A heartwarming story of Nick and Alyssa. This is an interesting way to portray the sports trope without getting in too deep with the hockey terms. Having the MMC suffer with PTSD and not portray anger issues towards his teammates and the FMC was a huge positive for me. I enjoyed the main characters having the art history background that they could battle out with each other.

This books does not have any OM/OW drama, no major third act breakup!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f contemporary romance
-hockey romance
-fixin up a house
-PTSD rep

This was a soft and lovely romance with heavier elements of grief. Nick is the sole survivor of an airplane crash that killed his teammates and best friends. To try to prove he's mending he needs to fix his apartment into a home. Alyssa is spunky and ready to dive into the project and these two instnatly just conenct. I really enjoyed how they pushed each other but the importance of therapy and just how messy grief was a thread throughout.

Nick Sorensen had once been one of the fastest men in hockey—until the devastating plane crash that took the lives of his best friends, leaving him the only survivor. Now he’s physically ready to get back on the ice, but his coach is concerned Nick isn’t doing as well, mentally, as he says he is. Case in point: Nick’s apartment is completely empty, apart from a single chair and a mattress on the floor.

To prove he’s fine, really, Nick hires Alyssa Compton, an up-and-coming interior designer, to decorate his space. Alyssa’s thrilled at the chance to prove herself to her demanding boss—with job security at last, maybe she can finally put down roots and create a home for herself too. But Nick turns out to be infuriatingly stubborn and impossible to work with, and just when Alyssa decides to throw in the towel on the whole thing, Nick shows up for her in a way she never could have expected.

I really enjoyed this, but this really isn't a hockey/sports romance. It deals a lot with grief and PTSD, so be aware of that going in. This is not your typical light romance novel.

That's okay, because I enjoy books that deal with more serious issues, too. As someone who's dealt with grief and PTSD, Katie Kennedy does a remarkable job with that. Both Nick and Alyssa are beautifully written characters, their relationship was beautiful to read - both the deeper parts and the spicier parts! As long as you don't mind delving into some deeper topics, this is a great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun Hallmark type of read that could be consumed in one sitting. Hockey is not a huge focus in the action of the book, but plays a very big part of the background "plot" and sets the stage for the character our MMC, Nick. Our FMC is a very relatable interior designer trying to find her footing in the career world, with a crap boss, and our MMC is her challenging client that she has to work with. The two become fast friends, working through some traumas that each other has, and maybe falling for each other along the way.

3/5 and not because anything was glaringly wrong in this book! If you love this type of quick novella romances you will enjoy this one! There's a few parts where I felt like I had missed some information but otherwise this did not sway me one way or the other in terms of view.

My 3/5 is really more so a standard "no true opinion". It's like answering "N/A" on a survey for me.

HEARTS ON THIN ICE by Katie Kennedy isn't your typical sports romance. But what it lacks in sports action it makes up with heart, tragedy and healing.

Nick is healing from a tragic accident and needs Alyssa's help to convince his friends that he's totally fine. Spoiler alert - he's not.

I loved the connection between Nick and Alyssa, their relationship was the perfect balance of that new relationship giddiness and healing. Some of the scenes tore my heart out - his grief and despair was so perfectly captured!

READ FOR:
❤️Healing journey
👫Found family
👫Spicy
⭐4 stars

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

#rochellereadsit

NetGalley Review

I think when listing books, the POV should be included. The third person POV disconnected me from the story. There was also some repetitive plot points that I didn’t love.

This book was so nicely written. The way the serious subjects were handled with the enthusiasm of a brand-new relationship impressed me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book by a new author, and I strongly advise you to do the same.

{3.5/5} I liked the premise of the book, an NHL player meets an interior designer who ends up renovating more than his house, it was charming. The pace was great, all the interactions start pretty quickly and the conversations fluid nicely. I loved how the author touch the more sensitive topics, they both had trauma from the past but it it's dealt in a beautiful way.

My main problem here was that I just wasn't able to connect with both of the main characters, there was something about them and their relationship that made it really hard for me to fully enjoy it.

At the end of the day it's a nice reading, maybe I'd fit better to someone else, so I'd advise you give this book a try:) thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance

Hearts on Thin Ice isn't your typical hockey romance - there isn't a lot of on ice action or sports. The MMC is simply a hockey player and something tragic happened that effected his ability to play and this is his struggle to get back to his job, which we rarely see in this trope.

Our MMC, Nick was the sole survivor of a plane crash (not a spoiler) and he lost his best friend and other teammates, and while he is struggling to recovery physically, his mental health needs a chance to heal also. He meets Alyssa, an interior designer, at a new teammate's house and their relationship begins there.

While Alyssa helps Nick with his PTSD, he helps her after she experiences a traumatic event (no spoiler here) and we watch their relationship bloom.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was a different take on a hockey romance; it covered serious subjects, but the author didn't forget to make it fun too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Nick was one of the best hockey players until a plane crash took his best friends and he's the only survivor. His coach needs convincing that he's mentally ready to go back so he hires Alyssa to decorate his apartment. They crash and sparks fly....

I like the sensitivity of the author and how she deals with the discussion of PTSD. Love the main characters' banter. Terrific LOL scenes.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Oh my goodness I don’t have words for how much I loved this book.

It’s hard, there is so much pain within these pages and it just keeps hitting again and again. But every time the tears start there is something else, a little joke or a little romance or a little something else happening and then suddenly I’m laughing before I know it.

The relationships between the characters contained within the pages are complex, yet so rewarding. Nick and Alyssa actually save each other, they actually really need each other and wouldn’t be the amazing characters they end up being without each other. This happens in so many little and big ways, not only on the way they open up about their individual pain but also how they encourage the other to embrace life and of course the building romance between them.

The pain Nick feels made me cry, the hurt and despair was so well written that my heart hurt at times. And the scenes in the empty room were some of the best I have ever read, actual tears have been shed over this book.

An amazing read by a new author to me, this will take some getting over. Highly recommend you take the time to lose yourself in the story.

This book was so beautiful and well done. It handled the heavy topics so nicely and balanced it with the excitement of new relationships and the process of healing from grief. It was heart warming and felt like sitting in front of a fire with fluffy socks on a cold fall day. Seeing Nick come to terms with his loss and survivors guilt and Alyssa overcoming her past to push each other to be better and work harder was everything. The spice was spicing! I loved them together. I wish we got an epilogue to see more of their happy ending but this is a very early copy and could possibly be added.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend. It wasn’t heavy on the hockey but it made for a cute setting. 4.5 stars for me!

Overall a enjoyable read and different then your typical hockey romance. Nick and Alyssa both had a lot of trauma to work through in the book and even though it is a hockey romance not a lot of the book takes places on the rink it’s more of a side plot. I liked Nicks dynamic with his team and would definitely read another book about one of the other teammates.

I would have enjoyed if there was an epilogue or we saw more of their life after the conflict resolution. The end did feel a bit rushed.

this was a cute lil read and i found myself flying through it. i loved how there was portrayal of ptsd, recovery and finding yourself.

it was spicy and cute.

however i found myself grasping at straws to understand what was going on at times and the ending felt rushed.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! x

This was a really enjoyable book to read. It was cute and light but also touched on some very tragic subjects. The balance between both was great though. It was heart-warming.
I found myself really enjoying the conversations between Alyssa and Nick and LOVED the influence of Mozart and Michelangelo, as an art fan I was pleasantly surprised with the inclusion of them and the art theme.
Although Nick is a hockey player, we don't really see much of the sport within the book so if you are used to 'hands-on' hockey books then this ne doesn't really include that. It focuses a lot more on Interior design as most of the book (despite the dual povs) is mostly from Alyssa's pov.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from Katie Kennedy.

Whew! This one had me bawling! Great romance for people who like a little more emotions and drama in their romcom storylines. Also checks the “hockey romance” box ✅

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Hearts on Thin Ice to come out June 18, 2024.

Alyssa and nick meet during challenging times. Nick just survived a brutal plane crashed that killed his friends and alyssa is dealing with trauma from her childhood. Great chemistry between the characters. Ending was a little rushed.