Thank you for the book.

Didn't thoroughly enjoyed it but it could be from my own personal stuff going on.

this was a charming rom com with realistic, flawed, and completely lovable characters. it’s a fun and enjoyable read.

**3.5 Stars**

!!NetGalley Review!!

I had the opportunity to both listen and read this book. I thought it was very cute and a unique storyline, but eventually Trixie's feeling of everyone only wanting her to be happy and her feeling of not being good enough to be loved kind of got old. It was kind of a toxic cycle between her and Bear of miscommunication. Trixie could benefit from some therapy! Overall, it was cute and I enjoyed the ending in Bear finding himself. Thank you: NetGalley, Alcove Press, Dreamscape Media, and Kelly Ohlert for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was adorable, fun, and totally unique. A fun love story with an incredibly quirky plot and characters. I highly recommend this one! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Adorable and quick little romcom. Bear is great and I love his family. The chicken is stupendous. I just listened to it and I cannot recall the girl's name... she was annoying and the people around her were very supportive of her... what was her name. Trixie! It's Trixie. She could've used a little more depth and I loved her love for animals. Overall, enjoyable

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing both an eARC and advanced access to the audiobook of To Get to the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert in exchange for an honest review.

Trixie finds herself in a bit of a pickle when she stops Chicago traffic to save a chicken. The main problem is, her landlord doesn't allow pets. Through a series of serendipitous circumstances, she finds herself moving in with Bear, who unknowingly agrees to house Trixie and said chicken. The forced proximity and shared pet-parenthood lead Trixie and Bear down the path of romance.

CHICK CHICK!!! Ugh, all the heart eyes for this goofy dynamic. 4.25 stars, and the extra .25 is simply because I love Chick-Chick so much. Trixie's heart for loving and caring for this chicken just builds onto this romance, as she daily shows Bear her best qualities. The hijinx that Trixie and Bear get themselves into in order to pay for Chick-Chick's vet bills are so hilarious. I laughed out loud several times while listening to this audiobook. If you're looking for a book with minimal spice and good humor, this is the book for you!

This was a charming read. The characters were interesting and the shenanigans were fun. I love that it all starts because of a chicken. I would personally love to own a chicken, so she continuously made me happy. I did think that his development was stronger than hers, and she felt a bit rushed at the end. But overall it was a lovely time. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy.

I enjoyed this audiobook. This is surprising since it was a bit of a slow burn. Usually, I like a bit more of a dramatic plot in my romances. This is a low-stress, fluffy slow burn that has lots of heart and a cute OTP. Bear and Trixie are a great couple that learns to let go of some of their past trauma. Making a go of it as a couple and co-parents of a rescue chicken. If I had any negative, it would be that Bear had a better growth arc than Trixie did. It was harder to relate to her youthful trauma, which might explain the lack of connection. Both narrators were very good and I enjoyed the back and forth POV. I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

This was my first Kelly Ohlert and while I would certainly read another work of hers, this book is not for me. 3.5 ⭐️

What I liked: I love a story where the author can well articulate a love story where one person has a supportive family and the other doesn’t, I feel like that real to the current standard. I like that she wrote a semi-unconventional make MC, Bear gets to learn to be his own person and overcome toxic masculinity, and I can applaud that struggle and admire the authors unique take on it. The chicken is another unique twist that I wasn’t expecting and while I’ve read a few books with interesting pets in a found family sense, it’s done well here.

What I didn’t like: Bear seems to have growth, Trixie ends up being one dimensional to me, and I’m not really able to relate to how she became closed off for so long….no one else ever tried to get to know her or gave her a favorable friend experience? The pace seemed slow for me, I think this could have been shortened by 30% or so and I felt the line teetered between spice in a romance or remaining innocently lighthearted was teetered more than I’d like. I’m fine with spice, but it’s kind of either/or and the build up and then cut scene ended up leaving me either wanting more or less.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, I think Ohlerts future works have great potential and I’ll be watching for them.

It all started because a chicken crossed the road, two strangers meet, then become roommates then slowly fall for each other. This book is laugh out loud funny and will make you blush at times.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 (audiobook)

Oh my heart, To Get to the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert is the cutest of the cute, and I loved that there was a chicken in it!! This is Ohlert's debut, and I can't wait to see what her sophomore novel will be like after this unique take (the chicken) on a rom-com. Trixie is a super sweet and quirky character and I have to say that Bear is as well. He has the best family, and I was glad they got included one way or another in the story so much. Trixie brought out the animal lover in me to the max (she works in an animal shelter), and this book is filled with them which I loved!! It started out very humorous as well and I was a little sad that the humor kind of petered out about halfway in and then it moved into more serious territory without as many laughs. I love a good blend of both, so I would have loved it if it would have just been that way from start to finish.

I adored the audiobook and I thought Stefanie Kay & Paul Heitsch made for such wonderful narrators. They were both completely fitting for Trixie and Bear, and they made this a real treat to listen to. I would highly recommend the audio and I thought their reading styles brought the text to life in a way I wouldn't have gotten simply from reading the book. It is also a really quick listen at just under 9 hours, and I think the audio just made it more fun for me overall. To Get to the Other Side is a lighter read for the most part, and it basically blends a sunshine and grumpy trope with a miscommunication trope. Miscommunication can drive me crazy sometimes, but it didn’t really bug me here, and I just enjoyed seeing Trixie and Bear’s journey to being together. This is a happily-ever-after story without too much steam so if that is your thing, I would recommend it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @alcovepress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @dreamscape_media for a free download of the audiobook.

What was a chicken doing crossing the road in downtown Chicago? To get to the other side, duh! It’s none other than Trixie, saver of all animals who is chasing the chicken across the street upsetting all the other drivers. Trixie is then asked to leave her apartment due to said chicken and ends up living with Bear…They guy who saw her chase said chicken.

This was a cute story. It was funny and sweet. It was a bit cliché and lacked the connection the characters to really set it apart from others in this genre. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, light read. It was still entertaining.

3.5 Stars – Rounding to 4 stars for Goodreads

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #alcovepress #dreamscapemedia #ltbreaderteam #togettotheotherside #kellyohlert

This was cute. I loved the fact that a chicken brought them together. It was a hilarious meet cute. I enjoyed the roommate to lovers trope and thought it was done well.

I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a romance with just a bit of spice.

Trixie is an animal loving happy to lucky girl who finds herself in a pickle. Bear is a quite keep to himself guy who has 4 sister 2 of which mettle in his life all the time. When trixie answers an ad in the paper for a place to live it happens to be near whose sister made the ad to help him with his money issues by renting out part of his house.

This is cute story that revolves around a chicken and opening up.

Thank you good reads for the advance copy

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC in return for my honest opinion. Overall: 3.50 rating. Dual point of view, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, not spicy. I loved that the book involved rescuing a chicken as most books involve a cat or dog. The book was entertaining and a light headed read however at times it was hard to understand where the book was going. It took awhile for the characters to admit their feelings to each other and I didn’t feel connected to the characters, they just needed more substance. I enjoyed the narrators!

This was a cute book! The two MCs meet by chance when a chicken crosses a busy street and the female MC stops traffic to chase after it. Shortly after the male MC and the female MC end up becoming roommates, and she moves in with the chicken, Chick Chick. I do think there was a little too much Chick Chick in the book and I would have liked to see more of the MC’s, but overall I thought this was cute and entertaining. 3.75 stars.

3⭐️

Trixie has a huge heart, especially for little furry friends. So when she spots a chicken trying to cross the road she has to help. Trixie is able to save the chicken with the help of a large bearded man, little does she know this chicken would change her life. She now needs a new apartment and surprisingly her new roommate is the stranger that helped her. Bear is a construction worker with a love of flowers, who doesn’t like leaving his home or being around people. However, the unlikely trio will help each other figure out how to navigate their own emotional baggage while testing the boundaries of their platonic relationship.

First off my favourite line in this whole book is “the sexual tension is as thick as Tom Selleck’s moustache”. I had to pause the book and laugh for like five minutes.

Trixie is a social butterfly. Her smile is as big as her personality but it’s so fake. Trixie works at an animal shelter and will do anything for an injured chicken, even if the hospital bills will drown her. Bear is the epitome of a book boyfriend. He’s described as a lumberjack, tall, large, big beard, loves making pancakes, wine, Grey’s Anatomy, huge family man and making flower arrangements. He looks like he could kill you but is a cinnamon roll.

I think the character development of both Bear and Trixie is the best part of this book. They grew so much as people and were able to move forward and past their traumas well. I do think Bear’s development is more well done, Trixie’s felt a little rushed at the end. While it wasn’t PARTICULARLY insta-love, there was some insta-love aspects which I am usually not a huge fan of but I did enjoy this. While this wasn’t TOTALLY miscommunication, there was little communication better Bear and Trixie. The third act breakup wasn’t really a breakup? But it put up a major red flag for one of the characters for me (two guesses on who). *also I will stand my ground and say “blue-balls” IS NOT A THING. Bear says so many times that Trixie is giving him blue-balls for just existing and UGGGH I can’t!

Now I initially thought that the chicken part of this story would make my eyes roll but I ended up loving Chick-Chick and wanted her to be okay! I received an audio version and enjoyed the narration, which was easy to follow. If you want forced proximity, roommates to lovers, closed door, dual POV, grumpyxsunshine, slow burn and some meddlesome siblings this ones for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy for an honest review. I love you guys 💕

I received a copy of this audiobook from netgalley for an honest review.

I could be this woman! She saves a chicken from a busy street and needs a new home since her landlord doesn't allow pets and the shelter, she works at doesn't accept chickens, Trixie finds the perfect solution in being Bear's roommate. Which his sisters conveniently set up. I felt bad for Trixie and her belief that if she ever let anyone see her cry, they'd run but she had proof from her own life. Bella was a joy, as was Bear's entire family.

"Lots of people use different personas to protect their feelings."

Despite one of the funniest meet cutes when Trixie stops traffic to rescue a chicken crossing the road and Bear helps her, To Get To The Other Side by debut author Kelly Ohlert is a sweet romance about honoring your true self.

Trixie has to move when she is found with another rescued animal in her apartment. What a shock when she answers an ad for a roommate and it's the "very sexy Brawny beard man," Bear. As they both pretend they are just roommates their feelings grow for one another.

Narrators Stefanie Kay and Paul Heitsch are fantastic at slowly revealing the real frayed emotions these two have kept hidden from others and themselves. Trixie is all sunshine because who will like her if she's ever unhappy and Bear has hidden the things that bring him joy to keep an emasculating father away. They need each other to get to the other side of their true selves

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

2.5-3/5 stars

I'm still not quite sure where I stand on my thoughts about this book as there were both incredibly poorly written parts but as well as cute romantic moments.

I would say that it was difficult to get through the beginning (the first 10–20%). For this, I was listening to an audiobook, which I believe increased my progress because if I had been reading it all by myself, I doubt I would have ever finished. The way they first met was unique and had the potential to be a funny romantic story, but the character writing ruined it. Trixie and Bear appeared to have no other real characteristics than Trixie's fake happiness and Bear's size and shyness. However, it did make up for it toward the middle and end. Instead of them constantly checking out one another, it explored their interactions and relationship in greater depth. It had so many more endearing opportunities, but it still felt weak. Their core argument was pointless and underdeveloped. TRIXIE'S ABILITY TO FAKE A SMILE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID A THOUSAND TIMES. It becomes so monotonous that I want to slap her in the face, not to mention her constant inner monologue about Bear possibly leaving her if she ever revealed that she got upset over certain things. I can understand why Trixie was reluctant to talk to people, but they could have done a better job of conveying that to the reader so that they felt sympathy rather than anger. However, I think this book has plenty of potential and has moments where you want to smile and be happy for the characters, especially with such a fun concept.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.