There’s more to me than just being awk-weird. I own my own flower shop, have some great friends, and I have my eye on adopting the most adorable kitten. But sadly, hot guys don’t tend to be blown away by my trivia-spouting, dorky self. So when a Thor-lookalike who happens to be a professional hockey player hits on me at my bestie’s wedding rehearsal party… You better believe I climbed that … climbed that tree like a cat. And the fact that it happened not once, not twice, but three times? Yeah, that’s pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a woman like me.
There’s zero chance I’ll end up ever seeing him again…right?
Until the pregnancy test comes up positive. What happens next?
Oh my God, I wish I knew…
Each book in the Ice Knights series is STANDALONE:
* Parental Guidance
* Awk-Weird
* Loud Mouth
more
This book was hilarious and I loved the narrators. I was a bit disappointed in the end though since I thought Cole needed to step up more than he did.
I definitely can’t wait for more Ice Knights!!
Witty, fun, and highly entertaining.
I loved the first book in Avery Flynn’s Ice Knights series, but “Awk-Weird,” book #2, was even better! It might actually be my favorite Flynn book to date. Female lead character Tess was so sweet and quirky that I couldn’t help but like and empathize with her, plus the random trivia she was constantly quoting was pretty hilarious. Tess’s love interest, Cole, was very endearing with his strict routines and stress baking before each hockey game he played. Their personalities balanced each other nicely, and watching them fall in love was simply delightful.
The book reads as a complete standalone, but those who are familiar with Flynn’s past work will enjoy catching up with several characters from previous series such as the Hartigans. As always, the secondary characters add a tremendous amount of depth and humor to the narrative, and the cameos felt like an opportunity to visit with old and dear friends.
Overall, “Awk-Weird” was an incredibly fun, sweet, and amusing story that I highly recommend for fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I can’t wait to get my hands on more stories from Avery Flynn!
I fell in love Avery Flynn after reading Parental Guidance which is the first book in the Ice Knights series. She writes such a good story, plus she can make me laugh hysterically. This book was no different. Tess is such an endearing character, and that opening scene is absolutely amazing. I just was so excited to see what would happen throughout this whole story. Also, we get introduced to Cole in the previous book and his shit show of a relationship history, which made me so curious to how that was going to play into things. Let’s just say that both of these characters are flawed and wonderfully human. I am so excited to see where the rest of this series goes!
Thank you so much to Entangled, Wildfire Marketing Solutions, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.
Just kill me now. This book has already stolen my breath away and I don’t know if I am going to survive the after-effects this book has caused me. Send help because I have a serious book hangover, ya’ll.
This is a story that spoke to my heart in so many ways. One of the things that I love about Flynn’s books is that she has very realistic characters. You can easily find bits and pieces of yourself in each of her characters like I did with Tess and Cole in this book. With this book, Tess is a nerd and since I am a proper nerd I fell into pieces over her. I really connected with her in so many ways. Cole, while he had loving parents, had an unpredictable childhood since he had to move around a lot because of his father’s job. Because of that, he is in constant need of order in his life. Right down to pre-prepared meals and bedtimes. Both Tess and Cole experience such incredible personal growth in this book. It was such a beautiful thing to witness. Tess throws Cole’s predictable life into chaos and Cole makes Tess see that not everything is always temporary in life. Their journey to happiness together touched my heart.
I love this entire cast of characters. I have read many of the other books that contain these characters and I have fallen in love with each of them along the way. I love the way that they pop up in other books within this amazing fictional world. I am seriously anxious for the next book from this world! When the author runs out of characters to write about I might just die. (Avery, please don’t run out of characters. Pretty please? :happy face emoji:)
Overall, this is by far my favorite Flynn book to date. These characters just got me and I got them. Their love story was beautiful and the growth that they experienced within themselves individually was inspiring. Flynn’s books are always feel-good stories that have the right amount of emotions, heat, and humor. In other words, they are perfect and you will fall head over heels for them. Just saying. I can’t recommend this one enough. It is definitely my new favorite. Thanks so much, Avery Flynn! You have done it again!
If there’s one thing I can count on from Avery Flynn it’s her sense of humour that’s always pervasive throughout her books. She writes charming, funny, and awkward so well that every book I’ve read of hers has been entertaining and always brings a smile to my face. Naturally I was all over it when it came to Awk-Weird, and come on, that’s one brilliant title!
Tess and Cole meet the night before a wedding, neither of them are in a particularly great mood. She unwittingly gets pulled into a strange trivia game between Cole and his Ice Knights teammates. Cole and Tess are a super duo of crazy information and data. They’re basically the phone-a-friend lifeline you want to keep in your back pocket.
Tess and Cole grew up with a lack of stability and adapted to their circumstances in different ways. Tess who bounced around family members as a kid felt the strain of trying to fit in and eventually developed a penchant for blurting out factoids as a way to cope. Cole’s family moved around a lot and he found one thing gave him the stability he craved: hockey. These are the things that give them comfort, like a security blanket and explains plenty about their personalities and view about life. I like that Cole’s not what one would expect of a popular athlete being a bit of a domestic guy who keeps a neat home, bakes to de-stress, would rather stay in and party it up, and most impressively, is a one-woman guy. Yeah, he’s kind of a unicorn which makes me have massive heart eyes emojis for him. Tess’ tendency to babble random facts when she’s feeling awkward or under pressure is just a part of who she is, and her friends and Cole never make her feel bad about it. That Cole can keep up with her fast-working brain and match her intensity is freaking sexy. When she ends up pregnant thanks to their one-night stand and has to move in with him thanks to peculiar circumstances, his structured life and her spunky attitude clash often. It also upends his fantasy about his ex for whom he’s still pining after hoping that their on again, off again relationship will be back on. Tess recognizes the temporary nature of their arrangement – she’s used to temporary since that’s been her entire experience growing up – so she’s not exactly holding out hope that Cole will magically forget his ex and see her as a possible fixture in his life, even if she is pregnant with his baby.
Awk-Weird is such a sweet, entertaining and sexy read. I mean, we’ve got a a guy who looks like he could be Thor’s brother and a woman who’s gorgeous and both of them unbelievably smart. I also think it’s wonderful that Avery Flynn has created a sensitive hero much like she did in Parental Guidance. These guys have insecurities that they’re not proud of but they don’t act out negatively because of them. I’m so grateful for that. And let’s be honest that there’s a little bit of Tess in all of us with our quirks and silliness seeking to belong. Together they make a positively charming couple. Throw in Kahn, Tess’ cat from hell as Cole likes to put it, and you’re treated to some funny scenarios.
~ Bel
*Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed this. What a great read! Awk-Weird was the first book I’ve read by Avery Flynn, and I can’t wait to read more. 🙂
The first book in this series — Parental Guidance — was one of my favorites of 2019, so I had super high hopes for this follow-up. I wasn’t let down. The surprise baby trope isn’t one of my go-to’s, but I still loved this book. Tess and Cole’s story was cute and sweet. He was super swoony and she was my favorite type of quirky, awkward (er, awk-weird?) heroine. A pretty light read, I giggled my way through a good chunk of it. I love this series.
Favorite Quotes:
“As my aunt Haven once said, I’m an acquired taste and usually best in small doses.”
“This isn’t temporary for me; it hasn’t been since the first time I saw you. You changed everything, and I’m so lucky you did.”
5 Awk-weird Stars
Awk-weird is the first book I have read by Avery Flynn and it definitely wont be my last.
I really enjoyed getting to know Tess and Cole. Cole was stubborn and hates change. His routines keep him centered and have gotten him to where he is today with his life and his career in the Ice Knights hockey team.
“It was as if absolute joy and terror had shoved aside his well-ordered routine and declared a new sheriff was in town.”
Tess is nerdy, weird and sweet as can be. But she has some series hang ups from her childhood that seems to have followed her into adulthood. Will she let them stop her from being happy?!
“Change is hard,” she said, needing to break the silence that had fallen between them. Cole looked up at her, an intensity in his blue eyes that nearly jolted her. “I’m learning that sometimes it’s worth it, though.”
Awk-weird was the perfect romcom, it had me laughing out load and also at times it had me shedding a tear. It had some amazing secondary characters and this also makes a book great for me. A perfect holiday read if you need something to dive into over the Christmas holidays.
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Awk-Weird
Tess Gardner is an antisocial trivia nerd who is stuck at her best friend’s wedding rehearsal dinner. Waiting for her chance to escape she gets roped into playing trivia with the Ice Knights hockey team. Cole Phillips is a Thor look alike who is great at trivia. A fun night of trivia and drinking ends in a one night stand, that comes with lifelong consequences.
I really enjoyed this book. This was a fun, easy read filled with interesting trivia. Tess was cute, quirky, and very smart. I quite enjoyed her. Because of her past she always expects everyone to abandon and leave her. It takes a drastic eye opener for her to realize she has a family, made up of her best friends, that will never abandon her. Cole was stubborn and very resistant to change. Having Tess in his house and life really makes him realizes how much his life needs to change. Together these two learn that sometimes you have to take chances and embrace change to find your happiness.
Tess and Cole were very cute together. They both want what is best for the baby and are struggling to realize that it is actually them together. Their shitty and traumatic childhoods have caused them to play it safe as adults so they are constantly running from what they are feeling. Together they learn to let their barriers down and to embrace change. I loved their slow building relationship and all the issues they had to work through.
This was my first Avery Flynn book and I quite enjoyed it. I will definitely read more of her books in the future.
I really liked this book. I love a nerdy, awkward heroine and I love hockey romance. I also really like the accidental pregnancy trope, so this book was a winner for me. The author does a very good job of helping the reader understand where the characters’ fears and defensive mechanisms originated and why they react how they do to different situations. I loved watching them grow together and help each other move past some of their individual baggage in order to be together.
This was my first book by this author and I would love to read more of her work. However, since she is not in KU then I will be waiting for sales and freebies to do it.
Even when I wanted to slap both Tess and Cole, I loved them and all their messed up emotional upbringing. As many laugh out loud moments Avery Flynn writes in her books, you get twice the emotional pull from the story and the characters. I could not put this book down because I needed that happily ever after for Tess and Cole because they deserved it so much.
I loved this one so much. The awkwardness that is Tess will have you giggling at times. You will fall in love with her kitty Kahn’s antics. You feel the chemistry between Cole and Tess from the start. But you can tell neither of them is ready or looking. I love have Tess’s friends band together and give Cole and Tess a push that they so need and are sounding boards for the demon’s from their past. Cole is a good guy. He may be waiting for his on again off again relationship to come back around but he just shows he is not a fan of change. Tess pushes him out of his comfort zone and the changes are amazing by the end of this read. You feel for Tess as she battles her own demons and I her ah ha moment that left me a little teary eyed. Tess and Cole even if they didn’t plan on finding each other you can tell they needed and are made for each other. I loved this one so much. I really couldn’t put it down. If you haven’t picked up the Ice Knights books yet then you need to.
Ms. Flynn is another one of my go-to authors when she has a new release and Awk-Weird was an absolute delight!
Awk-Weird sets up our quirky heroine Tess and the “Thor look-alike” hockey star Cole in an unintended pregnancy from a wedding rehearsal hookup. Or as Tess designates it — “weddinged”. Our adorable factoid spewing Tess has an apartment mishap that sends her shacking up with the baby daddy Cole who is NOT used to having his home invaded. Which includes her naughty kitten Kahn as another roomie spoil for Cole’s pristine home.
Their chemistry is compatible right off the bat which I love in a romance. POV is from both Tess and Cole’s perspective alternatively — which adds so much for me as a reader — I always want to know right now where their heads are in the story.
Tess has a fabulous girlfriend squad that offers support when all the angst begins and she falls in love with the guy. Cole’s teammates contribute all kinds of bromance advice to push him out of his routine and comfort zone. Always with hilarious shenanigans. The balance of drama and romance is Ms. Flynn’s romcom storytelling talent. I can’t wait for the next installment — Petrov’s story — (with a little Christensen drama I understand)!
Just a heads up — this is a standalone book — but enjoyed much more if you have read some of Avery’s previous binge-worthy tomes (The Hartigans — Butterface, Muffin Top and Tomboy and this series starter — Parental Guidance) Trust me they are all wonderful, funny, easy reads!
Awk-weird is a quirky romance filled with amazing, fun and interesting characters. Having a baby is a serious matter, but Ms. Flynn had me laughing out loud at the antics of Tess and Cole as they brought their unique perspective and personalities as the story developed.
The characters were well developed and fun and I loved seeing the glances at their personalities and quirks as they were taken out of their comfort zones and thrown together over the unexpected circumstances.
Awk-Weird is a standalone in the interconnected Ice Knights Hockey Series. I loved this whimsical, funny, very light Rom-Com. It is a quick read, that is written in Avery Flynn’s humorous style. Even when things are heavy, they lighten back up fairly quickly. I really enjoyed all the random facts and trivia that the main character, Tess, tends to spout when she’s nervous or stressed. And Cole, the main guy, offers up a nice balance of a nice guy, who is very resistant to any type of change. This is a great read for getting over a book hangover, after a Dark, heavy read, or if you just need a funny, light romance as a pick me up. 4 Very Funny Stars!
What a great read! The writing flowed well, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Cole and Tess had great chemistry, and I loved them together. Even though hey both needed to learn to get out of their own ways. Tess lived in a constant state of “when will the other shoe drop”, and Cole’s life was micromanaged down to the minute. While I got the background of why she was like that, I really wanted to shake Tess most of the time. Keeping absolutely everyone at arms length was no way to live. It took her WAY too long to realize that though. Cole had a tight grip on everything, and it drove him nuts when stuff didn’t go as planned. Watching him come to the realization that not everything had to be planned for was great. The ending was really sweet, and I loved their HEA. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book in this series!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
4.5 Stars
This is a cute story with interesting protagonists. Tess has been abandoned for much of her life. She’s awkward around people and is more comfortable alone. Cole is a hockey star. He’s good looking, sexy, and very set in his ways. They have a one-night stand, and Tess ends up pregnant.
These two people have both been shuffled around a lot. Both have trouble with accepting that they are worthy of being loved. They make some less-than-perfect choices based on ‘staying safe’ and not exposing any vulnerabilities. This is my only issue with this book. I wanted to shout to them to communicate honestly with each other. Fortunately, that eventually does happen.
The rest of this book is just fun! There are dozens of trivial nuggets that get shared. They both seem to have a knack for knowing trivial facts. They get along most of the time, and both Tess and Cole have a solid group of friends who tell it like it is. There are so many things to love about this story! This is a stand-alone story, but is part of a series centered around the Ice Knights professional hockey team.
“Change is hard,” she said, needing to break the silence that had fallen between them. Cole looked up at her, an intensity in his blue eyes that nearly jolted her. “I’m learning that sometimes it’s worth it, though.”
Tess just wanted to go unnoticed at her friend’s wedding rehearsal dinner. But a trivia game will put her in the sights of a hockey player who looks like the embodiment of Thor. And although all her instincts are screaming at her to get out of this situation, she ends up having fun throughout the night. And after a party escape plan is executed, waking up the next day in a room other than her own, accompanied by a handsome player will make her relive every moment of last night. Until Cole opened his mouth and called her by another woman’s name.
To say that the mood between them is awkward and tense is an understatement. But it’s not because her friend will marry his teammate that they need to get along together. After all, this was a unique situation, provided solely by the vibe of the wedding. But expired condoms may be responsible for bringing these two together.
And with a baby on the way, their lives will never be the same. And when a leak leaves Tess homeless, she ends up staying at Cole’s house. With her cat. And the confusion begins.
Cole strictly follows his routine. Changes make him uncomfortable, so he clings to the same old ways. Order, cleanliness, silence, planning. Everything in his life has a place, a purpose, and a goal. Until Tess, a rogue cat and their future baby turn his life upside down.
Tess didn’t have an easy life. Her mother was never present, and left her at a relative’s house too long until she was shooed away and taken to another relative. Her almost invisible manner, and her craze for saying random, unimportant things, are mechanisms she has found to protect herself. But allowing herself to enjoy what she is feeling for Cole and to acknowledge that she likes to stay in his house are just reminders that eventually it will all be over. And she will be alone again. After all, she is never anyone’s priority.
As the narrative progresses, we see Cole setting aside his routine and embarking on new adventures, allowing himself to be spontaneous and accepting some changes, just like Tess allowing herself to rely on someone and accept help. But miscommunication, old insecurities, and some misunderstandings can put everything on the loose.
The book is funny, cute, the characters are well written, the plot catches the eye, the secondary characters move the story, and Kahn the cat is sneaky and will cause lots of confusion.
I wanted to hit both of them a few times. Cole and his obsession with Marti and Tess and the story of the “temporary” pissed me off. But they redeem themselves in the end. A good read, fun and light.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
I absolutely loved this book! I really love a good adorkable character, and this book had 2! I loved seeing both Cole & Tess try to figure out what their new normal is going to be. Both of them have their own issues: Cole hates change and tries to stick to his routine, while Tess doesn’t trust that the people in her life won’t eventually leave her. These issues don’t stop their explosive chemistry and these two can steam up a kindle!! This book was unputdownable, and I will definitely be reading this book over & over.