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sinaprst's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
honestly, just go read something on wattpad instead of spending money on this mess
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 epiloguein which Nate gets Stassie accidentally pregnant at the age of like 23, eventhough the book discussed previously how Stassie never wants to get pregant but instead adopt AFTER a successful ice skating career
now, just for fun, some of quotes that that made me want to either cringe or throw up:
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)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
tuckertl's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent
natalieyanka's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
ari_2007's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Gaslighting
courtofbooksanddreams's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had so much fun reading this book! Stassie and Nate had me giggling and kicking my feet! I usually am not a huge fan of enemies to lovers in contemporary romance (even though its my favorite trope) because it just doesn’t hit the same like it does in fantasy, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it here. I loved the big college friend group which made me so nostaglic for my own college experience. My only complaint was the eating disorder storyline that was throughout the book. I did not know about this going into it and would have appreciated a warning prior.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
dolphinchick93's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
littlemissmommy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.0
Okay so I really enjoyed this, and the spice was perfect, but I didn’t quite love it.
I will give full credit for the eating disorder rep, and anxiety rep. The story definitely juggled a lot of elements and I appreciate that Nate didn’t miraculously become a figure skater, as that was a huge reason I didn’t want to read this. So yay for realistic plot points.
All in all a very fun, don’t think too hard spicy book, I would say spicy level on this is 4. (Multiple spicy scenes, and some kinks)
I will give full credit for the eating disorder rep, and anxiety rep. The story definitely juggled a lot of elements and I appreciate that Nate didn’t miraculously become a figure skater, as that was a huge reason I didn’t want to read this. So yay for realistic plot points.
All in all a very fun, don’t think too hard spicy book, I would say spicy level on this is 4. (Multiple spicy scenes, and some kinks)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, and Grief
alexmall029's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
chloeanna's review against another edition
No plot, bad “spice”, and the dialogue is just bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
thebooseller's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
A fun, light read, but one that isn't as good as its successor (Wildfire)
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Eating disorder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy