The Parent Playbook by Elsie Woods is a lighthearted read following two single parents as they navigate work and new relationships while their kids conspire to bring them together. This was a fun, slightly cheesy story that shows charity founder Angel open up to Hockey coach Scotty. This is the fifth book in the Love on Thin Ice series that follows the other players in the Ice Breakers team but can be read standalone. Overall a relatively short read for when you want a light rom-com. Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and the author for the ARC.

My favorite of the series thus far!

Read if you like:
-Single Mom and Son meet Single Dad and Daughter
-Parent Trapping
-Soul Mates and Soul Siblings
-Sweet Romance (Not Spicy)
-Small Towns

I really liked this dual single parent romance. Scotty and Angel were just so sweet together.

Scott is single dad to Lily. Angel is single mom to Andy. Their worlds collide and the crowd roars. Andy and Lily become instant friends who see right away how perfect their parents are for another. Their parent trap is adorable and oh, so sweet!

I received an ARC of THE PARENT PLAYBOOK; I was not paid for my review.

This is a cute story of 2 single parents starting a blended family. The romance is very sweet and naturally blossoms between the story. The plot is a little slow placed but it was nice to read a romance that doesn’t centre on loads of drama unfolding.

TLDR; This book had good bones but it felt unfinished.

The relationship felt like it somehow both jumped from zero to 100 and at the same time I was bored with the way the slow burn played out, I never had a good sense of time throughout the book, the stakes and rules of the charity hockey league were never defined, the scene to scene transitions were unclear or abrupt, important moments were either completely missing or very short, and the conflicts had teeth to them nor did they have satisfying conclusions. I know it sounds like I hated this book but I didn’t, I just don’t think it did justice to the characters or the story. All in all it lacked detail and definition which made it hard to really get invested in the stories and characters.

The Parent Playbook is a sweet rom com that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. From the moment Angel meets Scotty, I found myself laughing and rooting for them. Angel runs the charity that the Ice Breakers are representing, and Scotty is one of the coaches. They are both single parents and of course, their kids hit it off and become great friends. First of all, both kids are amazing and endearing! So mature, yet curious and mischievous in their preteen years. Angel has quite the calm the head on her shoulders, despite all the chaos that surrounds her (not calling out any names…Edgar!!!). Scotty shows up, day after day, and just brings a calming presence and a hand of help in the midst of the crazy ranch shenanigans. He also happens to bring all the dad jokes, which keeps the laughter genuine. The story is fast paced but remains so very realistic. I enjoyed all the friendly and romantic moments, not to mention when Scotty finally steps up to do what needs to be done! I love this crew! If you’ve been following the series, you will enjoy seeing glimpses of some of the other characters. If you have not, it’s totally fine. You can enjoy this one as a standalone (and have something to look forward to).
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

The Parent Playbook is a cute edition to this series. The thing I loved the most was the found family and family dynamic that emerges between Scotty, Angel, and their kids. I think that the unique juxtaposition that is used to contrast Scotty and Angel's past love experiences allow you to grow with them. I also love the decision to not have them immediately jump into a relationship and instead like parents would in real life prioritize their children even if they want to be with someone. While I did find Angel at times a little clueless when it comes to running the foundation I really did like the story and the relationship that grew over time.

I have been loving this hockey series, and The Parent Playbook really is icing on the cake. Small town, single parents and amazing chemistry. Angel and Scotty are such great characters and their story was so great to read!

Thank you netgalley for The Parent Playbook by Elsie Woods

This was a sweet rom com, but I found it all happened so quickly. There was no real adversity for the couple and when they had issues it felt like they were never really delved into or resolved properly. Sweet quick read though

Continuing on in Maple Falls with the rest of the Ice Breakers hockey time, our focus is on Angel the owner of the charity at the front of their tournament and Scotty one of their coaches.

This one focuses on single parents and their challenges but also their ability to find love again. It’s a cute easy read much like the rest of the Love on Thin Ice series; but doesn’t really involve hockey as much as the others. Seeing as I don’t have kids, these characters weren’t as relatable for me but I still enjoyed their story for sure.

However the best part was definitely Edgar the goat. Talk about funny antics. But in all seriousness I loved the ranch that was home to the charity and all the awareness it brings to kids needing to be kids and donating to those in need.

A cute addition to the series and I can’t wait to continue it once more

This is a small town, single parent, closed door, hockey romance. Great chemistry between the main characters and their kids are super sweet.

This is one of the books in the Love on Thin Ice series, being written by different authors. Excited to check out the others! Looks like they are on Kindle Unlimited for those who subscribe.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Parent Playbook to come out September 26, 2024.

3.5⭐️


Empezó bien, era entretenido, la relación se estaba dando de forma natural, tanto Angel como Scotty eran personajes agradables y los niños estaban felices. El problema fue que el último cuarto fue repetitivo y cansó la postura de Scotty.

Me quedé con la duda de la edad de los niños porque actuaban como dos adultos y no niños.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Angel is the director of a children's charity and Scotty is a retired hockey player. They have to work together to make the charity thrive...

Love how Angel and Scotty fall in love. Their chemistry is terrific. Enjoy watching them fall in love. A fun sport romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This was a refreshing read. I love this series! and I love that they are by different authors. Each story is their own but can be read together as well. This story is about Scotty and Angel. Both single parents. Scotty left playing hockey when his wife got sick. Now he is helping to coach. Angel runs Happy Horizons Ranch where kids can go to be kids. Angel also doesn't like hockey. Scotty and Angel meet and sparks fly. Add in Lily and Andy and it makes a cute story. It was a fun and quick read! I can't wait for more of this series!

This novel is a bit different than the others in the series, while it is still good, it wasn't as much of a page turner for me.

The characters are still enjoyable, they are all unique in their own way, and as always, there is love in Maple Falls with one of the hockey players.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my ARC!

Another enjoyable book in this series. I love that a different author writes each. The Parent Playbook was a fun read that I liked because I got to know more about a couple and the child involved. Overall, the tone was spot on and it was believable. A refreshing read among several hockey-themed books lately. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Part of an interconnected series written by multiple authors. Each book focuses on one couple but several of the characters appear throughout the series. Not required to read in order but might be more enjoyable.
He left the hockey world when his wife got sick. Now he's a single father and has the chance to get back into it if temporarily. She's over the charity that will benefit from the games. However she's not fond of the game. What happens when they meet for the first time? Will her opinion change? How will this affect their future?.

I received a copy of this book from the author. Review voluntarily given.

3.25 stars

I found the first half of this novel to be page turning, but by the time I hit the 60% mark it just wasn’t doing it for me.

In this novel we follow our FMC Angel and MMC Scotty. Angel runs a charity where kids can go to read, learn how to grow vegetables, and have just a general resource for those less fortunate. Scotty is a retired hockey player who volunteered to coach the Ice Breakers hockey team, who is during a 5-game charity event for Angel’s charity. It’s love at first sight as Scotty helps Angel fix up the barn and other areas. Will these two fall in love and will it stick?

Like I said, I enjoyed the first half of the novel because I felt the chemistry between these two. I’m a huge fan of show don’t tell with love stories, and you could see Scotty showing Angel his love by helping on the ranch and teaching her son hockey. Angel showed her love by encouraging him at the hockey games and bonding with his daughter.

Andy and Lily (Angel’s son and Scotty’s daughter respectively) were iffy for me. I did like how the author made them unique, such as their protests and being environmentally conscious. However, I felt like they didn’t actually come across as a normal set of 12 year olds. Again, I liked how they were characterized differently, but at times they were a bit annoying.

Another side note, as this is part of a series where all the plots take place at the same time, I felt some of the characters didn’t fall inline with how they were written in their original books. For instance, Scotty keeps dropping Lily off with Blair or Blair picks her up from school. However, I don’t remember Blair ever interacting with his daughter in her own book. There is also a scene where Cooper is talking with Angel and smiles, laughs, says a lot of words, and calls the town by its correct name. But in his book he never laughs or smiles, is a man of few words, and always calls the town Pine Falls. Again, this is something small but it’s worth pointing out.

I did like this book and hope to continue with the rest of the series.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.