I was unable to download and read this book before it expired, so I'm unable to give an honest review of it.

A beautiful story of friendship, family and acceptance, it is short and sweet and I would highly recommend giving it a read.

This was a sweet, coming of age story about a boy who discovered at a young age that he liked boys, but is afraid to come out to more than he BFF for fear of how his family, his team, and basically society, will react. Ben was sweet, angsty, and just...all around....a teenager.
Marcus was perfect for him, the balance he needed. This story was sweet, fast paced and the perfect coming of age story to read.

Super sweet, realistic high school love story. I have a weakness for gay sports romance, and this hit the spot!

Jennifer Cosgrove’s SKATING THROUGH is heartfelt and inspiring. I loved this novel. Ben Lewis is captain of his high school hockey team. Knowing how difficult the locker room can be, he has kept the fact that he is gay a secret. Several things take place that make Ben question if he should come out of the closet. He is tired of hiding who he is.

I love Ben. My heart broke for his emotional struggles. He is a great guy and friend. He is an excellent hockey player, getting a hockey scholarship to Boston University. He is a good captain. He is understandably afraid that if he comes out he will have to give up the sport he loves.

I adore Ben’s best friend; Ryan I appreciate that he looks out for him and accepts him for who he is. I love that Ben had him to rely on. Marcus Blake is a good guy. He is honest and supportive. Rachel was entertaining. She is a fierce friend I would not want to mess with. I respected Ben’s discovery of the past and his Grandmother’s support.

This is the first book that I have read by Jennifer Cosgrove. I enjoyed her writing style. She does an excellent job of getting you into the characters head and knowing how they feel. SKATING THROUGH is an excellent read for any young adult or adult. Whether they can relate to the character or are straight and want to understand struggles a peer may face. SKATING THROUGH is a worthwhile and emotional read. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Sadly not really something for me. I stopped reading because i wasnt enjoying it at all, eventhough the blurb sounded sooooo god!!!

Ben never thought he could be openly gay. He pictured his future with a lot of hockey and with a lot of loneliness as well.

When Marcus, his forever crush, starts to flirt with him and becomes a real "maybe" in his life, Ben starts to consider open up to his family, friends, and teammates. But HOW to do that? You never know how people will react... especially in hockey where homophobia is a real thing. He can count on Ryan, however. His bestfriend has always accepted his true-self. Ben wants a boyfriend, he wants to be normal and he wants to love, kiss, and hold the hand of whoever he wants without fear and regrets. And he feels it's the right choice to do.

With the slowness of the story, it took me a while to love Ben but at the end I really did. I enjoyed how he deals with his thoughts and feelings, he's shy boy but he's also brave, he's fair, and he has a great family and great friends. I enjoyed seeing him and Marcus getting closer every chapter.

The real gem though is Ryan. Ryan is the perfect sidekick, the perfect bestfriend, the perfect mate you'll always want to have on your side. Ben couldn't dream about a better bestfriend. Ryan is here no matter what happens and no matter what he chooses to do with his own life. Ryan supports him, encourages him, cheers him up, loves him, and I loved this friendship SO MUCH!!

In conclusion, Skating Through is a positive and sweet love-story and still so much more than that! It's also the deep storyline of Ben and his way to his coming out.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this sweet coming of age story and I finished it in one sitting. I didn't realise when I requested it that it was a YA book with no sexy scenes but it was an easy read and I found it reminded me a little of the movie Love, Simon.

The characters in this book were amazing. Ben was such a sweetheart and his awkwardness was endearing. It was so nice as the book went on to see him coming out (literally and figuratively) of his shell and becoming a much more confident person within himself. I loved Ryan so much and I would give anything to have a best friend like him! He was such a supportive and caring person and was really there for Ben, encouraging him when he needed it the most.

I also grew fond of Rachel as she was literally the same for Marcus as Ryan was for Ben. I feel Marcus as a character was easy going and quite likeable for the most part. However it seemed like he had obviously had the time to come out on his own terms and I kind of thought he pushed Ben into doing it quicker than maybe he would have.

Overall I thought this book was great but there were a few thing which bothered me. The initial story surrounding Will and Eddie had so much potential but I feel like it was kind of started, pushed to the side and then randomly mentioned later in the book. I would have loved to see how that panned out, even in another separate book (hint hint :D!). Also we didn't see enough of Granny! She seemed so lovely and I would have liked to have seen her relationship more with Ben explored more.

I hadn't previously read anything by this author before but I love reading stories which revolve around ice sports such as figure skating and hockey. The fact that homophobia in sports was the main theme throughout this book was great as I think it is an issue which is still very relevant today and it was explored well. I throughly enjoyed this and can't wait to see what this author has in store for us next!

Skating Through combines some of my favorite things to read: hockey, young adult, and first times. It was sweet, a bit emotional in parts and extremely fun to read.

Ben Lewis is a high school senior and he’s the captain of the hockey team. He isn’t your average jock either. He’s shy, quiet, closeted and has one best friend Ryan encourages him to get out of his shell. In all manners, like going to parties, finally talking to the boy he’s had a crush on since freshman year and finding a little bit of happy that’s outside of hockey.

As Ben slowly starts to find himself, he starts to open up to more possibilities of how his life can be if he were to come out of the closest. Everything happened in stages. It isn’t like a switch that flipped and everyone knew. He told the people he cared about the most and went from there. There were times I could see how anxious and afraid he was and then I could feel his relief. They were adorable together and every date like scenario made me root more for them.

There was a bit of a side story happening too. Ben found letters from WWII in his Gran’s attic and turns out there was a little bit of a love story there as well. There is so much of me that wishes there were dual storylines happening the entire span of the book. I wanted there to be more letters, to see the war time romance as well. I was extremely intrigued and now I’m looking for more books like that.

I enjoyed being able to see Ben’s journey and how everything would unfold. I read this book in one sitting, about two hours. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. I loved this and now I want to read everything by Cosgrove.

This YA novel covers a lot of ground that is familiar and comforting. I always enjoy a good hockey novel, so I was glad to see Ben's skills and generous heart were depicted through his capable role as captain of his high school hockey team.

I absolutely appreciated his bromance with best friend Ryan, whose constant reassurance and endless patience allowed Ben to come out at his own pace. I do believe Marcus pushed the timeline more quickly, but really it's clear to everyone reading that Ben doesn't need much impetus to share his secret. He really is sick of hiding.

I would have liked to have known Marcus a little better. He remains somewhat removed from readers, and while he doesn't need to be given a narrative voice, more detailed conversations, real talk, with Ben would have developed his character more fully. Poor Ben, he spends a lot of their initial interactions tongue-tied and carefully hiding, so discussion isn't always possible.

Ben's family were great support, and this story shows that a shared secret can really lighten the load. Not everything is perfect, so that's a realism I also appreciated. We have so many sports stars coming out in books, but unfortunately, this is not being reflected in reality. Someday soon, huh, it won't be a big deal. I really hope so.

Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for advanced copy. Skating Through will be out on July 2nd.

A heartwarming tale which is essentially a coming out story, “Skating Through” delves on the topics of homosexuality and sports.

Ben is an ice hockey player, and captain of his team. He is gay but hasn’t come out yet, and only his best friend Ryan has known since the last three years. A budding friendship with his long time crush Marcus, causes Ben to make some life changing decisions. Marcus is bisexual and has come out since a while, even proudly displaying a flag on his backpack. Marcus does not want to be a secret, if the two do decide to take their relationship forward. Coming out to one’s family and friends is one thing. How would Ben deal with the repercussions of being homosexual in a team sport? Possible jibes from not only his own teammates but other team players as well? Would his team want to play with a gay captain? If his homosexuality is given precedence over his skills as a hockey player and captain, how would the team work together on the rink and win matches?

Jennifer Cosgrove has written a charming story dealing with sensitive topics. I loved how she created her characters – Ben’s parents who are accepting of him being gay but worried what would be left of his hockey career if he came out to everyone; his younger sister Beth who calmly states, ‘You like boys? So do I’; his best friend Ryan who has his back every step of the way; Ryan’s girlfriend Rachel who plans double dates with Ben and Marcus so the two can go out without being sneered at – Ryan and Rachel are described as a pair of guard dogs on the prowl for anyone who troubles their friends; and of course Ben and Marcus – the intricacies of their friendship and relationship are beautifully displayed.

There is another story within this story – a voice from the past that assists Ben in his decisions to be true to himself. Ben’s grandma hands him a box while clearing her attic – filled with the belongings of her uncle who served in the War. An inspection through the contents, leads to the discovery of letters written by gran’s uncle to another man; letters that were written but never sent. A revelation that his great-granduncle was also gay – at a time when homosexuality was not just criminalized, but considered a mental illness. This segment leaves a lot to ponder upon on the acceptance of homosexuality over the years. Ben fears the jibes and sneers, but at least he doesn’t live in a time where he might be put in an asylum for being who he is.

The parts featuring the hockey team are also beautifully portrayed – from casual locker room banter describing poor performers as fags, to ultimately standing up for their captain when they realize someone they know is homosexual – Cosgrove raises the question of do we personally need to know someone on the LGBTQ spectrum to be more accepting as a society? People we don’t know are still someone else’s family or friend and deserve the same respect. It’s the small things that matter – When Ben is busy texting someone, he is asked who the girl is. This has nothing to do with one’s sexuality – one could text a parent or sibling or friend as well. When Ben comes out, Ryan is assumed to be his partner; even though Ryan is straight. Homosexuals don’t need to be friends only with other homosexuals, and can foster friendships with heterosexual people of the same gender.

The writing is simplistic – As a coming of age story, Cosgrove attempts to make this readable for younger readers as well. Though creating a story revolving around serious themes, it isn’t filled with angst throughout and has it’s share of lighthearted moments – the banter with Ryan and Rachel is particularly endearing. After a long time, it was good to read an LGBTQ fiction book that didn’t include characters from the community to poke fun at them for adding to the humor element. (I have read some truly atrocious books that do this. This is not inclusivity.) And I particularly liked the concept of a gay athlete – something to think about how tough it is to come out in the world of sports, especially team sports. How many, like Ben, are torn about coming out, how many never do, and how many do but face repercussions from their sport?

“Skating Through” will be well received by a younger audience due to the simple usage of language. But it’s a great read for anyone looking for books that cover the LGBTQ community – great concept, story and characterization. The deducted point in my rating is due to the writing being overly simplistic for my taste.

This was a really quick, light coming of age, coming out story. The main character is Ben, Captain of his Ice Hockey team and a really adorable goofball that isn't shy to express his feelings. The story centres around Ben trying to figure out if he wants to be an out and proud gay hockey player at his school, always worrying if who he is will affect his chances in playing the game he loves.

I really liked that this book featured the really supportive and funny Ryan, Ben's best friend. Ryan is the only person that knows Ben is gay and in turn, Ryan is supportive and is also there to be the voice of reason and push Ben out of his comfort zone every now and again. Ryan is not afraid to tell his best friend that he loves him no matter what. This story did an excellent job of showing an amazing friendship between them both.

I liked that Ben's family was present in this book, we get so many scenes of him interacting with his parents and his sister Beth, we also get to meet Ben's Gran. Marcus is also the perfect love interest for Ben.

The one thing that I didn't like about this story is that, yes there are a lot of scenes with Ben interacting with his friends, love interest, team and family, but everything is about Ben coming out. So this story is definitely a coming of age coming out story. If you are looking for a story with a gay lead and that is not all the story is about this is not the book for you. I believe if the book had some scenes showing Ben in a situation that he wasn't questing everything it would have really benefitted.

Overall I really enjoyed Skating Through, if you are looking for a cute light read about a confused hockey player, you should check Skating Through.

♥
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC and allowing me to read this.

This was a cute coming-of-age story. It reminded me a bit of Simon vs The Homo Sapien Agenda, but I kind of preferred this one.

I liked Ben enough. He was awkward, unsure, but eased into himself. I was very proud of him coming out of his she'll.

Marcus is a dream-boy honestly. He was supportive, mostly, and knew what he wanted.

Ben's friendship with Ryan was something that I wished I had coming out. He made sure that Ben was okay, Marcus wasn't pressuring him or anything, and just checked up on him. It was sweet.

All in all, this was a cute, quick read and I genuinely enjoyed it.

This was my first time reading anything from Jennifer Cosgrove and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm always a sucker for mm sports romances. So once I saw the description I wanted to read it. After I read it I found it cute.

Ben and Marcus.

I felt Ben's pain as he was trying to figure out what to do being gay and playing hockey. It's so sad that still in this day and era most gay boys or men don't feel its safe to come out as an athlete.

Loved the friendship between Ben and Ryan. As well as Marcus and Rachel. We all need a Ryan or Rachel in our life to have our backs.

In this story, even though Ben was scared he had nothing but support from his friends, family, coach and most of the players. However, sadly that's not always the reality for many others. It saddens me but too many don't have the support system like Ben had.

Thankfully for my heart Ben did have the support system, which made me love his family and friends so much more.

This book didn't wow me and it was a bit slow at times but it was still a super sweet story about love and hope.

ARC Review: Skating Through by Jennifer Cosgrove

Overall, Skating Through is a solid coming-out story complete with plenty of teen angst and understandable anxiety on Ben’s part. It makes a strong statement about what it is like for a male teen who plays a rough, aggressive sport such as hockey to come out as gay and feel okay doing so. I did struggle to read this story because I found Ben’s relationship with his best friend Ryan to be unrealistic, and, unfortunately, that relationship gets more page-time than any other in the book. The overprotectiveness Ryan feels towards Ben comes off as unusual and not something one teenage boy feels towards another. He seemed more like a big brother or even a dad. I felt that the dialogue exchanged between the two was more “adult support group” than something that teenagers would say to one another. I wished it had felt more real and rang more true.

I definitely think this read is for the younger YA crowd.

I like this book a lot, but it didn't really throw any unexpected curves my way. Not the way that Cosgrove's last book, "A Boy Worth Knowing", tended to do.

This author definitely knows how to write extremely likeable MC's, and make you empathize with what they're going through. In this case, that translated to Ben's fear of coming out and Marcus' fear of being someone's closeted, dirty secret.

I especially enjoyed Ben and Marcus' best friends, Ryan and Rachel, who held both MC's feet to the fire and also added a bit of comic relief when things were getting a bit too serious.

Other than Ben fighting his own internal fears over coming out, the angst in this story is kept to an absolute minimum. Even Ben's hockey teammates were, for the most part, supportive once Ben finally got the courage to come out.

I was sort of happy to see that Ben got to come out completely on his own terms, in his own time, keeping the external conflict to a minimum. But I only say sort of because the story may have benefited with a bit less smooth sailing interest-wise.

In regards to steamy bits, other than a lot of kissing and a couple of aborted crotch grabs, this was your typical YA story, which tended to stay pretty PG-13, if not G-rated. So situated somewhere pleasantly between The Disney Channel and Skinemax. Ish.

The story ends with a very satisfying HFN, but neither of the boys discussed what would happen when the graduated that year and Ben left for Boston University to play hockey, like I'd hoped that would solidify details on. But I'm greedy like that. :- P

Overall, this was a pretty satisfying read and I'd rate it around 3.5 stars, so if you're looking for a fun, low-angst YA coming out tale, this might be a good choice for you.

3.5

This was sweet and I liked it. Although the characters were written to be seniors in high school they seemed so much younger, so innocent. They certainly are not ruled by their hormones. I’m not sure that the maturity and restraint displayed (in sexual situations) is actually realistic, though I’m sure most parents pray it is.

I am not sure how much the author has been around teen boys? I have a teenage boy and teach high school and it’s not been my experience that they have a friend over to critique their date outfit or go out for milkshakes on their “cheat days”, or break into giggling fits... The voice and descriptions felt very feminine. This is not a gay/straight critique. I know the personality traits of both gay and straight teens run the gamut. It just seemed that the author had trouble voicing a male character...

That aside I think that if this is targeted to a younger audience it will be well received. It is a sweet and uplifting story. It doesn’t sugarcoat the fear of coming out even when you have a good family and friend(s). However it may be a bit unrealistic how well almost everyone took the news. I really wish that reaction would be the norm. Dealing with opposing teams’ barbs was glossed over a bit too much as it was thrown in at the 95% mark.

Cute story with cute characters.
It was a quick read thankfully because I just wanted it to end. I don't know if it's the style of writing or the dialogue, but the story just didn't do it for me.

This book was short and sweet. I read it in 2 hours. Ben is so sweet and a great main character, along with his best friend Ryan who is the most supportive and wonderful best friend that he could have. Ben, a star hockey player and captain of his team, is gay and hiding it from everyone except Ryan who has know for quite some time. Rayn is sweetly overprotective of him but also is trying to push Ben a little bit into talking this guy he has had a crush on forever. Slowly, Ben starts to get to know Marcus and they become friends.....which eventually becomes more. Ben's coming out story is really positive, and although he and Marcus both hit some bumps along the way, they manage to forge a relationship accepted by all of their family, close friend and Ben's hockey teammates. I definitely liked this book and loved the story of Ben and Marcus. I would have loved it even more if it had been first person through Ben's eyes at least, if not Marcus's too. Regardless, it is a super sweet quick summer read and if you like hockey, it's perfect! THANKS NETGALLEY for the ARC!!!!