Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC! I had been interested in previous Jenny Holiday books, but this was my first time reading one of her books and I was SO impressed.

Both of the main characters are realized, dynamic and relatable. The relationship between them felt so natural and I loved them together.

All of the heavier topics and emotions were handled extremely well, a man who goes to therapy and understands his privilege?! Incredible. The spice was fine, but I loved the characters so much that I wanted more. This was such an amazing read and Joshua Jackson killed it with the narration.

This was a cute read from Jenny Holiday, about a socially anxious girl's imaginary Canadian Boyfriend who (modeled after a real person of course), ends up being the Dad to one of her dance students. Overall I really liked this book and it did touch on some pretty heavy subjects but I think I was hoping to be more attached to the characters in the story. Still a good read and I look forward to reading more from Jenny Holiday in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

There is a lot of publicity and hype for this book and I can see why. It's a dual POV romance between a recently widowed hockey player and his step-daughter's dance instructor. It's a plutonic friends to 'undefinable' situation, where he's leaning on her to help raise his kid while he's travelling for games and there are obstacles slowing down their progression to more than "helpmate." And I think that's why this works, in a way. They very much gel together as helpmates, roommates, and are quickly quite trusting and vulnerable with each other. The set up for this book is really just a hook but it's not as much of the plot line as I was anticipating (and secretly hoping for). There's a lot of practical therapy talk in here, from both parties, so just be aware. The 3rd act drama was melodramatic and highly predictable, so I lowered my rating to match the irritation I felt.
A very easy read that uses a light hand to address heavy topics like grief, eating disorders, and bad parents.

Thanks for the ARC!

Was disappointed by this one. I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between the FMC & MMC. Made it tough to finish. I also don't know why the FMC referred to the MMC by his full government name the entire book lol that was odd.

Canadian Boyfriend:⁣
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Thank you @readforeverpub partner for my gifted copy.⁣
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Let’s be honest. I was never entering my hockey era, because technically, I never got out of it. My favorite movie growing up was D2: Mighty Ducks. I can, til this day, still recite this movie line for line because we’re team USA and we’re going all the way. So when I found out that Joshua Jackson aka Charlie Conway aka number 96 himself, was narrating a Jenny Holiday book, I knew that I couldn’t just read it. I had to listen to the audiobook. It did take a while for me to get it, but it was worth the freaking wait. (My husband got me this Connie Moreau shirt for Christmas and it’s one of my absolute favorite shirts) ⁣
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Now, Jenny Holiday is one of my favorite romance authors ever. She really helped me fall back in love with romance with the Matchmaker Bay Romance. We get the typical fun banter, deep hitting conversations (loss of a wife, ED) and steamy fun. ⁣
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Audio of course was amazing. Emily Ellet had me crying laughing. She hit every nuance perfectly. There’s one way to read this, and it’s audio (if you’re an Audie) ⁣
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What I didn’t like: third act breakup. Is it really a breakup? Regardless, I love that everyone called Mike Martin out on his childish ways and the HEA was perfection.

I’m not gonna lie I LOVED A Princess for Christmas and when I saw a new book by this author hit the shelves I was really looking forward to it especially with a title like “Canadian Boyfriend”. TBH I went in blind and ended up really enjoying it but there were definitely yikes, creepy, and ick moments lol

As a teenager, Rory was very secluded, lost in her world of professional ballet. One day at work in the mall, she serves a boy visiting from Canada named Mike Martin. Fast forward 15-20 years and Mike’s daughter is taking dance lessons with Rory, although the last thing Rory wants Mike to know is that she pretended he was her boyfriend all through high school and college…

There were a number of reasons this book gives the “ick”... #1 she calls him Mike Martin about 60% of the time she names him (not Mike, his full name) #2 overall super creepy to write her notes to him. Like I get it if he was a famous singer or something like I GET it. But this guy was just some random guy she met at the mall…. Like WEIRD. #3 Now, I’m not one to put a timeline on grief and I know everyone moves on at different times but for Mike and Rory to start something up so soon to his wife dying was so weird to me. It was so fast that I actually thought maybe him and his wife were separated or they were only together for XYZ reason but no… they were very much in love. Just felt odd to me but that’s probably subjective.

Anyyyyway, I read through this so fast and really ended up liking it despite the icks so I gave it 4 stars lol

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and felt so invested in the characters. The second half unfortunately wasn’t quite so good for me and I found it became a little repetitive and caused me to lose interest a little. The second half brought it down to a liked but didn’t love. I’ve really enjoyed this author’s other books though so will definitely read more from her again in the future.

This was another great book from Jenny Holiday! I would definitely recommend to fans of the authors previous novels!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Such a cute hockey romance! I loved the heartwarming story between Aurora and Mike as they navigate both their different lives but come together in the end.

Sooo where's my Canadian boyfriend?? Because Jenny Holiday has made a great case for making one up only to find out that they are real and ready to swoop me off my feet (: Seriously this book is SO CUTE! And it's not just hockey romance/sports romance vibes (not that there's anything wrong with that) but there's a lot of working through grief here and self-care via mental health or just by doing small things that make you happy. Reading this book made me happy and it has so much to offer readers in my opinion.

Aurora, Rory, is a dance teacher who's working multiple jobs and who deals with panic attacks and internalized food issues/size issues thanks to her mom and ballet life. She's so lovable and relatable which makes her one of my favorite main characters in a book. Mike is a professional NHL hockey player, still reeling from the death of his wife and just coming back to his career and the normal routines of his life which include bringing his daughter to her dance lessons - something she's been missing since her mom died. There he meets Rory and the two definitely have a connection, not just sexual tension or chemistry but she sees how he's hurting and she wants to help him. He acts as that same support in this book for her too and I love how their friendship builds until it becomes something more. This book teaches great lessons and it's fun, heartwarming, cozy, heart wrenching at times, but in a healing way. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good romance book that doesn't shy away from the hard parts of life. You are going to love Rory and Mike and of course Olivia! Plus the side characters are also great and people anyone would be lucky to have in their lives.

I feel like every single book I read from Forever is just amazing. I'm so thrilled I was able to receive a digital ARC of this one from Forever via NetGalley. Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday published at the end of January so it should be available at your local library, bookstore, or wherever you usually get your books! It's also out on audio if that's your preferred format. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you read the author's note, Jenny says this will be her one and only sports-themed romance so really do you want to miss out on it?? No, you don't!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a teenager, Aurora worked at a mall coffee shop and spent her days daydreaming about a fake boyfriend she met once. Now as a dance teacher, that fake boyfriend had re-entered her life, in the form of one of her student’s dad, Mike. They interacted for less than 5 minutes but he has haunted her life ever since. Mike, who is newly widowed, is just trying to do what’s best for his daughter and keep his head above water. When he meets Aurora, he starts to fall but something his holding back. Will they figure it out or be kept apart?

This was a fantastic read. I absolutely loved the brief history the two had and the reunification throughout the story. There was a perfect mix of humor and sadness and aching for these two idiots to fall in love and get their shit together. Mike and Aurora had their twists and turns but it was a very cute story. Also, Aurora’s mom is a complete bitch and I wanted to string her up a few times. Highly recommend.

This book was so cute I had to buy a hardcopy. If you love hockey romance then grab a copy for yourself. The characters are likable and funny. Overall the story is wonderful.

Cute, quick, easy read. Handled grief really delicately and the romance felt really positive and well written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

I wanted so badly to love this hockey player x dance teacher romance, but I couldn’t get as invested as I liked. The premise sounded cute, but I don’t feel it was handled well. The writing wasn’t for me, the diary/letter entries threw me off and I just felt it was lackluster.

Thank you so much to Forever for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you know me then you know I love a hockey romance and this one was so cute! Overall, I really liked both main characters! I loved Mike as the male lead and seeing how he interacted with his daughter Olivia. I also loved seeing Aurora’s journey with both of them. I did not love how she continued to refer to Mike by his full name so far into the book. I thought it was funny at first but wanted it to stop a little sooner. I thought there were some great discussions of grief, therapy, and toxic family members in this story. I thought the discussion around dance culture in this was great too!

I did see the third act breakup coming from a mile away and similar to how I feel about most third act breakups feel like it could have been resolved way sooner (but I understand that this is how it is in most romance books).

This is the perfect book for someone who is looking for a feel good romance! It's such a great rom-com book! While the male lead is a hockey player you can definitely read this if you aren’t a sports fan!

Overall, this was a sweet read that I would recommend! It was 4 stars for me! The audio was fantastic and I would highly recommend it!

Likes:
• the on-page therapy sessions - can see both MC’s growth and development
• Wholesome, charming
• appreciated that the eating disorder was addressed. 🙌🏼
•Mike’s (MMC) personality was endearing in the last 25% which made me connect with him more.
•Mike’s mom, Diane and Rory’s BFF, Gretchen are my fave!
• Tim Horton’s cameo


This was a cute, wholesome romance with a fair bit of Canadian-isms, including hockey and Tim Horton’s (iykyk). But I missed the swing-your-legs-in-the-air moments. I wish there was more time spent on establishing their connection/spark than their individual character development. The vibe and tension showed itself around 70% in. I can see this being a comfort read. I look forward to Gretchen’s book!

3.5 ⭐️
TW - disordered eating and past death of spouse

EDIT: listening to the audiobook version right now…hello; PACEY narrates the part of Mike??? How did I not know this. Him and Emily Ellet are perfect as Rory and Mike (dual narration). Now I’m getting the swing-your-legs-in-the-air moments. 🥰🙈

3.5 stars

Things started off really well with Canadian Boyfriend and I was so intrigued after the first chapter. The set up was fun and unique and I thought the depiction of grief and loss were really well done. I also appreciated the emphasis on mental health and well being. I would consider the book more women’s fiction (with romance) because of this, and readers should check CW’s prior to reading.

Widow/er stories are always a bit tough for me. I need time to believe that the character is ready to open their heart again. I think Jenny Holiday achieved that here (with the help of time jumps and tender scenes of connection - the pies! The ball pit!), but ultimately the imbalance of power between Mike and Aurora and their continued back and forth were a bit too much for me.

The third act conflict (I’m not even sure it can be called that since it happened so late in the story) was borderline ridiculous and felt so unnecessary. There was enough going on with Mike’s grief, his relationship with his daughter, Aurora’s emotionally abusive mother, Aurora’s relationship with food, etc. The epilogue was very, very cute though and while I didn’t love this one, I think others might really enjoy it.

I mainly read this via audiobook and it was fantastic! I loved that it was performed duet style. Emily Ellet and Joshua Jackson were amazing together and I look forward to listening to more books that they narrate.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3.5 stars

CW: death of spouse (past), references to disordered eating, emotionally abusive parent, strained relationship with parent, grief, panic attacks (on page), parental abandonment (past), discussion about: pregnancy, children, and disagreement regarding future pregnancies

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book. The audiobook was borrowed via my library/Libby*

I tried really hard, but at the end of the day, I couldn't get past the
1. Long delayed
2. Wildly unlikely
overreactions to "I served you coffee once a decade ago and fantasized about you for years after" from BOTH the MC and the love interest.
A fascinating premise, but not the greatest execution.
Also, for the record, I preferred the original cover with the hockey player on it. When I downloaded it to my kindle, it came with a cover showing a man and a woman from the back on a beach. I guess that's the lake? But it didn't match the vibe of the book to me.

Parts of this book I loved, others I did not. What I loved was the lovely relationship that developed between the characters. I also loved how the author navigated the dancing world, its pressures and problems, and how she portrayed the loss of a spouse and all the aftermath. A few things I didn’t love was how the author took me out of the story by breaking the fourth wall, in some cases telling me what was going to happen before it happened. I wanted to be immersed in the story, not a bystander. I also didn’t like being kept out of critical moments, like the first kiss. It was rather fade to black. I wanted to experience it with the characters, since it was such a long time coming.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I loved all of the characters!! However, I felt like it was a little slow. It was such a cute read though!