This is a heartwarming sports romance that had me hooked from the beginning. Nick Sorensen, a former hockey star, is struggling to recover from a tragic plane crash that left him as the sole survivor and emotionally scarred. His sparsely furnished apartment reflects his inner turmoil. Then enters Alyssa Compton, an ambitious interior designer hired to transform Nick’s space and prove her worth. Although they initially clash, Nick's unexpected support helps Alyssa see him in a new light. Their journey explores themes of mental health, belonging, and love. Kennedy's storytelling beautifully balances heartache and hope, making this a touching and satisfying read about the healing power of love and teamwork.

This cute hockey romance features our hockey player falling for the interior designer who makes over his place. It was a sweet story with the underlying importance of seeking therapy. I was able to listen to the audiobook while I read along and found the writing to be well structured and easy flowing. The audiobook narration was great too and perfectly clear. This debut book shows a lot of promise. I can't wait to read what Katie Kennedy writes next.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a cute and fast read, but there was a lot going on. It was very chaotic, and things kept happening to the point it felt like unnecessary drama and tension. It was good, but ultimately forgettable. Even as I was reading I kept forgetting what had happened (partially because there was SO much going on). There was also a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing' which took away from the emotional impact.

I adore a good hockey romance and this one met that love. There were some parts here and there where the hockey seemed a little off but it did help develop the story and I enjoyed it

Hearts on Thin Ice surprised me with its emotional poignance and ability to balance humor and dealing with some very heavy topics. I loved watching Nick and Alyssa deal with their pasts and learn to trust each other. I also really enjoyed the hockey team and the art references throughout. This book is beautifully written!

Alyssa and Nick have both been through a lot. Nick is handling his trauma by leaving his trauma by having a nearly empty apartment. Alyssa is an interior decorator and she agrees to help him decorate his apartment. It ends up being an emotional process for them both. I loved how much Alyssa loved her job and how much Nick supported her.

My only note was that I felt like the last third could have been a bit shorter. I did love that we got to see the hockey team more in that part though. I loved how they came together to support Nick. I'd love for this to be a series and we could read more about the team.

If you love a hockey romance, an emotional romance or a story about surviving trauma this one is for you! Fans of Unsteady or Just for the Summer will love this one!

An emotional read. After surviving a plane crash that killed his friends, Nick thinks he does not deserve to enjoy life. When he meets Alyssa and she ends up designing his new flat for him they hit it off, but will he let himself be happy? Looking forward to more books from this author.

Thank you, Net Galley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This debut romance centers on a hockey star who has lost his BF/Roommate in a tragic accident and is suffering from PTSD (survivor's guilt) and working through his grief. His team manager insists that he seek therapy treatment and work towards settling into his new city/home to keep his spot on the team. Nick hires Alyssa, an interior designer, to help him fix up his new home that literally only includes one chair and a mattress. As these two work together on a design, they slowly get to know one another in an honest and vulnerable way that I found refreshing. I liked how the relationship moved from strangers to friendship before acting on their attraction; however, sometimes I felt their interactions stayed to close to the friend zone or lacked some of that tension/chemistry that could have raised the romance level. And while I did find Alyssa's quirky personality to be fun, I did not find the plot overall to have many comedic elements. This book read more as a romance while tackling heavier topics such as PTDS, panic attacks, grief, and trauma. I still enjoyed this one and look forward to the author's next work!

Like many others before have said, this book didn't quite work for me.

I could see where there should have been a lot of emotional depth to this one, but it was a miss for me. Things weren't quite fleshed out enough or felt too surface. I think we needed to dig in more to what these characters were feeling, especially when it came to our MMC's tragic accident. Also, I wasn't feeling the chemistry between our two main characters. On top of the miscommunication, they just didn't jive. I wasn't feeling the tension and everything else that's good in a romance novel.

I'm sad to say this was a miss for me because I love hockey romances. I think there's still hope for this author in the future, but this wasn't a great start for her.

I very much enjoyed this novel. I liked the couple overall and found their story heartwarming. I would recommend to those who enjoy hockey and romance.

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! 🤩📚

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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.