I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't enjoy sports, and have never put much thought into team sports. So naturally the idea of an entire book about team sports was not my thing at all.

However the 'person,' side of the summary for this book caught my eye. I am a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope. I went out on a limb requesting this book and I am so glad I did.

The writing was fantastic, I really enjoy this author's voice. The plot moved along, the interactions between the characters and character growth were fantastic. It took a bit to get into the sports side of the story but eventually I even enjoyed that.

My only two issues with this book were

1. This author is new enough I can't binge read their work because they don't have a whole selection under their belt haha.

2. Like other reviewers the ending was a bit of a letdown for me.

However highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced audio copy of Icebreaker through Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: Depression, Alcohol Abuse, Underage Drinking, Suicide Ideation, Mental Health Issues

Mickey James III has had his fate set in stone since the day he was born. He was born to play hockey, like his grandfather and father (Mickey James I and II respectively) before him. With his heritage stemming from two hockey legends, the hockey world has high expectations for Mickey. Following in their footsteps, Mickey starts his first year of college out on the Royals Hockey Team, planning to spend a year playing before being drafted into the NHL. Mickey is gunning for the number one draft slot, but in order to secure his destiny, he will have to best his rival, Jaysen Caulfield. Jaysen is the NHL’s other top prospect and will be Mickey’s teammate on the Royals for the next season. They’re meant to be a team, but Mickey and Jaysen are too busy competing to work together for wins. If Mickey and Jaysen can learn to work together, their team could be unstoppable, but first, they will need to figure out how to tolerate each other.

You can get your copy of Icebreaker now from Henry Holt and Co!

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump for the last couple of weeks, but Icebreaker was exactly what I needed to get me back into a reading flow! The enemies-to-lovers arc was perfectly paced, keeping me engaged without feeling rushed. As someone with literally no exposure to hockey, I was a little worried that I would get lost in the sports terminology, but A.L. Graziadei did a fantastic job of explaining hockey without info-dumping. What I found to be most powerful in this novel was the depression representation in the protagonist, which was incorporated and discussed so skillfully into the narrative.

Tom Picasso performed the story so perfectly, it made my experience reading this book even better! I found his voice so easy to listen to, and so well connected to how I imagine Micky sounding. I especially enjoyed the different voices Picasso did for each of the characters!

Icebreaker had the perfect blend of romance, humor, and hockey, making it one of my favorite reads of 2022 so far! You won’t want to miss out on this heartfelt, incredibly real romance novel!

My Recommendation-
Whether or not you are a hockey fan, this sweet, queer enemies-to-lovers romance NEEDS to be on your TBR! This book would be perfect for fans of the graphic novel series Check, Please and Fence!

** Firsts things first I would like to thank NetGalley for the Audiobook in Exchange for my Honest opinion.**

This is the first time I’ve read a book about rivals to lover so I am pretty new to the idea but I felt like it was well executed. From what I’ve seen usually there is a superficial issue between the two characters that’s resolved out of nowhere but in icebreaker it was a very understandable issues as they were actual rivals for a first pick in the NHL draft. There wasn’t auto chemistry between the characters which allowed us to see their growth do to each other.

I loved the background we got on their families which helped understand the way the characters acted or repressed their emotions.

Over all it is a very calming and good read for a rainy day and or your wanting something fresh.

When I first picked this book up I expected a light fun read about an enemies to lovers relationship between two hockey players.
What I did not expect was to relate so much to this character to the point it hurt.

In case anyone didn't notice I am in fact not a 17 y.o male hockey player, hell I'm not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, and so when I started reading this I thought I'd be very far removed from these characters but boy was I wrong.

Our main character Mickey, suffers from depression and we see him go through ups and downs through the book, not only that but we go on this journey with him as he slowly learns to accept that his mental illness doesn't define him and that he is allowed to be depressed even without a major traumatic event that led to it.
That's something that really resonated with me, because whenever I go through bad periods with my mental health I often find myself saying that I have no right to be this way because I don't have a major traumatic event that caused this, my family is good I have loving friends...etc and looking back at it now that mindset always makes me a lot worse and I end up spiralling. But I never would've been able to pinpoint and understand this if it wasn't for this book.
Every time Mickey told himself that he wasn't allowed to be like this because he didn't have a valid reason I could relate but I also could see and understand why no one should think like that because for once I was looking at the situation without being in the heart of it myself.

I loved this aspect about this book, I loved how it dealt with it and how at the end things weren't just magically cured.
I loved Mickey's sisters and their dynamic, how they loved and supported each other but also challenged one another was beautifully done.

The relationship was also adorable but in my opinion it wasn't the star of this book, the mental health aspect deserves that spot.

Overall, this is a book that I think I'll be coming back to and referencing a lot going forward, I'm so glad I picked it up and I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Getting an audiobook galley for this book or any book really is clutch. I have been having a tricky time getting my brain to cooperate with ebooks but getting to listen to the book was so much easier for my neurodivergent brain. Thank you Recorded books. So I'm not a hockey fan or a sports fan at all, full disclosure so all of the drama about the draft and some of the jargon had me so confused. I spent a lot of the beginning trying to focus on the characters but some of the finer points of the plot were dense to me because i had to keep googling acronymns and draft mechanics so i could understand what the big flare up of the drama of the plot was about. Yes, I am the weirdo who requested this book be cause I'm feeling the Winter Olympics big time and I always love a good queer ya story. I'm not always that big on rivqals to lovers so it took me awhile to get the feel for the book and enjoy it. I did eventually enjoy it, it just took me a bit. The narrarator did a good job, I just felt limited by the NG Shelf app playback options because I just couldn't get the playback speed to the sweet spot I needed to vibe with it properly. It always felt too fast or slow and made it difficult for me. Tom Picasso had a good youthful voice for it but my personal taste just had trouble sometimes with his pace.
If you are not a picky audiophile, you will probably be more than fine. Heck if you aren't listening on the NG Shelf app and have more control, you'll probably be all good. I'm just an outlier and probably shouldn't be counted.
If you love hockey and or/understand things like drafts in any sport or even have any base knowledge about the sport, you will probably be fine.
Great for fans of the Gravity Between Us and probably sports fiction in general. This was new for me though so it was harder to gauge. I will say I'm not even for a second going to pretend that my lack of sports knowledge was the author's fault. that is all me, probably everyone else who reads this will be fine. Despite my various roadblocks, I still managed to enjoy myself so props for that! That says something about the story and the author!

ICEBREAKERS is a college hockey YA novel with a bisexual MC, an inclusive queer cast, an enemies-to-lovers m/m romance, and standout depression representation.

I didn’t know how I felt about this book for the first ~20%, but then ultimately ended up enjoying it! I loved the complex family dynamics and our main character Mickey’s relationship with his five older sisters. I also really enjoyed the college setting and general dynamics of the hockey team. I’m so happy to see that more college YA is being published!

I wasn’t sold on the romance at first because the “enemies” part of the relationship felt pretty petty. I would have liked to see more of a slowburn tension. BUT did root for Mickey and Jaysen as a couple by the end. The conclusion of the book was a little rushed as well, but the epilogue was done well.

The best part of this book was the depression representation. Trigger warnings for depression, anxiety, and pretty excessive underage drinking. But Mickey’s experiences with starting anti-depressants and learning to be honest about mental illness made this book really special.

Icebreaker is a rivals to lovers sports romance but it's also about mental health and family and so much more.

I loved this so much. It made me sob and hold myself together and I just every single little thing the main character, Mickey, felt. I was in his head, in his heart, in his family and it just spoke to me on such a deep level. I can't even explain why but I loved everything about this. I loved the romance, the depiction of the relationships, whether they were friendships or family ones. I just connected to this. I think for me, the most captivating part was about the mental health journey and the relationships our MC had with his family. It's what truly struck me and it all just felt so real.
The only drawback, for me, was that the ending felt a little abrupt but maybe that's because I just wanted more and more and more.

I'm repeating myself, but I have no doubt that I will reread this book over and over and I cannot wait for more from this author.

I loved the depression rep in this read. I loved all the hockey talk and the team chemistry. Mickey was raised to be one thing, a hockey player. He’s in college now and is starting to question if he loves the sport. He and his biggest rival end up on the same team and things start to heat up off the ice. Mickey turns to alcohol when he’s upset and that was hard for me to read. He had so much pressure from his dad, from hockey fans, and himself. He struggled with a lot internally. Overall I enjoyed how the story ended. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

Pretty cute. Decent depiction of depression. I appreciated the familial problems and how they were resolved.

It really pains me to say this but I did not really enjoy it as much as I thought I would! While I was listening to it, I saw a lot of posts on Bookstagram where people said that if you enjoyed The Foxhole Court Trilogy, then this is the perfect book for you. Had I known this earlier, maybe I would have not requested this. I did not enjoy The Foxhole Court either so yeah.

The major issue that I had particularly with this book was how long it takes for anything to really happen. I remember listening to like 5 chapters and there was basically no character development. All I knew was that there is some rivalry between the two guys for the same spot, and much like how it follows, there is also some tension. However, the tension was not up to the mark for me. I was really bored and considered DNFing it a lot of times. But, I didn't. I kept thinking it would get better, and guess what? It actually did. But, not in a way where it would change my overall experience of reading/listening to this.

I feel that this book has potential and that it will really appeal to a certain target audience. Even though I am into the larger target audience, I am not the niche one. So, yup, it's the classic case of it's me and not the book!

I ennjoyed this so much! It was fun, relatable, and the characters were interesting to follow.

While being fun it also talked about important issues such as depression, coming out, and figuring out what you want to do with your life.

The audiobook specifically was a great listen, the narrator did an excellent job. I didn't have any issue with how female characters were voiced as I sometimes struggle with. I was able to speed it up without losing any comprehension thanks to the clear narration. I definitely recommend reading Icebreaker in this format if you like audiobooks!

I already want to reread and definitely recommend this to fans of the All For The Game series who want something a little lighter, and fans of Check, Please!

I was not expecting this to be a new favorite, but here we are. I walk into sports romances very hesitantly, and this one was PERFECT for my tastes as a person who doesnt care about sports including hockey.

I really have to commend the author for creating a book that so excellently explores so many topics with such nuance: emotional abandonment by parents, anxious feelings about how to proceed with your future in your college years, bisexuality and bisexual erasure, sex positivity, queer men in sports, but most impressive was the authors portrayal of depression in college students and how that manifests across different people. The guilt associated with being depressed when you also have privilege. The struggle to do simple tasks when you are depressed. I didn't attend college for longer than a few months, but this resonated so profoundly with me and i think will be vital representation that so many college age people need and will feel validated by.

The romance was also so very rivals-t0-lovers and i LOVED it. They very clearly had chemistry from the jump but the progression and the way that the author cultivated and paced the romance between the character was flawless.

Side note: main character has five sisters and the different sibling relationships were so important, and i loved that one sister was in a poly relationship.

Beautifully written, A.L. Graziadei’s Icebreaker is a deeply personal account of a young man’s struggles in his first year of college. Swamped by the expectations of his family, friends, social media, and himself, Mickey is, first and foremost, a hockey prodigy.

Icebreaker deals with a host of issues while Mickey navigates his Freshman year. Excessive alcohol use, forming new relationships, and coming out are enough for most young folks. In addition to some prominent family issues, Mickey is also dealing with the pressures of social media on a humongous scale.

A.L. Graziadei does a wonderful job of building the tension, and my heart went out to Mickey as he gradually reached the crisis point. Living with mental illness is an ongoing journey, and with all the other challenges heaped on him, this is more than most seventeen year olds have to cope with.

If you’re a hockey fan, there are tons of exciting and wonderfully detailed scenes in Icebreaker. I was impressed with A.L. Graziadei’s knowledge of the sport, and the detail adds a fantastic layer to the novel.

Tom Picasso is a new narrator for me, and I’ll listen to absolutely anything he performs. His rich, mellow voice is perfect for Mickey, and he brings something unique to each of the many characters in Icebreaker. An outstanding job by Tom Picasso!

Mickey James, only son of two star professional hockey players, is starting his first year of college, and runs into more competition than he was expecting for the top draft spot: Jaysen Caulfield. The two have a heated rivalry that leads to something more.

I loved this book! The characters were very lovable and grew a lot over the course of this book. The way Mickey’s depression was talked about was relatable and handled well. I also adored the relationship between Mickey and Jaysen!!

I don’t really know much about hockey, but I wasn’t confused at all even though this book is centered around that sport, so don’t let that scare you!

This book was like a punch to the heart. It broke me and healed me in the best of ways. It was at times hard to read, because I could feel the MC struggling throughout the pages. ButI also cheered and smiled and laughed. Rivals to lovers might be one of my favourite tropes amd this book did it spectacularly. The writing style is easy to follow and the narration really gave life ti the story. A favourite for sure. I will definitely recommend it to all sport books lovers and just lovers of a really sweet love story.

Wow! The grip the novel had on me in the 2 days that I was reading was so intense. The main cast of characters was relatable with their different lives and struggles they faced throughout the narration of the story. Coller and Mikey are relatable with their anxieties and struggle with determining their future careers in college and Hockey. The diversity in the characters also shone through with vibrancy.

While this takes place in college, the main focus is on the NHL and Hockey drafting, which for me was something I did not know much about going into the story. However, I did not feel like I was drowning in the information I had to look up to understand. Graziadei did a wonderful job of describing what was going on in the hockey world without just telling readers what was going on, they truly 'showed' readers what it is like for these players to go through the process of drafting.

Icebreaker is a queer YA contemporary that will warm your heart! I loved the way A.L. Graziadei dealt with themes such as depression and mental health and I adored the characters.

Icebreaker is the Diversify Your Shelves book of the month for February. A more detailed review on Goodreads and Instagram will follow after the readalong and the book club chat with A.L. Graziadei.

Unfortunately I'm unable to give adequate feedback on this title as it was archived fairly soon after I requested it and the book was removed from my netgalley library. Rating based on average from others.

*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
This is a really solid debut! There is some excellent depression representation showing the effects when everything is going right, but you're still depressed. I also really enjoyed the discussions of the pressure of entering professional sports at such a young age. My only critique is that I wasn't as connected to the romance as I would like to be.

I really had fun listening to the book.

I felt like it was predictable but still so unique that I couldn't help but fall in love with it!

I really loved the characters and I want to know more about them!

Overall it was a very enjoyable book!