This book was so fun! I follow Lexi on TikTok and when I found out she was releasing a book, I got so excited, especially since she's directly connected to the hockey world. The plot was fun and I liked the relationship development between Jaylen and Lucy, but my biggest issue was there was a lot of telling instead of showing. It felt like a lot of exposition and just statements about the relationship rather than showing the reader the progression of the relationship and personal growth of each character. Other than that though, I enjoyed the book a lot!

If you love hockey romances or are looking for a place to start, this is the one!

I felt a bit nervous going in because debut novels can be hit or miss, but Lexi did not disappoint! I remember when she first started teasing her book on TikTok and how excited I was for its release; getting to read it before most of the world was such an honor.

Lexi, being a hockey player herself and dating a former NHL player, brings a unique perspective to these books regarding hockey romances, and it shines through in the best way! Recognizing that this life isn't always glamorous and that the characters are ordinary people just like us creates the perfect recipe for a hit!

Shoot Your Shot follows NHL player Jaylen and artist Lucy as Jaylen navigates the challenges of contracts and mental health, while Lucy strives to land a tattooing apprenticeship. As their feelings deepen and life catches up with them, Jaylen and Lucy work to maintain the happy little bubble they've built around themselves.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for Lucy and Jaylen, and I hope we get to see more of them in upcoming releases! Thank you, Lexi and Netgalley, for the ARC of this book!

Lucy es una artista que sueña con convertirse en tatuadora. Para lograrlo, se convirtió en la asistente/todóloga de un tatuador que le prometió que, más adelante, la tomaría como su aprendiz. Sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo, la promesa parece cada vez más distante, y ahora ella no está segura de si su sacrificio habrá valido la pena.

Jaylen es un jugador de hockey profesional cuya carrera estaba en ascenso, hasta que viejos demonios comenzaron a perseguirlo, lo que lo llevó a jugar cada vez peor y a poner en peligro su futuro en el deporte. Si no mejora su rendimiento, quedará fuera del equipo y nadie más lo contratará.

Una noche, en la que ambos se lamentaban por cómo las cosas les estaban saliendo, se conocen, se gustan y terminan teniendo una aventura de una noche. Después de eso, él tiene un excelente partido y, siendo muy supersticioso, decide proponerle un trato a Lucy. Ella acepta, pero a cambio de algunas cosas, y pronto comienzan a pasar más tiempo juntos. Comparten sus secretos y miedos, se apoyan mutuamente y se dan ánimos. Sin darse cuenta, se van enamorando.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I follow Lexi on Twitter and am always entertained by her tweets! I was happy to find out she got a book deal and even happier to find out the book was good! Lots of hockey romances out there, not many that are actually accurate. Would recommend!

dnf @ 18%

The writing really did not work for me, and I'm also not a big fan of dual POVs. I think if I were to actually finish this, I wouldn't enjoy it very much sadly. Didn't work for me, might work for you, etc.

Hockey romances are one of my favorites and this story did not disappoint!
I loved reading about Lucy and Jaylen. Their chemistry flowed right off the pages and I was hooked from the first couple of chapters. Lucy’s character was intriguing and Jaylen had the best golden retriever personality. They were funny together. I liked the Lgbtlgbtqia+ representation and the details about mental health. The plot was well written and the characters development/relationship was paced perfectly throughout the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this early!!

"Shoot Your Shot" had such a good premise for a hockey romance yet somehow ended up feeling derivative of every other book in the genre (aside from the MC being bisexual). It just didn't grip or excite or dazzle me and just ended up falling flat. The writing was, also, just fine. Meh, kind of basic with, like fanfic-level spicy/smutty scenes. Eh, this book overall was okay. That's it. That's all.

CW: Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Grief

After Jaylen Jones gets rejected from the NHL, he goes to a bar and ends up having a one night stand. The next morning, he ends up getting a contract renewal after all. He connects Lucy as his good luck charm, striking up a deal so he plays well.
I really enjoyed this book! It was so fun, different than most hockey romances and I loved that so much. I was always curious to see what would happen next in the book, at the edge of my seat especially at the end even though I knew how it would end.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for an eARC of this book!

i've been waiting to read this book for so long and i am so excited that i finally got an arc and was able to read a book i've heard about for months now.
i know literally nothing about hockey, but i do think the hockey girls and gays will be happy with the accuracy to the sport since brown played hockey and her husband was literally in the nhl.

this book was so deeply emotional and thoughtful in ways i think a lot of new romance tend to skip out on. i cannot wait for more books by lexi lefleur brown and while i wait i will be stalking her tiktok

Shoot Your Shot was a fun-filled rom com that took me a bit of reading to get into, but by the midpoint of the story, I was hooked! Lucy and Jaylen are both well developed and interesting characters, complete with unique talents and flaws that make them easy to connect with. I really liked that their struggles were equally real and, in many ways, relatable. If you’re looking for good humor, accurate sports connections, and an author who values inclusion and representation in her characters, you’ll want to give Shoot Your Shot a read.

3⭐️ Shoot Your Shot is a cute Rom-Com about Lucy and Jaylyn a tatted up “emo” girl and a hockey player. They meet by chance one night at a bar where they are both kind of having a rough night. Jaylyn has just lost his job with the NHL and Lucy has been working work a boss the doesn’t really respect her. Lucy has been called a serial-dater so she swears off dating so she can focus on her career and get the tattoo apprenticeship she has been after. After running into Lucy it is all Jaylyn can think about so he finds her in the parking lot and try’s to strike up a conversation. Eventually Lucy gives in and they share and good night together, but it is supposed to be his last night in town.

In the morning Jaylyn’s luck changes and he gets a change to prove himself with the Rainiers. And now he thinks Lucy is his good luck charm. Can he convince her to help him or will he mess up his last chance at his career?


This was a cute book Lucy and Jaylyn seemed to really see each other for who they really are. Lucy helps Jaylyn with his mental health and he helps her find her passion for art again the one thing I wish for this book is a little more time with Lucy’s friends they are so funny! Especially Cooper!

I decided to write this book a 3.75 rounded up to a 4 star. As someone who is an avid hockey fan, I have felt hockey romances lacked the deep understanding of the sport and the intentionality of making the MMC a hockey player as opposed to any other sport. This book absolutely delivers on the hockey IQ and genuine struggles that a professional athlete could be facing amidst a developing romance. Unfortunately while there was the real world hockey application, this book isn't perfect in its other real world applications. Some of the dialogue feels stunted or well-written but not actually written in the way you would talk to someone face to face. The pacing of the book also felt a bit strange at times as there were big time jumps between months never addressed that made the timeline confusing. A personal nitpick is the 3rd act which fell victim to my least favorite trope and really took away from the soft romance that was developed throughout the rest of the story.
Overall, I want to congratulate Lexi on her debut novel and with some writing under her belt, I look forward to seeing what she does next.

I really enjoyed this debut novel By Lexi LaFleur Brown (who is hilarious on TikTok). The novel is about Jaylen who is an "out of luck" hockey player who may be past his prime and never play again. He goes out one night and meets Lucy, a feisty artist and the next day he gets a 1 year contract to play. Jaylen has a theory that Lucy is his lucky charm but he has to try and win her over for her to agree to play along.

4 stars. I thought it was so cute and well done. I read it in one day. Comes out March 11, 2025!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

This was a cute opposites attract romcom between an aspiring tattoo artist and an NHL player.
It took a bit of time for me to feel the chemistry with this couple, but it ended up being a fun low stakes story. I enjoyed the banter, humor, and vulnerability of the main characters.

My only gripe is the usage of the phrase "tattoo gun" instead of "tattoo machine." I don't know any professionals that call it a gun.

I had a hard time feeling the butterflies with this couple in the beginning but man did they grow on me! This was so fun to read, my only criticism (besides Lucy being incredibly daft at times) is the terrible fake NHL team names.

I was interested in Shoot Your Shot because of Lexi LaFleur Brown's unique position as a former NHL player's wife. I know I often see inaccuracies in my own profession so I thought she would have an interesting take. I think anyone who is a hockey fan will appreciate her detail in describing the sport. A lot went over my head someone who mainly reads hockey romance and does not watch the sport.

One difference I did notice was how Lexi wrote about the hockey community. Her version feels less idealized with our heroine Lucy feeling like she doesn't fit in and our hero feeling pressure given the lack of diversity. I did have some mixed feelings about a white woman writing an interracial romance but given that Lexi's husband is black I felt a bit more comfortable with it. I think each reader will have to decide for themselves how they feel about that.

I loved the inclusion of Jaylen's mental health struggles. I loved that Lucy was supportive but didn't solve the problem and encouraged Jaylen to get professional help. I will say Jaylen got better very quickly and hit less bumps in the road than many people struggling with similar issues. That can happen but I would say it's rare.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to see what Lexi writes next! Fans of hockey romance should definitely give this one a try! Particularly if you are a fan who wants as much accuracy as possible.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of “Shoot Your Shot” in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy and Jaylen appear to be polar opposites, but they are polar opposites that you spend the entire book rooting for. The side characters are also well developed.

The story is a little disjointed in places. Sometimes it’s as if the author wants to say everything but then doesn’t follow through with it.

While I appreciate the accuracy, if you are a casual hockey romcom fan, some hockey logo and terms may go over your head.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

This book was cute. I love me a sports romcom and this one had great characters that I really enjoyed. The downside for me was that the story seemed a little clunky and disjointed at times, but overall it was still entertaining!
I will say, as a girl from Buffalo, it withered my heart a little to see the area referred to as “upstate NY” because we are western New York proud here, and it also threw me for a loop with their hockey team being called the “Buffalo Bisons” when we have a buffalo bisons team and it’s our local minor league baseball team 🤣 Overall, this was a fun read

“Shoot your Shot” follows Lucy, an aspiring tattoo apprentice, who meets Jaylen on a night out. The next day, Jaylen gets offered a one-year temporary contract. He, like many hockey players, is incredibly superstitious and once he gets it in his head that Lucy is the reason for his recent success, he won’t rest until she agrees to be his good luck charm.

Not only do I love hockey, but I also am a big fan of Lexi, so I was so excited to read her debut novel! One of my pet peeve’s in hockey romances is the incorrect details about the sport, so her knowledge of hockey really shines through. I loved the representation of queer characters and also how she explored mental health. Jaylen is refreshingly different from the stereotypical hockey romance male lead. Instead of suffering from toxic masculinity, he is vulnerable and willing to talk about his mental health struggles.

At some points, the pacing and the transitions were a bit off. I would have loved more development about their transition from friends to being a couple! Overall though, this is a cute and quick read. I’m looking forward to see what she writes next.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin, and Canary Street Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a super fun palette cleanser for me in between a lot of books. There was a lot of banter and sass and both MCs were very strong. I also think it was unique that it was a tattoo artist and hockey player and that the FMC was more the grump in a grumpy sunshine trope.

Full review on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY9vn31Y/