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storieswithbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Plain and simple, I ADORED this book! It had the wit, the humour, the contemporary modernism that made you feel like you were reading about a real-life college romance, and some incredible representation. Going past that, this book has literally put me into the BIGGEST reading slump now that I've finished it. On one hand, that's kind of a nice thing because it means that I've taken a little bit to really engage in all my emotions and feelings towards the book. But on the other hand, I have been given far too many ARCs this month that I'm not able to neglect!
The characters were great. The romance was heartwarming. The spice was... *chef's kiss*. Even better again, I live in Australia, so our university system is vastly different to the American college system, but the book was so well written that I didn't feel so polarised as I have been with other college romances.
Lastly, it was a very classic romance genre HEA epilogue ending, which I think if you're looking for that in a read, then this book is great. At the same time, if you're not in the headspace for that, then this book can come across as a little predictable, and, dare I even say, eye-roll-inducing.
There are some trigger warnings in this book. It is definitely for 18+ readers, but there is also some themes that some reader may find very uncomfortable. These include sexual content, slut-shaming, sexual assault (on-page), food shaming, dieting & calorie-counting, disordered eating, death of a parent (mentioned), toxic friendship, swearing, pregnancy, etc. Please check if this is the right book for you.
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Sexism, Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Classism, and Blood
Minor: Cancer, Grief, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
ines27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexism, Bullying, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Anastasia “Stassie” Allen is a dedicated figure skater with her sights set on Olympic gold. So when a prank gone wrong leads to her sharing the ice with her university’s hockey team (and their attractive captain Nate Hawkins), it is exactly the kind of distraction Stassie isn’t looking for—but might just be exact distraction she needs.
This book is exactly what it purports to be—a cute, spicy, lighthearted romantic comedy with fun characters and a solid sporty premise. It’s the definition of an easy read, the kind of book that just makes you smile because of how sweet it is, which made it the perfect offset to my October “spooky season” reads.
The characters were occasionally a bit childish to me, but I was able to let that go because, well, they’re college students after all. I also had a few issues with the ending, and thought the book could have been a tad shorter. That said, my critiques are mostly nitpicking! The bottom line: I’m already eagerly awaiting the second novel in the series, and a return to this world and these characters.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: sports romances; enemies to lovers; big secondary casts.
CW: Eating disorders; body shaming; toxic friendship; emotional abuse/gaslighting.
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
sami_leigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“I know I’m lucky that I have someone by my side who would go to war for the people she loves, and it’s made me realize, right now, she’s going to war for herself.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
⛸️ Dual POV
⛸️ First or two books!
⛸️ Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
⛸️ Collegiate sport; ice hockey & skating
⛸️ Forced-proximity
⛸️ ‘Touch her & I’ll kill you’ vibes
⛸️ Sensitive representation of mental health & eating disorder
⛸️ Consent Culture & Sex Positivity
⛸️ Banter 👌🏻
⛸️ Spice 🔥
⛸️ Well established secondary characters; family ties & a huge friend group (We must protect Henry, JJ, & Muffin with our lives!)
⛸️ Disability representation in secondary characters
⛸️ Representation of diverse sexualities in secondary characters
⛸️ Actively counters toxic masculinity in dialogue 🙌🏻
⛸️ Growth in the MCs by the bucket load; healthy communication & therapy for the win!
⛸️ No third act break up 🙌🏻
⚠️ Eating disorder, body shaming, toxic friendship, death of a parent (in past), violence, injury/injury detail, vomit, pregnancy, medical trauma, sexism (slut shaming).
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Violence
culzean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
bookwormbullet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Eating disorder, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
certainlycameron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy
annalena_reads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol
basicallyki's review against another edition
3.0
i would have liked to see brady support anastasia more after aaron forcefully kissed her. i understand that they were on camera and she was probably doing it for anastasia sake but it left a bad taste in my mouth that brady sided with him (in a way) every time something came up between them. there should have been more consequences for aaron and it felt unresolved because it was brushed passed and said he transferred schools.
the ending felt rushed compared to the rest of it and the conclusion to the drama felt flat.
the epilogue really ruined it for me too.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy