Canadian Boyfriend

by Jenny Holiday

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.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Audiobook, Sports, Hockey, Contemporary, Hockey Romance

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2024

About the author

Jenny Holiday is a USA Today-bestselling and RITA®-nominated author whose books have been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, and Buzzfeed. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing at age nine when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she's not working on her next book, she likes to hang out with her family, watch other people sing karaoke, and throw theme parties. Jenny lives in London, Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Tianna Marie Tchouban · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 8%
If I hear “Mike Martin” one more time I’m going to lose my mind.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sweet, emotional, and full of so much healing. I adored both the leads as individuals, but together, they truly sparkled ✨

This book has:
• A sports romance with a ballerina heroine and a hockey player hero 🏒
• The hero is a single dad, and the heroine is his daughter's dance coach
• Forced proximity 👩‍❤️‍👨
• Found family trope 💕 (and yes, there is a dog included)

There were a few things that I did not enjoy about this book, starting with the heroine referring to the hero with his full name. It was cute at the start until she continued to use it even after they started their relationship, which felt odd to me. Beyond that, the whole conflict surrounding the letters felt forced. I didn’t think the letter reveal was a big deal, so the third-act breakup was unnecessary for me.

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

[Estefania · Rating 2 out of 5]

probably one of the couples with the worst possible chemistry ever

[Bryce Rocks My Socks · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wish her Canadian boyfriend WAS fake and the book just ended there

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the best part about this book is not the fact that it's a contemporary or sports romance... What I like most about this book is that I connected with the heroine so much!! Rory is a lovely woman, and yet she doesn't have a ton of close friends just through life circumstances, and she learns to stand up for what she really wants in life!!

So often, we shape ourselves to what those around us want instead of what we really need, and that can be incredibly exhausting, leading us to feel lost. Canadian Boyfriend, although a really sweet, healthy-feeling romance.. didn't have that big third-act breakup feeling. It was just such an amazing exploration of mental health in the face of other's expectations.

**P.S. Our main man Mike? He's going to therapy and actually working through his major red flags in relationships.

↑↑ Update - Completed January 7th, 2024 ↑↑

I've been in a slump and will get back to reviewing/commenting ASAP! But this so far is really good, and I love the fact that I feel like they're genuinely friends!!

↑↑ Update - Started January 5th, 2024 ↑↑

**Thank you to Forever for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.

A ballerina fmc and a hockey player mmc?

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5⭐️ When widower and pro hockey player Mike Martin brings his daughter to her dance class run by Aurora Evans, and sees his daughter’s connection to her, it sparks an idea. He offers her a quasi nanny roll in order to help soothe the stress his time on the road will cause. Soon, Mike realizes just how much of a balm Aurora is for him as well.

If ever I was guilty of judging a book by it’s cover and then getting it completely wrong, it was with this book. I have to admit, I saw the cover and thought cute smutty hockey book.

Then I heard Joshua Jackson co-narrated it, and immediately dropped everything to listen. And boy was I wrong with a capital W. This is the antithesis of the smutty hockey romance (not that I don’t enjoy those as well). This is the feel good book I didn’t realize I needed just at the moment I needed it. Minus two little issues I had (discussed below) this book is romcom perfection in every way. If there was a warm hug in book format, it’s this one.

I asked recently about what ingredients make a great book “recipe” and most of the elements can be found right here in Canadian Boyfriend. With the most adorable down-to-earth and lovably flawed MCs, found family vibes, an emotional component, therapy positivity, a ton of LOL moments and some steamy moments thrown in for good measure, Jenny Holiday has concocted the ideal romcom.

Let’s talk for a moment about what didn’t work as well. I am not the biggest fan of drama thrown in to create tension, and while I think it kind of works given the emotional baggage of these MC’s, I still could not fully understand why it created the impact it did. Thankfully it makes up such a small percentage of the story. There was also a repetition of the MMCs full name that drove me a little batty. I think though, if you can overlook those two elements like I did, you will find this to be a winner.

As I mentioned above, Joshua Jackson (with his glorious Canadian accent) co-narrates this duet, graphic style audio with Emily Ellet, and both add even more depth and emotion to this already emotionally rich story. I cannot recommend listening to the audio enough. Even better, grab the e-book or physical book to read with it. You know this is my favorite way to go for the best immersive experience.

Read if you like:
•hockey/ballet romance
•forced proximity
•friends to lovers
•overcoming grief
•therapy positivity
•found family
•feel good rom-coms

Thank you Hachette Audio for the gifted copy.

[drew :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

take a shot everytime the fmc says “canadian boyfriend”

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off so good but the ending KILLED me. Such STUPID last-minute drama.

When Aurora was a lonely kid, she met a boy and ended up using him as her model for a fake boyfriend.

Mike is a widower whose wife died a little while ago. His dead wife’s daughter is super important to him and he is in the process of adopting her. He’s a professional hockey player and is about to go back on the road. When he meets Aurora, he connects right away and eventually asks her to help him out with his daughter.

They both are dealing with some issues in their lives. Mike is dealing with grief, guilt, and anger over his dead wife and struggling with his daughter.

Aurora is recovering from a tough childhood with a mother who pushed her too hard to be a professional dancer, etc. She also hasn’t been good at fighting for herself.

What I liked
1. The guy met his wife when she had a one-year old daughter. He LOVES that little girl and is fierce about her. I love how much he loves her and fights for her.
2. Both of the main characters are great. Genuine and kind people.
3. Great therapy rep. They have a lot of issues, but seek professional help.
4. Audiobook had duet narration (woman speaking female parts and guy speaking male parts).

What puzzled me
5. Mike immediately likes Aurora and thinks “I’m going to get with her someday”. Later (and throughout the ENTIRE rest of the book) he fights having a real relationship with her.
6. Mike didn’t adopt his daughter while his wife was alive. Why not? It’s been 10 years.
7. Aurora refuses to accept payment for helping Mike with his daughter. She says, “I don’t want to be a kept woman”. So, she accepts health insurance, free room and board, a car, and him paying her household expenses. Uh. Isn’t that the very definition of a “kept woman”? A NON-kept woman gets a salary.
8. This is kinda fade-to-black. We hear “we kissed”. It was frustrating how it kinda was explicit and then went to telling us what happened rather than showing us what happened.

What drove me absolutely batshit CRAZY
9. They love each other and admit it to themselves but don’t tell the other person. Mostly, this is because the guy is being an idiot and doesn’t want to have a relationship with Aurora because they’ll only break up, which will lead to hurt for his daughter. Except, this is after almost a year of Aurora living with them. Does he think only romantic relationships can cause harm when they break up? Ugh.
10. There is a weird kinda third act breakup around 90/95% in… Seriously, way too late!
11. The drama leading up to the third act breakup is SO STUPID. He feels “betrayed” because she finally shares that HE was her fake boyfriend and he interprets that as her lying to him and infiltrating his life KNOWING who he was but pretending she doesn’t. I wanted to bash my head against the wall at this point.

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ˖⁺‧✮
dnf 70%

i promised myself to dnf books in case i don’t like them. it was definitely weird dnf book when you were almost done with it, but i genuinely wasn’t interested in the story, anymore.

i like the idea and plot in general. she is a ballerina teacher he’s a hockey player who has daughter. they kind of met as teenagers but later reconnect as adults. this part was honestly the most interesting thing about this book. i was trying so hard to continue reading just to find out how he reacts to her telling him👀. also letters was cool idea even though i do think it was weird for a 16 year old to do so. it’s more 13 year old activity .

the writing was not catching at all. i mostly skipped pages until i saw dialogues or names. i feel like it’s good for readers to know what characters are thinking but it’s first time for me, when book has to much inner monologues.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
Contemporary romance. Alternating first person POV.
Rory worked at a coffee shop as a teen in the Mall of America. One afternoon she met a boy. There was something in his eyes that sparked something within her. She didn’t see that boy again, but it was a pivotal moment for her. In her busy life, with too many rules and restrictions, she decided he was going to be her boyfriend if anyone at school asked and she was going to write him letters. They wouldn’t get mailed, of course. She only knew his name. And that he played hockey.
Many years later Mike Martin brings his daughter into her tap dance class and meets the teacher, Aurora Evans. His wife has passed away and the dance class was one of the things that Olivia wanted to continue. Rory thinks he may be the same person, but she needs to teach her class and help get him away from the other dance moms. After a ride home and shared ice cream with the three of them, their outings get to be a habit and soon Rory is acting as nanny. She needs to tell him they’ve met before but it’s not the right time yet. Cue the drama card.

Ok, sure there was some drama, and I hate that she didn’t tell him earlier. She had soooo many opportunities! But it’s a romance and we don’t want it to end before it gets going! The author handled the situation well with Mike’ Martin’s self analysis and I actually agreed in the end.
Family, children, and romance troupes, all favorites and this book was sweet, adorable and a pleasure to read. All the feels.
And not knowing much about dance, I learned a few new words such as Glissades.
A quirk I found interesting - she calls him Mike Martin through the entire book. Not Mike. Mike Martin. A Canadian thing? Or a Rory thing? I don’t know but it was kind of cute.
Reading guide included at the end

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific duet narration including Joshua Jackson!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😄🙂🥰☺️😋
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

The heroine: Aurora Evans (a.k.a. Rory) - she is a former ballerina who failed in New York and is now a dance teacher at a strip mall dance studio in Minnetonka Minnesota. Her mother was a typical stage mom, who had very high expectations of her daughter when it came to dance, she was very strict with her food, as is fairly common for ballet dancers and when Rory went to New York she found she was having anxiety attacks having to do with people looking at her and judging her. She recently broke up with a live-in boyfriend who treated her like a doormat.

The Hero: Mike Martin - He is a professional hockey player for the Minnesota Lumberjacks, and he has a young daughter that is in Rory’s dance class. Mike lost his wife, whom he really loved in a sudden car accident nine months ago. Both Mike and his daughter have been struggling to deal with their loss ever since, and both see a therapist. Mike is soon to go back on the road with his team since the season is starting, and he needs help with his daughter.

The Story: Years ago when Rory was in high school, she was a loner who went to school and practiced dancing all week every week, and she worked at a coffee shop in the Mall of America on the weekends. One day she met a hockey player from Canada named Mike who was missing a front tooth. She romanticized the meeting and started to pretend he was her Canadian boyfriend in order to get out of things others wanted her to do. She liked being a loner, so when someone asked her to study or go to a party, she had a ready excuse that she had to write to or visit her Canadian boyfriend. She even started to write letters to him and saved those letters as a sort of diary.

Years later, she meets Mike while he is picking up his daughter at dance class. He hires her to help him while he is on the road, by driving his daughter to and from dance class and help her with homework until the neighbor woman gets home. When Rory needs to sell her house, Mike has her move into his place to be more of a nanny to his daughter while he is away.

Though I usually don’t like romance books where one of the main characters lost someone they were really in love with, because they can be depressing and also because I like the two main characters to be the one and only loves of each others lives. Though this one was pretty good. It was a bit depressing at times, Mike’s relationship with his wife Sarah wasn’t perfect, so he was dealing with that as well. Rory has her own issues, which she was also getting over. Though I did like it overall and there were some pretty great references to things like the songs of the Go-Go’s, and how Mike and Rory got into watching old episodes of Little House on the Prairie. I definitely remember the one where Albert got addicted to morphine.

Another thing I really liked about this book was the fact that I not only got to reminisce about old TV shows and bands, I have a kind of connection to this book that also had me reminiscing about my younger self. Not only was this book set in Minnesota, where I live and grew up, but I, like the main character, met a Canadian hockey player as a teenager. Though mine came from Thunder Bay Ontario and I didn’t meet him at the Mall of America, but at my local hockey rink.

This audiobook was told in dual points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Joshua Jackson and Emily Ellet. Emily Ellet was very good, she sounded age appropriate for Rory and I really liked her voice. Joshua Jackson was terrific. He has a nice deep voice for a romantic Hero, and it doesn’t hurt that his voice brings back all kinds of good memories, such as Charlie from The Mighty Ducks, Pacey from Dawson’s Creek and Peter from Fringe. He definitely sounds like he is voice acting more than reading, which I love.

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[b.andherbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

absolutely stellar audiobook narration couldn't save this lackluster romance that is heavy on the therapy, slowburn on the romance, and oddly paced. the "canadian boyfriend" plot contrivance naturally led to the "big misunderstanding" but mr. hockey man "i hate secrets" had plenty of his own? also, miss ballet is never called out on her "fake boyfriend" her entire life, even when she begins actually dating him? i dunno i dunno. this just wasn't for me.

i felt the grief from mr hockey and his daughter were nicely handled, but i just didn't buy the romance part, the inbalance in power between him paying for her entire life (car, rent, food, healthcare) but she's "not" the nanny didn't work.

not for b, sorry to the author.

joshua jackson and emily ellet could both read the phonebook to me though, great narrators. I still don't love the "duet" style of narration, especially when the female narrator does ALL of the female coded voices in the male narrator's POV chapter and vice versa. it hurts my head just typing all that out.

SPOILERS

(why skip the first kiss?! all that buildup, and it is skipped on page?! A weirdly fade to black first sex scene too that is then reminisced about?)

[MillennialMomReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need this book, and you need it in audio form. I have never felt so strongly that something was meant to be an audiobook as I do with Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday. Emily Ellet and Joshua Jackson will have you screaming, crying and kicking your feet throughout this book that explores grief, loss, new beginnings and finding yourself alongside humor and a sweet love story with just enough hockey references to be satisfying but not cheesy. Let Mike and Aurora triple deke their way into your heart, and your TBR.

Also, millennial girlies…put headphones in for chapter 21. Just trust me. You might need to listen to it twice. You’re welcome.

Joshua Jackson, I’m not sorry for the triple deke
reference. "You have no idea how low I can stoop"-Coach Bombay

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aurora Evans has begun teaching ballet classes at a studio in her hometown. She had been taking classes at a prestigious New York dance company but left after two years. She is struggling with an eating disorder and self esteem issues related to her dance training. She’s also trying to sort out her relationship with her “dance mom” who cannot accept Aurora’s departure from her career as a professional dancer.

Mike Martin is a professional hockey player and single dad who is attempting to maintain a normal family life for his daughter after his wife was killed in an auto accident. His young daughter has resumed her dance classes - and her favorite teacher is Miss Aurora.

Mike and Aurora become friends and they slowly begin a relationship. But their past lives greatly affect their interactions with each other. The story unfolds through dual personal perspectives as Aurora and Mike experience their growing attraction to each other.

I enjoyed this book because it’s not just a sappy romance story. The main characters and supporting characters are well developed, realistic, and believable. There are challenging issues such as eating disorders, dealing with grief, anger and trust issues, as well as seeking therapy for mental/emotional health. However, all is not doom and gloom. There are also many light, endearing, and humorous parts that balance out the story.

A few parts are “over the top” but all in all it’s an enjoyable read with a hopeful ending.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very okay/middle of the road read for me. The audiobook made it more interesting than it probably was, and I wasn't bored at any point. The first half worked for me a lot more than the second, which is when they got together.

And it wasn't that the romance was cringy because it wasn't, there was just no chemistry there. They would've been better off as friends/whatever else it was they had going on before.

I got annoyed at the amount of times Mike's full name was used, surely someone counted and could tell me? I'd do it myself but don't have the ebook or physical to compare. But yeah it seemed like every time Aurora was thinking about Mike it wasn't just Mike, it was Mike Martin Mike Martin Mike Martin. Girl, why?

Mike had his own repetitive thing, and that was calling himself a hoser, though that wasn't nearly as prevalent as Aurora's Mike Martin thing.

I'm NOT a fan of third act breakups, which I'm sure everyone knows by now, and the one here was extremely dumb (and more of an ending breakup than third act breakup). But it didn't impact my rating, this is a three star read either way.

Also, can someone tell me how old Olivia is supposed to be? I must've missed it, but I feel like a few different ages were mentioned? Maybe I imagined that.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever( Grand Central Publishing) for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

TW: references to disordered eating and death of a spouse that happened in events before the start of this book.

I chose this book because it sounded like a fun rom-com premise. What if you make up an imaginary boyfriend and one day they really walk in? Add on to it the idea that it is a Canadian hockey boyfriend and ballet dancer type of romance and I was sold.

The chapters alternate as both protagonists, Aurora Evans and Mike Martin take the lead of telling us the story. It's a quirky coming together of two personalities. The romance was a bit so- so but I liked them as characters. I felt that the revealing of Aurora's "secret" came really late for it to be a big deal and Mike came across as immature in comparison to Aurora. This might be a couple that I would have to put on the short-time relationship status.




Publication Date 30/01/24
Goodreads Review 09/02/24


#CanadianBoyfriend #NetGalley

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had great therapy representation

TW - Eating disorder

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's been a while since I read a sports (hockey) romance and probably wouldn't have picked it up for the hockey aspect only. I was intrigued by the ballet dancer heroine and hockey player hero couple.

This is not an easy romance, but it is hopeful. The hero recently lost his wife and is suddenly a single dad - the grief, OMG the grief was so deep and heart-breaking, especially from the point of view of his daughter.

With Aurora (Rory), we have the panic attacks, the eating disorder, the toxic parent - everything that nearly killed her physically and emotionally.

Their relationship started as tentative human contact, going through friendship and helping each other through tough times. I really appreciate the slow development of feelings, both Mike and Aurora were dealing with serious trauma and trying to rebuild their lives. So much emotion that I found relatable.

I liked the secondary characters, Mike's daughter who is 11, the same age as my own daughter, was brilliantly done.

There was just enough hockey and ballet/dancing without it taking the focus away from a very character-driven story. It is an inner-conflict type of romance despite the fact that she was working for him as a kind of nanny and living in his house.

What stood out for me in this story was the slow pace, allowing both Mike and Aurora time to heal (with the help of a lot of counselling), to move on with their lives. Their intimacy happened slowly, naturally, without grand proclamations and promises for forever. They both knew they had a lot of work ahead to try to be together as a couple and raise Mike's daughter together.

Now, on the second chance element of the romance. This really was the weakest element in the story for me. Without giving away too many spoilers, I would say I understand why she did what she did in the past and I think he overreacted. No lies is a fundamental element for any relationship, made even more sensitive if you have been lied to before but the situation with Aurora was different. And he already had come to understand better the actions of his dead wife. He was really too harsh, unnecessarily so.

They did clear things between them, and it was tender and romantic and the epilogue was just perfect. It would have been a 5-star read if not for Mike's reaction/harsh words in that particular situation.

CW: eating disorder, panic attacks, grief, loss of a wife/mother in a car accident,

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars = it was okay!

It was indeed okay. I ended up skimming the last half as it was taking me forever to get through and I could not get myself interested in reading it daily.

I feel like it could have been edited down. I wasn't super interested in hearing about the specifics of the character's therapy sessions. Also, the fact Aurora called Mike 'Mike Martin' in her head, sort of got old. I guess I understand the reasoning – trying to separate him from the Mike she met in high school. But it just ended up getting old.

The story pacing was off for me, and the choices the author made in terms of what to detail and what not to. It spent time on things I think could have been summarized but then fast-forwarded through areas I think could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, an odd reading experience for me. I think this was a case of the book just not being a good fit for me.



I won a free early copy of this book.

[bae 💌🌷 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐️
Am I stupid? Did I miss something? Because I saw my friends on Goodreads and they have given it 4 stars and I am confused (🙂🙂🙂). Did I get the wrong book or something?
So you are telling me that they broke up because she had an imaginary bf when she was A FUCKING TEENAGER - A TEENAGER (girl, nobody is in their right mind during teenage years) Like WTF was this (🤬🤬🤬).
You are telling me they reconciled but they did not even have a single conversation about this whole fucking thing?????? GIRL ARE YOU SERIOUS RN? AND YOU KNOW WHATS THE MOST CRAZY THING OUT OF ALL THIS THEY BOTH ARE 30-year olds??????? I get it we have insecurities but we cannot have an adult conversation about something so important that caused them to break up and be in their misery? Like WTF…???
I am so done with this book.
PLS DONT READ :))

[Bonnie G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roughly the 1st 80% of this book was best in class. Romance where love is built on growth and where people support one another and speak the hardest truths are the best. I loved Aurora and Mike, I loved their friends and families (other than Aurora's mother for whom I mostly just felt sad) and I loved their relationships. I think the book did a great job of moving characters though complex grief. I was also a fan of the way Mike acknowledged his privilege and learned to balance his good fortune with temperance. Added fun for me, I think they got Minnesota so right. I love reading books set in places I have lived. (I lived in Fargo about 2 miles from the MN border, and worked at a college on the MN side of the border so I count it.) I do read a lot set in Atlanta and New York, and when I can find it Michigan, Taipei, Shenzhen and DC (Philly never felt like home so I skip that one.) Generally, though Minnesota-set books don't do it for me. I find authors can be mean-spirited about the culture based largely on appearing pleasant. The last Tim O'Brien book is a perfect example of that. Others go the other way and buy into the illusion of "Minnesota nice" as being consistently genuine when it is equal parts niceness, repression, and masterclass level passive-aggression. The Lager Queen of Minnesota comes to mind for that issue. Here Holiday got it right, the good and the bad, and the tater tot hotdish. I think she got the Canada part right too, I grew up in Detroit so my social circle included a lot of people from southern Ontario (mostly Windsor and London) and it felt right to me, but I note as a disclaimer that my impressions are from 40 years ago so I might be off base. Correct or not I really enjoyed the sense of place for both locations.

All of that sounds great, and it was, but then the author created this tension at the end and did a ham-fisted job of it. There was a minor omission, a long ago event that one person did not share with the other person, that blows things up in the last 20% of the book. I knew it was coming because it was teased all along. The message is that this decision not to share an embarrassing and irrelevant (if formative) life event was some big lie, which it 100% was not. The non-teller is wracked with guilt. I hoped that foreshadowing notwithstanding the author would not go in that direction. My hopes were dashed. The story proceeded as teased, and when the secret was shared it was treated as a gigantic lie and it temporarily destroyed the relationship. The reactions to this "lie" by both parties were absurd, and completely not in keeping with the characters' admirable emotional maturity, great communication, mutual respect, and general assumption that people did things for good reasons. It really tainted the whole read and eroded some of my liking for both characters. I am going with a 4. I almost went with a 3 because this made me mad, but that seemed unfair when I truly adored most of this, thought it was well written, gently sexy and loving. I found calm and joy in this reading journey and that merits a 4.

One note - This book is not about ED's per se, but there is a depiction of disordered eating inculcated and encouraged by Aurora's mother and her dance teachers. Though a few of the moments were over the top, there were conversations between Aurora and her mother about eating that felt like the author had bugged my childhood home. I felt seen in a way I rarely do when eating disorders and the corrosive environment that often leads to them are depicted in fiction. Some people may want to avoid the book for this reason, but for me it was cathartic and empowering. Sometimes it feels like I am the only one whose mother told me every day how I fell short, how people, strangers and friends alike, might not tell me but in truth they found me repulsive (my mother said exactly that when I went from a size 6 to a size 8 in 10th grade.) As my mother did, the mother here said she did this to help, and like my mother it appears she believed it. Reading this part of the book broke my heart a bit but also comforted me as it is good to know I have company and good to see Aurora find her way and stand up against this messaging in a way that I, and most people, never could.

[ximena ♡]

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
i’ve been saving this one for the wintertime, i’m so excited to start it!! the cover is super cute 💖😻

Finally finished this, reading slump really hit me 😭

[Ashley]

Update, post reading: I don't know what to do with this rating! The third-act conflict made me so mad, but the rest of the book was so carefully and lovingly put together, I'm confused. But the audio was indeed extremely good; Joshua Jackson did NOT disappoint. Will update once I figure it out.

Update, the next day:

[only slightly hysterical tongue in cheek confusion to follow]

EXCUSE YOU, Hachette Audio and Forever, how DARE you DECLINE my REQUEST on NETGALLEY. DID YOU NOT WANT MY GLOWING FIVE STAR REVIEW??? what part of Paceeeeeeyyyyyyy told you this would be a wasted ARC?? ALSO. You posted that ARC *FIVE* DAYS before the release date, and then you declined someone eager to read it???? WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Yesterday:

I'm sorry, Joshua Jackson narrates this audiobook WHAT.

Paceeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, a book with a title like Canadian Boyfriend is not where I expected to find healthy conversations about grief, boundaries, and pursuing your passions. It took me by surprise, but in a very positive away. Hurray for romance characters who actually get counseling!
That said, I was a little disappointed when the looming Predictable Misunderstanding™ played out exactly as you would expect, which is to say, completely out of character and extreme to the nth degree. I'd hoped that the book would tone it down, or at least provide a little more nuance because I really don't think there was enough there for the level of conflict it generated.
Not one I really see myself coming back to, but I think I'd read more by this author.

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate this book so much why does she always call him by his full name and why was he so mad about the fake bf thing it’s so stupid

[Danae · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was amazing. It was cute and funny and I loved the characters. Then it really started leaning into Canadian stereotypes and the whole reason I read it was because as a Canadian I’m tired of the stereotypes.
I know the author did this deliberately so I guess I’m the wrong audience. So if you are an American wanting to pretend that you know about Canada then this is the book for you.

P.S: we do have more than Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire despite that being the only places they go to when they come to Canada.

[sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ I’m upset that I’ve wasted my Spotify audiobook listening hours on this…(also, where was the hockey???)

[Anastasia Terendii (livie's version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

стиль написання якийсь ну дуже поганий, (особисто для мене) просто нечитабельно. минулий час оповіді в реченнях якось теж не допомагає. головна героїня 13 років мріє про канадійця, якому вона двічі (!) готувала чай в торговому центрі (girl, be fr). ну і вона постійно звертається до нього "Mike Martin", а він називає її "Miss Rory". все максимальний кринж, і я просто не можу змушувати свої очі дивитись на цей текст, bye.

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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this was like The Nanny but not as good

the pacing was weird? the characters barely had chemistry. there were some cute moments but I didn't get that giddy feeling I usually get when reading... bleh
The third-act breakup tho, so dumb, the epilogue was the best part
Very slow burn, not much romance
I did like Aurora's character development tho, v relatable

I don't think I would have gotten through this if it wasn't for the audiobook!!

the fact that his name “Mike Martin” is constantly being said. God I almost lost my mind hearing it over and over. I get it his name is Mike fucking Martin ughhhhhh

also as a Canadian(born and raised with parents+entire family born and raised here), I feel embarrassed, and some of the things 'Canadians do' in this aren't 100% true.
Tim Hortons is awful and I've never had Nanaimo bars, also never heard the term 'hoser' before (maybe I live under a rock idk🤷🏻‍♀️)

anyway, it was ok, not good; not bad, I kinda liked some parts but in the end it was just OK

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