I love novellas that introduce a series and Checking the Center is no different! It was a great introduction that makes me want to read the rest of the series. I can't wait till we get to the actual hockey scenes too.

Rock and Drea have a great relationship that fits well within a novella. Their meet cute is wonderful and I enjoyed all of it! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 was a forced proximity hockey romance and the beginning of a new hockey series by Delaney Stewart. I quickly read Drea and Rock’s ove story and enjoyed it very much. It was a quick and easy read filled with a lot of witty banter and sexy times. I also enjoyed the shenanigans of the secondary characters. I look forward to reading the rest of this series. TBR and Enjoy !

A really cute story that had the potential to be really great if it had been longer. There wasn’t chance to develop any of the characters or the story really. The writing was really good and I hope the series is as good, Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to this novella.

It was interesting… A little short but I liked it. Only thing I wasn’t crazy about was how it just abruptly ended and so fast at that. Would have loved to see more of the characters and a little more about the main character and his hockey. Not sure the relation with the random pickle ball tbh but overall wasnt awful. thanks so much for letting me read it early!

Checking the Center is a hockey sports romance, but really it was like a rom com from the 90s as well. Drea comes home from meeting with a psychic about her lackluster love life to find a very naked, very sexy man on her couch. What ensues is some fun drama and sexy shenanigans.

This was a great close proximity romance. It left me wanting more from some of the characters, especially the aunt. It is definitely a short novella though. I would love to see what is next for the two MCs.

Overall, I will be checking out more from this author. But I will probably stick to her full length novels. This is more a personal preference thing and absolutely nothing against this novella. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this. It was an enjoyable and steamy short story.

This was a cute, instalove, somewhat steamy (one open door love scene) hockey-adjacent series starter. Drea is dragged to a psychic with a reputation as a drunk because she’s unhappy with her (at the story’s outset, nonexistent) love life. Rock is a hockey player who has reluctantly agreed to enter a pickleball tournament in his hometown. A mixup has the two sharing living quarters, and so begins their whirlwind week together. A prologue and epilogue imply that a Zamboni driver is a prescient figure who is somehow watching these events unfold. I give this offering 3-ish stars, as it had some funny moments in the beginning but it really didn’t go anywhere due to the lack of conflict between the main characters. Sure there was a moment of doubt on Drea’s part when it was revealed that Rock had withheld information that might have changed their living situation, but it seemed sort of tossed in and forced. I really would’ve liked to have experienced more character development from both MCs, especially with regard to the family members for whom they have stuck around the tiny, remote town. As a series starter, this was just okay. It would be more compelling in my opinion to have the psychic and the unseen/unheard neighbor be fleshed out a bit in order to generate interest in subsequent installments in the series.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realise this book was essentially a novella when I requested it. It's really hard to do a novella well and, unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me.

Everything seemed so rushed and not at all believable, which is a shame because I really enjoyed the first interaction between Drea and Rock. I feel like this story had a lot of potential that could have been explored if it was a full length novel, and it felt strange that some discontent between Rock and his mom was mentioned although there wasn't the time in the book to cover it. It made me wonder why it was even mentioned in the first place.

Overall, it was a good premise but the length of the book meant that it couldn't achieve what it set out to do.

It's good don't get me wrong but wayyyy to quick for my liking needed to be slower and build into it a bit more not just meet and admit they love each other.

I am in my hockey romance era and this novella blew me away. This was super cute and a dual pov is the way to my heart. Give me all the Wilcox Wombats!!!!

Hockey and Broadway rolled into one hot guy… awesomeness! While the couple went from zero to extreme 60, it was quite an enjoyable read. I do realize this is a novella and there isn’t much time available for a slow build though. Going to enjoy getting to know how their story progresses and learning more about the characters introduced here in the following books in the series.

‘Drea Coopersmith is stuck between a rock and a hard place (no pun intended!) and is unsure what to do with her life. Her friends are all married and have their own lives, whilst she is still very much single. After visiting a drunken physic, she arrives home to find a very naked, but very attractive man on her couch. Rock Stevens is a pro hockey player and is home visiting for a pickleball tournament. The last thing he expects is to be woken up in his own home, but a complete stranger.’

This was such a short and sweet novella by Delancey Stewart to start off the new series, ‘The Zamboni Diaries’.

Drea & Rock’s meet-cute was hilarious, along with multiple other parts of this book. Rock is very swoony-worthy and even had me blushing with one particular scene and this quote “I think next, I’d like to kiss you.” He had me blushing and it wasn’t even me he was speaking to!

As this is a novella, it is fairly insta-lovey, but you could still feel the chemistry and tensions between them.

Such a super cute and fun Sports Romance.

Personally I would have preferred it to be longer as at 87 pages it felt rushed however it was a great introduction to the series. It let you connect to some characters in a fun way

Cute novella. This is seemingly a teaser or intro to a new series from Delancey Stewart. Rock Stevens plays for the Wilcox Wombats hockey team. He returns to his hometown for an all star appearance at a pickle ball tournament. Thru a meet cute mishap he meets Drea Coopersmith. She works at a local bakery with dreams of attending culinary school. With just 89 page there isn’t really much to sink my teeth into. Boy meets girl, instant attraction, only in town for a week. I can’t really give this more than three stars but I can look forward to the series as I have read the author before and she writes light, fun, open door contemporary romances. I’ll look forward to more of the Zamboni Diaries books. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

I had so much fun reading this story. This is the first book I've read by this author and I will probably keep reading more books by her. The Wilcox Wombats have my attention right now.
Drea is such a great main character. I felt that I could connect with her at the beginning. Rock is my favorite. I love his name. It's unconventional but so original in its own way. Also, he is so funny. Their meet-cute is so funny and really cute. Their connection is palpable, but Drea isn't sure if Rock wants her for a relationship or just a fling. Will they make the relationship work?
I liked their story so much. From their meet-cute to their happily ever after. Can't wait to read the series.

Quippy, fun and outrageous weird in places. (Psychics, Vampires and Pickleballs - oh my!)

Given the short length of 89 pages, this verges on insta-love at points, but stay with me; the dialogue had me in stitches from the get go. This is 0.5 in a series and it's a great taster for a romcom 'verse with bags of potential. Bring. On. Sly. 👀

Quick read meant to act as the intro to a new series. Very instalust/love. Lots of spice even in its shorter length. I would have liked more character development and more info on the zamboni driver, but I presume that will come in future installments in the series. I would read more in this universe.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

This novella is about Drea and Rock falling in love (very quickly). It looks like it is the first book in a new hockey series for Ms. Stewart. It is a very quick read and you don't get to know the characters much at all. It is okay for what it is, but it really needed to get a bit deeper into the characters to make it more than 3 stars.

Checking the Center is a quick and easy to read novella. Perfect for fans of forced proximity, romantic comedies, instant love and hockey/pickleball!

Quick easy read, fast pace but it’s a novellas so that makes sense. I liked it. Banter between them at the beginning was cute. Good start to the series.