11/05/2023 || Time to Shine by Rachel Reid PREVIEW Chapter 1-6 ||  #TimetoShinePREVIEW  #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Reid, and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin), Carina Adores for making this e-ARC available!

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.

All of my thoughts are my own~

Tentative 3 Stars (will update reviews elsewhere once the entire book has been read in the future)


I'd like to start this off by stating my rating reflects the fact I am not much of a sports person. Also the preview was only for chapters 1-6, which probably introduced the characters and setting enough for most, though I just couldn't find myself feeling like I knew either MMC by the end. 

This one just was not for me. 

I have a few online mutuals who said they loved the full novel, and I encourage anyone who does like sports, queer sports, then please check out other reviews for the entire book. 

As for my honest review:
Both MMCs fell flat for me. The "sunshine", Casey Hicks, annoyed me to no end and it felt so forced and uncomfortable to read his inner dialogue about himself and how he viewed the world/others and how it almost seemed that he expects people to like him/fulfill his needs. The way his spoke about himself, and how he viewed himself was so depressing and annoying as he kept defaulting to "I'm just stupid, its fine!".
I felt frustrated, and could see this was being set up for the "grumpy", Landon Stackhouse, to show him hes worth something. And hopefully become more humbled and less selfish and self pitying. 

Casey is already worth so much. Hes extremely talented and rich, and if he just bothered to actually take the criticism on his personality and selfishness (and read the room when he is being needy without considering the needs of others), he could be extremely likable. 
Landon is talented as well, but introverted and comes from no-where, and a non famous family, and was called up to be a back up goalie. (Oh, by the way its a Hockey romance)

"Grumpy" doesn't even feel like the correct description for Landon neither, as its revealed throughout chapters 1-6 that he and his parents have experienced some sort of traumatic event (death maybe????) that has left them mildly estranged and Landon being even more introverted than normal.

Casey pretty much forces their friendship and invites him to his giant, million dollar mansion that he lives in all alone. He then seems to be upset that Landon seeks out a private space in the giant home, and the formula seems to be moving in the direction that the forced proximity is going to be non-consensual and enforced by Casey onto Landon and Landon will eventually realize his true feelings for Casey???
I don't know. 

Like I said, this started off already being out of my comfort zone and not normal chosen genre. I mean absolutely no hate towards the author nor the readers who enjoy sports genres, but this one just did not hit any good points for me (except for the writing, the author is a strong writer and did an excellent job at fleshing out both MMC's and the characters around them

I feel like the elements are all there and there's a good chance this book would be good, I just don't personally enjoy the execution of Casey being,,,,,,that. 
I plan to come back to this one via a library audiobook if available so I can read the entire thing to fully comprehend the story. This might be one of those "trust the process" type reads, but again, I just wish the character's set ups were a tad better and less? Unkind? Mildly toxic?
Partial review left on GoodReads, full review can be found on StoryGraph and the updated full review for this title will be found on StoryGraph when I get to it

Honestly, at this point, I would read Rachel Reid's shopping list.  This little previous prompted me to get the full version once it was available.  The preview set up the characters and the plot nicely (even though it definitely left me hanging).

Queer hockey romance is my fave because it lets me live in a world where hockey isn't painfully homophobic. I loved this little preview - it's giving golden retriever x black cat, forced proximity, and festive energy. Cannot wait to get my hands on the rest.

I just finished reading this whole book. I started with this preview, and then went out and bought the book itself. The characters are cozy and cheesy in the best way. If you love hockey, or even just like hockey (there isn’t too much hockey to be honest in case you don’t like hockey, just a nice little sprinkle), and you like a nice Christmas story then you’ll love this. Landon being from Canada also just warmed my heart, as a Canadian myself. The story was heart warming and just thing I needed to get me out of a reading slump!

A few red flags in the beginning. Really not digging the “stupid” jabs. But the characters are likable enough that I would like to see where this is going. It seems to have potential. And my interest is peaked. I love a boy with golden retriever energy and that’s just oozing from Casey

Time to Shine was such a surprising read!!! I deeply loved it and enjoyed it the whole way through. How could you not love Landon and Casey? I think the author approached mental health, grief, and sexuality with nuance and respect. 

Don’t miss this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC - time to shine is out now!

Absolutely enjoyed this preview version and enjoyed the whole book too. Casey & Landon, they were such sweethearts and my heart was happy because of this amazing book

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this preview ARC. This is my honest review. 

Well this six chapter preview hooked my interest enough that I went and bought the book so I could finish it. That in itself is a good sign. I've never read a hockey romance before so this was a new genre to me. The author made it feel very immediate and exciting and it was fascinating together a  look behind the scenes. 

I really liked Casey and Landon. Really liked them both a lot. They felt three dimensional and interesting and harboring a lot of internal conflict. Their relationship progression was really great to read. This an enjoyable sports romance/holiday read/dealing with personal issues/character growth kind of story and I appreciated that. 

I'd say I give the preview a solid 4 stars for grabbing my interest and holding it enough that it convinced  me to buy the book.

Full disclosure, I downloaded the preview just so I could write a review for this amazing novel by Rachel Reid. I had to share my thoughts, because I really loved Time to Shine.

Landon Stackhouse gets his shot when he's called up to Calgary's team. He know his time is limited, but he's determined to make his mark while he has his chance. Backup goalie, no biggie! He will show up and show out. Landon tends to be a quiet soul, often preferring time on his own than surrounded by his teammates. So when Casey Hicks showering Landon in invites to hang out, Landon isn't sure what to make of things. Surly at best, Landon declines invite after invite, but Casey is undeterred. Could these two be forming something more than a professional dynamic?

Let's be real, in the first few chapters I found Casey irritating. His exuberance was exhausting. However, I think that's because I saw him through Landon's perspective. As the novel continues, Casey shines as a true Golden Retriever of a MC. He's delightful and complicated. Landon is complex too. He's discovering layers to himself he never dared explore before.

Wowza! This is a steamy read! Rachel Reid's exploration of their relationship is elaborate showing each character in their various stages of personal development.

This book brought a smile to my face as I watched these too fall hard and not just on the ice.

This preview was SO fun! I appreciated how quickly readers are able to connect with and empathize with both characters, even from just a small sample of chapters. I can't wait to read more.

I only received the first six chapters, but I love where this is going! Rachel Reid did a great job sucking me in and I can't wait to see where the rest of this is going!

I will read pretty much anything Rachel Reid publishes. She really knows her stuff when it comes to hockey. 

So far, I love the dynamic between these two. This is the first time I've read about a hockey goalie and felt like the author was actually able to capture the sheer absurdity of their superstitions. 

I'm a Devils fan and Landon is giving me very much Akira Schmid vibes. Casey is as cute as a button and I want to hug him until he stops breathing. I can already see how they are going to complement each other and help each other work through their issues. Team Lasey all day, baby!!

Can't wait to read the rest! The first few chapters are signature Rachel Reid: full of hockey and humor (and of course, major unresolved sexual tension). Casey is a lovable himbo who believes dragons are on par with dinosaurs, Landon is prickly and clever, and it's clear their decision to room together is just the start of an excellent love story.

I only got the chance to read these 6 chapters so I dk the whole thing but I liked where it was going
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

10/10 no notes.

I ended up holding off reading the preview until it was closer to release time as I knew I wouldn't get the full ARC approved being in the U.K., but I'm glad I waited in the end as I could enjoy the book to full effect.

Anyway, I love Casey and Landon and I'd die for them- I think the preview chapters really set the book up well, but of course everyone should read the book immediately.

Thank you to Carina for providing me with this sample- please publish in the UK!!

I am not sure how to give feedback for this since it is only 6 chapters BUT I can say that i was intrigued enough to go ahead and buy the book. My library doesn’t have it so here we are! I am looking forward to see where this friendship is heading and how it becomes a romance. Both of these characters clearly have some sort of trauma or fear that they are harboring big time. Here is to hoping it is as good as the reviews say! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a preview of this book in exchange for an honest review. Now here I go to actually read it :)

The preview was fantastic.  This is a great addition to Reid's line of books! I just reviewed Time to Shine - PREVIEW by Rachel Reid. #TimetoShinePREVIEW #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I loved this preview very much. The characters are very cute and I immediately bought the full ebook!

I went into this book not knowing anything about it other than it was a hockey romance. It was pretty entertaining and seemed to have dual POV spread throughout the chapters. I did like the premise of the book and how it jumped right into the plot and set it up for the rest of the book. We get a good introduction to Casey and Landon plus all the side hockey players. I like getting to see into the lives of both of them and am curious how they will end up meshing/getting together!

A very promising start! I have to say I’m very intrigued to see how Landon and Casey evolve throughout the book.