A review by mandatoryreads
Strange Love by Steffanie Blais

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.75

R E V I E W 🫶🏼
 
 📚 Strange Love
 📝 Steffanie Blais
 
 𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.75)
 𝙶𝙴𝙽𝚁𝙴: Hockey Romance
 𝚂𝙿𝙸𝙲𝙴: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 

✨ This was an ARC gifted to me by the author. The following review is my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. ✨ 

𝙼𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂 💭
 Okay, so I have a confession. This is my first hockey romance 🫣. I know, I’m late to the game. I just didn’t think I’d be super into hockey romance – well any sports romance, really. Well, Strange Love was an absolutely wonderful introduction into the subgenre. This was a surprisingly touching, more than surface-level, endearing love story between two high school seniors who’re from different worlds, yet relate more than they expect. I’m always a fan of a good romance, but they have to have a little something extra in order to tick up over a 4-star rating, and the unique layout of this timeline coupled with the element of self-growth and healing that both Ivy and Corey experience did it for me here. From the very beginning, we learn that Ivy has a traumatic past that involves a kidnapping and being forced into a cult. This story touches on this past through flashbacks of her time there, which coincide with her present-day retelling of the past along with the story of her first love. This book has a sweet second-chance HEA, an exceptional trauma-healing advocacy, and a thoughtful hero. Here’s a breakdown of some of my favorite parts of this read and ultimately why I landed on a 4.75 -star rating: 

❤️ 𝙸 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳: 

-       The unique timeline (present day to flashbacks in two different settings) 

-       The two MCs were super likeable – a breath of fresh air! 

-       The group of friends was so entertaining! I’m excited for more from this gang. 

-       The HEA really got me – “She looks stunning in my Mavericks jersey…” STOP! 😭 

-       Ivy’s ability to create boundaries for herself. I can’t say much without spoiling, but her decision toward the end of the story was not one you see much in romances, and I commend Steffanie for writing such a mature perspective there. 

 

𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙸𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 ⤵️
 80s-set Mean Girl vibes, hockey romances, that one goth friend, second-chance romance, fake-dating trope, The Breakfast Club friend group