I know I love a book when I talk about scenes to people. I shares scenes 3 times with friends.

I loved how the author showed food allergies as serious business for people to make it more understandable. And pairing the geek hockey player with the town princess cheerleader makes for a classic story line to be explored. Hailey and Fletcher were like oil and water at first as they got to know each other under the labels. His job was driving me crazy until it was revealed.

Huge thanks to Entangled Teen for giving me an eARC to review. With this, it will not affect my thoughts or opinion about the book in any way.



Breaking the Ice is the second book in the Juniper Falls series. Even without reading the first book in the series you can still enjoy and understand what the book is.

Haley Stevenson is the girl protagonist. Haley is know for being the cheer captain and the "Princess of Juniper Falls". Despite being popular, little did everyone know that Haley is struggling with her GPA. With this, she have to take and pass her Civics during summer school. But passing her Civics is not easy but with the help of Fletcher, Haley thinks that she can pass and excels Civics.

Fletcher Scott is known for being the invisible guy. He loves to keep a low profile. But when Haley gave him a glittery invitation inviting him to be his Civic partner everything in Fletcher's life change.

I was laughing the whole time reading it. I love how the two characters experience and solve everything they encountered with humors. I really like the idea that Haley invited and push Fletcher to be her Civics partner by giving him a glittery and funny invitation. Who would have thought that a person will say yes upon giving them a funny and cute invitation.

The writing style is great that you wouldn't want to put down reading the book. The book has lots of humor, cute and romance in it. It was fun reading the story specially when Haley felt scared when she have to help Fletcher to go in the hospital as he was having allergies due to peanuts.

If you want a book that you will feel good, then, I highly recommend you to read Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross.

This was a really well-done romance that felt genuine in the connection between the two characters and I loved seeing them fall in love. I also thought that Fletcher's allergy issues and Haley's academic struggles were both portrayed well and it warmed my heart to see them help and understand each other. I'd love to see more books set in this universe!

Really enjoyed this book!
So many secrets and awesome things to be uncovered in this read.
The characters are fun, sexy, and full of wonderful secrets.
Such a good book!

Oh my gosh this book is cute.
I kept saying yep they like each other just admit it.
Haley is great, I love how she was determine to win over Fletcher at first as just her partner for class and maybe a friend.

Haley's character is so much more then the princess of Juniper falls, but not many people realize that about her. Haley ends up learning some things about herself that make her question a few things.

Fletcher is funny, but I will admit I shook my head a few times. I was like come on just go for it. But I get why he tried to stay away on a lot of things.

Fletcher thinks okay cool I will take this summer school class and it will help me. He just didn't realize it would help him in more ways then he thought. Fletcher just wants to stay under the radar, but hard to do in a small town and be on the high school hockey team.

Haley needs to pull her grade up in civics class, so when she thinks Fletcher can help her she goes all out to get him to be her partner.
And to prove she is more then just a cheerleader and princess.

This book really is cute and a great young adult book. The characters came a long way from what they thought was best for them.
Especially Fletcher, he really learned a lot. There were times I was like really? Dang you. Ha.

Amazing story! I absolutely fell in love with Fletcher! He was the sexy nerd you can't help but swoon and giggle over. Everything about this book was just great. I laughed, I cried, and I definitely blushed. Loved it!!

3.5 Stars

Shockingly, I picked up a young adult contemporary novel. I had heard such amazing things about the first book in this series and I never quite got around to reading it. So I thought this would be a good time to explore how I like the author’s writing and … the young adult contemporary thing. It’s not usually my thing, even less than new adult.

Julie Cross surprised me though. BREAKING THE ICE managed to get me to care about a heroine that I have a feeling I would’ve disliked in the first book because she just seemed the self-absorbed, popular type, that only cares about what she wants. She’s the cheer captain and town Princess, and she now finds herself repeating Civics during summer school because her grades are not so great. She’s putting all her focus on passing and of course, cheer. Haley ends up sitting in front of the smartest guy in class, and while the initial interest comes from wanting to make sure she does a project together so she can get a passing grade, feelings quickly grow into something more.

As much as I thought I wouldn’t like Haley’s character, I actually ended up finding her adorable and it was nice to see grow as a person and start to see maybe some of the things she did before, or is doing now, were not right and she had things to change. But who really stole the show for me here was Fletcher. If you are in the mood for a good nerd hero, then this is for you. I loved that he’s a unique mix that makes him not quite fit into a box. Yes, he’s book smart, and yes, he keeps himself away from the “cool” kids. But he’s got deeper reasons than most for that. What Fletcher is going through is not something I know a whole lot about, even though I’ve always felt like on the surface I could imagine. The author did a great job at making this eye opening in that regards and to really understand all the struggles and limitations associated with it. And it only made me see Fletcher as a stronger person for how he pushes through everything and still strives to be more. Even wanting to push himself harder on the ice.

Overall, this is a really adorable and sweet opposites attract story about young love and overcoming obstacles. I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be looking for more Julie Cross books in the future.

Breaking the Ice really surprised me. I’ll admit, I didn’t have the highest of expectations, because, while I really liked the first book, I wasn’t too fond of Haley, and wasn’t sure if the author would be able to redeem her to me, enough that I would enjoy reading her story.

I was wrong. Oh so very wrong, because I ended up loving Haley, and I ended up liking her and Fletcher’s story even more than I enjoyed Claire and Tate’s. I related so much to both characters, and while the plot had some flaws, the characters made up for it, and I couldn’t help but finish it way sooner than I would’ve liked it to end.

Haley has grown so much since the first book.

As I said, I didn’t really like her in the first book, so I really didn’t think I’d like her now, but I was wrong. I did like her. From the start, you can tell how much she’s changed, not because of the way she acts, but the way she thinks. She doesn’t want to be the same person as she was in the first book, and the way she struggles to not be that person, how she can’t even see that she’s so far from that person, well, it warmed me up to her and made me love her. I also loved how she refused to let herself, or the other cheerleaders, be the stereotypical mean girls. She’s really a very sweet person, and she struggles with things a lot of teens can probably relate to. I certainly do. The stuff about never doing well enough? That hit close enough home that it was tough to read this book.

Fletcher is as un-stereotypical as a person can get.

Fletcher has asthma, and a lot of very serious food allergies. He’s a hockey player, but he’s the opposite of every other hockey player I’ve ever read about. He’s shy, avoids drawing attention to himself, which also means people at school rarely notice him. He hates letting people in, and doesn’t easily trust people. And he also reminded me a lot of myself. But, there’s another side to him, one he shows at his work, and sometimes with Haley. He becomes a whole different person when he dances – and that is something I can completely understand.

There’s a lot of character growth in this book.

For me, the characters are probably the most important thing in a book, and for a character to be relatable and realistic, they need to change throughout the story. Both Haley and Fletcher have their flaws, some pretty major flaws, but that’s completely unimportant, because while they make mistakes, they also learn from them and end up being better people because of it. And that makes the flaws forgivable – because, let’s face it, what person is completely perfect?

The romance was great.

One thing that I found utterly beautiful about this story was how Haley and Fletcher started out as friends. They have fun together, laugh together, and they’re comfortable with each other. They genuinely like each other and like being around one another before they fall in love. And that’s wonderful, because I think the friendship part is too often downplayed in romance novels. The importance of friendship in a relationship shouldn’t be downplayed.

The plot had some flaws.

I’ll admit the book was a bit too slow for my liking, and I would’ve liked some more plot, not only romance, but so much happened to the characters, they changed so much, that it wasn’t bad enough that I ever considered putting it down – not even for food or socializing with my family. I cared so much about the characters that I couldn’t put it down, regardless of lack of plot.

Breaking the Ice is a sweet, romantic book. It’s certainly character-oriented, which is why I loved it so much. If you’re looking for a romantic story with characters that you can’t help but feel for, then Breaking the Ice is a must-read.

Oh, this series--it continues to give me all. The. Feels. Seriously. All of them. I'd be perfectly okay if every single young adult in Juniper Falls got their own book--really.

I loved Fletcher and Haley. When the book opens on day one of summer school and her pen tapping is driving him nuts, my first instinct was, "but who's the heroine going to be?" and LOL, of course it was her! At first glance, these two couldn't possibly work...and for a lot of the book, Fletch would agree with you 100%. (Haley, naturally, is savvier than that. She figures it out much sooner.) It got harder and harder to watch him fight to keep himself apart from everyone, Haley included--that poor girl! Fortunately, he figures it out just in time, and oh that ending...

Happy sigh.

You could absolutely start the Juniper Falls series with this book, but so much of it will be that much more satisfying if you've read book one ( Off the Ice ) first. Haley was Tate's girlfriend for a lot of OTI, and other events from that one are alluded to from time to time. To be honest, I kind of wished I'd been able to binge read the series--re-read the first one before reading the second--because it's been awhile and the details of book one had grown a bit fuzzy in my brain. Plus, this series--have I mentioned that it gives me all the feels? ;)

Anxiously awaiting book three!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross is one of my absolute favorite sports romances and I also really enjoyed the first book in this series. I couldn't wait to get back into Juniper Falls and see another hockey player fall in love!

I've got to say, it's really hard for me to enjoy a book if I don't like the characters. And Haley was a very hard character to like. From the beginning, she seemed ditzy and everything she would say she was trying not to be. Yes, she was super loyal to her friends and was trying to hold all of her cheerleaders accountable on her cheer squad and get good grades. But then she paired up with the geeky guy in class to get a good grade and literally took no notes in class and listed her "to-do list" of coming up with new cheers and cleaning her underwear drawer. Really? From the moment we met her, I wasn't a fan and she didn't really become any more likable as the story went on.

While the romance was very sweet, it was still a little weird to me and I still don't understand Fletcher's character. Of course, Haley's parents leave for a month long trip and Fletcher's are pretty hands-off, so we don't have a lot of parents around in yet another YA novel. Fletcher seemed so serious about hockey and school, but the other side of his personality that was revealed throughout the novel didn't really mesh with that. And the way Haley and Fletcher started to acknowledge their feelings for each other was kind of awkward and weird to me. I did love how Fletcher became better friends with the guys on the hockey team as he became more and more serious about making varsity. The side characters were all very fun too, I just didn't find myself loving the main couple.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite book from Julie Cross, but it was still an enjoyable read. What stopped me from loving this book were the main characters and the dynamic of their romance. I just couldn't completely like Hayley's character or fully grasp Fletcher's character.

It seems like it's been ages since I read a Julie Cross book and, well, maybe that's because it has been. The last one I picked up was actually the first book in this series, Off the Ice, and that was in March 2017. I won't say I forgot how much I enjoy her writing and characters because I'm not sure I could, but I still appreciated the reminder. Breaking the Ice was exactly what I've come to expect from her books — sweet, swoony, funny, real and sex-positive. Obviously I was a fan. 

I had a really tough time putting down Breaking the Ice once I started reading it. In fact, I read 80% of it in one sitting and only put it down because I HAD TO go to sleep. Seriously, the cough syrup I took wasn't accepting "just one more chapter" as an excuse. I was charmed by the characters right off the bat. Fletcher was ridiculously easy to like — even when he was being a bit of a stubborn butthead — and I was a little surprised by just how much I liked Haley. I wasn't sure how much I would relate to a character, regardless of age, who carries the non-royalty title of Princess of anything. But, I found her sweet, realistic and about the furthest thing from a "mean girl". 

It feels weird to refer to the romance in a YA book as "slow burn" but I don't know what else to say about it. There was no insta love here, which I appreciated. The pace at which things progressed between Fletcher and Haley gave them time to get to know each other. It did the same for me with each of them. One of my favorite things in books like this is seeing the "nothing serious/only fun" guy fall... hard. I'm not saying that's what happens here, but I'm not saying it's NOT either. 

While I don't read nearly as much YA as I used to these days, it's books like this one that make me happy I do it every now and then. Breaking the Ice was a great addition to the Juniper Falls series, a series I'll be gladly following as long as Julie continues to write new books.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"You're gonna fall in love with this girl. You can't stop it from happening, no matter how hard you try. But I promise you, it'll be okay. We've all been crazed in love. We've all had our hearts broken. You. Will. Be. Okay."

Breaking the Ice is the second book in Julie Cross's <a href="">Juniper Falls</a> series. It follows Haley Stevenson as she tries to come to terms with who she was and who she wants to be. She doesn't have time for boys and after the disastrous way her last relationship ended, she's swearing off boys until college...too bad, Fletcher Scott comes into her life and changes of all her well thought out plans.

Fletcher Scott keeps to himself and doesn't want to socialize with anyone. He keeps to himself and lives his life. He has a job that makes good money, gets good grades and doesn't have a problem getting girls but when he takes a Civics class in the summer and Haley Stevenson sits in front of him, things get really interesting. More interesting than he knows how to deal with.

Haley and Fletch are from two totally different worlds and the more time they spend together, the more they feel for each other. Their romance was complicated because there were things about Fletch that Haley didn't know, things that could hurt Fletch and trying to get to know him was like trying to break out of prison because he was a steel vault. Fletch doesn't trust easy and he's got his reasons. Finding common ground where they both get what they want was hard but staying apart was never going to work either.

What a fantastic book this was. From beginning to end, I was locked into Fletch and Haley's story. I read this book in a day because I couldn't put it down. Between Haley's issues and then Fletcher's, seeing them battle their attraction, knowing that they wanted different things and just everything. It was such a well written, drama-filled young adult romance that hit me with feels at every single turn.

My heart completely melted for Fletcher, seeing him deal with all of the changes that Haley was bringing into his life and not wanting the change but not wanting to be without Haley. Sure, he was an asshole but he was an asshole for reasons that broke my heart. My heart soared for him when he started letting more and more people into his life. Gah, his whole life had me in tears and I was soooo happy for him when Haley proves to be one of the good ones.

Haley really came into her own in this book and it was great to see. To see her come to terms with the end of her and Tate and then reflect on the person she used to be and try to be the kind of person she wanted to be, it made for some great reading. I was super proud of her by the end of the book and when she realized that if she wanted any kind of life with Fletcher, she had to make some drastic changes to her lifestyle, I just loved it to pieces.

I enjoyed the first book in this series but Julie Cross knocked me on my ass with this one so this book is my favorite book of the series so far and I'm pretty stoked to see who will get their story told next. I really enjoyed Jamie, Leo, Mike and the others. The way that they rallied behind Fletch was so sweet. I seriously loved this book. If you're into first love stories with younger characters than you should definitely read this book because, ahhhh, the feels...you'll have them.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Come hang out with me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ to read more book fun.

Haley has decided to stay away from boys until she is at college since she is over drama in her life. Her main goal now is to pass her Civics summer school class and the best way to do that is by befriending Fletcher who seems to have it all figured out. Fletcher does not have it all figured out (regardless of what everyone thinks!), but he does school well and figures the quickest way to get Haley to leave him alone is to help her study. Little did he know that she is persistent and inquisitive, and somehow now involved in all aspects of his life- whether he wants her there or not.

This is the second book in a series of standalone YA contemporary romance books that feature different couples but set in the same small, hockey obsessed town. I found this to be a really cute, fun read, so much lighter than I anticipated after the seriousness and angst that I found in the first book in the Juniper Falls series (FYI, I enjoyed book 1 a lot, but it was a little darker than this one dealing with some heavy topics such as abuse). There were serious moments but there were also a lot of fun, sweet and hysterical parts (ahem, some hot dancing just to name one). I also liked that this was a brand new relationship, that they got to discover each other for the first time right in front of the reader's eyes- we watched them learn who the other really was, as well as who they wanted to be as the book unfolded.




I enjoyed Fletch's character immensely and I enjoyed that he was so different from most romantic interests- here is this guy who flies below the radar, most people not even realizing he is there, but he is crazy smart, seen more as a nerd than anything else, has asthma and allergies, yet he plays hockey, but is yet so confident in his own skin. I loved the layers to his personality, as each chapter went by I learned more and more about who he was and I loved the journey. I will admit that I was a little hesitant about this book when I realized that Haley was the female main character because I was not a fan of hers in Off the Ice. But I figured I would give it a try anyway and I absolutely misjudged Haley! She was so cute, sweet, fun, persistent, compassionate and surprisingly innocent. I am really glad that I got to the chance to meet the real Haley and she and Fletch make the perfect couple, flaws and all.

I have enjoyed all the books I have encountered by Julie and every time I pick one up I know I will get an engaging story with well developed characters- which I am a huge sucker for likable, relatable, real characters- and Julie has never let me down. I highly recommend this book, as well as this series in general, for anyone looking for a great YA contemporary read- not necessarily a happily ever after but more of a happily just started!

I received this title for reviewing purposes.

4 1/2 stars

Breaking the Ice is the second Julie Cross novel I've read and I can assure you that if she continues to write fresh stories with winning characters, it won't be my last.

Like Cross' other Juniper Falls novel, Off the Ice, which I reviewed in February of 2017 (you can read that review here), Breaking the Ice involves interesting, multifaceted characters.

Fletcher Scott likes being in the background, especially after an incident in grade school almost killed him. He's careful and smart and wants to play hockey on the varsity team even though he's a senior who has been only playing on the jv team. It would also be defying the odds since his asthma can be debilitating.

Hayley Stevenson is one of the popular girls, who adores helping people. She admits that some of the things she's done in the past have been messed up, but she's trying to change. She has no recollection of the fact that when she was much younger she put cheerios up Fletcher's nose.

Seemingly nerdy Fletcher and popular Hayley would seem like polar opposites, but instead they ultimately come across as soulmates. I like the fact that both Fletcher and Hayley are self-aware, mostly, and are growing. I've always thought that's one of the best things about young adult novels. The teenage years are the times when people are changing and evolving more so than perhaps any other time in life. That alone can make for an interesting novel.

There's a charm about Breaking the Ice that is welcome and appreciated. It has a sense of humor, sense of character, and an understanding of what it's like to be a teenager and how the whole world is changing around you and you with it.

Hockey fan? Young adult reader? Love charming romances? Read Breaking the Ice. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nice, easy read, super, cute romance. Perfect for the middle of winter: fun sweet and romantic. Friendship between the two main characters grew to romance as their relationship developed--worth reading and adorable. Definitely want to read the first installment now!

This was a cute young adult book. I am always in for hockey romances whether the be young adult or professional hockey players. Both characters were easy to get to know and there were little surprises along the story that really kept you reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Breaking the Ice is the second book in the Juniper Falls series. It's a YA hockey romance that follows Fletcher, a side character from Off the Ice, the first book in the series. Like most series that follow side characters, it can be read as a standalone.

I read the first book in Julie Cross' series last year and really enjoyed it, and couldn't wait to learn about more of the characters from this world. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to receive an early review copy of this book!

It was a cute story to read, the two characters were relatable and fun to read about. One thing I personally didn't like was the cheerleading representation. I don't think it'll be a big deal to most people, but because I'm a former cheerleader I get irked when cheerleaders aren't represented correctly.

Going into the book, I didn't know much about it besides it was the sequel to a book I enjoyed in 2017, and was surprised to read that the male main character has severe allergies. Fletcher has severe allergic reactions to many different food stuff, which makes it difficult to be around individuals who have eaten/are eating those foods. I've never read a book with a character with any type of allergy, much less one that makes it difficult to be around people he cares about or one that worries about someone purposely feeding him products he's allergic to. I don't know much about allergies, so I can't say how accurate the representation is, but I was glad to read about a character with a disability that isn't really ever written about.

I also enjoyed reading the snippets of Fletcher practicing hockey with characters from the first book. Fletcher is relatively new to the team, so he gets to form relationships with team members that other characters new well in the last book. I also enjoyed reading about Tate and Claire, and seeing where they are after the end of the first book.

3.5 Stars

This was a quick, fun read that I read in one sitting last night while I couldn’t sleep. Although it’s the second in a series, it can be read as a stand-alone (different main couple, same city/group of people). My favorite thing about this book was how Cross took stereotypes and proved them wrong (and showed why you shouldn’t judge people off of their social status or extracurricular activities). No ditzy, mean cheerleader; no bullying popular kids. I loved that she showed the positive traits of teenagers: helping each other out, loyalty, friendship, etc. I also really liked that their summer school teacher was truly invested in helping them learn and that she really cared about them succeeding.

Haley and Fletcher worked well together as friends and (later) as more. It’s a slow burn YA romance, built on trust, that I’d recommend for any YA contemporary fans.

This book wasn't my style and I found it very typical teen read, this isn't a bad thing but if you want something with more depth then this book isn't it. I enjoyed the characters and storyline though it was raunchy in parts and I wondered if the whole 'stripper' storyline was needed especially for the target audience. For someone who isn't sporty all the sports terms were explained well. Overall while I didn't hate the book it just wasn't for me, I am interested to see more of the authors works.

Plot Twists = Awesome! And Totally Fun and Unexpected!
Romance = It's a slow, bumpy, but totally sweet ride!
We are talking more than your average teen summer fling here. Fletcher Scott and Haley Stevenson are flawed but likeable characters that have great chemistry. The plot was just a touch predictable, however, it still drew me in and kept me wanting more.

Thanks to Entangled for offering this story to me for review!