I got approved for this really close to publish date so here is my lightning-fast review!
* The enemies to lovers seemed REALLY fast and also kind of tame!
* I arbitrarily wanted this book to be more like The Foxhole Court and it was not, but also that’s the only other sports romance I have ever read!
* The voice in this was super strong!
I barely have any thoughts because I read it so quickly! It comes out this Tuesday! Four stars!

Unfortunately, I do not feel that I am the title audience for this novel. Despite the narrative's college setting and adult characters, I felt the topics and themes were explored in a superficial manner. The discussions of mental health, while valuable, provided no insights into how being in the spotlight, as the characters are with hockey, could contribute to their overall well-being. Additionally, I found the romance to be lacking as well, though the relationship between the two main characters follows an enemies-to-lowers arc, I found that the transition between the two was abrupt and unearned. I did like the main character's narrative voice and found some of his problems to be relatable, but overall I was disappointed by the execution of a compelling concept.

This book hits all the bases? Gay, sports, family issues, and most importantly authentic characters. When you read this book the first thing you do is fall in love with these characters!
Anyone who loves books like the All For the Game Trilogy or even Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper this is a need for you to check out!

4.5 / 5 stars

How am I? Emotionally distraught!

Do I know anything about hockey? No. Do I love to read about it? I sure do. This book was so good. I really felt for Mickey the whole time I read it. At first, I had wished that it was a dual POV, but then you hit the midpoint, and I was so invested in the storyline so much more than I had been. At one point I did not know what Mickey was going to do and how the story was going to end.

This story deals with heavy topics like depression, but there were still these moments sprinkled in that did have me smiling. There was a good balance between the heaviness of the topics and the developing friendships between the characters. Also, Jaysen is such a fantastic character. His relationship with Mickey develops in the best way. One day I would love even just a bonus chapter exclusively from Jaysen's POV.

There are definite pacing issues and the ending felt rushed, but I really liked this one. It perfectly captures how messy it is to be a young adult trying to decide the trajectory of the rest of your life, adding in the pressures of being a sports prodigy and queer and depressed. This book was definitely a little heavier than the blurb suggested since so much of the novel is focused on Mickey's depression and the relationship with his parents, but all of it felt so authentic and relatable.

These boys have my heart! I absolutely loved the characters and the writing style. I felt like l was watching a whole movie in my mind.it deserves all the hype!.

To start with, I'm a HUGE fan of the webcomic Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu, and that's 90% of the reason I picked up this book - the synopsis sounded very similar to Check, Please, and I can't get enough of stories about queer hockey players, apparently.

This book delivered: Mickey is a hockey legend who is crumbling under the pressure. He's living with depression and anxiety (hard same), and just trying to do his best while he waits for the NHL draft picks to be announced. His number one rival for first pick, Jaysen, is now his teammate and the two have to keep their rivalry off the ice. Things get complicated when they catch feelings for each other; there aren't many openly out hockey players, and despite the You Can Play campaign, hockey has a long way to go before they are actually accepting of queer players.

I was disappointed in the ending of the story, which felt rushed. I also wanted an actual conversation to happen between Bailey and Mickey because his text to her apologizing for "being a brat" even though he is COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED in his abandonment issues wasn't enough for me. All in all, a very interesting and fun book!

Thank you immensely to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!
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Starting the year off right! Holy shit this was so good! Wow! It’s books like this that make me want to learn more about hockey and the way this ended?! Speechless. As Mickey would say just “kill me”. I adored this book. For the characters, the family relationships, the discussion on mental health, the enemies to lovers and especially just for the hockey lingo (I don’t 100% understand them but still!). This book had it all. It was a heartfelt and emotional journey that kept turning you around like a pirouette. I may just go and read it again— the relatability is strong with this one.

I didn't know what to expect when I got this ARC. I don't read many sports books and the blurb didn't really grab me. But I figured I might as well read it, since I won it and all. And I'm glad I did.

I really liked how depression was portrayed here, especially how it the stigma in the professional sports world severely affects him and prevents him from seeking proper treatment until near the end of the book. It's not just in sports, but in his personal life, too, where he can't find joy in anything because of his feelings of emptiness and self-hatred. Those parts were especially relatable for me.

And the relationships Mickey has throughout the book are a joy. I loved the bond he had with his sisters, the friendships he eventually develops with his team, and the romance with Cauler. I'm normally not one for enemies-to-lovers in fiction, but the interactions between them had me giddy at some points and smiling like a goofball.

But the biggest thing holding me back from rating this higher is the ending. It kind of dropped the ball and was too sudden. I really didn't feel like the story was ending until the epilogue hit. There was so much that could have been expanded on or explored more, like Mickey rebuilding his relationship with his dad or more of a natural lead up to Mickey and Cauler finally getting together. This probably could have been a hundred or so pages longer; maybe Graziadei could explore more in a sequel, but it's hard to tell because the book hasn't even come out at the time of this review.

Overall, a good debut that just needed a bit more to be a great or excellent one. I only hope for Graziadei to improve as time goes one.

I really wanted to like this book. A bi main character, enemies to lovers, sports rivalry, and a background polyamorous relationship all seemed like a perfect storm of elements to create a book I would love, but unfortunately, I mainly found myself frustrated with it.

My biggest issue with this book was its pacing. This book was very slice of life which I wasn't expecting, and the moments the author chose to focus on were the mundane moments instead of the moments that showed character growth and development or would have pushed the plot forward if it seemed at all like they were inclined to follow the plot and conflict the synopsis laid out. I was expecting to see Mickey and Jaysen's rivalry that bloomed into romance then develop as they deal with the ramifications of the all-important NHL draft decision. Instead, I got Mickey and Jaysen going from enemies to extremely suddenly lovers, which only got slightly developed and multiple conflicts between them were ignored. The draft that seemed to be the driving event of the novel occurs in the epilogue and there was truly no payoff to the tension and conflict the draft created. Most of the Royals' season occurred off-page which continued to make the entire story feel unfulfilling in its payoff.

4.5/5

The only thing I knew about this book when I requested it was that it was gay and involved hockey. I didn’t really need to read an actual summary, that was all I needed to know about the book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

I absolutely loved both these asshole-ish main characters. They started as such jerks to each other, and sometimes to others, and it took me a bit to like them. However, I ended up really loving these characters. I especially love Mickey and I’m guessing it’s because we got the book from his point of view. It was clear that he was struggling with some things, so it made it easier to like him. One of my favorite things about Mickey is how clearly and deeply he loves his sisters. It’s made clear that, even when they don’t get along, they are some of his favorite people. Jaysen was also kind of a douche at the beginning but grew more likeable as time went on and his motivations were cleared up.

The hockey and team in this book were amazing. The team was a lot of fun and added a very interesting dynamic. Especially since they were constantly teasing Mickey and Jaysen for their enemies-to-lovers romance. I’m also a big fan of sports in books and I really loved how this book handled the sports. They were described to a point where you understood it even without having prior knowledge of hockey. The author also did a good job at making the sport sound interesting and grueling at the same time.

Personally, I really like how this book handled mental illness. It didn’t handle it like this thing that could be ignored or only popped up on occasion. It wasn’t something that got cured. It was something that the character had to struggle with, especially with him feeling like he wasn’t allowed to feel that way. I also liked that he logically understood that that feeling was illogical but couldn’t change it.

This was a fun book. It’s a young adult (maybe new adult) book. It took me a bit, but I eventually warmed up to the two main characters. I really enjoyed all the side characters in this book, and I would love a book about any of Mickey’s sisters.

Picked this up while feeling particularly slumpy, so it’s likely as much my fault as it is the book’s. But the book’s pacing was uneven, and the characters didn’t engage me very much.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.25 stars

A.L. Graziadei’s Icebreaker is a YA novel that follows 18-year-old Mickey James III, a third generation NHL legacy, who is beginning his freshman year of college playing for a D1 team. Also on this team is Jaysen Caulfield, Mickey’s main threat who he also happens to be wildly attracted to. This story delivers a juicy and delightful enemies to lovers hockey romance that I couldn’t put down!

I truly enjoyed this book! There was incredible representation within this book that didn’t feel gaudy or used as tokens. This book has an ethnically diverse cast of characters, mental illness representation, as well as delightful queer representation that didn’t conform to societal standards. Mickey and Jaysen’s relationship development was a joy. Their banter was quick and witty and their evolution from enemies to lovers was so well paced. Mickey was such a fun protagonist to follow. He was seen as a brooding rich kid that has had everything handed to him but he’s really a mess who loves his sisters, has mommy and daddy issues out the wazoo, and just really wants to feel something.

This book was so enjoyable for the most part, however, there are a few things that I didn’t particularly like that brought my rating down from 5 stars to 4.25. The biggest one being that at around the 80% mark, the pacing changed and everything felt so rushed. Most of the main conflicts were quickly resolved. Mickey’s rocky relationship with his father is a constant cause of stress for him throughout the book, however it was resolved relatively quickly and ended up being a nonproblem that felt unnecessary by the time everything was over and done with. By the time the epilogue came around, I felt like there was more of the story left to be told before the epilogue. Even the epilogue was a bit unsatisfying in delivering a well rounded conclusion to this amazing story. In addition to this, one thing that perhaps could have been left out was the surplus of characters. While all the characters brought something a little bit different to the book, there were far too many to keep up with and it became extremely confusing quickly. I felt many of the characters could have been combined into one that served the purpose of all of them. Finally, I felt this should be labeled as “new adult” rather than YA as the main characters turn 18 relatively early on and there are allusions to sex that probably wouldn’t bode well under YA.

Despite my qualms, I truly loved Icebreaker, and actually wish there was more to read! I loved Mickey and Jayson so much and think this story is a must read!

I didn't really connect with this one. I don't know if it was the pacing or if I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of story.

This was good! A very solid book with wonderful representation (including a polyam couple which, truly, I don't think I've read before in fiction,) Both main characters were unique, had a great voice and were written well. The book was fast-paced enough to stay interesting but slow enough that it still felt like a slow-burn romance. My two bones to pick with this book are;

1) terms. As a non-hockey fan (I know, to the shame of all my fellow Canadians), most of the actual hockey in this book was over my head. Granted, I am probably not the target audience for this book, but even a glossary in the front would have been helpful.

2) the ending. It felt extremely rushed. The epilogue felt like a bit of a cop-out, and there were so many unanswered questions that I can't help but wonder if it was done on purpose to set up for further sequels.


Overall a solid read, just wish it had been a little more polished at the end.

I loved this book so much! The bisexual rep felt so real and refreshing. The enemies to lovers storyline had me anxiously flipping pages. There was so much good tension. It was gripping. A.L Graziadei skillfully handled the mental health issues without them feeling like a lesson. I related so much to these characters. They weren’t perfect, which made them feel human. I can’t say enough good things about this novel. It is beautiful and I’m so happy to have read it early.

Absolutely stunning! An instant new All Time Favourite! Books like this one are why I’ll never be able to completely stop reading YA contemporaries! I’ve been pulling away from the genre a little bit more each year, but every so often a story like this one comes along and blows me away!

Things I Loved:
•rivals to lovers
•the snark/banter
•boys supporting boys
•the mental health representation and discussions about mental illness!
•the found family dynamic that the team developed into!!
•the diverse cast of characters
•and the complicated family relationships
•the perfect balance of sport to story
•basically ? … everything. I loved everything.

Icebreaker is a book about family, relationships, friendship, mental health, and figuring out who you are. Jaysen Caulfield and Mickey James III are both fighting to be the best on the ice, and for the #1 draft spot. And happen to be on the same college Hockey team. Mickey's grandfather and Father are legendary in NHL history, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps. They think they have every reason to hate each other, but what happened when they start to develop something more off the ice?
Please don't let the 3 stars fool you, I did enjoy a decent bit about this book. And I’ll go ahead and talk about that first. The one thing I absolutely loved about this was the commentary it had on Depression and mental health. Mickey is very privileged; we get that from the start. He's got sisters who love him, every best opportunity possible when it comes to hockey, and is on his way to achieving his dream of playing in the NHL. So, hearing him talk about that and then his thoughts about his mental health and how depression doesn't care who you are, it can happen to anybody. It was just depicted amazingly, and just for that reason I would recommend it to anybody struggling with their own mental health issues. The next thing I loved was the teammates. They never gave up on Mickey even when he tried his hardest to shut them out and not care, they pushed back and got him to realize they care about him and want to be his friend even when they aren't on the ice. Along with that they had such personality, and it was always a great time when they were all in a scene. Also liked the LGBTQIA+ rep we got, we saw Polyamorous, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Queer rep. And it didn't feel forced either, it felt natural and easy.

Now into what I didn't enjoy. My biggest issue here was the hockey bit. I get that it is a hockey central book, but the way its presented means that you have to know about hockey and specific terms, and I just didn't which means it went right over my head. I didn't think it would be an issue because usually it isn't in the other sports central books I’ve read since it was simplified but here it just didn't. Next, I felt like the boy's relationship was a little bit cheated. Sure, they were cute, I’ll give them that, but they never actually talked about a lot, not really in depth like they should have. My final ick with it was the ending. It was so rushed, and half-baked it felt unfinished, I was kind of disappointed with it all. It felt like we spent all book building up to this one point and it was over in a matter of 5 pages. It felt like for a bit there it was getting ready to wrap up nicely but then it got cut short.
I would still recommend this to people, and I enjoyed my experience reading it for the most part but its just ok to me.

My favorite part of this book was definitely how it tackled and included a wide variety of representations of mental health issues, sexualities, and more. I'm going to be honest and say that I was a little worried there would be too much for them all to properly be discussed and covered throughout the story but the author handled them with grace so major points for that.

However, my biggest gripe with this book was how I never fully felt like I was convinced to be able to believe in Mickey and Jaysen's relationship. Their whole dynamic fell way too heavily on their enemies/rivals aspect and not a lot on what they actually liked about each other. I was hoping that this would get resolved by the end and I would swoon for them but as the book came to a close, nothing was really developed further.

Speaking of the ending... I have never once read a standalone book where the ending had a cliffhanger so this was a first for me. I had heard a rumor that the ending was underdeveloped and half-hearted and they were sadly true, at least in my opinion. It really seemed like things were coming nicely to a close for a few chapters but then it never happened and I was left feeling like I had just finished an unfinished book.

Overall, I did breeze through reading this book and I am a complete sucker for a sports (specifically hockey) romance book so I can't lie and say that I didn't enjoy this, I just wished it had turned out better in the end.

WOW this is a FUN read!!!

I was so grateful to be able to read this over my holiday break. Let me start by saying: I do not care about sports. However, this book got me caring--not really understanding the technicalities of hockey, but certainly gleaning enough to get by. While this was a romance, and the romance was adorable, it was not made entirely central to the plot. There were important conversations alongside concerning depression and privilege and the intersections therein. The representation in regards to mental health alone was phenomenal.... But then add in the queer and PoC rep and this was overall impossible to put down.

There are absolutely not enough books out there like this one. Despite my admittedly lukewarm feelings towards sports, I think in part due to the lack of inclusivity when I was growing up, this book made me feel the physicality and urgency of hockey, made me feel welcome in the ice in a way I hadn't before. It took everything I love about sports animes and gave me even more.

Wholeheartedly loved this book, 5/5 stars!