Unfortunately Off the Ice didn't work for me and I did not finish the book. I had a difficult time with the girl being a college freshman and the boy being a high school junior. This is a personal taste and not a reflection of the authors writing, or even the plot beyond this point. Thank you for the opportunity to review Off the Ice.

Claire O'Connor and Tate Tanley have a connection before she leaves for college. After her father's illness brings her home early, Claire finds that Tate has grown up into a strong, handsome man who is attracting her attention on and off the hockey field. I like this book because Claire and Tate are both dealing with family issues that make this story more than a romance. The plot moves quickly and the romance is believable. I look forward to reading more about the Juniper Falls hockey players!

Confession: I didn't read the summary before deciding I wanted to read this book. All I needed to know was that it is written by Julie Cross and I was in. I love her contemporary novels.

At first, Off The Ice could have been any teen-y, high school drama, hockey novel. But let's not forget that it's written by Julie Cross, so pretty soon the characters started to expand and deepen in complexity, the situation got more complicated and basically it became totally addictive.

I was a little confused at first (probably because I didn't read the summary) about who our main characters were and how they were connected. Tate is the younger brother of Claire's best friend. The prologue starts the story and gives readers an insight into the big event of Claire's last night in town that connects her and Tate. And it's not something romantic, like I assumed. Instead it is far more complicated and terrible. At this point Tate has his own girlfriend but he has always had a crush on his sister's best friend. It's just that Tate was never on Claire's radar and certainly not romantically. Now, one year later Claire is back in Juniper Falls and dealing with her own family problems. One glance at Tate and she suspects that his problems haven't disappeared either. And also...Tate isn't the scrawny kid he used to be.

The middle part of this book just stretched for me. And I don't mean that in a bad, it-was-boring way. Instead it lengthened in all the right ways, letting the situation and romance and complications develop naturally rather than being rushed. This allowed the readers to really get to know both Claire and Tate better, as well as getting to know some of the other characters more. I would have happily stayed in that middle section forever.

This story also raises some important issues, like small towns where sport is valued over family and responsibility (and common decency), and family relationships and violence.

Here's what I loved most about Tate and Claire's relationship:
- Tate. Because he is so incredibly amazing with Claire. He is dealing with so much and he still goes out of his way to be there for her. He is patient, understanding, and, inside his head at least, vulnerable and scared about his feelings.
- Their open conversations. Tate and Claire discuss things and that makes for a fantastic relationship.
- That sense of peace when they are together. They just work.
- That their age difference is never an issue.

I would classify this book is New Adult or mature Young Adult rather than Young Adult, both because of mature sexual content and because of the characters' ages. Claire is already at college, and their focus on coming of age, growing up, moving on, and deciding what comes next for their future.

The absolute best thing about this book is that it is book one in the Juniper Falls series and that means there are going to be more books!!! Already I can see so many possibilities for secondary characters in this book to have a chance to tell their story and I can't wait.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Well written, but this book did not meet my expectations. I think that maybe after reading her great Eleanor Ames book 'Chasing Truth' I thought the book would be different. This book is a typical YA book and enjoyable, but missing a spark for me.

I received an advance reader copy (from Netgalley) in exchange for a fair review. Thanks to Entangled Publishing and the author for a chance to review this.

I LOVED THIS. It was the perfect blend of hockey sports with an added romance. I was actually surprised by this because I haven't seen too many of these aspects combined together. I liked the fact that Tate and Claire's relationship wasn't "instant" and that made me enjoy it seeing as it gives the book a more realistic stance and that they also had to deal with their share of struggles. So the romance aspects were perfect in that aspect. The hockey aspect for me was definitely a bonus in wanting to read this.

Definitely recommended for hockey fans that are looking for romance based stories. It's a nice mix and I can't wait to see what Julie Cross has in store for the next installments.

I really enjoyed this book though its not my typical type of book. I usually go for more adult books and this is a book about very young adults. I don't really want to say too much because I might spoil some of the big things about this story.

However I will say that Tate and Claire are friends. This is a story about friends turning into more and how they are really there for each other when the other needs someone. The story starts a year before and you see how their relationship is formed and the secrets that Claire helps hide for Tate.

A year later Tate has really changed. He now is more manly but he also is becoming a hockey star. While a year before Claire had a wonderful future, now life is getting in the way of Claire's future.

I really enjoyed this story though its a departure from the normal books I review and read.