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sinaprst's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
things i liked:
- representation of positive therapy experiences
- healthy communication between the main characters
- one side character is in a wheelchair and the book does not make a big deal out of this
- the spice (mostly) didn`t cause me to throw up
things i disliked:
- there was literally no plot and half of the stuff that does happen coud have been left out, there is literally no reason for this to be OVER 400 PAGES LONG
- all side characters felt like cardbord cutouts, they all had like one personality trait and no depth at all
- same goes for the antagonist, who is just shitty for the sake of causing conflict in the main couples' relationship
- also, there are way to many side characters in the first place, most of them get introduced with a bunch of info dumped all over the place, do something that furthers Stassie and Nate`s relationship and then never show up again, it`s confusing, why even introduce them at all????????????????????? maybe, if we had like half the amount of characters, they could have an actual personality and depth instead of just being plot devices
- Anastasia`s nickname: "Stassie"
- they play Never Have I Ever, eventhough they are over the age of 14
- Stassie and Nate do "the no-pants dance", as Nate would say, while he is dressed up as Gru from Despicable Me
- they go to third base in an Uber, with all of their friends present in the front seats
- the hockeyplayers` group chat is called "PUCKBUNNIES"
- Stassies petname for Nate is "bub"
- the epilogue
now, just for fun, some of quotes that that made me want to either cringe or throw up:
Nate keeps sliding [the pucks] in so easily, just like he did with your kitty cat. (p. 97)
Let him puck your mouth, Stassie (p. 97)
Is this what being dicknotized feels like? (p. 146)
That shit is making my vagina scream and I`m not sure she`s ready for the consequences of being a horny little slut... again. (p. 149)
Even my ovaries are screaming (p. 166)
I think he was concentrating on not accidentally poking me with his penis. (p. 204)
suddenly it`s Niagara Falls between my legs. (p. 205)
"If I say it`s a hockey stick, will you play with it?" (p. 205)
"Wanna do the no-pants dance with me?" (p. 244)
"[...] my balls are super toasty." (p. 300)
My nipples pebble under the heat of his glare. (p. 397)
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
dolphinchick93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, and Body shaming
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Classism, Sexism, Vomit, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Violence
thebooseller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Full disclosure: I read the books out of order because I liked the cover of Wildfire more. Oops. But that was the better book, though Icebreaker isn't bad.
If you're looking for plot, this ain't it. There are some plot points, but this is almost entirely character driven—and smut driven.
If I were Hannah's editor, I'd have recommended cutting Ryan or Henry. Aaron made sense, even if he was the. worst. But Ryan and Henry blended together, and their friendship dynamics were a touch too romantic/intimate for what was needed. (Like, there was some weird moment between Anastasia and Henry in the last 25% that felt very.....like it should have been between Stas and Nathan? I dunno.)
Nathan is cute and, respectfully, deserves better than Anastasia. She says she's been in therapy for years. As someone who's been in therapy since she was 12, I can attest to the fact that there's no way Stas has done years' worth of meaningful therapy work. She has a level of emotional immaturity that was offputting, and her blind trust in Aaron felt unfounded.
Also, for people worried about the pregnancy trope: It is my least favorite. Let's get that out of the way. But it also happens in the epilogue, so at least it isn't an essential plot point! (Though tbh the way it happened???? Sus.) There are decidedly way too many heavyhanded allusions to the inevitability of Stas's pregnancy, though.
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Eating disorder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
carsons1996'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Vomit, and Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, and Body shaming
sadiesadiesadie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Vomit
narsere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
lisa07xie'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: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
csl4240's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail
mels_reading_log'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Medical content, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
army_potterhead_multistankpop'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Blood