Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I think it's so great that Adam was able to accomplish all of his goals, become a top hockey player, make a ton of money, have children and a family, traumatize Riley, ignore him and lead him on at the same time, and THEN when he's good and ready and without any backlash, come out of the closet (that was glass btw), and try to earn the forgiveness of his secret high school sweetheart/side-piece. Love that for him. Poor Riley.

DNF at 75% I hope Riley gets with someone more deserving.

Adam can kick rocks.

I love Rachel Reid, but this one just didn't hit the mark. I rated 3.5 on Storygraph but did rate up on Goodreads to 4 stars. I wanted so much more from this book, and maybe I just hold her in high regard to a good story, but it felt like it was missing something. Good smut still though - just the story didn't capture me like her others do.

I AM SO IN LOVEEEEEEEE!!!

This was done soooo beautifully!!!! I couldn’t put it down. I wanted Adam and Riley to find their happily ever after soooo badly! And SO glad they did.

I’m pretty surprised that so many reviews are dogging on this book! I absolutely loved that Adam was very far from perfect and so was Riley. They both had HUMAN faults and I think everything was explored just enough without it feeling overbearing.

Talk about a slow burn. WOOOOOF. Just how much time passed by. God that will always break my heart. But I fucking loved that they got together when it was meant for them both.

Yes, Adam was a dick. He did, like, everything wrong the first time around. I do find it strange that so many straight people are calling him irredeemable. Unless you’re queer, you have zero idea of the pressure that gets put on you to be straight because why would you think about that if you’re straight? You’ve never been through a sexuality freak out—you cannot tell me how you’d actually act. I’m glad Riley finally forgave him because he had become a changed man! Both Adam and Riley had valid points for feeling the way they felt.

I loved this so so so much!!!!!

⭐ Rating: 5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: March 4, 2025
🏷️ Tags: retired hockey stars, former teammates/best friends, second chance romance, grief, made me sob

Can someone tell me why I was already crying in the first chapter? And basically never stopped?

Despite not knowing the characters yet, Rachel Reid wrote them in a way where I immediately connected to them and their pain. From there, I only fell more in love with Riley and Adam and their struggles with reconciling and healing.

This story is about grief and regret, more than anything. And it's written so well. There is so much tenderness and heart in every word. My review can't do it justice.

Rachel Reid has done it again. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

Thank you to Carina Adores and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a second-chance slow burn that I had our MMC begging to make him work for it after everything he put him through! While it is technically a hockey romance, the sport is very background and it is much more a romance and learning to forgive and trust one another again and give love another chance.

Reid writes some of the best contemporary MM romance and this book is no exception. I loved everything about it and cannot wait to read it again.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once it hit its stride it was SO. GOOD. It was absolutely heart-wrenching in the best way, and left the reader rooting for our MCs so hard!

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you publisher and Netgalley for this advanced reading copy.

I love the story. Enjoyable and romantic, however the climax felt a bit Passive.

It was this slow, beautiful thing. Real in its simplicity. Honest writing and gorgeous storytelling. Just a great read

It’s been over a decade since Riley has seen his ex-best friend, Adam, but Adam returns to town to attend Riley’s dad’s funeral and Riley is no choice but to face him. The chemistry between them is still there, but the pain of the past might be too much to get past. Riley is still hurt by the way Adam treated him, brushing off his confession of love and going on to marry a woman and start a family. Riley had put all of this behind him, but with Adam back in his life the old feelings come back to the surface. Does Adam still stand a chance with Riley of did he ruin his chances for good all those years ago?

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The relationship between Riley and Adam was complex and was easy to fall into. The writing was excellent and it was easy to get lost in this story. The pain Riley felt was so easy to feel and I really felt for him. Adam’s self discovery was slow, but he definitely redeemed himself in the end. This MM hockey romance explores friendship, relationships, the pressures of hockey mixed with the fears of being into one of your teammates, grief and so much more. I really did enjoy this book and am glad I got a chance to read it.

4.5/5

This was a story filled with grief, comfort, and love. Definitely a more hard hitting romance, but I ended up enjoying the slow burn reacquaintance of these two men who had been through a lot together. There's also a lot of mental health discussion in this book, and also talks about the lack of mental health support that there can be in hockey. Lucky the dog was so cute! Also, I really want to see a picture of Riley's house decor. It sounds so nice.

I’m such a sucker for a hockey romance that actually incorporates the game accurately, especially if it’s grappling with retirement, which is probably why I totally ignored the fact that this was a second chance romance when I requested it.

As soon as I realized, and especially as I realized that this couple had a pretty cut and dry “bad guy” in the previous relationship I became hesitant. But ultimately I really liked this. Yes Adam was an asshole in the flashbacks, but I appreciated how he was willing to own up to that and to take whatever Riley was willing to give him when he came back.

Overall, this wasn’t a perfect book but I really like Rachel Reid’s writing and it was the perfect escape from a long and stressful week and I couldn’t really ask for more.

After 12 years apart, Riley and Adam are forced to face grief, regret, and all the complicated feelings they left unresolved. The past chapters were a gut punch. Adam made some awful choices but his growth felt real. I still think he could have groveled more but Riley’s strength made me root for him the whole way through. No unnecessary breakup in the end, just healing and a full-circle epilogue that left me soft!

I’ve been a fan of Reid’s books for years, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read this new standalone novel. What sets this book apart from her previous books is that there is very little actual hockey, although it is still very hockey centric.

Hockey star Adam shows up at his former best friend/teammate Riley’s father’s funeral without being invited, which means that Riley must not only contend with his grief, but also his conflicting feelings about Adam reappearing in his life after over a decade since they last spoke to each other after parting on acrimonious terms.

Riley lets Adam back into his life, and begrudgingly realizes that he appreciates having the guy around. They have some deep conversations about their shared past, the reasons why Riley left hockey, and what Adam can do to make amends for the way he treated Riley.

And wow, Adam treated Riley horribly in the past. They dismissed their hookups as shenanigans and bros being bros, but then Adam got married because he didn’t want to admit to the world—or even himself—that he was gay.

That is a LOT to process, but they get through it, and they resume their relationship. The resolution to their problems comes a bit too neatly, but sometimes, escapism is exactly what we need in the world. Riley is such a sweetheart, but it’s harder to like Adam because of how he treated Riley in the past. He’s willing to put in the work to make amends, and that counts for something.

I would absolutely recommend The Shots You Take. I love that this book is a love letter to Nova Scotia, and the way in which this book is different from Reid’s previous books. Reid remains one of my favorite authors, and I’m already looking forward to her next book.








I received a digital ARC of this book from Carina Adores/NetGalley.

I adore Rachel Reid. Her books are almost always 5 star reads for me. Unfortunately this wasn't one of those.

A large part of my discontent with the book just came down to personal preference. I am already not a huge fan of second chance romances (I don't like feeling as though I missed a major part of the romance in a romance focused book. I tolerate it much better in books where the romance is not the leading plot). This book had not only that, but also my LEAST favorite character flaw and that is : cheating. Sorry, even if it is the two main characters together doing the cheating - the characters are immediately irredeemable to me. The relationship in this generally fell flat for me.

Note: This review is under 3 stars and therefore will only be shared to goodreads a few months after publishing.

Another good book from Rachel Reid. Do heed the content warnings going in, because Riley is dealing with a very recent bereavement, and it carries through the entire story. Reid deftly handles a lot of heavy themes such as grief, depression, and addiction. Despite the struggles of the main characters, it's a very soft book. Adam is a man who's really grown and learned from his past mistakes and genuinely wants to do good and be a better person. He's so gentle with Riley and so genuine in his feelings. You can see how much he cares. The same goes for Riley's love for his late father, his family and friends, and his hometown. And we see all those people loving him back and bringing Adam into their circle as well. It's a book about the sadness and love and hope that we all feel.

Will Rachel Reid EVER take an L or is she a dub machine all the way? Because this was another massive win. This book is achingly tender and these two characters are so beautiful. Did I cry? Yes. Multiple times? That’s not your business.

I'm sorry WHAT! Are you telling me that Rachel Reid drove me to tears with her wonderful characters yet AGAIN?! I knew this would be a heavier read, and oh man. It really gave me such a gut punch, but gave me warmth and comfort by the end. I love that this one was so different than her previous books, and it really showed how talented Rachel is.

Not me coming to the review tab to just sob about how lovely this book is. These two!! So much tenderness, so much emotion. VERY LITTLE HOCKEY. And good for you, Rachel! I loved reading a different type of novel from you. You smashed it!

I love Rachel Reid, will pick up and read anything she writes! This novel took me a little longer to get invested in but by the end it felt like another warm hug of her writing