The Shots You Take: A Small-Town Gay Sports Romance of Reunited Ex-Teammates and Rediscovered Feelings

The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid Dates Read: February 11–18, 2026 Rating: 4/5 stars Content Warnings: • Grief and Loss: The book opens at a funeral and explores the aftermath in depth. • Mental Health Struggles: Focuses on depression and anxiety, linked to Riley’s retirement from hockey. • Addiction: Moderate depictions of alcoholism as a coping mechanism for past trauma. • Infidelity: Past infidelity is central to the characters’ shared history in this second-chance romance. The Shots You Take is a moving, character-driven m/m second-chance romance that explores grief, forgiveness, and what it truly means to reconnect with someone from your past. The story follows Riley Tuck and Adam Sheppard, former best friends and lovers, who reunite after years apart. Reid delves into the challenges of growing up, confronting past mistakes, and learning to open oneself to love again. The narrative unfolds at a measured, slow-burn pace, using a brief present-day timeline interspersed with flashbacks that immerse readers in the characters’ emotional journeys. Set in a quiet small town in Nova Scotia, with subtle hockey elements adding context without overshadowing the story, the backdrop feels intimate and fitting. Riley is guarded and introspective, shaped by grief, personal struggles, and the walls he’s built to protect himself. Having returned home after leaving professional hockey, he has worked hard to establish a stable life, managing anxiety while running a small business and tending to his garden. Adam, once confident and outwardly successful, must navigate the vulnerabilities of adulthood coming out publicly, confronting the choices that hurt Riley, and learning patience and empathy. His quiet persistence and willingness to make amends highlight the growth and maturity that define both characters. At its core, the novel examines redemption, emotional honesty, and the courage it takes to risk love again. The story is a poignant study of two people balancing past mistakes with the possibility of a shared future. Their arcs feel earned, with both Riley and Adam learning to forgive themselves and each other, and to embrace vulnerability without fear. Rating: 4/5 stars. The character work and emotional depth are the book’s greatest strengths, making the story feel grounded and realistic. That said, the pacing can feel uneven at times, leaning introspective in slower sections, especially with the heavy focus on internal conflict and flashbacks. I felt the ending was rushed, and we never really got to see both Riley and Adam fully come together in their everyday life, leaving some of their emotional reconciliation and practical steps of rebuilding trust feeling a bit unresolved. While the story delivers a powerful emotional journey, I would have loved to linger longer in the “after,” seeing how their hard-won growth translates into a stable, shared future.