While the miscommunication and mutual obliviousness between Ethan and Jean-Luc were clearly meant to be humorous, I often found it frustrating. The internal monologues were repetitive, and I kept mixing up the characters. I also wasn’t a fan of a full blown adult being so dependent on another.

The honeymoon setting was fun though, and I did enjoy many light-hearted moments.

Overall, I just feel the execution of this story was a bit off

I really enjoyed this book. Jean-Luc and Ethan have such a sweet relationship. I appreciate the author bring up different challenging topics for the characters to explore. I also like that the main characters attend therapy to help them be better partners to each other.

Heat Factor: Once they start having it, it’s mostly sex.

Character Chemistry: I mean, they’re besties, and they were extremely invested in each other, but not communicating was part of the problem, so the middle didn’t include much emotional growth to get us to the end

Plot: Ethan and his best, co-dependent hockey bro, Jean-Luc, go on Ethan’s non-refundable honeymoon after he gets dumped at the altar

Overall: It was really exactly what I wanted it to be when I picked it up, but it’s not a huge stand-out in the extremely saturated M/M hockey romance sphere

Did I pick this book up entirely on the strength of the title? I did. Oblivious best friends in an essentially queerplatonic relationship who figure out the “platonic” part isn’t actually something they want because they’re actually romantically and sexually attracted to the other person is a storyline I frequently go for because I trust that it’s going to be a feel-good romance.

In that respect, this book totally delivered. Did I like the characters? I did. Did I get bored by the story? I did not. Did the story provide the expected warm fuzzies? It did. Do I regret spending time reading it? I do not. Net positive reading experience.

If we want to get a little deeper, though, I can say more.

This book relies on the “hockey besties are a cuddly bunch” narrative. It’s a story about best friends who are doing all the relationship things (read especially: Jean-Luc takes care of Ethan after his season-ending injury (with a degree of control that would be concerning except that Ethan likes not making decisions), while Ethan’s fiancé…just calls his mom? Is definitely not present.) without actually considering that their relationship is more intimate than a usual friendship, and also more intimate than their relationships (emotionally, if not sexually). In terms of laying the foundation for why they need to wake up and figure this out, it does exactly what it’s supposed to do, but it does feel a bit more convenient than believable.

The story gets a little saggy in the middle after Jean-Luc and Ethan figure out their feelings are more than friendly. This is because they have a ton of sex, get jealous, have more sex, don’t talk about the fact that they’re both certain the other will leave them, have more sex, rinse and repeat. In fairness, the lack of emotional development in this section is probably mostly intentional, because after they fight, their respective third party “get it together” talks both emphasize communication as a necessary component of a relationship. But a book cannot rely on sex alone, even if a queer sexual awakening is an essential component of the narrative.

A lot of the story is pretty easy. While the majority of the story occurs in the offseason, and therefore these guys can start the relationship in a bubble, the epilogue takes place during the season, but conveniently they’ve already been so glued together that they don’t have to address anyone noticing changes to their relationship. The trauma Jean-Luc unpacks, and the anxiety Ethan deals with, are not sudden or easily cured, exactly, but they are minimally angsty. Neither guy needs to spend more than a few pages unpacking what’s holding him back. In that respect, that makes this a very easy-to-swallow read. But it also doesn’t provide the emotional depth of a full-blown angst-fest.

I would say that if you, like me, are simply looking for a light, easy romance (especially if you’ve read most of the other M/M bi-awakening hockey romance that’s out there), give this a go. I’m probably not going to remember it any more than I do the hundreds of other hockey or bi-awakening romances I’ve read, but most of them fall into that bucket, and I read them because I want the warm fuzzies that I get from them, not because they’re going to stick with me for years. It’s that simple.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I really enjoy reading mm romance and this book about two best friends falling for each other was right down my alley.
This book had some of my favourite tropes; friends to lovers, bi-awakening, hockey players, one bed…

It’s an easy, quick read without too much drama and cute pet names.

This wasn’t a bad read, but I think the Authors Note was slightly misleading on how prevalent the dominant/submissive roles were going to be. I liked the characters, but I wish everything was paced a little slower, giving more time after Ethan was literally just left at the altar. I get that it’s the trope, but damn. Overall a decent read, but not something I would pick up again or continue on with the series.

A fun, sexy read. I liked the friends to lovers vibe, the Hawaii location, and the hockey background.

I’m honestly struggling on how to write a review of this book. I finished it, so there’s that.

Ethan is a jilted groom who gets stood up at the alter, but instead of wallowing in his pity he takes his mom’s advice and goes on his honeymoon with his bestfriend/hockey teammate to Hawaii. One thing leads to another on this “romantic” getaway and Ethan falls for Jean-Luc.

The problems I had with this book were many. First of all: the spice? The lack of spice? C’mon!! This was supposed to be a steamy hockey romance. Do more research on smut, please. This was 0.5/5 on that front. And the way they call each other “bros” or “bro”. I’m channeling my inner GenX’er when I say GAG ME WITH A SPOON! Nobody talks like that! Especially grown men! So cringey 😬 And the text exchange? Just no. Seriously: no one talks like that! The character development was weak. The writing was weak. This book was just an overall hot mess. I hope Oslo Fox doesn’t start using a different pen name because I need to know who to avoid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oslo Fox for the advanced copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I love a friends to lovers and this one was cute and nice and also a little deep and nuanced with the men willing to discuss their queer awakenings

I love a good hockey romance, and this one did not disappoint. Very sweet and very spicy (although if you are looking for realistic depictions of sex, this probably isn't the book for you). It would have been nice to have a longer ending or epilogue that was further out from the main story for a truly happy ending (although I will take a sequel with more of the main character's story instead).

This was middle of the line MM hockey romance. Nothing exceptional but nothing horrible. Likely to forget it because it blends with an over saturated genre. People will enjoy this but won’t give them lingering thoughts.

This is about two best friends who become lovers. One of my absolute favorite tropes. This book kept me interested—but there were quite a few questions unanswered. And the ending felt like it was rushed or unresolved completely. I would read more from this author, and I would recommend—but I’m hoping for a bit of follow up.

Ethan gets left at the altar by his female fiance. He then goes on his honeymoon with his best friend. One thing leads to another.

Oh wow! I usually pass on third person POV. And, it takes a special MM book for me to read. But, this love story was so pure and sweet. With lots of steam... Woah! I wanted to be in a MM relationship after reading this book, and that would be impossible, since I am a woman. Too bad for that.

This book was quite enjoyable, I am not a big fan of dual aspect books when they are written in the third person and find it quite grating. I thought the relationship between the pair was quite sweet thought the dominating relationship was a bit much and all encompassing in some areas. I loved that they were idiotic bros who didn’t have a clue they were in love!

Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.
Oh my the hotness! Great quick read.

I really liked this book. I thought it was cute, sexy, and entertaining. The author took the time to refine the story and dialog so the characters could really shine. I would recommend this cozy read.

D*mn! I was so excited for this. I love hockey romance and I love best-friends-to-lovers bi-awakening... but the issue is, if you're going to write a book that has been done many many times in a competitive market, it has to be good. I can think of over a handful of similar books that did this better, authors Loren Leigh, Eden Finley, and Ana Ashley topping that list.

This book needs to be edited and try to figure out if it's trying to be low-angst or dramatic and then get republished.

Despite the truly dreadful title, I really enjoyed this book! I love when two guys can just put aside the compulsory heterosexuality and realize they love each other. Unfortunately this book did suffer from "talking about sex with my family" disease, I truly detest it and I never wish to speak of it again. I loved their journey to each other and figuring out their stuff, and the conflict felt very natural and complete.

I love MM sports romance but this just missed the mark unfortunately. There were some sweet moments, decent character growth and good spice, but overall this book felt rushed, cheesy, and cliche. The power imbalance in the relationship didn’t feel sweet or romantic, it just felt like a father and a child. The text messaging was so cringey and seemed to be written by someone who has never sent a text in their life. And the ending was lackluster, I was looking forward to a big public coming out moment.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

First as a Canadian I thoroughly enjoyed the references to Canadian Tire. The use of timbits was funny but also cringe. The best friends hockey bro bi awakening was funny and sweet but at times the writing felt all over the place and disjointed. It wasn’t flushed out and definitely needs editing. Ethan’s dialogue and his inability to form a coherent sentence was so annoying i almost quit reading. Jean Luc’s inner monologue about Ethan was at times mean so it pulled you out of the story that he could be so in love with Ethan.

The writing wasn't quite what I was expecting but if you're a fan of the hockey romance trope, you likely will enjoy this.