To Get to the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert Published by Crooked Lane Books on December 6, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
In the vein of Lyssa Kay Adams and Abby Jimenez, Kelly Ohlert’s charming debut is a one-of-a-kind rom-com that explores the power of overcoming the past and fighting for the things you love.
Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.
Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.
Determined to keep her new room, befriend Bear, and give her rescue chicken the care she deserves, Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.
Perfect for readers of The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, and fans of The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, readers will find themselves rooting for every one of the relatable, but tenderly flawed, characters in this book as they follow the heartwarming antics of a rescue chicken and her human companions.
My Review
To start out I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I initially requested this book because of the adorable cover. I mean come on a chicken crossing the road in a city I can’t even I just had to know what happened to her.
This is the story of Trixie, Bear, and Chick Chick and their journey into friendship, family, and love. Each one of these characters (is it ok to call a chicken a character?) has a struggle they must overcome. For poor Chick Chick, it is her health but for Trixie and Bear, it is their mental health. I loved getting to know each of these characters along with Bear’s family and how they all supported one another. Sometimes the support Bear received from his sisters was not always appreciated but seemed to work out as the story progressed.
I found the story to be layered and immersive. I found it hard to put down the book once I started it because dang that chicken had me from the start. I just could not help myself I needed to know how she made out maybe it is because I am such an animal person. If you are looking for a quick comforting rom-com kind of read then I would say that this book is for you. Besides the chicken, I very much enjoyed the family aspect of the story along with discovering why the main characters behaved in the ways that they did.