Story Blurb
Fate brings together a ballet teacher and a hockey player in this big-hearted novel about second chances and taking risks by the bestselling author Entertainment Weekly calls the “master of witty banter.”
Once upon a time teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can't go to prom. I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again...
Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”
The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself.
My Thoughts/Opinion
From the cover, I expected a totally cutesy, adorable rom-com. What I got was a deep, emotionally vulnerable, incredible book that dealt with all kinds of real-life issues from eating disorders to loss and grief to parenting. I absolutely loved this book and am so glad it was so much more than I expected. Both the main characters were flawed, and I really loved how they worked through their own issues and worked for each other's weaknesses. Lots of big sighs through this one. Highly recommend!
Favorite Quote:
“when you don’t know what to say, you usually can’t go wrong with the truth, even if it makes you or other people uncomfortable.”