Shoot Your Shot is an impressive debut hockey romcom. I typically don't find much humor in romcoms, but that was not the case here. Several times I found myself actually laughing out loud at various jokes, and it really elevated the story. Jaylen and Lucy have great chemistry and are fully fleshed out in ways you don't always find in the romance genre. It was also fun to read about hockey from someone who has lived that life. I look forward to reading Brown's future works. Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I ended up DNFing this book unfortunately. For me, the characters were a bit one-dimensional and the FMC specifically came across as very ‘not like other girls’ and cringey. I was intrigued by the night-and-day differences between the two main characters but I just wasn’t able to find a way to relate to either of them or be gripped enough to continue reading.

CUUUTTTEEE! I ran for this ARC after seeing it and the author all over social media, which was a great choice! I loved these characters from the meet cute, the MMC falling hard for her form the jump and their banter. This is a great read for sports romance readers, those who love a he falls first and hard trope and realistic characters with their own struggles- while seeing their relationship develop in a relatable way that is true to many of our experiences! This was a fun, swoony and easy read that hits all the markers for a contemporary romance.

I've been waiting for this since I heard it was announced!

Lucy is a main character like no other. She's trying to get a tattoo apprenticeship while working at a tattoo parlor. While at a bar with her friends, she runs into Jaylen, literally. After Jaylen leaves the next morning, he discovers through events that Lucy must be his Good Luck Charm.

This hockey romance stars a prickly trainee at a tattoo parlor desperate for an apprenticeship and a pro hockey player. Their complete opposites, but when the hockey player thinks this girl has made him lucky their lives become intertwined. Like many other readers, I found this book through the authors very popular Instagram. Lexi LaFleur Brown is a real life hockey wife and has ample knowledge of the sport and it definitely shows. This is her first book and at times you can tell, though as the story progressed the writing got tighter. I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did, but I should have considering Lexi is hilarious on her Instagram. I overall enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others, especially those who like a sports romance. (Thank You to Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC)

Y’know they say you’ll always remember where you were when you receive big important news, and I can say, finding out Lexi LaFleur Brown got her own hockey romance published was one of those moments for sure!

As you could expect, this book has a level of realism in Hockey that only someone who has lived through it all and loves hockey can provide, which is to say most of the descriptions of all things hockey went way over my head. But it was honestly kind of fun seeing as how the main female character, Lucy is in the same boat. Jaylen’s character felt so real and I loved watching his mental health journey throughout it all. Honestly, the world could really do with more MMC's like Jaylen: equal parts absolute sucker for his girl and also fully fledged person with problems and struggles. Watching these two characters meet in the middle felt like watching two friends find one another. Their development into a couple felt both very realistic and yet exactly what I wanted from a romance.

There were times when the transitions between scenes were a little bit choppy or sudden, however that might have as much to do with it being an advanced copy as anything else. As her debut novel it’s everything a girl could hope for and I really look forward to her next story and watching her continue to grow as an author!

4/5 ⭐ This was a fantastic debut from Lexi LaFleur Brown! I am a big fan of hers on TikTok so I was thrilled to received this arc.

Jaylen and Lucy are such an unlikely couple but it's what makes them work! Another highlight is just how much representation is included in this book. I also love the prominence of the superstitions as I know first hand just how important they are in sports. This book is a perfect read for someone getting into hockey/sports romances but wants something light and quick.

As someone who loves the sport of hockey, I tend to get disappointed when reading hockey romances as many times there are glaring errors due to lack knowledge of the sport. However, with Lexi's first hand experience of being a WAG and still living in the NHL world, this story feels so much more accurate to real life. I hope to see more books in her future - whether it be connected to this book or a different team!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Lexi LaFleur Brown for the opportunity to read this eARC for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I’m been a Lexi fan since the day she absolutely destroyed this horrid misogynist online. I already knew she was smart and funny so it was no surprise that her debut novel would follow suit. Jaylen is hot, sweet, and I’m obsessed with his persistence in pursuing Lucy. Lucy is everything, a bi-queen, a tattooed, secret softy with daddy issues so many of us can resonate with (unfortunate but true). The chemistry between these two😍 the hockey accuracies🥰 Heart eyes all over the place. Safe to say I hope you keep writing Lexi! Also as a former Seattle girly, this book had me missing the city deeply. #ShootYourShot

I have been a long time follower of Lexi's and because of that, I really wanted to love this book. unfortunately,I just didn't. First, it's written in first person, which isn't always bad, but in this case was kind of annoying. Second, the writing felt like she was trying too hard to be creative, and instead came out cliché. The idea was cute and think if this went through a few more beta reads or revisions it could be really good!

This was so good! I like the authors TikToks so I was hoping to enjoy her debut, and I’m happy to say I had a great time reading this book. My first impression was that it felt a little too wordy at first, but the writing quickly grew on me. I loved the depth characters and I found the voice to be fun and fresh. I’m looking forward to seeing what she writes next!

Thank you to the publisher, author & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown was so much fun! I laughed out loud throughout the book. It also had many sweet moments and touched on some heavy subjects. I enjoyed the FmC and MMC’s banter. I was really rooting for them as a couple and individually.
At times the story and/or backstory seemed rushed or lacking in detail. Overall, a fun read especially if you enjoy sport romance.

Loved this so much. The witty banter and the chemistry between the character was so much fun to read and I couldn't put it down. It had everything you would want in a sports romance and then some.

I discovered Lexi LaFleur Brown on TikTok and was immediately drawn to her fun videos and behind the scenes insight on the NHL. “Shoot Your Shot” is a flirty, fun and emotional hockey rom-com debut from someone who’s had her own real hockey romance.

Jaylen Jones has worked his whole life to make it in the NHL but it seems his dream might be over. Out at the bar one night, he literally runs into a woman who changes this path. Lucy is an aspiring tattoo artist and being a good luck charm is the last thing she thought she’d ever be. Being lucky charm or in a relationship is the last thing she wants but Jayden is convinced she’s his lucky charm because after the first run-in, he was signed to the Seattle Rainiers. And his career and playing only gets better with each interaction they have. But as the two spend time together, it’s clear that there is more than just a superstition between them.

This book has so much packed into its story and Lexi does a great job of balancing it all out as a first time writer. Both Jaylen and Lucy are so relatable to so many people on different levels and I loved that about them. Jaylen is career driven but is still humble who works hard to be the best player he can be. He suffers from anxiety and the way he handles it in the book gives the best mental health representation. Lucy is his backbone behind that and helps him get the help he needs. I loved that we also had LGBTQ representation from Lucy and her friends. Lucy is smart, talented and tells it how it is. Her honesty is refreshing and she became a character that I Lucy is the black cat to Jayden’s golden retriever vibes and I loved these two together. They had a lot to work through together as friends, individuals and as a couple. Overall, this was a great book with accuracy about how the NHL really is and the ending for them was perfect.

A solid first outing for a new author that will definitely meet the demand for more hockey based romance novels. The characters are complex, and the relationship is sweet and believable, if a little rushed.

Thank you to Canary Street Press & NetGalley for the ARC of this hockey romance!!

Shoot Your Shot is one of the latest additions to the hockey romance sub-genre, and it's a welcome addition. It's a cute story between JJ & Lucy, and I enjoyed reading it. The story does a pretty decent job with anxiety and depression representation, and has a lot of queer representation in the main and side characters, which was great.

But, as a 30+ year resident of Seattle, I do have a pet peeve about inaccurate details of my favorite city, and as a moderately tattooed woman, I also have a few pet peeves about that as well. Little details that wouldn't necessarily distract from most readers, but details I picked up on nonetheless and definitely focused on more than most readers would.

Negative points for a typical third act breakup, but otherwise a pretty decent book. Would recommend.

Lexi LaFleur Brown's debut novel is impressive, to say the least. The story is well thought out and an enjoyable read.

This novel features Lucy, a spitfire shop assistant aspiring to be a tattoo artist and Jaylen, a down on his luck professional hockey player. On Jaylen's last night in Seattle a chance encounter with Lucy leads to them spending the night together. This initiates a change in fortune for Jaylen's career. He determines that Lucy is the causation for his streak of better luck and convinces her to become his good luck charm. What starts as a bit of innocent texting before games to fulfill superstition quickly becomes a budding romance. <spoiler>They face several trials and tribulations before ending up happily ever after. </spoiler> Lucy and Jaylen both have fantastic (although sometimes chaotic) friends in the side characters of the story and I appreciate that they are fleshed out characters too. Their friends added some additional pizzaz to the storyline along with keeping Lucy and Jaylen clearheaded. The story covers some delicate and complex topics like racism and an alcoholic parent and I feel like these topics were handled gracefully.

I really enjoyed the golden retriever boyfriend / black cat girlfriend aspects of this story. Lucy has a cutting wit and is incredibly funny. A few of my favorite quotes with absolutely zero context are:
"...while I continue to spiral into a pit of despair. It's always a pit of despair; just once I'd like to spiral into a ball pit or something fun."
"My therapist says I can't hide from my problems forever; I told her she shouldn't underestimate a competitive introvert."

Lexi is very knowledgeable about hockey and it shines through in this book. I feel like it gave an additional layer of realness. Although, I am not as familiar with some of the hockey things and had to look a few things up. I would highly recommend this book to fans of rom-coms and hockey romances.

Lastly, I want to thank Lexi for writing such a fun and delightful hockey rom-com! I would also like to thank Harlequin and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of the book!

3.5 stars!

I loved Lucy and Jaylen. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but when I did I was hooked. Lucy is a strong, independent character who knows who she is at her core. We need more of that in life.

The writing felt a little disjointed or scattered at times, which made it difficult to follow or stay in the story. This is something that I think will get even more fluid with experience. If anyone knows what Lamber and Sokov were whispering about (not shaving his back), I'd really like to know 🙃

I loved the home theme for both characters - finding homes, where you feel at home, and home being people versus just a structure.

The love for hockey, inclusivity, and mental health rep were beautifully done. It's obvious that this is something that the author cares about greatly and she treats it as such.

I will definitely read whatever she reads next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

First, I want to say how much I appreciate the hockey aspect of this story. We are inundated with hockey romance right now, but Lexi did a wonderful job describing the hockey lingo/explanation and you can tell she’s a true fan of the sport.

It was a little hard to get into at first for me. I did put this down 25% in for a couple weeks before finishing. Felt there was a lot of unnecessary conversations/interactions that didn’t move the plot along. And there was a lot of explanation rather than showing us. But I did like Jaylen and Lucy and their dynamic. I also very much appreciate all the representation this book had, especially the mental health.

I think this was a solid debut novel and look forward to Lexi’s future books.

Thank you Canary Street Press, Lexi LaFleur Brown and NetGalley for this ARC

4⭐️3🌶️
I loved this book!! I’ve been really loving the golden retriever & black cat trope lately and this book was perfect!! The couple not only evolved in their relationship but also them selfs which I love! There was representation of anxiety, depression with real every day problems and struggles which is one of my favorite things in a romance book. The side characters are so funny and i definitely recommend this book when it comes out!!

Only complaints is the random spacing was so annoying and in one of the chapters in the middle of a sentence it would just break to the next line. Also idk if it was the momentum getting messed up by the spacing typos but I felt like some of the areas kids jumped to the next and didn’t flow. 🤔
Side note with the text threads if you made them look like actual text bubbles I think they would look really good and stand out better 🙂

thank you harlequin for the e-arc!

a heartwarming and nhl-accurate hockey romance written by my favorite hockey wife.

most of this book is quite strong. the characters are multifaceted and sympathetic, the romance is sweet, and the growth arcs that each of our MCs undergoes are compelling in their own right.

I think the romance here was enjoyable because the conflicts all felt reasonable rather than melodramatic. each time I was worried there would be a long drawn out fight or break up from a plot point I anticipated, I was instead pleasantly surprised by the characters working it out. each character was immature on occasion, but they did actually communicate, and were each clearly benefitting from having a therapist. both of our MCs were very work focused, and I loved that they were able to continue prioritizing their dreams while being together as well.

each character has to work through a lot, and I feel like it was written in a compassionate and honest way. I did actually buy the self-growth arcs of each MC, and it made me feel good to watch things turn out ok. the main plot that hooks our characters together is quite silly, but it’s cute and not not believable in the hockey context.

my largest complaint is the prose quality. definitely a bit tell-y rather than show-y, and I think the dual-POV is also used to get around having to convey emotions more subtly. there are some kind of clunky moments as well. however, I know this is a debut, so I give some leniency, and I also didn’t find that it pushed me out of the story, so it isn’t a big deal. other complaint is that the side characters are barely developed and pretty archetype-like, but none of them in offensive or annoying ways