I undoubtedly don’t remember reading this book or if for some reason just DNF. I would still like to thank the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

I had mixed feelings while reading. I expected a romance, I found just a little. The author has a compelling way of writing, if this was not the case I wouldn’t continue the story. The slow pace cost me my nails, it was so slow.
There’s a lot of hockey in this story, a LOT, every part of it is in the picture, at times I scrolled through them. I do love sports in a story, but not too much, not as main. I’m certain other readers will love it.

We can watch Olly and Benji, working hard, struggling with matters, their blooming friendship, and at last their romance.
Olly isn’t out, he was going through a lot, he suffering, still is. Benji is the straight supportive one here. Most of the time they are friends, there’s a mutual attraction. I even came to a point and thought they would never end up as a couple, they were mostly buddies. They spent all their time together, private and with sports.

There are some heavier topics, anxiety, depression, abuse, internalized homophobia, some matters with family. It’s not a light-hearted story, more an angsty one. The friendship to lovers building was nicely developed, I knew it was a romance, at some point, as I said before I really thought it would stay a friendship, because sloooow burn, ugh, not fully my thing.
What I loved about the characters was how they were flawed. That’s what made them human.
The steam came late into the story, but when it arrived it was sweet.
There are some nice secondary characters, (not a certain sister) who had a good place in this story, I loved the teammates!
Overall a widely written hockey story, there was a lot of passion about hockey, it was the main, for my pleasure I missed some romance, the story was way too large and the pace too slow, the only fast thing in this story was the ending, an HFN ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book is about Olly and Benji, two hockey players, though Olly has been playing for a lot longer. I really liked both of their journeys in the book and how they slowly became friends. However, Olly is holding tight to his secret of being gay, and it almost costs him Benji. The actual romance between the two takes a long time to build up to, and I did feel like the book could have been a bit shorter.

I think I've found a new favourite sports romance!

What a wonderful lowborn romance that had me on the edge of my seat ! The tension and pining between Olly and Benji was written and developed so well - both feel like fully written characters that have their own personality and motivations. I also just have a massive soft spot for characters realising their bi, which this book does so well ! 100% recommend.

There is only one author who could challenge Rachel Reid to the m/m hockey throne, and it's Cait Nary. So well-plotted and such lovely, nuanced emotional depth. I loved reading this book.

I loved the bromance and slow-burn!

It’s not often that a new author’s book will grab hold of me the way that Seasons Change did. This is one of the best slow-burn, coming out (times 2) stories that I’ve read. Olly and Benji are new to the Eagles hockey team. Olly was traded from his old team after something **traumatic happened and Benji is a rookie. They are paired up as roommates.

Olly has a secret that’s tearing him apart inside and he’s afraid that won’t ever be able to be himself as long as he plays professional hockey. His career is in jeopardy because he can’t seem to get his act together. Benji had anger issues but counseling and yoga have helped him to get it under control. He is pretty Zen wants to help Olly get into a better headspace.

I loved how this was a slow-burn, roommates-to-friends-to-lovers story. Olly knows that he’s starting to have feelings for Benji but he has to keep control and not let Benji know. Benji just isn’t a relationship guy, he only has one-night stands with women. When he finally acknowledges and acts on the spark between him and Olly, he still thinks it’s just two guys fooling around.

There is a lot of UST(unresolved sexual tension) in this story and I loved it. This one had me laughing and crying and all kinds of feelings in between – absolutely my favorite reaction to have when reading a book.

I’ve had a copy of this book sitting in my digital library for way too long; I’m really sorry that I didn’t read it sooner (#toomanybooksnotenoughttime) but I’ve got an early copy of book two all ready to go and I plan to start it real soon.

On minor comment – I read a lot of sports themed MM romance books but I really don’t know much about any particular sport. IMHO there was a bit too much hockey jargon in this one. I’ve read a lot of hockey romances but I don’t remember any of them having so many terms that I didn’t really understand. This didn’t exactly take me out of the story because I eventually just ignored the things I didn’t know. It also wasn’t enough for me to subtract more than half a star but I felt it deserved a comment in my review.

**Unless I really missed something while reading, we never did find out exactly what happened to Olly. I guess it wasn’t really necessary as there were enough hints given but I would have liked to know the whole story.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

This was a super adorable but also intense story about Olly and Benji, teammates on the Washington Eagles hockey team. Olly has been in the league for a few years, but he left his old team at the end of the previous season on really bad terms, that left him with major anxiety and other mental health issues.

Benji has had a rough life, but he's worked hard to make it to where he has and is looking forward to his rookie season with the Eagles. When the two end up put together as roommates, it's not always walk in the park. With Olly's insomnia and his constant belief that everything is going to fall apart, he shuts himself down.

But with Benji's sunshiny outlook on life, and his slow but steady support and friendship, Olly start to make his way back to the land of the living. And their transition to friendship leads to more feelings popping up- on both sides.

This slow burn, friends to lovers story was absolutely adorable but still really touching. It's touches on a lot of serious topics regarding mental health and both Olly and Benji's stories are woven together in a really beautiful way. There was angst, swoon-worthy moments that made me smile and heartbreaking moments that made me cry. But this was a truly heartwarming story about love and friendship and so much more.

I would definitely recommend this story and I can't wait to see what comes next for these hockey boys!

I love a good sports romance and this certainly didn't disappoint. Absolutely loved the characters, the snark, the connection, the romance! I swooned and sighed and it was absolutely wonderful!

Season's Change is the first book in a new series by Cait Nary. Olly Järvinen has a long way to go. He’s got a fresh start playing for a new team, but getting his hockey career back on track is going to take more than a change of scenery. He’s got to shut his past out and focus. On the game, not on his rookie roommate and his annoyingly sunny disposition—and annoyingly distracting good looks. All Benji Bryzinski ever wanted was to play in the big leagues, and he’s not going to waste one single second of his rookie season. Yoga, kale smoothies and guided meditation help keep his head in the game. But his roommate keeps knocking him off track. Maybe it’s just that Olly is a grumpy bastard. Or maybe it’s something else, something Benji doesn’t have a name for yet. Olly and Benji spend all their time together—on the ice, in the locker room, in their apartment—and ignoring their unspoken feelings isn’t making them go away. Acting on attraction is one thing, but turning a season’s fling into forever would mean facing the past—and redefining the future.

Season's Change is a sports romance that talks about and handles mental health with honesty and care. I loved the extreme slow burn of Olly and Benji getting to know each other, and the support they offer each other. I also enjoyed seeing that both of them had issues to face, and the straight forward way those feelings were talked about, along with the symptoms they had to deal with and the tools they harnessed to deal with them. The development of friendship, trust, and more really played out perfectly in the book. The other team mates and bonds there were just as important and well written as the relationship growth between Olly and Benji. I really like that the book takes the time to sort out that some of the trauma Olly caries is from a loving parent that just did things wrong, even though they had good intent. I think that could help readers take a look at their own relationship to see where they could do better in that regard themselves and hopefully spark some needed conversations. This was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to continuing the series.

Season's Change is a emotionally satisfying romance with plenty of character growth.

Season's Change is a fabulous hockey romance by Cait Nary.

Damn! I love this book.

It's a super hot romance full of tension and steamy moments.

A player falling for his roommate and teammate; what more could you ask for?

For Benji, he discovers his bisexual side, with some feelings developing, and a super hot threesome sparking things further. Ollie meanwhile, has plenty of his own issues to deal with, including some past traumatic events.

The writing is great, as Cait had me both laughing and crying at times, fully pulled into the emotions throughout. There are a bunch of secondary characters who add to the fun. Everyone is fabulous and easy to fall in love. I love a good sports romance and this one is just that. The sports parts of the story are well done, and I adore the relationship.

Love it all!

Season's Change is a must read the next time you're in the mood for a sports romance. Cait Nary will not disappoint in this slow burn, bisexual awakening gem.

Sexy and heartfelt slow burn that made me smile. Loved Season's Change for the chemistry, tension, and wonderful characters.

Epic slow burn that will hit all the hockey romance fan's highlights. In Season's Change Cait Nary delivers an intriguing, well-fleshed out story that will have readers rooting for the heroes.

*4.5 stars*

An angsty hockey book with a painfully slow burn, and plus a closeted, anxiety-ridden MC and a sexuality discovery story?? YES AND YES. And from a debut author?? Be still my heart.

Okay, Season's Change is not a perfect book by any stretch. There are about 1,000 "buds" too many (very OTT dude-bro language), and the MCs don't admit feelings for each other until WAY too late (I was checking my Kindle location and scratching my head), but after a string of books that have made me feel nothing at all, I was practically drooling over this tortuous slow burn hockey drama/romance. I stayed up until 2am to finish, and the fact that I had literally no expectations made it all the sweeter.

It's no secret that I love a tortured MC, and if you give me one with hockey?? I'm putty. This book had the right combo of actual hockey scenes and brotastic friendship moments mixed with real, painful emotions and family drama. I was in it 100% of the time, which is for sure saying something. I adored how unique each of the MCs was (I didn't feel like I've read them time and time again), and I just really liked how the MCs got to know one another over time.

Warning: the MCS do hook up with other people on page before they get together. Relationship purists, beware. Also, you need to love a very slow burn (I do) to enjoy this one. However, IMO, this book has been one of the best surprises of 2022, and I absolutely can't wait for more in this series. But please, Cait Nary, a few fewer bro-y nicknames, please.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

*I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

There are two kinds of three star reviews for me: books that are just fine, middle of the road, pass the time etc, and books that I wanted to like more than I did, that had potential, and made me feel something, in spite of their problems. Cait Nary’s debut is the latter kind, although with a pretty significant caveat.

It’s the story of Olly, a closeted gay hockey player, and his new roommate, Benji. Olly has been transferred to the Washington Eagles after a disastrous season in Minnesota, where he was outed to a teammate and his coach, and subsequently physically and verbally assaulted. This homophobic violence has reinforced Olly’s belief that he can’t be out and be a hockey player; that he doesn’t deserve love or a relationship and that he’s fundamentally flawed. He’s suffering from severe anxiety and depression, punishing himself physically and emotionally for his sexuality. It’s the lowest moment of his life. Enter Benji. A 21 year old rookie defense man who takes his green smoothies and quinoa salads seriously but lives life with an open and generous heart. He’s had a pretty rough start himself - he’s estranged from his addict mother and has a difficult relationship with his sister - and he doesn’t do long term anything. But he’s generally got his shit together, with yoga and therapy and enjoying his sport. The two are thrown into a shared apartment and find more common ground than expected.

The majority of the book is the unfolding of an unlikely friendship between Olly and Benji, which progresses in baby steps from going on morning runs to cooking together to falling asleep on each other on the sofa. It’s the slowest of slow burns and it’s the incremental, patient reveal of their relationship that I really enjoyed here. It kept me reading even though the book is too long and baggy, and needed some judicious editing. The roomies to lovers arc made sense because it was given time and space to develop. There were some lovely moments! I also liked the way that Benji supported Olly’s mental health struggles, and how, ultimately, both men have to grow in their self-knowledge for their relationship to work out. I was rooting for both of them.

Cait Nary has a nice turn of phrase when she writes in the active voice - shout out to the scenes with Olly and his family - but whoa boy was there a lot of passive voice here. Like, a lot. We are constantly being told what is happening and what everyone is feeling, and barely ever shown it. And a lot of this telling is empty filler, often about hockey or team events. From where I'm standing the book needed a firm developmental edit; it feels like a fic that got out of hand and would have benefited from paring down to its essential moving parts before building back up again. I'd be willing to read more from Nary to see if the things I found to like in Season's Change will develop.

But, now for the caveat.

Whether or not I think Olly’s internalised homophobia and fear of outing/violence is realistic or well handled (I think yes in parts; no in others), I am incredibly uncomfortable with the way these story lines are centralised in so many mm stories by cis women as though they are the sole and obligatory source of angst in mlm romance. I note that the author's next book has an actual forced outing, which is at least absent here. Why is public exposure and/or self-loathing so often the emotional engine of these stories? Why is it necessary to torture queer men in this specifically reductive way? There were plenty of emotional elements to Season’s Change that could have offered an alternative arc. Authors and publishers need to examine the extent to which internalised homophobia and forced outing/fear of outing story-lines eroticise the vulnerability and pain of gay and bisexual men. Sports romance is particularly liable to it because authors have the excuse of ‘accuracy’ - the homophobia in hockey and other elite sports is undeniable. But Cait Nary made up a hockey league for this series. She couldn’t have made up a queer positive league with queer players? She cites Rachel Reid as an inspiration in the acknowledgements, who now writes a series with several out players. She couldn’t have taken a cue from there? It bothers me how predictable Carina in particular are getting with this narrative - do better!

I LOVE a hockey romance, and appreciated that this one was more detailed than most. I enjoyed the MCs, Olly and Benji and their whole grumpy/ sunshine vibes. I also really love a forced proximity trope, so this checked off that box for me, too. This was definitely a slow burn, and fairly angsty but I did enjoy it overall. I loved the support Olly got from his brothers, the normalization of mental health care throughout the story, and the camaraderie of their hockey team.
I was kind of let down in the end that it was more of a HFN than a HEA. I felt like there was so much buildup to their relationship, and I wanted to know more about what happens next? Were there any issues with the other teammates once their next season started? What about the media? What about other teams- especially Olly's former team and their homophobia?
So, I liked it, but I wanted more! It looks like this is just starting a series so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

I loved, loved this story! Olly and Benji are roommates who slowly realize their attraction to each other. They support and protect one another while being hockey players in a brutal league. It is probably the most "real" book I have read in this genre, it isn't an overnight love story, but a gentle and kind one. I can't wait to read more of Cait Nary.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The opinion in this review is solely my own.

I've had Season's Change on my to-be-read pile for a little while, but life just seems to keep getting in the way of my reading this year. It's a bit of a shame, as this is really a good book and when I did finally dive in, I managed to get through it in just two days, as I didn't want to put it down. Thankfully, it's a long weekend here so I had a bit more time to spend with these characters, I would have been loath to leave them for too long.
Benji and Oliver are a cute couple, even though they spend most of the book really not realizing that's what they are. For both of them, the very real relationship that they fall into is dismissed as something else, but it's lovely to watch all the same.
I enjoyed this hockey romance, it isn't a sport that I know a great deal about (I've watched a grand total of two games, one back home in Nottingham - a place not really known for its Ice Hockey and another in Moscow, which is a rather keener on the sport, but the language barrier possibly didn't help). I think that fans of the sport will enjoy the amount that appears here, there's enough to make it a sports romance, without totally taking over and I really liked that.
This was a great read and I see that it's the planned start of a series, so I'd be keen to read the next when it comes out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This book had the elements that i love - HOCKEY ROMANCE. This book hit the spot and.I will be recommending it n a brand new hockey romance list.

2.5. rounded up.
The prose was wonderful at time, but the characters weren't that interesting to me, the slow burn was too slow, and there was a lot of angst for no apparent reason. As a consequence sometimes there was a lot of their internal monologues, without giving us a reason for it. As a romance it kind of flopped for me. The hockey parts were good, and I enjoyed them, the mental health issues were written okay, but the balance between hockey and romance was off, especially considering the conflict resolution and the ending. It did not give a lot of satisfaction to the reader, especially compared to the build up.
Also, some of the plot the devices (like the threesome scene and the girl friend misunderstandng that causes jealousy for no apparent reason were just not convincing
I do like the prose, and the idea, and I would try more books by this author, this one just didn't work for me.