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aromarrie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
“You’re such a fucking dork,” Brady said. “And I love you. More than hockey, more than Jagr.”
i think we can all say here is that the general consensus in thoughts about the pacing of this book is that is indeed very slow. and because it was so slow, it caused many emotions, ranging from pure delight to extreme frustration and plain sympathy. throughout all of that, i was endeared more & more to nick & brady’s relationship, and the relationship nick shared with his cousins and other hockey teammates.
i was immediately gripped by this story’s premise because of the potential that was getting to read from a character who always had an interest in hockey and knew the game like the back of his hand, but he never really played it. to see him as an adult juggling adult responsiblities, while getting to have his fun by finally participating in a sport that takes place beyond the ice, it was such a natural balance that the author wrote with ease and that which made me feel more connected to nick’s character.
it’s hard to imagine what scenes i would’ve cut out, no matter how dragged out the story may have seemed, because each & every moment nick had with his team in the locker room and on the ice, every moment he hung out & confided with his cousins about his love life, every moment he shared with brady that felt like falling off a cliff—it all built up to an ending that almost burst me to tears because it was all so sweet. these characters are really sweet, they’re all so funny and they felt so real; the banter, all the arguments, how much some of them live for hockey in a way that doesn’t take them to the NHL but it brings them together as a group who wants to play the sport and have fun with it—i simply reveled in it.
was it frustrating how little communication there was between our two characters, nick & brady? yes, it really really really was, and that’s partly why my rating can’t be any higher, because as much as i respect what the author was clearly doing, my personal feelings just could not handle the emotional damage some parts to this book caused me. i still read to the end, though, and i’m glad i did, because these characters are messy as hell for sure, but they care about each other very deeply, and that makes them both sweet & messy, which is the reality for a lot of people. i loved how when these characters did communicate, it was in a way that just absolutely gutted you. because it was like the author could see straight into the reader’s heart and knew exactly where to hit it so it would hurt, and also to just let us know that our feelings were valid.
brady’s feelings, in particular, was so much of a rough go that not having his pov made it feel like a slip & slide. his chemistry with nick was so natural, so endearing, it felt like we were slipping right alongside with nick. when things started to get too personal, though, too potentially public for brady, i started putting my guard up just as brady did, much to nick’s chagrin. it was hard to know where this push & pull dynamic was coming from because brady clearly felt so at home with nick, just like nick feels with him, but there was this block separating them that both were too scared to knock over, all in fear of losing sight of the other. and again, not having brady’s pov felt like trudging through an olympic marathon because the end goal was so far away and you knew it was coming, but you just had to keep pushing in order to even see it that close in the distance. when brady’s feelings do come to light, it’s something that broke me just a tad and seeing the way him & nick actually talk was like witnessing a goddamn miracle.
honestly though, this story is so full of heart and it’s so gentle with its characters that all their highs & lows made me feel like i was right there with them. this book showed a different side to the hockey world that wasn’t revolved around the NHL, because as much as a lot of players might aspire to reach that level, there’s others in the beer leagues that have much different hopes & dreams. and it’s just so amazing to have met as many of the characters as i did who had those dreams. again, nick & brady were everything. so was gail, who was such a fiery character on-and-off the ice and who shook up the story at times as nick’s teammate; and then also jenna, nick’s cousin, who was the voice of reason at a lot of points but also the source of laughter for others. i also liked terry, nick’s other cousin, and i appreciated the dynamics that the author was exploring here when it came to nick & his family because of i have to be honest, it’s one of the best relationship dynamics i’ve seen in fiction. his cousins felt like his own siblings, and the touch of lightness & support they added to this story was much much needed.
i liked how little as we knew of brady (i don’t even know what job he works??? all i know is that his work uniform consists of a polo, khakis, and boat shoes, and that’s just…….), how he & nick bond with each other through hockey made their growing relationship feel so damn soft because brady was tearing down his own walls without realizing it and by getting to have this thing with nick, it helped him in a way that neither nick or the reader would ever fully understand until near the end.
i loved so many more things about this book, how raucous and fun nick & brady’s team were, and how much the author really took their time with the story. it was a race worth pushing through to the finish line, and i enjoyed most of every minute of it.
i think we can all say here is that the general consensus in thoughts about the pacing of this book is that is indeed very slow. and because it was so slow, it caused many emotions, ranging from pure delight to extreme frustration and plain sympathy. throughout all of that, i was endeared more & more to nick & brady’s relationship, and the relationship nick shared with his cousins and other hockey teammates.
i was immediately gripped by this story’s premise because of the potential that was getting to read from a character who always had an interest in hockey and knew the game like the back of his hand, but he never really played it. to see him as an adult juggling adult responsiblities, while getting to have his fun by finally participating in a sport that takes place beyond the ice, it was such a natural balance that the author wrote with ease and that which made me feel more connected to nick’s character.
it’s hard to imagine what scenes i would’ve cut out, no matter how dragged out the story may have seemed, because each & every moment nick had with his team in the locker room and on the ice, every moment he hung out & confided with his cousins about his love life, every moment he shared with brady that felt like falling off a cliff—it all built up to an ending that almost burst me to tears because it was all so sweet. these characters are really sweet, they’re all so funny and they felt so real; the banter, all the arguments, how much some of them live for hockey in a way that doesn’t take them to the NHL but it brings them together as a group who wants to play the sport and have fun with it—i simply reveled in it.
was it frustrating how little communication there was between our two characters, nick & brady? yes, it really really really was, and that’s partly why my rating can’t be any higher, because as much as i respect what the author was clearly doing, my personal feelings just could not handle the emotional damage some parts to this book caused me. i still read to the end, though, and i’m glad i did, because these characters are messy as hell for sure, but they care about each other very deeply, and that makes them both sweet & messy, which is the reality for a lot of people. i loved how when these characters did communicate, it was in a way that just absolutely gutted you. because it was like the author could see straight into the reader’s heart and knew exactly where to hit it so it would hurt, and also to just let us know that our feelings were valid.
brady’s feelings, in particular, was so much of a rough go that not having his pov made it feel like a slip & slide. his chemistry with nick was so natural, so endearing, it felt like we were slipping right alongside with nick. when things started to get too personal, though, too potentially public for brady, i started putting my guard up just as brady did, much to nick’s chagrin. it was hard to know where this push & pull dynamic was coming from because brady clearly felt so at home with nick, just like nick feels with him, but there was this block separating them that both were too scared to knock over, all in fear of losing sight of the other. and again, not having brady’s pov felt like trudging through an olympic marathon because the end goal was so far away and you knew it was coming, but you just had to keep pushing in order to even see it that close in the distance. when brady’s feelings do come to light, it’s something that broke me just a tad and seeing the way him & nick actually talk was like witnessing a goddamn miracle.
honestly though, this story is so full of heart and it’s so gentle with its characters that all their highs & lows made me feel like i was right there with them. this book showed a different side to the hockey world that wasn’t revolved around the NHL, because as much as a lot of players might aspire to reach that level, there’s others in the beer leagues that have much different hopes & dreams. and it’s just so amazing to have met as many of the characters as i did who had those dreams. again, nick & brady were everything. so was gail, who was such a fiery character on-and-off the ice and who shook up the story at times as nick’s teammate; and then also jenna, nick’s cousin, who was the voice of reason at a lot of points but also the source of laughter for others. i also liked terry, nick’s other cousin, and i appreciated the dynamics that the author was exploring here when it came to nick & his family because of i have to be honest, it’s one of the best relationship dynamics i’ve seen in fiction. his cousins felt like his own siblings, and the touch of lightness & support they added to this story was much much needed.
i liked how little as we knew of brady (i don’t even know what job he works??? all i know is that his work uniform consists of a polo, khakis, and boat shoes, and that’s just…….), how he & nick bond with each other through hockey made their growing relationship feel so damn soft because brady was tearing down his own walls without realizing it and by getting to have this thing with nick, it helped him in a way that neither nick or the reader would ever fully understand until near the end.
i loved so many more things about this book, how raucous and fun nick & brady’s team were, and how much the author really took their time with the story. it was a race worth pushing through to the finish line, and i enjoyed most of every minute of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
amccarthy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Alcohol
nutm3g's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
Hockey Bois was a very fun queer sports romance with a delightful slooooooow burn. While it is definitely heavy on the miscommunication trope, it almost leaned more to unwillingness to communicate that then transforms into superb communication, which was honestly a pretty refreshing take on the trope. There was a specific background relationship (no spoilers) that was adorable, and it would be interesting to read a bit more about them. I did find a few spelling/grammar mistakes that bothered me, but this was also self-published so it makes sense for some of these errors to accidentally make it to the final draft.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Outing
Minor: Medical content
covermore's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Alcohol
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