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Jenny Holiday

Författare till Duke, Actually

26 verk 1,005 medlemmar 76 recensioner

Serier

Verk av Jenny Holiday

Duke, Actually (2021) 156 exemplar
A Princess for Christmas (2020) 132 exemplar
One and Only (2018) 85 exemplar
Mermaid Inn [with bonus story "Meant to Be"] (2020) — Författare — 82 exemplar
Saving the CEO (2014) 81 exemplar
So This Is Christmas (2022) 71 exemplar
Three Little Words (2019) 50 exemplar
It Takes Two (2018) 47 exemplar
Paradise Cove (2020) 46 exemplar
Canadian Boyfriend (2024) 42 exemplar
Famous (2017) 27 exemplar
Infamous (2018) 27 exemplar
Sleeping with Her Enemy (2015) 22 exemplar
The Engagement Game (2015) 19 exemplar
Merrily Ever After (2018) 16 exemplar
Once Upon a Bride (2018) 14 exemplar
The Miss Mirren Mission (2015) 12 exemplar
The Likelihood of Lucy (2015) 8 exemplar
His Heart's Revenge (2016) 7 exemplar
The Fixer (2016) 6 exemplar
Earls Trip (2024) 6 exemplar
The Pacifist (2016) 3 exemplar
The Gossip (2016) 3 exemplar
Viscountess of Vice (2016) 1 exemplar

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Recensioner

3.5

Aurora Evans did not have a great childhood. Spending most of her time in her ballet training kept her apart from her peers, she always felt like an outsider. This wasn't helped by her mother's overly-critical view of her body and her talent. So, Aurora does what any young girl would do....she makes up a Canadian Boyfriend. Someone who's around yet inaccessible enough that Aurora can use him as an excuse when she misses prom or other teen events.

Years pass. Aurora's only interaction with dance is teaching at a local studio. What Aurora doesn't count on is meeting her pretend boyfriend as an adult in person in the form of hockey player Mike Martin.

Mike Martin is just trying to get his and his daughter's lives back on track after the death of his wife less than a year ago. The one place his daughter, Olivia, feels happy is in dance class with Miss Rory. But with the hockey season starting soon, Mike needs more help than he knows, so he asks Aurora to help with afterschool care for Olivia.

I liked the setup of this one. I mean how intriguing is it to actually meet the person you supposedly made up as your boyfriend? But what I found when I actually started reading is that this hook doesn't really land. I think the story could have been just as, or more, compelling without that setup.

Further in that regard, I didn't really feel like the romance landed either. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between Mike and Aurora beyond a strong friendship-type bond. I almost wish the story had bucked the norm and actually kept these two as friends instead of feeling like a relationship was mandated territory, or if this was the type of book to utilize the slow burn romance that could develop over multiple books in a series.

What I did like and appreciate about the story was how it dealt with grief and trauma. Showing Mike going through therapy, showing Mike coming to terms with the death of his wife and being able to look back on their relationship without blinders on was fantastic. Oftentimes we read these stories of loss and there's this idolization of the person lost and relationship past. It's put on a pedestal that no one can hope to scale. But this story takes a very real view of what moving forward means. It means the good and the bad. It means looking inward.

On the other side of that we have Aurora who is still dealing with some heavy issues from her days as a professional dancer. Most of those issues were imposed upon her by her mother including body image issues and problems with food, hindering her from having healthy relationships and a healthy view of herself. Aurora has removed herself from professional dancing, choosing instead to teach and hopefully have a positive impact on younger girls - something that was denied to her - but seeing her begin to pull herself out of these imposed ideals was honestly the best part of this book. To see her break out of the structures imposed upon her, to get the help she needed, was like a breath of fresh air. You could feel how stifled she was as a character almost stuck in a perpetual state of young adulthood unable to grow until she dealt with her trauma.

That was the journey I was more invested in rather than the romance aspect. I understand that being in the romance category, the story had to have certain signifiers, I just kinda wished that could have been subverted a bit. Still a strong story and there are a few secondary characters I would love to see in the spotlight should Jenny Holiday decide to continue on with the series.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
AmyM3317 | 4 andra recensioner | Mar 4, 2024 |
Rory and Mike had a glancing encounter when she was in high school. He was older, attractive, and played hockey, so she turned him into the fake boyfriend she needed because of her having a cold, overbearing mother and a grueling dance regimen. She maintained the romance by writing letters to him that were never sent, but kept in a notebook. Fast forward ten plus years when Mike is in mourning and feeling a sense of betrayal, both coming from the death of his wife in a winter auto accident. He was left with grief, emptiness, and the challenge of raising his eleven year old step-daughter, Olivia.
When he sees how graceful, impulsive, and connected to Olivia, Rory is, it sparks his interest, not to mention the possibility that her involvement in his step-daughter's life might solve some big problems now that he's going to resume his hockey career. It's not difficult to see where this is headed early on, but it gets there smartly, with great feeling, and a pretty realistic ending. A book that will brighten any reader's day.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
sennebec | 4 andra recensioner | Feb 22, 2024 |
Aurora is teaching dance classes and fighting a panic disorder. Enter pro hockey player, Mike Martin with his daughter. She is taking dance classes from Aurora. Could it be…could this be her pretend Canadian boyfriend!

Aurora and Mike have a unique relationship. She met Mike years ago, when she was very young. She started an imaginary boyfriend from this encounter. I found YOUNG Aurora, so adorable. I enjoyed this fantasy to real life trope. It is a very unique story line.

This is more of a 3.5 star read…you round up right?!?! I love the characters and their interactions. But there are places this story is a bit wishy washy, or however you would describe it. Like, for instance, Mike does not like to be lied to. It is very important to him. But yet, he himself, turns around and lies Aurora. Just a bit too human I guess 😂😂😂.

Need a story to get lost in…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
fredreeca | 4 andra recensioner | Feb 14, 2024 |
The cover for Jenny Holiday's new book, Canadian Boyfriend, promised a fun rom-com read. And it does indeed deliver that, but there was much more to Canadian Boyfriend than I had expected.

Aurora Evans met Canadian hockey player Mike Martin many years ago, when she was a sixteen year old student. She built that meeting into a fake, long distance boyfriend. I'll let you discover the 'why'. Imagine what happens when she runs into him again - thirteen years later!

Holiday gives the reader a wonderful yes, no, maybe so story line that had me hooked. I thought that the journey to the final pages would be smooth sailing. But, at a point, I realized that wasn't going to happen. Holiday tackles some bigger themes with Aurora and Mike. Love, life, grief friendships, dysfunction families, loss, mental health and many more. This added so much to the book. And all the above was thoughtfully written.

The narrative is seen and recounted through both Aurora and Mike's point of view. We as readers are privy to what each is thinking. (And yes, I did indeed talk out loud to offer my opinions and what needed to happen next!)

I quite liked the two lead characters. And the supporting crew was just as well drawn. The dialogue is quick and clever, but also thoughtful and honest.

I really enjoyed Canadian Boyfriend!
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Twink | 4 andra recensioner | Feb 12, 2024 |

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Statistik

Verk
26
Medlemmar
1,005
Popularitet
#25,667
Betyg
½ 3.7
Recensioner
76
ISBN
92
Språk
1

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