The POVs have distinct voices and for the most part, the writing is easy and enjoyable. I felt like overall, the writing was good within the scenes, but the pacing ended up awkward. I hate to say it, but there were major problems with simple character blocking, leading to awkwardness throughout the book. It especially derailed the spicy scenes, making them very awkward.

The plot is beat-for-beat Icebreaker. Summer was Anastasia except Indian and focused on getting into her PhD program plus she had a hockey dad which led to her unresolved baggage (rather than frustration of sharing the ice), Aiden was Nate except with two dead parents and trauma and less cuteness specially because we saw it played out in another book, and Donny was Aaron except within academia instead of on the ice, and all of this is telegraphed within the first 8%. I found this book extremely disappointing from that regard.

This book was self-published in September 2023 and got decent reviews so clearly I’m the minority. Fabulous for this author to score a traditional deal. <3

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This was a fun, low stakes book. I love that there was no third at breakup, and the character's backstories added depth to the book.

I had a very hard time believing that D1 Ivy League athletes are able to get away with so much crap and pretty much throw parties every night and still make it on the dean's list, but I suspended my belief. I think Summer's grad school application was a great plot and made the story feel more grounded, as academia is incredibly difficult.

I would've loved more focus on each of the main characters' development. It felt like Summer hated hockey players and then was suddenly fine with them and that Aiden was struggling to have a balance but then he suddenly figured it out without trying.

Overall, an enjoyable book! I liked the chapters for the next book in the series, so I'm excited to see where it goes!

This book completely blew me away! I could not stop giggling and kicking my feet every time the main characters were on the page. Their romance is absolutely adorable and had me swooning nonstop. The characters also felt very relatable with the goals they have in life and the pressures they face constantly from day to day in school. I breezed through this book in one sitting and will definitely be keeping an eye out for this author. Highly recommend this read for anyone looking to cozy up with a warm, quick, romantic story!

Such as good college, hockey romance! I loved the banter, and even though enemies to lovers is a popular trope, this book still felt unique because of the premise. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a steamy sports romance!

If you say that something is a hockey book then I will 100% be reading it. When I saw this book floating around on social media I knew that it was right up my alley. This book was just a fun read. The romance was great and spicy, the characters were enjoyable and the plot was great as well. I feel like Aiden and Summer helped each other through their personal struggles in a supportive way. The best part, this book is a reverse grumpy x sunshine! I love when the MMC has to be the one who is all golden retriever while the FMC basically scowls at the world. It leads to such a fun dynamic and amazing banter.

Overall, this is a fun and light read with surprisingly steamy scenes. You will not be wanting for your dose of hockey, romance and giggles while reading.

Thank you Bloomsbury and Bal Khabra for an eArc of this book in return for an honest review.

I am. It the biggest fan of hockey romances but they are super popular lately and so I wanted to read some to add to our library collection. I thought this book started off pretty strong and I was enjoying the tension between Aiden and Summer and I love a reverse grumpy sunshine trope where the fmc is the grumpy/black cat vibes. By about halfway it started falling apart for me though and the fmc kept picking fights and driving me nuts. It felt like it just started to drag on and on and I got more detached from the story. I think with some editing and cutting the length this could be really great though!

I thought it was pretty good and that a lot of people will like it! I had a hard time putting it down for sure. Admittedly I thought the pacing was a little odd and I didn't find all of the characters as likeable as I have for other similar titles I read but I still think this one is going to be a hit!