One of the most heartwarming & charming books I have read! There are so many emotions that run through this book and they all stem from numerous places like childhood, trauma, mental wellness & moving forward. Both Alyssa & Nick are good for one another. Their personalities are different yet with some similarities. And I loved their love of art & design since it clearly becomes the best connection for them. Their relationship is filled with misunderstandings that separate & bring them together. I really enjoyed this story & strongly recommend reading!

Nick and Alyssa’s story is more than a hockey romance.

This one is full of emotions that have you feeling for Nick and his recovery journey. I liked the way they were kind of wary of each other, kind of a slow burn feel to their romantic relationship, for me it felt more genuine considering their circumstances.

There were some funny moments but for me this wasn’t a lighthearted read. For a debut sports romance I definitely enjoyed it.

I finally read this for my book club which is good because originally, I didn't read my ARC of this because of downloading issues where the file wouldn't open but after actually reading it, I loved this hockey romance because I love hockey romances.

What a heavy opener—was not expecting that. But I loved the MMC’s emotional growth as he moved through a devastating period of loss and grief.

I also appreciated how the romantic aspect of the story didn’t feel instantaneous. Instead, it was a sweet, slow burn. Spice was 2.5-3/5 🌶️🌶️

My biggest critique with this book is that, even though it’s a hockey romance, that didn’t come across all that well. It was more like a traditional rom-com instead, which was fine, just wanted to note for those hoping this will fill their hockey romance desires.

That being said, I’d read more books by this author.

(Thank you, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing the ARC.

I struggled very much getting into this book. There was no spark between the main characters and the prose came across as kind of clinical. For a character who experienced something as traumatic ad being the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed his friends, Nick's emotional and mental state never quite came across with the gravitas that one might expect with that kind of trauma. It came across as "yeah he's sad, but his life is turning around now!" As opposed to "this man is completely broken by what he experienced and he doesn't know what to do."

I am sure people will love this book. To me, the characters were underwhelming and incomplete. I would have liked to see more build up between the two before they had paired them off. And I would have liked to see more of Nick's mental state addressed and a chance to feel anything, but especially empathy towards him.

A sweet rom com with a little more depth and bite than usual. Nick, an ace hockey player, is suffering from survivors guilt and living in an apartment that's virtually unfurnished. Alyssa, who he hires to decorate, has her own back story (no spoilers). This starts off as a working relationship but it then turns to friendship and love. It's all about resilience. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't worry if you aren't a sports fan-hockey is a part of the story but not the story. It's a good read.

Struggled to get into this one and ended up DNFing @ 30%. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and there wasn't much hockey for a hockey romance.

Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy is a cute story filled with heart! 💙

Blurb: 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.  

The icy path ahead of these two lost souls may be slippery and cracking, but when it comes to love, sometimes all you need is someone on your team.

🌟🌟🌟

I love hockey romances, however, Hearts on Thin Ice sort of misses the mark! The romance between Nick and Alyssa is super sweet and I loved their banter. The story has potential, but the writing is atrocious!!! It honestly read like a bad fan-fiction, which greatly disappointed me. I wanted to enjoy Hearts on Thin Ice yet struggled to finish the book. The ending also ended abruptly and the entire story felt rushed. If it was written better with a more fleshed-out story, I would have given it 5 stars!!! I urge you all to check out Hearts on Thin Ice and form your own opinion. 🙂🏒🥅✨

Thank you to Alcove Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this ARC! 🤩📚

#heartsonthinice #katiekennedy #review #bookrecommendation #bookobsessed #instabook #booklovers #instabooks #fiction #readingtime #currentlyreading #readmorebooks #author #amreading #novel #ilovebooks #booksofig #romance #bookishlove #authorsofinstagram #readersofig #igbooks #writersofinstagram #literature #bookaesthetic #love #booklife

There wasn't as much hockey as I expected from the cover lol but it's a quick read! It's not super light and fluffy because of the characters' pasts and there's some miscommunication but overall I enjoyed it. Nick is grieving his best friends who died in a plane crash in which he was the only survivor and he's struggling to continue living in a meaningful way because he feels survivor's guilt and of course the absence of the guys who'd been like family to him. Alyssa struggles to take risks because her father was a gambler and lost everything so her mom, brother and her were left to try to pick up the pieces and spent some time poor, hungry, and living in a car. There's definitely a lot of trauma between the two MCs and I felt like they each could have used a little more healing before ending up together. I liked them Alyssa and Nick separately but I did feel that sometimes their actions didn't match up what we knew about them and if they had more time to develop a relationship I probably would have liked it better. While there's a lot of the heavy stuff there are still plenty of silly moments and fun lines that keep the story from feeling too heavy. The story is evenly paced and it's nice to get the perspective of both MCs.

Hearts on Thin Ice is out today June 18th!

Thank you Alcove Press for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! I’m so impressed with this one! I loved it so much more than I expected to! It was an unexpected gem and the blurb doesn’t do it any justice!! If you’re unsure from the blurb… just pick it up and listen - it came out of nowhere, from an unknown author, and it just blew me away.

It was well thought out, well plotted, and had a perfect mix of a darn good hockey romance, some of my other top fave tropes, and fantastic steam. Oh, and it really gets you in your feelings several times with main character Nick’s background… he’s a star hockey player who had done a quick getaway trip with several other teammates and their small plane went down (crashed), and he was the only survivor. He’s healing not just physically but doing major emotional and mental healing, back on the ice, and on a new team in a new town, and struggling with having no one. He’s a heartbreaking character that I fell for.

When he meets the bubbly, but insecure, Alyssa, struggling to be an interior designer (former party planner and desperate to impress her new, evil boss), he very reluctantly agrees to have her do his new apartment, to get his coach and therapist off his back about being “normal “ again. She’s also struggling with not really having anyone.

It’s both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story and a joy to read. Kennedy has written something extremely special here - I thought it was extraordinary and I have read a ton of books (over 200 by this point in June)! She’s infused enough humour into it to break up the emotional and mental health aspects which felt like they started to get heavy, so she was able to balance it perfectly. Super well done and I absolutely recommend it to all romance lovers!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Alcove Press, and this is my honest feedback.

I’m pretty new to sports romances but I think hockey is my favorite, hot hockey players 🔥.
I fell so hard for Nick the M/C he’s so headstrong even though he’s so broken. Not going to lie, there were a couple times I had tears in my eyes. I’m hoping there will be a series with some of the other guys! They are all great.
Absolutely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy was a sweet debut sports romance story.
My gosh I devoured this book!
It was such a deep, humorous, emotional and compelling story.
This is such a fabulous hockey romance story that sucked me in so quick.
I have loved every second of it, being sucked into the story from the first page, it held my attention until the last page.

Thank You NetGalley and Alcove Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Hearts on Thin Ice is a fun sports romance. The book is easy to read with fun and quirky characters and a storyline that has a little depth but much more romance. The loss of life, much less witnessing that loss first hand, is a touchy subject that Katie Kennedy handle with respect.

I am a hockey fan so I could understand Nick’s hockey career and how hard it is to come back from an injury. I cannot imagine how hard it is to watch people you love die a horrible death. I love that Nick had so much support from his family, teammates, friends, and especially Alyssa. Alyssa is the rock for him, she calls him out on his BS, she takes care of him when he needs it, and she falls head over heals for him. They are perfect for each other.

As I started this book and realized the plot I got nervous as I've read a similar series about a hockey team and a plane crash, and that's very niche in terms of multiple books. However, after reading this book, the two stories are wildly different. I love how the author discussed themes such as grief, loss, and moving on. Nick's story covers all three so beautifully as he struggles to move on from losing his five teammates in a plane crash, including his childhood best friend.

Alyssa is the interior designer Nick hired to design his new place after being forced by the coach to decorate his apartment and it doesn't go well. It takes some time for Nick to adjust to the changes including the apartment, the new team, and his newfound interest in Alyssa. I love how Alyssa and Nick pushed each other to be better versions of themselves but also how they made some terrible mistakes with this as well. It felt so real and the grief was palpable, that this story is very emotional at times! I enjoyed every moment of this story and can't wait to see what comes next from this author!

Following the death of his teammates in a tragic plane crash, hockey player Nick Sorensen is finally returning to his sport. However, there's a condition. He must get therapy, and he must decorate his apartment. Enter interior designer, Alyssa.

The premise behind this book was appealing, and there was so much potential for emotional growth within the characters and the immense attractiveness of a hockey romance. Unfortunately, the writing style felt less like storytelling and more like a listing of actions. The words didn't flow for me, and I struggled to connect to the characters more deeply.

I loved the camaraderie and supportiveness of Nick's new teammates. and the pure stubbornness Nick shows towards the end of the book.

In many ways, this book felt unfinished, and I think it just needs some finessing to be fabulous.

A fun romance with solid hockey [though not as much as you might expect], interior design and art elements [more than you might expect!] if that floats your boat. I don't love a miscommunication trope and this one had some SERIOUS miscommunication, but i liked the depth the characters had. There is a lot of grief/mental health content so don't expect this to be entirely fluffy, but the dialogue between the main characters, and their loving and supportive friend groups is very enjoyable to read.

I think this book is good, but no more. I don't care about the characters and I don't feel they romantic connexion. The writing for me was not really good, in my personal opinion the 3 voice narrator is not the best to tell this story. I believe there are so much better books with this tropes that I like more to share with my customers.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet romantic comedy that’s isn’t heavy on the hockey

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Hockey romance
Dual POV
Romantic comedies
Heavier topics
Grumpy / sunshine
Found family
Debut novel
Interior design
Character development

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Mental health rep
Museum visit

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Miscommunication

'confident in this. in them. she knew the man, his body—his heart. and oh, did he know her.'
omg the painting reveal part had my heart stop and i wanted to mention that as the very first thing because i was so so moved by it lol. the museums visits were
the writing in the book is mature, demonstrating a deep understanding of language and narrative structure that elevated experiencing the book. it shocked me a little because first of all, i was in it for a cutesy romance with brain numbing fluff but katie catered hurt/comfort in a flow of writing that was intellectually engaging.
that being said, the 'rom' and 'com' elements were lacking. to the point that they sometimes felt forced :( it failed to add the expected charm and lightness to the story. and i'd like to say i was misled by the cover but the excerpt doesn't disclose these underwhelming aspects either

₊˚ nick sorensen ⊹♡.
“you said nobody can go it alone. but that’s what you’re trying to do.”
i understand why nick was utterly done with life and how cruel it was for the universe to push him till that man had nothing to live for and was okay with just 2 pieces of furniture in his house. his story is hard to read because you deeply feel his hurt and his grief alongside him but that is an explanation, not a justification for some for his actions and well... words, that, quite frankly? pissed me tf off.

“you were willing to have sex with me but not let me take you out to dinner.”
... they were trying to work it out and have a 'serious' talk, the whole ordeal obviously, alien to nick.

₊˚ alyssa compton ⊹♡.
pretty sure poor alyssa said no was because he was so rude and eventually got her fucking fired? (i'm aware she's not mad at him for what but fuck it, i am)😭icb she was holding onto the past and then saying stuff like:
“going forward, i mean. it has nothing to do with my life now.”
just felt a little hypocritical.

and like i feel like nick hasn't reached the age maturity for alyssa which is probably why i don't feel like they would last. i feel so bad because i genuinely wanted to like, and if you're someone who can ignore certain elements, this might end up being your next fav read.
i loved alyssa more than nick, pretty obvious now. and i'm happy to know that the book ends at a place where there isn't a guarantee that they are going to end up together. it ends where they kinda find their way back to each other and i love that. she's strong as fuck and i hope won't let nick get away with the problematic shit he pulls.

the miscommunication was done up so nicely omg!! miscommunication tropes are supposed to make you feel frustrated because you know the whole thing and other's don't and the book served in that department.
i won't lie, i don't want to go over the board because this is a debut novel but i felt like there was an integral part missing. there was excessive word jargon and less character development, which is fine but i feel like when you pick up books with a cute cover, you go in with very different expectations maybe i did, i don't know, maybe i am the problem?
i genuinely can't wait to read more works from katie because despite my rant, she is a very amazing upcoming author who after elevating her work and honing the marketing aspect a bit will no question become a bestseller.

thanks to katie kennedy, netgalley and alcove press for the arc.

This was an overall great read! Hearts on thin ice would be perfect for anyone who likes a quick sports/hockey romance book since it was fast paced, adventurous, and cute. There were times when the miscommunication trope was too much, and sadly enough I usually don’t mind it. I wish the book gave a little more since it was lacking in certain areas otherwise it was a great time.