Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

113 reviews

samarakroeger's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

3.0

I can see why this series is popular— sports romance is having a moment, there’s plenty of intriguing side characters in this world (i.e. sequel fodder), and it’s got a fair amount of smut.  tbh i couldn’t keep all the roommates/friends/teammates straight, but I wasn't really giving the book my undivided attention. There’s plenty of interpersonal dynamics that are explored well by Hannah Grace, although I don't always love having a harmful side character get so much screen time. 

All in all, I’ll probably read the other books but this is certainly nothing to write home about. 

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readingwithcas's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Drama. Romance. Betrayal. Comedy. This book has it all!

Icebreaker is the perfect smutty introduction to Sports Romance. I do not have an athletic bone in my body but Hannah Grace had me invested in every part of this story, including the competitions and practices.

One thing I absolutely adored about Icebreaker is how real the characters feel. They are not just college students, or athletes, or in love, but a beautiful, messy mix of their experiences rolled into a person I could easily meet at a college campus. Serious topics that affect so many people in real life were addressed in a way that didn’t feel forced or harmful. The importance of therapy in different scenarios was also shown in such a simple way without ruining immersion.

This story is an absolute masterpiece that I regret not reading sooner. I recommend checking out the trigger warnings before reading as serious subjects such as eating disorders, toxic relationships, and near-death experiences are featured. 

I cannot wait to dive into the next book in the Maple Hills series!

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agent_004's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.5


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kaydeedickins's review

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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? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So very good! The third act conflict felt true to the characters and was well written, not just some random miscommunication like some romance books. I love the communally theme and the lack of damsel-in-distress storytelling. Only reason I didn’t finish it one day is because I have a toddler who wants to read his books. But it’s that good.

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ashlynregan's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative 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

2.5

I dont know whats more unrealistic: the fact that their university put on Hamilton or that a man like Nate Hawkins really exists. I think its both.

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leasasaa's review against another edition

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emotional funny fast-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

3.0

It was ok until the epilogue.

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tinkerbelle's review

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emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

i think this might be a favorite of mine now

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jennabellefeuille's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0


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fayesfate's review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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


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kathis_wonderland's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is the first book in the Maple Hill series. Anastasia is an aspiring figure skater. When problems at university lead to the skating team and the ice hockey team needing to share a rink, problems are inevitable. Sparks fly between Anastasia and Nate, the captain of the hockey team, and not only good ones. But they need to work together, which includes trying to ignore all the good sparks between them. 
 
I love figure skating! In my teenage years I would get up any time during the night during the Olympic Winter Games whenever figure skating was on, because I was just amazed by it. So, is it surprising that I liked this book? No, it isn't. This book was really good to read. I liked the alternating POVs that gave us an insight into figure skating and ice hockey, which I found interesting. What really amazed me in this book was consent. They all took consent very seriously. This is what sexual action should look like. Nate even said somewhere at the beginning of their relationship that Anastasia can withdraw consent anytime she wants to. Loved that.
 
The communication between Anastasia and Nate was quite good as well. Usually, when it comes to characters in this age group, there often is miscommunication, which annoys me greatly. Their chemistry was amazing as well! Lots of spice in this book.
 
On thing that bothered me, and this is totally a me thing and has nothing to do with the book by itself, was the name Anastasia. More often than not my mind jumped to Fifty Shades of Grey when I read the name. And this book is completely different to the other series! I don't know what came over me... 
 
I quite enjoyed this book. Sometimes the story seemed a bit dragging, but overall, it was good. I hope I can get back to Maple Hills at some point.

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