I probably would have given this book a 4 star review, but I wasn't a fan of the ending. The writing flowed well for me for the whole story, and I liked Cal and Astrid together for the most part. I agree with some of the other reviews who felt like there wasn't a lot of growth for these 2. I get that their relationship starts with the physical, and I don't mind that, but it never really felt like they progressed much past that. Until like the last 10% Astrid is still in denial that she has any feelings for Cal. The ending was just not for me. I understand that not every relationship ends in what I consider a happily ever after, but that's what I like to read. Dating forever just isn't it. How one of Astrid's best friends could end up with the ex knowing full well what happened between them, is weird. It felt forced to me. Even though this wasn't a 5 star read for me, I do enjoy this author's writing, so I will be checking out what comes next from her.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

“Walk of Shame” was a fun read. While it is part of a series, this is the first book that I read and it is great as a standalone. I found myself laughing throughout the book and enjoyed all of the characters. The main female character, Astrid, is quirky but relatable. She overcomes so many challenges thrown at her unapologetically. I also liked Cal and enjoyed the development of their relationship. This is a great book for someone looking to escape reality with something light and fun. Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

If you've read Ms Flynn's Anger Bang, you remember Thea's ride-or-die friends Astrid and Nola. In Walk of Shame, we catch up with our three friends in Astrid's story. The bulk of this story takes place sequentially to Thea's, but there are no spoilers just in case you are reading our trio of girlfriends out of order.

When we meet Astrid, she is 5 years past a romantic trauma that changed the course of her life. She's "dealt" with things on the surface, but has she? Then she meets Cal - one man she shouldn't get involved with even though she doesn't know that then.

Ms Flynn does an excellent job of blending humor into the emotional growth that both Astrid and Cal need to experience to have the future both deserve (individually and together). There is a great secondary cast that loyal readers will recognize that helps steer our clueless duo in the direction they need to go. This was an entertaining book that also tugged on some heartstrings. We also see hints as to who Nola's love interest might be and I was left very curious about Cal's sisters!

Thank you Valentines PR and Avery Flynn for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Five years ago, Astrid O'Malley's fiancé and her dad's hockey team goalie left her at the altar. Seeking solace and adventure Astrid spends the next few years exploring life beyond her familiar surroundings. Now, returning to assist her father's final coaching season, she encounters Cal, with whom she had a one-night stand. Shockingly, Cal is now the team's new goalie coach, tasked with coaching Astrid's ex-fiancé.

Ok I originally thought this book was going to be based on Thea's sister so I was pleasantly surprised it was her best friends story instead. This story included insta-love & sports romance which I love but I was glad it focused more on their romance than the sport. The author did a great job of making characters who felt authentic and mature. The dialogue wasn't cringe and the spice was chef's kiss. I knocked it one star as the ending felt so rushed but overall I enjoyed the book and hope there will be a book 3!

This was my second book by this author and I enjoyed reading it just like the previous one. I was amused, had a few laughs and giggles, and blushed during hot scenes, but also there were sweet and emotional moments. The characters are well-built, so easy to imagine them, also the supporting characters give a special touch to the story. I liked everything, but I wanted more when I came to the end. I'm patiently waiting for the next read from this author.

Thank you to Avery Flynn and Valentine PR for the giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

3/5⭐️
2/5🌶
eARC Review:
Walk of Shame is book #2 in The Down Side of Dating series. It is a romantic comedy that has lots of funny banter and spice. The banter between the main characters as well as the side characters had me laughing out loud. This is the first book I've read from Avery Flynn and I thought it was a pretty good read. I felt the story started off strong, but it lost steam towards the end. The story begins with Astrid being left at the alter by her ex who is a hockey player. After her ex left her at the alter Astrid has worked hard to keep everyone at arms length. She follows a set of rules when dating men that she NEVER breaks...Until Cal. I really wanted to love this, because I really enjoy hockey romance, but I struggled with Astrids character. She was so closed off and cold to Cal that it was hard to like her character. I wanted to see more growth from Astrids character and more chemistry development between Cal and Astrid.

*Workplace romance
*Neighbors to lovers
*Boy falls first
*Rom-com
*Athlete

Hockey romance meets Diet Coke addiction. This novel was such a fun read. It was full of humor while also giving you all the feels. Astrid was jilted at the altar by a hockey star and is on a current “hate hockey” streak but decides to give this up to help her dad as his last year as coach of a hockey team and help with the goalie who is her ex-fiancé. Yeah, that is a kick in the gut. She is strong and full of quips, but also has someone she can’t get out of her head. I truly enjoyed the book and all the friendship involved along with the romance weaved throughout.

I received an ARC of this book from Entangled Publishing and I am so excited to review this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
God Bless, I loved this one. Definitely spicy with a good plot. This was my first sports themed romance and I think I’ve found a new favorite genre. From the hockey world, to the romance world, I loved it all. The characters were so relatable and the detail in the thoughts and feelings of the main character drew me in and kept me feeling almost like I was one of them.

Big fan, keep em coming!

Another winner from Avery Flynn! I had laughs and feels which is exactly what this mood reader was looking for!

While I failed to connect too much to the characters, I did really enjoy the chemistry between them, and the spice was amazing. It was great to see how drawn Cal and Astrid were to each other. Cute read, just not ky favorite from Avery Flynn *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good hockey romance, and I love that this one has dual POVs so you get both sides of the story. I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to read this book. This book had me giddy and smiling at my phone while I read it and boy was it steamy 🥵. I loved the fast paced relationship that formed between Cal and Astrid and how they went from zero to fucking so quickly it could give you whiplash. Cal was the perfect level of sweet and my heart melted during the return of the diet cokes because you really got to see how much he cared for Astrid. I found this book to be highly entertaining to read and I just breezed through it and I never wanted it to end! I would highly recommend reading this book if you love fast paced hockey romances with TONS of spice.

Avery Flynn delivers another fun and steamy read! I love hockey romances and this one really hit the spot. The writing is witty and addictive and I didn't want to stop reading once I got started. This was a fabulous read and perfect for those wanting a spicy and sweet read.

Such a great little sports romcom. I really liked this book! The banter was excellent and so were the sexy scenes 😜 It definitely kept me hooked. I hope to see more of Cal and Astrid someday!

Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn NO RATING

I want to let you guys know now that I DNFed this book… First DNF of 2024 :(

I don’t know what it was about this book that just didn’t appeal to me, but I honestly don’t think it was just me. Something about this book’s vibes were off. I hated Astrid and Cal’s personality. Two super insufferable main characters do NOT help this book out at all. I felt like the whole premise was also just super weird, with Cal training Astrid’s ex fiance… Like WHY does that asshole need to be involved.
I don’t want to shit on this book too hard because I was so kindly gifted this book from Valentine PR, so I’ll leave it at that.
I’m excited to hopefully get into other works by Avery Flynn because I do NOT think it was her writing at all. It was literally just two terrible characters.
Huge thank you to Valentine PR and Avery Flynn regardless!!!

Omgosh I loved this book! What a wonderful couple . It took them a min to figure out how to be them but what a wonderful ride the dynamics between the father and the daughter, and all the other coaches with the teammates, and the interactions were just wonderfully done.

This book was such a funny and lighthearted read. I had such a fun time reading and learning about Astrid and Cal. There were several moments where I found myself laughing out loud.

The side characters were one of my favorite parts of this book. I loved the parts where we got to see Astrid's dad and other assistant coaches and hockey players. These are people Astrid grew up around and their connection was palpable. I could feel and understand the love she had for these people and the role they had in her upbringing.

Back to Astrid and Cal, though. I wasn't the biggest fan of how unrealistic some of the situations were. I understand this is fiction, but it felt like things were happening just a bit too easily for them. Also, their connection was always brought back to just physical attraction. I had a hard time believing they were actually in love like they claimed.

There seemed to be no evidence of them having any actual conversation and getting to know each other. The only time we get a glimpse at that is when Cal gets her gifts based on things Astrid mentions she likes. The problem is, these conversations happen off page so it seems like it comes out of nowhere.

None of this compares to the absolute shock and whip lash I had at the epilogue. A character that we are made to dislike the entire book and had no character development suddenly gets a happy ending?! This made no sense to me and came completely out of left field. Just this one scene made me knock it down in rating.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who like hockey or sports romance and want a quick, spicy, lighthearted read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Valentine PR for the ARC of this book!

"Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" holds true for this delightful surprise gem!
Another exceptional hockey romance in my collection is "Walk of Shame" by Avery Flynn! Surprisingly, I found the third person point of view enjoyable, despite my usual preference.
Astrid has quickly become one of my favorite FMC, especially in hockey romance, and Cal is undeniably delicious! This story is spicy, has delightful banter, emotional growth and healing heartwarming moments.
I loved every aspect so much that I finished it within a day! I regret not reading it sooner...
and that epilogue?! 🤯🥺

Don’t sleep on this read! I promise you’ll love it!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️hockey
▫️forced proximity
▫️work romance
▫️“one night stand” never doing this again

This was my first book by Avery Flynn, but it won’t be my last! I had a blast reading it, and I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in this series, and her other series as well.

This was just a super fun, flirty, light-hearted hockey rom com. Astrid is sassy and Cal is sexy (especially when he wears his pink sweater). There’s fun banter, tension, and forbidden love. I giggled, I swooned, and I was totally invested in Astrid and Cal.

I loved Astrid’s friendships and her relationship with her dad. The side characters were all fun and interesting and I want books for all of them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to add to their “hockey romance” TBR.

Thank you to Amara, Entangled Publishing, NetGalley, and Avery Flynn for the copy. I received it for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Reviewed for A Wanton Book Lover Blog

Astrid was jilted at the altar by her childhood sweetheart and has never quite been the same. He was also a hockey player that her dad coached so she has stayed away from everything hockey-related since that fateful day. Now, she's a one-and-done type of girl. Absolutely no relationships; just one night of fun. One night when Astrid is helping out at her friend's bar, Cal, the lumberjack look-alike comes to her rescue and gets her all hot and bothered. The two end up at Cal's for a night of fun but guess what? Cal lives in the same building she does. Not only that, Cal is back helping her dad's team and Astrid is also helping to get the team goalie back on track. Even though Astrid has her one-night rule, she and Cal can't seem to stay away from or keep their clothes on in each other's presence.
Walk of Shame is a hot romance story with great characters and funny commentary. It was enjoyable to see that Astrid could not control herself around Cal and ended up falling in love with him, even when she kept trying everything in her power not to. Cal sacrificed a lot too to give their relationship a chance. Walk of Shame is book 2 in the Downside of Dating series and can be read as a stand-alone

This story took a little bit for me to get fully engaged in, the pace was a bit odd to me.
Astrid and Cal’s banter, tension and humor pulled me in. Not to mention it’s spicy very early on. I’m a sucker for a steamy and hot couple.
I’m also a sucker for a sports romance. A jilted bride at her wedding is a great beginning to this lighter romance with plenty of laughs and some emotional moments.
The characters are interesting and realistic.
There are some really fun and hilarious moments and aspects to this book and the characters.
It was my first book by this author, I’m definitely going to read more. I think her style is unusual and that interests me.