This young adult sports romance had me hooked from the first chapter. I loved following Willow on her quest to rehab as an Olympic hopeful in ice skating, and getting her workouts in while joining a hockey team. The sports switch was so unexpected and yet read as a natural progression for Willow. Enter Brodie, the Wind, and we have the perfect mix of tension and competition. I loved their developing friendship as they both seemed to push each other and yet found ways to lift each other up. The tug between the dreams they had for their own lives, and the reality they face due to circumstances outside of their control added a layer to the romance that caused just enough reader anxiety to hook me in while rooting wildly for them. And that ending!! Totally satisfying! Highly recommended!

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for the purpose of review.

Whoa! I didn't really know hockey books were so fun and addictive. I totally enjoyed reading about Willow and Brodie 🙂. I love small towns and sign me up for small town romances and hockey anytime . The book was so cute and memorable as it told the story of dating independent Willow and Brodie who we assumed (by we I mean me ) was cocky but turned out to be a sweetheart. I drew from the book that sometimes we have to make the best of every situation. Huge thanks to Entangled Teen for my ARC.

3.5 stars. Slight spoilers...

This was a cute YA sports romance with a very strong female lead character. Willow, our MC, is a very dedicated and driven figure skater who suffers a big injury leading to months of PT and recovery. She goes back to her hometown to recover, meeting Brodie and his pack of hockey friends in the process.

I really enjoyed Willow and Brodie’s developing friendship, Willow’s close friendship with her local friend as well as her foster sister friend. I also really enjoyed Willow’s interactions with them hockey team and how they came to realize that each other’s misconceptions were wrong (figure skaters vs. hockey players). Brodie is going through some personal family drama, but he’s a great guy, not letting that get in the way of spending valuable time helping Willow with her injury recovery, as well as leading the hockey team to victory, not to mention being a great friend to many and older brother. The synopsis is slightly misleading since Brodie isn’t frigid at all, which seems to be the problem for most of the story... The drama towards the end was a bit *gasp*dramatic :) but considering it’s YA, I was expecting it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would definitely read more from this author.

I love a good sports romance novel. This sweet young adult romance shinned a light on the pressure off high school sports and the unpredictable life they face on a daily bases.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgally for gifting me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I loved that this YA novel featured a strong, driven, independent leading female character who offered much more than just fulfilling the "female love interest" role. Aspiring Olympic figure skater Willow Covington is recovering from an achilles injury that results in her leaving her Denver training facility for Wisconsin. Willow stays with her grandfather in his hockey-loving small town while she focuses on regaining her strength and technique.

When an ice rink meet-cute leads to Willow literally falling head-over-heels for the hometown hockey hero, she keeps her eyes set on the prize: her quick recovery and return to the skating circuit. This is not a time for dating distractions.

Brodie Windom needs to have another stand-out hockey season if he wants to keep his dream and family legacy alive. The pressure of making it onto the Boston College hockey team paired with his past ice princess heartbreaks tells him to steer clear of this crush he's developing.

But when an unexpected injury leaves the goalie position open, Brodie convinces Willow this will be great for her strength and conditioning. Willow agrees, much to the dismay of some of her new teammates. Between hours of extra practice, ice time, and the new school year, Brodie and Willow can't help but fall for one another.
Will their coach's "no fraternizing with teammates" rule and their own self-disciplines be enough to keep them apart? Or will they realize that the support they can offer one another through family drama, setbacks, and training be what brings them even closer?

This YA sports romance has so much depth to it. Even the teammate characters are portrayed with enough uniqueness that sets them apart. A great lesson for YA readers that there is much more to love in a person beyond what you see (or hear in small town gossip), and that we all have challenges that take time- and trust, to unpack.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl who finds her figure skating career sidelined by an injury ends up joining a hockey team and falling for the captain.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We all have plans for our future, many of which involve pursuing dreams. When things go wrong and we find those dreams dashed, it can be heartbreaking. Do you find a new path to pursue or try to create a new one to your original plans? This is the reality for Willow.

Willow has already had a successful beginning to her figure skating career, but it comes crashing to a halt when an Achilles heel injury puts her on the sidelines. When her injury puts her off the path to the Olympics, she ends up wrapped up with a hockey team missing a player. Can she successfully turn her skating into a new venture or will she find disaster again?

This is a cute story that is advertised as a romance, but in actuality is a contemporary story. Most of the storyline revolves around Willow joining the hockey team and the unexpected drama it brings. There is a strong romantic subplot, but that's as close as it gets. As much as I enjoyed the material, it felt a bit too long.

Willow is determined and on a career path when life goes wrong. Like those of us who are passionate about our path, she only has eyes for what can get her back on track. Seeing how she responds to unanticipated options gets intriguing, especially when she misses what's staring her in the face.

Brodie is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The additional subplot involving the drama of his family (particularly his father) adds another layer to the character. It's nice to see the romantic interest be a more rounded character.

A cute contemporary story that adds an adorable romantic twist.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Willow and Brodie’s story blew me away! I loved this sweet small town romance!

I was not expecting this story and it packed cute surprises! What I loved though is that these two teenagers were trying their best to get through life! Brodie and Willow both had some challenges to face but I loved how they leaned on one another! They built a friendship and through that they discovered more! As they navigated their secrets both had to make some tough choices that didn’t affect just the now but also the future.

I loved Willows independence and her no nonsense attitude! She spoke her mind and she wasn’t scared to take chances! Brodie was equally as amazing. He was a protector and he was someone you could always rely on but he wasn’t a cocky jerk! He had a beautiful heart full of love to give!

This is a standard Entangled Teen novel: dual 1st person POV, lots of kissing, lots of family drama from both sides. Nothing bad, by any means, but nothing too special either. It's a cute premise and Willow and Brodie have a lot of chemistry that was written really well. (The Homecoming football game scene was phenomenally written with tension and angst that leapt off the page. I highly commend the authors for how they portrayed this scene!)
I thought Willow would be joining some sort of pickup or rec league with low expectations and standards, not joining the town's club team and then varsity level high school team. I don't know a ton about hockey, but I know playing goalie is tough. And I'd imagine coming in from spending 15ish years figure skating would make it much more difficult than the book described to becoming a great goalie like Willow was supposed to be. I don't mind suspending belief over certain things to enjoy what an author (or authors) has written, but this was a little to far fetched for me.
Also, Caleb's asthma. Maybe it's because mine is low grade asthma, but I've never heard of any 8 year old having it so badly that they can't even rough house with their older brother in their own home. Again, I'm willing to suspend disbelief, but that was too much.
The back stories and family drama on both ends broke my heart. I know kids go through things like that, and it definitely wasn't anything like my childhood was, but I always wonder a little when the characters come from such rough towns. I think everyone but Preach had some seriously messed up parents. I know it's YA, but guys, parents can be good and loving too. Promise. This is something that is slowly but surely becoming huge plot points for Entangled Teen novels.
Finally, and slight spoilers ahead, I got to chapter 28 and then skipped ahead to chapter 40 to skim to the end and didn't miss anything. Because they start off with such great chemistry, they get together halfway through the book and sneak around behind the team's back. (Because of course, fraternizing with teammates is a no no.) So then it was just "Oh I like him but I'll be leaving soon." "I know she's leaving soon but I really want to kiss her." It plateau'd for me I guess. Which stinks because it came in with some great chemistry that kept me wanting to turn the page. But then the build up? angst? tension? I'm not sure, but something seemed to leave the story then and unfortunately for me, that made the plot stall a bit. Perhaps this was also because I read it over two days when I normally like to finish books like these in one (preferably in one sitting even).
But ultimately, it was cute, it was fairly clean sexually, it has cussing, it has references to alcohol and underaged alcohol, and a lot of the hard, deeper, darker stuff was handled really well.
Would I recommend it? Yes, as long as you like sports because it is heavily featured. And though it is explained excellently, you do still have to have some interest or knowledge in order to picture the tension of the games. Would I re-read this? Yes. But I will do my best to read it in more of one sitting/day next time for sure. Do I still love these YA sports infused novels from Entangled? Oh yes.

In the Penalty Box was a sweet sports romance with two engaging leads.

I really liked Willow and Brodie, both as separate characters and together. I am not into sports at all, but I was still able to relate to Willow's despair over her injury, and having all her future plans derailed. I enjoyed her determination and grit, especially when dealing with joining a team of all guys.
Brodie is a charming and sweet male lead and I was impressed with how he dealt with all the crap life handed him.

It was quite predictable, like a hallmark movie, but that wasn't a bad thing for me. It was a sweet romance that I really enjoyed.

I'd definitely read another sports romance from these authors, though I still don't like sports.

Thank you Entangled Publishing for the ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

In The Penalty Box by Lynn Rush Kelly Anne Blount

Yay this book was so cute! I loved it! I really hope they write more from this book make it a series! Next book Pax! All the characters where great and went together so well!!

5 Stars

What a charming YA book - watching Brodie and Willow trying to be both themselves as they are and then also to grow was lovely. I adored the hockey/figure skating as well.

In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount is about a girl named Willow who lost your skating career, breaking her Achilles. Almost a year later, she’s back in her home town meeting a very hot hockey player Brodie, from the very family that owns the rink that kick started her career. And so Willow’s rehab turns into guarding a hockey goal and dodging pucks. But Brodie is trying- key word trying- to focus on making it to Boston College for hockey, his senior year. And he’s all about making his goal. Until Willow enters the picture. Too bad coach has a no dating rule. But we all know, rules are meant to be broken.

The first few chapters are really hooking and I’m grateful for that because I’m automatically turned off if I’m not hooked in soon. The alternating point of views add a little extra zest that the plot needed. You get the view of a girl with high expectations and lots of pressure from a career already in place because of the hard work of working class parents. Versus the view of a boy who is working to continue a family legacy and keep a little brother included and less lonely. In my opinion though, the characters needed a little more depth. I felt they only had one thing going on in their lives when in reality there a multiple and all are hard to juggle.
At a first glance, the plot isn’t very hooking for me. But once you get a feel for everything, you appreciate the plot a bit more. The setting was interesting and due to where I live, hockey and skating are very big and popular things. So this was very relatable for me.
Overall this book was an enjoyable, fun and quick read! There was definitely some faults or holes but it was interesting and a good hook.

I'll be honest, when I picked this book I was having an extraordinarily bad day and was really looking for something to cheer me up, which this book did. This book follows our main character 'Willow" who was on-track to be an Olympic level figure skater before she tore her ACL and was no longer able to compete. Desperate to get picked by a team again, Willow joins forced with Brodie, star skater of the local hockey team, to play hockey in order to regain her strength. Now if you're looking for the next great work of literature, this isn't it. This is cheesy and fluffy, a rom-com in book form. I found myself completely immersed in the world and the romance and was unable to put it down. As a big fan of ice hockey, and someone who used to competitively skate, I particularly enjoyed the respect shown to both of these sports; it was not pitting the two against each other which is rare to see and was much appreciated.

My biggest gripe with this plot was Brodie's character development. I can get past the fact that Willow was playing on a men's hockey team which I'm not sure would happen in real life, but Brodie's abandonment issues and the effect they have on Willow is just something that had me screaming in frustration. Things between the two characters just became so unhealthy and toxic, and this wasn't something that was dealt with. Brodie's actions were seemingly sanctioned and justified by the plot which hurt my enjoyment of it. He was such a loveable and wonderful character and I was so disappointed that he became completely toxic and controlling.

This was such a sweet small-town sports romance though, so if you're looking for something light and cheery then it doesn't get much better than this.

Willow is a figure skater on the fast track to the Olympics. Brodie is a local legend on the hockey rink. When Willow’s dreams of a gold medal are dashed by an Achilles’ tendon injury & the local star hockey team needs a temporary goalie— it seems like fate. The next thing she knows, Willow is persuaded by Brodie to try out.

Brodie will do anything for his team to win, except ask Willow to give up her Olympic dream. But it may cost him a scholarship & a chance in the pros. . .

Willow will do anything to become strong enough to complete in the Olympics. But it means abandoning a team that relies on her to win. . . And the boy she’s come to love.

I loved reading this book! The writing & flow of the book is exactly what you want when you pick up a YA RomCom— but the plot & character development exceeded my expectations!

I loved the dual POV and watching the internal struggle of both main characters. Both characters make decisions that seem natural & realistic. The insta-attraction between Brodie & Willow is very believable and slow burns into deeper feelings.

It is still very much a YA RomCom! But definitely one of the best ones!

While reading Slotcouplet (a Dutch book with experiences of a pulmonologist) I needed something lighter and more fun. So the blurb of the Young Adult book of In the Penalty Box looked really good. Sports and romance, I like it.
Willow was a stubborn and determined young woman, training very hard for the Olympics. When she is injured and thrown of her team, she is even more determined to get back to the top of figure skating. Brodie - Wind - Windom is a hockey player, who wants to win the state tournament to ensure his hockey scholarship. With all his personal problems and his focus on icehockey, he doesn't have time for distractions. But then their goalie gets injured. And Willow needs more time on the ice to train her muscles. So Brodie convinces Willow to help the team out. Willow isn't used to be part of a team. As a figure skater you are pretty much on your own. So, when she is recovered, can she leave the team behind to follow her own dreams? Sugary sweet, cute and funny. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Was ok, kind of seemed like whoever wrote this had a basic/pop culture take on sports, but that’s just my opinion. Otherwise it was subpar

'In the Penalty Box' is a sweet, fun YA sports romance that captures a lot of those fluttery high school feelings.

When Willow and Brodie literally run into each other on the ice, neither would predict that rehabbing figure skater, Willow, would become the newest (temporary) hockey goalie for Brodie's team. And neither of them expected to be attracted to each other, even though the team has a no-fraternization rule. Can they ignore the spark they feel, or will it be too big to ignore? And what happens when Willow returns to figure skating?

I enjoyed the nostalgic feelings that this book evoked. It's definitely a high school story with characters who are trying to navigate through that often confusing time of life. So it might read a bit juvenile to some, but it didn't really bother me too much. There are hints of more depth to each protagonist's backstory, which I thought was effective, though we never really delve into either character's pain to the point of really feeling a connection to the loss they've experienced. It was kind of like reading about tragedy through rose colored glasses.

There are also some secondary characters whom I would loved to read more about, and hope this becomes a series. I'd also say that the ending is definitely a HFN, which is fine for YA because they're so young. But don't expect a giant leap into Willow and Brodie's futures.


**Thank you, NetGalley and Entangled for the opportunity to honestly review this ARC.**

This one ticked a lot of boxes for me: sports romance (where both the h and the H are athletes!), YA, and -- honestly, that cover. I really thought this was going to be a winner!

Unfortunately - it was maybe a little "too" immature for me. I always feel bad saying that because it's YA. It's not supposed to be for adults. But this one just felt very young to me and I had trouble connecting with it. It all felt a bit rushed, a bit forced, and the dialogue did not feel authentic. I found myself skimming very early on, and eventually put it down for good. A swing and a miss for me, but may be a winner for the younger portion of the YA crowd.

I really enjoy hockey books, and this one was no different. When I saw it on NG, I didn’t check too much and didn’t know that it was YA but that was okay. Both of the characters seemed pretty mature, especially Brody.

I think what I liked most about this book was that it was a little different than most hockey romances, instead the guy trying to figure skate, we have her on the hockey team. An all-boys team. Though he does do some figure skating as well.

We get a little of both world, which was fun.

I also loved the friendships in this book and the team spirit, well for the most part.

I liked both main characters and thought they were easy to relate to. They both have their issues to deal with. They dealt with them in their way which not always was the right way.

I like Willow, I loved how she stood her own, in the team even though not everyone was for her being on a boy’s hockey team. Some were just plain mean and rude, but she never gave up. That includes her dream to get back to figure skating. She definitely had spunk. But she also had some pretty selfish moments.

Brody, what was not to like, I liked him right from the start and he always knew what he wanted and fought for it. He definitely had a lot on his plate to deal with. Almost a little too much, so just seemed a bit too piled up for dramatic effect.

Together I thought they were cute and I liked the training moments and the on the ice and game parts as well.

While it was easy to tell how it would end, I was curious half way through, because at that point it could have gone either way. Of course, with most contemporary some of the stuff was pretty predicable, but I still really enjoyed it.

Overall. I really enjoyed it and hope to see more in the series and this author duo. I’m really hoping we will get a book about Preach, you know maybe a friends to lover/hockey romance 😉

I rate this 4 ★

I think this is the 4th sport romance book I’ve read this year. Who am I? 😂 I don’t really like sports, but apparently I love sport romances.

I do actually like watching figure skating, so reading about a figure skater dancing on the ice was really neat. I loved how the beauty and grace of figure skating was juxtaposed with the brutalness and unrefined nature of ice hockey. The fact that Willow mastered both sports was incredible, and gave her a really interesting dynamic.

I loved seeing Brodie, the all-star hockey player on the team, try out some figure skating moves from Willow. It was endearing seeing them work together and try out unfamiliar things.

Their romance was sweet, and I particularly loved the ending. But there were times when their relationship was pretty superficial. I know that physical attraction is a huge part of a romantic relationship, but they sometimes focused too much oh how “sexy” the other was. And sometimes all Brodie really cared about was being able to kiss Willow. Their kisses also became very repetitive. It was all about titling their heads to make the kiss deeper, or “acquainting” themselves with each others mouths.

Besides that, I really did enjoy the novel, and would recommend it to people who love sports and romance books. It would also be cool to see a movie adaptation of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for an e-arc to review!