Review: CANADIAN BOYFRIEND by Jenny Holiday

CANADIAN BOYFRIEND by Jenny Holiday

Publication Date: January 30, 2024

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher | Purchased

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RATING

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

A charming and heartfelt romance about a woman who comes face to face with the fake Canadian boyfriend she made up as a teenager.

The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.” It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend” part a little, but it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.
  
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he's feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.

MY THOUGHTS

"He's not fake.
He's Canadian."

That tagline is all that it took for me to become desperate to read this book. Well, that and the fact that I LOVE Jenny Holiday's books. 

I've sat with my thoughts about CANADIAN BOYFRIEND for a while and I'm still not sure how I want to share them. I fear that I'll become too confessional and the book will come across as too sad and it may keep a reader from picking it up. Like Mike Martin, a recent widower, I am a widow. And every book that I read is now through that lens. It can't be helped. It can't be changed. And in books like CANADIAN BOYFRIEND, I usually relate to the saddest parts. That's what resonates with me. Don't let this review fool you. This isn't a sad book. It's fun and charming and it's my hope that readers will discover that for themselves. I'm very much looking forward to rereading the audiobook version where the humor will come through more. The intention will be more noticeable than what I brought into the story as I read it.

I straight up loved CANADIAN BOYFRIEND. As I began telling some family members about the book, I could feel the joy overcome me and felt the smile on my face and I could feel it throughout my body. And that was just from thinking about the book and how connected I felt to it. I even asked them if they could see how much I loved the book by how my demeanor changed and the happiness I exuded just talking about it. They could see it.

What I Liked:

• The love between Mike and his daughter, Olivia and how they interact with each other 
• Mikes flirty texts to Aurora
• That it is always Mike Martin and always Aurora, never Rory. Then Aurora Lake.
• The growth that Aurora experienced as she worked on healing herself and lived her life for herself. Especially when she recognized her self worth - setting boundaries and saying yes to the things she wanted and no to the things she didn't.
• On the page, in the office therapy - with real talk, real questions, real revelations 

Some Favorite Quotes:

"It's our depression car." - IYKYK

"But with Mike Martin, kissing felt like the whole point." - This gives all the yummy, fluttering feelings.

"Holy cow, therapy was a lot of work." - Yes. Yes, it is.

Jenny Holiday writes about grief with compassion and she honors the experience in a touching, humorous, and relatable way. Seeing the many ways grief shows up in characters like Mike Martin and Olivia and in books like CANADIAN BOYFRIEND is both comforting and validating. It makes a reader like me feel less alone. For that, I thank her. 

Disclaimer: I requested and received an ARC of this book from the publisher for review consideration. I've purchased a final version of the book for my personal library. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Release Day Review: FIRST AND FOREVER by Jay McLean

FIRST AND FOREVER

by Jay McLean

Publication Date: July 12, 2019

Pages: 390

Source: Author | Purchased

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About the book:

First and Forever is the second book in the Heartache Duet, and must be read after Heartache and Hope.

Ava Diaz needs saving.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

Just like she doesn’t know a thing about the boy she sits next to on the first day of senior year.

He thinks she’s a brat.

She thinks he’s entitled.

Maybe first impressions don’t always last…

Because Connor Ledger’s about to save her.

He just doesn’t know why.

My Thoughts

FIRST AND FOREVER, the second part of the Heartache Duet, is just as wonderful and moving as HEARTACHE AND HOPE.  The love between Connor and Ava is still there, and it is so intense and overwhelming and it's exciting to get to experience it all with them. What I love most is the friendship and the care that they have for one another that brought them together in the first place is what brings them together again (not a spoiler, I mean Forever is in the title).

There are more moments of laughter and lightness and just Connor and Ava just being teenagers - when they aren't feeling the pressures life has placed on them. I enjoy the many ways this book brought a smile to my face and made me laugh out loud. And Connor for sure tells one of the funniest jokes that I've ever read. It was easy to vision how this scene all went down and I crack up just thinking about.

Ways this book made me happy:

• The public declaration of Connor 4 Ava
• Ava's signature way of cheering on Connor
• They have this tender habit of kissing the inside of their love's wrist 
• Reconnected friendships 
• The acknowledgment that communication is necessary 

FIRST AND FOREVER has one of those memorable scenes that when you think about this book, you'll return to this scene and pick up the book, flip to that page and then find yourself rereading the book all over again. 

With the Heartache Duet, Jay McLean balances the heavy with the hopeful and the loss with the love and gives us characters who find their happily ever after. A new favorite.

New Release Review: HEARTACHE AND HOPE by Jay McLean

Heartache and Hope, the first book in Jay McLean’s Heartache Duet is available now!

HEARTACHE AND HOPE

by Jay McLean

Publication Date: June 28, 2019

Pages: 324

Source: Author | Purchased

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About the book:

Ava Diaz needs saving.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

Just like she doesn’t know a thing about the boy she sits next to on the first day of senior year.

He thinks she’s a brat.

She thinks he’s entitled.

Maybe first impressions don’t always last…

Because Connor Ledger’s about to save her.

He just doesn’t know why.

My Thoughts

In her new novel HEARTACHE AND HOPE, Jay McLean makes it incredibly easy to get caught up in Connor and Ava's love story. They are complicated characters, each with their own history and struggles, who you only want good things to happen for them. They had my heart right away.

Just as the title suggests, there's a lot of heartache that both Ava and Connor experience in their daily lives. It's so ingrained in them that they can't ever really escape from it. We see glimpses of a reprieve, but it's always there looming. And they both feel the demands of their responsibilities which keeps them from sharing their love for each other completely.

The characters in HEARTACHE AND HOPE really make this book an unputdownable read. I freaking love Ava! She has this unimaginable strength after everything that she's been through. There's a vulnerability to her too. And the moments when she starting to open up to Connor - you get her lightness and you feel happy that she gets to be happy. The supporting characters: Rhys, Trevor, Corey, and Karen are interesting and complicated that I want to know their stories too. I just love the moments with Rhys and Connor and their smack talk, but their real talk too.

One of my favorite lines:

"It would be nice if I could help turn someone’s bad day into just a bad moment." - Ava

And this touched my heart:
“If you need proof that magic exists, I’m right here.” - Connor

And this moment CRACKED me up:
“Trevor!” I screech. “Shut. Up!” Trevor laughs, his head thrown back as he opens the door of his truck. “Go easy on her,” he tells Connor. “She’s on her period. Apparently, it’s a heavy flow."

I die. Right there. On my driveway. Dead.

I died right along with Ava, LOL!

Since H&H is just the first part of a duet, I knew that I'd finish with many unanswered questions and the desire to know more. I don't mind stories that are unresolved or end with a cliff-hanger. I actually enjoy having the chance to speculate about what could be and imagine what's happening with the characters. Having said that, I'm extremely happy to know that we'll get more of Connor and Ava in part two of the duet, FIRST AND FOREVER. And soon too!

I loved this book for the characters, for their struggles, for their realities, and for all their hope. I definitely recommended HEARTACHE AND HOPE if you like contemporary romances and sports romances. An incredible read.

Download your copy today or Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2NhQ5Yr

$100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
http://bit.ly/2Ypj25K

Read an Excerpt:

They look like fireflies. The way the water falls from the sky, illuminated only by the streetlamps. I stand in the middle of the road, barefoot and barely breathing, my arms out, face to the sky. 

I don’t know how I got here. 

When I climbed out of my window, the sun was just setting and now… now I’m surrounded by dark skies and false hope. 

[…]

I know I should go home. 

That I should face my fears and tackle them head-on. 

My mind travels the right roads at the right time to get me there, but my heart…

My heart takes me to Connor. 

Outside his bedroom window, mud seeps between my toes, and the frigid air creates goosebumps along my skin. I raise my fist and tap, tap, tap on the glass. 

A moment later, a light turns on. And then nothing. I tap again, my heart racing. The blind lifts and Connor appears, his eyes squinting. It’s clear he’d been asleep, or close to it. Hair a mess, he’s shirtless, the obvious beginnings of bruises mar parts of his torso, and I look down, shame filling every part of me. I bite down on my lip as he slides the window up. “Jesus Christ, Ava. What the hell are you doing?”

His warm palms meet my soaking wet elbows, and then his entire body is cocooning mine, lifting me off my feet and into his bedroom. My feet land on his soft carpet, and I look down at the mess I’ve made. “I’m dirty,” I tell him. 

Inside and out. 

Dirty, dazed and damaged. 

About Jay McLean

Jay McLean is an international best-selling author and full-time reader, writer of New Adult and Young Adult romance, and skilled procrastinator. When she’s not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her three little boys, investing way too much time on True Crime Documentaries and binge-watching reality TV.

She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her hurt and make her feel.

Jay lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in her dream home where music is loud and laughter is louder.

For publishing rights (Foreign & Domestic) Film or television, please contact her agent Erica Spellman-Silverman, at Trident Media Group.

Connect with Jay:
Newsletter:  www.jaymcleanauthor.com

Email: Jay@jaymcleanauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaymcleanauthor

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