I wanted to like this so bad. And I tried. Some parts of it I thought I was enjoying, but honestly this just isn’t worth the read. It was very cringy and hard to read at times. There was really no depth to the characters, and zero flow. The writing style just isn’t for me.

ARC Review
Shoot Your Shot by Lexie LaFleur Brown

This was a cute read - it follows a prickly & sassy black cat artist and a golden retriever of a hockey player with some anxiety issues. While I enjoyed the overall premise of this book, it fell a bit flat overall.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Hockey rom com
* Black cat artist x golden retriever hockey player
* Superstitions
* Failed one night stand

This was a book that I was anticipating since it was first announced and it didn’t disappoint. Lexi has a way of writing that only reels you into the story, but her plethora of hockey knowledge being on the other side of it, made my hockey fan heart happy. This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read in a long time.


Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC.

What a disappointment. The characters are one dimensional, no plot, the romance was all over the place, and it was so, so slow. The author tried to have a diverse cast in this book, it was pretty much very stereotypical.

It's a hockey book, my favourite kind, but this one was actually bad. I cannot get out from a string of very badly plotted and written novels lately.

Still, thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

There's something about hockey romance that I just love, and while this book is good, it didn't really stand out to me. Individually I liked the characters and their personalities, but I didn't really feel the chemistry. Lucy is described as being strong and confident, but actually is a pushover with her father, boss, and even her friends at times. I did like how Jaylan changed from an anxious mess in the beginning and became a sunny golden retriever character. Overall it was just an ok story for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of the book.
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Read if you like: hockey romance, opposites attract
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Lucy and Jaylen meet after Jaylen fails to secure an NHL contract, but after a one night stand, he gets the call that a contract has been secured, and he begs Lucy to be his good luck charm. Lucy is an artist who is hoping to secure a tattoo apprenticeship.
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I thought the story was cute and I liked the tension between Lucy and Jaylen. But I felt like they moved from casual to in love very fast and I would have liked to have seen their relationship develop a bit more. The ending also felt quick. But overall I thought it was cute!

✔ Hockey
✔ 2 POV
✔ Forced Proximity
✔ Black Cat MFC
✔ Golden Retriever MMC
✔ Failed One Night Stand
✔ So much banter
✔ Bi-rep

A good luck charm, overcoming anxiety and family expectations, a re-discovery for a life forgotten, and a chance for a fresh start.

When Lucy and Jaylen meet they will find out that life is an adventure and the only way to live without regrets is to do the things you love. Living for others won't bring us happiness and denying what we were meant to do we will always struggle for happiness.

A spicy sports romance. TW - loss off page but character still dealing with, anxiety and depression.

I think that if you follow Lexi on TikTok but aren't an avid reader you will probably enjoy this book, but unfortunately as someone who's an active reader (and has read over 100 hockey romances) this falls kinda flat. The storyline is all over the place: Jaylen is such a risk as a player he can only get a one year contract but halfway through the season becomes an assistant captain, Lucy's daddy issues, and all the little quips that combine to be too many little quips. I listened to this on audio and I think the jokes especially felt flat on delivery, maybe they wouldn't come across that way reading. I do really enjoy Lexi's TikToks and I can see that this is her sense of humor but I don't know if it's the combination of delivery and frequency, it just doesn't feel the same.

I really liked the queer, bipoc, and mental health representation in the story and I feel like that is what sets the book into the "yeah I wasn't crazy about this but I didn't actively dislike it" category. Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for an ARC of Shoot Your Shot.

I've been following Lexi on TikTok for many months now #becausehockey but I stayed for the plot!! This book was such a fun and refreshing shot on goal in the world of hockey romances all seeming to be telling the same basic story of late. I loved her characters and their growth, but, too, you can tell she is one of the rare few writing in this subgenre who really knows how hockey (especially professional hockey) is played and I was here for it all!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the honor of an advanced copy to review, and congratulations to Lexi on launching her book babe into the world!! It's a goalie (a "keeper")!!

Thank you so much to Lexi LaFleur Brown, NetGalley, and Canary Street Press for the ARC of Shoot Your Shot! I’ve been following Lexi on Tiktok for a while now so as soon as she mentioned she was writing a book and it became available to request on NetGalley, I jumped on that so fast! I love hockey romance, and I was so excited to read this book, since her husband played professionally and she really does know what she’s talking about. I had so much fun and I can’t wait to keep reading whatever she writes next! I did spend the whole book actually picturing Lexi and her husband and hearing her voice when Lucy speaks which threw me off a bit in the beginning, but not too badly!
 
Shoot your shot follows artist and serial dater Lucy and NHL player Jaylen or JJ. After they meet at a bar where JJ is impressed by Lucy checking him, they have an adventure that night, expecting never to see each other again. Fate, on the other hand, has other plans. JJ was in Seattle to get a spot on their NHL team but didn’t get it. However, after a player gets injured riding a scooter, JJ gets his shot at staying in the NHL with a 1-year contract. Lucy is trying to get a tattoo apprenticeship and is assigned to paint a mural for, you guessed it, the arena in which JJ now plays hockey. Their one-night stand intention may be a little more difficult to keep. When they agree to trade favors to help each other out in their careers, situationship-prone Lucy and career focused Jaylen may have underestimated their chemistry and where it can lead. This book was super fun, and I can’t wait to see what Lexi writes next!

2.5/5 stars - I love hockey romance but there was something missing with this book. I felt like there was too much and too little going on at the same time. It’s like the author wanted to cram in as many plot points as possible and it didn’t work. Lucy was at times unlikeable and I couldn’t see past that.

I did like that the author has a background with the NHL so the hockey parts were believable.

This book was a roller coaster of “will they won’t they” with the FMC giving strong black car energy to only be matched by the Labrador energy of the MMC. I laughed, I pined and I cursed Lexi LaFleur Brown for dangling the carrot only to YANK it away. I really enjoyed this debut novel and look forward to more from this author.

I was really excited to pick this one up because I love hockey romance, and this book offered a fresh take on the genre! The premise of the black cat artist meeting the golden retriever hockey player and unwittingly becoming his good luck charm (hockey players and their superstitions!) immediately intrigued me. I also really appreciated the representation throughout the story. The book did a great job incorporating LGBTQ+ themes, with Lucy (the FMC) and her friend group all being part of the community in a way that felt natural and authentic. I also loved the mental health representation portrayed through Jaylen (the MMC)—therapy and medication were handled in a way that was refreshing to see in this genre.

That being said, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Lucy. She had that snarky, sarcastic "cool girl" energy, but it often felt forced rather than effortless, and at times, she just came across as rude. Her friend group was fun, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that at times, the portrayal of diversity just gave me a bit of a tokenism vibe.
Jaylen (the MMC), on the other hand, was a highlight for me! He felt real and relatable, and I loved how he and Lucy helped each other grow. Their romance was sweet, but it moved a little too fast for my taste, bordering on insta-love. The third-act breakup was predictable, but it was resolved quickly and in a satisfying way.
As for the hockey aspect, you could tell the author really knows the sport, which I appreciated. The team dynamics were a lot of fun, and I’d definitely be interested in reading more about the other players. That said, some of the hockey lingo went over my head, so I found myself a little lost at times.
Overall, while this one didn’t fully work for me, I think it’s a solid debut and I’ve grown a bit attached to the characters, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on what this author writes next!

Thank you to Canary Street Press for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one and it was such a unique and refreshing take on a hockey romance! Shoot Your Shot is a sports romcom and it has great banter and moments of dialogue that had me LOLing. I love that the MCs are not your “typical” leads in a hockey romance: we have a black NHL player MMC with golden retriever tendencies and an artsy, LGBTQ+, black cat FMC. Oh and cameos from a volatile cat named Sailor!

Something that I thought was really interesting while reading is that I actually didn’t immediately feel the sexual chemistry between them right away. I got more friends vibes/banter, but it grew to romantic chemistry and I really liked that about it because it felt like such a real and natural progression for them.

This book has everything you want in a fun hockey romcom and then some: banter, physical and verbal comedy, mental health rep, grounded characters, BIPOC rep, and LGBTQ+ rep! It would also be a great palette cleanser to read in between heavier books and give yourself some lightness.

Like many other readers, I was drawn to Shoot Your Shot because of Lexi LaFleur Brown's presence on TikTok. I love her quick wit and behind the scenes WAG info, so I was extremely excited to get my hands on her debut novel.

I initially had a hard time getting into the book because of the writing style. However, I didn't let that detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. It just took a little time to adjust, and once the stage was set and the groundwork was laid, I found it easier to engage with the narrative.

I loved the banter between the main characters; honestly, it kept me invested in the story. I'm a simple woman—I enjoy good banter and a bit of spice, and *Shoot Your Shot* delivered on both fronts. I started my hockey romance journey with little knowledge of the sport, but I've learned much since then. It was great to see that the author had real-world experience, which helped create a believable hockey world.

I think this was an impressive debut for Lexi, and I will definitely be on the lookout for her next title!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lexi LaFleur Brown and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really enjoyed this. That being said, there was something kind of flat about it. I didn't feel depth in the characters, the friendships, the relationship.

What a debut! This was a cute book, I loved FMC Lucy and how she worked through her own struggles not only with her family but also her doubts and passions. And MMC Jaylen really showed our grief can take years to process.

LOVED the accuracy that went into the Hockey parts of the story, definitely a bonus!

Lucy is a former painter working a front desk at a tattoo parlor in hopes of the owner looking over her portfolio and offering her an apprenticeship. Jaylen is a professional hockey player, well former, who was hoping for his next big break. They have one night together and Jaylen is offered a deal with the local hockey team. He then determines Lucy is his good luck charm and asks for a good luck text before each game. Little by little they start to peel back layers of each other and start falling for each other. I enjoyed this book. It is always hard to put down a book when the two characters finally get together and then something tears them apart. I have to know how their story ends. I liked that both Lucy and Jaylen had struggles they have to overcome. Jaylen finally letting all of his guilt go and doing something amazing with Cam’s story was a perfect touch. I like the two points of view, it gives a great depth to the story and you don’t have to think of what the other person is thinking.

As a fan of Lexi's social media presence and a newer fan of hockey (I've just started getting into it in the last month or so), I was really looking forward to reading this book. Especially because I've read a decent number of hockey romances that just fell flat to me and the whole marketing strategy around this book was how it was different and better because it was written by someone with insider information. So imagine my surprise when I picked it up and read basically a rehashing of every single sports book cliche I've ever read.

This was honestly one of the most blatant self insert romance books I've ever read, which was a little uncomfortable to me, since she and her husband are public figures - during the sex scenes I felt like I was interrupting something. I also found the main character to be so incredibly pick-me it hurt. Like, we get it, you're covered in tattoos and so small but could also take out a full grown man if they wrong you. The LGBTQ+ characters also fell into the most rigid stereotypes I've seen in a while - promiscuous bisexual, moves-too-fast-in-relationships lesbian and flamboyant gay. It almost felt offensive.

There was a decent amount of hockey knowledge in the book, but I think what people forget when writing a book about a sport such as this is that you don't have to just be knowledgeable about the sport, you also have to be a good writer.

This book was so cute! I loved the characters and their growth throughout the story. The book definitely had some cute and light moments but also handled the mental health and character growth well.