hockey romances will always have my heart but sadly this one did not swoop me off my feet.

this book merged very popular triopes such as grumpy sunshine, he falls first and forced proximity. even though it had tropes I would usually love, I couldn't really get myself to enjoy this book.

lucy, I am so sorry but you were so annoying. jj, I honestly don't even know who you are.

I think this book made a good attempt but it just didn't really do anything for me.

I really really really wanted to love this one. I have been a Hockey Romance fan for DECADES. But I really did not vibe with this one. It was a lot of telling instead of showing, and the amount of stereotyping for the queer characters was gross.

Cute, lighthearted and a pretty easy read. Balanced mindless and unstressful with a very cute plot line that kept me engaged.

I think there are too many hockey romances! I have loved several but this niche-sports centric romance genre has become so saturated that some books (unfortunately, including this one) feel rushed and under-thought through. I appreciated the bisexual representation, but the characters were not ones that I felt attached to at all :(

I feel SO BAD that I DNF'ed this one, as I love bisexual rep, but I think after reading so many hockey romances, I have higher expectations.

This one felt like the same old story the sports romances have at the moment. The chemistry between Lucy and Jaylen was so-so, and I felt like the plot was dropped halfway through, which is why I stopped reading this one about 55% of the way in.

I think readers who enjoy reading hockey romances should still give this one a try, I'm just worried the trope may be overplayed for me now.

I wanted to like this book so badly for a couple reasons. I loved the description of the FMC because she seemed like me with her appearance and liking mosh pits. The other reason is because of the author, I feel like hockey WAGS should always write hockey romances. She had her hockey details perfect but the characters just felt flat to me. I know hockey players are very superstitious but the way she was his lucky item was just a little weird. Lucy just felt like so much of a cliche with the tattoos and appearance with her grumpiness and from that it feels like the author was goitn with the stereotype that punk girls are bitchy.

I didn't make it half way before I ended up giving up but I will give the next book she writes a chance.

Thank you so so much to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of Shoot Your Shot.

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I was excited to read this as it was marketed as Queer and hockey, so this was an auto request for me. I actually really loved Lucy in a lot of ways, and not because she was so cool (JJ would have believed she trained big cats I swear), but because of her sass, her struggles, and honestly, I swear I've had these awkward things happen to me too lol. They're so cringey and they feel the exact same when they happen in person. 😂 JJ is a golden retriever through and through but I really liked that we got to dig in to a real panic attack, and what was happening, not some big tough guy who toughs it out and then is ✨tada✨ all better. JJ learns, and gets the help, and has such a big genuine heart I loved him too. I also loved that JJ was not a stereotypical white guy, love to see a little diversity makes it way! I also loved that yes, the hockey was right! If I read another person write that they skated off the ice and get an icing call and serve a penalty in the box, I'll scream. Few things detract from a book more than a fake scene whether that's a sporting event, or even a big weather event that literally never happens in that area. I digress... This book was not the case though, admittedly there wasn't as much hockey play by play as I expected from a book that was chalked up to be hockey correct, but it felt like I could be plopped next to Lucy and her friends and still be in the same understanding. I'd love to see more of that hockey knowledge honestly in any future works!

My only gripe is really the queer aspect and marketing of it. Yes our FMC is Bi, and YES THAT IS QUEER AND COUNTS, but I guess I was hoping for a little more depth to that aspect of the marketing. Yes she has a gay friend and lesbian friend, and she's coming off a WLW relationship when we meet Lucy, but idk, I just wanted more from these characters. I wanted to see my IRL queer friends represented and it feels like we got the prime TV sitcom character checklist. Give me more background from them, give me more love, more depth, idk, I needed more.

All that said, for a quick fluffy read, this was it. It hit the spot, it scratched the itch, it made me genuinely belly laugh, and I will keep my eyes out for any future works. However, if you're looking for a Charles Dickens novel with hockey, go elsewhere.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.75
Spice: 🌶️

Wanted to love this one but it mostly felt like a mess. Lucy tries to be quirky and “cool” but it comes off forced and flat. JJ is sweet but kind of boring like a walking wet blanket with no real spark. The tropes are all there but with zero seasoning or real chemistry.

Dialogue was awkward and repetitive and the whole thing reads like fanfic written during a lunch break. The relationship feels rushed and messy with cringe moments trying to be dry humor that just didn’t land for me. If you want a light, easy read and don’t mind trope madness this might work but for me it fell way short.

Jaylen is facing the end of his career as a professional hockey player. His contract wasn't renewed and it's supposed to be his last night in town. Lucy is going through yet another break-up, and her friends keep telling her she needs to stop getting into relationships and focus on her work if she wants to get a serious tattoo internship anytime soon. When they meet at a bar, neither plans on going home with the other. But when it becomes clear it would be for one night only, no attachments, they agree.

Until suddenly, the next morning finds Jaylen with a fresh contract and Lucy with a steady gig - only it's not the work she wants. She's put painting behind her, and working on a mural for the local team is not the kind of work she wants to be doing. It only gets worse when she takes a puck to the head and finds out that Jaylen lied - he's going to be in town for a whole lot longer.

With Lucy around, Jaylen can't seem to lose. Not only does he have a new contract, but he's playing better than he has in years. She's his good luck charm. If only he can convince her to stick around.

I admit I wasn't sure how I felt about these two to start with. Jaylen definitely is very regimented, and Lucy can be chaotic, which has been known to work and make for a lot of quirky interactions and funny moments that I love in other books. But these two were such strong personalities I really struggled with thinking they'd make a go of things.

I also liked that "shooting your shot" came to their work, not just taking a chance at their relationship with each other. Each was trying for their dream job, and coming against obstacles. They didn't let that stop them though, and I found that they had a great partnership when it came both to supporting each other in what they wanted to do for a job, and in how they could support each other in more personal ways.

Overall, a solid read and listen. The chapters were short, but the dual POVs kept things moving along and flowing smoothly. I switched between reading and listening depending what worked best at the moment. I felt that each narrator could be a little stiff at times, enough to be noticeable but not enough to sound robotic.

DNF'd during the second chapter. The writing felt very juvenile and like the author was trying to my it as PC as possible and over explained everything to the point of it taking me out of the story completely before I could get settled into it.

Shoot Your Shot was a story that I went through really fast but it failed a bit to grab all of my attention. It kinda felt like I wanted to read it fast so I could know what happens and move to another book. I'm usually a big big fan of hockey romances but this one just didn't hit as hard for me. It's cute alright with him wanting her to be his good luck charm and encouraging her into her carreer and all. I just felt it was missing something. It's not a bad book by any means, it just feels like a lot of all the same. (Maybe I've been reading too many hockey romance books so they all start to feel the same??)

Shoot Your Shot is a black cat/golden retriever hockey romance written by a popular TikTok influencer. Described as both "steamy and superstitious", I knew I had to read this ASAP!

The story follows Jaylen, and NHL hopeful, and his one night stand dubbed good luck charm Lucy, and aspiring tattoo artist. Down on his luck and no contract secured, that all changes after a steamy night with Lucy. After that, superstitious Jaylen considers her his new good luck charm and realizes he needs to keep her around.

I always love a female black cat and male golden retriever combo and the description of this book had me so excited! Unfortunately, it fell flat of my expectations. It felt more like rushed fanfiction than a sports romance. This book was definitely more hockey than romance and the writing was a bit bland. I was hoping for more depth and more tension to grab me and pull me into the story with me. Lexi definitely knows hockey and the idea for this book was so cute and brilliant! However, the writing and romance fell flat for me.

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown has a lot of charm and potential, but for me, it landed somewhere in the middle. The premise is fun and flirty—a classic opposites-attract romance with enough tension to keep things interesting. Lexi’s writing style is engaging, and the banter between characters feels fresh and witty.

That said, I found some pacing issues, especially in the second half, where things dragged a bit or felt rushed emotionally. I also wanted more depth from the main characters—their chemistry was there, but I didn’t always feel fully invested in their growth or motivations.

It’s a light, easy read—great if you’re looking for something fun and low-stakes—but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. Not bad by any means, just not quite a slam dunk.

I received this book as an ARC and enjoyed it. This book is about a Grumpy woman with a Gothic style and a Hockey player with a golden retriever vibe.

In this fun and entertaining hockey romance novel, readers follow new pro Jaylen “JJ” Jones and aspiring tattoo artist Lucy Ross as they work on their future careers in Seattle. After not securing a new contract, Jaylen is ready to end his time in Seattle with a one-night stand with Lucy, but a last-minute roster spot opens up soon after and Jaylen realizes that Lucy might be his good luck charm. In a career slump of her own, Lucy decides to agree to be his lucky charm in exchange for tattooing practice, and they continue trading favors for the sake of their careers, but with neither of them expecting anything more, this easy agreement is getting a bit complicated. With its new twists and drama in the classic hockey romance, readers will love this business-partners-to-lovers dynamic and the various other tropes in this entertaining new novel. The characters (and of course their relationship) are the stars of this novel, and their dynamic is particularly interesting given their agreement and where they will end up. Spicy, entertaining, and charming, readers will love the emotional notes and relatable career slumps that Jaylen and Lucy deal with in this fun and enjoyable hockey romance.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I've tried to get into this book and haven't been able to get into.

3.25 stars

This was overall a nice hockey romance but I didn't fall in love with it. I kept feeling like I wasn't actually feeling it between the two MCs. Lucy was interesting and Jaylen was too, but it all felt just... fine. It didn't make my heart beat fast, I didn't get excited, it was just okay. I appreciated the talk about mental health though throughout the book. The hockey talk was detailed and I appreciated that. I just.. felt like it was a bit middle of the road for me. I also have a main gripe about the amount of semi colon sentences that felt clunky. It kept bugging me throughout the book and I wanted to edit them out so badly.

If you like hockey romances, you may want to check it out, but it wasn't a huge stand out for me.

I’ve been following Lexi for a while and was sooo excited to get an arc of this and I’m so happy to say it didn’t disappoint! Lexi’s humor definitely shown through, and this was the perfect mix of sweet, sincere, silly, and sexy. Lucy and JJ were both such compelling characters and I loved the way their relationship built. I also loved loved how unapologetically queer this is! I don’t always feel welcome in the hockey community, but this made me feel so seen!!! This being set in Seattle was just the icing on the cake.

The hockey details were great, but the romance and prose couldn't light the lamp of this hockey romance. The rookie mistake of telling instead of showing slowed the pace of this story. It's possible that my expectations, based on the author's BookTok experience and blurbs from all-star hockey romance writers Rachel Reid and Lauren Blakely, were too high for a debut author.

🏒SHOOT YOUR SHOT🏒
🔸LEXI LAFLEUR BROWN

this book is complete and utter perfection. I could not read it fast enough. Lucy is a bad-ass tattoo artist with a wild track record of exes and a cat with perfectly timed cock blocking skills who literally crashes into beautiful Chicago hockey boy Jaylen in all his buff and bronze glory. Jaylen insists that shes his lucky charm, much to her dismay and while she does everything to fight it, eventually even she cant deny what they have. From the very beginning, their banter is absolutely hilarious and relatable. They have to be one of my favorite book couples, if not my absolute favorite. With Lucy's gay barista and lesbian farmer friends, Jaylen and his hockey-heads realize how much they love hockey, the arts and most of all each other. "Lucy, Is mars in gatorade..? What possible effects does this have on my game?" "the universe has bigger issues than your lack of knowledge of astrology".
Written by a hockey girl with the help of her hockey player hubby, everything about this book is a master piece!
#Netgalley #Shootyourshot #Hockeyromance