LOVED this one!! Fletcher and Hailey are amazing characters and I adored how they just seemed to fit each other. This is a great story of how things aren't always as they seem. Hailey seemed to have it all. Cheerleader, town princess, everything's good. Not so much. She's really struggling with school and she finds herself in summer school retaking Civics. That's where she meets Fletcher. Well, not really meets him. She's known him forever but she's never really known him. He's one of those people who always just seems to be in the background. Now he's her study partner and she's finding him fascinating.

A great YA read and one I think everyone will enjoy.

I requested this because I really love me some Julie Cross books. I’ve been reading her books for a couple years now and I usually really love them.
This was another hit for me.

This was the second book of a series I hadn’t read the first book of, but it’s a series made of standalones. I really did not miss anything by not reading the first book on the contrary, I had fun trying to figure out who the first couple was.

Anyway, this was a romance between a popular girl, the princess of the town, and an apparently shy hockey player.
Sounds simple like this, but what makes Julie Cross’ books special are her characters who never fall into parody. They’re always complex, with many layers and that’s what makes them so interesting.

I seriously could not put this book down, I was so engrossed, the intrigue just swept me from my feet and all I wanted to do was read… It had been a while since I had spent most of the night reading, without realizing time was passing by. I had missed it and that’s definitely thanks to Julie.

The secondary characters were also great and I would love it if some of them got their own books!
I just cannot wait to read more books from this author and I will soon read the first Juniper Falls book!

I loved this book. It’s a young adult book but can be read by adults.

Fletcher and Hayley are in summer school and are taking a class together. I loved Fletcher, he keeps his walls up and doesn’t trust people. It’s understandable after what was done to him. I can relate to him and him keeping himself guarded and keeping his walls up. It’s not easy for Fletcher to trust people with his health issues.

I thought the same thing Hayley did about Fletcher’s job. I love that they call Fletcher, Baby Scott at his job because he’s the youngest. Cole is Fletcher’s cousin and has a crush on Hayley. But he has a problem talking to girls. I loved how Hayley got him to talk to her by being in control of the conversation and making it like an interview.

This book had some really funny moments where I almost burst out laughing while reading this book out in public. And it did have its emotional moments that made you feel.

I haven’t read the first book which is about Claire and Tate. Their characters appear in this book. I can’t waut to read the first book. I highly recommend this book. It’s fun, has the feels and I didn’t want it o end.

I received an advance copy for an honest review.

Breaking the Ice is the second book in the Juniper Falls series, and this time around we follow Haley and Fletcher's story.

Haley is the ex-girlfriend of Tate from the first book. She was an interesting character because you got the sense she was a good friend and person who got caught up in her own expectations.

Fletcher is a brand new character and I liked that there was some mystery to him even though there is dual POV narration.

Julie Cross does a great job writing interesting and realistic teenage characters who don't have it all together and experience both the joy and pain of growing up.

Overall a fun read with a few twists and characters popping up from the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book to read and nothing like what I expected. New varsity player, Fletcher Scott, desperately wants to play hockey but he also wants to keep his family away from the small town gossip mill. Juniper Fall’s Princess, Hayley Stevenson, loves being the center of attention. She wants to know everyone and she wants everyone to consider her a friend. When the two are paired up on a summer school project sparks fly, attractions discovered and feeling developed that may make them both question how they fit into their small town.

“Can you promise me that if I kiss you, it’ll just be for fun? That I won’t keep feeling things after?”

These characters were really strong together. They had a great connection. Fletcher was an amazing character. Overall it was a great story!

This book was cute and fluffy. I thought that this book was going to take place in the winter because of the cover but it didn't. The cover was a bit misleading because this takes place during the summer. I read the first book but don't remember much from it -that was fine though because this could be read as a standalone.

I'm just gonna list some points because that's easier for me:

1. I love the development of both characters, especially Fletcher. He always kept to himself and would rather go unnoticed even though he was in the hockey team. As for Haley, she's the complete opposite of him because she's practically known by everybody. I guess you can call her the "Queen B" of the town. Don't take this wrong though, she's not mean in any way. She's grown a lot from the first book.

2. If you read the first book, we all know that Haley and Tate dated before. I'm happy to see that they're cool with each other. There's *very* little awkwardness between them. I also really appreciate the fact that there was closure between them in this book.

3. Plotwise, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think there's anything that I would change. It wasn't insta-love at all because both characters were wary of starting a relationship, especially Fletcher, mostly because he thinks there's too many "obstacles" with him.


READING PROGRESS

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — Earlier in the year I read book 1 in this series and really enjoyed it, despite it being very different from YAs I usually read. And so I was excited to see another book set in the town of Juniper Falls. And this one was similarly engaging and yet SOOOOO different!! Honestly, I couldn’t put it down…I was up until 4:30 am finishing the book because I just kept telling myself “one more chapter” until there were no more chapters left.

Fletcher and Haley were seriously unlike most teenagers I read…but they felt very honest and authentic. They were both EXTREMELY flawed and occasionally made me want to hit them over the heads, but I also felt for both of them and the struggles that they were going through. It felt kind of like a coming of age story for both of them, even though this is definitely a grittier book…more mature young adult than just young adult, you know? But that also just made it feel more real and authentic. And their chemistry with each other was fantastic…I really felt how they were drawn to each other, despite some reservations.

I adored Haley, which surprised me a little. She has a lot of qualities that might normally annoy me, but she is just so genuine and sincere that you can’t help but love her. Her peppiness and overachieverness and just constant overthinkingness was crazy. Like, I was seriously worried that those things would overshadow the rest. But I LOVED that the author sort of explored the reasons for these qualities in her personality…she really made me think about all the other effects ADHD could have on a person’s life. I really loved that. And honestly, the depth with which Haley loved her friends and took care of them was truly inspiring. It wasn’t just that she was trying to achieve some goal, she genuinely cared about her friends and wanted them to succeed. She had such a fragile and breakable heart sometimes, and she broke my heart with how she thought about herself, especially wrt her academics…not to mention the fall out from her breakup with Tate and what happened in the last book. But it was so satisfying to see her grow throughout the book too!

Fletch was a different animal altogether. He was so messed up from his childhood and his allergy issues, it was heartbreaking to see inside his head and his genuine lack of trust for the people of Juniper Falls, and his very skewed views of relationships. He really just took so much of what his family went through to his heart, and stubbornly wouldn’t let go. Sometimes I felt like his situation was just a bit odd and unbelievable…NOT the allergy stuff, that was super well done and I loved how that was explored (and all the different ways it affected his life). But the part with his job. I just can’t imagine that in real life… I tried to suspend my disbelief, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility…but I don’t know. It really did make him grow up in a different way, and yet stunted him in other ways. I would have loved to see it though, hoowee, talk about sexy.

I did really love Fletch’s determination to make the Varsity team though, and prove that he’s more than his medical issues. And even though it dragged out longer than I would have liked, I appreciated how flabbergasted he was by the new friends that I don’t think he realized he was making. Again, it broke my heart. He was so freaking stubborn, and damaged, and man could he be a jerk sometimes. But he was a very consistent character. And it did make me appreciate his growth as well.

The one thing that I loved about the previous book in this series, and that remained true in this book, is the solid cast of secondary characters. I really felt like I could imagine this small town, with all its own flaws. I LOVED Jamie. AGAIN. He was just so adorable, and I LOVED how he was with there for both Haley and Fletch. He is SUCH an intriguing character, and I’m a little concerned that we won’t get his story since he went off to college. I want his story. He was definitely my star secondary character, but I also loved the reappearance of Tate and Claire (and what they both did to help Haley move forward); Cole intrigues the crap out of me…he’s a very odd kid; and all Fletch’s coworkers brought something to the table, and helped Fletch grow up as well, not to mention Fletch’s family (his brother and gramps especially). And I even appreciated the brief appearances of Leo, Jake, and Mike (and his family).

So yeah, another solid book in this series. They’re very different for me, they definitely don’t follow any usual formulas, and I really appreciate that they’re about so much more than just the romance. Can’t wait to find out whose story is next!

A young adult romance with hockey?  Sign me up!

Haley is the Juniper Falls Princess (yes, that's really a thing) and Fletcher is a JV hockey player who keeps to himself.  Normally, they'd never even be at the same party, but they end up in the same summer school Civics class, and Haley decides that Fletch's nerdy self is the perfect project partner to bring up her GPA (she even gives him a project partner invitation, complete with glitter and calligraphy).  Haley is peppy, pretty and near-perfect, all those princessy words.  At first this seemed like just another popular cheerleader falls in love with the nerdy guy stories, but it's so much more.  Each time one layer of the story is peeled back, you find another layer underneath.  Why does Fletch keep to himself?  What happened in third grade?  Why's Haley in summer school?  Why does Fletch suddenly want to play on the varsity team?  What's Fletch's mysterious job?

“Can you promise me that if I kiss you, it’ll just be for fun? That I won’t keep feeling things after?”

And the angst, oh the teen angst.  Normally I avoid angst like the plague, but in this case, it didn't really bother me that much.  Haley and Fletcher are both facing serious issues, and the alternating view points of the chapters helped ground me in the story.  It was also surprisingly sexy, despite being a YA.  It takes for-ev-er for the main characters to kiss, and the slow burn will-they-or-won't-they was well done and had me trying to sneak in chapters whenever I could.   Fletch is just plain swoony!  There are also, of course, several Important Issues covered, most of which I won't mention to avoid spoilers.  I will say, however, that I especially enjoyed the thoughtful discussion around bullying, from both the bullied and bully's perspectives.

“Maybe if I say exactly what I’m thinking, stuff won’t build into big imaginary relationships inside my head. A guy can be hot and sexy without being a marital prospect or a soul mate. Right?”

Though this is the second in the series, I read it as a standalone.  It worked fine for me, but it was obvious there was some backstory with Hailey and some of the other characters of the previous book.  In fact, I enjoyed this book so much, I immediately went and put the first book on hold at my library as soon as I was done.

As for cons, it felt like some of the plot points (like Fletch and the varsity team and Haley's suspected issue) needed more closure.  Also, without going into too many spoilers, I found it surprising that none of Haley's friends or teachers suspected what Fletch figured out after working on a project with her for, what, a week?

Overall, this was a surprisingly lot of fun, and it kept me guessing how things would turn out.  I'm eagerly anticipating reading the first book in the series!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Breaking the Ice is a light-hearted read by Julie Cross and is a part of the Juniper Falls series.

Our MC’s are Haley Stevenson and Fletcher Scott, both great characters but they couldn’t be any more different.

Haley is the Princess of Juniper Falls and is involved in everything, she is a sweetheart but also quite a sticky beak. Fletcher has quite a few secrets, he’s reserved, nerdy and doesn’t like anyone to know his business; they complimented each other well but their interactions at times did drive me completely crazy!

The plot is quite predictable; Haley is struggling academically so she takes her civics class during summer school, this is where she learns more about Fletcher and inserts herself into his life to improve her GPA. Fletcher loves hockey and yearns for less bench time and more time on the ice but with his health issues it hasn’t been a possibility. This book was entertaining and was without all the unnecessary YA angst.

The romance was done well but there was a lot of push and pull and no clearly defined relationship between them but Haley knew upfront that Fletcher wasn't a committed sort of guy; they complimented each other well and communicated in a way which didn't leave room for miscommunication which I liked but I would have liked a few more mushy, romantic scenes between them, I felt like the ending was very rushed for them.

All of the side characters were wonderful! I do hope we see more of them in the next books, especially Jamie.

Julie Cross’s writing is great and there quite a few laugh out loud moments but I did also find that there were parts of the book where I found myself skimming. Breaking the Ice is also the second book in the series but it can most definitely be read as a stand-alone, I never at all felt lost.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Breaking the Ice.

we first met haley and fletcher in off the ice, the first book in the juniper falls series. breaking the ice is just as satisfying and carries the same surprising depth for a young adult sports romance. clearly, that's not all it is.

fletcher and haley are both doing summer coursework for very different reasons. used to being the guy no one notices, fletcher does his best to avoid attention, having previously garnered too much of it. fletcher is one of those unfortunate people who struggle with such severe anaphylaxis that even the most innocent of interactions can result in a life and death situation. but having had his allergies used against him in the past, he doesn't share this information willingly, which makes socializing in high school a challenge.

except haley's pencil tapping is making fletcher crazy and when he steals it from her, she finds herself thinking of him nonstop. she thinks he's cute. and she knows he's smart. and when he's not putting up walls there's this really good guy that she's aching to get to know. but fletcher with walls can be a real jerk. and even though she comes to understand why he puts them up, she also still wants to break them down.

lucky for fletch, haley isn't the type of girl who takes no for an answer. she pushes him to share more and more of himself. and as he opens up, he starts to learn that maybe trusting others isn't the worst thing in the world. that, actually, most people out there don't have it out for him and don't want to kill him. being with fletcher centers haley in a way that she's always found difficult to maintain. and he helps her realize that there are things she can do, steps she can take to make things easier for herself. because even though she's the juniper falls princess, she is a mess of insecurities and has a hard time seeing that most of the time fletcher pulls away has little to do with her, and everything to do with his own issues.

together they bring out the best in each other. and haley and fletch are pretty sweet and special people. i loved rooting for them to figure it all out. and i loved how things end on a realistic note for them. it's happy, but life is an uncertain thing, and it's okay to leave certain questions unanswered.

**breaking the ice will publish on december 26, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled: teen) in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars

It took me a little while to warm up to the main character Haley, but I adored Fletcher from the start.

I am often amazed at the portrayals of small town drama and wonder if such things actually happen. I don't know if they do or not, but they make for amusing stories.

Another sweet romance with cute characters. Definitely recommended.

3 stars
cute story, a little younger than my normal taste for a book. I like more of an older couple.

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2)
by Julie Cross

Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
So in love with these two chapters! You need this book. It's funny, lovable and I'm totally addicted.

Breaking the Ice is book two in the Juniper Fall series. We met Hayley in book one, however, both books are standalone stories and can be read on their own. This one is more fun and less intense than Off the Ice.

Hayley is Queen Bee, Juniper falls raining princess and captain of the cheerleaders. She is a stereotypical character and loveable. She's popular, more interested in cheerleading than school work and has simple goals. Unfortunately, she finds herself in summer school and needs to pass with flying colours. Her best friend Jamie is also in her class but he won't graduate if he fails. They need help. Failure is not an option.

Fletcher is part of the hockey team, but he likes to keep his head down. He keeps himself to his self. His youngest cousin Cole has a crush on Hayley. Fletcher ends up sitting behind her in summer school which he is attending for extra credit. Cole wants him to put a good word in for him. Before Fletcher knows what's happening he's agreeing to be her assignment partner and inviting her over. Cole will get his chance to talk to her if he can stop blushing.

Fletcher is a mystery Hayley can't leave alone. He's smart, cute and definitely hiding a thing or two. She manages to convince him to be her assignment partner but soon realises he has a hidden agenda. She wants an A but she wants to work for it. Fletcher is going to struggle to shake her. She's determined and stubborn just like him.

Fletcher doesn't want attention from people at school and the Juniper Princess isn't keeping a low profile. He doesn't see her coming and he can't shake her off. Before he knows it he has extra hockey practice with Jamie and Hayley trying to find out all of his secrets.

I love this book. I don't want to give too much away so I've tried to be cryptic. Fletcher comes across as a little standoffish at first, but with good reason. The story is full of great side characters and some comical moments.

I feel like there could be a sequel to this book and I want more of Hayley and Fletcher's story. I want to know what happens when the book is over. This book does have a good happy ending. I just want more!

5 stars out of 5.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My blog post and interview with the author is scheduled for the 1st January.

Haley and Fletcher are opposites. Fletcher has severe allergies and stays to himself most of the time. Haley is Princess of Juniper Falls and is involved in everything. The two meet at summer school and a school project brings them together as well as Jamie, Haley's BFF. I liked that Haley's BFF was a guy. Fletcher's family was unique in itself in many ways. The different outlook they had on life was refreshing. Fletcher's determination to not have a girlfriend even though he liked Haley lasted a bit too long. It was a little redundant. If some of that was cut out and more of them interacting like boyfriend/girlfriend it would have been a 5. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super fun read and great to be back in Corrigan Falls! The story of Haley and Fletcher begins during a summer school class where Haley and Fletcher are both present for different reasons. These two very different people find themselves working together on a project and as they work together they realize that maybe they are meant to be more than just friends. Both Haley and Fletch have secrets in their lives and need to learn to trust each other. Romantic and a little mysterious, I enjoyed revisiting this town and some of the characters in the first book, though this could be read as a stand alone. Thank you netgalley for an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Breaking the Ice is the second book in Julie Cross' Juniper Falls series and it's just as good as the first one. I was happy to see quite a few familar characters back again.

First I should mention that there is swearing, sex, and teenage drinking in this book. So if that bothers you, it's probably best to skip it.

Breaking the Ice is told in alternating chapters by Fletcher and Haley.

I adored Haley. She's a cheerleader, Juniper Falls princess, and popular. But she's also very sweet and caring. She is taking a civics class in summer school, but she struggles a lot to pay attention and stay still. It's later mentioned that she might have ADHD.

Fletcher is a little harder to like. But he's standoffish for a good reason. Fletcher has severe food allergies and asthma. When he was little, someone put nuts in his food on purpose and he almost died. Because of this, Fletcher has issues getting close to and trusting people. He is very smart and is taking civics during summer school as an extra class.

As with book one, quite a bit focuses on the hockey team. Fletcher is determined to make varsity his senior year, but his health does affect this. He finally starts to connect a bit to some other guys because of Haley. Jamie and Leo are such perfect side characters that I loved so much. I need more of them. They both start helping Fletcher out with extra time at the rink.

Fletcher was raised mostly by men, but also by his grandma. She played a big part in the secret job he got. But being raised by men and hanging out with adults at this job kind of messed Fletcher up romantically. He believes that women need to feel power, which is good, but he goes about it in some weird ways. It takes a lot for him to open up about his feelings for Haley. He does get some help from the girls at the club though.

"Women do want to feel powerful," Angel says, "but we also want to be heard and have our feelings taken seriously."

Haley starts having feelings for Fletcher pretty early on, but this does cause a lot of issues between them. I did like how Haley was a bit more realistic about high school romances. This was nice to see vs so many of the girls in YA that think high school romance is forever.

"He'll find his way eventually and meet a girl his own age to practice on. Then break up with. Because that's what happens with your first love. That's what happens with all high school loves. Either that or you don't break up and end up accepting too many of the other person's faults."

Jamie added a lot of laughs for me. I would love to see more of him (and Leo) in the next book.

Overall, this was a fun read. I gave it 4 stars.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing a copy for review. Quotes are taken from a digital ARC and may change before publication.

Breaking the Ice is another wonderful installment of the Juniper Falls Series.
Let's just say this. I am obsessed with this series. Seriously. obsessed.

However, for some odd reason, I ended up liking it a little less than Off the Ice.
I mean don't get me wrong this is good. It's really good. But I was left with a few questions and the end kinda felt a bit rushed. (a tiny bit)
I found that I didn't have enough closure after this one. Not sure if that means we will get more in the next one, but since these could work as standalone books I think probably not.
Oh! And then there is the big question if there are more books. Please tell me there are? And while we are at it, will we get a Jamie book? And what about Mike? Will we ever hear his story? Jack? Last but not least, Cole?
You might see a pattern here, yep I love the hockey boys. They are really rather a wonderful (not to forget handsome) bunch after all.
Just like in the previous one, I love the camaraderie between them. It was even more highlighted by Jamie "adopting" Fletcher.
The character building is really flawless. I mean, we get to revisit the crew. And they are just as awesome as before. But we get to see them from a different POV, which adds to each personality.
Then we got Fletch and his crowd. I totally love the man cave. Their supportive, manly way is very endearing.

The writing style is on point. I mean Cross can write chemistry. By the way, while the last installment had some quite explicit smut, this doesn't. And I have to say, I was kinda disappointed. LOL.
Yeah, right. I did just say that. I wanted more smut. Take a picture and frame it. We all know I might never say that again. But in Off The Ice Cross did such an amazing job at the love scenes, I kinda expected some in here as well. There aren't really any. Well, there are steamy scenes, just no smut. <i>*pouts*</i>
Moving on.

The storyline is fun, cute and kinda different.
However, there are also my issues. There are several things that we don't get answers for. While I had the same suspicions about Haley as Fletch. I am a bit baffled, that none of the teaching and counseling staff asked for an expert to see her. It seems a bit, unprofessional.
Then we never get the story about Fletch's mother. I wanted to know.
The end, was kinda open when it comes to the hockey thing. I would have liked more closure.
I am knit-picking people. I need to re-iterate this.
It's a really good series, a really good installment. I adore this book. But because of it, I am also way more involved that I would have been in a book I kinda just liked.

So basically. A freakn this is so swoony and awesome 4stars.
I want more! I have a whole list of books and stories I would like to be written by Cross. Starting with Jamie... ending with Mike.
And then there is the biggest question, will there be another installment and when?

My advice: go read this ASAP. It's awesome sauce.
I'll just wait over here obsessing over it some more.

3.75 Stars!

Breaking the Ice is the second installment in the Juniper Falls series. Without reading the first in the series, I was worried I’d be missing some key points but this can pretty much be read as a stand-alone.

I really enjoyed this story that centers around Fletcher Scott and Haley Stevenson.
The author wrote the opposites attract in a very refreshing and believable way.
Haley is the Princess of Juniper Falls. Her character really surprised me - she wasn’t your typical popular girl; she had a lot of emotional depth and was kind-hearted.
Fletch was a really interesting character with so many layers that I wanted to peel back bit by bit. He has things he has to deal with on a daily basis that make him put people at arm’s length and has major trust issues. The slow building friendship and romance between the two was a sweet push and pull that was well written.

Fletch’s occupation and his apparent trust issues did not make sense to me. No matter how the author tried to spin, I just did not buy it. Especially with how he reacted to Haley in the beginning. That was something I thought should’ve been handled differently.

To me, it really read like a YA bordering on a NA which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
I was impressed with the writing style and the author’s ability to approach a relatively untouched topic.

Summary: In the small Minnesota town of Juniper Falls everyone knows everyone else’s business and everyone especially cares about the hockey teams’ business. New varsity player, Fletcher Scott, desperately wants to play hockey but he also wants to keep his family away from the small town gossip mill. Juniper Fall’s Princess, Hayley Stevenson, loves being the center of attention. She wants to know everyone and she wants everyone to consider her a friend. When the two are paired up on a summer school project sparks fly, attractions discovered and feeling developed that may make them both question how they fit into their small town.

Review: There is a common misbelief that romances books are easy to write; all you need is a boy and a girl some flirty words and a little kissing. Easy, right? This is very wrong. There is a special skill to create a well written and realistic romance and Julie Cross definitely has these skills. Fletcher and Haley are both complicated character with vunerabilities that feel so real they come off the page. They have emotional baggage and real issues that make them and their struggling relationship wonderfully genuine. Their story and their interaction are beautifully balanced with flirting and real life issues which made the book a delight to read. Adding to their sizzling interactions are an interesting cast of secondary characters (which will hopefully get their own books) and a surprisingly fascinating look at a high school hockey program all of which come together to make “Breaking the Ice” a must read for YA romance fans.

Breaking the Ice was so good, you guys. I've loved every book that I've read from Julie Cross, and going into this second book in the Juniper Falls series, I had high expectations. I'm a sucker for a good opposites attract story, and I knew that Julie Cross would do the book justice since she's fantastic at writing scorching chemistry between her couples. Breaking the Ice is definitely at the top of my favorite YA contemporary romances, and favorite Julie Cross books.

I knew from the very first page that I would be hooked, line and sinker into this story. Breaking the Ice is told through the compelling voices of Haley and Fletcher, two people who could not be more different from each other. They both find themselves in summer school, and these two kids who've never really interacted before are forced to be around each other. I'm sure you can already imagine what ensues! ;) I loved both Hayley and Fletcher's characters. They were different, but equally likable. Haley is the popular girl at her school, a cheerleader, and known as the town princess. Fletcher, on the other hand, is the quiet, smart kid who seems to have layers and layers to his character. As a result of his deadly food allergies, he's been forced to live somewhat of a sheltered life. He also has a secret job that he's not very open about - don't worry, it's nothing illegal. Both were such mature and thoughtful characters and I think that's primarily what made them work so well as a couple.

The romance, you guys! Ahhhh!! I loved it so much. I pretty much shipped it from the very start. It's full of witty banter,  swoony moments and delicious chemistry. Because Fletcher is a little guarded with his emotions and tends to keep his distance from people, there's a bit of animosity between the two at first, but that quickly turns into an unexpected friendship as Haley and Fletcher are paired up for an assignment. There's a lot of attraction between the two throughout, but the actual romance is very much of a slow-burn one and I absolutely loved the progression. Breaking the Ice is also a sex-positive book. The book discusses the female orgasm and doesn't shy away from the discomfort, the awkwardness and all the other mixed feelings that can come from that for a teenage girl. We also get a great secondary cast here, all the family members, friends, and more made the book even better.

If you haven't read any of Julie Cross' books yet, then you need to rethink your decision, especially if you love YA contemporaries with romances that will set your heart aflutter! I can't wait to see what she writes next. :)