This book was so cute! This book focuses on Ice Hockey and Pizza which i loved, pizza is one of my favourite foods and i love ice skating so Ice Hockey was really interesting to read about. What i liked about this book was how centered it was around a female doing a male sport and showed its readers that either sex can do anything if they stick to it. I loved the charcters. Penelope was a dedicated and works really hard to keep her parents happy however when she was on the ice it allows her to escape and then shes given a chance to have a go at ice hockey and a chance to be on the Rink Rats team (a losing team). Jake is the love interest whos so caring and a completley different character to how most people thing he is. I liked how supportive he is and the link to their childhood that was revealed. The relationship between the two were so cute and one i could have read for ages. I also loved the friendships we saw in the book and how true they were, everyone backs each other up.  Also the family dinamic - How penelopes dad has issues from his past which stops him from letting his daughter be fully happy. 

I gave this book 5 stars -  it was so cute and fluffy. I wish there was more.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Penelope spends most of her free time either helping out at her family's pizza restaurant, Slice, or skating. Both things are a passion of hers, but hockey has always been a hobby that her dad has been against. All that he's focused on is trying to get a reality show to come to Slice, and when childhood friend, turned 'bad boy' Jake dares Pen to join the Rink Rats, a local hockey team, she defies her family to join, and the more she's lying and sneaking out to practice, the more she loves it, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to be the person her parents want her to be, and always be behind the counter at Slice, when out on the ice is the place for her.

This book was definitely an enjoyable read. Okay, it wasn't spectacular or anything that would win major awards, but I liked it, and loved how much Pen loved hockey, and was taking a stand for herself. She loved her family, and knew it was wrong to sneak around and defy them, but she knew who she was, and what she wanted, and wasn't going to let her parents stop her. The romance in the book was cute too, with the chemistry and banter between Jake and Pen being perfect for this story. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series!

I read this book when I first got the ARC and apparently completely forgot to review it here, my apologies. I don't remember everything, but I do remember that I liked it and it left me with a warm feeling afterwards. I especially enjoyed the setting of the pizza place, because who doesn't love pizza. And because it was interesting to read about someone growing up in a family business and the pressure of that, because I have friends, who made that experience, but I haven't seen it much in books.

A charming love story with a very engaging plot. Loved the characters and setting. Would recommend to any YA romance enthusiast.

Any Way You Slice It by Kristine Carlson Asselin is certainly an adorable read, but far from the best thing I've ever read. Penelope's story is fun--but it is a story has been told before. That's the issue with contemporaries today, they all read the same way. Any Way You Slice It is light and fluffy and basically like all of the other contemporaries out there. The one thing I thought was different and that should have had more emphasis put on it was Pen's love of hockey.--it was probably my favorite part of the book. I feel like there was so much more Asselin would have done with the story if she would have taken a bit more time to flush everything out, but it just moved so quickly which can be seen as both a positive and a negative. While I did enjoy Any Way You Slice it and thought it was cute, I found it somewhat lacking. In conclusion I give Any Way You Slice it three out of five stars for being a quick, light, contemporary read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast, light-hearted stories.

Wicked Whale Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Any Way You Slice It. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Any Way You Slice It is a YA coming of age/romance book, set in a small town where hockey and pizza are revered as kings. Penelope Spaulding's path has been set since her parents bought a pizza parlor in town, but Pen wants more out of her life. Given the opportunity to play hockey with a local team, will Pen be able to convince her unwilling father despite any personal risks she may face? Will an unexpected ally show Pen that there are possibilities outside of her little world?

This is a cute YA novel, with a strong female main character in Penelope. There were a couple of plot points that only seem to have existed to move the story along, especially Pen being able to skate well with fully hockey gear and a stick despite never using them before. Having been an ice skater myself, even the smallest amount of extra clothing can throw off your balance and leave you sitting on the ice. Because of small town gossip, Pen would have never been able to get away with her secret for the length of time that she did. I did like how strong and determined Pen was, despite any personal challenges. Any Way You Slice It is a quick read and one that YA romance readers may enjoy for its good pace and characters.

Very cute story that I definitely feel most teens will be able to relate to because a huge theme in this book is what the parent wants the teen to do in life isn't necessarily what the teen wants. In this case she just loves to skate and wants to play hockey while her dad wants her to go to culinary school and help take his pizza restaurant "the slice" into a huge empire. Pen and Jake are adorable.

Any Way You Slice It

What an adorable read! I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was definitely a great read.

Majority of the story focus on Pen and her problems; joining the hockey team without her father knowing, looking for ways to convince her dad that she wanted to do other things than just working in their Pizza restaurant, and of course boy trouble in the form of Jake Gomes.

I was actually really glad that the book doesn’t solely focus on only the romance but also other things that I believe, most high school students might experience and that’s refreshing in this genre.

Overall, the book made me smile A LOT and I highly recommend this to everyone!

Cute book, more for teenagers than older persons. Lots of what I would call "valley girl" talk.

What really grabbed my attention when I first requested this book was the title and the cover!

Any Way You Slice It was a semi-fun book for me. The aspects that appealed to me more than the somewhat mild romantic aspect was the focus on sports/hockey/career/hobby aspect. The family dynamics shown also made the book interesting.

AWYSI has the elements of a classic contemporary: protagonist with a problem, goes about it the wrong way, then realizes and comes clean; romantic interest; solution with a happy ending.

I liked AWYSI but I didn't outright love it. My interest for ice hockey/ice skating has increased in general after reading this book.

In short AWYSI was a good read and I liked it although I did skim read quite a few times but that is how I find these type of contemporary's.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis of the book and couldn't wait to start reading it. Because I didnt know the author or never heard of the book before I didn't have high expectations but I expected the book to be a light read.
I really enjoyed the story. It's the first book I've ever read with a girl that wanted to play hockey and it was so refreshing. We definitely need more stories like that! I also loved the aspect that she had to help her family out and what it meant for her in school in terms of how her classmates acted towards her.
Unfortunately I kind of felt that the story dragged a little in the middle part and it wasn't exactly the light read that I've expected so it took me some time to get through the book. That doesn't mean it was bad at all, which it wasn't. I was really entertained by the story and can imagine to check out more by the author or reread the book at some point.

Any Way You Slice It is a fun sweet read with a1980’s movie vibe that will have you looking for Molly Ringwald! I enjoyed following along a high school junior has she navigates her way through family, cute boys, hockey, and lots of pizza. If you love the brat pack movies then this is the book for you.

A very fun book. I would definitely buy a copy of it. It was a pleasure to read.

A slice of romantic heaven. (Cheesy line necessary). This book is nothing like I expected, combining hockey, pizza and an old enemies to lovers type of romance. For me the most intriguing part was the tension between the main character and her parents. The idea of following in their footsteps just because it's a family tradition was relatable. It helps those trying to make their own way feel like it is possible.
A great read for those who love romance, hockey, and finding yourself through unexpected means.

The cover has cute written all over it, and that is pretty much how you can sum this up: the story is just very adorable. It is nicely written, a bit predictable, but a very happy and light read.

Penelope is an average girl, juggling to get by at school and her work at the family restaurant. As a teenager, she wants to have more in life than school and work. And therefore she joins the local ice hockey team, as an act of rebellion. Because her father is adamant against her playing ice hockey.

Jake didn't expect Penelope to take the bait in joining the Rink Rats. The team has been losing - like forever - and their local sponsor is the rival pizza place. But Penelope agrees to join and after a few training sessions it is clear that Penelope has inherited her father's qualities on the ice.

The story unfolds as Penelope gets buried deeper into the lies she told her family. And the attraction between Jake and Penelope grows.

In all, a bit predictable, but cute. If you like an easy read with a happy ending, please read this one. Preferably while enjoying a slice of pizza. Bon appetit!

For fans of YA realistic fiction and romance w/ an ever-popular sports angle! A sassy protagonist, a decent guy, and a rekindled friendship with sparks for more make this choice even more appealing to readers of the genre.

Did someone say hockey, romance, and pizza? Count. Me. In. This book combine so many of my favorite elements, and produced a fun, feel-good read, with a lot of heart.

•Pro: I really loved Pen and I was cheering for her from page one. She was trying so hard to forge her own path, and it was heartwarming to see her find these new parts of herself. It saddened me that she had to keep these parts a secret from people who really mattered to her.

•Pro: This couple was easy to ship. From the first time Pen and Jake are on page together, there are sparks. There was also an ease between them, that could probably be attributed to their past friendship. It was fun watching them reconnect, and I loved getting blasts from their past.

•Pro: There is a lot of time spent in a pizza place, talking about pizza, and you know who loves pizza. This girl. I really enjoyed getting peeks at the family business, and I thought the Food Network involvement added to the fun.

•Pro: Because some much of this story revolves around the family business, we have a great family-centric story. Pen's mom, dad, and grandmother play an important role in the story. I found her grandmother to be my favorite (me and my soft spot for grandmas), but I was also very pleased with watching Pen and her dad work through some of their existing issues.

•Pro: There is a lot of hockey in this book. I didn't realize we would spend so much time on the ice, but we did, and it was really great getting to see Pen in action.

•Pro: Friendships were really important in this story as well. Pen's best friend was one of her biggest supporters. Without her, Pen would never have attempted the things she did. In addition, Pen had the support of her teammates, which was a new and wonderful experience for her.

•Pro: There were a lot of beautiful ideas about honesty in this story, and the importance of telling the truth to the ones you love.

•Pro: This was a light and sweet, low drama tale of family, friendship, and romance, and these are among my favorite kind of stories.

•Pro: I adored the Rink Rats. This rag tag bunch of boys had so much heart and they ultimately supported each other. I was happy that Pen was able to find such a wonderful group to be a part of.

Overall: A sweet and adorable romance, which was heartwarming and left me happily craving pizza.

Hockey? Childhood friends to enemies to more than friends? Sounds good to me! I gobbled up this sweet and adorable book in an afternoon.

Pen was a wonderful character. I loved the descriptions of how she felt while skating, of how the rest of the world just fell away for her. It made her determination to pursue hockey against her father's wishes make more sense. And even though she repeatedly lies to her family, it's also obvious how much she loves and respects her parents, and to some extent understand why her father is the way he is. Pen may not want to follow in her father's footsteps and run the restaurant, but she loves it all the same.

I also loved her sweetly paced romance with Jake. Walking Pen home from the restaurant? So cute! But, honestly, though, while I loved Pen, I thought most of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, even Jake. I found the explanation of (and resolution to) his bad boy status a bit too pat. Lori, Pen's best friend, was another character that felt like she was just there to chauffeur Pen around and allow her to talk about her feelings of Jake. Strong female friendships are serious book catnip to me, especially in YA books, so this felt like a missed opportunity.

Best of all, this young adult book is mostly teen-angst-free (hooray!). I understand that it's pretty normal for teens to feel that way, but I much prefer characters like Pen who just put on their big girl panties and make their dreams happen rather than continuously dwelling on the unfairness of it all. Yes, there is conflict, but most of it is resolved without slammed doors and screaming. I especially liked the resolution of Pen's dad's feelings about hockey.

Overall, this is such a sweet young adult novel. It's light and fluffy, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a re-release of a romantic YA that was first published in 2015. It’s extremely entertaining and full of miscommunication and desperate attempts to keep secrets, but Asselin knows how to balance the drama with realism. Pen never gets too carried away until right at the very end, when her frantic efforts are of course blindsided. She was never going to be able to keep the secret of her playing ice hockey from her parents for much longer, but it was fun to watch her try.

Pen’s troubles are more than just hockey. She actually has no desire to attend culinary school either, and take over the family pizza business. It’s these uncertainties and her belief that her parents have very high expectations of her that keep her from being open with them. When Jake challenges her to take some risks, Pen is forced to think about many aspects of her life, and it’s both positive and authentic.

The sub plot involves Pen’s father trying to get his pizza restaurant onto a reality TV show. He’s so keen to develop his brand, he makes some pretty bad decisions about this, allowing Pen and her grandmother to bond over his prospective embarrassment. The friendship between Lori and Pen is also explored well, and shows the highs and lows of trying to be truthful to yourself as well as to others.

One of the best aspects of this book is that it’s sweet enough to give to a younger teen. There is little swearing, or under age drinking, and the romance is kept to kissing. The story proves that graphic scenes aren’t necessary to create and sustain a good plot. Pen is flawed but her heart is in the right place. Jake has a bad reputation, but we learn that he’s been misjudged. Even the boys who try to stand in Pen’s way aren’t always obstructionist, and ultimately Pen’s dad listens and accepts her point of view.

Copy provided by Netgalley and read with thanks. Recommended to readers who love their stories packed with fun and angst. The romance is sweet, and the family drama is strong. There’s a strong, positive hockey component, and Pen isn’t forced to play on a girl’s team. Released (in the US) on November 15.

Underdogs, loads of pizza, and keeping secrets - what more could you want?

Any Way You Slice it is a quick, fun contemporary read that ticks all the right boxes for pure enjoyment: misunderstood bad boy with a heart of gold? check. A girl trying to pursue her dream despite her father's strict rules? check. Underdogs winning in the end? Check and check.
Penelope and Jake were adorable, and I loved that while the romance aspect was there (it's a YA book after all), it didn't overshadow Penelope's bonds with her family and best friend, nor her desire to play hockey.
If I had to compare this book to something, I'd go with a One Direction song: upbeat, cute, and -
while not making you think for hours afterwards - definitely enjoyable.
If you're on the lookout for a fluffy, cute YA romance, this might be the one for you!