This is a book about finding the strength within one’s self when being vulnerable and it’s about chasing your dreams. This was such a refreshing hockey romance and the fact that the author is so versed in hockey culture shows.

Jaylen is the type of MMC that I wish more authors explored. His struggle with his mental health and the way he put the work in to overcome it was inspiring. Lucy was all kinds of chaotic and endearing. I desperately wish I was as funny as her.

This book had me laughing out loud. I can’t wait to reread this once it’s published so I can highlight and post all of the truly hilarious quotes from this book. Lexi writes some of the best banter that I’ve ever read. This book is a page turner that kept me wanting more.

I really enjoyed this book. Loved the bitchy black cat main character and a love at first sight moment where the man definitely loves the woman more. I wish it was a little longer to go more into detail about Lucy and Jaylen’s relationship (and Seattle). Loved all the mental health talk!!

This looks like a hockey rom-com but there is so much more here! Jaylen was a star hockey player, but once things started not going his way, it was a downward spiral. He literally runs into a girl in a club after the end of a tryout for a new team. He's down and just wants to forget and this girl lets herself be sucked into his orbit. What was supposed to be a one-night stand turns into her being his good luck charm for the season. It seems like whenever she wishes him luck in some way, good things happen for him. The story is sweet, but you also sense that these are two people with a lot going on under the surface. The mental health aspects of this story were so well-handled (even though the therapist was "interesting") and I loved seeing how even people who seem to have it all can also have mental health issues.

-BIPOC MMC
-Queer FMC and Friends
-Mental Health
-Hockey
-Tattoos and Art

A fun and light romance with accurate hockey information and depictions??? Sign me up! I appreciated the bi-rep, mental health discussions and the BIPOC representation - especially with how white the NHL is as a league. Lucy really gave that black cat energy and at times it was a little much for me, but I loved Jaylen with my whole heart - he was a great hero.

I've been following Lexi LaFleur Brown for years, and I was so excited when she announced she's written a hockey romance - and it delivered!

I was definitely in shock when I got approved since i’ve been dying for this book after Lexi first announced the deal on tiktok.

That being said, it definitely fell a little flat compared to my expectations. This definitely had a slower start in my opinion, so it took some time for me to really want to continue reading. I think this was a great debut for sure, but I definitely wanted a bit more of it and the characters. I thought Jaylen and Lucy were super fun and had a great dynamic, I loved that they pushed each other to get better rather than the stereotypical want to fix you kind of trope. I think there was just a bit of telling rather than showing when it came to their own problems and pasts which left me wanting more in their overall development. Not that the resolutions were too easy, but just I wish we got more out of them. I do really appreciate the accurate portrayal of hockey in this though, sometimes when reading sport romances some of the stuff included is so unbelievable it takes you out of the story. This was definitely not an issue in this book which I really loved.

I’ll definitely read Lexi LaFleur Browns next book since I believe she signed a two book deal. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this early!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read & review one of my most anticipated debut novels of 2025! Hockey romances are my absolute favorite genre, and when I came across Lexi LaFleur Brown on TikTok, I was SO excited to read this book. Shoot Your Shot follows the story of Jaylen - an underperforming NHL superstar who is on a one-year, last chance contract - and former painter turned aspiring tattoo artist Lucy, who I lovingly refer to as “a bad bitch with a backstory.” Both characters experience serious growth over the course of the story, but who they are fundamentally as people never changes, which I feel is so important. Their arc isn’t focused around trying to “fix” each other, but how to grow into the best teammates for each other that they can be. If you love stories with phenomenal queer representation, golden retriever/black cat dynamics, quippy and clever banter, mental health awareness, a realistic hockey plot, and just the right amount of spice - this is the book for you!

I was nervous going into this book because I’ve followed Lexi for a long time and have loved her wit and humor. I wasn’t sure if that would translate on page. Turns out, it did! This was a hockey romance that fed my nostalgia for the hockey romances I read when I first started my reading journey in 2021. The best thing was that Lexi knows the ins and outs of hockey- both player life and wag life. I do feel like the book started out slow and it took a bit for it to grab my attention (this is probably a me problem), but story picked up in the middle and suddenly I couldn’t put it down. It was the perfect mix of cute and sexy. Jaylen’s maturity was a breath of fresh air. I’m so happy for Lexi and am looking forward to more from her!

Thank you Lexi and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for an e·arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I ate this book up and cannot wait to get a physical copy! It had me laughing out loud multiple times, cheering on both main characters from the moment I met them and hoping that the more I read the longer the book would get. The hockey knowledge in this was amazing and the avatar reference has my heart warm. I loved the discussions about mental health and the male athletes not being afraid to be vulnerable and show their emotions. Jaylen and Lucy had amazing banter and a sweet love story. I’m hoping to see more from this author in the future.

A solid, if predictable, sports romance with several open door spice scenes. Jaylen is at a low point, his tanking hockey career after the loss of a friend several years ago has culminated in his NHL contract being dropped. Enter Lucy, bisexual black cat, aspiring tattoo artist, and apparent lucky charm for a certain one night stand hockey player. Between meet-cute mishaps and forced proximity turned business contract, the pair helps break down one another's walls despite the obstacles in their way.

This was a fast and enjoyable read, with some surprising heart. I appreciated the mental health representation and fun side characters. I would have liked to see those characters develop a bit more, as much of this book felt surface-level, perhaps given its abbreviated length. But all in all, I had a good time reading it!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Shoot Your Shot.

I love a good hockey romance, and this one was pretty enjoyable from this debut author. JJ and Lucy were both characters that readers could connect with regarding personal obstacles which made the story feel relatable even if their professions were not something that one can connect with.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Shoot Your Shot.

I follow Lexi on social media so I was really excited to read this book! It was great having an accurate depiction of hockey in a hockey romance. I liked both Lucy and Jaylen. I thought the romance between them was sweet. I liked that they explored mental health issues and didn’t make it into some moral failing.

They really seemed to grow together over the course of the book. I definitely recommend for an easy read.

I follow Lexi on TikTok and was so excited to get approved for her ARC since I love hockey and hockey books, especially if they are queer. I love the representation of queer characters, mental health, and also the BIPOC characters, which are not often found in hockey. The characters were interesting, if a little stereotypical. I wish their romance was drawn out a little more, getting to see them more together and their relationship grow would’ve been nice. The plot was also kinda stereotypical, but I loved the lucky charm. Jaylen was 100% my favorite, he was an absolute sweetheart and I rooted for him the whole time.
Overall, it’s a cute easy read, nothing too special, but still enjoyable.

Jalen goes home with edgy Lucy for one night, his plane ticket is already booked for the next day. When things turn around and he is asked to stay by his hockey team, he pursues her for something more, even as she insists she isn’t ready for a relationship. Opposites attract in this good luck charm-turned-girlfriend story, as these two characters evolve professionally and romantically, with a heavy dose of hockey thrown in.

I was extremely impressed with the accurate portrayal of hockey in this novel. As a former player myself, I often find myself struggling with the inaccurate or outsider-looking-in vibe that a lot of hockey romances have. However, I was not a huge fan of this story. The writing didn’t really do it for me. A lot of scenes were mechanical, the steamy moments were a bit clinical, and her edginess seemed a bit played up for effect. While I think the characterization of tattoo artists and queerness is intended to be a positive representation of itself, instead I feel like it reads as somewhat superficial, serving more as glitter than depth of field. I definitely finished the novel, I think mainly because I loved having hockey as a main character, but all in all, the story was fairly lackluster and I think it could use some editing in dynamics and characterization.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book wasn't for me. It was a light and easy read. Reading Lucy's character was hard for me to get through and the love felt a little forced. It wasn't a bad book by any means and for that I'd still recommend it, if it fits the criteria someone was looking for.

Such a fun read! Loved how Jaylen fell so hard and fast for Lucy. Lucy gave off major black cat energy, which is such a fun reversal for hockey romance because it’s usually the hockey player is more black cat. I loved how Lucy also learned how to stand up for herself throughout the book in a healthy way…tattoo shop incident not included (but sometimes that’s the most cathartic). Another thing that was so refreshing about this book was hope open Jaylen was about his mental health struggles. Yes he was embarrassed and reluctant at times, but with Lucy he was always so open and honest where in most hockey romances you don’t get that right off the bat.

The epilogue scene made me laugh out loud multiple times. I really hope we get Soko and Lambers books.

Shoot Your Shot is a cute and genuine romance. I love how the main characters grow and become more confident in themselves, because of each other. It was refreshing to read a sports romance that didn’t have an in-your-face, basic trope.

Shoot Your Shot
By Lexi LaFleur Brown

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- hockey romance
- Black cat FMC/ Cinnamon roll MMC
- LGBTQIA+ rep
- POC rep
- Reluctant friends to lovers
- Mental health rep

I loved this. I was super excited to read a book by someone who has intimate knowledge of hockey & Lexi did not disappoint. Lucy is a strong FMC & we love to see it. And it was really nice to see a sweet emotional MMC. Watching them fall for each other without even really realizing it was so sweet. And I cannot tell you how many times I was CACKLING because of their banter, their inner dialogue or even their interactions with their friends. The mental health rep was done so well & so nice to see them actually go to therapy & get medication & talk about how it affects life for them. I laughed, I cried & I loved this book so much. I’m really excited for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley & the Author for an E-ARC in return of an honest review

I was laughing out loud, I was tearing up a bit, and I was falling in love with Jaylen and Lucy.

I requested this book because I love Lexi (the author) online and when I heard she was publishing a book I needed it ASAP. If you’re familiar with her humor online, I think it’s pretty obviously conveyed into this book - which I love!

This romcom is not like any other I’ve read before, so while it was kind of a shock to me (because I’m reading just blatant/obvious fairly tale type love over and over) it was also refreshing and so real.
Lucy is a as blunt and non apologetic as it comes and Jaylen is a sweetheart who unfortunately is on an uphill battle with his inner demons. Initially while it seems like two people in two very different circles, they fit together so well!

It was fun and romantic and not your typical super mega hot MMC swoops in for a conventionally hot little FMC. (Except I’m pretty sure Jaylen and Lucy probably are very hot but.. you get what I’m saying)

The only thing missing from this book, and maybe that’s why it was on the shorter side, was a little more detail in certain areas. Maybe or character descriptions, scene/surrounding descriptions, and how the characters view each other in their own little inner monologue? But also some people find this to be fluff, and so without those things others might really really love this book!

A really great debut novel from Lexi LaFleur Brown that has me desperate to see what her next one will be like!

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin, and Lexi LaFleur Brown for the opportunity to read this early!

I'm gonna be honest, I was nervous about going into this one. I love Lexi and think she's hilarious, but what if I hated her book?

My hesitation was for naught, because this is a damn delight.

Filled with the same quick wit Lexi has made a name for herself with on social media, SHOOT YOUR SHOT had me laughing out loud from the first few pages. The wit is sharp and on point, and I love that Lucy didn't mince words. Also, Lexi's ability to perfectly land a quip in text is next level. The jokes are clever as hell, and I'm so glad that translated into her writing.

If you love a bitchy main character (and you should), Lucy is going to land so hard with you. Her style, her thought process, her humor- it all just works. I love that she's just a messy, flawed human and it's accepted and not made into a whole arc to try and "fix" it. Plus, she's an aspiring tattoo artist. How badass is that?

Jaylen is also a really refreshing male main character. He's witty and cocky, but not a jerk for absolutely no reason like we (often) see in hockey romance. Also, male vulnerability? In HOCKEY? Yes, please. I loved that Jaylen was the one going on this journey to accepting himself and really focusing on his mental health struggles because hockey needs more of that!! In sports!!

Also, a female protagonist who is openly queer and has an entire queer friend group that are often talking about their queerness in a sports book is really cool, actually, and I'm so stoked this exists.

The one thing I disliked about this story, though, are the NHL team names. I could in no way come up with a bunch of brand new team names, but, Lexi, I'm so sorry, the Seattle Rainiers just did not land with me. I was however a very big fan of the "Groo / Boo" reference. So, thank you for that, haha

SHOOT YOUR SHOT is a witty, queer, celebratory love letter to hockey and finding that one weirdo that matches your freak and I had SUCH a great time with it.

This was so good! I literally read it in one sitting. This is such a cute rom-com and I highly recommend!