Member Reviews
This was a refreshing romance read. I had been trying to find something to quench my Elle Kennedy thirst and this was the exact book.
I absolutely adored this book! I had the most fun reading this book, I love the dynamic between Anastasia and Nate. The banter, her trying to warn him off and act like she didn’t like him, even though they were both immensely attracted to each other. I also enjoyed the whole friends group and would love to see the next book be about Henry and that one girl Nate cockblocked him with.
I loved every second of this book! I cannot wait to see more from Hannah Grace! I wish I could reread this one for the first time again because it was the perfect New Adult sports romance novel! (Giant Heart Eye Emoji)
I really enjoyed this book and loved the relationships that the author portrayed outside of the main two characters - a lot of side friendships that were very well done. It was a fun book and I love how the author showed the timeline of the relationship and it wasn't a *boom* love type book!
My only negative is that even though I loved many of the relationships, I wish we would have gotten more of the Stas/Ryan friendship (I loved it at the beginning of the book!) and Stas/Henry relationship - it was there the whole time, but the reader didn't seem to see/hear as much about it as the book went on. Hopefully, Henry will get his own book!
Warning: very spicy!
This book. I don't understand how someone couldn't like it.
Anastasia Allen absolutely does not want a relationship, and Nate Hawkins only wants her. I love books where the man falls first and Nate definitely fell in love with Stassie from the very beginning. No matter how hard she tried to keep herself from catching feelings, she couldn't keep herself from falling in love with Nate because he was everything she needed. Their dynamic is so cute and even after reading the bonus chapters, I wish there was more to their story.
I also need Henry to get a book ASAP because he is the cutest character ever, I love how protective he is of Stassie.
Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I fell in love with this book, it was such a cute and easy read & I can’t wait to read the next one!
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is the first novel in her Maple Hills series. The novel explores the lives of two college students—Anastasia Allen, a figure skating hoping to make it to the Olympic level and Nathan Hawkins, the captain of the college hockey team with dreams of the NHL after graduation. They are thrown together when a mishap forces them to share an ice rink for practices and a reluctant friendship in the beginning develops into something more. The novel brilliantly weaves in the character development of the main characters into the storyline with ease. The side characters of the story are humorous and endearing. The storyline is engaging and relatable. The romance is authentic and passionate. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is one of those special novels that will have readers staying up way too late to finish it because they can’t sleep without knowing how the story ends.
This was a very fun book, I can see why it is blowing up on bookstagram and booktok. I absolutely adored the romance, but the toxic friendship between Stassie and Adam (I might have forgotten his name, its been a bit) didn't really resolve for me. I felt like it kind of got brushed under the rug, and her coach and therapist didn't really acknowledge just how messed up it was. I also found it quite long, there was multiple moments where I thought it was wrapping up but would look at my progress and see 60%. That all being said, if you are a fan of sport romances, this one is going to give you what you want.
Such a fun read! I could definitely see my patrons picking this book up and loving it! I would definitely recommend this to my library to purchase for circulation!
Nope, this was not for me. I'm honestly shocked that it's turned out to be as popular as it has been because there's NO plot and it's way, way too long.
Overall, it is a cute story that had its own charm which I genuinely enjoyed, but its not one that I will be revisiting.
Booktok wasn't wrong about this one. Maybe it's because I'm a hockey fan and former figure skater, maybe it's because I love grumpy/sunshine tropes, but I wholeheartedly loved this book. It reminded me of "The Cutting Edge," if anyone else is old enough to remember that cinematic masterpiece.
I read a good amount of romance, and have seen this book all over BookTok, so I was excited when I was able to get an ARC. While I enjoyed the book, I don’t fully understand the hype around it. It took me a minute to get into it, and I still feel like the relationship between Stassie and Nate was a little forced. It was a fine read, but there are other romances I’d probably recommend before recommending this one. There was a point in time that I was really into hockey romances, so maybe I have just grown out of it or gotten tired of it. Regardless, it was a fine book. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC!
Judging a book by the cover, and knowing that only a few chapters in there would be smut I was not expecting to cry. This book gave me a range of emotions, and was so good!! Nate is literally the best. I genuinely really enjoyed this story, it’s realistic and very fun while at the same time not being perfect. There is gaslighting (not from the mains) and some toxic relationships. But, there is love and healing and growth and I was here for it. Great read and yes, spicy.
I had so much fun reading this one. What drew me in to this one was the figure skating but I loved every bit of it. At first the enemies to lovers seems a little cliché but there was so much more to this book. It was steamy and funny but also touched on more serious topics like mental health and healthy relationships. I devoured the first half of it and would have kept reading until I finished if I didn't have to go to work. Anyone looking for a fun read should pick this one up!
A fun, funny romance that is a quick read. Good character development and some sex-positivity. May be too steamy for some readers' taste.
Highly recommended for those who love The Cutting Edge movie.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
This is definitely a cozy comfort romance novel and I loved it. It’s not meant to be taken too seriously but enjoyed. It was entertaining with just the right level of spice along with a little drama to make things interesting. The characters were fun to get to know and I appreciated hearing the stories from a male and female point of view. This novel felt sex-positive and more progressive when it comes to romance which was refreshing.
I get all the hype. I really do. First off: Grumpy x Sunshine is the best anyways. Then you add hockey? A recipe for success. I loved this book and haven't stopped thinking about it since i stopped reading it.
A cute rom com - a bit of an enemies to lovers trope. What makes this book standout from others in the same genre is how it tackles a woman’s right to have sexual partners for different reasons without judgement including friends with benefits. I also applaud the author’s tackling of the problems of mental abuse and manipulation.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! The character development was there, and I liked that the male main character was an overall good guy instead of the typical bad boy with a heart of gold. The romance was sweet (with a little spice to keep it interesting of course haha) and not overly toxic like most romances lately. The writing style was also superb! I really like that the story is told from both perspectives. I'll definitely be recommending this to everyone I know!