Today’s review is of Kelly Ohlert’s upcoming release, To Get the Other Side, expected this December. I was able to get an advanced e-copy via Netgalley.
What initially drew me to this book was the cover; the first thing I saw was a chicken, being chased by a concerned woman, and I knew that female character was going to be like me. Within a few pages, I realized that I’d been right–Trixie was a thoroughly enjoyable character, and just like me. I mean, risking a minor crash and causing a traffic jam to rescue a chicken? Yes please, thank you kindly for your service ma’am, and I’d do this, too.
Going further into my love of Trixie, it’s revealed very early on that she works for an animal shelter, and is willing to pay one thousand dollars out of her own pocket to save the life of that injured chicken, whom she’s named Chick-Chick. This is such an admirable thing to do and something I would 100% do without a second thought–the amount of compassion in this one character is incredible and done effortlessly!
Introducing Bear, the only man who helped Trixie rescue Chick-Chick from the busy road, doesn’t only care about the wellbeing of animals, but he’s also hot and has common sense and general manners. In other words, this guy is pretty much drool-worthy already.
To sum this up so far, both Bear and Trixie are struggling financially, and Bear’s sisters put an ad in the Chicago Tribune to get their brother a housemate. I won’t spoil anything about said ad, but all you need to know is that it’s hilarious to the point of laughing-out-loud–oh, and Bear had absolutely no idea that this ad existed, until women were lined up outside his door while he was essentially naked.
This ad leads to Trixie showing up, needing a new place to stay now that she’s decided to adopt Chick-Chick. Everything about this second meeting–this time at his house and not the middle of the road for a chicken rescue–is fucking awesome, especially their conversation about her mismatched socks. You guys, this girl is me.
To go more into Bear’s character, he’s pretty well-rounded. He’s got a great relationship with each of his sisters, and his relationship with his niece is adorable; right away we get to see all kinds of incredible memories and interactions with them, as well as seeing into his friendships and the admiration he has for Trixie’s unabashed passion for helping animals.
Bear bonds with Chick-Chick, albeit slowly, and openly cries when the injured chicken begins to walk again. Having a male mc who is unafraid to show his emotions is not only a healthy image to have but surprisingly rare and refreshing.
I’ll warn you now, this book will make you cry. There is a point where Chick-Chick gets very sick, something that shows the harsh reality of not only what many farm animals are up against but a piece of animal rescue in general. A spoiler alert you’ll enjoy though, is Chick-Chick winds up being just fine, becoming best friends with a dog that Trixie and Bear adopt at the end of the book.
Some bullet points for you, starting out with the most important two:
. Emotional abuse and parental trauma is a big theme with this book, with both Trixie and Bear struggling to open up, reconcile with their parents, and regain a healthy outlook on themselves as people.
. Trixie does, slowly, become irritating; she has a breakdown, and when Bear tries to help, she begins to scream and throw things at him. He leaves, partly because she won’t allow him to help, and partly because he doesn’t want to get injured by flying objects; Trixie then takes this as ‘abandonment’ and blames him for this entirely–everything about this section was incredibly toxic.
. Mrs. Grisham is a pretty cool landlady for someone who doesn’t allow pets.
. Bear’s sister, Zoey, is hilarious; you’ll love her right away!
. Chick-Chick is awesome from page one to end–you’ll be smiling, crying, and loving this fictional little chicken through the entirety of the book.
. There is great character development, and seeing insights to both characters with a dual POV was certainly the right way to go on this book.
. You will love all of the animals we meet through Trixie’s job!
. There are scenes that are corny to an almost cringe-worthy level, but overall fit in really nicely, a predictable but enjoyable book overall.
. Bear’s family is freaking awesome, albeit incredibly pushy and know zero boundaries; this said, his birth father is a major asshole.
. The swing-set reconciliation (and, spoiler, proposal) is super cute!
All in all, this was a really good book, and by chapter four I’d already LOL’d two dozen times and put the paperback on my Amazon wish-list. I read forty-four percent of this book in one sitting, and I truly loved the way so many animals were featured throughout–and, overall, I did relate to Trixie. There’s one point where she’s trying to walk five dogs at one time, including a stray that she ‘couldn’t leave alone’, and I was again reminded of the fact that so much of what Trixie does, I would do (minus throwing things).
I would truly recommend this book to anyone, and I rated it four of five stars (eight of ten in the Extra System). Below I’ve included some of my favorite quotes/passages from the book, but please know I read the ARC of this book, and things are subject to change by publication.
If you chose to read this book, please let me know your thoughts! I’ll definitely be purchasing a finished copy at it’s release in December, and I hope you do, too. This is a real mood-booster of a romcom, with some pretty important themes engrained, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Congratulations to Ms. Ohlert, and I hope to see similar works from her in the future.
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