You Had Me at Hockey

You Had Me at Hockey is the second in Kelly Jamieson's Bears Hockey series but stands well alone. Josh Heller's been traded and moves from Dallas to the far different city of New York. For someone who prefers the assurance of his routine and the comfort of a plan, the changes are a clear challenge, including getting to know his new team and how he fits in. Sara Carrington knows all about not fitting in. In fact, she's kind of made a life for herself at being a bit of the odd fish out as an influencer/vlogger who specializes not in being perfectly made up or styled, but the opposite. Her viewers get Sara (Mostly) Unfiltered, and they love her for telling it and showing it like it is, from her kitchen fails to her sometimes struggles with depression. Told in alternating first person perspective, You Had Me at Hockey is a warm and lovely contemporary, with Josh and Sara building slowly on their shared chemistry to create a relationship that works for them both, as they learn to be considerate of each other, and to care and be cared for. Ms Jamieson covers some pretty serious topics, graciously and deftly. Josh and Sara are beautifully imperfect, and are a reminder that love does provide motivation and heart to bridge those gaps when we so choose. You Had Me at Hockey is a keeper!

You Had Me at Hockey is book two in the Bears Hockey Series and it’s Josh Heller and Sara Carrington’s story. This is a wonderful, emotional tale that touched me on so many levels, Josh Heller comes from hockey royalty but he hasn’t had it easy and after a near death experience as a youth player he focuses on his career and his life in playing hockey in Dallas is moving in the right direction. A call to the team mangers office can only mean he is being traded and New York is not where he wants to be, it means playing on the same team as a player from his past so his life went into a tale spin overnight and a chance meeting with the unfiltered and fascinating Sara Carrington is going to add even more chaos to his life..... Sara is unique, some would say weird but she loves her job making YouTube videos and when she interviews Josh she finds herself wanting more with the hot player but she needs to get him to open up and she sets out on a mission to make him laugh..... Neither Josh or Sara are looking for a relationship but as they get to know each other feelings come into play and the couple that are like oil and water find happiness together. I loved everything about this book, I smiled and I laughed at the banter, I cried as I learnt about the accident Josh was involved in and I fell hook, line and sinker for this couple. Wonderful, entertaining read.

4.5 stars — This book actually delighted me in quite a few ways. And I’m giving it a half star bump for great hockey depiction. I’m not an expert, but as someone who watches hockey quite a bit, it rang truer than most hockey books do. I was surprised by all that was lying in Josh’s psyche, if that makes sense. It was weird, because finally understanding a bit of what made him up and had dominated his thoughts since the accident made me dislike him a bit…and yet, we find it out around the same time as he finally accepts it for himself and starts to turn things around, so yay? So I definitely had conflicting feelings for that boy. On the other hand, I loved the quirkiness of Sara. Not just quirky, but strangely vulnerable too. I read a lot of heroines with self-esteem issues, and sometimes it gets to be a bit much even as I can connect with that. I kind of appreciated the way hers was depicted…it was definitely there, but I guess I felt I got her inside her head, and it was nice that it was balanced by these other moments of self-confidence. They kind of had an adorable romance in so many ways. They were so hesitant, but they couldn’t help but be drawn together. I could have done without quite so many thoughts from Josh of how he shouldn’t be with her, because they didn’t always fit the story for me (sometimes they did, sometimes it felt forced). But wow, their chemistry was unbelievable. Not *just* the steamy chemistry, but also, holy wow *definitely* the steamy chemistry. I think I just also loved how they connected on so many other levels as well — friendship, fun, support, understanding. This book made me laugh in quite a few moments, and Sara definitely belongs on the girl crush list. And now I want to read about Lilly and Easton as well. I will admit that as a born and raised Saskatchewan girl, and Swift Current in particular, this one hit a bit close to home with the accident. I know the author was inspired by Humboldt, but I wonder if she knew about the Swifty one in the 80s — I was just a kid, but I definitely remember it, and the use of SC as the town felt…well, it was hard. So yeah. This was just what I was needing in the moment — something fun and quirky, but with depth.