This was such an adorable story!! I loved the romance between Willow and Brodie and all of the side characters. This really reminded me of an older movie called the Cutting Edge about a hockey player that ends up having to be a couples figure skater. So this of course going the other way was really interesting. I will say that I kind of wished this would have been a new adult title as it does get somewhat on the steamy side but not as much as I was hoping for. That being said it was a perfect middle too high young adult story.

This one is for those who love contemporary stories. Even if you don't care a lick about hockey or figure skating it won't matter one bit!! I really loved how Willow became a kind of girl power/girls can do anything in this story for the fact that girls can play hockey as well. I loved when the little girl came up to her and gave her a rose. I also loved that even though Willow became very good at being a goalie she still held close to her dreams. And when those dreams changed she went with the flow. I would really love to see this as a movie.

Brodie was such a cutie in this one and a total epic book boyfriend. So look out ladies there's a new guy in town!! The side characters were all done so well. I would love to have another story about another set of characters. I would totally read that!!

Overall, this was a light hearted romance about finding where your path truly lies.

Oh how I missed the cute YA books by Entangled!

This stole my heart. First for bringing the story of a girl playing hockey (my oldest daughter's dream) and then for creating a beautiful and passionate guy, captain of the team and super dedicated.

A beautiful story of overcoming, representativeness and love. My heart was tiny in many scenes and sighed in others.

Willow has always lived for Figure Skating but after an injury that took her off the ice, she is struggling to make the famous jumps that the sport requires and compete again to go to the Olympics. When she helps Brodie's team after the goalie got injured, she never imagined that this team of big guys would steal her heart.

I loved the plot and each character mainly the protagonists, Preach and Jessa and I already want a book for this duo.

4,5/5 stars

I’m always on the hunt for my next new favorite author. I’d never read anything by either of the authors of In the Penalty Box, so that, along with the cover and the blurb, had me wanting to dive headfirst into this contemporary young adult romance. I used to be able to say that I wasn’t a huge young adult romance fan. However, after the crazy year that was 2020, I found myself looking for something different from my usual romance and romantic suspense reads. So, I delved into quite a few young adult romance reads throughout the last ¾ of the year, and much to my surprise, I have been really impressed with the majority of them.

NICUnurse’s Rating: Years ago, I was a huge fan of the movie The Cutting Edge. I’d often wondered what it would have been like had the roles been reversed and the figure skater had to turn to hockey. Well, now I know! But unlike the spoiled rich girl in the movie, Willow comes from a hardworking family and is trying desperately to return to competitive skating after a devastating injury. She’s feisty and more than a little determined to come back on top. Enter Brodie, the adorable hockey star. He’s amazingly talented on the ice and comes from a privileged family. But despite his family’s wealth and privilege, he’s a hard-working young man attempting to carry on his family’s legacy of being a Boston College hockey star. When Brody’s team’s goalie is taken out by a severe injury, he invites Willow to fill in temporarily. What starts out as temporary morphs into a beautiful story of friendship, young love, and self-discovery. Add in some high school drama, along with more than a dash of twists and turns, and it all comes together to form a wonderful concoction that quite literally had me not wanting to put this book down. And in the end, In the Penalty Box was among my top reads for 2020.

I give In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book.

In The Penalty Box was a nice, predictable, quick read. I feel like the description makes the book sound different than it actually is; it makes it seem like the Captain of the hockey team and the figure skating girl don't like each other when in reality he is the one who convinces her to try out to be the goalie. I was kind of disappointed in that since I feel like I went into the book thinking it was going one direction but it was a let down. The banter the two main characters had was good and I didn't find it as cringey as some other books similar to this. Something I didn't like though was how some of the additions to the plot felt unnecessary or just incomplete. I feel like the addition of Erika's character was not needed and the story with Brodie's dad felt like it was missing something. Overall, I found this book to be okay, which is why I gave it 3 stars. It definitely makes me want to check out more hockey or skating books since it reminds me of how much I like it.

Thank you so much Entangled Teen for sending me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I haven't read many sport romances like at all, but this one was so fun! I loved getting to learn more about hockey and figure skating! Cause lemme tell ya, I don't know smack about hockey 😂.

The hockey team was probably my favorite part of the book. The relationships between the teammates were so great. They made me laugh so much. I love how close they were and how they always had each others backs.

And of course Brodie & Willow are such an adorable couple. Sure, Willow did upset me at times, but hey we all have our flaws!

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: Sports Romance, Hockey, Figure Skating, Found Family, Hot Love Interests.

I love the cutting edge so I wanted to read this story that seemed similar, I liked the turn around I found in the story, it is a YA sweet sport romance story, where Brody and Willow find themselves competing for something more than a sport, how they started developing a friendship that became more. Definitely a good read for anyone that enjoys YA romance, with a dual POV giving you more insight to their story.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars
I liked this book so much! I was smiling most of the time I was reading it, and it was such a cute story that had so much more beneath the surface than I’d expected.
Going on I thought this would be a fluffy contemporary hockey romance, and while it did have those elements it was way more. Willow is still recovering from an injury that put her figure skating career on pause, and while she works to get stronger and get back to skating, she also begins to grapple with her dreams possibly shifting. Brodie had to take care of his little brother while his dad deteriorated around them, as well as play hockey to get a scholarship. I felt so bad for Brodie when all the drama with his dad was happening.
Willow and Brodie had some really great chemistry. Right from the beginning there’s something between them, but I really liked that it was lust-at-first-sight and no heavy feelings. As their relationship developed the pacing felt really good. I liked the “secret girlfriend/boyfriend” element that was brought in, and I thought that all the drama that goes with those kinds of relationships made sense for the story and wasn’t crazy.
Overall this was a really awesome read and I’d recommend it to fans of YA romance and contemporary reads.

In the Penalty Box is one of those books I would have devoured as a teen, and I'm not ashamed to say as a grown woman I absolutely did!

Willow and Brodie are such likeable characters, you can't help but fall for both of them. Brodie is the epitome of a good guy, strong and protective, and Willow is one cool chick, independent and kickass. I really enjoyed their "meet-cute", and the slow build of their relationship. I'm so glad this book was told in dual pov. I liked being in both Willow and Brodie's heads and getting to know them that way.
While this was, for the most part, a fun, light-hearted read, both Willow and Brodie were dealing with some things that added a little more depth to the story. The story really amped up towards the end, with some of what happened taking me by surprise. Without going into detail, I do wish additional time had been spent on Brodie's past, particularly getting to know more about his parents.

Sweet, fun, and a little bit heart-tugging, In the Penalty Box was a wonderful story of love, family, and friendships.

Figure skater Willow is back at home to recover from an injury. She is determined to rehab, get back to 100%, and return to the elite training facility where she has her eye on the Olympics. But not only is her recovery taking longer that she wants, it seems like her parent’s are arguing all the time.

Brodie lives for hockey and, going into his senor year of high school, the pressure is on to take his team to the championships and become a third generation Boston College hockey player. But things at home are falling apart. Since the death of his mom, his dad is gone all the time, and he’s trying his best to be there for his little brother.

I really enjoyed my time with Willow and Brodie. It was great to read about two athletes who were so focused and dedicated. Willow’s take-no-prisoners attitude had me silently cheering her on and I was so impressed with her tenacity and determination. But it was Brodie’s story that really engaged my emotions. I have a soft spot for characters who shoulder a lot of responsibility at a young age and that certainly fit Brodie. This was a young man who was still grieving the loss of his mother, living without the emotional (or even physical) support of his father, and taking on the burden of care for his sick little brother. Rush and Blount did a great job at showing Brodie’s struggle to keep all the balls in the air as well as his inevitable breaking point.

Watching as Willow became more entrenched in the hockey team, and formed bonds with her teammates, was a real highlight for me. For the most part she was judged on her talent and what she brought to the team, and most of her new teammates welcomed her with open arms. There were a few holdout’s, however, and I appreciated how Willow handled herself when faced with opposition. The team was a tight-knit group of friends, both on and off the ice, and it was fun to be a part of their banter and ribbing and support. If I had any quibble at all it would be that the dialogue didn’t always ring true. Granted, I don’t spend a lot of time with teenage boys, but it seems unlikely they use terms like “what’s the tea” when it’s just the guys.

In the Penalty Box was a sports romance that was heavy on the sports – and I loved that! As a hockey fan, I enjoyed the training scenes, the pick-up games, the trash talk, and the mental and physical strength that was required. The romance aspect was definitely on the slow-burn side and rated-PG. This was a great YA contemporary with a strong focus on friendship, loyalty, and overcoming hardship. Definitely recommended!

In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount is a sweet ya romance between a figure skater and an Ice Hockey player who have sparks not only on the ice, but also beyond that.
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Willow is a figure skater and on the verge of entering the Olympic Team when an injury throws her back. She had such a strong will and dedication to her sport and that was very astounding. Furthermore, Willow works very hard to get better and during that learns that you shouldn’t only pursue your dreams stubbornly and it is ok to rest and test out something else like becoming the goalie for an Ice Hockey team.
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Brodie is the captain of this Ice Hockey team and this is his passion. In addition, he is the popular and rich guy, but this doesn’t go to his head and Brodie is a good guy.
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What I really liked was that their sport brought our protagonists together and it showed the social aspect of it. At first both find the other rather distracting, but then a puck brings Willow and Brodie closer and they start to fall for each other. This was sweet and cute, but also a bit predictable.
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Overall, I enjoyed this ya romance and it receives 4 stars.

(ARC kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Willow is a young woman recovering and trying to make it back to figure skating. Brodie is a young man trying to live up to the family name he was born with. While having set plans on how their final year in high school is going to transpire, they are both thrown for a loop when they meet each other.
I really liked this book. It was a great reminder that not everything is as it seems. Brodie’s life looks perfect, but there are secrets (a lot of them heartbreaking) that not many people know. Willow’s life has had less advantages but she might actually be envied for certain aspects. They had a seemingly easy relationship until she has to make the ultimate decision. I understood where both characters were coming from and couldn’t find fault in either one.
A story about friendship, determination, family (both blood and who you choose) and love. I can’t wait for more stories in this world. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

3.5 stars

This was a cute and sweet sport romance. I love sport romances and albeit I'm just learning about hockey I felt this was well executed.
Now what i had some issues with was the main characters. I know this was YA but the main characters didn't act like teenagers yet they felt very juvenile and for most of the book I kept thinking "are they really... is this really YA or new adult" and that kept pulling out of the story.
The romance was cute but if im honest I was more into the side characters sub plot (especially Preach and Jessa) rather than our mcs and thats telling.
Overall it was a cute fun book even with its issues.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of ice hockey, I’ve definitely missed watching the games during lockdown but this book helped give me a little game fix! It is centred around a budding potential Olympic figure skater, Willow, who is recovering from a serious injury to her achilles tendon. After training one day she reacts quickly to stop a puck hitting her or her friend, so quickly that, with their goalie injured, the team on the ice invite her to play in goal during their practice….. and shocks them with her skills. This leads on to further practices, training sessions and games . . . . and a potential romance with the team captain, Brodie. However, what will happen if she recovers enough to figure skate again? As the team work together, these two develop their relationship but there are other problems for them both to face involving choices and their parents . . . . life is never straightforward, is it?

This is a fun, ice hockey based read with great characters, plenty of action on and off the ice, pucks flying, chances for dreams to come true and some shocking revelations, too. It is a story of choices, love, relationships, problems, overcoming fears and competing. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more by this pair of authors in future.

Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Willow and Brodie's story was such a fun read! I don't read much YA anymore, but I am so glad I picked this one up.

Willow is a figure skater who needs to rehab an injury and is going to work with the boys hockey team to do it. Brodie is team captain and not all that happy she's there or that she'll likely leave as soon as she's healed. Though they start off not getting along there's a connection between them that grows as they spend more time together. I thought their relationship build up from reluctant teammates to more was well done.

The book is dual POV, so you really get the chance to know both Brodie and Willow. I think it kept the plot moving at a nice pace.

I hope this author duo writes more together!

Not quite what I expected. It was a decent book but not fabulous. I think I went in with a different idea of what the characters would be like and was mildly disappointed with that. Not the fault of the writer,but not what I really wanted. I wish the story could have been a bit more interesting I guess? I wasn't overly invested in the plot or the characters the way I would have liked to be. It was alright, but not great.

A friends to lovers young adult sports romance packed full of action, emotional situations, and lots of lovable supporting characters. A coming of age story about an ice princess falling for the star hockey player. Swooney and hard hitting, a YA that reminded me of The Cutting Edge mixed with a little bit of the Mighty Ducks.

After a figure skating injury, Willow returns home to recuperate. In her journey to recovery Willow meets Brodie Wind, a star hockey player who convinces her to try out for the boys team. With training and lots of practice, Willow becomes a goalie and the two become inseparable. In the process of becoming fast friends, they both deal with the ins and outs of following their dreams and the issues that come with growing up and finding your future.

This deals with alcoholism, parental death, and bullying, but also has a lot of light-hearted moments. What impressed me the most about this novel was that the actual plot is completely based around hockey. A lot of the novel took place during competition and I loved that the authors made the sport a focal point. I ended up really enjoying the combination of hockey, figure skating, a girl playing a boys sport, and the seriousness of competition. A realistic and heart-warming story of finding happiness and falling in love.

I have followed KAB on Wattpad for years but this is the first published book of hers I've read and it's amazing.

Willow and Brodie are going through so much but it seemed like they could get through anything together. Watching their friendship grow was so fun but even better was seeing how fierce Willow is. There's not a single person that she won't stand up to and I was totally here for it. I shed more than a few tears for these two and cracked up a lot too. I would love to see more from this group!!

In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount is a sporting romance. It is narrated from the dual POV of Willow a figure skater and Brodie who is a hockey player. Willow has moved back to the place where she grew up and is focusing on getting better after an injury has temporarily stopped her dream of going to the Olympics. Brodie is focused on training his hockey team so they win the championships and hopefully impress the college scouts. This is the first book by these authors that I have read and I found it to be very cute.

The chemistry between Willow and Brodie was there right from the moment they literally ran into each other on the ice. I found myself rooting for them from the very start because I just knew that they needed to be together. I found myself forgetting that they were in high school because I don’t think that it was mentioned that much and all of the characters seemed a lot older than what they were.

I found this story to be cute, funny, sweet and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this to those who like sporting romances and young adult books.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for the complimentary arc of this book.

In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush is the perfect YA romance for people missing Olympic sports, in particular winter Olympic sports. The book centers around Willow, an injured figure skater rehabbing from an achilles injury, and Brodie, a hockey player whose ultimate goal is to win the state championship and make the Boston College Hockey Team. The major plot point is that Willow used to play street hockey as a kid and gets recruited to play goalie when the local team's goalie gets injured.

I really enjoyed the sports aspect of the book. Learning about the training processes for both figure skating and hockey. I suspect it wasn't 100% realistic but it was fun to read anyway. Willow and Brodie were also both interesting characters, if a bit entitled. The friends and teammates were interesting characters as well that I wouldn't mind seeing follow up romances for.

Overall I think this is a solid YA romance. If I were a teen I would have ate this one up for sure. As an adult with teen children, I thought it was an entertaining read.

I usually love sports romance – however, this one just wasn’t for me; I’m just not the target for this one. At first, I thought it was a new adult because of the cover, but this is pretty much young adult.

For me, there was only plot development, the characters were left behind and their relationship fell flat. It took so long for something to happen, the hockey plot pretty much took control of the book.

The authors have the opportunity to touch on so many important topics but they let it slide. Plus, the fact that the female character is “one of the guys” sort of bothered me and got very cringy at times.

The thing that I did enjoy was a girl playing hockey, I’ve never read a hockey romance where the main female character played it, so I liked the lesson that girls can really do what they want. How Brodie also got her back was pretty nice and refreshing out of of all the cringe moments.

This might work for hockey fans! If you love it, you’ll definitely love this.