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insanebookperson's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-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: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
britwalsh16'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? Yes
5.0
I may be biased when it comes to hockey romances now, but I absolutely loved this book!! Stassie & Nate are just the cutest! And they are a real power couple! I also loved all the side characters (besides Aaron obvs š) Lola, Robbie, Henry, JJ, just all of them! The support they show one another is incredible! I canāt wait for Russ & Henryās stories, & I hope thereās more after that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
hdunscombe's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
siobhankeira's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
4.25
I was hesitant to read Icebreaker because of the hype around it.
So I went into this book with low expectations and kind of expecting it to be not as good as people on social media have said.
Now, the first thing Iāll say is, no I canāt answer if it lives up to the hype. I think overhyped anything holds it to higher than normal standards, which isnāt honest to me.
That being said, I was surprised by this book. It was deeper than I thought it would be, and made me smile at some of the things characters said and did. Other times my chest ached for them, because the vulnerability the characters were able to show in different ways really impressed me.
To be honest, the way I can tell if I really like a book is if I put off reading it, because I donāt want it to endā¦and I did that with Icebreaker.
Things werenāt easy and perfect, there was growth needed between all characters, some did grow and some did not.
However, one of my greatest appreciations in reading peopleās stories is when the characters feel real enough. To where I can relate, understand how they came to that conclusion or mindset. They have āgoodā traits as well as ābadā traits.
They are complex, not simply just bad or just good. Those are the characters in stories I crave the most and I definitely saw two sides to each character, they had depth to me.
End of spoiler free review tldr; I was surprised by how much I liked this book, the characters, and the complex issues the characters dealt with, the different kinds of relationships, etc. The characters are unique in their own ways, for worse or for better, but they are believable, and honestly the humour got me too. Maybe roll your eyes with a smile on your face, but I loved it.
I would recommend this to readers who like enemies to lovers, sports romances, each main character (and side characters) that have their good and bad moments, and
If you are able to quiet the high expectations placed on any popular source of media, I think most will like this book, and I, for one am excited to read the next in the series. :)
SPOILERS AHEAD:
One thing that made me really like this book is the FMC of this story, Anastasia/Stessie. I saw myself in her in a lot of ways, and I also try to see the best in people, even if it hurts. I give others the benefit of the doubt, my understanding, even after being burned over and over again. Having Stessie open up was like looking in a mirror for me a bit. Having to be strong and assertive all the time, placing high expectations of yourself, puts a person in high stress without all the additional things.
Her character showed how much a toxic person can poison your life overtime, even if you also have had good memories of them too. I admired her for seeing that there was more to Aaron than just the cruelty, but like her therapist pointed out, she needs to be able to be safe mentally too.
Seeing her open up and allowing others to care for her, love her, and appreciate her for just existing, was beautiful to see and I think most of us crave that, need that.
Nate by no means was a perfect book boyfriend, he had his faults and Iām sure things we all got irritated by, but it honestly made me like him more. I donāt like perfect characters, because I donāt connect to them.
I loved how much the hockey team embraced and loved Stassie, I always love that kind of big brother dynamic. It warms my heart.
As for the things I want too much a fan of, one Iāll start off with which is minor and completely up to preference - and itās taking the epilogues, 2-3yrs later, and it focuses more on pregnancy or children than what the characters had been working towards the entire book.
Iām not saying at all that that having a family is lackluster, I just wish if it was included into the epilogue, it wasnāt overshadowing the facts that like Anastasia was an Olympic medalist? It was like mentioned once and seemed odd considering the entire book was about her figure skating.
It would be more believable to me if it was 5-7yrs later. But again, just my personal preferences.
The other thing that did bother me in the book was that despite Stessie having her best friend Lola, whom sheās lived with before all of the story happens, it doesnāt feel like she is much of the story even as she is present in the scenes.
I feel like JJ, Henry and even Russ had more conversations than Lola. Maybe Iām misremembering a part in the book, Iām not sure. I just feel like she was more in the background than most, and I mean, they didnāt really even discuss Nate? No little gossip sesh or anything really, which was disappointing imo.
I wouldāve liked to see more of the girls friendship throughout the book, and not just brief appearances when they literally were living in the same apartment, then home. They had conversations, but most of them happened offscreen.
Plus, what the hell happened to Ryan? He was present for a good quarter of the first half of the book at the very least - encourages Stessie & Nate to be together in whatever capacity, we donāt hear from him until he shows up near the last bit of the book? And now heās being handsy with Stessie? No conclusion to him and Olivia? Not saying that couldnāt happen, but it felt very unfinished to me and itās like he just poofed from existence for a good chunk of the book.
I know this is the authors first book, (I think) and by no means am I wishing to be harsh. These things are only disappointments because I am interested in these characters and wish we got to learn about them more.
I havenāt read the next two books, so hopefully we will get some answers or hints there.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and definitely need a Nate in my life for my inner Anastasia <3
Now, the first thing Iāll say is, no I canāt answer if it lives up to the hype. I think overhyped anything holds it to higher than normal standards, which isnāt honest to me.
That being said, I was surprised by this book. It was deeper than I thought it would be, and made me smile at some of the things characters said and did. Other times my chest ached for them, because the vulnerability the characters were able to show in different ways really impressed me.
To be honest, the way I can tell if I really like a book is if I put off reading it, because I donāt want it to endā¦and I did that with Icebreaker.
Things werenāt easy and perfect, there was growth needed between all characters, some did grow and some did not.
However, one of my greatest appreciations in reading peopleās stories is when the characters feel real enough. To where I can relate, understand how they came to that conclusion or mindset. They have āgoodā traits as well as ābadā traits.
They are complex, not simply just bad or just good. Those are the characters in stories I crave the most and I definitely saw two sides to each character, they had depth to me.
End of spoiler free review tldr; I was surprised by how much I liked this book, the characters, and the complex issues the characters dealt with, the different kinds of relationships, etc. The characters are unique in their own ways, for worse or for better, but they are believable, and honestly the humour got me too. Maybe roll your eyes with a smile on your face, but I loved it.
I would recommend this to readers who like enemies to lovers, sports romances, each main character (and side characters) that have their good and bad moments, and
If you are able to quiet the high expectations placed on any popular source of media, I think most will like this book, and I, for one am excited to read the next in the series. :)
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Iām not saying at all that that having a family is lackluster, I just wish if it was included into the epilogue, it wasnāt overshadowing the facts that like Anastasia was an Olympic medalist? It was like mentioned once and seemed odd considering the entire book was about her figure skating.
It would be more believable to me if it was 5-7yrs later. But again, just my personal preferences.
I wouldāve liked to see more of the girls friendship throughout the book, and not just brief appearances when they literally were living in the same apartment, then home. They had conversations, but most of them happened offscreen.
I havenāt read the next two books, so hopefully we will get some answers or hints there.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and definitely need a Nate in my life for my inner Anastasia <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
tyras_bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I liked it for a figure skater/hockey romance. It was a little long and drawn out in places but not overbearing about it. I'm also new to Hannah Grace's style and felt pretty critical of the writing at times.
Anastasia was in pretty deep when it came to Aaron. She trusted him and was a little naive but also manipulated into letting her goals and anxieties drive her rather than her own common sense.
I hate that she only breaks away from one man with the help of another but her and Nate were very cute. Nate was in his toxic man bag a time or two but finally gets his head out his butt to realize that Anastasia grown and can think for herself.
Decent book but some of the chapters felt so random. Like sister literally almost drowned at one point and like nothing happened with that. It forced a love confession (realization of her love) so thereās that but just seemed random to me.
Also kinda random was Nateās immediate interest in Ana to begin with. So itās forced proximity because of plot/conflict but while he is the hockey captain (vested interest in peace) sheās not the only figure skater nor the perceived leader of the skaters. It didnāt make sense why he singled her out other than I guess she seemed the most of upset and he wanted to be helpful. Really its because sheās hot and the main character but thatās too easy.
It was actually very upsetting to read about Aaron ā heās a narcissistic, manipulative, leech of a man. Sure, hurt people hurt people and he definitely needed therapy or (another) punch to the face but I think he was super aware of his actions and doing it all on purpose because he lacks power in his family life and could exercise power over Ana.
Iāve got mixed feelings on how the conflict was resolved and that bothers me.
I feel like Ana āwonā āno longer on his grasp and fully in control of what she wantsā but it also felt like she got that closure/victory at the expense of her dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
mossywossy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75
It was really cute and had such a good showing on how to have a healthy relationship! Not just romantically either. I liked all the characters developmentsā¦the ones that had any anyway lol. But it was so nice to have a story along with the sexy parts, and a good story at that.
Spoiler for towards end of book!!!
<Personally, Iām really conflicted on the whole frozen lake scene. Iām glad it got her to admit first, which is something I was hoping for, but alsoā¦why?? It felt so rushed and passed on compared to other parts of the book. >
Spoiler for towards end of book!!!
<Personally, Iām really conflicted on the whole frozen lake scene. Iām glad it got her to admit first, which is something I was hoping for, but alsoā¦why?? It felt so rushed and passed on compared to other parts of the book. >
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
lucia2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Bullying
emmahe'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
3.5
needed a huge edit, it slowed and nearly stalled at the 4/5 way mark, but overall was loveable. characters are good, romance was relatively well paced (rushed for me at 2/5 and 4/5 but thatās okay!). felt like it was too much packed into one book. could have done without the main character almost drowning in a frozen lake for seemingly no reason
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Vomit and Sexual harassment
iida_a's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, Violence, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
thereadingfairy's review against another edition
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
The cover of this book misleadingly makes it look like a cute, innocent, lighthearted romance. The characters and their relationships, however, are certainly not āinnocentā. Most of the book is more about lust than love, which I personally didnāt want to read.