Shoot Your Shot is a fun realistic hockey romance and a great debut for Lexi LaFleur Brown. Admittedly, I was excited to read Shoot Your Shot as I enjoy following Lexi on social media. Thank you Harlequin & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

The structure and the pacing of the book was great. The style of writing drew me in immediately, the characters were relatable, and I found myself rooting for them all. I do wish the secondary character relationships were a bit more developed as they sometimes felt forced or rushed. It was a fun hockey romance read and I would 100% continue reading if it expanded into a full series.

There were a few factual things that unfortunately drew me out of the story. The first one I'll admit is a bit nitpicky, but the Buffalo hockey team being named the Buffalo Bisons threw my attention for multiple chapters. The Buffalo Bisons are the actual name of the Minor League Baseball team in Buffalo. The second was that Lucy was on the Seattle Great Wheel when she was seven, but is 25 currently. The Seattle Great Wheel opened in 2012. The everyday reader may not notice these details but as someone that grew up in Buffalo and lived in Seattle they jumped out to me.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

well, its a book!

didn't enjoy this, nor did I hate it. I just failed to captivate me. I didn't find there was a foundation for their relationship, the characters had a backstory but lacked depth. i didn't like any of the characters, they were just kinda there.

thanks to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hockey Romances have become all the rage, but this was a nice change of pace from the macho dominant man in many of the books.

Jaylen (JJ or Jay) is a golden retriever hockey player and also one of the few Black men in hockey trying to find a long term contract when his playing hasn't been up to par. Lucy is an artist trying to break into tattooing and flying by the seat of her pants looking for home. There's a host of side characters as well that make this book an absolute delight of a read.

The Best things: Therapy is talked about and attended by both JJ and Lucy, honest conversations are had, and people admit their failings.

The spice is spicy and the hocky is icy hot!

This was a really good time and I look forward to reading more from Lexi LaFleu Brown.

Shoot Your Shot follows Lucy, who is frankly a hot mess, but she’s a likable hot mess. She jumps from relationship to relationship, doesn’t have a stable idea of what’s next in her career, and just wants to do her thing. That all changes when she meets Jaylen Jones, who, admittedly, she doesn’t recognize at first.

The two share a night of passion, and the next day, it seems like things are done. However, JJ gets a call that he’s headed to Seattle, where the two met. Since JJ got such good news after seeing Lucy, he’s determined to find her and make her his good luck charm. While that might seem a little strange, hockey players take these things very seriously.

At first, Lucy is pretty resistant, but she eventually agrees, and the two end up texting, spending time together, and finding ways to see each other. From the start, it’s clear JJ is very into Lucy, and she’s understandably scared. The thing I found most interesting about these two is the different traumas they had in their past and how they impacted their decision-making.

The way LaFleur Brown wrote these characters just felt so intensely real. I could imagine having a cup of coffee with either or both of these two. It was as if they could jump out of the book, and I’d be ready to hang out with them. Maybe that was just me, but I really loved JJ and Lucy as characters.

The only thing I didn’t absolutely love was the third-act conflict. Though it did make sense, it was a little frustrating how things played out. Either way, this was such a fun read and has me excited about what’s next from Lexi LaFleur Brown.

I had high hopes for this one but this just wasn’t it.the pacing was really awkward. The characters just didn’t feel fully developed. It didn’t even feel like the main characters had much time together before he was like I love you. HOW?! Ya’ll don’t know each other at all. The spicy scenes felt like they were over before they started. This had potential but it just was blah

I loved this book! I saw a lot of reviews saying it kinda gave wattpad fan fiction and honestly, what’s wrong with a little fun? Lexi did a great job of inserting her knowledge of hockey and what being with a hockey player is like + adding little quirks here and there. I’m super excited to be able to read this again when it comes out in stores!

I really wanted to love this book. A queer hockey romance with a bi FMC should have been right up my alley, but unfortunately, Shoot Your Shot just didn’t work for me.

The biggest issue was the writing style—it relied too much on telling instead of showing, making the story feel flat. The writing didn’t flow smoothly, and the characters felt more like a checklist of traits rather than fully developed people. The romance, which should have been the heart of the book, lacked the chemistry I was hoping for, and the intimacy scenes were awkward enough that I found myself skipping ahead.

I struggled to get through the ebook and ended up switching to the audiobook, which, thanks to the dual narration, was the best part of the experience. The narrators did their best to bring the story to life, and I credit them with getting me to the finish line.

Overall, while I appreciate what this book was trying to do, it just didn’t deliver for me. If you’re a die-hard fan of queer hockey romances, you might still want to give it a shot—but don’t be surprised if it misses the net.

As a lover of hockey romance novels, what a fun joy to read one written by the partner of an actual player! This was genuine, emotional, and so, so much fun to read. I fell in love with both characters instantly and their relationship. I can't wait for more from Lexi!

Thanks to Harlequin for this e-arc!

There is so much to like about Shoot Your Shot - broody, hurt Lucy and sweet, sunshiny, healing Jaylen, the good luck charm premise, an artist finding her passion again, (did I mention Jaylen?), and a lot of depth to these characters/verisimilitude to their worlds. The LGBTQIA+ rep was also a welcome and casual addition that made the world feel more well-rounded. I thought there was a lot of charm and chemistry - overall, the book was really fun to read! And I loved the way Lexi LaFleur Brown used her own hockey knowledge to make things feel more real.

That said, there were a few things that didn't work for me - mostly, they were little writing things and a little bit of the pacing/development of the actual romance; I wanted to see more of their journey coming together. I felt like we got a lot about their individual growth and I missed some more description of the relationship growing. That said, I think this is worth picking up and I will definitely pick up whatever Lexi puts out next!

Jaylen is a down on his luck NHL player who is desperate to save his career. Lucy is a serial dater and runs away from relationships and anything that may involve a commitment. When they run into each other both are not interested in a relationship, but Jaylen seems to find Lucy a lucky charm. Lucy and Jaylen eventually find themselves in a relationship, but an opportunity for Lucy comes and she has to make a decision.

It is a lighthearted and funny romance. It also has deeper themes of mental health and healing from a deep emotional turmoil. A great quick read with a happy ending.

*I received this book (Via eArc by Netgalley) for free from the Publisher ( Harlequin Trade publishing | Canary Street Press) in exchange for an honest review*

Okay, so I’m a huge hockey fan, but I never really got into hockey romance because I didn’t think it would be my thing. But Shoot Your Shot totally proved me wrong—I absolutely loved it! The romance was fun, the LGBT rep felt super natural, and the spice? Way more realistic than what I usually see in romance books, which was a huge win. As someone who actually follows the sport, I was blown away by how real this book felt. You can tell Lexi knows hockey —especially since she's a former WAG. It honestly felt like she put a piece of herself into the book, and I loved that. There were moments of awkwardness mixed with complete sass, and plenty of funny parts too. It was so engaging that I read it in one sitting! And then there's Lucy—sassy, fun, and the kind of bestie you'd want for a girls' night who’d also have your back. Her handling of the whole "good luck charm" scene with the other WAGs was just iconic. Jaylen was kinda hilarious in his own way and you get the interactions of him with Lucy vs his teammates. There is a brief moment about grief that is lingering thought out the book, it does take you out but it gave me a bit of the reality of what was happening in the actual hockey world. If Lexi writes another hockey romance, I'm 1000% reading it. Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun, spicy, and a new hockey romance to pick up!

This was really cute! I really liked both Lucy & Jaylen individually and I think they complimented each other well! I especially loved the mental health rep and the queer rep in this! I got a little bored in the first quarter but once the plot really got going, I enjoyed it!

This is a fun hockey romance, which touches on topics usually not seen in hockey romances. There is a queer cast of supporting characters, which is fun to see in a sports romance. There is also some discussion of racism against the MMC, as well as mental health, which are less common in sports romance.

I did need to remind myself how young the characters were a couple of times, especially Lucy, as there were times that she felt immature, though she did grow over the course of the book.

I enjoyed this, and would recommend to anyone looking for a cute quick hockey romance.

I received a free advance review copy through from Harlequin through NetGalley and my review is voluntary.

“Shoot Your Shot” by Lexi Lafleur Brown is an enjoyable, lighthearted romance with plenty of charm, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. The chemistry between the characters is engaging, and the story offers a fun escape, but the plot can feel predictable at times. Some of the character development is a bit shallow, leaving certain emotional moments feeling rushed. While it’s a pleasant read for those who enjoy contemporary romance, it doesn’t offer much in terms of depth or originality. Overall, a solid, feel-good book, but not a standout.

This was a fun Hockey romance debut from insider and former WAG, Lexi LaFleur Brown that sees bisexual disaster Lucy and aspiring tattoo artist unknowingly hooking up with Jaylin, JJ Jones, a clutzy, Black hockey player one night and getting talked into acting as his good luck charm.

Set in Seattle, Lucy and Jaylin spend more and more time together and inevitably start to catch real feelings. I liked that this wasn't just about their chemistry and sexual relationship (which were top notch) but also had emotional depth, exploring Jaylin's undiagnosed anxiety and depression and Lucy's complicated relationship with her absentee, alcoholic father.

Great on audio narrated by Kristen DiMercurio and Jamal Roque, this was a standout interracial, queer hockey love story full of humor and found family that is sure to delight fans of authors like Bal Khabra, Becka Mack or Elle Kennedy. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I LOVED this book! I really can't wait to tell everyone about it because I enjoyed it so much. I particularly enjoyed the internal character development of both protagonists. I love a fluffy romance where we get some true emotional depth, and this one delivered. I also appreciated that one protagonist was queer and had a full queer life and that her experience and community was not a throwaway. I will be looking for more books by Lexi LaFleur Brown.

As a hockey fan, one of my biggest complaints about hockey romance is that there are a lot of people who don't understand how hockey works. Not the game itself - that's pretty easy to grasp. But the nuances of trades and drafts and contracts tend to get a little fuzzy when fictionalized. So thank goodness for Lexi LaFleur Brown, whose proximity to the NHL (and hockey experience herself) means that I wasn't taken out of the story by those little mistakes.

Beyond the hockey accuracy, this is a totally serviceable romance. Both JJ and Lucy felt fleshed out enough that they weren't boring to read, and their chemistry was solid. The book made use of its setting in Seattle in a way that felt totally authentic, and the secondary characters were reasonably entertaining. At times, the plot got a little cliche and predictable, which is what kept this story from truly shining. But overall, an enjoyable and decent read!

3.5/5

Look, I love Lexi Brown. I have religiously followed her on TikTok and enjoyed all her content; I love watching her partner commentate for Seattle (and for sure enjoyed watching him win a cup with Tampa).

That being said, this book sits in the middle for me. I was ecstatic to get an ARC from NetGalley since I love hockey romance books, and who doesn’t want to read something by a person whose content you enjoy? I loved the lucky charm trope of the book, how Jaylen was so superstitious that he gets Lucy to agree to his routines. I also loved watching them fall in love over the course of their individual growth! We LOVE a man who goes to therapy.

However, it really did feel like the author self-inserted her and JT (her partner) into the storyline, and made it kinda weird since the characters seem to be almost too close to them in real life. Maybe I’m just reading too far into it… but would I read other books by Lexi? Yeah, I’ll give it another go. Solid 2.5 stars but rounded up because I do like the sport, and Lexi overall.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Quick read, simple story. Writing was very juvenile, especially in the first ten chapters or so. I noticed some grammar mistakes, could just be the arc I was sent though. Overall, it was cute but nothing to write home about.

Review also posted on goodreads.

Honestly, I did not like this at all. I did not find that the characters had really any chemistry. There was no spark that had me feeling giggly or into the story. The FMC was very, "I'm not like other girls" and it read as very pick me. The MMC was kinda flat, and I didn't find much about him that interesting. I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me.