Scan barcode
jaynovara's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Vomit, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Mental illness, and Alcohol
zc2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
Spicier than expected but the way the whole plot ties the book together is beautiful. One of the finest romcoms I’ve read in a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Body shaming, Alcohol, Cancer, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
biloser99's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
cute and unrushed romance, non-cringey smut, and an interesting plot
4/5 🌶🌶🌶
- sex positive
- accurate depictions of eating disorders & abusive (platonic) relationships
- fleshed out side characters
- found family
4/5 🌶🌶🌶
- sex positive
- accurate depictions of eating disorders & abusive (platonic) relationships
- fleshed out side characters
- found family
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Mental illness and Vomit
isitcake's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
DRAFT REVIEW
"This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great book." -Buzzing About Romance
So true. This book went viral and now its on podcasts I listen to, forcing me to read it. I liked the beginning of this book but I stopped around 70% for almost 2 months. This book was way longer than it needed to be.
Likes
-Nate: he's such a cinnamon roll hero, all he wants to do is take of his team, friends, and Anastasia.
-The side characters like Henry and JJ. Henry is great - women are wildly attracted to him and none of the team can figure out what he's doing. But he's also super vulnerable. He's the straight best friend for Anastasia. JJ I didn't realize was gay until the end lol. He's definitely the comic relief. Her best friend Lola and Nate's best friend and assistant coach Robbie were fine. Their relationship happens on the side and helps cement Nate and Stasia.
-
Dislikes
-Anastasia.
"This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great book." -Buzzing About Romance
So true. This book went viral and now its on podcasts I listen to, forcing me to read it. I liked the beginning of this book but I stopped around 70% for almost 2 months. This book was way longer than it needed to be.
Likes
-Nate: he's such a cinnamon roll hero, all he wants to do is take of his team, friends, and Anastasia.
-The side characters like Henry and JJ. Henry is great - women are wildly attracted to him and none of the team can figure out what he's doing. But he's also super vulnerable. He's the straight best friend for Anastasia. JJ I didn't realize was gay until the end lol. He's definitely the comic relief. Her best friend Lola and Nate's best friend and assistant coach Robbie were fine. Their relationship happens on the side and helps cement Nate and Stasia.
-
Dislikes
-Anastasia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
leahp87's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexism
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
Title: Icebreaker
Author: Hannah Grace
Series: UCMH, #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: August 23, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Trendy • Delightful • Spicy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anastasia has been a figure skater since she was five years old. Now competing with her partner Aaron at Maple Hills, she dreams of landing a spot on the US Olympic team. Her determination and drive to win means she diligently schedules every minute of her day, yet she's a commitment-phobe.
Nathan is the captain of Maple Hills' hockey team, a responsibility he takes very seriously. When an incident forces the closure of one rink, Nate takes the blame to avoid his whole team being benched. And this forces the skating and hockey teams to share a rink - much to everyone's dismay. Benched yet again, in the aftermath of Anastasia’s partner getting hurt, he finds himself swapping his stick for tights.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Romance isn't one of my go-to genres, yet every now and then the mood strikes, and I find myself looking for something lighthearted. That mood struck mid-January, and as an avid hockey fan, Icebreaker felt like a perfect winter read. I was right!
This novel has very good representation including mental health, disability, and LGTBQIA+. Not only that, but it also opens up much needed discussion surrounding relationship consent, as well as therapy things that are often overlooked in literature. It also demonstrates the importance of open and good communication in a relationship, which I loved.
There are a lot of characters introduced, yet it seemed quite straightforward to keep everyone straight. Both protagonists felt well-developed and layered. And don't even get me started on Henry! Everyone needs a Henry in their life. And even though it played a smaller role, I loved the encouragement Nate received from Stassie's dad. It just felt so genuine, and like something he'd been missing out on his entire life.
My main complaint for this one is the length. Because so much happens, it felt quite a bit longer than it needed to be. I think it could have easily been shortened by 80-100 pages and still accomplished what it set out to do. Additionally, the college aspect felt a little immature and like the author was capitalizing on Tik Tok trends. Lastly, I wished her friendship with Ryan had continued into the second portion of the book. There was something about the relationship that I gravitated toward.
For me, this was a solid romance with quite a bit of depth, and some sex scenes that made me blush. It tries to tackle a lot, yet I think Hannah Grace did a fair job putting it all together. I've heard this is going to be a series, and I am definitely looking forward to a second book. I am secretly hoping book two will follow Ryan or Henry.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a new book boyfriend
• fans of sports romance
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We’re still individuals, but we’re individuals together, and I never knew relationships could be like this."
Author: Hannah Grace
Series: UCMH, #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: August 23, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Trendy • Delightful • Spicy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anastasia has been a figure skater since she was five years old. Now competing with her partner Aaron at Maple Hills, she dreams of landing a spot on the US Olympic team. Her determination and drive to win means she diligently schedules every minute of her day, yet she's a commitment-phobe.
Nathan is the captain of Maple Hills' hockey team, a responsibility he takes very seriously. When an incident forces the closure of one rink, Nate takes the blame to avoid his whole team being benched. And this forces the skating and hockey teams to share a rink - much to everyone's dismay. Benched yet again, in the aftermath of Anastasia’s partner getting hurt, he finds himself swapping his stick for tights.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Romance isn't one of my go-to genres, yet every now and then the mood strikes, and I find myself looking for something lighthearted. That mood struck mid-January, and as an avid hockey fan, Icebreaker felt like a perfect winter read. I was right!
This novel has very good representation including mental health, disability, and LGTBQIA+. Not only that, but it also opens up much needed discussion surrounding relationship consent, as well as therapy things that are often overlooked in literature. It also demonstrates the importance of open and good communication in a relationship, which I loved.
There are a lot of characters introduced, yet it seemed quite straightforward to keep everyone straight. Both protagonists felt well-developed and layered. And don't even get me started on Henry! Everyone needs a Henry in their life. And even though it played a smaller role, I loved the encouragement Nate received from Stassie's dad. It just felt so genuine, and like something he'd been missing out on his entire life.
My main complaint for this one is the length. Because so much happens, it felt quite a bit longer than it needed to be. I think it could have easily been shortened by 80-100 pages and still accomplished what it set out to do. Additionally, the college aspect felt a little immature and like the author was capitalizing on Tik Tok trends. Lastly, I wished her friendship with Ryan had continued into the second portion of the book. There was something about the relationship that I gravitated toward.
For me, this was a solid romance with quite a bit of depth, and some sex scenes that made me blush. It tries to tackle a lot, yet I think Hannah Grace did a fair job putting it all together. I've heard this is going to be a series, and I am definitely looking forward to a second book. I am secretly hoping book two will follow Ryan or Henry.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a new book boyfriend
• fans of sports romance
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We’re still individuals, but we’re individuals together, and I never knew relationships could be like this."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Body shaming
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Fatphobia
Minor: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
near drowning, adoptioninked_in_pages's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
GENRE: Romance, Sports-Romance
[TW: emotional abuse, disorder eating, loss of a parent]
What were my overall thoughts about this book?
I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think that Hannah Grace did a great job of representing the intense pressure that collegiate and professional athletes have to do it perfectly which can often lead to their own issues with mental health and physical health.
The chemistry between Nathan and Anastasia was off the charts and I was definitely invested in the "will they? Won't they?" trope.
Nathan is an absolute dreamboat. If you've gotten to know me, you know I am a huge hockey fan and am married to my very own burly hockey player (okay, old man beer league but who's keeping score?) and the relationship that Stassi made with Nathan's teammates made my heart so happy. Some of my very best friends are the guys that I have spent my weekends with during tournaments. #hockeywife
Was there anything you didn't like?
at about pg 250 I found myself wondering what else could possibly happen. It was 423 pages long, pretty nuts for this genre if you ask me! Sometimes I think that authors just do too much. I think she could have achieved the same end goal and have shortened the story by A LOT.
What were your major takeaways?
Sports-Romance is a new genre for me and I could definitely see myself picking another one up in the future. The pressure we put on athletes is pretty wild and I loved how that was addressed in this book.
Who would you recommend this to?
This is a great recommendation for anyone who is looking for spice with a balance of heaviness. This is not a romance to jump into thinking it'll be all rainbows and butterflies…some heavy stuff is addressed while also making you laugh.
[TW: emotional abuse, disorder eating, loss of a parent]
What were my overall thoughts about this book?
I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think that Hannah Grace did a great job of representing the intense pressure that collegiate and professional athletes have to do it perfectly which can often lead to their own issues with mental health and physical health.
The chemistry between Nathan and Anastasia was off the charts and I was definitely invested in the "will they? Won't they?" trope.
Nathan is an absolute dreamboat. If you've gotten to know me, you know I am a huge hockey fan and am married to my very own burly hockey player (okay, old man beer league but who's keeping score?) and the relationship that Stassi made with Nathan's teammates made my heart so happy. Some of my very best friends are the guys that I have spent my weekends with during tournaments. #hockeywife
Was there anything you didn't like?
at about pg 250 I found myself wondering what else could possibly happen. It was 423 pages long, pretty nuts for this genre if you ask me! Sometimes I think that authors just do too much. I think she could have achieved the same end goal and have shortened the story by A LOT.
What were your major takeaways?
Sports-Romance is a new genre for me and I could definitely see myself picking another one up in the future. The pressure we put on athletes is pretty wild and I loved how that was addressed in this book.
Who would you recommend this to?
This is a great recommendation for anyone who is looking for spice with a balance of heaviness. This is not a romance to jump into thinking it'll be all rainbows and butterflies…some heavy stuff is addressed while also making you laugh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Eating disorder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
g_c_geeks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.25
TLDR; I enjoyed it but it wasn’t anything special.
The first half of this book dragged so much for me, and the plot point of Nate helping Stas practice figure skating bc her partner was injured literally happened at the 50% mark, despite that being the main set up according to the blurb.
I did however like the second half, all the characters are very loveable, if a little unrealistic. I enjoyed seeing therapy talked about in a book, and I also enjoyed the communication between the characters in a romance novel for once haha.
really frickin bothered me that she got pregnant in the epilogue, despite saying she didn’t want to, and wanted to adopt instead. Also the fact that they’re both so young and have so much of their careers ahead of them??? Like Anastasia literally just won her first gold in her first olympics, and I assume just graduated?? I totally saw them having kids but why so young 😭 I was excited that she wanted to adopt one day, as that’s not a story line that we get so often, and then they fell pregnant so young.
I know this is just a personal gripe because I don’t necessarily want kids, but it does irk me that we are still setting ‘happily ever afters’ to mean one very heteronormative ending. Anyways whatever I’m happy they’re happy and in love I guess haha.
The first half of this book dragged so much for me, and the plot point of Nate helping Stas practice figure skating bc her partner was injured literally happened at the 50% mark, despite that being the main set up according to the blurb.
I did however like the second half, all the characters are very loveable, if a little unrealistic. I enjoyed seeing therapy talked about in a book, and I also enjoyed the communication between the characters in a romance novel for once haha.
I know this is just a personal gripe because I don’t necessarily want kids, but it does irk me that we are still setting ‘happily ever afters’ to mean one very heteronormative ending. Anyways whatever I’m happy they’re happy and in love I guess haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
Minor: Pregnancy
anshika06's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
Minor: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
bialves's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Cursing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders