recommend Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday.

I enjoyed Canadian boyfriend, especially the characters. Aurora was learning to love ballet again and drawing boundaries. Mike was still grieving the death of his wife and figuring out how to move on without her. He was angry about something important his wife had lied about. Often in books this would have painted her as a bad woman, and formed the “excuse” of him falling in love with another woman who would be a “better” person. In this case, he slowly came to understand why she had lied. Similarly, when he found about a secret Aurora had kept from him, his initial reaction was anger and he cut her off completely. But when he started thinking about what things had been like for her, he began to understand her.
The story took place over the course of well over a year, which I really liked because it gave the characters time to grow and their romance to develop.

Canadian Boyfriend is a lovely contemporary romance and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book was okay. I enjoyed Olivia's character but hated how the fmc called the mmc by his entire name the whole book. It was irritating and made it difficult to read.

Single dad
Forced proximity
Found family
Soul mates



I wasn't expecting how much I'd enjoy this book. I couldn't put it down; the story had me hooked from the start.

Despite tackling some serious topics, it's a beautiful love story. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this book. I fell in love with the characters, and I have to say, I loved the positive therapy representation.

I totally recommend this book.

** "I'll post a more detailed review on my social media close to the release. **

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for sending me this ARC

Adorably cute hockey romance. Reminded me a bit of Thin Ice and Icebreaker. I absolutely loveeeeeeeee the cover.

Very fun!

This was such a good read. Don't let the title fool or the cover fool you. Though this is a romance, it pulls some heavy, emotional punches. Both the FMC and the MMC are working through things that happened in their pasts. The best part was that they were working on it. There was no "and it magically got better or went away." The characters worked for it. The premise was a unique take on the "Canadian boyfriend/you wouldn't know him, he goes to a different school" idea.

Jenny Holiday always delivers a great book and this one was no exception. I plan to buy a paperback copy when this comes out.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this predictable, sweet romantic comedy novel.

This was such an unexpected surprise!

This was my first read by Jenny Holiday and it certainly won't be my last. First of all, I think that this book definitely leans more on the side of women's fiction rather than a romance. I loved the representation of ED's within the world of dance as well as anxiety and grief represented throughout the book.

As someone who has danced a majority of her life, I felt Aurora's journey as a past professional dancer was handled with grace and was highly relatable. I loved her journey of self acceptance and healing from her emotionally abusive mother.

The story started out kind of slow but definitely picked up as Aurora and Mike's friendship blossomed. The plot and third act breakup are pretty outlandish; however, it lends itself to a unique storyline.

The therapy representation and found family in this book truly make my heart so happy. It's incredibly normalized and really sets this book apart from others.

Overall, it's definitely an interesting read; however, make sure to check your trigger warnings and just know that it's a heavier women's fiction feel rather than a spicy romance.

Thank you Forever Publishing, Jenny Holiday, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday covers a lot of intense, emotional topics and yet it was a lovely story. It deals with a lot of emotional situations but showed them with grace and kindness. I loved seeing Mike and Aurora heal themselves and support each other. The single dad trope has become a recent favorite and while the circumstances on this one was intense it was still an enjoyable story to read. I absolutely loved the emotional maturity of these two characters and loved Gretchen. I want her story ASAP!

Once upon a time teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can't go to prom. I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again...
Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”
The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself.

*Banging my head on the table*

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. It is literally right up my ally being an Elle Kennedy & Meghan Quinn long time reader. I was expecting The Deal vibes and Right Man, Right Time. And in some aspects we got that with him being a hockey player and her being a dance teacher, them having their meet cute, and ultimately the single dad trope that we all know I love.

I lived for those parts of the book, but it stopped there for me. I didn't really love the characters, simply because I felt like there was so much going on in their own lives, that in the span of the book I don't know that I felt it was all resolved for them to get their happily ever after. I think I needed more time for them to heal, even though this is very much a slow burn type story, I don't think Mike was fully healed and redeemed himself by the end. I found myself still upset with him by the end of it still.

The premise was amazing, the story was great, and I think I'll focus on those being what I liked about it!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC. This book features some of my very favourite tropes:
- single dad
- forced proximity
- sports romance
- letter writing
There’s a lot of emotional maturity by the end of this book. I love books that show mental healthcare is just as important as physical healthcare. There are some really profound pearls of wisdom in here. I also love when adoptive parents in books show how powerful that relationship can be. Blood doesn’t make the family, love does.
Now as a Canadian there were some things I found irritating. Mike was cliché Canadian. In the 34 years I’ve lived here I’ve never met someone who calls a couch a “chesterfield”. Also the “eh?” thing is really infrequent. His dad works for Tim Horten’s?? Come on! I get that it’s a romcom but it was over the top is an annoying way. Still, I enjoyed the characters and the story.

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday is a deeply heartfelt, emotional, smart and tender and sexy novel. It covers a lot of heavy topics, but Holiday is an absolute master at balancing heavy subjects with light banter and sexual attraction. I absolutely loved this novel. Oh, and the epilogue- chef's kiss!!! Highly recommend!

First off, I'm so glad the cover was updated because the first one made zero sense. Second of all, this book made me cry on an airplane. The emotional core of the romance is really well done. Third of all, there's a small side plot about the Little House books/show and it's strange to me that there wasn't even a nod to the parts of LHOTP that are racist. A bit of context could go a long way, I think, especially since there's a tween character involved. So there's that. Fourthly, this book made me miss nanaimo bars and butter tarts.

This book was really cute! I'm generally not the biggest fan of contemporary romance novels. But being a Canadian - I needed to read it! I really enjoyed the banter and dynamics between the characters. And I really liked Aurora (Rory), I thought her character was developed well and I enjoyed learning about her history with ED's and toxic parents. This is something I struggle with, and it was a good perspective. They dynamic between hockey and ballet was really good too. I liked the dichotomy between the two sports and how that played into the personalities of the characters. I found Mike's character a little flat - but loved his daughter.

This is my favorite Jenny a holiday book so far. It was a quick read but had some depth to it. Fun to see the character growth. It was emotional and realistic. Would be great for discussions.

The title sounds like the set-up for a cheesy joke right? "Oh I totally have a boyfriend, but he lives in Canada." However, 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 (Pub 01.30) is far from cheesy. It is a lovely contemporary romance with heft. Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publication and Netgalley for the early copy.

𝗪𝐇𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝗪𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄:
- Set in MN. Love love love.
- Aurora spent her childhood on her way to being a prima ballerina. Now she teaches at a dance studio in a strip mall.
- Mike is a pro hockey player and a recent widower with a young daughter, Olivia who takes dance lessons with Aurora.
- Each of them are working towards reclaiming joy- alone and together.
- A bit of forced proximity.
- Made me laugh and made me swoon.
- Normalizing growth through therapy (grief, anxiety, eating)
- Epistolary elements (journaling, texts, and letters)
- Sexy but not overly steamy.

But it's so much more than a love story, their healing journey truly brought out the best in each other and the way they supported each other was positively endearing. The ending was so delightfully cinema-ready and I loved it!

One caveat- Both Rory and Mike's internal dialogue would refer to the other by their first and last name. It's cute, but 'Mike Martin' shows up 272 times. Yes- I searched for the number. It was fine in print but would have grated on audio.

NOTE: References to disordered eating and death of a spouse that happened in events before the start of this book.

4 1/2 stars

I don't want to say this is an "adorable" or "whimsical" or "cute" love story because I feel like that'd be doing the story a disservice. This is a heavy-duty, hard work love story.

Both Mike and Rory have A LOT of baggage to unpack from their previous relationships and lives before they officially meet (again) as adults. However, they both do the hard work and start to turn themselves into the people they want to be and into people who have processed their trauma. This book really made me feel like I myself was in therapy and I highlighted so many passages that were helpful to my personal life at the moment.

I'm not normally one to tear up in a book, but this one gave me lump in my throat for sure. I can say this is a full-circle, beautiful, well-deserved love story. I'm a little sad that Jenny said that this is going to be her only sports romance, because she's good at it. I honestly can't wait to read Gretchen's book next.

"It's funny how sometimes things that seem like they're bad at the time end up making the best memories."

"I guess the thing is to remember that while it might be true that you weren't good enough, it's not a moral statement."

"When you're having doubts...about behaviors or desires...it can be useful to ask what the source of those feelings is. Is it you, or is it an idea you have about how society, or people in your life, are going to react."

I docked it 1/2 a star for the below reasons.
1. I get the reasoning behind it, but I couldn't get over the fact that in her head, whenever talking about him to herself, Rory referred to Mike as "Mike Martin." The whole name thing really started to get to me by the end of the book. It makes sense and I figured it'd stop after they declared their love for each other, but it kept going the entire book.
2. I don't think the whole "lying about meeting him in passing once 13 years ago and pretended he was her boyfriend and wrote to her like he was her diary" is really THAT big of a deal. Like I get he had to over react about something. I get that with Mike specifically this is something that he would think is a big deal. This is something Rory would know he would think is a big deal. However, I (personally and as a reader) don't think it's a big deal, so it made the ending just a little on the sillier side for me. Also, did she even have to tell him? How is it he would even find out? Like that's how not a bit deal it is to me. I think it's not something she even needed to tell him, but, again, that's just me.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an Advanced e-copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book marries two of my favorite sports: hockey and dance. It definitely isn't a fluffy light romance. There are so many good things discussed in this novel: emotional labor in relationships, grief trauma, how having a body that dances means you have a dance body, etc.

I loved the banter and the dad/ daughter relationship.