I tried really hard but just could not get into this. The chemistry is where? IDK not in this book. The only redeeming quality is that the hockey is at least accurate but honestly I would rather have a compelling romance in exchange for less accurate sports representation.

I typically don’t dive into sports romances, but I do have a soft spot for them, and I enjoyed this read! It was filled with tension, spice, and a solid plot. However, I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between the main characters, and while I appreciate the bisexual representation, I think it could have been explored further.

I really liked Jaylen and Lucy, but I wish we could have seen more of their relationship develop throughout the story. Overall, it was just an okay read for me, but I would definitely recommend it to fans of hockey romances!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted copy!

What a success for a debut!
I follow the author on TikTok, so was super excited to get my hands on Lexi’s first published novel, and it did not disappoint!
Following a mildly grump bisexual tattoo apprentice hopeful and her reluctant first-night-stand to friends to lovers relationship with free agent hockey ex star, this novel has all of the laughs, spice, and emotional moments that are key to a solid rom com. Plus, discussions about the lack of diversity in the NHL, so that was awesome to see as a hockey girlfriend myself.
Will definitely pick up from this author again for her future books.

This was a fun listen! Lexi wrote a funny, quirky hockey romance rooted in her life experience both playing hockey and being married to an NHL player. My only complaint was that the queer characters felt a little tropey/cliche-I know Lexi is a member of the queer community herself so I was a little surprised that the queer characters seemed so contrived.
Overall this was a four star listen for me. The narrators were great, the story made me laugh, and I had a good time listening to it!

If you are in your hockey romance era then you will want to read/listen to this book. I listened to the audiobook and I liked that there were two different narrators, especially since the book is told from two different perspectives. I like that it was a fake dating romance, sort of. The female character becomes his lucky charm. So they continue their deal of spending time together in order to make his season great. And she uses him to help advance her career. Smart woman. This is definitely a cute romance and will give you all the hockey vibes you need!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audio of this book.

This was a fun romance between Lucy, the bisexual artist/aspiring tattoo artist and Jaylen (JJ), the professional hockey player fighting to keep his place in the league. They have a fun night together in Seattle, and with JJ expecting to leave town to find his next landing spot, they don't expect to see each other again. But when the Seattle Rainers ask JJ to stick around for a season, he finds himself crossing paths with Lucy once again.

It's a cute story, with Lucy becoming JJ's good luck charm during the season. I wasn't fully pulled into it, and I felt a bit of a disconnect with some of the writing, but overall it was a fun listen, and the banter was entertaining.

Kristen DiMercurio and Jamal Roque were the narrators and did a good job. I think listening on audio definitely helped me progress through the story. It's a quick and fun listen though maybe not the smoothest storytelling.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of this book.

I'll start by saying this book is beautifully written literarily, it's just not for me. I found both of the main characters to be insufferable. Lucy just isn't a NICE lady at all, and I know it's the point but I found her impossible to like. And JJ, he just comes off as immature and annoying. This made it really hard to like the storyline.

I really enjoyed Jamal Roque's voice as the narrator for JJ, and Kristen DiMercurio was a good voice for Lucy's character.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

4.0

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC 🎧

I really enjoyed this story! I had been following Lexi on Tiktok and her sense of humor really shown through this book, and I think she did a great job for a debut novel.

The narrators also did a great job at bringing both Lucy and Jalen to life.

Shoot Your Shot
By: Lexi LaFleur Brown

The vibes:
- aspiring artist / tattoo artist + NHL hockey player
- strong, black cat energy FMC meets supportive, golden retriever MMC
- she’s his “good luck charm” for games

This was a cute story! What starts as just a “good luck charm” arrangement turns into a loving relationship with lots of chemistry! The dialogue was a little unnatural sometimes and I didn’t click with the FMC so much, but it was a good story overall.

Trigger warning: alcoholism/alcoholic parent

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for access to this ARC in return for my honest review!

Thank you for the eaudio arc. I enjoyed the book, but felt it could have a bit more to it. I wish there was more hockey in the book vs the apprenticeship but I am looking forward to her next book.

so impressed with this debut from lexi lafleur brown. the writing is smart, funny and these characters are super relatable. i came for a cute hockey rom com. was pleasantly surprised by the biting the banter and the mental health rep. lexi crushed it. can’t wait to see what she does next. brava.

Shoot Your Shot
By Lexi LaFleur Brown
3 stars

Man, I love a hockey romance and especially a duet audiobook! Thank you Harlequin Audio for this opportunity!

What worked:
-Jaylen’s humor
-Jaylen seeking therapy and having anxiety/depression representation
-Jaylen being a total sweetheart
-Lucy representing the bisexuals of the world
-Lucy being a black cat energy girlie
-Lucy’s BFF’s
-listening to this as an audio was the best!

What didn’t work:
-The queer characters being boiled down to overused tropes- gay bff was sassy/mean/barista & being gay is his only personality trait & lesbian friend was too serious too fast with a girl living out of her van
-Lucy, a bisexual woman, describing herself as promiscuous and flighty from the start
-most characters were lacking depth and felt very one dimensional
-the language at times felt off or really unrealistic
-Lucy being so obsessed with getting the tattoo internship that she’s rude to Jaylen/not wanting anything with him/putting all her focus into it despite Jaylen being a really great guy to her
-Over explaining of simple things but not elaborating on more complex aspects ( like what happened when Lucy quit her job?!?!)
-Not explaining any of the hockey terminology that’s sprinkled throughout the book? I like the romance of it all, I know nothing about the sport- help?
-Lucy explaining over and over again how she doesn’t do relationships
-Jaylen telling Lucy he loves her & calling her his girlfriend when she doesnt even think they’re in a relationship and just accepts it after telling us she doesnt do relationships
-Constantly being told and now shown in the book.
-The smut scenes were bland and poorly written. We get it, Jaylen is black and has a huge dick that “won’t fit”

Grateful I listened to this one because I’m not sure an eyeball read would have worked for me at all.

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown is the kind of romance that makes you want to grab a megaphone and scream, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” It’s fun, flirty, and packed with tension that keeps you hooked from page one.

The chemistry between the main characters? Off the charts. The banter? Sharp and addictive. And the slow-burn buildup had me turning pages way past my bedtime. Brown does a fantastic job balancing humor, heart, and just the right amount of angst, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a romance that feels fresh and full of life.

If you’re a fan of witty dialogue, undeniable attraction, and a story that will leave you grinning, Shoot Your Shot is one you don’t want to miss. 💘📖🔥

Okay so I loved the idea of this book so very much, and I was really excited to be able to get the audiobook of it, because hockey romance audiobooks? Hit different!

I loved the narrator in this book, and I think it actually enhanced the story a lot more than I thought it would. However the book itself, while fun was just okay I think. I had high hopes for this one because I love watching Lexi on Tik Tok, but i feel like it needed more to it to make it great. The chemistry needed more, but the characters separately were actually really funny and interesting.

I can't wait to see what she writes next, because it can only get better! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Love me a good hockey romance and this one is worth reading.

Lucy Ross is the love interest. She is an artist who started with traditional art and is trying to break into tattoo artistry by getting an apprenticeship. She is determined to succeed and her priority is her career track. Lucy's boss is absolutely evil and Lucy struggles to please her. She worries about gaining the apprenticeship daily. Lucy is jaded and comes into the relationship with a legacy of a deadbeat dad and a strong tendency to not trust promises or commitments made to her because of her dad.

Jaylen is the hockey star. 1st round draft pick. Big time NHL successful player until he wasn't. Now he's struggling just to get back on a NHL team. He is all about getting his career back on track and at this point that is all he cares about. Unfortunately, he failed and is getting sent back down after not succeeding in his audition for the Seattle Rainiers.

Both meet at a local bar and the first impression is terrible. He collides with Lucy and spills all the drinks she is carrying all over her - instant dislike and bad feelings occur-but she still thinks he was cute. Jaylen liked her though and decides to go find her. He finds her at the bar and wants to buy her a drink. She orders a set of shots for her table and then leaves him at the bar!

He goes after her one more time and they decide since it is his last night in town and Lucy thinks he's attractive that they would hook up - just this once. They have a bonding experience over the number 13. The night was fantastic. She wakes up and he is gone. Lucy decides it was a great night she will remember fondly and moves on.

Jaylen gets a call from his agent and is called back to the Rainiers before he boards the airplane to leave the next morning - Lucy gets a work assignment at the arena and they meet the next morning. She gets nailed with a puck when she sees him, gets a concussion, and needs stitches. They tentatively begin connecting and work through a lot on issues, emotional fears and career ups and downs.

In the end they both come to a stable and emotional happy partnership and career goals come true for both Jaylen and Lucy- with more than a few surprises.

Great adventure! Give it a read.

This was a good story. If you like hockey romances, then you’ll enjoy it. I do love a good hockey romance, however, I had a hard time rooting for our main characters. They were just ok in my opinion. To me, they were both just a bit too wedged into their personalities. It wasn’t that they were horrible people, but they weren’t entirely likable either.
The audiobook narrators tried to give the characters a bit more life, and succeeded to a point, however, it didn’t quite work.
**Thank you Netgalley**

I struggled with this book. Listening to the male narrator was difficult. I did not enjoy his voice.
The writing felt very adolescent. I do understand that this is the author’s first novel, and if I remember correctly, she was writing this because she’s a hockey wife and wanted a more “accurate” description of hockey in a romance book. Here’s my hot take on that, as an avid hockey fan and reader, I am ok with my hockey romance books not being 100% accurate as long as the writing is good and I don’t dread picking it up. This book unfortunately was a no for me.

I received an ARC audiobook of Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

There’s a lot happening in this book, but none of it really comes together in a satisfying way. The writing leans too much on telling instead of showing, which makes the clichés even harder to overlook. Lucy is frustrating, JJ has no backbone, and their relationship lacks the emotional depth needed to make it feel real. The pacing is inconsistent—some issues are dragged out unnecessarily, while others are wrapped up too easily. I kept hoping for things to improve, but instead, I found myself more and more disconnected.

The one highlight was the hockey. The details were clearly well-researched and felt authentic. But at the end of the day, I’d rather read a hockey romance by someone who understands how to craft compelling characters and relationships rather than one that just gets the sport right.

First off, I didn’t even know it was a tiktok star until i read someone’s reviews… and it’s Based on her relationship with her hockey husband?? Woah.

Now on to the actual story. It was just eh for me. Their start was very quick and more about lust.

I did like all the hockey and the artist talk but it just felt mostly about sex with some little things mixed in.

Thank you @htpbooks and @netgalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review

I loved this audio book - the characters voices were so good and exactly how I saw them (if that makes sense for an audio book). I loved the fact that Jaylen wasn't always the overly confident macho superstar hockey player. And I loved how Lucy was such a spitfire but also just a mess. They brought out the best in each other and their banter was wonderful.