The premise of this book sounded really cute, but I didn't end up connecting to the story much.

To be honest, I think the 3rd person POV is what bothered me the most, I couldn't enjoy it.

I found myself skimming a lot of it, especially the last 50%. There were some cute moments, but this wasn't the book for me.

This was a sweet hockey romance. There is a bit of a twist in that the hero, Nick, his the only survivor of a fatal plane crash that killed his best friends and hockey teammates on the flight. He is in the midst of a very severe depression as he prepares to come back to hockey on a new team. Alyssa is a spunky interior decorator who ends up decorating his very plain and bare apartment. She has her own wounds from her youth. Of course, they’re going to have to overcome their own personal and professional drawbacks to reach their own HEA.

I really liked the camaraderie that Nick has with his new teammates and that Alyssa has with her besties. I also liked the witty dialogue between Nick and Alyssa. I would have liked more hockey in a hockey romance. But I also liked the different interest that the author gave Nick. He was an art and art history major and loves going to museums. What a nice dimension to give a professional athlete. I also liked how art enters the sexy language between the two main characters and a fight they have over…Monet with the running commentary from Nick’s teammates. That was funny.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Hearts On Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy 💙
Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
320 pages
🗓️ June 18th

🏒 sports romance
🖼️ workplace romance
🏒 pro-hockey MMC
🖼️ slow(ish) burn
🏒 love after trauma

📌”She was life—she was the future. And he had a choice.”

Nick and Alyssa, what am I going to do with you guys?! *sigh* I loved you both individually but maybe not yet together 🫣 Yet, being the key word here because the road just needed to be a little longer, a little wider, and a lot more angsty.

And how can you guys not love Kandinsky?! I should’ve ended this whole thing right there and then. I wanted to. Because, how dare you? 😜

Joking aside, their museum visit was one of my favorite things about this book and where I felt a vivid connection between our lovely MCs.

Devin, we adore you.

Not you Stacey. Not you.

I enjoyed the overall storyline.
The plot itself was ok. It deals with grief and overcoming obstacles; Remembering that you’re not alone. But the writing for the sex scenes was clunky and confusing and the constant miscommunication was frustrating.

It was heavily descriptive of interior design and art critique. In fact, if you are not into clsssic art (Michelangelo, Monet, etc), there are some conversations that might be confusing.
🏒🥅
If you are dealing with grief or depression, I would not recommend this book.

However, if those topics do not affect you, and you are just looking for an entertaining story, this one fits that requirement.

This book is such a curveball. I go in blind when reading and was expecting some light romcom hockey romance (which it was), but there is SO MUCH MORE to this book. Mental health rep, survivor's guilt, figuring out where you belong, shame/guilt of the past, and a heartbreaking MMC who you just can't help but root for and want to hug all the broken pieces back together.

The spice wasn't all that spicy, but the plot and characters and banter more than made up for it. This book really, really took me by surprise with how heavy it was while still remaining light. I absolutely will keep reading Katie (and hope that this turns into a series because there's more guys on the team that I'm curious about, but not sure if it would work well as a series due to the heaviness of the topics in this one and I'd hate to see this book be turned into a cotton candy, light and fluffy series when it's so much more than that).

ARC Review:

Synopsis:
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 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.

Review:
I'm not certain I can do a full review of this book bc it was bad. Like so bad, I don't want to write a full review, so here are my general thoughts.

1. If a man said to me "is this because of your dad?" once, let alone as many times as Nick says is to Alyssa, I'd punch him. In the throat.

2. Rip Van Winkle? Absolutely not

3. If you're going to write a "hockey romance" maybe include some more hockey in it - I get that his teammates were a big part of the story, but teammates could have easily been switched out for friends and this would've been the same book

4. There were definitely some cute moments and a line or two that made me smile/giggle

5. The spicy scenes were so cringy. So. Cringy. And the way they talked about them? No thank you.

6. The plot of this book is a great idea, the execution was just...bad.

When NIck loses his best friends and roommate in a plane accident, he is left as the lone survivor and floundering to find his footing again. He is definitely suffering from survivor's guilt and add on top of that he is hurt himself. He moves into a new place where he decorates it with just one chair and a mattress on the floor.

That's where Alyssa comes into the picture. She is an interior designer that is supposed to help him decorate his new place, but she quickly realizes he is difficult to work with. Just when she's about to quit, NIck is there for her in a way that is totally unexpected.

I thought this was a good attempt at a debut novel. There were some plot holes that were hard to get around and I didn't fully buy the characters were fully developed or very good for each other. The connection just wasn't there for me. There was dialogue that was a little disjointed and felt a little forced. The miscommunication trope is not my favorite, but when it's done right I can get behind it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it in this story.

I can definitely see a future for this author. She did a great job! This one just wasn't for me.
Thank you to the publisher Alcove Press, @alcovepress, and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Yes- I’m fully in my Hockey-Romance Era (Thank you Stanley Cup Playoffs) and because of that I was excited to receive an ARC for HEARTS ON THIN ICE from NetGalley and Alcove Press.

That being said- this one was rough for me to get through. I wanted to love this rom-com from a debut author, but unfortunately it fell flat in far too many areas for me.

Tropes:
Sports Romance
Workplace Romance

What I Liked:
Mental Health Representation
Cover Hard Social Struggles- Homelessness, Drug Use, etc.
The Hockey Team/Male Friendships displayed in the book
Art Appreciation- Especially from the MMC
Nick’s “Scouting Report” of Alyssa- I thought this was cute and a fun tie in to his love of hockey and career.
Nick’s “Talks” with Sammy- I thought this was an interesting approach for their storyline and moving on from survivor’s guilt

What I Struggled With:
The Character Development- There was promise to be had here given both MCs tragic pasts- I just felt far too much went unresolved by the end of the book- I hoped that epilogue would provide some closure- but it really was useless.
Miscommunication- The two MC struggled to communicate from start to finish- the only exception may have been when Alyssa confided in Nick about her past and being homeless growing up. That scene was one of the highpoints of the whole book.
Lack of Chemistry- No matter how hard I tried- I never felt that the connection was there between these two. All their interactions felt like whiplash from scene to scene. Hot and cold with no reasoning or explanation for their actions in between. It was very irritating to feel as a reader not having the flow or understanding of where each character was at. This was a bi-polar relationship if I’ve ever read one.
Alyssa- She was a hard to relate to character and quite immature in my opinion. Some of this may have stemmed from her youth and growing up the way she did- if so- more time and attention should have been put into developing that storyline so she’d feel like a more complete character. I also blame this on she had no strong female role models in her life. Her mom- yeah bad news bears. Her two “close” friends- horrible advice givers. (Please- Do not get me started on Alyssa’s reaction to Nick and his commercial he filmed to help her- she threw a fit over not having a business launch party with pink cookies- I’m sorry- Grow up).
Writing Style- Some chapters were better than other- probably could be said about every first-time author- yet I struggled through a lot of this story and do hope that an editor took a heavy hand to this book before publishing.
The Spice- It was send to the sin-bin penalty bad y’all. I’m not sure I ever said that before, but those scenes could have been cut completely from this story and I would have added another star to the review. I believe the author was going for playful and fun, but that’s not how it translated onto the page. It was abrupt, and immature interactions that didn’t flow. All it made me feel was awkward and cringy.

Final Thoughts:
As I’ve found with most recent books labeled sports romance- I wanted more with the sport not just the cute cover (which I did love). I do appreciate the author’s attempt to hit on some harder subjects, but unfortunately with the lack of plot and development- it all fell through the thin ice.

I love a hockey romance and the thing that really stuck out about this one is the backgrounds of the character's. Both had trauma they needed to understand from themselves before they could understand each other. There was also a silliness to them I really enjoyed. I loved the mentions of art and artist throughout the text as well

I am a huge hockey romance fan, so was really excited to get this novel as an ARC. Unfortunately, it was only okay for me.

I’ll start with some things that I liked. It was set in Michigan, with the MMC playing for the Detroit Red Wheels (nice play on the Red Wings), so I always love a home state setting! This book dealt with a lot of grief from both of the characters, which is something that I always think adds to the book. With this one, their stories didn’t really work for me personally BUT I think others could really get attached to them and what they experienced. The book was a good blend of spice and plot, which is always what I want in a sports romance. It was dual POV as well, which is essential for me with romances now days.

Unfortunately, I really just couldn’t connect with the characters, especially the FMC. I found their behaviors to be immature a lot of the time, and it just really made the trauma aspects hard for me to connect with. There also was a lot of miscommunication/lack of communication which I really hate. Even up until the end when they were getting together, they were arguing and not communicating. So between immature characters and miscomm, I really had a hard time getting into this. It was overall fine and I think there are plenty of other people who could enjoy it more than me, but it just wasn’t a win in my book.

This was a sweet rom-com but also deals with a lot of heavier issues surrounding past traumas, mental health and survivors guilt. It is the author's debut in adult novels, she does make you feel for the characters but the backstories weren't as gut wrenching as others I've read.

I liked the plot and there was a good amount of banter between the main characters, especially the art references/innuendo but it did feel they went from 0 to 100 with their relationship once they found somethingin common. The spice wasn't particularly spicy but i did like that they could be goofy whilst doing it.

There was a lot of miscommunication, not too much hockey and it wasn't as cute as it could have been which brought my rating down.

This book is well-written, but I wasn’t prepared for the level of trauma. The cute illustrated cover led me to expect a more light-hearted read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Always enjoy a good hockey romance! Love it when there’s a misunderstanding that keeps the lovers apart!!

Um excuse me why was this book so freaking good? I really enjoyed this sports romance and devoured it.

I enjoyed this book- especially the nods to the Detroit Red Wings (Red Wheels in this book) and the overall hockey aspect of the book. I gave this 3 stars only because I felt that the structure of the sentences at time didn't flow- and I found myself questioning the point of some sentences. I enjoyed this, and I would love if this series continued, because I would be a big fan. Not many people write about Michigan, so when I find a book that does- I want the series to continue on and on. I really like Nick, and I like how he felt vulnerable with Alyssa and opened up to her. I did feel at times their relationship was awkward- especially with the miscommunication. I'm glad that in the end they ended up together.

4.5 stars

This book is such a curveball. I go in blind when reading and was expecting some light romcom hockey romance (which it was), but there is SO MUCH MORE to this book. Mental health rep, survivor's guilt, figuring out where you belong, shame/guilt of the past, and a heartbreaking MMC who you just can't help but root for and want to hug all the broken pieces back together.

The spice wasn't all that spicy, but the plot and characters and banter more than made up for it. This book really, really took me by surprise with how heavy it was while still remaining light. I absolutely will keep reading Katie (and hope that this turns into a series because there's more guys on the team that I'm curious about, but not sure if it would work well as a series due to the heaviness of the topics in this one and I'd hate to see this book be turned into a cotton candy, light and fluffy series when it's so much more than that).

I was lucky enough to be able to go between the book and the audio. Scarlett Everdeen and Nick Mondelli did a wonderful job. Scarlett was perfect for Nick. I do have to admit that his voice was a little odd during the spicy scenes. It was almost flat, but during the rest of the book he was perfect. Scarlett as Alyssa was phenomenal. She got the quirkiness of Alyssa and the snark in her voice.

Thank you, NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Dreamscape Media for the ARC/ALC.

Hearts on thin ice is an adult romcom and is the authors debut adult novel.

I liked this book fine enough, but there was something shallow about the character development that left me feeling like I wanted more. From the beginning, I felt like everything was moving too quickly, being glossed over. Both Alyssa and Nick have traumas that come into play in their relationship and while the author does delve into them more, something about it still felt like it was very surface level.

- pro hockey player x interior designer
- workplace romance

Hearts on Thin Ice was a book I was SO looking forward to reading as I am currently in my "hockey" era. However; I couldn't get behind/feel the chemistry Katie Kennedy was writing and wasn't invested in the relationship. Some of the descriptions also felt a bit juvenile. Thus, I ended up "not finishing" this read at the 14% mark.

Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy is a captivating hockey romance that will have you swooning. Filled with humor and unforgettable moments on the ice, this novel is sure to keep you entertained from start to finish. Kennedy's writing skillfully combines the excitement of hockey with the warmth of a budding romance, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. Get ready to fall in love with the characters and cheer them on as they navigate the ups and downs of love and hockey.

I was able to review an ARC of this novel courtesy of Netgalley and Alcove Press. I actually really liked this novel, and continue in my hockey romance era!

Nick Sorensen is one of the fastest hockey players in the league however he suffers an injury in a plane crash that only he survives. Nick is now “healed” and feels that he is ready to be back on the ice, however his coach is concerned that he is not doing well mentally. The proof that the coach feels that he has is that Nick’s apartment is completely empty and undecorated.

In an attempt to prove that he is emotionally fine, and ready to get back to the game he hires an interior designer to help him with his apartment. Over time Nick becomes attached to Alyssa, and catches feelings. Alyssa finds Nick very difficult and stubborn. Over the course of the novel there are a lot of topics and subjects discussed including sports, mental health and grief.

I feel that this is a great debut novel from Katie, and I felt like the character development was good. Both Alyssa and Nick were great, their roles and dual POV were done well. I also really enjoyed their chemistry and the banter between them. Alyssa really seemed to meet Nick where he was and I liked her character’s ability to do that. I also liked Nick’s concern and compassion for Alyssa despite his own grief and trauma.

This book did take me some time to finish as I was not fully engaged immediately and it felt more like a slow burn for me, however that may have been the author’s intention. I did enjoy the novel and feel that fans of Icebreaker will enjoy this.