Reviews with content warning for Blood - Icebreaker

TikTok (more specifically Booktok) has been pumping my TBR full of books for the last couple of years, so I decided that I needed to tackle a book that I've been curious about for a long time, and that book was 'Icebreaker' by Hannah Grace!

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.

Content Warnings

sharebear431's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

luciiee's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

irisvdn's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

chrisljm's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

this shit had me kicking my feet and twinkling my toes

Content Warnings

mattiedancer's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

Writing: 3.75⭐️/5

The writing was unremarkable. There were one or two lines that were quite well done, but mostly it was adequate and even, which made for a really fast reading experience. Also, much of the writing was VERY tell-y versus actually showing the audience. It wasn’t poorly done, necessarily; I just wish it had been finessed a bit more.

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5

The characters are uniquely lovable. I’m not sure how realistic they are, but they’re certainly quite fun to read about. I do wish we got a bit more understanding of the motives behind Aaron, our MC’s skating partner, as we aren’t fully let in to understand why he’s doing the things that he’s doing. Otherwise, the characters were very fun and vibrant.

Plot: 3.75⭐️/5

The plot was fun, but not extremely well-paced. Certain sections could have been sped up, while others were much too tell-y and not doing enough to show us what was happening. About three-quarters the way through the book I was confused as to how the story wasn’t over, but then the plot “re-thickened,” even though I kind of thought it was resolving. I really wish this was coalesced a bit better instead of feeling so segmented.

Post-Reading Rating: 3.25⭐️/5

Could have done without the epilogue honestly. Kind of ruined it for me.

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