A cute read with a insta-love aspect. Throw in a injured chicken and you get a pretty ridiculous story. Was it a fun read? It did have some ok moments but not a read I overly liked.
All in all….I’m glad I picked the book up from the library and not the bookstore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
To begin, what caught my eye was the cover and the title. The little chicken on the cover in the city and the simplistic name was giving Abby Jimenez- which is an absolute compliment since she’s one of my favorite authors. Then I saw she had left a glowing review for ‘To Get to the Other Side’ and I knew that I absolutely needed to get my hands on this ARC.
I have mixed feelings about this entire thing. It felt like Kelly Ohlert was trying to write like Lyssa Kay Adams, Sarah Adams and Abby Jimenez but just didn’t quite get there. The authors voice either just didn’t come through on this one or is something that I don’t vibe with.
The chicken concept was quirky and very much set the tone for the book- weird sayings in place of swear words, quirky-manic pixie girl FMC, weird character names, and super horny but poorly executed insta-love trope. The chicken’s health is also a large driving plot factor which wasn’t doing the story any favors in my eyes.
Some of the stuff that came out of their mouths made me cringe so hard I need to go get a message to work out the tension in my neck and shoulders. An example being below:
“Or?
My core clenched in reaction, Pikachu, he was going to make me say more.”
This is another case of ‘not for me but maybe it’s for you.’

This was a cute romcom! The meet-cute involves an actual chicken crossing the road, so the name is incredibly appropriate. I enjoyed this story; both main characters had their own problems and struggles to overcome, but they’re also kind and care for others (both people and animals).

You’ll enjoy this book if you like:
•grumpy/sunshine
•forced proximity
•complicated family relationships
•chickens
•fade-to-black romance

"What in the name of hiccupping hippos...?" This book was definitely a good surprise! I love the terms used!

Why did Chick-Chick cross the road? To Get to the Other Side? No. To change Trixie's life completely.

One day, Trixie Ward was living her life when a chicken passed in front of her moving car. She loves animals and immediately goes to the rescue. One good-looking gentleman offers his help to calm the other drivers. Yes, she just stopped the car in the road and went to grab the chicken.

Fast-forwarding to Trixie's landlady having given her one week to get rid of Chick-Chick or find a new house, Trixie finds an ad in the paper where four sisters are looking for a renter for their brother's spare room. What could go wrong?

Well, maybe him being Bear Ross, the nice, and nice-looking man who helped her when she was grabbing Chick-Chick. The one she was attracted to but never asked for his number. Also, Bear feels the exact same way.

So, why not give it a try? Probably because she has lots of emotional baggage, he does as well but less, and if it goes wrong she'll be homeless with a sick chicken to take care of and an enormous amount of health bills to pay.

One of my favorite parts was the family meetings. They are a fun and loving family and welcomed Trixie right away. I don't think every book needs to end like this one but it made some sense when we have so many family meetings throughout the story and bad family dynamics.

Another is how this book shows that men are allowed to have feelings and to show them. That, and that a person can be and do whatever makes her happy, no matter the sex and all those old gender stereotypes.

Last, there's a chicken! The book goes around a cute little sick Chick-Chick that is trying to survive against all the odds.

I don't see why someone could not be interested in reading this wonderful book... Enjoy!

This was such a cute and different romcom! The main characters have a great chemistry and they fit together really well. It was fun and romantic, but at the same time serious and had some very deep moments.

One of my favourite things about this book was how it handled the topic of toxic masculinity. The way that our main character, Bear, struggles with it throughout the whole book and finally finds peace with himself, despite it, was amazing.

The whole thing with the chicken only made the book even more fun. It’s not something you see in a lot of romance books. If there’s pets involved it is almost always a dog or a cat, so to use a chicken was really refreshing and hilarious.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 3.5 stars

If cute and quirky rom-coms are your jam, then this is probably a book for you.

It's fun and easy-to-read making it a perfect lighthearted escape with just enough complex emotion to give it a little depth.

Chick-Chick the rescue chicken was a breath of fresh air and her humans aren't half bad either.

It got a little repetitive at times, like with mannerisms of the characters, but it was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for this digital Advanced Reader Copy.

4 stars! a quirky little romcom!

this one tugged at my heartstrings and was just a little bit of silly with a chicken involved. i was not so sure about it but the mutual pining in the synopsis was promise enough for me and it did not let me down.

bear and trixie were fun characters with issues they were able to work through the book. trixie was a sweet, thoughtful heroine while bear was big and strong with a gooey interior. both their traumas as characters were forefront with who they were today and who they were falling in love with. it was something i was sympathetic to and it was delightful to see them grow and understand the steps they needed to take.

this was a sweet, fun and easy read. it was packed with silly moments as well as emotional ones that made me fall in love with the characters more. they were just very relatable to me. i adore them!

thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending an ARC my way in return for an honest review!

So I’m really struggling to knke how to rate this.

Did I read it in a day? Yes… did I love it? No… did I hate it, definitely not.

I loved the beginning, I was trying not to laugh (I was at work) and I highlighted A LOT. I loved the characters, the connection, the tropes, chick chick has a special place in my heart.

But the more I read… the more I was finding it more cringy and repetitive. I really sympathised with the characters and their traumas bit it was just “they had a close encounter, they thought against it, she got emotional but had to hide it and he didn’t understand why, but didn’t push” like the first two times yeah I get it… but after 3/4 times it was just repetitive.. along with her little sayings, instead of cursing. It was cute the first few times but it just got annoying and the characters were just described very basically (she was quirky with minuscule clothes. He was grumpy who just stared) I don’t know it jusy out it off. There also just seemed to be small plot holes that could have been filled in. Did they ever watch lord of the rings? Who knows?.

I loved the ending though, I really felt for the characters, especially the fmc and struggling to get past her trauma. And I’m so glad chick chick was a okay.

Overall o think this was a 3.5. It had a lot of potential but just needed a little more.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange of my honest review

⭐⭐⭐
To Get to the Other Side, Kelly Ohlert
December 6, 2022, Alcove Press

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't your typical romance, because, as you may be able to tell from the title, a chicken plays a pivotal role in the story -- yes really.

After Trixie recuses a chicken in downtown Chicago traffic, she has to find a new home for herself in order to keep the chicken. Trixie rents a room from Bear - after his meddling sister post an ad. Trixie and Bear promise to keep things platonic, but the chicken just keeps drawing them back together again and again...

A fun and adorable romcom.

@kellyohlert #ToGettotheOtherSide #NetGalley @netgalley @alcovepress #romcombooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #romancebooks #booksaboutchickens

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.


I thought TGTTOS was a fun, enjoyable read. The chicken was such an equally unexpected and unique plot device! I loved the theme of family throughout the story, and the fact that we got a double POV is always a win in my book. I do have to say the main characters didn't particularly shine for me; they reminded me a lot of characters that are already out there, and I overall wish there'd been more depth to them.
I would recommend this story if you're looking for a quirky, laugh-out-loud, fast-paced romantic comedy.

Read if you like:
🐓 Chicken Crossing the Road Jokes
🏠 Roommates to Lovers
❤️ Meddling Siblings
👫🏼 Dual POV

This was cute, sassy, sarcastic, and heartfelt! If you are looking for a cute romance that starts out with a chicken crossing the road, this one is definitely for you!

These characters had great chemistry and I really enjoyed how their story came together! This one also had a really well done slow burn plot and I’m so thankful I got to read it in advance of its release in exchange for my feedback!

2.5. Trixie and Bear's relationship is sweet even if it is based on insta-love and relies pretty heavily on anxious attachment styles and neediness. I also enjoyed the animals; Chick-Chick's presence is refreshing here. That's about where the pros end for me, though.

I appreciate a romance that address childhood trauma and toxic masculinity, like this one does, but to be effective it has to adequately explore these issues and apply them to its characters. For instance, Trixie's arc with her family sort of explains her problematic behavior and manic pixie dream girl tendencies, but it was hard to feel sympathy for her when there's a lack of depth. Bear's subplot also feels slapdash and a little stereotypical--big burly guy wants to run a flower shop and drink wine and watch Grey's Anatomy? Great; good for him.

Parts of this are cute and totally fine. If you don't mind the "quirky" girl stereotype (she says food words when she wants to swear), pick this up.

To start out I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I initially requested this book because of the adorable cover. I mean come on a chicken crossing the road in a city I can't even I just had to know what happened to her.

This is the story of Trixie, Bear, and Chick Chick and their journey into friendship, family, and love. Each one of these characters (is it ok to call a chicken a character?) has a struggle they must overcome. For poor Chick Chick, it is her health but for Trixie and Bear, it is their mental health. I loved getting to know each of these characters along with Bear's family and how they all supported one another. Sometimes the support Bear received from his sisters was not always appreciated but seemed to work out as the story progressed.

I found the story to be layered and immersive. I found it hard to put down the book once I started it because dang that chicken had me from the start. I just could not help myself I needed to know how she made out maybe it is because I am such an animal person. If you are looking for a quick comforting rom-com kind of read then I would say that this book is for you. Besides the chicken, I very much enjoyed the family aspect of the story along with discovering why the main characters behaved in the ways that they did.

Again I just want to thank NetGalley for this ARC all of the opinions in this review are my own.

To Get To The Other Side by Kelly Ohlert
My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’re driving along a busy highway and a chicken is crossing the road. What do you do? Trixie, an animal enthusiast saves the chicken and brings it home to take care of it because it was badly injured. A man named Bear, helped Trixie catch the chicken.
Bear has 5 sisters all who are invested in getting him a girlfriend and to help him with his money troubles, so they put out an ad for his spare bedroom.

Since Trixie was in a lease with no pets allowed and her landlord found out, she needed a place to stay…. I think you can tell what happens next!

I really enjoyed this story in the beginning I was very hooked. I really liked the dual narrators and points of views of Trixie and Bear. I did enjoy their chemistry and the overall story that sounds ridiculous but was quite entertaining.

However, about halfway through the book I wanted more interaction between the main characters and wanted less unnecessary conflict. I truly get so frustrated when lack of communication creates unnecessary problems in books. I liked this story overall and it was a fun read, but I was ready for it to be over by the end. I still would recommend if you liked a fun little rom com with minimal spice levels 😅!

Thank you @netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC! You can read this when it’s published on December 6th 2022!

“Leave it to a chicken to throw my life into a tailspin.”

Trixie Ward loves animals, hence why she works at an animal shelter. So when she sees a chicken struggling to cross the road—yes, to get to the other side—she has to stop and rescue it. Now with a chicken suddenly under her wing, breaking the no-pets-allowed rule of her apartment, Trixie has to find a new place to live…and fast. When she sees a spare, pet-friendly room up for rent in a pancake-loving man’s house, she jumps at the chance. Turns out that Bear Ross (the pancake-loving man) just so happened to help Trixie rescue the chicken and also didn’t know that his meddlesome sisters put his spare room up for rent. Still, he decides to let Trixie rent the room, but the two might be in for more than they bargained for when immediate attraction and feelings also move in. Can they make this arrangement work while keeping things platonic? Or will their hearts fly away with them before they can?

I enjoyed TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE so much that I read it all in one day and quite literally could not put it down. Trixie and Bear are so emotionally relatable that reading this book is almost like going to therapy. I also developed strong feelings for Chick-Chick the chicken and really loved getting to see how she wormed her way into everyone’s hearts. Speaking of characters, Bear’s family was so fun to read about, and I loved their family meetings and wanted to join in! Author Kelly Ohlert does a fabulous job tackling some tough topics while also including lots of laugh-out-loud scenes. With heart, hope, and lots of chicken feathers, TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE is the perfect pick-me-up for the animal-lover in all of us.

Content Warnings: Strong language, blood, animal injuries, mentioned bullying, emotional abuse, anxiety, depression, referenced intimate scenes, absentee parents

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

The following review will be posted on my blog on Sunday, November 6th, a month before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram closer to the day of publication, as well, but it has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.






“Chickira? Henrietta? Princess Lay-A. Hennifer Lopez! Clucky Charm? I’m going to call you Chick-Chick.”

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses sick animals, bullying, child abuse, and frustration and unhealthy parental relationships after practicing a professional sport. Has some sexual innuendos.

“To Get To The Other Side” follows Trixie, Bear, and Chick-Chick—two roommates and a chicken found abandoned in the streets of Chicago. Trixie found Chick-Chick in the middle of the street and, by trying to sneak her into her not-pet-friendly apartment, is kicked out by her landlord. That’s when she finds an ad about a so-called Bear, who’s looking for a roommate and doesn’t mind pets…ish. Obviously a chicken was a bit unexpected, but Trixie and Chick-Chick end up falling right into his routine… perhaps falling in too well. To the point he’s thinking she could be more than just a roommate.

I think the best way to describe this book is as weird? The writing isn’t horrible but the story is just odd. Love at first sight and then close proximity and kind of enemies to lovers for a hot second… and a chicken? Found in the middle of the street? I don’t know. I love fiction just as much as the next chick (no pun intended), but this really wasn’t it for me.

This is a sort of closed-doors-romance, where we know they bang but we don’t know anything about it, if that makes sense. So I wouldn’t call it a clean romance per se, but I also can’t give it much of a spicy rating as is.

I think I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as I expected. (I’ll blame it on judging a book by its cover). It’s supposed to be a romantic comedy, but I didn’t find any of it funny—more like I found it all very unrealistic. I read to escape my reality, but not in this whimsical, idealistic way. Life isn’t like this. People don’t talk like that.

Trixie is annoying, Bear (who the hell is called Bear?) is fictional at worse, and the name of the chicken is Chick Chick. Need I say more?

I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a short, silly read. No substance, all fluff—and clean fluff at that.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: December 6, 2022

I got this book from NetGalley as an ACR and these are my honest thoughts and opinions. I DNF this book at around 10% because of some of the tropes that this book has. It has small women and large man and they point it out all the time. The guys name is also Bear… which just beat that dead horse more about the size difference. He also can’t talk around her because he thinks she’s so beautiful which at first I was ok with but it continued on to the second time they met and after they had been talking for 15 minutes. They is also a chicken in this book and I’m a poultry science major and so of the things that happen with the chicken… I just couldn’t comprehend why it was happening and the behavior of the bird seemed odd. Also the chickens name is was Chick-Chick. The main female character was the “not like other girls” and keeps this chicken even though it goes against her lease. I think this was simply not a book for me and I think it’s unfair for me to rate it when it was mainly just tropes that I didn’t like. The writing style was fine for me but I did think the pacing was weird.

To Get to the Other Side was a fun, quick book to read. It was a close love at first sight, HEA style. Trixie and Bear meet for a brief moment when Trixie finds a wounded chicken in the middle of the road in Chicago. I enjoyed that I could read this book in a few short settings, I was invested in the health of not only the chicken, but also the relationship of Trixie and Bear. I enjoyed that the chapters were relayed in the different POVs of the main characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelly Ohlert and Alcove Press for allowing me to read this eBook in advance.

Apologising for the mess of this review - I think it’s me mostly trying to convert noises to text x

An easy enjoyable read if you’re feeling a cutesy romance. This isn’t gonna change the face of romance literature but it was fun. But cringe at many points

First of all the characters names are Trixie and Bear?! I don’t know why I’m taking such offence to these names but I am, ok?! And for the chicken! Chick-Chick?? Trixie gives us a wee list of potential names and there’s honestly a few absolute crackers - Hennifer Lopez being the obvious choice duh

There was, shockingly, however, a general storyline! I was invested in Chick-Chick’s health and the lil tension between Trixie and Bear was so good until it actually happened (excuse me closed door romance uh). I didn’t know going in but like the way each of them were describing each other (multiple povs hello!!!) I was convinced I was set for a full on steamy scene. The chapter ended and we’d just moved right on?!???? Like fine okay. Then Trixie makes a million bad decisions but also Bear seems kind of needy and a bit possessive so I think I’m okay.

There’s a lot of other stuff that’s kind of mentioned and not really fleshed out very well - mostly to do with Trixie’s traumatic childhood which could’ve been really well developed and led to a much better character arc for her but there were quite a few other minor plotlines as well, that went nowhere!

I did enjoy it but think it was more through laughing at some of the more ridiculous bits!!

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. The love story is almost love at first sight which is a trope I dislike. Trixie is written to be too much like the "I'm not like other girls" kind of person. And, I didn't find these people's love for a chicken cute or charming.