A debut novel from a hockey wife & also ex hockey player ? I was SOOO ready. While this book was a fast, fun read there just felt like key connections were missing.

Jaylen & Lucy have a one night stand leading into their relationship so you wouldn’t expect it right away, but I felt the building needed to truly give them the connection we craved yet never showed up? It just felt like a situationship that never got fully explained but Jaylen was assuming they were together and then there is no discussion of it ??

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for this copy of the book to read.

T R O P E S
- One night Stand
- Bi rep
- Hockey Romance
- aspiring tattoo artist

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I truly love a hockey romance, it's gotta be my favorite of all the sports romances! I also absolutely love dual perspectives in a book - it just makes them so much more fun! So having both of these together? I was giddy!!

Jaylen is one of my all time favorites now - the humor, the honest representation of both anxiety and depression, the therapy representation (YES! more, please!!)... made for such a delight. Lucy was a bit harder for me to get into, she was a bit rough at first but then came through as a total badass bi black cat and it was the best. The dual combo of the two and how they played off of each other and made it work was really so joyful for me!

However, there were some points where I just felt this book really didn't work:
The mansplaining of simple things but then there being absolutely no explanation of more complex things was strange.
The overall just one dimension of each character - there was no real depth anywhere and I really missed that.
Lucy and her obsession and RUDE behavior about the tattoo internship felt entirely off-kilter with how she was described otherwise, and Jaylen was so great to her and didn't deserve to be treated so poorly.
The combo of Lucy being very firm about not doing relationships, but then suddenly accepting that she's his girlfriend when Jaylen announces that? Honestly it felt a little gross - why was her take and perspective not heard and respected?I understand the cutesy "I don't do relationships" followed by the oh now I've met THE person.... but this just didn't have that overall plot and it just didn't sit well with me.
The smut was also.... just not it.

Overall, the book was okay - I did truly love how Lucy was who she was and wasn't this typical heroine we see in most hockey romances - I appreciated the diversity and the fresh take on it all.

This was a beautifully endearing story about two people finding their way to each other—and, in the process, helping one another move from internal chaos to calm. It begins as a seemingly straightforward romance: solid, if a bit one-dimensional. But as the story unfolds, it deepens into something intentional, layered, and genuinely comforting. It’s a hopeful, heartwarming read. You’ll fall in love with the entire cast of characters and root for them as they face their struggles and heal from past wounds. It’s especially moving to watch such contrasting worlds come together through love, respect, and understanding. A truly worthwhile read.

DNF for this one - I am tired of popculture references in every corner of a book, and don't like reading about 'cool girls' that have to remind us of how cool they are. I'm not the audience for this one.

A debut from one of my favorite TikTokers that's... Good???? Unheard of. But you did it.
The hockey was completely accurate that I appreciated, but what I really enjoyed was how much time was spent on developing both Lucy and Jayden. Both characters had substance and were relatable and funny.
The banter between them when they first met had me HOOKED.
Looking forward to your next book.

I wanted to like this book because there were a lot of good things about it, in theory. I think Lexi Brown is a great, funny internet presence for people, especially marginalized people, getting into hockey. That being said, this book just. Isn’t that good. And listen, I love messy bisexuals and I always want more diverse representation in both hockey and in romance novels. But it was actively difficult to finish this.

This fell pretty flat for me sadly but i'm not sure why. I just want excited to pick it back up between sessions but I did really enjoy the hockey romance aspect. Both characters were kind of... off for me.

This was a big flop for me!!!!! Obviously Lexi is very knowledgeable on hockey and that is shown in the book but that was the only positive for me. The writing style was my biggest problem in this book. It did not work for me at all. There would be one ore two sentences of dialogue and then paragraphs and paragraphs of narrative that by the time you get back to the dialogue you forgot what they were talking about. And it is like this the whole book. I also wasn’t a big fan of either of the main characters. She didn’t come of edgy, she came off rude and unlikable.

I also did not prefer the LGBT+ representation in the book as it relied entirely on tropes and stereotypes. It did not feel real enough for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Even though I’m publishing this after the book has been published, I feel like that’s indicative of how I felt about this book.

I love sports romances, and I love hockey romances. But there was just something in this book that was lacking for me.

I love a hot mess FMC but Lucy was a bit too much of a hot mess and I felt like Jaylen had no personality.

Shoot Your Shot is a lighthearted sports (hockey) romance that initially caught my eye because of the author’s direct connection to the sport in real life! I was super excited to receive an ARC of this novel, and while it wasn’t a full disappointment, it didn’t have the “wow” factor I was looking for. Hockey romance is a fairly saturated subgenre in the romance category lately, and this story didn’t stand out to me. In fact, many small details slipped my mind hours after finishing it.
One major downfall of this story is the overuse of hockey “jargon.” While the integrity of the sport is important, throwing in an overabundance of terms that weren’t necessary to plot progression was a turn-off. The plot had potential, but I felt like it needed some more work!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It was not what I had hoped it would be . I struggle dot finish this book

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

Ok, honestly, I really don’t understand why this book has been getting so much hate. It’s cute! I mean, yeah, it’s your typical hockey romance just with an edgier side to it. I guess there was some discourse with the author on TikTok, but I make it a point not to get involved in Booktok drama, so I honestly don’t know anything about what happened. I went in blind and really enjoyed it!

Shoot Your Shot is your typical hockey romance. Set in Seattle, it follows black cat Lucy and golden retriever JJ. JJ is desperately trying to land a multi-year contract with the Seattle Rainiers NHL team. After a one-night stand with Lucy, JJ has the best game of his life. He decides that Lucy must have been the difference and asks her to be his lucky charm for the rest of the season. Lucy reluctantly agrees, but only if JJ will help her build her tattoo portfolio, so she can land a coveted tattoo apprenticeship.

When you’ve read as many hockey romances as I have, at some point, they all start to sound the same. This one, however, had a super unique main character that really stood out as different from other hockey fmc’s. Lucy is bisexual, edgy, covered in tattoos, and has complicated feelings about love. I really appreciated the queer positivity and mental health rep in this book. I especially love how JJ handled both of these topics. Green flags all around.

Lucy and JJ seem like two characters who would never work in a relationship but somehow do?? She’s got such black cat energy, and he is the total opposite—straight up golden retriever vibes. I loved that JJ was down bad for Lucy. He kept showing up for her and proving to her that he was different from other people she had dated in the past. I especially loved when JJ stood up to her father. Lucy deserved someone who would do that for her.

I also loved the side characters. JJ’s hockey bros and Lucy’s best friends provided hilarious comic relief. They were always up to something and meddling in their friend’s lives. JJ’s rookie teammates had me giggling with all their antics, especially in the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lexi LaFleur Brown, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions stated are my own.

loved this romance and finding love and remembering love before the one. love the friends and the chemistry between the couple was on fire and loved the banter.

Dr. Lexi LaFleur Brown's debut novel was a delight. I enjoyed the hapless events between Jaylen and Lucy and their awkward, funny banter as they got to know each other. I can see some readers being that do not care for miscommunication being frustrated by the third act conflict in this story. I did not mind it and liked to see the reality of Lucy's inner conflict. These characters felt very real and relatable as did their struggles. I look forward to reading what Brown has coming for us next!

Jaylen is a hockey player trying to make a comeback and he thinks Lucy is his lucky charm despite, Lucy feeling downing on her luck in her own career as an aspiring tattoo artist.

If you like the black cat/golden retriever trope, this book might be for you! Overall, I thought this book was a fun and quick read.

The open-door spicy scenes were plentiful and enjoyable.

I’m not a hockey fan, so I’m not going to comment on the hockey aspect of this book except to say that the story was still fun and understandable even though I don’t follow hockey.

Jaylen experiences anxiety attacks and his experiences seeking out therapy and medication for the first time is explored in the book, which I appreciated.

Lucy is bisexual, but the story doesn’t explore her identity, and it is not part of the plot.

Highlights:
- hockey player x artist
- mental health rep (anxiety)
- bi romance featuring M/F couple
- spicy!
- black cat x golden retriever

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

Unfortunately, Shoot Your Shot just wasn’t for me. I had high hopes going into it, especially because I love hockey romance. But this one dragged.

The story starts off with potential, but the writing style made it difficult to get invested in the characters or the plot. There was a lack of chemistry between the characters that really made it hard to care about their relationship. The pacing was uneven, and at times, it just felt like the story was dragging on with little progress. I found myself zoning out, waiting for something to grab my attention, but it never really did.

It’s always frustrating when the tone doesn’t match the vibe you’re expecting, and here, I just couldn’t get into the flow of it.

While I can see that this book might work for others, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I ended up putting it down about halfway through.

If you are in your hockey romance era then you will want to read/listen to this book. I listened to the audiobook and I liked that there were two different narrators, especially since the book is told from two different perspectives. I like that it was a fake dating romance, sort of. The female character becomes his lucky charm. So they continue their deal of spending time together in order to make his season great. And she uses him to help advance her career. Smart woman. This is definitely a cute romance and will give you all the hockey vibes you need!

Thank you so much to Harlequin and Netgalley for the advanced audio of this book.

This was a fun romance between Lucy, the bisexual artist/aspiring tattoo artist and Jaylen (JJ), the professional hockey player fighting to keep his place in the league. They have a fun night together in Seattle, and with JJ expecting to leave town to find his next landing spot, they don't expect to see each other again. But when the Seattle Rainers ask JJ to stick around for a season, he finds himself crossing paths with Lucy once again.

It's a cute story, with Lucy becoming JJ's good luck charm during the season. I wasn't fully pulled into it, and I felt a bit of a disconnect with some of the writing, but overall it was a fun read, and the banter was entertaining.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review. I didn't know anything about the author going into this, so that didn't influence my decision to read "Shoot Your Shot," nor does it sway my review at all! I've since learned that she's got a big social following and is married to a former NHL player, which is great background to add into this book. Unfortunately, even with that background, this book was incredibly lackluster to me, and some parts felt tedious to get through.

I've been thinking about why, and I think it's just that I didn't know about any of the characters' real motivations and goals beyond being told they had them, so there wasn't a ton for me to root for. Our main character Lucy wants to become a tattoo apprentice, but I truly have no idea why -- besides that she used to be a painter and has a lot of tattoos herself (something we're told enough throughout the story that it becomes annoying quickly). It seemed like she just decided to do this other thing on a random whim, so it's told to us in narrative, and so I couldn't care about it taking over her dreams. And our male lead Jaylen just simply isn't swoony: he's obsessed with his hockey career (as he should be! - but so much so that he seems a bit removed from everything else) and yet gets super clingy super fast and wants a serious relationship so quickly that Lucy even has trouble keeping up. I think it would have been really powerful to see Lucy on-page letting those guards down, but it just progresses without much internal change. I guess I don't see why these two even like each other, so it's hard to want them to find the balance that allows them to pursue their personal ambitions and their relationship together.

I also think this book tries to tackle a LOT of topics, from mental health to career goals to relationship evolutions to trauma/grief, to strained parental relationships, to professional athlete pressure, and more -- which is super ambitious of a task -- but many of them are kind of just underdeveloped subplots that take readers all over the place without making a solid point. I think Lexi clearly adds a lot of knowledge, passion, and ideas to this space, so I'd hope for a future work that brings the characters home a bit stronger!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

This book was 100 pages too long. It felt like so much filler and had very little to no substance in it for me. I absolutely hated Lucy. She was so obnoxious and was the worse character to read about. I only liked her in her relationship to JJ. He was the best part of this book and pretty much the only one I cared about. However, he was still aggravating because he was chasing after Lucy even though she keeps acting like a bitch. I truly don't like what this author has written but I can see other people liking it so I give it 2 stars.