Canadian Boyfriend is the latest release from best-selling author Jenny Holiday. Set to release on January 30, 2024, readers are introduced to Rory Evans, a former ballerina and current dance teacher, and Mike Martin, an NHL hockey player. While a teen, Rory met Mike and created a fake Canadian boyfriend. When they meet again, many years later, will Rory want to make him her real boyfriend?
I want to thank Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Canadian Boyfriend. All opinions presented here are my own.
CW/TW: grief, death of a spouse (off page), unhealthy relationship with food
Synopsis from Goodreads
The fake Canadian boyfriend. It’s a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can’t go to prom; I’m going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.” It’s all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend” part a little, but it wasn’t like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn’t like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he’s feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.
Positives
- Quick and easy read.
- Dual POV, which changes with the chapters.
- Character growth for both main characters.
- Use of topics that are not normally found in romance books, but doesn’t feel excessive. It helps define why the characters are like they are.
Negatives
- One character’s excessive use of another ones full name. Who talks like that?
My Opinions
Rory finds herself in a predicament when she meets Mike at the dance studio. Why? She met him years ago when she worked in the mall and made him into her fake Canadian boyfriend. He was the perfect excuse to miss out on things at school, things she was already missing. She forgot about him until she found herself face-to-face with Mike Martin, the hockey player all the moms in the studio are fawning over.
The book touches on topics not found in most romance novels, such as grief, mourning a lost childhood, an unhealthy relationship with food, and mental health. These topics are handled well. Nothing is pushed on the reader; it’s just what the characters are dealing with while also dealing with their developing relationship.
Told in a dual POV, Canadian Boyfriend is a quick and easy romantic read. The first three-quarters of the book is fade to black. The events that happen in the last quarter, while not fade to black, aren’t excessively detailed either.
If you enjoy reading slow-burn romance books that take time to develop, you should read Canadian Boyfriend. While this is my first Jenny Holiday novel, I don’t think it will be my last!
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This sounds like a lot of fun! I’ll have to add it to my list—I’ve enjoyed the last few cozy contemporary romances I’ve read, and this seems like it would fit in with my tastes quite well. Thanks for the review!