This was a cute story! Unconventional, sweet romance and an adorable chicken.
Enjoyed the storyline although it was a lot longer than necessary; could have easily been a short 200-300page, easy & light read. Not a fan of the weird remarks (Trixie)
hated the whole 'blue balls' reference 😑not cool. While this character driven plot was well executed, i didnt find myself very attached to these characters. Not a whole lot of build on them outside of the conflicts they are working over. Overall my rating..3.75⭐️

Thank you @netgalley & Alcove Press for the opportunity to review this entertaining copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

My review also on insta: lattesbooksandblankets 💞

Oh my god. This was SO cute. The premise of forced proximity with a mixed in requirement for them to be coparenting a chicken is PERFECT. IN LOVE. Can't wait for this book to be released to the world for others to enjoy as well!

Trixie is eccentric, different, always armed with a smile aaaannnnddddd chases injured chickens across rushing traffic. Bear is quiet and reserved with a sensitive side. Put these two together? You get one heck of a fun story!

I loved everything about this. The romance was so sweet and cute it was ridiculous. Trixie and Bear were so pure and wholesome. I truly loved it!

A four-star read that shows promise. I don’t know about this one, I liked it, then it annoyed me and I liked it again, it started so well, and f the author has another story that keeps that initial pace I would gladly follow their work, if its like the second half then I would have to leave it. The characters were okay, Bear had that special something, he played your heart strings, and his family made me smile mostly. Trixie, Trixie, Trixie what can be said about you, she is like that friend you know deep down you like, but you can only cope with them in small doses, that’s who Trixie reminds me off. I know this will be like Marmite you will either love the drama or hate it all. I do hope lots like it, as the writing is there it just needs a little more light to shine through.

To Get to The Other Side is a good book! It is easy to read. It has great characters. I loved the beginning. Overall, it had a fun plot.

2.5 stars

This is a story about Trixie and Bear, who rescue a chicken, became roommates and then start to have feelings for each other. I thought the idea was so weird and so funny - the premise is that Trixie stops her car in the middle of the road simply to save a chicken who was crossing the road. She was helped by Bear, who had to stop because Trixie was blocking the road. They become roommates after Trixie unexpectedly had to move, but it is clear from the start that both of them are wanting more, but they're holding back.

This book started strong for me - I expected it to be weird and fluffy based on the synopsis and the book was just that. Trixie was a fun protagonist - in the beginning, she is determined and she seemed like a lovely person. Bear also seemed like an interesting character in the beginning, and this book was the epitome of the grumpy character and sunshine trope. Trixie rescues the chicken and literally goes into debt trying to care for it, and I thought that was really sweet.

After they become roommates, it is clear that both of them are developing feelings for each other, but it was immediate and it was a bit too much insta-love for my taste. As their feelings grow, that is where it all went downhill for me. It is obvious that both of them carry some trauma and insecurities from the past, and this turns into so much miscommunication that my head was spinning. Both of them, but Trixie especially, act very childish when issues arise and nothing gets solved for most of the book. They keep going in circles of attraction - we shouldn't date - but we want to - but we want and I was quickly tired of it.

I really enjoyed Bear's family, they were slightly overbearing (pun intended) at times, but they were sweet and supportive most of the time. We don't see much of the side characters, and I wish we got more from them but they were fun. I enjoyed Trixie's boss as well, and I wish we got to see more of her.

By the end, I was already tired of the main characters and what I felt was unnecessary drama. I feel like both characters were completely valid in their feelings, but I think it was not handled very well by either side. Both had some baggage they were carrying from the past, but both were acting very childish instead of solving it as two adults. Especially Trixie's issues - I feel like they were just kind of brushed off and magically solved with one conversation, which seems unlikely given how hard of a time she had opening up.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book but it didn't work for me. I expected to enjoy it much more, but for such a character-driven book I found it hard to like or connect with the characters, especially as the book went on. It was a very quick read though, so if that's what you're looking for and the book interests you, I would still recommend it.

I received the arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the cover description: Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.

Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.

Determined to keep her new room, befriend Bear, and give her rescue chicken the care she deserves, Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.

I wanted to love this book. I thought the premise was unique and fun. Sadly, this book just didn't do it for me, personally.

Trixie is the sunshine in this sunshine x grumpy trope but she is sunshine to the very extreme and it leaned on unbelievability for me. Bear, on the other hand, I enjoyed but I didn't find him grumpy enough. What really went too far for me, was the chicken story line. I struggled to even get through it, honestly. It sounds silly and fun on the surface, but it came off odd and I couldn't buy into it. Starting with the fact that a woman ran into oncoming traffic with a smile on her face to rescue a dying chicken, to the fact that a big grumpy he-man was in love at first sight over such a woman, to the sunny woman paying thousands of dollars she does not have on a chickens vet bills, to her MOVING to make a home for this chicken, to the part where this became a book about chicken co-parenting... it just pushed my limits of believability too far and I couldn't immerse myself. I love quirky, I love interesting, I love plots that seem ridiculous BUT also believable. And believability is ultimately where this book lost me.

Thanks you NetGalley and Alcove Press for Providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.

★★.5 stars

As I read the synopsis I thought this book was going to be really great but soon I went into the book and it just wasn’t it.

The start is slow but I thought it would get better but it doesn’t. The characters are very bland and there’s just no chemistry or tension. It’s grumpy x sunshine but I did not find the main guy, Bear, grumpy at all. Trixie, on the other hand I found too sunshine-y. I’ve read so many grumpy x sunshine books as it is one of my favourite tropes ever but I’m sorry to say this wasn’t it. It was mostly insta-love for both of them and I think that was what threw me off. In a romance book with roommates I was expecting some sexual tension, some mutual pining and overall chemistry between the characters but it didn’t quite hit.

I also found somethings in this book very questionable. How did the chicken end up on the road in first place in Chicago that it too? And why did a girl, living alone in a very high-standard city, pay thousands of dollar for betterment of a chicken when she’s barely scraping by? She also works at an animal shelter she could have just dropped the chicken off there. Bear’s meddling sisters were also quite annoying through the book.

I really loved the quirkiness of our main girl even though I sometimes doubt how she survived alone. She’s fun and caring and just sunshine overall. I love Bear’s best friend too because he was just fun and made me laugh occasionally.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed are my own. This review does NOT contain any spoilers. :)

☆☆☆.5 Overall

First and foremost, I have never read a romance novel that I could say, “This book would not be the same without the chicken,” before, but here I say: This book would not be the same without the chicken. I am a Chick Chick stan, and I love her wholeheartedly.

Trixie and Bear dance around each other in the most beautiful way, their lives intertwining thanks to a roommate ad posted by Bear’s sneaky (but so loveable) sisters behind his back. This novel has everything you could want in a romance: meddling siblings, friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, “and they were roommates,” and so many other little tropes that speak to my soul. Ohlert spins an adorable tale about a woman with a big heart and a big man with few words, and I am a complete sucker for it.

I do wish that we saw deeper into both of the main characters, especially Trixie. While I feel like we did see growth from our leads, it didn’t feel as organic and deep as I would have liked to see. At some points, even after I was attached to the characters, it felt a little hard to root for them and their growth, which is sad to say.

I absolutely LOVE Bear’s entire family, and I think they (and their meddling) may be one of my favorite parts about this book. I would love to see more from them, perhaps in a Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers type of series, which I promise you I would DEVOUR.

I do have some qualms about this book, mainly surrounding wanting more depth from our mains, but overall I really did enjoy it, and I can’t wait to see what Kelly Ohlert does next! I think that as a debut novel, this is strong, and I hope she keeps pushing. :)

First time reading this author and the story really didn't do it for me.
I did read it to the end (but skipped a lot), but I couldn't related to the characters and the whole thing with the chicken just felt weird. Where I come from, chicken are not pets, so I'm sure Trixie's attachment would have worked better with another kind of animal, preferably a mamal.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

When a book starts out with a chicken pun, I think you're guaranteed to get something pretty light and funny. That's what I hoped for when i picked up To Get to the Other Side, and I was not disappointed.

Sweet, quirky Trixie and her newly adopted rescue chicken, Chick-Chick, end up roommates with Bear, a gruff and quiet man. Unsurprisingly, and despite their guarantees to the contrary, Trixie and Chick-Chick end up turning Bear's whole world upside down. In true grumpy/sunshine trope fashion, Bear is at first resistant to these charms but grows attached to Trixie and her sweet animal. Along the way, we also learn some information about Bear that shows he's not the tough guy he may appear to be.

I really loved every minute of this book and look forward to other reads by Kelly Ohlert in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While I was not a fan of the meet cute at the start of this book, the story was fun and the characters overall enjoyable. Trixie was a little too much of the manic pixie dream girl trope, but I appreciated that Bear was more than the typical hyper masculine archetype. Overall, I enjoyed this read, but the substance could have been a little more.

Thank you for the ARC to reveiw!

I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a little slow to start, but once the author hit their stride, it REALLY took off. Once the story committed to itself and all its weirdness, I was ready to commit as well. The pacing was a little bit off, and not in a genre-bending way. It felt like maybe it could stand to go through another pass at the editor. I LOVED the premise, the creativeness of the situation and the tropes - who DOESN'T love close proximity? While I felt that the characters were a smidge two-dimensional, it didn't distract from the story. I really saw myself in the main character, Trixie, and her fear of getting close to others. I also love a dual POV, so this really checked a lot of boxes for me. Overall, I liked it! And I'm so glad I got a chance to read it.

Certainly different! like nothing I've read before.
The main character is called Trixie (or is it the chicken)
she names the chicken chick-chick.
really who gives up their home for a chicken?
anyway, it wasn't for me and in the end, gave up on it.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for choosing me to review.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

What an adorable and fun read. To Get to the Other Side was the rom com I’ve been waiting on. A perfect mixture of quirky personalities, chickens, and battling through unfortunately realistic traumas had mr struggling to put this one down. I flew through this ARC In less than two days and enjoyed every minute. Highly recommend for a quick, fun read. I hope you also fall in love with Chick chick, Bear and Trixie. To Get to the Other Side publishes December 2022. Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC.

I have to start by thanking NetGalley and Alcove Press for giving me the opportunity to read this quirky, enjoyable romance novel.

The cover helps start the story as we notice the lady chasing the chicken, where? Well to the other side of the road, of course. Or is that where she chases the chicken? This book starts with Trixie, a lady who lives in Chicago, chasing a chicken who is clearly misplaced. In the process of trying to gather up the chicken, she runs into a man - a good looking one of course - who attempts to quiet traffic momentarily. When she finally secures the chicken in her arms, she brings it into her car. Trixie is a pet-lover who works at an animal shelter and while her landlord does not allow pets at all, she tries to sneak the chicken in. Of course, that doesn't exactly work and she is given a week to find a new place to live.

That's where the story starts to build - but slowly. As she is in search of a new place that will allow Trixie and her new feathered friend, a second character, Bear, is just trying to survive his sisters plan to help him find love. Bear is a quiet guy with an extremely close family. They regularly have family meetings to make decisions and believe it's time for Bear to find his mate. Unbeknownst to Bear, his sister's post a "room for rent" ad, that includes his picture and it goes viral. Like many other individuals, Trixie arrives at Bear's home to inquire about his available room and is just as surprised as he is when she realizes it is his home.

Of course Trixie gets the room - even though she didn't mention that she decided to keep her feathered friend - and all of the vet bills that have come with keeping the chicken alive. They both agree that they will remain platonic roommates - but can they keep that end of the deal, especially with Bear's family involved? Through the course of the story Bear faces various obstacles and Trixie tries to help, without getting attached and trusting him.

This book is a slow-build, but I really enjoyed it. It was also a predictable storyline, but again, it I liked it! Ohlert did a great job with the story, rotating the perspective from Trixie to Bear, though the character's could have been developed a bit more.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SO CUTE. Animal lover and the grump who is actually a softie for Trixie and her fur/feather friends. I fell in love with Trixie and Bear’s relationship and his close family.

The character development of the main characters is just *chefs kiss*. I would have been so devastated if Chick-Chick didn’t pull through… now to find me a man to build me a chicken wheelchair.

For me, this book just didn't do it. The premise sounds interesting: Trixie grabs a chicken out of the road (presumably to save its life) and then can no longer live in her pet-free apartment, so she moves in with Bear after his sister posts an ad renting out his spare room.

There's just not enough in this story. It feels more like an idea for a story than a finished copy. The characters are bland and one-dimensional and many of their actions don't make sense.

The premise just felt...weird. Like OK, Trixie saves the chicken from traffic. As someone who has saved many a turtle, I get that. But then why didn't she find the chicken a nice home at a local farm? Why did she spend thousands of dollars saving this chicken at a vet even though it means she went into debt? How does this girl actually get through life making these sorts of decisions? Trixie is the classic *not like other girls* manic pixie dream and it just didn't work for me. She didn't feel real or relatable. We don't even really see her bonding with the chicken - it's just assumed that she must save the chicken because that's the kind of person she is.

Meanwhile, Bear is the classic *grumpy* hero who doesn't like to be around people. He gets pretty obsessed with Trixie right away (which was confusing, because you'd think someone like her would be very annoying to a grumpy hero) and can't stop looking at her butt for the rest of the book. He also has a bunch of trauma from his dad telling him to "be a man," and I get it: those are real issues. However, the way they were portrayed was strange. For example, he drinks beer when he wants to drink wine because he needs to be a man? Plenty of guys I know drink wine and no one makes fun of them for it.

The writing itself has a lot of telling, not showing, which took me out of the story over and over. It felt a bit like a child's book rather than a young adult romance novel. Even some of Trixie's dialogue reads more like a child.

I do appreciate what the author tried to do by showing the characters grow and change from each other's influence, but they were flat from the beginning so it just didn't work for me. I needed to know...more about the characters, to actually feel them jump off the page, in order to care about their growth.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be available on December 6th, 2022.

BOOK REVIEW BLOG:
https://fromthereadingroom.com/review-to-get-to-the-other-side-by-kelly-ohlert/

Thanks to Net-Galley and publishers for providing the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
There were 2 things that felt off.

Firstly, both of the lead characters are flat. Trixie was all over the place. But I liked her monologue. And then we had Bear who is...honestly I hated him. He is my least favorite character ever. He is boring and he constantly talks about how fine Trixie's ass was, which is so weird. Parts with his POV, I was struggling to read them. I just wanted it to finish.

Secondly, there was no chemistry between them. I was expecting some cute romance. But all I felt was this weird sexual tension that they both think they have.
Also, the story is needlessly long. It would have been so much better if it was half the size.
The idea of the story was really cute.