I LOVED this book! I really can't wait to tell everyone about it because I enjoyed it so much. I particularly enjoyed the internal character development of both protagonists. I love a fluffy romance where we get some true emotional depth, and this one delivered. I also appreciated that one protagonist was queer and had a full queer life and that her experience and community was not a throwaway. I will be looking for more books by Lexi LaFleur Brown.

As a hockey fan, one of my biggest complaints about hockey romance is that there are a lot of people who don't understand how hockey works. Not the game itself - that's pretty easy to grasp. But the nuances of trades and drafts and contracts tend to get a little fuzzy when fictionalized. So thank goodness for Lexi LaFleur Brown, whose proximity to the NHL (and hockey experience herself) means that I wasn't taken out of the story by those little mistakes.

Beyond the hockey accuracy, this is a totally serviceable romance. Both JJ and Lucy felt fleshed out enough that they weren't boring to read, and their chemistry was solid. The book made use of its setting in Seattle in a way that felt totally authentic, and the secondary characters were reasonably entertaining. At times, the plot got a little cliche and predictable, which is what kept this story from truly shining. But overall, an enjoyable and decent read!

3.5/5

Look, I love Lexi Brown. I have religiously followed her on TikTok and enjoyed all her content; I love watching her partner commentate for Seattle (and for sure enjoyed watching him win a cup with Tampa).

That being said, this book sits in the middle for me. I was ecstatic to get an ARC from NetGalley since I love hockey romance books, and who doesn’t want to read something by a person whose content you enjoy? I loved the lucky charm trope of the book, how Jaylen was so superstitious that he gets Lucy to agree to his routines. I also loved watching them fall in love over the course of their individual growth! We LOVE a man who goes to therapy.

However, it really did feel like the author self-inserted her and JT (her partner) into the storyline, and made it kinda weird since the characters seem to be almost too close to them in real life. Maybe I’m just reading too far into it… but would I read other books by Lexi? Yeah, I’ll give it another go. Solid 2.5 stars but rounded up because I do like the sport, and Lexi overall.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Quick read, simple story. Writing was very juvenile, especially in the first ten chapters or so. I noticed some grammar mistakes, could just be the arc I was sent though. Overall, it was cute but nothing to write home about.

Review also posted on goodreads.

Honestly, I did not like this at all. I did not find that the characters had really any chemistry. There was no spark that had me feeling giggly or into the story. The FMC was very, "I'm not like other girls" and it read as very pick me. The MMC was kinda flat, and I didn't find much about him that interesting. I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Wonderful debut novel! I really enjoyed this book — the opposites-attract was done well and they still had a lot in common. I loved JJ, he’s such a genuine guy, he’s not perfect and has things he needs to work through, but he’s so open and vulnerable with Lucy. And Lucy is tough but has great moments of vulnerability too. I liked the pacing of the book and it had the right balance of emotions, humor, individual growth, and cute couple-y moments I love in a good book!

I selected this book by mistake and decided to give it a shot. This was a quick, sweet sports romance. It wasn’t bad for a debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really wanted to love Shoot Your Shot, and to its credit, the hockey elements are well done. It's clear that Lexi knows the sport, and that authenticity adds a refreshing touch. Unfortunately, beyond that, I really struggled to find things to like about this book..

The biggest issue for me is the lack of chemistry between Lucy and Jaylen. Their dialogue is stiff, their voices aren't distinct, and we never really see their relationship grow. They start out attracted to each other but unwilling to pursue a relationship for vague and unconvincing reasons and by the end, I still wasn't sure what they actually saw in each other. Big relationship milestones - meeting family and friends, opening up about past struggles - feel more like plot points being checked off rather than meaningful moments that show them growing closer.

The writing itself is very repetitive, with a lot of similar sentence structures that make reading feel tedious. Dialogue-heavy scenes don't flow naturally, often interrupted by inner monologues that slow things down. A lot of the humorous moments are just recycled viral jokes from social media (e.g. Would you like me if I was a worm, twenty-six year old teenage mother, etc.), which felt lazy.

Lucy's characterization (what there is of it) also didn't really work for me. She's overdramatic to the point of frustration - at one point, she nearly blocks Jaylen's number because he doesn't want to keep having sex next to fresh cat vomit that she is not in a hurry to clean up?? Her commitment to her tattoo career also never really made sense - she hates her job at the studio, she hates her boss despite still wanting to apprentice with them, and doesn't even seem all that passionate about tattooing. Her revelation at the end was very unsatisfying because the whole thing was unconvincing from the start.

Jaylen's character arc was also very unevenly paced. The book attempts to tackle mental health (anxiety and depression) but it comes out of nowhere 60% of the way in, and on top of the existing grief storyline, it felt like a mess. Obviously depression/anxiety and grief can be tied, but the mental health focus was abrupt and not well fleshed out, which made it hard to connect with Jaylen's struggles.

As a debut, I think there's potential here - especially in the way the hockey elements are handled - but the writing, character development, and relationship dynamics need a lot more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book!

I loved this so so much - I laughed, I cried (a lot), and had an endless amount of giggling and kicking of feet. Lexi did such a wonderful job making you love Lucy and Jaylen, and through her personal experience, you can tell she poured her heart into this debut novel.

This story was so beautifully written; deep topics were handled delicately, and Lexi truly made you fall in love with the characters.

Pretty bland. Lucy came across as cold, J came across as desperate, and there was no true connection shown between them. They "find out" they've been dating? What? It just fell flat to me.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Here’s the hockey romance I didn’t know I was missing by the former hockey playing author, married to a hockey player. Great debut novel and I can’t wait for the second book!

What a good book!!! Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown is such a fun, feel-good read! The story has a perfect mix of romance and real-life moments that make the characters super relatable. The writing keeps you engaged, with a perfect balance of tension, wit, and charm, making it hard to put the book down. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments too!

Shoot Your Shot is a must-read. It’s a true celebration of courage, love, and going after your dreams! I absolutely loved it!!

✨Thank you NetGalley, the publishers Harley Quinn Trade Publishing (@harleyquinnbooks), and the author Lexi LaFleur Brown for the ARC! ✨

This was such a bingeable hockey rom-com!

Jaylen Jones finds himself in a bar the last night of his NHL hockey contract. After a decline that leads him to losing his contract, he decides to say goodbye to the city. Jaylen spends his last night in the city with a feisty Seattle local. The next morning as he’s about to hop on the plane, his agent calls and offers him a last minute roster spot on Seattle’s NHL team. As any hockey player is, Jaylen becomes superstitious and doesn’t want to give up his good luck charm.

Lucy Ross is an aspiring tattoo artist working in an apprenticeship for an asshole of a boss. She’s never had an ounce of luck in her life, so naturally she’s skeptical that she had anything to do with Jaylens luck.

When the two come to an agreement that mutually benefits them, they end up spending more and more time together. The chemistry is burning hot as they navigate what their lives look like with or without each other.

Like I said, this book was INSANELY bingeable. I read it in about six hours! The only minor detail that aggravated me a little was how she reacted to the conflict even though he was offering his unwavering support. I get that she has slight commitment issues, but it was giving college relationship reaction. I feel like at that point in the story, the couple has the communication skills to work through that with their words right then and there. But don’t let that discourage you. The story came together beautifully and the epilogue was so fun! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

As for the audiobook, both narrators were fantastic and made the story very enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for this ALC/ARC. And as always thank you to the Hive 🫶🏻

It took me a while to really get into Shoot Your Shot, but once the story found its rhythm, I enjoyed the romance. Their love story was super cute, and I liked seeing their connection grow. While the beginning felt a bit slow, the chemistry and sweet moments made it worth sticking with. If you love a lighthearted romance with a feel-good vibe, this one might be for you!

I FLEW through this in less than 24 hours, I could. not. put. it. DOWN!
Lucy and Jaylen's relationship is so beautifully written. Through all the twists and turns of their relationship to their own self discoveries, right up to the very end I loved it all.
I reaaaally hope this is gonna be a series because I have to know why in the world that man thought being decked out in head to toe Gucci was fashion! 😂

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

I was surprised when I realized this was a debut novel. It hooked me so quickly and so thoroughly. Gave some Unsteady vibes with black cat and cinnamon roll but a bit lighter in my opinion at least for the most part. I think there were some minor pacing inconsistencies towards the second half but overall the build to the relationship and the support they provided each other without “changing” was refreshing. I feel like a lot of times with the black cat/cinnamon roll trope once they get together they change but I could still see the spiciness of Lucy, and the cautious energy of Jaylen which remained consistent throughout. Classic and well executed opposites attract storyline.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

After literally bumping into each other, golden retriever (and NHL player) Jaylen has, what they mutually decide on is, a one night stand with black cat Lucy. After their one night stand, Jaylen’s luck seems to turn around, and he credits Lucy with being his good luck charm. What follows is a nice story of navigating personal and professional hardships to reach goals and maybe find love!

As someone who worked in hockey, I appreciate so much that the author is able to tell the hockey side of the story so accurately. The banter between the main characters was great, and the mental health representation was so well written.

This is the author’s debut, and I know her next book will be even better!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really hate being a hater when it comes to romance books as I’m pretty easy to please… but I wish I never read this book. strike one was right off the bat, realizing that the characters names and descriptions almost exactly matched the author and her husband and it was reading like some sort of weird self insert fanfiction. but still I tried to give it a chance... then it was just bad - the book, the writing, the characters, the pacing, the dialogue, the sex (which was so cringey I thought it was a joke at first)… I am really easy to please but this read like something a 13 year old wrote on wattpad (derogatory) (and I LOVE wattpad this is not a slight against them). given this author has had very loud opinions on how everyone else writes hockey romances, it made it irrationally angry how comically bad this was.

A solid debut. I generally had a good time reading it. The characters' backgrounds and emotional baggage (i.e., his yips; her trust issues and career issues) were thoughtfully developed. There wasn't a ton of hockey on page because Lucy knew so little about it but I trusted the details that were there. LaFleur Brown clearly understands the game and had the inside scoop on locker room BTS.

There's some great snark in Lucy's POV - I particularly liked "I need to know if he engages in deranged pastimes like hiking or if he knows the difference between there and their." Or they're. Well, Jaylen, do you?

Some cons, from least important to most:

They go to Seattle's fanciest restaurant and Lucy orders the most expensive bottle of red they have, to stick it to Jaylen. It costs... $400. Like, I've been to nice-ish restaurants that have wine for $5K and Michelin star restaurants that carry ultra-premium wines that cost $20K.

POV is alternating first person, present tense. I can deal with one or the other but both is an uphill battle for me.

There were a few awkward turns of phrase that made me stop and squint at my phone as I was reading, like "he's so hot I could bark" - is she suggesting that he's reduced her to animal instincts or does she think dogs bark at hot people? "He tentatively watches my moans get faster and louder" - how do you watch a sound? Or "I can't help but watch the veins in his forearms pool with blood" - lady, call an ambulance because blood is not supposed to do that in a person's veins.

My biggest issue with the story was that Lucy seemed to be making nonstop bad decisions. Her exes all sounded awful but she's constantly negging and pushing away poor Jaylen. Later in the story, she [won't even consider long distance even though Seattle and LA are three hours apart by plane and the real life teams of Seattle, LA and Anaheim are all in the same conference and division. There literally could not be an easier city for him to visit from Seattle. It's not even worth discussing with a guy who's in love with you, and nice and hot and rich to boot? (end spoiler)] She's ambitious and working hard towards a professional goal, until suddenly she doesn't care enough about it to answer an email. It's hard to root for someone who is constantly sabotaging herself.

All that out of the way, I do want to reiterate that I enjoyed the book, and would read another by LaFleur Brown.

This is a hard review to write. I really enjoy the author's social media, and I was so excited for this book. But I found it really hard to read and even harder to enjoy, and that was such a disappointment.

First off, I would have loved a sensitivity reader for queer identities. The use of common problematic tropes and stereotypes about bisexual characters was not great and (in my opinion) not addressed well. On a sentence level, I struggled with the prose. There were times where I would have to read paragraph more than once to figure out where everyone physically was and what actions were happening. There was one scene, early on, where there are three sentences about a character sliding into a chair/booth all in the same 1-2 paragraphs, as if only one was intended but the duplicates didn't get edited out. A lot of the dialogue was tough to imagine coming out of a real person's mouth--it felt like something Diablo Cody would write. I felt like the hockey knowledge was excellent and top tier, with the author clearly understanding her stuff, but sometimes almost going overboard with infodumps about stats or practices in places where it really was unnecessary and did not add anything to the story. I did not find the relationship particularly compelling, though I will say that it was fine. It's just a real bummer, because I did have high hopes for this being a fun entry into the sports romance genre without some of the very inaccurate hockey elements.

Sadly, this is not an author for whom I would pick up another book without first hearing from trusted reviewers that the quality had improved.