This was cute! I'd say it's a fairly solid debut, but I didn't love it like I wanted to. This largely could've been a me problem!! I am not in a hockey romance mindset. But it was also a mix of the writing style and character/relationship development.

Individually, I ended up loving Jaylen and Lucy. Lucy took some time to grow on me but I loved Jaylen from the beginning. He was just so sweet! I didn't love the way Lucy treated him. They both did a lot of growing and I was so proud of both of them in the end. Even if the third act conflict really tested my patience with both of them.

As a couple, they were cute! I like them together but their relationship, on page, was very surface level. I don't feel like we got to see their relationship develop as much as we did with their individual stories. That was kind of a bummer.

Overall, it didn't totally work for me but I would still say to give it a shot. Especially if you love hockey romance. There were a few funny one liners that had me laughing out loud and while it dealt with some heavier topics, the book did not feel heavy.

jaylen jones, a superstitious hockey player, believes a one night stand with lucy is the key to his newfound luck when he secures a spot on the seattle rainiers. lucy, a black-cat, aspiring tattoo artist, reluctantly agrees to help him by sending good luck texts before each game, but their arrangement soon turns into sizzling chemistry, complicating their feelings as they both navigate emotions from their past, career struggles, and personal attachment.

this debut novel was an enjoyable read. the humor was a hit most of the time, though a few jokes did feel a little cringe. if you like rom-coms and sports romance, i'd recommend this book for you as it's a mashup of both with a little bit of spice.

i loved seeing lucy and jaylen's individual growth and development, but i did wish for a bit more chemistry between them as a couple. while their conversations showed an undeniable connection, it would’ve been great to see more of that spark evolve. i especially appreciated the bisexual representation from lucy, which truly felt authentic. her best friends are also queer and their personalities added depth, humor, and realness to the story. i LOVE friends who want nothing but the best for their bestie!

it's clear that lexi genuinely understands hockey, which made jaylen's perspective refreshing and well-executed. it was a good backdrop for the romance, rather than just being there to fit the "sports romance" genre.

i would read from lexi again, for sure!

3.5

I started following the author on TikTok after she shared her commentary when BookTok fans were sexually harassing professional hockey players and their families. I loved her smart thoughts on the intersections of fiction, reality, and culture and appreciated how she shared the humorous inside scoop on what it’s really like to be a hockey WAG. So I was really excited to learn she was writing her own hockey romance, and it was a pleasure to read.

I loved the messy yet deeply self-reflective main characters, Lucy and Jaylen. They were both hilarious and insightful, and it made for a truly enjoyable read!

I love Lexi from her Tiktoks (she seems like such a kind, cool person!) so I was really excited to get this. The story has a lot of potential but the writing style just isn't for me (and that's ok!) I have no doubt that the more she writes the better she's going to get and I'm rooting for her success! Appreciate the ARC and can't wait to see what comes next.

I absolutely adored this book I’m totally into the whole opposites attract trope with the dark character vs sunshine character.

Love the bi representation you don’t see it very often especially done well so I really appreciate that and I could not put this book down.

Love love love it and highly recommend it thank you netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press

*Shoot Your Shot* by Lexi LaFleur Brown is a fun, flirty romance with plenty of heart. The story centers around a charming and determined main character who takes a chance on love, even when things feel uncertain. Brown's writing is light and easy to get into, with great chemistry between the leads that keeps you hooked. There’s a nice mix of humor, romance, and personal growth throughout, making it an enjoyable and quick read. If you're looking for a feel-good romance with some laughs and a dash of drama, this one's a great pick!

I have some thoughts! One of the best things about this book was the comedy. There were moments where I was laughing so hard I felt like it would become a comfort book for me but ultimately that didn’t happen because I didn’t really find anything else that appealing. I loved the representation! I think the author did a great Job with that but other than that it just felt “okay”. I didn’t feel overly invested in the couple, I didn’t feel giddy over their romance. And eventually, the fmc got me so angry I wanted to throw my kindle away. The third act break up had me fuming because it was just so stupid and I think it could be a personal thing. I may just be so over third act break ups (I definitely am) but the way she was heaving really upset me. I can acknowledge that she obviously had reasons for behaving the way she did because of the people who used to be in her life but the mmc literally never gave her a reason to stress or worry and was literally obsessed with her and making her happy so I don’t think she should have treated him the way she did. With the way it ended I’m hoping she was able to pay for some therapy as well. Overall I was gonna give it 3 stars because the comedy really brought it up for me but the ending just brought it down to 2.75
The side characters were also hilarious. No notes for them.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I've been looking forward to this one and I had a good time. The way that they came together just felt so natural and I loved the progression of their relationship. I really loved when they had been dating for a month and Lucy just had no idea. She's so fun.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I was really excited to get my hands on this book but it unfortunately fell pretty flat. I found Lexi through all her WAG and hockey content and I wanted to love this book but it’s just not for me.

I felt like Lucy was almost like a caricature of a manic pixie dream girl. Lucy came across as kinda mean at times and I found myself often getting annoyed with her and the choices she makes. Jaylen, while sweet, was just kinda boring. He was almost too good/perfect as an MC? As someone else who reviewed mentioned he felt almost flawless which made Lucy’s flaws feel more apparent. The dynamic between the two was fine, but I didn’t really connect with Lucy and that made me question the connection between them.

I also wasn’t super fond of the writing style. It felt a bit clunky and, while I did have a chuckle here and there by a well timed zinger, it was mostly unremarkable and just felt like it needed another round of editing to tweak and perfect.

That said, the actual hockey content was excellent! Lexi obviously knows her stuff and that really shined in this book! It definitely saved the day at times when I wanted to close the book.

If you like extremely accurate hockey romances then I’d say give this a try!

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 8% - I usually push myself to read at least 25% but the writing style just wasn't for me - too much "pick me"/ "not like other girls" energy from our FMC and i just didn't vibe with the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I wanted to enjoy this book, I’m an avid hokey romance reader, but I didn’t enjoy this.

I loved this story. It was lighthearted and sweet. There was a silliness to the relationship that I loved and connected to. I lvoed watching both the FMC and MMC grow and embrace their flaws and become better people. They support each other and help the other to face demons they have each been trying to avoid for years.

2.5 stars

You know how contestants on The Great British Baking Show are sometimes told they have all the creative genius they need but have to focus a little more on the technical skills?

That's how I feel about this book.

The creative elements are all there and sound very promising! Aspiring queer tattoo artist? Hockey player pursuing his last chance to play professionally? Family drama and mental health representation? It's all good and I could see how it would combine to deliver a compelling story. But it fails on execution. Lucy and Jayden don't feel fleshed out enough. Lucy very much feels like "not like the other girls" or a manic pixie dream girl. Jayden is your classic Midwestern good guy who has fallen on hard times.

The dialogue was clunky and awkward at times. The pacing is off, allowing for too much air or not enough. There's zero tension or chemistry between Lucy and Jayden. So much telling and not enough showing. I skimmed a lot of this. There are other hockey romances I'd recommend before this one.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Canary Street Press, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me access to the advanced reader's copy of Lexi LaFleur Brown's debut novel!

*This review will be cross posted on NetGalley and Goodreads*

All opinions are my own and no spoilers ahead!

I follow Lexi on social media and was very excited to hear that she was writing her own hockey romance. Being a hockey wife and having played hockey in her own right, I was interested to see a romance written by someone who really knows hockey, especially the NHL, in such a capacity.

In this vein, the book did not disappoint. Throughout the novel, there are small details that show just how much Lexi loves and understands hockey and the social politics that come with that world. It was actually one of the most interesting parts of the book for me.

As for the FMC, Lucy, I definitely found her to be an intriguing protagonist, but there were aspects that I wish were further expanded upon. Though it's well-established from the beginning of the novel that Lucy is having a bad go of it with her career and romantic relationships, I felt like there was a missed opportunity to dig into her characterization a bit more. She is rough around the edges, but I felt like I wanted more as to why she built up these walls around herself and how she allowed them to grow so high, aside from the reason provided in the novel. I just wanted more!

I found the MMC, Jaylen, to be a more well-rounded character, with a tangible history. I found his struggles, both personally and in his career to be intriguing. I felt like it was handled with a good level of emotional gravity. Moreover, I found a lot of the inside-NHL information to be interesting, as a hockey fan. I would have liked to see more interaction between Jaylen and his teammates, but I found him to be a lot of fun!

Overall, I found the romance to be really cute! I really liked the back-and-forth that Lucy and Jaylen had from the very beginning of their relationship. My main critique is that I just found myself wanting more of it!

In this, there were moments where I felt that there was a level of intensity being conveyed in dialogue that I wasn't feeling within the actual story. At points, the book felt like it was only skimming the surface of their emotions, when I would have loved to see it dig in a little deeper. For me, I think that slowing down the story a bit and taking the time to convey that intensity to the reader would have gone a long way!

To me, this is more of a pacing issue and is something that tends to be common in debuts, so I'm not really put off by it. Moreover, there were parts of the book that dragged, particularly toward the middle, however it wasn't a debilitating issue.

I feel like another 30-50 pages would have really rounded out the story and given it a bit more depth, but as is, this was really enjoyable!

Overall, I had fun with this book and can't wait to see what Lexi's next book has in store!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC!

An MF with queer vibes that fits because the FMC is unapologetically bisexual. A hockey romance from an author that loves hockey warts and all. With awkward and lovely main characters and the authors voice coming through spectacularly truly a fun read as a debut.

Lucy is a Seattle-based aspiring tattoo artist but in the middle of a career slump. While out with friends she quite literally bumps into Jaylen Jones (JJ), whose hockey career may be over after his training contract isn’t renewed for the fictional Rainiers hockey team. A last-minute roster shakeup brings JJ back to the team, and convinces him that Lucy is his good luck charm. They develop a situationship with Lucy texting JJ good luck for his games, but with a tattoo apprenticeship on the line for Lucy and JJ’s tenuous hockey career on the line, will they both shoot their shot at romance?

I didn’t know the author’s backstory before reading, i.e. that she’s had her own hockey romance! I appreciated the queer representation with a bi main character and lesbian/gay best friends, in addition to aspects of mental health - and not in a way that felt exploitative. The chemistry between Lucy and JJ was palpable, even if some of Lucy’s grumpiness was a bit much at times and there maybe could have been a bit more character depth for JJ. The author’s hockey knowledge amplified the writing, and it certainly felt like rink was a central part of the story rather than a side quest like some other sports romances. I only deducted some points because for as strong as Lucy is in all other scenarios, I wasn’t the biggest fan of JJ swooping in to save her at one point with his hockey money. Still a fun read for any sports romance fans!

Reviewed as part of #ARC from #NetGalley. Many thanks to HTP Books for the opportunity to read and review. #ShootYourShot

Spice warning: moderate

Thank you so much to Lexi, NetGalley, and Harlequin for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Let me tell you, this one is for the girls who LOVE HOCKEY. Most hockey romances I read are just a romance with a “side of hockey” but Lexi told a story that brought the action on the ice AND in the bedroom. She gave me a story that had me laughing, crying and kicking my feet. I had the best time reading this! If this is the only book we ever get from her it’s a great one but I also can’t wait to see if she has more stories to tell us!

5 stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

3.5 rounded up!

I've followed Lexi on TikTok and Instagram for a while, and I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I had the chance solely based on her perspective being so immersed in the NHL culture and her insider tea on all things NHL wags. I also love how outspoken she is on topics that matter, like supporting the LGBTQ+ community and sharing black history in general and as it relates to the NHL.

This book was also the perfect length with clear development, conflict resolution and relatable main characters. I loved Lucy's sass and black cat vibes, and Jaylen's golden retriever energy. This felt a little atypical in standard romance set ups in that they didn't necessarily try to fight their attraction to one another after their one night stand turned into them working in the same space. I appreciated how their relationship unfolded over the next few months and Lucy and Jaylen grew together, dealing with past traumas and mental health issues in a way that wasn't forced.

Every development felt really natural and intentional and not just included for the sake of inclusion to check a box.

This was cute! I’ve seen Lexi on TikTok talking about her experience in hockey and as an NHL WAG, so I was very excited to receive this ARC. Lexi definitely knows her stuff. Shoot Your Shot has some of my favorite ingredients in romance: black cat heroine, golden retriever hero, and a good luck charm dynamic, and a mutually beneficial agreement that turns into something more. If you like these in your hockey romance, this book is definitely for you.

I just did not love Lucy in this. Her commitment phobia bordered on irritating and made me feel genuinely bad for JJ at times. I don’t think this will bother everyone, but it did bother me. There was also something about the writing style that did not resonate with me? But I enjoyed so many elements in this, and knowing this is Lexi’s debut novel definitely makes me willing to pick up another book by her in the future.

DNF at 10%.

I love hockey, am a fan of Lexi’s and was really excited to read her debut, but unfortunately I had a hard time getting into it from the very start.

The writing style was hard to enjoy — the sentences either felt choppy or too long and were doing way more telling than showing and without really saying much. The dialogue felt kind of forced, and Lucy’s inner dialogue very much gave that she’s “not like other girls” and quickly grew tiring.

As mentioned I’m a fan of Lexi’s, which is why I requested this arc and which is also why I’m throwing in the towel a few chapters in, as I can’t bring myself to read through 300 pages of this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.