For me this book was okay. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I normally LOVE roommate books but this one definitely fell a little flat for me.

Thanks you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

The premise seemed interesting at first, but I could not get engaged with the story or writing so I could not finish

This was a cute, fade to black love story. The characters suffered from a lot of self doubt and it held them back from experiencing the lives they wanted to the fullest. It’s a story about learning to believe in yourself and be true to who you are, no matter who is looking. It made me laugh and I loved the side characters.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley and the publishers. While this book may be someone else's cup of tea, it personally didn't resonate with me. The premise is simple but far-fetched, with our female protagonist, Trixie, rescuing a chicken, going into debt for it, and leaving her apartment because of the chicken. It's honestly quite absurd, but in a humorous way.

Our manic pixie dream girl naturally finds romance with our grumpy male lead, Bear, who carries emotional baggage of his own. This shared woundedness allows them to connect, grow, and become involved.

Unfortunately, the writing in this book, as well as the portrayal of their relationship, left much to be desired. The writing felt flat and lacked depth, relying heavily on telling rather than showing. It didn't present the characters in a favorable light. While it might have worked for a younger audience, for a young adult romance, I struggled to see its appeal.

This debut novel revolves around Trixie - who stops her car in the middle of Downtown Chicago to help a chicken that is struggling to cross the road (which makes the title so perfect 🤣) and Bear - a quiet reserved man whose sisters post an ad to rent out his spare room without asking his permission.

I found this story to be both unique and relatable. The characters are ones to root for and I adore it when there’s a close-knit family element to a storyline. I’m definitely adding Kelly Ohlert to my to buy author list - I'm looking forward to the new novel coming out this fall!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.

I didn’t need sooo much about the chickens? It kind of took over the whole story line, which sure the title gives that vibe but it was too much for what could’ve been a decent romcom

The book initially held promise, but unfortunately, its quality quickly deteriorated within the first ten chapters. The author's ability to craft a compelling storyline fell short of expectations.

The characters needed more depth needing discernible personality or chemistry between them. Regrettably, the plot proved mundane, leading to reader exhaustion and annoyance, especially regarding a chicken character aptly named Chick Chick. Trixie, the protagonist, proved unlikable and unrelatable, presenting herself as an atypical, quirky girl.

The author included a troubling, abusive element to the character, but it was mentioned casually and dismissively. Despite the author's attempts to make the male lead, Bear, appear attractive and emotionally aware, he ultimately comes across as weak.

The utilization of the instant love trope further diminished the reading experience. The author's incorporation of other tropes also suffered from poor execution. Despite my utmost effort, I struggled to engage with the story, finding it increasingly irritating and tedious.

A quick, entertaining read. I feel like the characters were a little unbelievable and immature at times. The story was funny, but maybe if the plot had more depth it would be more interesting.

This book was a cute romance but I didn’t feel any real connection to any of the characters and I couldn’t stand Trixie. Her personality made this book a struggle for me.

This book was good but had to make myself see it through because I wasn't the most intrigued by it. It would make a great audiobook to listen to on the way to & from work!

DNF at 40%
I was really not in the mood for this kinda story. I didn't vibe with the main character, and it really dragged for me. Definitely not a terrible book and it could be great for someone else, but unfortunately not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"To Get to the Other Side" starts with a promising concept, Trixie and Bear, living together taking care of a chicken. The story had a lot of potential to be a cute romcom, but the execution didn't meet my expectations. First things first, the things I did enjoy. I liked Trixies friend Lindsey. I liked the baseball game chapters. And I liked Bear’s family. They were a little extreme every now and then, but these were the reasons I was able to push through and finish this book.

One of the things that I found challenging about this book was the lack of adults being actual adults. They were all very immature, which made it hard to read. They are adults, they should act more like it.
The characters seemed flat and their only personality traits seemed to be trauma that wasn't fleshed out well enough.

The lack of chemistry between the characters was another issue. Despite the attempts to create romantic tension, it felt unnatural. The instalove made it hard to root for them. The focus on his physical attraction to her was also too much, it didn't add anything to the story. And I couldn't stand how the gaslighting was never adressed and even a little romanticized.

Lastly, the use of custom curse words was unnecessary. It would have been better for Trixie to just not cuss at all, rather than constantly using silly phrases. Bear on the other hand cussed too much.

Overall, while this book had some interesting ideas, the execution fell short. The adults behaved like children, the lack of chemistry between the main characters made it hard to connect with the romance. The excessive focus on physical attraction and the gaslighting behavior were very concerning and never adressed. While some of the character quirks were unique, it was not enough for me to enjoy this book. This is why I rated it 2 stars

Thank you again NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have shared a detailed spoiler review on my Goodreads account.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

Cute read, however not what I was expecting. The story was overall an OK read, but not my favourite read. I would still recommend this book to others.

Really cute book but really nothing more than that. I was expecting to love it completely but it was just okay. Not a bad read but I had high expectations that weren't meet. It's still a book I recommend. A quick read with good writing and some amazing characters!

This book was very cute. Any book that revolves around an animal is a-okay with me, and the fact that it was a chicken made it that much better. There were some issues I had towards the end in regards to the main female character, but I loved the male and his sisters. Overall it was a fun and cute read.

I really love the cover of this book and the ridiculousness that it is. This is a wonderful book about finding yourself even though you're a hot mess and making your life just the way you want it to be.

Cute rom-com about roommates Trixie and Bear. I liked the storyline and thought the story was charming. And how can there not be anything funny when chickens are involved.

I don’t think I’ve ever read so much about a chicken in my life. 🤨 This one didn’t click with me and I had a hard time not DNFing but after I finished it, I was so underwhelmed. Trixie was an interesting character. I couldn’t figure out why on earth she would spend $900+ on a CHICKEN(!!!) when she couldn’t even afford her regular living. And the comments/thoughts the author had her use. “Oh fishsticks” right after sex and “anti UTI restroom run”. Like I just couldn’t with some of these. Also it felt like nothing actually happened in the book. Bear was thinking about buying his moms flower shop, Trixie was trying to get out of debt (even though she could easily get rid of this chicken and lose a lot of bills from that alone). I’m hoping I forget this book sooner than later. 😬🫣

This book was difficult to read. The plot just dragged on and on and nothing really happened. Chemistry between main characters was nonexistent and their personalities weren't believable. I really wanted to like this book, because the idea of the book sounded fun. It was just poorly executed.

I thought this book was fun and made me laugh. I enjoyed the characters and how quirky she was. The situations she finds herself in. It's a little too quick on the events that makes it seem a bit unbelievable but it is fun