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icarusandthesun's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
fanfic-y writing, lots (and i mean lots) of smut and a rather lacking story sums it up pretty well.
if you're looking for comfort or escapism, enjoy reading about possessive and jealous, hormone controlled college students who act like they're still in high-school, paired with inconsequential, unconvincing drama threaded into 440 pages of sex, parties and only a pinch of actual figure skating and ice hockey, i think you might like this book.
but for me personally, all of it was just too much.
i didn't like the characters. they were a little two-dimensional, horny all the damn time and some of the hockey players i simply couldn't tell apart, because they were so similar (douchey, clowny "good guys"). i didn't think there was any substance to work with, no stunning and unique personalities, nothing. the only person that actually summoned some sort of recognizable image in my head upon hearing his name was henry. and it was even worse with the girls, because the author chose to not give some of them any personality at all. there were names and corresponding characteristics (girl 1 is an annoying bitch, girl 2 rejected nathan, and so forth) but that's basically it.
also... the smut, right. i don't have anything against smut in general, but there was just too much of it for my liking. it was really A LOT. and oh my days, if i took a shot every time nathan mentioned his boner and all the little daily things anastasia does that turn him on, i'd have died of alcohol poisoning long before even reaching the second half of the book. also, some of it was just so inappropriate??
the obvious event to mention here would be them literally fucking in an UBER that they shared with all of their friends. but it was the little things, too. like her being turned on by the fact nathan's favorite movie is coco, A KIDS' MOVIE BY THE WAY. or them playing 'house', you know... the thing that children do, and it results in them fucking.
idk, maybe that's just me, but that shit made me uncomfortable to say the least.
there were also quite a lot of generic tropes in there that just weren't done quite well enough. of course there's a scene where the main character gets sexually harassed at a bar and rescued. it was so inconsequential and stupid, sexual harassment used as a means to show that a specific person is "good". great.
the plot wasn't it either. i wanted more figure skating, and ice hockey. i wanted more plot, more things that could make the book unique and interesting. more genuine distress. the 'villain', or antagonist, was boring. the whole drama was boring. everything about the plot was boring.
seriously, aaron's whole performance was just embarassing if anything and didn't have any impact at all. c'mon, there was this intense build-up to the team revealing what aaron said about anastasia and it was about her being adopted, because that's the worst and most offensive thing the guy could come up with. it was so silly because anastasia said it herself that she doesn't care about her birth parents, because her parents love her. so what the fuck.
what threw me off was how self-aware this book was sometimes. when i mentally called out a character on their bullshit, it did occur various times that another character calls them out on said bullshit. but that, too, wasn't done quite well enough, because the calling out had no consequences and was often used as a sort of "joke" or form of comic relief?
i spent most of my time reading wondering who exactly this was written for. because the writing is fanfic-y and so are the tropes, and the characters behave like teenagers. but it's 18+ and contains graphic sex scenes so what...
it felt so off because it never stuck to its supposed tone. it swayed into the adult romance direction and then hits you with the most childish dialogue - i don't know, it was just weird, know i'm saying.
+
gotta give this book credit though where it's due. some jokes were funny. and buddy-reading this did get me out of a reading slump, because it was easy and roastable and so entertaining (in all the wrong and infuriating ways, but entertaining nonetheless).
i was a little scared the representation (for various things) would be overdone and ridiculed when nathan outed jj as pansexual in the first couple of pages. but the rep was very subtle going forward, which was nice.
i also have to admit, the eating disorder representation was spot on. especially the middle part and her (suspiciously fast) recovery journey were relatable, though kept quite short, maybe a little too short to be representative, but the emotions and concerns anastasia conveyed about her weight were realistic.
the whole message surrounding therapy and how it feels hard at first but eventually can be really rewarding was cool, too.
oh, and the book had a romantic line or two in it as well, i guess.
yeah. i can't say i had fun. 440 pages were just a little too much for so little plot, so of course the book started derailing and getting sillier by the page from the second half on.
the epilogue was okay. it made their lives come full-circle. it wasn't interesting or exciting or especially impactful, it was just nice. okay. mid.
but then again, the book probably just wasn't for me. it's not supposed to be overanalyzed that way, it's just a funny little steamy romance for peak escapism. but i tend to take all of my books seriously like that, so here we are.
take from this whatever you will. if you do decide to pick it up, i sincerely hope you'll enjoy it.
if you're looking for comfort or escapism, enjoy reading about possessive and jealous, hormone controlled college students who act like they're still in high-school, paired with inconsequential, unconvincing drama threaded into 440 pages of sex, parties and only a pinch of actual figure skating and ice hockey, i think you might like this book.
but for me personally, all of it was just too much.
i didn't like the characters. they were a little two-dimensional, horny all the damn time and some of the hockey players i simply couldn't tell apart, because they were so similar (douchey, clowny "good guys"). i didn't think there was any substance to work with, no stunning and unique personalities, nothing. the only person that actually summoned some sort of recognizable image in my head upon hearing his name was henry. and it was even worse with the girls, because the author chose to not give some of them any personality at all. there were names and corresponding characteristics (girl 1 is an annoying bitch, girl 2 rejected nathan, and so forth) but that's basically it.
also... the smut, right. i don't have anything against smut in general, but there was just too much of it for my liking. it was really A LOT. and oh my days, if i took a shot every time nathan mentioned his boner and all the little daily things anastasia does that turn him on, i'd have died of alcohol poisoning long before even reaching the second half of the book. also, some of it was just so inappropriate??
the obvious event to mention here would be them literally fucking in an UBER that they shared with all of their friends. but it was the little things, too. like her being turned on by the fact nathan's favorite movie is coco, A KIDS' MOVIE BY THE WAY. or them playing 'house', you know... the thing that children do, and it results in them fucking.
idk, maybe that's just me, but that shit made me uncomfortable to say the least.
there were also quite a lot of generic tropes in there that just weren't done quite well enough. of course there's a scene where the main character gets sexually harassed at a bar and rescued. it was so inconsequential and stupid, sexual harassment used as a means to show that a specific person is "good". great.
the plot wasn't it either. i wanted more figure skating, and ice hockey. i wanted more plot, more things that could make the book unique and interesting. more genuine distress. the 'villain', or antagonist, was boring. the whole drama was boring. everything about the plot was boring.
what threw me off was how self-aware this book was sometimes. when i mentally called out a character on their bullshit, it did occur various times that another character calls them out on said bullshit. but that, too, wasn't done quite well enough, because the calling out had no consequences and was often used as a sort of "joke" or form of comic relief?
i spent most of my time reading wondering who exactly this was written for. because the writing is fanfic-y and so are the tropes, and the characters behave like teenagers. but it's 18+ and contains graphic sex scenes so what...
it felt so off because it never stuck to its supposed tone. it swayed into the adult romance direction and then hits you with the most childish dialogue - i don't know, it was just weird, know i'm saying.
+
gotta give this book credit though where it's due. some jokes were funny. and buddy-reading this did get me out of a reading slump, because it was easy and roastable and so entertaining (in all the wrong and infuriating ways, but entertaining nonetheless).
i was a little scared the representation (for various things) would be overdone and ridiculed when nathan outed jj as pansexual in the first couple of pages. but the rep was very subtle going forward, which was nice.
i also have to admit, the eating disorder representation was spot on. especially the middle part and her (suspiciously fast) recovery journey were relatable, though kept quite short, maybe a little too short to be representative, but the emotions and concerns anastasia conveyed about her weight were realistic.
the whole message surrounding therapy and how it feels hard at first but eventually can be really rewarding was cool, too.
oh, and the book had a romantic line or two in it as well, i guess.
yeah. i can't say i had fun. 440 pages were just a little too much for so little plot, so of course the book started derailing and getting sillier by the page from the second half on.
the epilogue was okay. it made their lives come full-circle. it wasn't interesting or exciting or especially impactful, it was just nice. okay. mid.
but then again, the book probably just wasn't for me. it's not supposed to be overanalyzed that way, it's just a funny little steamy romance for peak escapism. but i tend to take all of my books seriously like that, so here we are.
take from this whatever you will. if you do decide to pick it up, i sincerely hope you'll enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Medical content, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
tragicgloom's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I can't put into words how much I love this book, the characters, the plot... everything! Absolute perfection!! <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
karysrosebooth's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Bullying, Blood, and Vomit
r3ader's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood, Violence, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Pregnancy
wildflowerleahg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Loveeeeee the mental health rep but one of my favorite Taylor swift songs has been ruined
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder
mhairi_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Frenemies to lovers, reverse grumpy / sunshine, college romance, sports romance, guy falls first.
POV: Dual - Anastasia & Nathan
I fell for the cute cover and the figure skater trope. As a young competitive figure skater these plots really call to me but this wasn’t everything I was hoping it would be.
Nate our MMC and captain of the hockey team is genuinely just *chef’s kiss. I loved him so much. He is completely.
Anastasia is our FMC and a talented figure skater aiming for the Olympics. I did take a little to warm up to her but I loved her in the end. Her take-no-bullshit attitude was fantastic and her positive talk about therapy was something you don’t see too often in books which I appreciated.
Due to a series of events the skaters and hockey players are forced to share the rink at UCMH, essentially where we pick up. As Nate and Stas get closer, Stas’ skating partner Aaron becomes more manipulative and emotionally abusive.
The chemistry between Nate and Stas was well written and I lived for it. The sex scenes - I don’t even have words. The were great! Even just the lazing around scenes showcased a beautiful relationship that literally gave me all the vibes. This is relationship goals right here.
The side characters were honestly just as good as Anastasia and Nate. The puckbunnies had my heart😍. There was definitely a diverse range of characters here and while it was fantastic to see I almost feel like some of the characters were only there to create diversity, if you know what I mean.
⚠️ Content Warnings: Mental health rep, emotional abuse, toxic friendship, disordered eating, death of parent, adoption, alcohol use, sexual content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Body shaming
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Cancer, and Pregnancy
neverlandpages4's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I started seeing it all over bookstagram, and idk why I waited so long but I’m so glad that I read it! I can definitely see why this is so many people’s favorite!!
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
I liked the writing style and how casual it was. The author nailed the inner monologues of the main characters, and I loved reading from both their POVs.
𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚
I loved Anastasia’s character and her development. I was able to relate to her on some levels and I love how she got the ending she deserved 💗
𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐞
Nate is the epitome of the “golden retriever boy”. He was honestly adorable and the way he cared for other people, even when they made mistakes was amazing to see. And the way he listened to Anastasia and helped her get through some tough things was so wholesome 🥹 I’m glad that we get to see a love interest in a romcom that’s genuinely good and supportive
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Their relationship is to DIE for!!! It’s such a healthy representation of a good relationship and it was so unlike the previous romcoms I’ve read. I don’t like the miscommunication trope in romance books, so a relationship where they’re honest and communicative was so refreshing to see and I loved it so much!!
𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
the side characters were such a fun part of the book. Their banter was funny and I loved Anastasia’s friendship with the hockey team. However, there were quite a lot of side characters that we don’t know much about and I was confused whenever they were brought up because I didn’t remember them being introduced.
𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
This is definitely a new favorite!! 🫶🏼 The only reason it wasn’t a 5 ⭐️ was because I felt like it was repetitive, it seemed like every other chapter Anastasia and Nate would argue over something, then makeup by hooking up, then go back to arguing. It was just a lot of back and forth. Also, it was a bit too long for my liking. Some scenes really dragged on imo but I’d still highly recommend this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
brookesmith's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Minor: Blood and Panic attacks/disorders
clevelandbookgirl's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
storieswithbee's review against another edition
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.
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
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