I feel like my hockey romance kick has taken on a whole new level with this book. My reread of The Deal by the lovely Elle Kennedy has convinced me that hockey romance is possibly the best romance trope out there and I really can’t go wrong with a book about a super hot hockey guy, and here we are. Icebreaker is one of the most talked about hockey romances on social media, I couldn’t not try it. I mean come on, we’ve all heard about the Uber scene, and how can I resist Nate Hawkins?
The story
When an accident happens to one of the ice rinks at Maple Hills University, Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins are forced to share the same rink – along with the rest of the figure skating team and the ice hockey team. As Anastasia begins their relationship in icy territory, Nate is convinced that he can get Stassie to crack and become friends.
As Stassie learns more about her figure skating partner, Aaron Carlisle, and grows closer with the hockey team, she figures out that some changes need to be made. Navigating a toxic friendship is nowhere close to easy, but with a hockey team full of guys backing her up at every turn, commitment issues weighing her every step, and the pressure of competitions on her shoulders, Stassie is stuck making her way through her figure skating career with whatever she can manage.
The characters
As much as I’d love to dive deep into Stassie and Nate right away, I have to give the honorable mention to Henry first and foremost. I think I swooned over Henry too many times to count during Icebreaker and my god, the guy truly has my heart. His relationship with Stassie made me melt and I adore the guy, I hope we see more of him in future books!
JJ was also freaking hilarious. It’s never a dull time when it comes to JJ, especially with his cooking competitions with Stassie.
I hate to even mention him but Aaron Carlisle made me want to throw the book across the room. From the first few words that came out of Aaron’s mouth, he frustrated me and I genuinely wanted nothing more than to strangle the guy. I mean what kind of manipulative toxicity is that?! And how Stassie didn’t see it for so long is completely unbelievable.
Despite Aaron being the bane of my existence during the book, I fell really hard for Nathan. There wasn’t a moment where Nathan wasn’t enticing and loving towards Stassie and I loved seeing him grow into their relationship together. He’s such a softie which I totally didn’t expect, especially considering my expectations of a hockey captain. I thought he’d be all tough and macho but he’s truly a big old teddy bear with a heart of gold and so much love to give everybody.
“I’m heavy,” she mutters as my arms scoop under her legs and around her waist. We leave Brady and Shithead behind us as I start the walk toward the locker rooms, where the first aid room is. “Shut up, Anastasia. You’re not even half my warm-up weight.”
Stassie is probably one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time. Not only do I completely understand the pressures she’s under, but I see bits and pieces of me in her controlling personality. I found myself gravitating towards Stassie and really resonating with her communication skills and how she was never afraid to express her feelings when it came down to it. I admire her a lot and I feel like as a character with so many pressures and challenges, she deserves exactly what she got in the end of the book.
The writing
For the first quarter of the book I did find myself kind of debating whether the book was worth a DNF. I just couldn’t figure out why my brain wasn’t in it.
Stassie and Nate’s relationship started off as frenemies but it was like an instant switch that I didn’t see coming. I kind of hate insta love so it was a bit annoying.
As their relationship grew, however, I found myself excited to read more of them and see them grow into healthy relationships and friendships. It was nice to see the little found family that the hockey team found with Brin – Stassie’s best friend – and Stassie herself.
“You’re my favorite,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss her flushed cheek. “Even if I had crab hands?” “Even if you had crab hands, Anastasia.”
I think the writing style did kind of kill it for me in the beginning, but I’d definitely say it improved as it continued and I found myself loving the writing by the end of the book!
Do I recommend?
I feel like if you’re into sports romance, this is your kind of read. It’s definitely an easy read but it does tackle some difficult topics and toxic relationships which can be hard to read about for sure. I would say that this book could have been split into two though, I felt like there were parts where Stassie and Nate easily could have a whole different book just delving into. Overall, it was a decent read!! Lots of fun and lots of banter!
Rating: 3.5/5⭐️
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