If you love
🏒 Grumpy x Sunshine
🏒 He falls first
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 Strong FMC
🏒 Dual POV
This one is for you.

I have definitely been getting more into romances and love a good grumpy sunshine, and this was such a twist with the grumpy being the FMC. Summer was such a strong lead and had her goals and stuck to them no matter what obstacle came in her way.. like Donny F***ing Rai for example. Aiden was such a sunshine and gave off total golden retriever vibes and I was living for it. His eyes were always on hockey until he met Summer and then it was her.

“Why would another girl interest him when Summer is right here? It’s like being given the sun and deciding a light bulb will do.”

I loved all the little bits of the book, the dual POV will forever be a favorite writing style of mine. The added little text messages in the book just added such a cute flare and a little background into the jokes through the hockey team and summer. The love that completely surround Summer and Aiden from all parties outside of them, except for Donny F***ing Rai was unmatched. I was rooting for them the whole time.

“Summer is my sun, and I’m the simple planet revolving in her orbit.”

The good:
Aiden was patient AF with Summer’s emotional hang ups. She was a grump and I enjoy a good grumpy FMC. The chemistry was also good.
The ok:
Their love story has its cute moments where they were there for each other in meaningful ways. But most of the relationship was borderline toxic.
The bad:
This story dragged. The whole paper Summer was writing? It was mentioned regularly but we learned next to nothing about what it was about. The plot was mostly angst between Summer and Aiden with some petty plays for jealousy. I also didn’t like the resolution. It felt super icky.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: nepotism, mention of death of parents

This book was a fun ride! I love a good hockey romance and I cannot tell you the number of times I have reread the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy. When I saw Collide by Bal Khabra coming out, I knew I needed to get my hands on it.

Collide follows Summer Preston, an ambitious psychology student hoping for a future as a sports psychologist and admission into a prestigious graduate program. In order to satisfy the requirements of her advisor, she is forced to conduct her research on the university’s hockey team. Aiden Crawford is the captain of Dalton University’s hockey team and, after a house party, lands in the hot seat on the verge of probation. Under the coach’s orders, Aiden is forced to work with Summer on her research. Now thrust into each others’ lives, Summer and Aiden find that there’s more to each other than what meets the eye.

Overall, this was a fun read! It is definitely more character driven than plot driven, and although there were a lot of creative liberties taken with the university aspects of the novel (as someone who works in higher education), I still enjoyed the story overall. I will admit, it did take me a while to connect with Summer’s character, but I appreciated her growth, especially concerning her family.

I think the stars of the book were Aiden and the hockey team. I really loved the scenes when the group was all together. The banter between teammates was the best, and I found myself laughing aloud so many times. I also appreciated the sneak peek into the next book in the series. I won’t spoil who it will focus on, but I cannot wait to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC!

DNF at 48%. I tried so hard to finish this, but I just got stuck about half way through. I felt there was no actual plot line and nothing of significance had happened yet. The female lead was super annoying with her wishy washy feelings towards the male lead. I feel like it had potential but just fell flat.

Collide, a sports romance, was simply fantastic. The friendships, romance and the steam!

The first in the Off the Ice series, Collide, features a hockey star and a sports psychology student. These opposites are paired together for research, but unbeknownst to them, they have an incredible amount of things in common, including their attraction. The best part, there is NO third act break-up for this couple.

Aiden and Summer are incredibly adorable, witty and simply fun. Aiden is also kind, patient and willing to prove to her that she should date hockey guys. His teammates dynamic with Summer was a welcome change to a romance novel. It truly makes for a good story, when friendships are developed on a couples relationship.

And apparently, the next installment will feature a new couple from this friendship group, Kian and Eli!

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

She's a honor student with one hatred: hockey players, he's the captain of the hockey team who only has hockey on his mind... yet when they are partnered up for a project, both of their worlds are turned upside down. Summer Preston is determined to get into her dream grad school program, but when her advisor forces her to do her grad project on hockey... the one sport Summer hates with a burning hatred, she knows she's in for a rough time. Aiden Crawford is the captain of the hockey team, the only thing he cares about is hockey and having a good time. When Aiden's team gets in trouble and he covers for them, he is forced to work on a community project... and that means helping a sport psychologist student on her grad paper... even if she looks like she wants to punch him in the face. From the moment Summer met Aiden they had a rocky start but Aiden is determined to win her over and change her mind about hockey. The more time Summer and Aiden spend together the more Aiden is beginning to fall for her... but can he convince her to give him a chance and that not all hockey players will break her heart? Or will her walls completely block him out? Aiden isn't one for relationships but as he gets to know Summer, he's beginning to realize that he is very much in love with this stubborn, beautiful, intelligent, and amazing girl... if only he could get her to see that he's very serious about their relationship and that he doesn't want just a one night stand but he wants her forever. This one was a spicy ad sweet college sports romance. It had a bit of a rocky start and I didn't really like Aiden but he absolutely grew on me as the book went on and I loved just how in love with Summer he is. Aiden is willing to do anything for Summer and be the support system she needs. Their relationship was so sweet and cute and I just had a fun time reading this book. I also had fun getting to know the other hockey players on the team and Summer's friends as well, I honestly hope there are more books after this because I would love to see the other players get a romance! I would absolutely recommend this college sports romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I thought this was fun and light! Perfect for fans of Icebreaker looking for their next hockey romance.

Apparently, my plan to abandon people before they abandoned me isn’t healthy.” 💕

Am I a hockey romance girly now? I so so enjoyed COLLIDE by Bal Khabra (it was infinitely times better than ICEBREAKER and I will scream to all that will listen to me)!

The banter. The slow burn into the intense spice. The protective cinnamon roll of a man. The grumpy, academically-driven heroine with daddy issues. The family drama. The representation. Did I mention the sweetest cinnamon roll of a hockey captain?!?

I think most readers will find COLLIDE slightly too long (almost 400 pages!), but I truly devoured every word and loved the journey between Summer and Aidan. They were just so endearing. Our side characters were also just a fun, goofy crew - COLLIDE is listed as the first in the Off the Ice series, so I am excited to revisit our those characters in their own stories.

Rating: I really liked it!
Laughing: 😂😂
Narrators: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Pub Date: May 14!

Thank you @prhaudio and @berkley romance for the gifted copies of this book.

I mentioned this weekend while reading this, I felt like it was just good fun. I started it on audio but then was enjoying it so much, I switched to physical and basically binged it all of Saturday.

It has a very cute romance, funny banter, and some steam. I couldn’t help but think of Ice Breaker when reading this book, but I liked this one a lot more. The characters felt more developed and mature, and even though they were in college, it only at times felt like they were young. I loved all the side characters and can’t wait to read the next one!

Read if you like:
Hockey Romance
Grumpy (her)/ Sunshine (him)
Good Banter
Slow-ish burn

This book was very cute! For a fun, spicy, hockey romance, it was slightly too long and seemed to lag in some spaces, but overall it was a good read. I enjoyed the characters and felt they had a lot of good growth, and I had fun with them along the way. Great read.

I liked this book a lot! It was really sweet, and I loved the enemies to lovers aspect. I also loved Aiden, who had the incredible golden retriever energy, and the major development the characters go through. I will say that Summer frustrated me a lot throughout the book so I did waffle a bit on how much I liked her character. By the end of the book I liked her though. I also adored all the side characters, and would love to read books about them.

🏒I thought a laugh from Summer Preston was the last thing I’d ever get to hear. I’d made attempts at jokes with her all night and nada, not even a smile. But now that u know what it sounds like, I want to make it happen again🏒

THIS BOOK! Aiden and Summer were perfect together

•sports romance
•he falls first & harder
•found family

IM A FAN!! Bal’s writing was everything and MORE! While it took me some chapters to get into the story, once the story got going it got going

I love sports and I love psychology. Summer is a sports psychology student and is doing a research project to get her into grad school. Athlete burnout is huge in sports so I loved that this was her project. When she’s assigned hockey she is adamant that she gets assigned to another sport. But I loved that she didn’t

OMG! Aiden. He is the ultimate hockey dream guy. The captain of his hockey team is now the focal point of Summer’s project. He’s instantly attracted to her. But he’s also got a sad past

These two were opposites and surprisingly similar in ways they shouldn’t have been. The spice was spectacular 🤌🏽 I did cry for a few paragraphs and it shows how invested I got in these characters

Overall 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and I can’t wait for book 2

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an eARC

I missed out on this one when Bal self published this book in 2023, so when I received this ARC I was SOOOO beyond excited to have the chances to read and review for Bal's big debut with Berkley!! And she did not disappoint. I knew that I was going to love Collide after seeing one of my fave new authors Peyton Corinne constantly raving about Bal and Collide and how their books are very similar. Collide was such a great hockey romance for me. I LOVED Summer's character, seeing her drive and dedication to her education and her goals, but also seeing her struggle with being forced to take a step back and focus on life where she is at, becoming truly present. I fell deeply in love with Aiden, the smart sexy hockey captain struggling to find balance in his own life, and refusing to put himself first before the team. The enemies to lovers was so good and I loved seeing Aiden slowly force Summer to open up to him and develop a friendship.

Personally I love it when the MMC is down bad and Aiden is the EPITOME of down bad for Summer. Golden retriever boyfriend, would drop everything at the drop of a hat to help her or make her happy, etc. Their romance was steamy yet deep, and I loved seeing Aiden and Summer both grow as characters throughout the book. Also, the sprinkles in this book setting up the rest of the series about the other hockey boys?? I have theories and I NEED the books on Kian and Dylan. I love hockey romance and if you like hockey romance/sports romance at all and you haven't read this already widely popular book, you need to pick it up asap!!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with this free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was pretty dang cute! It's got all the best things from popular hockey romances - definitely with Rule Number Five by Jessa Wilder and Icebreaker by Hannah Grace vibes, but also uniquely it's own entry into the genre.

I like that they don't like each other right away, that it starts with antagonism, and that he has to grovel before they even become more than projects to each other. It's nice that while Aiden initially comes off as an ahole, he truly isn't one, and reveals that throughout the book. He's invested in himself and frustrated with life situations, but takes accountability. That's a guy we can all get behind and support going for our girl Summer.

Summer...is supremely stubborn and it's what brings a lot of the humor to the book. I loved her ambition, commitment to her dreams, and honestly, her commitment to herself. The walls are SO HIGH, and I appreciate a lead who is careful about keeping them up until being let inside has been earned.

And ooo baby, the spice. The spice in this was unexpectedly steamy, but also led to one of my favorite sweet moments from Aiden. These two have excellent chemistry, and Aiden never loses sight of believing in their emotional chemistry alongside the physical. It's very sweet.

In the grand scheme of hockey romances I really enjoyed that this one had more POC characters, which is not super common in both fictional and real life hockey. Summer is a really stubborn character, almost to fault at times and Aiden is protective, also almost to a fault. Overall I liked the plot of not standing each other than becoming friends to Lovers. I also adore a hockey romance no matter how cheesy.

This was a cute, sweet, and spicy hockey romance that I really enjoyed. I loved the dual pov, all of the side characters, and the relationship between everyone. I thought all of the characters were well fleshed out and multi dimensional, and as usual in these types of books, the side characters really made it entertaining. I laughed out loud a few times at some of Kian’s antics.

While I do find hockey romances to all be pretty similar, and I kept drawing similarities to The Deal and Icebreaker in particular, I still appreciated this story for what it was.

4.25/5 stars

I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing an arc copy of the newly traditionally published version of Collide! I had a few friends who had read and loved the book when it was out indie and who had recommended it to me, so I was really excited when I was able to get the arc for the trad published version! If you are a college hockey romance fan, you are going to love this one!

Summer is finishing up her application to go to grad school for sports psychology and has to do a final research project on an athlete. Low and behold, Aiden, the hockey captain with a heart of gold who takes the punishment for his teammates mistakes, is selected by his coach to be Summer’s research subject as part of his community service. The only problem? Summer absolutely despises hockey players and wants nothing to do with him.

This book was exactly what I look for in a college hockey romance. We had the hot hockey hunk of a MMC falling for the smart, focused and a tad grumpy FMC. The tension between them was iconic. Their banter and interactions were absolutely delicious and I was squealing at them throughout! I loved how their relationship developed over time and the back and forth they had with each other. Aiden is literally to die for and Summer is so relatable and has such a great journey in the story! Their chemistry was really off the charts and I died when they finally got together!

The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me is that I wish there was a little bit more development of plot and pacing. There were a few times where it felt like things stretched on or I wanted it to be wrapped up faster, but that is really just my personal preference as slow burns tend to kill me 😆

There were also some great side characters to the story, which I wish we could have seen a teeeensy bit more of, but it makes me so excited for future books in this series! I know Bal is gonna knock it out of the park with their stories as well!

R E A D I F Y O U L I K E
🏒 College Hockey Romance
🏒 He Falls First
🏒 Cinnamon Roll MMC
🏒 Black Cat FMC
🏒 Found Family
🏒 Forced Proximity
🏒 SO MUCH TENSION

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Will post review to linked bookstagram on release day.

This college hockey romance book was so freaking good. I will admit I was a little hesitant as the first 30% or so feels both slow and little played out. Then again, I’ve lost count of how many college hockey romances I’ve read by now. But little by little unique(and well written) characters and plot points kept coming together to build this world of DU set within New England.

I’m a sucker for a black cat x golden retriever love story. When he falls first and sees through her icy demeanor? Whew. That’s exactly what Aiden Crawford does. This hockey captain comes off as kind of aloof, like everything must come easy for him. This man has been working his ass off to get to the NHL and is a very caring captain issuing discipline to his teammates while also publicly taking the blame for their antics in front of the coach. Where you’d assume the hockey house the guys live in would be dirty and out of control there is actually a sense of order. Yes they are college boys who inherently are gross, but they truly care for one another. They’re always looking out for the problem child while never missing out on a good time.

It would be easy to be irritated by the studious and ever academic focus of Summer Preston. I’ve definitely read characters modeled similarly who had very few redeeming qualities. Yes, Summer has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to hockey players. And yes she turns down social invitations to focus on getting into grad school but she’s also a really great friend. She’s a fully formed FMC made with equal charm and flaws. Also can we talk about how we got an Indian FMC dating a hockey player? She’s not blonde and tiny. I swear if I read one more book where she’s a dainty little bird of a thing I’ll scream. I should also add that her desire to do well in academia isn’t driven by her parents. She legit likes sports psychology and is good at it.

This book is an ideal introduction to the hockey romance world. For a new reader this book should be a guide of how well a college hockey romance book can be written. This book has wonderful characters who communicate and overcome obstacles together, avoiding the third act break up. I wholeheartedly believe that this couple would actually make it past the epilogue.

I completely inhaled this read.

I could not put it down for a second.

Summer and Aiden are in their last year in college. Summer has to work with a hockey player for a sport psychology project that will determine her acceptance into a very competitive continuation program at Dalton. Only problem is she has daddy issues and they involve a true hate for hockey.

Who is she teamed up with for this project? Aidan Crawford, the captain of the hockey team and honestly one of the best book boyfriends I have ever read about (adding him to my book boyfriend collection, thank you).

There were some points where I felt like he was too good of a guy for Summer (she got a little annoying) but it all balanced out at the end.)

There are so many layers to this book and i was there for each and everyone of them.

I really enjoyed this book, it took me out of a reading slump. I love that this ice hockey romance wasn’t too in-depth with the hockey details, it was the perfect amount. The spice was GREAT — it wasn’t overdone to the point of cringe, or underdone to where I wanted more.

I do think the book could’ve ended around the 90% mark as it started to drag out at that point. The two epilogues were a little overkill.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.