Oh hockey romances. They have a special place in my heart! I loved following Astrid as she navigated life after "the incident" and inevitable closeness sith Cal. While their story felt a little rushed, I really enjoyed it!

Avery Flynn does it again. If you liked "Anger Bang" you will enjoy "Walk of Shame". Avery Flynn is an underrated romcom genius. I will give anything she writes a shot!

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is Astrid’s character. She’s smart, fierce, and unapologetic, but also deeply vulnerable when it comes to love. Her journey isn’t just about romance—it’s about healing, confronting the past, and finding the courage to risk her heart again. The love interest (no spoilers!) is the perfect mix of cocky and caring, making their banter and sizzling chemistry fun to read.

Flynn’s writing is light and fast-paced, making this an easy binge-read. The humor lands well, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments alongside the swoon-worthy ones. The hockey setting adds an extra layer of excitement, especially for fans of sports romances.

If I had to critique anything, I’d say some of the conflict felt predictable, but the character dynamics and witty dialogue kept me invested. If you love rom-coms with strong heroines, sexy athletes, and a side of emotional depth, Walk of Shame is worth picking up!

This is a 5 stars hockey romcom for me, and that's because I've enjoyed reading a lot of Avery Flynn's books, and when she put together Cal (I'm in love with the MMC) with Blackburn and some Hartigan men, i'm in heaven.


Astrid is a hockey coach daughter whose life has been hockey since she was a kid and her mother died, so helping his dad with her organizative eye was natural. She was helping her dad when her fiance, and goalie of the team where they were coaching, left her at the altar and telling her by face-time he has signed to other team and was going to live there so he couldn't go get married.


Five years later, she despises all things hockey, her ex and their song (sorry Swifties) and has a successful company. And one night were she is bartending instead of one of her best friends, she meets a hot gorgeous man who manhandle her boss when he is about to insult her for not letting him talk about hockey.


She and the hottie have a great one night stand in his apartment, so he doesn't know she lives in the apartment below him.


The next day they meet at her dad's home and find out they will be working together trying to help her ex-fiance .


Both of them don't want a relationship but they can't keep their hand to each other, and the more she want to keep her distance, Cal is there being respectful, kind and protective.


Did I say I love Cal? Well that's true, loved how he know the little thinks about her and how he returns her diet colas to her.

One night. No strings. And a really good puck.

Astrid was dumped at the alter by a hockey goalie coached by her dad. She now lives a hockey free life until a guy from a one night stand becomes not only her neighbor but the new goalie coach of her dad’s team. Even worse, he was hired to coach the ex who dumped her and hockey has re-entered her life.

This was a fast-paced and fun read. The usual banter, steam, and humor that I’ve come to associate with Avery Flynn’s books is present.

The cameos from her Ice Knights series was a fun addition and loved references to that hockey series.

I loved all the little gifts Cal left for Astrid, especially the Diet Coke that he doled out one by one.

And I definitely liked the realistic portrayal of Astrid working through her feelings of being left at the alter and her dad asking her to work with Cal to help her ex recover his confidence as a goalie. That’s a lot to ask of someone and it felt pretty crappy that her dad even asked.

But I didn’t love the epilogue. My jaw was on the floor in disbelief and felt like a major friend code violation. I had to re-read part of it to be sure I understood what was happening. I’m curious whether that couple becomes the basis for the next book in the series.

Avery Flynn continues to give me laugh out loud moments and wanting more! This is a great addition to her hilarious Downside of Dating series. Cal and Astrid are ready for just a one-night stand, only they very quickly learn they can't seem to get out of each other's orbits. They're in the same building and they are soon working together. Will their one-night stand grow into something more?

Avery Flynn always makes me laugh and leaves me with biggest smile and warmest heart for the characters in her books. I love that her books show the messy side of love, romance and life. This is the second book in the Downsides of Dating series and just like the first this is a steam your glasses book that just shines.

Adorable story, fun characters, and hockey! Put them together, and you've got another funny, spicy rom-com from Avery Flynn!!!

Upon finishing the book and reflecting on it, I don’t think I got to know the MMC or FMC really at all as individuals. There was nothing to connect to about them that we were told. It was basically just a story of this certain event happening to her, then time jump to present where she has to work with her ex and her one night stand, and then the main characters avoid each other before somehow falling in love between only being intimate and then a weird movie scene book ending. It felt like a few tropes and random scene were thrown in without really fitting the story (traffic in the car and having to get out a run for the big love reveal).

The plot also took a big backseat in this book. I thought it would have a lot of it take place in the work place at the hockey rink considering it’s all about Astrid having to come in and help her ex fiancé get his groove back as a goalie and Cal being a goalie coach for the season too. They barely worked with her ex Tig and I thought there would be some drama between Tig and Cal but that didn’t happen either.

While not all books are plot heavy, usually that means it’s character heavy and it definitely didn’t feel like that either. Cal had a career ending injury and even with this being some time later, he hadn’t thought about what he was going to do next at all after hockey. I think after a life threatening event it would put things into perspective but I guess not. Also, Astrid has been in therapy for years after being left at the alter and yet she still doesn’t seem to have formed any growth or maturity since starting. There wasn’t much character development occurring throughout the book until the very last chapter that put it all together in a rushed way.

I will say I was excited for the plot of this book and think it had potential but fell a little flat for me. I did like that the book wasn’t super deep and could be a good in between book for some readers who like fluff. I did like what we got of the side characters so wish we got more of them. The only part that confused me was when suddenly Cal was at this guys house near the end trying to hide and all these people got introduced and just didn’t fit with the story at all.

Something that wasn’t the books fault that annoyed me was the formatting of the ARC. The spacing and tabs weren’t really present at all and that made it hard to read at times. Following the lines and how some things cut off did take me out of the story and I found it harder over time to continually read for that reason.

Another thing I didn’t care much for was the at 75% of the way through, they still weren’t together or discussed anything about trying. They actually avoided each other for a lot of the book and then would let their hormones take over and then repeat. That was disappointing because I feel like we didn’t really get to see them together as a couple much or get to know them on a deeper level. It just seemed more surface level to me and the book seemed to drag on more and more as I read. Unfortunately, this book just really wasn’t for me since I need more substance to a book.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley & the author of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The walk of shame shouldn’t have you laughing out loud but it will change how you look at life. Trying to stay strong and not get involved with the dreaded h word, Astrid will ultimately fall and keep you entertained throughout the book!

Walk of Shame is the second book in The Downside of Dating series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Cal and Astrid had a one-night stand, thinking they wouldn’t see each other again. But it turned out, they lived in the same apartment building, and they were both working with her dad.

This was cute and funny. It did take me a while to get into it, because it’s third person POV, but after a while, I didn’t mind.

Astrid and Cal were great together, and they definitely had chemistry. And the way Cal was just so sweet with Astrid? Ah, I loved that.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Astrid and Cal. Astrid is a personal organizer. Cal is a hockey goalkeeper consultant. They meet at a bar and have a night stand. Astrid’s father is the coach of the hockey team. He ask Astrid to come organize for the hockey team. Astrid and Cal are working together. They start dating. They fall in love.

A laugh out loud comedy! I couldn’t get enough of this book and its characters.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This book was absolutely adorable. Loved every minute of it! The cover made me chuckle and I laughed my way through.

Four stars! This was a fun, sexy romp that Avery Flynn does a great job of delivering. If you are into spicy and sporty, this is the one for you. I enjoyed the dynamic of her dad being the coach of the team - and her ex being part of the equation - as she found her own way to hockey happiness. Plus, I love Flynn's brand of humor, which always has me coming back for more.

I liked the MC, seeing her navigate through her emotions and thoughts past "the incident" was a really fun read. Her growth was good to, and I could relate to that. The MMC was endearing and multiple times you could see the chemistry between the couple. But why did everything have to happen so fast? I was left wanting more of the story, more of them.

Astrid swears off falling in love after being stood up via FaceTime from her then fiancé Tigs. Five years on and In walks Cal and bang all those thoughts disappear! They quickly fall for each other. After many steamy encounters and a cute Diet Coke delivery, they admit their feelings and boom the end.

I especially enjoyed the friendship groups these two have.

This was a very quick read for me, the story was well written and so cute. Few steamy scenes, few cute gestures, funny moments and an odd epilogue (you’ll understand when you read it) No girl code was followed it seems.

A light and fun read
This is one of those books that's a perfect holiday or beach read. It's easy to read, lighthearted, it has characters that you'll just love and will provide you with lots of laughs.
Astrid gets left at the altar, by a hockey player, coached by her dad, and five years on is still commitment adverse, relying on friends, her therapist, and casual flings to fulfil her. While filling in for one of those friends behind the bar, good looking stranger Cal in walks looking for a cheeseburger (from a kitchen that closed three years beforehand) and he promptly steps in to defend her honor thus starting what develops into a romance that was so much fun to read about. These two struggled to keep their hands off one another with Astrid consequently going out of her way to avoid him while he did the sweetest things to show that he listened and wanted her.
This was an easy and enjoyable read, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend if you're looking for something that's light and fun.

Astrid suffered the humiliation of being left at the altar by her fiancee on the day of their wedding. Her ex was on her dad's hockey team. The situation was talked about for a long time. Now Astrid is into one time hookups when she meets Cal, who turns out to be her next door neighbor and ends up on the hockey team her dad coaches and her ex plays on. A whirlwind keeps Astrid going in this story.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

From the beginning, I was hooked. Astrid was a strong MFC, who went through the most humiliating experience when her fiancé left her at the alter. Since then, she has been enjoying being single and has turned her back on hockey. I found her to be so relatable, as anyone who has been through a horrible breakup, there are certain things you avoid and definitely songs you don’t want to hear.
That is until Cal walks into the bar she is bartending. And Cal happens to work for her dad, who is the coach for hockey team. He also use to be a goalie, and Astrid hates goalies.
But these two have an undeniable attraction. As hard as Astrid tries to say it is the last time, she keeps giving into the attraction she feels. Until Cal gets another job offer and she feels like it is her ex situation all over again.
Loved how these two finally came together.