oh, my HEART. rachel reid has ripped it out (again) and put it back together. ugh.

i fear this may be my favorite work of hers TO DATE. adam and riley were just… so tender and awe-worthy. their story is so raw and explores grief in such an honest way. it’s also a second chance romance that takes place with older characters which i feel like is uncommon among mainstream published romance. this novel of course made me cry several times in the best way.

just…. 11/10. i need more people to read this ASAP so i can talk to them about it without spoiling bc it’s living rent free in my brain and has shot (heh) directly to my top reads of 2024 (i simply could not wait until closer to the release date to read it)

I had previously read Time to Shine by this author, so as soon as I saw this book I knew I needed to read it.

It reminded me a lot of the book Fool Hearts by Emmy Sanders, which is high praise since I adored that book. The way Rachel Reid was able to make me giddy from how adorable the characters are one second to absolutely crushed was impressive.

Both Riley and Adam were so flawed and raw and so well done. Having some of the chapters be set in the past was such a great way to really understand all the history and complexity to their relationship. I just loved them both so much and was not ready for the book to end.

I also really enjoyed how Canadian this book was! You can tell how much the author loves Nova Scotia and that made the setting feel so much more real because of it.

It's been a while since I've given a book anything more than a 3 star review but The Shots You Take definitely deserves a full 4 stars, if not 4 1/2. This was the second Rachel Reid book I've read, after Time to Shine, and it seriously makes me what to do a deep dive into her catalog. The way both Riley and Adam are written is superb. I am a huge fan of stories where a character with mental health issues is allowed to just exist with them and aren't magically cured by the power of love. Riley actively works on himself. He sees a therapist. He's not in any kind of denial over it. I found it really refreshing. I also love that Adam wasn't trying to fix him in any way. He let Riley feel whatever he needed to feel. Be as grumpy as he wanted. And he stuck around to just be there for him. In whatever way Riley need him to be there. My only real complaint is that the ending felt rushed. I understand the 5 year gap but I would have liked to see a more fleshed out conclusion.

The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid was immediately added to my list of favourite reads of 2024. It was gut wrenching and heavy, but so worth the pain. I loved every second of these two finding their way back to each other. Adam truly had to work for it, and Riley didn’t make it easy. Their story felt real and palpable in a way that I don’t come across often.

I did not go into this expecting it to be quite so emotional.

This story follows Riley & Adam, who have a lot of history, and not all of it is good. They haven't spoken in the last 12 years, and then Adam shows up to Riley's father's funeral.

Riley is not happy to see Adam, and resists his presence at first. He is cold and almost hostile to Adam (with good reason), but Adam doesn't let it push him away. He wants to be there for Riley, to help support him in his grief, but also to make up for how poorly he treated him in the past. The way Adam shows his heart by doing small things for Riley is so sweet. I love how determined he is to show Riley that he has changed, for the better, and is ready to put his heart on the line in the hopes of getting a second chance. A chance to prove that he is all in this time.

This story is angst-filled and tender. Their chemistry is palpable and the tension is delicious! I could not put this book down. I read it in one fell swoop and really enjoyed it!

Also, I want more stories about characters in the 40s!!

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and #netgalley for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I was thrilled when I received this book! I mean Rachel Reid is a queen when it comes to writing MM hockey romance. There is nothing about this story that I don’t love. The second chance trope is not my usual go to but this was absolutely perfect. I finished this on a flight back from Toronto to Vancouver and I had to be careful not to cry just let the eyes water. Adam and Riley’s love story was tragic. The mental health representation and the toxic masculinity that is the hockey world was done well. I loved Adam’s journey of self discovery and learning to love Riley and Riley finally allowing himself to be loved by Adam the way he deserved. I think Adam and Riley have take top spot over Ilya and Shane - those are some tough shoes to fill!

Thank you again for this pleasure of review this book. ♥️

One of my favorite reads of 2024!

Sad middle aged men trying for a second chance romance after a decade apart. The angst and unresolved anger at their reconnection is paired perfectly with flashbacks of their hockey years and the highlights of their relationship and its eventual downfall.

The book had excellent mental health rep and showed its struggles, a solid supporting cast, exploration of grief, and the fear of messing up again and ruining the second chance. I also appreciated Adams regret and attempts to do better for his kids after being a fairly absent parent in their childhoods.

I immediately pre-ordered the book once I finished because this is one I want on my shelves.

Sweet, cozy and charming second chance romance between two former best friends and hockey teammates. After tragedy brought Adam back into Riley's life a decade after he broke his heart, we watch Adam try to win back Riley's trust and build a new relationship. Both characters were likeable and the town was cozy and charming. I was totally rooting for these two. Enjoyable story!

“Thank you for being brave enough to come find me.”

“Thank you for being brave enough to love me, way back when it terrified me…”

i know my heart is in good hands when i pick up a book by rachel reid. she just does not miss!

THE SHOTS YOU TAKE is soft story that grapples with grief, coming out, and figuring out “what’s next” in life. it is layered with a tenderness that i’ve come to expect from reid’s writing, but unlike most of her previous books, she favors a slow burn that gives the reader a chance to grow with this second chance romance, and become invested in the emotional connection, rather than getting swept up in heated moments right out the gate.

i loved this story and i hope she never stops writing about her sad hockey players!

thank you to Netgalley and Carina Adores for a digital advance copy — THE SHOTS YOU TAKE is available March 4, 2025!

I was so excited to get this ARC, as Rachel Reid’s mm hockey romances are always worth a read, even if some are better than other (Heated Rivalry is basically considered the gold standard in this category).

That said, when you write a book that good it’s really hard for me to not then compare everything that comes after to that standard. Time to Shine fell short. I think for it was because it was ‘lighthearted’ and ‘tender.’ I need a bit angst. Gimme some pining. Some heart ache. So on that note, let me tell you why I liked The Shots You Take so much more 😁

There’s not a lot of second chance romances that I really enjoy, because you always miss out on that initial building of the relationship. It feels lazy to me sometimes, but here we get plenty of back and forth with flashbacks, we get to know the characters when they’re young and in the present day.

Then there’s the pining. Epic pining when they’re young, tragic really. I ate it up. And then the role reversal pining in present day. It worked so well.

Finally, the emotional impact of grief. It takes centre stage for a lot of the present day scenes. It can be tough for an author to handle grief well, but Reid does it here. There’s grief in the past, grief in the present, but the characters deal with it in realistic ways. Beautiful.

Back in the day Riley and Adam played hockey together, all the way up through a Cup win. They also did other things together, in a friends/roommates with benefits, as long as they’re able to blame not being sober, and never talk about it way. Adam’s mostly unspoken rules, Riley pining for more.
Now it’s been years, and they haven’t talked at all, their ending abrupt and devastating - especially for Riley’s mental stability. Both of their careers over, Riley stepping away from the game years prior, Adam more recently due to repeated injuries.
When Riley’s father passes and Adam shows up for the funeral it opens up old wounds, but gives them a chance to connect again - this time with a combination of therapy on one side and more self awareness on the other. But the tables have maybe not turned but tilted, this time Riley is trying to protect his heart, while Adam pushes to stay in his life.

There’s a lot of talk about mental health struggles, grieving, sobriety. The sadness of wasted time is also A Thing. There’s emotions all up in this book.
When they’re fighting it drags everything they pushed down back them up again, which is rough, but it felt like things they needed to get out.
And with all that, it made me believe their second chance wouldn’t only work, but thrive.
I appreciated that Adam’s wife not only wasn’t cast as a villain, but that she and Adam had done their own clearing of the air previously, and that they had a friendly coparenting situation between them.
Most of all, I loved the epilogue, it wraps everything up perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley and harlequin/carina for the arc

rachel reid is so talented in writing the coziest and touching stories. by the end of this book, i couldn’t stop smiling - there’s something so beautiful about people going through loss together, and learning how to lean on each other after not seeing each other for years.

the start was a bit rough for me - but adam was so soft for riley in the present. i love how he provided support even when riley couldn’t handle being loved, and how he consistently stayed with him even when it was difficult, giving riley the space that he needs to heal while still being a solid shoulder to lean on. the flowers, and the breakfasts, and volunteering for the town riley’s dad loved so much, and helping out in the store - there was something so tender about seeing someone showing love through actions rather than just words.

i also enjoyed how they were adults and already went through so much already - the bickering with adam’s kids was fun, and seeing them past the highlight of their careers, trying to find who they are without hockey was great.

unfortunately, i didn’t love the setup of the book - i was all for the idea for a second chance romance, especially in the past teammates who were friends-with-benefits. <SPOILER> however, i didn’t like the circumstances that forced them to reconnect. it felt a bit weird that they started talking at the funeral for riley’s dad after 12 years - even disrespectful for the dad. and the mentions on how adam cheated on his wife and she forgave him and still stayed friends with him was also slightly weird - good for her for being mature, and good for him for finding his sexuality and trying to be himself, but something felt a bit off about that entire situation. it took me a long time to actually connect with the characters rather than judge their past actions. </SPOILER>

some of the conversations between adam and riley also felt a bit off - too quick for anger and too quick to let everything go. but, once they truly started to be honest with each other, it was all worth it.

overall, a good combination between heartwarming wholesome romance and intense journey of self discovering and grief.

Rachel Reid is a dependable, reliable source for hockey romance novels and it is always fun to read the newest entry. Not life changing but perfectly serviceable if this is a genre you like.

The Shots You Take was a beautiful, heart wrenching, and touching romance. I will be the first to say this may be one of my favorite books of the entire year.

The novel follows Riley and Adam, who have known each other for decades at this point. It utilizes dual timelines in order to portray the heartening second-chance romance. Reid did a wonderful job with the dual timeline, and I enjoyed how we often got glimpses of the past as they were referenced in the current timeline.

Both characters in the story are going through a rough time in their lives—Riley is dealing with the grief of losing his father and Adam is balancing his divorce and coming to terms with his sexuality. After twelve years of not talking, the two come back together in a witty and emotional collision. I appreciated how Reid handled difficult topics in this book, such as homophobia and mental health. It added a depth to the story that overall just made the book so much more impactful.

And oh my god. I LOVED Riley and Adam together. The angst to fluff ratio was perfect. I loved the friends-to-lovers trope combined with the second chance. There was something about the way that Reid wrote their love story that made everything so much more emotional. Everything about their love story felt real and raw and beautiful.

I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a great second chance romance or friends-to-lovers. This was definitely a 5 stars for me, and I can’t wait to read more by the author.

Very cute and a little cheesy (complimentary). Surprising even myself, I found myself wishing there was more hockey because it turns out I like the team dynamics. (The players are both retired, but there were some good flashback chapters.) Lotsa pining in this one and we know I’m a sucker for that.

Perhaps it's my current era of wanting very sad hockey men to find love, especially when they are over the age of 30, but this might be the best book Rachel has written yet.

The slow burn second chance romance with plenty of angst, groveling, and tenderness, was wonderfully done. You could really see the growth of the characters throughout the book from the flashbacks to learning how to be together after all those years. The two main characters are so complicated and are written with a lot of depth. And the richness of the coastal setting! It's a compelling read from start to finish. There is a lot of grief and working through its many layers, so this is absolutely not a romcom, but it's an enjoyable read all the same.

Thank you Harlequin Romance - Carina Adores for an ARC copy.

I really don't have much to say other than I absolutely INHALED this book. Five stars from me. I needed something angsty to read at the time and this book DELIVERED. There was so much angst from basically page one. This book was stuffed full of feelings and emotions while being incredibly refreshing at the same time. These characters are no longer in their prime, so they realize they have to be honest with each other (instead of wasting so much time) after years of dancing around their feelings and it was just so refreshing to read.

If you're looking for a MM Hockey Romance with older characters and every emotion under the sun, I definitely rec this.

I've also heard similar things about the author's other books so I'll definitely be checking out her back log.

After retiring early from professional hockey ten years prior, Riley has made a life for himself in his home town of Nova Scotia, working in his family's sporting goods store, restoring his cabin by the sea, and gardening. When his father unexpectedly passes from a heart attack, he couldn't imagine any more grief or heart break until his ex-BFF and long-time crush, Adam, appears at the funeral. When Adam drops the news that he's divorced his wife and realized that he's gay and regrets how he treated Riley, Riley wonders if he can forgive the only man he's ever really loved.

I can never say enough good things about Rachel Reid's books. She's a master of the mm hockey romance subgenre and it's a wonder she can craft so many books in the same niche and they all be so good AND unique. I loved this one, which wasn't without its spice, but was softer and more romantic than some of her other books (I'm looking at you, favorite child Heated Rivalry). It's not always what I'm in the mood for, or necessarily what I expect from Reid, but it was a nice change of pace. I loved these two fools and really enjoyed seeing characters in their forties come together.

Thanks to Carina for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

The shots you take is a perfect read. Heartfelt, charming, and sweet, this is a second chance romance that isn’t to be missed.

Riley is having enough a hard time handling the passing of his father, that he is very unimpressed when his ex-best friend and situationship shows back up in his life at the funeral. But Adam has done a lot of growing since the two last saw each other and is finally ready to apologize. With Adam’s help and the support of his family, Riley is able to process his grief, forgive Adam, and explore the connection they can have now.

The Shots You Take is full of Rachel Reid’s fabulous charm, banter, and romance and I loved every minute of. I’d highly recommend any and all romance fans pick this one up.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin-Romance for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the relationship between the two characters, the flashbacks were utilized well to the story. As an angst lover, it was not over the top, but also not as much as I would have expected.

I wish we had seen more of Adam's character, especially as a father and ex-husband. Those aspects of the story really seemed like an afterthought. There are almost no scenes with his kids and when there are its about Adam, not them. I wish that we could have seen Adam developing more as a person and then feel healthy enough to enter a relationship.