Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Icebreaker

This is a fun and very spicy adult romance about a figure skater and a competitive hockey player who are thrown together when they have to share a rink for practice. I think the synopsis is a little misleading for the book because it implies that Nate and Anastasia have to work together for a lot of the story and learn how to be on the ice together, but in actuality the forced proximity only lasts for about 5 chapters.

The rivals-to-lovers element is also over very quickly, which I didn't really mind, but if you're coming here for a long, drawn out, slow-burn rivals-to-lovers dynamic, then you might be disappointed. I appreciated the discussions of mental health and the focus on how much of a positive impact therapy can have, but I found the overall story a little underwhelming (the ending was a particular letdown for me). It also took me a while to get used to the nickname of "Stassie" because in the audiobook it sounds like "Stasi" and, well...that has some very specific historical connotations that I imagine the author might not want to be associated with this book.

Content Warnings

eryn_gilbert's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

Content Warnings

storieswithbee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

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