It—it can't be. A review. Unheard of! Yes, this is me back at it again, a new year with new reviews I suppose. Plus, I've got about 10 arcs just chilling in my NEED TO READ AND REVIEW ASAP folder so there's also that. Honestly though, I'm glad this is the first review of the year I'm posting because I actually have some tangible things to say, lo and behold.

Honestly, the Two Second Review gives all the info necessary to pick up this book. I don't even feel like it needs anything other than that. In and of itself, it was fabulous and was so close to doing no wrong. If we know me, we know that I never really give contemporary romances like these more than four stars, and even a four is rare. Most of the time I mark it as a four and then realize it should be dropped by the next day. And this book I never even marked it as a four in the first place. The reason for that? That ending *major eye roll*.

So, Icebreaker follows Mickey James III (I really disliked the name Mickey, everytime they called him Terzo, I was like yes that's good and be shocked every time they said Mickey cuz it sounded so wrong) and Jaysen Caulfield. Both in major competition for the number #1 spot for the NHL draft but also part of the same college hockey team. This, of course, begins with hatred directed towards each other, more from Jaysen than Mickey's end. However, after an icebreaker (ha, funny, except in the book I don't think they ever called the "game" they played an "icebreaker" which was a missed opportunity if I do say so myself), that tension dissipates almost completely. In what feels like insta-love, but isn't really because there was a few month long chapter/time skips that honestly made kind of no sense, there's that to justify that this wasn't insta-love necessarily even though it more or less read like it.

Obviously, as always, drama drama drama. Family issues. Blah blah blah. All expected. It was very predictable to say the least. Honestly, it was just the cuteness and the amount of Tom Holland and Spider-Man mentions in there that probably made me enjoy it so much. But that brings us to the real reason for star droppage. The ending.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good cliffhanger, unresolved conflict ending, as long as it's not huge and the whole book didn't depend on that little bit of resolution. And what did this book do? It robbed me of some damn closure. Wow, it's open to me to decide how the book ended? Well, boo-hoo. I'm not the damn author, I shouldn't have to decide how this goes, gosh.

Also, the ending time skip and the epilogue. It didn't feel at all like one, we love a time skip from school time to draft pick time. But after draft? I expect at least a chapter of a pro-game with the two of them or whatever the heck they're doing. Adopting a child or something for god's sake. Contemporaries skipping to years in the future and you get to see the characters well and truly in love and with babies or some shit are truly the best, and I DIDN"T GET THAT. Anyway…

Basically, what I'm trying to say is Icebreaker is a super adorable book filled with gay fluff and more than enough mentions of our beloved Spider-Man, but it is not a recommendation for you if you despise endings that leave you confused or without an answer. I seriously finished this book at 1 am ready for an ending that would be super adorable. I didn't get that.

Icebreaker! I loved this book more than I can describe in words. I devoured this book in just one day. I was hesitant at first since I know absolutely nothing about hockey but it was still very easy to understand.

This novel is so sweet and cute while still dealing with many heavy topics. One of those being mental health. The mental health representation is well done and it feels very real. The author didn't just make James' depression something that disappears due to his romance which happens a lot more often in other books than it should.

There was a very fun and diverse cast of characters which I enjoyed reading about. The friendships and relationships in this book are also very well done and interesting to see develop.

The only problem I found while reading this novel was the rushed ending. It could've been even better if it had been longer with a more developed ending. Despite this I definitely recommend if you want a mlm rivals to lovers hockey book!

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

I will preface this review by saying that I've never watched a hockey game in my life. The sport has never interested me, and I know next to nothing about it. That puts me very low on the list of potential fans of this book without even reading it, I think. Another thing to note, and something that was solidified for me while reading this book, is that I don't like enemies to lovers.

Those things aside... Mickey was a brat. He admits over and over that he's a brat, but we don't ever see him reaching out for help or taking the first steps for things. It's always someone else leading him. As far as main characters go, this is really frustrating. It feels like the only decisions he makes for himself are the ones that end in failure and we conveniently skip the portion of the story where he would be putting real effort in.

It's the other characters who really shine. Cauler, Dorian, and Barbie especially, but also Delilah, Bailey, and Zero. The casual support and affection these characters have for each other is awesome though it also serves to highlight how much of a brat Mickey is.

The beginning is slow, and it takes a long time for the tension between Mickey and Jaysen to come to a head. I also felt pretty let down by the ending. All of that build-up and no real payoff? I think this book was just destined to be a miss for me.

Ok wow. I could not put this book down. I am not usually a big sports book fan, but I do love hockey and this had the perfect hockey/life balance. Truly I want to read all the hockey books and all the YA books and all the coming out books after this.  This was fantastically written and I loved the characters so very much. Jaysen is fantastic and snarky and definitely the sunshine in the relationship, even things haven't been easy or privileged for him. The way he describes being a Black man in hockey, a sport dominated by White males is very poignant and you cannot help but root for him.
Mickey has none of the pretension that you might think from someone with his stardom and you hurt with him as you realize that all he wants is to be happy; something he hasn't felt in a long time. His description of anxious depression was so spot on, because instead of the typical sadness, it's more like nothingness and just sitting and zoning out and it's so relatable and perfectly written.  

The banter between Jaysen and Mickey was perfect and I couldn't get enough.  Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite for a reason; I love how their angry sniping turns into loving quips without changing all that much.  I would read 10 more books about them, and though I love the ending so much I selfishly want more more more.

This has wonderful rep, especially in Mickey's own family, which really helps Mickey in his own relationship and journey.  This book tackles sexuality, depression, the pressures of college and friendships and family; and all of this beautifully! And Mickey's sisters! Not only were they amazingly talented, but they were funny and sweet also. I would love to be one of the sisters and I love how much Mickey idolized them and how he always defended them and how impressive they were even though they didn't get as much recognition because of their gender.

I really enjoyed this!

I love me some enemies-to-lovers goodness, and even though I know next to nothing about hockey, I had a hard time putting this book down. I think what I loved most of all was how resonant and thoughtful the depression rep was. I felt SEEN and I know many other readers will, too. I appreciate the care that went into A.L.’s writing in that regard.

I was immediately attached to the characters and the romance was swoonworthy and satisfying. I felt confusing by the pacing at parts, but otherwise, a 2022 winner!

A big thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This review is given freely and honestly after reading a free ARC of Icebreaker. The story follows two hockey stars in their first year of college battling to determine who will be the top NHL draft pick. Their tension on the ice leads to heated looks and hatred that may not be hatred after all. Our MC, James, struggles with undiagnosed mental health concerns and how it affects his overall life. This part of the story is so wonderfully written. It gives an honest portrayal of living with depression and the value of discussing your mental health out loud. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or hide. The LGBT vibe is there and shows that, while this fictional college team is accepting, a lot of players fear coming out and having a lack of support and fallout from it.
I loved the book from beginning to end and hope to read more from this author!

I have pretty mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved every single character and appreciated the discussions of so many important topics, from coming out to mental health and family expectations. On the other, the execution of such worthwhile goals fell a bit flat for me. The pacing was off, super slow for most of the book and then very quickly wrapping everything up neatly at the end. I think tis could have benefitted from being part of a series or duology so as to give the author more time to bring the story to a more natural close. There was also a bunch of unnecessary focus on hockey terms that I skipped over.

I received an ARC from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley as part of a giveaway.

Icebreaker introduced me to the world of hockey in a pleasant way I didn't expect. This was a sweet read that was easily finished in one sitting, even though I know nothing about hockey like me. It was also surprising that it was sweet because enemies to lovers is usually a bit more gritty, and not my favorite trope, but this felt like a good book friend. I enjoyed that it was set in college, as well, and would like to see more YA/"NA marketed as YA" with this age-level characters.

This is an excellent read for those looking for intersectional representation (poc, lgbtq+, disability, specifically depression), which we don't see a lot of yet and need more of. I appreciated the sensitivity with which queerness, coming out, and the different definitions of masculinity, especially, was handled. Will definitely recommend this one.

I loved this book. I had so much fun with this book and related so hard to the main character. His struggles with depression and anxiety hit so close to home for me. At multiple times throughout the story, Mickey feels like other people talking about their own depression were talking directly about his lived experiences. That is exactly how I felt reading this book. The depiction of depression felt so true to life. Mickey's relationship with his father was also so beautifully cathartic. It was probably my favorite aspect of the book and the subplot that felt like it was given exactly the right amount of time to develop and conclude. Mickey's relationship with Jaysen was so sweet and compelling. My heart really went out to them through all their rough patches and had me cheering for them all the way.

I was really torn between giving this book four or five stars. I ended up going with four stars for two reasons. The first one is simply that I found it hard to understand the sections of the book that heavily use hockey terminology. I don't regularly follow hockey, so getting thrown into the deep end with positions and names of moves was a bit much. This may be a petty problem to have with the book, but I do expect that there will be other readers who will begin reading with very litter prior knowledge of hockey and that this will be a difficulty for them, too.

The second reason I'm giving this book four stars rather than five is due to the ending. Vague spoilers to follow:

I felt that the end of the book wasn't given enough time to breathe. Mickey makes some decisions about his future, but we aren't given enough time to see them play out in a satisfying way. The plotlines that we get the most satisfying conclusion for are Mickey's struggles with mental health and Mickey mending his relationship with his father. Other than that, a lot felt left up in the air. I know the ending was meant to be ambiguous, but I felt like I was left on uncertain footing. Especially the epilogue, though purposefully ambiguous in order to drive a point home to the readers, felt as though it was written in a format to purposefully amp up tension without delivering any resolution. I feel like the book would have been more satisfying if a different scene had been chosen for the epilogue, or the epilogue was cut altogether.

This book was fine. I feel like it was kind of flippity-floppity at least in my opinion. Sometimes I would think that the main couple was the cutest thing I've seen other times I would think it was average. This was basically my mentality for every aspect of the book. One thing I did love was the depiction of mental health. It was extremely accurate (at least in my experience). It wasn't a bad book it just wasn't for me.

5 wholehearted stars!

I can’t get over how much I loved Icebreaker! I was a little hesitant to pick this one up, mostly because I hadn’t heard anything about it, but I fully fell in love with this story, these characters, and this team!

There is just so much to love about this book! I read it over the course of a day and a half, genuinely unable to put it down. I had to FORCE myself to turn off my kindle to go to sleep so that I wouldn’t be up until 3 a.m finishing it up. A.L. Graziadei’s writing is addicting and fun and I already know that they will be a must-read author for me going forward!

I really loved all of the characters in this. Mickey was guarded but relatable - his thought spirals very much mimic the way my brain works and having that kind of representation was just so cherished. Cauler was a wonderful love interest (and overall friend). Their rivals-to-lovers dynamic was perfectly done - it felt natural and believable. Their banter was top notch and not once did I roll my eyes or feel like their relationship was intentionally mean-spirited.

My absolute FAVORITE part of this story though was Mickey’s relationship with his sisters (and his burgeoning relationships with his teammates). While I love a good romantic arc, these strong familial bonds solidified Mickey’s character for me.

Some other things that I really enjoyed:
✨ The mental health rep/discussion. It’s fantastic, point blank.
✨ The fact that this book doesn’t shy away from discussing deep topics - and does so extremely well. There are very important discussions on toxic masculinity, homophobia (specifically biphobia), and mental health stigmatization within the world of professional sports that I feel like we don’t normally get to see.
✨ The ending. Okay, I can definitely see how some people would be thrown off by it, but I truly thought it was the perfect way to end this story!
✨ The humor. This book is just so dang funny. I laughed out loud multiple times!
✨ The TEAM!!! GAH. Zero, Barbie, Dorian, Kovy. All of them were just wonderful and I just want side stories for the rest of their careers lol.

Icebreaker is just the perfect story. It’s fast-paced, full of lovable characters, and packs a hearty punch. I’m so thankful to Netgalley and Henry Holt for the advanced copy! I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy so I can add it to my collection and re-read it for years to come!!

Before reading Icebreaker, I'd only ever read one other hockey romance (in the form of a graphic novel), and I'd only ever been to two hockey games. I thought I had a decent amount of knowledge of the sport, but within the first two chapters, as different technical terms were being recited, I knew this was certainly not the case. I thought this would be off-putting to me, because I wouldn't be able to connect or understand the sport, but instead, it inspired me to look up terms that I did not understand, and I think that amplified some of my enjoyment.

Before I go any further, however, I want to stress that while there is lots of hockey involved, and there is a romance, that is by no means all this book entails. There are several important topics and discussions brought up surrounding the stigmas that come with playing hockey; especially in the NHL. One of my absolute favorite discussions in the book was about depression. Because not only is it still considered taboo in regular society, it is especially considered so in sports. But not only that, the representation was just really well done, and one that I could personally relate to. The main character, Mickey, had been dealing with depression for a while, but he was struggling to come to terms with it and accept it because he lived a rather privileged life otherwise. But as one of my favorite quotes in the book mentions, depression does not care how well or bad off you are, because it can happen to anyone. Mickey kept struggling though, because he would tell himself that he did not have a right to feel depressed, that his life was great. This one made me tear up several times, because it's something that felt so personal and relatable to me. It's so easy to dismiss your mental health that way instead of asking for help. I greatly appreciated the progression and journey he went through for his mental health, and it was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The romance, of course, was another favorite of mine. Mickey and Jaysen (or Terzo and Cauler, as they call each other), are rivals from the start. They're both battling for the top draft spot for the NHL, and this causes some serious disputes between the two. Their chemistry is so obvious from their first interaction, but it takes them a lot longer to realize their feelings for each other, and even when they do, it's anything but a smooth ride. I thought it was so realistic the way the two of them felt about each other, but had a hard time in coming to terms with it. And even when they were together, they still kept their rivalry for a long time, which I also thought made sense for the two. Nothing about their relationship felt forced, and their sweet moments together were so endearing and tender.

The characters in this story were also particularly strong. Mickey's teammates and sisters really shone through, because while there were a lot of them, they were all going through their own problems, and none of them felt like they were placed there merely for plot reasons. These characters formed strong bonds with each other, and it was so heartwarming to see. I was rooting for all of my favorites the entire time, especially Delilah. She was my favorite of Mickey's five sisters, while Dorian was my favorite of his teammates (aside from Jaysen, of course). We really got a deep dive into Dorian's personality, and how much he was going through, as well. Dorian helped to show the reader that while someone can come across as happy and carefree, they can still be suffering on the inside. The story also demonstrated how imperative support systems are, be that a group of loyal friends, loving siblings, or a concerned teacher.

Another important topic discussed in this book was the expectations set by family members. While Mickey used to love hockey, between his depression and the expectations placed upon his shoulders, he was struggling to conjure any enjoyment for the sport for most of the book. There were times he felt lost and unsure of where he stood in life, because he had no idea who he was outside of hockey, but he wasn't even sure whether he wanted to do it anymore. This showed why conversations and communication is so, so important in situations like these. If his family had ever stopped and asked what he wanted when he was younger, he might not have felt so trapped later on. There were a lot of relevant topics about family that were considered in this book, and I thought they were all done really well.

Really, the only thing that I maybe disliked about it was the fact that it was too short! I felt the ending could have been developed a bit more, because while it didn't feel incredibly rushed, it felt like there should have been just a little bit more to it. I do like how it ended, though. The last sentence at first sent me into a rage because of how we'd waited the whole book, but then I calmed down and thought about it, and realized I was okay with it, and ultimately, the last sentence was correct.

Even though I thought the ending was a little rushed, I will still be giving Icebreaker a five star review. I loved it too much to dock off points because of that, and I'm sure this is one I will reread and love every time.

This is such an important book. It is about hockey, sure, but it's about the bonds we form with people, what it means to be a family, the pressure we and others place on ourselves, and how it's okay to ask for help if we're struggling. The book also goes into a deep dive on privilege in the NHL and handled it very respectfully, in my opinion.

Before reading this, I was sure I would enjoy it, but that doesn't come close to how much I loved it. Icebreaker was such an incredible read, and I will be recommending this to anyone even slightly interested. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I kept turning and turning the pages to figure out where it was going and what would happen. I am so thankful I was able to read this one!

4.5/5, rounded up to 5/5 where needed

mickey james is the son of a hockey legend and jaysen caulfield is the one person standing in his way to be the top draft for the nhl. they're college freshmen, they're on the same hockey team, and they hate each other. you know how the rest goes.

sometimes a book just hits you. you read it at the right time and it just hits you like a semitruck going 80 mph. and this was one of those books for me. i picked it up at 2 am and then i didn't put it down until 5 when i finished it. and it's important to tell you that i spent a huge majority of those three hours sobbing my eyes out

i feel like it's important to note while this book is emotional at times, i was probably crying more than necessary. but mickey's struggles with mental health felt so real and true to me that, again, it felt like i got hit by a truck.

the one place this book loses points for me is the ending, since i love the characters and their dynamics and the writing. while i definitely understand what the author's purpose was with the ending, i couldn't help but want something more from it. but the rest of the book affected me so much that i have to round it up to a 5 for rating systems

warning: this book deals in depth with anxiety, depression, and alcoholism/dependency

Two Words: HOCKEY ROMANCE

This was such an amazing read and I highly recommend it to all readers who are looking for a YA college hockey enemies to lovers MM romance! This had such a beautiful diverse cast of BIPOC and queer characters that I can only applaud. It starts with Mickey who is the son and grandson of NHL legends (GASP). Then enters Jaysen who is his biggest rival and teammate. The story is told from Mickey's POV, which obviously leaves the reader wishing for another POV to fully grasp the emotions and characters' thoughts as the story progresses. The whole story develops around Mickey and Jaysen working together to bring their team together, which then of course leaves to romance.

Just.... Add this to your TBR because it was beautiful.

Thank you, NetGalley for an eARC for my honest review!

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advanced copy of this to review! The summary of Icebreaker reminded me a bit of Check, Please! so I was excited to get started. I am happy to announce that it didn't disappoint!

From the beginning, Graziadei's writing is extremely engaging. I don't know that much about hockey, but I was able to follow along for the most part! Maybe that's from my reading of Check, Please. You can also feel the chemistry between Mickey and Jaysen almost immediately, even if it takes them a bit to actually like each other. There's one scene towards the beginning where you can just feel the romantic tension coming off the page--you just have to wait for them to realize it.

There is also a lot of discussion about mental health. Mickey struggles with depression throughout the book. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health (especially in professional sports), Mickey doesn't reach out to get the help he needs until it gets to be too much for him. One of his other teammates also struggles with depression and they have some great conversations about it.

The only reason this isn't getting a full five stars from me is the ending felt a little lacking. The open ending isn't necessarily what bothered me, but the overall resolution felt like it came too quickly. It made the ending feel a little too abrupt. We get closure, but it definitely happens way too quickly.

All in all, if you're a fan of things like Fence or Check, Please, you'll deifnitely enjoy this one when it comes out in January!

This book took me by surprise! I went in thinking it’ll be a cute enemies-to-lovers YA but it blew me away with so much more. The mental health representation was amazing. It really hit me where it hurts, in a good way.

Other pluses are: the friendships, the family bond, the hockey, the romance was well done! The struggle balancing all of these and how it impacts the other aspects of life was balanced and realistic and … highly recommended

I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

—M.

Thank you so much to Fierce Reads for the ARC!
TW: mention of homophobia + racism
Rep: bisexual mc, Black gay mc, lesbian sc, wlw scs

4/5
I’m not a huge fan of sports, and when a book makes me care about a hobby I don’t care about, I can appreciate it. I found myself cheering when the characters on the Royals hockey team scored, and was really invested the whole time.
<i>Icebreaker</i> follows Mickey James III, a teenager expected to carry on the legacy of his father and grandfather. He’s on a college hockey team when the book starts, and can’t stand one of his teammates, Jaysen Caulfield. Their rivalry starts when they realize only one of them can become the NHL’s top draft pick.
Mickey is bisexual, but the only person who knows is his best friend, Nova. He knows his family would support him, but he still fears coming out to them. I related so much to that fear. I’m out to my friends, but I haven’t told my family, and I’ve known I was queer for almost four years. I know my family, for the most part, isn’t homophobic or transphobic, but that fear still prevents me from telling them.
My main (and pretty much only) issue with this book was the ending. It felt very abrupt. If I were to describe it, it might be too spoiler-heavy. Other than that, this was a fantastic book, and I will definitely recommend it when it comes out.

Loved this! I knew absolutely nothing about hockey going into this but I was hooked nonetheless. For a book tackling coming out,depression, career uncertainty, family, etc this was a surprisingly light book. It didn’t take itself too seriously and the humor really shined in the team and family interactions. I’m really excited to see what else this author has in store.

I enjoyed this book, but it was a bit too heavy on the hockey and too light on the relationship development for me. Though I don’t mind an open ending, it was a bit abrupt and felt like it could have used one more chapter before the last one to firm up the relationship and cover the Championship.

This book has a lot of things good things going for it:

- Great LGBTQ+ representation; a bi MC, a gay MC, a lesbian side character with a girlfriend, and a side character in a polyamorous relationship. I really appreciated just how casually these relationships were represented. For the most part, their identities weren't made to be a huge deal and although Mickey does have to deal with coming out, I wouldn't say it's his biggest problem.

- Representation in mental health, including depression and anxiety; the author did a great job depicting how these issues can effect a person's everyday life and just how much it can impact the ability to care about things you normally love.

- The diversity in general. There's some diversity in age so Mickey can get some different perspectives, and diversity in race/ethnicity including a Black MC and Hispanic side characters. Again, I liked how casually diverse it was.

- I love that it felt like a YA (there are no explicit sex scenes and while it deals with heavy topics, there's still a lightness to it) while also being set in college. I think college is a super great setting for stories like this and authors should do it more often.

- Rivals to lovers. I wouldn't have complained if there was a little more time spent in the rivals stage and if it would've taken longer for Mickey to figure out his attraction to Jaysen, but that's okay. There's consistent banter all throughout the book and I live for it.

- Ensemble cast. Now, we do still spend most of our time with Mickey and a lot of time with Jaysen as well, but I loved the big cast of characters and the fact that they all had important roles. Also - names! I really liked the names the author chose for the characters, I really thought they all fit well and were distinct enough that I could remember them all, even with a large cast of side characters.

This certainly was a fun read. I do think it was missing a little something - maybe just a couple more honest moments with Mickey and the other characters. Overall, that's only a minor complaint though, and I definitely recommend this book when it's released next year.

Thank you, NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.