I really really really wanted to love this book! It’s a great premise, but it just ended up falling flat for me. The main characters were pretty two dimensional and there weren’t really any well-defined side characters to break it up. For a story that’s set in a stunning locale, we get no descriptions of the scenery or any real setting details throughout. With that being said, it’s the author’s debut novel and it always amazes me when someone does the dang thing - this is a whole book and she should be really proud of her hard work! I’m excited to see what else is to come as she matures as a writer.

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up to 4!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for review.

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy is a sapphic hockey romcom following two former Olympians/exes as they are forced to work together on Wake Up, USA, a morning show covering that year’s Winter Olympics.

Sports romance ✅
Forced proximity ✅
Second chance ✅
Fake dating ✅

Nat and Darcy were teammates on their college hockey team by day and secret girlfriends by night, until closeting and insecurities led to the relationship’s dramatic implosion. For the next decade, Nat played for the US team, Darcy for Canada, and they became the fiercest rivals both on the ice and off.

Now, they are retired athletes covering the Olympics on Wake Up, USA. The network wants them to play up their infamous rivalry as they try out various winter sports in order to educate and amuse the viewers. But when the TV audience soon notices the chemistry between them, it’s not long before their “relationship” goes viral and the network asks them to lean into bit in order to continue the show’s online relevance. As performance for the camera begins to blend with a real spark, the two must navigate their past hurts and decide if—for happy ever after—the second time is the charm.

I loved this concept! So cute. It was also great to read about women in their 30s still figuring things out. The fake dating element was also really hilarious.

The main reason this wasn’t 5 stars for me was because I felt the pacing was a touch slow. There were a few flashback scenes I felt didn’t really add anything to the story that we didn’t already get from the present timeline, so they mostly slowed the plot. As well, at times I felt these women in their mid-30s acted a bit more immature than was palatable for me.

Overall this was a cute fluffy read, and I would definitely recommend it for those seeking sapphic romcoms!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I’ve been hoping for a perfect rivals-to-lovers sapphic hockey romance and this one more than delivers. The tension, relationship issues, hurt and repair, the grumpy-softie that Natalie is and the princess that Darcy is - it’s all so perfectly beautiful!! What a satisfying second-chance love story. It was everything I was hoping for! Kate Cochrane is an incredible writer - everything is so well-written, so natural, so descriptive, and I couldn’t find fault in anything here! I loved their banter and joking, and the standing-up-for-eachother and the big speeches that were so beautiful and emotional. Such a great book and one I’ll be recommending forever!
/ARC - thank you!

I requested Wake Up, Nat & Darcy because Anita Kelly blurbed it. Unfortunately, it turns out that I like Anita's books more than this one. I didn't feel any click and therefore I decided to DNF at 21% instead of struggling through and giving a low rating.

I really wanted to love this book, but just never got into it.
I didn't connect with either character or any part of the story.

As a women's hockey fan, I was SO thrilled when I heard about this book and immediately picked it up. While I'm glad there's sapphic hockey content in the world, this one was a bit of a mess for me. I found both protagonists' reactions to any small issue to be inflated and over the top, and didn't totally believe in their chemistry.

Hands down good book. I really enjoyed this. It was funny, quirky and an all around good time. My one wish would be to see the story line more thorough in some spots. For example, a little more background into the aftermath of the original breakup would have been nice, but it didn’t take away from the overall plot. Natalie was somewhat high drama for my tastes too, but meh. I guess that’s how people are in real life so who am I to judge.

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy is an enjoyable read with witty dialogue and a compelling premise. The American/Canadian rivalry between two ex-pro hockey players adds an intriguing layer to their romance. The TV segment framework provides a unique and entertaining backdrop, resulting in many funny situations that had me giggling.

However, the novel could have benefited from a tighter edit. There was some repetition, and the over-reliance on miscommunication as a plot device felt frustrating at times. The final conflict seemed forced and juvenile, detracting from my overall enjoyment of this novel.

Despite these flaws, the book's strengths in character dynamics and humour make it a worthwhile read. With a bit more focus and refinement, it could have been even better. Fans of light-hearted romance with a touch of drama will find it an entertaining addition to their reading list.

Many thanks to Harlequin - Romance | Carina Adores and Netgalley for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

first half was really solid but the second was underwhelming. BUT PLS PUBLISHERS GIVE ME MORE ADULT SAPPHIC SPORTS ROMANCE

I LOVE sapphic books and sports romance so I was super excited to read this. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance between these two. I loved the writing though and will definitely pick up books by this author in the future!!

I love sports romance and this book was sapphic so we love that. I couldn’t get enough of the characters. I’ll recommend this to anyone and can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

I love women and I love women's sports so I reallyyyyy wanted to enjoy this one, but unfortunately the novel fell flat for me. I found both characters to be quite annoying and Nat was truly acting like a child for most of the book. I started to wish that they would not get back together, which is never a good sign for a romance.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was fun! I loved the unique take on a sports romance by centering two rival players on their journey in broadcasting at the Olympics after hanging up their skates. The plot was fun, the writing was solid, and the characters both had their own insecurities to work through that helped move the relationship along.

I will say the 3rd act re: the fighting/breakup did feel a bit too drawn out (I think it was the whole last 30% of the story), but other than that, I enjoyed this one.

pride month book #1!

i mean... it was a sports romance. it was about what i expected from a sports romance. i thought the fact that they were a freshman and senior in college when they originally were together was a little weird but considering the actual romance took place in their thirties that wasn't too bad.

i spent over half of this book convinced that Darcy LaCroix's dad was famous because he invented the sparkling water. im not kidding. apparently mr lacroix was actually famous because he was a hockey player. in that case why was he named lacroix i seriously couldnt get over that why was that the best canadian last name they could come up with WHY WAS HE SPARKLING WATER.

the third act breakup was annoying & nat was immature about it however it was about 20 pages total that they were mad at each other so it wasn't too bad lmfao

overall it was fun! they were cute at the end and they were cute in the middle and there was just a little 20 page chunk in between those two things where they really could not figure out how to communicate. thank you kit and grace for saving the story i wish you both got more screentime.

also get cox a goalie girlfriend like right now

I enjoyed this book whilst at the same time thinking both Darcy and Natalie were giant dumbasses. 😁😇

I literally had to keep reminding myself that without communication issues most of my favorite books would be boring as heck.

Loved the premise, the Olympic segments were written so playfully and enjoyably.

I am grateful to have received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I was looking forward to a Sapphic hockey romance, but unfortunately this fell short. As this is my first book by this author, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Darcy retired from professional hockey at the top of her game, with multiple medals with the Canadian team and has been working for Wake up USA for the last three years. When she gets the opportunity to finally be front and center and learning other winter sports, she jumps at the chance even if it means working with her rival.

Natalie had success on the US team and even won a gold medal, but she ends up being cut from the national team. She debates going home, but a call to be a cohost has her interest piqued and she goes. Low and behold it's with Darcy, with whom she has a lot of history with. Their chemistry is off the charts and they bicker like an old married couple throughout their segments which of course people love to see.

I didn't enjoy the way they finally got together, but I did enjoy them trying to learn other sports, that was entertaining.

Overall, not a bad book, but I had high expectations and this fell flat. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A nice and easy read with interesting dynamics. One character was tough to like but it fit the story.

Thanks for the opportunity to read.

I’d recommend if you love:
-Rivals to Lovers
-Second Chance Romance
-Sports Romance 🏒
-Sapphic Romance

Overall the plot was fun and an easy read. I enjoyed the TV show aspect and the games/sports that Darcy and Natalie did. I found Natalie’s character a little hard to like with her cockiness and the way she reacted to situations. It was frustrating seeing the conflict be able to be solved easily by conversation but it continued to drag on for years and years. Having Natalie be hard to like made it harder for me to want to root for the couple being together.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have personal beef with the second-chance-romance trope so I probably shouldn’t have requested this arc. I was hoping this was yet another example of sapphics doing something better (and it was, this one was one of the better ones I’ve read) but I still didn’t enjoy it. That’s on me though. If you like second chance romance, this one was well written and fun with a unique premise. I just HATE second chance romances.