Oh, relationship pacts never end as cleanly as the H/h expect them to! And it's no different for Caleb and Zara in parental guidance. Thanks to some pressure from their respective parents, they meet on a dating app and set out to go on 5 dates and nothing more. But the best laid plans, and all that!

When it comes time for their 5 dates to end, can Caleb convince Zara to take a chance on something more?

The characters have a nice connection, cute banter and are fun together. The supporting players on Caleb's hockey team seemed to take up more page time than I would have liked, but I'm sure AF was planing the seeds for those subsequent books.

What didn't sit well with me was the viral video that was about to ruin Caleb's career. It didn't seem like that big of a deal to me and it was just kind of dropped. It set up the story for him to meet Zara, but I dind't think it was that awful to begin with.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

When a video of Ice Knights hockey players running their mouths off go viral, Caleb is forced to take responsibility as the senior player. He needs his image to be fixed and the best way to do that? To participate in a brand new dating app where users' parents get to pick their dates. And Caleb's mom ends up picking Zara as his date. The dating app requires that Caleb and Zara go on a total of five dates. For their own benefit, the two mutually reach an agreement to pretend to date and their number one rule — no real dating.

As an athlete hero, Caleb was actually very unconventional. He's not a household name, neither is he a womanizer. In other words, Caleb was an absolute breath of fresh air! I totally expected him to be a cocky hockey player, but he was the total opppsite. Zara herself has a pretty unconventional job as a miniature artist. Caleb and Zara are total opposites in terms of physicality and personality. But there are so many sparks between this unlikely couple and they surprisingly get along so well. The chemistry, the banter, and the unconventional "fake" dates were EVERYTHING!!

Parental Guidance was such a blast to read. I giggled, chuckled, swooned, and laughed out loud multiple times. Avery Flynn has totally made her way into my list of sexy-and-funny-rom-com authors. I'm excited to see where this series goes! There's a fantastic set of hockey players waiting to get their HEA! 

P.S. I'm dying to read Tomboy now because it's about Fallon and Zach, who's supposed to be a grumpy ass hero.

Parental Guidance

***received a review in exchange for an honest review*** 

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Avery Flynn never disappoints with her books and Parental Guidance is on point. Zara is sassy and speaks her mind, while Caleb is sexy and all heart. Together they seem like an unlikely couple but they compliment one another and are able to see one another in ways others can’t. Avery Flynn keeps you invested in what will happen next between these two and there is never a dull moment. I can’t wait to see what happens next with the Ice Knights!

Caleb has just gotten in trouble with not only the team but with most of the population of Harbor City. Now to make sure that everyone knows he has made a mistake and is changing, he is letting his mom chose his date from an app and hopefully everyone will change their mind about him. But what he wasn’t expecting was who his mom set him up with.

Zara is consumed with her work, she does miniatures and is hoping that the right people will see her work and take her to the next level. So when her best friend sets her up with a dating app she doesn’t know what to expect but Caleb is not what she would have chosen.

As they set ground rules for their relationship and make sure that one another knows that nothing will go past the 5th date, they find that maybe spending time with one another isn’t so bad. But will they be able to change their arrangement?

And when it comes time for a 5th date will they take the plunge and go on the 5th date? Or will they deicide that maybe they want to reconsider their rules and give each other a chance?

No good can come from letting your parent(s) run your dating profile and choosing who you date - or can it?

Caleb, a hockey player on the Ice Knights team, is about to find out. In a PR experiment to bring some Ice Knights hockey players back into the good graces with the public, Caleb finds himself on the receiving end. Caleb must partner with a dating app and let his mom control his profile. She also gets to choose his date. Fortunately, it is only for five dates then he and the woman chosen are free to move on with life. Caleb is not excited about the plan but too much is on the line to not listen to his PR agent, coach, and mother.

Zara, in an alcohol-induced don't-care night with a friend, creates a profile on a dating app. She had no idea she was going to be paired with a hot hockey player. Regardless, Zara has rules they are going to follow to get through their five dates. Rules that, as time goes on, Zara and Caleb aren't sure they want to continue to follow. A relationship was not in the plans.

I love Zara and Caleb's story. Two unlikely people brought together in a fun and entertaining story with realism and emotion. I enjoyed how both characters danced around each other in a slow-burning romance. Neither person was looking for anything long term; the entire dating app situation was a means to an end. Fate, however, had other plans.

Avery Flynn is a wonderful storyteller with unique characters, themes, and settings. Her stories pull you in and keep you thoroughly engaged and entertained. I enjoyed Parental Guidance and can't wait for book 2; the teaser at the end of Parental Guidance pulled me in, hook-line-and-sinker.

Fake relationships might be one of my favorite tropes in romance. It’s got a little of a forced proximity vibe, with characters pretending to be in love in order to achieve some other goal, and watching the characters realize they actually do have feelings for each other is always so satisfying! Parental Guidance  checked all of the boxes with things I love with fake relationships!

This was my first Avery Flynn and it did not disappoint!! As I was reading, I immediately wanted to start one of her other books, Tomboy. Parental Guidance is the first of her new Ice Knights series, and a bit of a spin off from Tomboy. Even though I hadn’t read any of her other books, I was immediately smitten with the characters in Parental Guidance!

There’s nothing I love more than a female character that can hold her own, but is also quirky as hell and Zara is exactly that! Zara is a miniatures artist, as the daughter of a teddy bear artist who grew up going to doll and bear shows, I LOVED that this was Zara’s profession (Swipe to see some of the critters that I grew up around. My mom made the two bigger ones!) Her mentality of needing to take care of everyone while also keeping her artist career afloat was very relatable. And I was obsessed with her dog, Anchovy!

Caleb was also a fantastic character, I loved that his mom was a well-known female hockey coach. I will say there’s one aspect of Caleb’s character that is revealed about half way through, and it got me right in the feels 😭  I loved the concept of family members picking who they would date, it was such a fun twist to the dating app scenario. And the chemistry between Zara and Caleb was so good 🔥🔥🔥 Flynn knows how to write some damn good banter and steam!

Overall, I absolutely loved this story! Parental Guidance was a 4 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me! I highly recommend checking this one out if you’re a sucker for fake relationships

"Parental Guidance" is the first book I have ever read by Avery Flynn, but it definitely won't be the last.  The cover and description really drew me in, and I couldn't wait to read it.  It turned out to be a sweet, funny, and sexy story with endearing, well-developed characters that I loved.  It might have been helpful for me to have read Flynn's Hartigans series first since there seems to be some overlap with the characters, but I didn't feel lost at all without the additional background those books may have provided.

I'm not usually a fan of sports romances (or much of a hockey fan in general), but this book was so well-written and engaging that I didn't mind the sports element.  Hockey was a big part of Caleb's life and the overarching story without being overwhelming or confusing for someone like me, who doesn't have much knowledge of the sport.  There were no drawn-out descriptions of practices or games, just enough details about Caleb's training regimen and travel schedule to make me understand what his life was like, and how it would impact his potential romantic relationship with Zara.

I thought that the idea for the dating app, which integrated insight and advice from users' parents, was very unique and interesting, though it was somewhat unclear to me if parents and post-date conversations/videos were always a part of the process, or if they were just part of the publicity campaign set up by Caleb's team to draw attention away from the viral video.  Either way, Zara and Caleb's parents ended up playing very important roles in the story, which I enjoyed.  Zara's father, in particular, added a lot of humor and heart, as well as important insight into Zara's childhood and character.

Overall, much like Caleb's Ice Knights, "Parental Guidance" is a winner!  I highly recommend "Parental Guidance" and can't wait to see what the next book in this series brings.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Caleb has been roped into using a dating app by his mother to get us of a PR nightmare. Zara has been roped in to the dating app by her best friend. Neither are happy to be doing this but after they meet Zara and Cable agree to continue the required five dates to get it over with. Of course, as with any rom com there plans fail spectacularly.

Caleb and Zara were very likeable characters. I didn’t get why they had to stick to the rules so hard. But I also didn’t think Caleb’s viral flub was that big of a deal. I also felt like things with Zara’s issues weren’t really resolved very well.

Parental Guidance was a cute and fun rom com. If you are looking for light this is what you need. I have to say this isn’t my favorite, but I enjoyed it.

Who doesn’t love a great sports romance? I know I do.  Zara & Caleb’s story was a great hockey romance! 

Zara & Caleb had some great banter! I loved how they challenged each other.  Zara & Caleb brought out the best in each other.  I just loved how their relationship flowed from five dates into so much more.  

I look forward to more by Avery Flynn! 

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

After reading her previous series, I was excited to be able to read this book, Parental Guidance. It certainly did not disappoint and I so enjoyed it. It made me laugh in parts and made me sad in parts. Great story.

This was such a fun book to read! A giant dog always makes things better, so this book gets brownie points immediately for Anchovy, the Great Dane. Zara is a workaholic who plans every detail. Caleb is a hockey player embroiled in a PR  nightmare. On paper, they shouldn’t work. And yet they work so well. They seem like opposites but have more in common than they expected. There is just one thing that bothered me as I was reading this book: why was Caleb the only player under fire? The “you were the senior player, you should have shut it down” argument works to an extent, but as it’s written the rookies make the mistakes and the senior players get punished while the rookies face no consequences.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There is a small appearance of Fallon from Tomboy  which was fun. Caleb and Zara’s support of each other personally and in their careers was amazing. And both of them have invaluable friendships. And like I said, Anchovy makes everything better.

Avery has once again delivered a sweet and funny read that I couldn't put down. I have become addicted to her romantic comedies since The Hartigan series and I can't get enough. 

We were introduced to the Ice Knights in Tomboy and I was hoping to get more from them and was thrilled when I heard about this one. I always have high expectations that Avery will deliver an entertaining read with the perfect ratio of sweet, broody, sexiness, floundering characters, angst and so much more and she once again delivered. I couldn't get enough!!!

This is another must read book and I can't wait to get more from Avery Flynn and her Ice Knight players!!

This book had such a perfectly hilarious and adorable meet-cute.  The banter, the situations, all of it were so much fun!  I couldn't help but really fall in love with both main characters as well as the side characters that helped to make everything happen.  Like I loved Zara's dad and his little commercials he wrote for different companies and schools, etc., whenever he would go on the interviews about Zara and Caleb's dates.  I had a little trouble at times getting Caleb's mom, but I did like how she could tell that really he was interested in Zara. And I also liked that Caleb was pretty good at dealing with stuff with Zara because of his own family full of sisters.  

Technically this is the second book I've read or started to read by this author.  I tried to listen to Butterface on audio, and I don't know if was the narrators or the way the author writes, but I had trouble keeping my attention with the audio. But I now know that I do like to actually read her books, and will continue to do so in the future!

While reading this book be prepare laugh and feel good!  Avery Flynn delivers all the smexy, fuzzy feel-good that I was hoping for. Smart, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining with a huge range of colorful side characters, Zara and Caleb’s story proved to be a thrilling ride. I was so excited and could not wait for this book – Ms. Flynn definitely did not disappoint.  Another truly amazing story from Ms. Flynn!

I was thrilled that the Ice Knights get their own series after being introduced to them in Tomboy. Parental Guidance kicked off an amazing series with the usual sweet, funny rom-com that Avery Flynn is famous for. It has everything that I love – a sassy heroine, a swoon-worthy hero, witty banter, sweet romancing, and rules that are meant to be broken. I loved this easy and quick read which is perfect for a lazy day under the summer sun.

Caleb has been focused on his career as a defenseman for the Ice Knights and isn’t looking for love or a relationship.    When a faux pas goes viral even though Caleb wasn’t part of the problem, he also wasn’t part of the solution, so he finds himself taking one for the team.   He now needs to improve his image and that means agreeing to five dates with the same woman that his mother has chosen for him using the dating app Bramble.

Zara is determined to ensure the success of her miniature business and that means working long hours.    In order to get her best friend to stop complaining about how she is all work and no play she agrees to take part in the Bramble dating app with her potential date being chosen by her father.

When Zara and Caleb started the five dates they were doing it to appease the people in their lives and just wanted to put in their time and be done but sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect them.

Zara is feisty and fiery while there is so much more to Caleb than first appears.   Hot chemistry and humorous banter add up to a winning combination.

Avery Flynn writes a fantastic hockey rom com with Parental Guidance. Zara and Caleb are blackmailed into trying this new dating app. Caleb’s mother is definitely involved in this scheme and is a fun character. Caleb just has to make it through five dates with Zara. Zara has never experienced certain things with a man before and this is what really turns Caleb on and he can’t quit thinking about her no matter how much he’s annoyed by her. Avery Flynn writes great characters that have personalities that you just want to know more about and this is why I love her series and you will love this book. It will have you laughing and wanting more.

This series is off to a great start! Five dates, fun, and no feelings right? I loved Caleb and Zara and every bit of their road to love. Parents, friends, teammates, banter and chemistry make this a great must read!

Hello, hello! So, a quick anecdote. About a year ago, I got an ARC from Entangled of the book Butterface, by Avery Flynn. I read it. I loved it. I never got around to writing the review about it! I’m the worst! I have since purchased the whole Hartigan series and plan to reread Butterface, along with the two sequels, and review them eventually! Because Avery Flynn is GOOD. I’m so thrilled that I was granted access to this new Avery Flynn book, the first in a new series! Are you ready for this? Because it’s so much fun.

In Parental Guidance, Zara Ambrose is a miniatures artist struggling to make ends meet whose dad has always tried to get rich quick. His newest scheme? Trying to get his SAG card by putting his daughter on a dating show where the parents set everything up for their children. Zara doesn’t have time for love – she’s trying to break into the big time with her miniatures, and love didn’t work out so well for her parents anyway. But she makes a deal with her so-called date – none of this is real, so it won’t affect her life after their five-date minimum… right?

Caleb Stuckey messed up big time – and now he’s on thin ice. He was caught on video with some of his Ice Knights teammates calling the women of their pasts “puck bunnies,” and he didn’t do anything to stop them. His punishment? Going on a dating show where his mom picks out his dates. GREAT. He’s not thrilled. But then he meets Zara, and he realizes that there might be more to this whole dating thing than he realized… because Zara is pretty great. But falling for her wasn’t exactly part of the plan…

parental guidance

3 Things I Loved
The setting. Harbor City is obviously a riff on New York City, possibly combined with Boston, but I loved how the author was able to take this fictional place and make it so real. And the Ice Knights? Ugh, love it. She was definitely able to make them feel like a hometown sports team.
The writing. Avery Flynn is excellent at writing awkward romantic comedy. And I really, truly love it. A LOT. I have so much fun reading her books, and they always make me want more.
Zara and Caleb. These two were so fun. Zara’s the control freak, Caleb is the goof, but they’re both in love with their careers and they both respect each other. They’re so real. I just loved them.
Dislikes/Problematic Content
I didn’t see anything overtly problematic in this book, which is always a bonus. However, the lack of diversity was disappointing. I loved Zara and Caleb, don’t get me wrong, and I loved their story. But the whole thing was very white and very heteronormative. Like… give me some diverse side characters, at least? Try to make this look like real life? That’s my one big complaint with Parental Guidance.

As a smaller point… tech peeps out there – don’t design and attempt to market a dating app where your PARENTS make the decisions for you. That’s super enabling to people (millennials) who have trouble acting like adults on their own the way it is. DON’T ENCOURAGE THAT BEHAVIOR! I found Bramble to be unrealistic, to say the least. It made for an entertaining book, though.

Rating
A reminder of the rating scale:

Red = DNF, I hated everything
Orange = Ugh, no thank you
Yellow = I mean, I’ve read worse, but there were problems
Green = This was good! 
Blue = Oh my gosh, I loved this book!
Purple = This is the unicorn of books and I will be rereading it until the binding falls apart and EVERYONE should be reading it!
Avery Flynn’s newest was everything I hoped it would be – a big dose of playful fun with a dash of great danes (YES, THERE’S A GREAT DANE IN THIS BOOK) and ice hockey. Not to mention a career-driven female lead who doesn’t need a man. LOVE IT. I’m giving Parental Guidance a GREEN rating. It’s super fun, but could be more diverse.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! If you like romantic comedies, sports romances, and snarky female characters, you’ll probably like this book!

Happy reading!

Tons of laugh out loud fun, wonderful snark, sass, and witty banter along with a good amount of sizzling sexy times.  Yep I'm reading an Avery Flynn book and it's great!  Caleb just wants to play hockey but trouble just seems to find him.  He's dealing with a PR nightmare when his hurricane of a mom comes into town adding even more chaos to his life.  Before he knows what hit him she has him signed up to an online dating app.  Nothing can go wrong with this idea right????  Zara can't believe she agreed to this crazy dating plan but here she is so let's get this done.  Five dates is all she needs.  Surely she can handle five dates.  There is no way hearts will get involved in that short amount of time.  Yeah, right!

For a fun entertaining read grab this one and get ready to laugh and swoon.  I definitely recommend it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When a video of his rookie teammates talking smack about "puck bunnies" goes viral, Caleb Stuckey finds himself caught in the middle for not stopping the trash talk happening right in front of him in the video. In order to clean up his image, his PR agent, coach, and mother sign him up for a dating service where his mother will do the matching up. To make matters worse, his dating adventure will be featured on TV for the world to see. When his mother matches him up with the take-no-bull Zara Ambrose, Caleb is sure the next four dates will be hell. Caleb and Zara agree to go through with the next dates with no expectations and absolutely no feelings, but soon find that plans don't always go the way you want.

Parental Guidance has been on my amazon wishlist practically since the preorder was up, so I was pretty ecstatic to get an advanced copy of this book. The past few books I've read by Avery Flynn have been quick, fun reads that I really enjoyed, too, so that added to my excited. Unfortunately for me, I found myself a bit disappointed with this book. Both Zara and Caleb were pretty great characters with very distinct personalities, and I really liked them both. However, I really feel the relationship between the two needed to be developed more. I do think that the main characters were great together, but they went from a physical attraction to being in love way too quickly, and without all that much interaction. Despite this, I do think someone in the mood for a quick, sweet read would enjoy this book. This book wasn't for me, but I know I'll probably read the next books in the series, as well as other books by Avery Flynn.

2.5/5