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teawithalibra 's review for:
Icebreaker
by A.L. Graziadei
I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I want to preface this review by saying two things: I do not know anything about hockey and I do not usually care for romance or realistic fiction. With that out of the way, this was an absolutely wonderful novel.
I was a little worried this would be glorified fanfiction, but I think the author did an incredible job not centering on the romance itself and focusing on their character development. On the surface, this is a gay romance that centers on the enemies to lovers trope and hockey. Through Mickey's eyes, we enter into discussion on mental health -- ESPECIALLY mental health in professional sports -- and depression. Jaysen talking about how Black men interested in sports get nudged towards football or basketball was so relevant, and both boys struggling with being LGBTQ+ in men's professional sports was a huge part of this story.
Was this incredibly cheesy? Absolutely. Did I cringe a couple of times? Admittedly. But overall, I am so glad this book is about to exist in the world. It comes out tomorrow, and I am so excited to tell my school librarian friend about it so we can get it into student hands ASAP.
I want to preface this review by saying two things: I do not know anything about hockey and I do not usually care for romance or realistic fiction. With that out of the way, this was an absolutely wonderful novel.
I was a little worried this would be glorified fanfiction, but I think the author did an incredible job not centering on the romance itself and focusing on their character development. On the surface, this is a gay romance that centers on the enemies to lovers trope and hockey. Through Mickey's eyes, we enter into discussion on mental health -- ESPECIALLY mental health in professional sports -- and depression. Jaysen talking about how Black men interested in sports get nudged towards football or basketball was so relevant, and both boys struggling with being LGBTQ+ in men's professional sports was a huge part of this story.
Was this incredibly cheesy? Absolutely. Did I cringe a couple of times? Admittedly. But overall, I am so glad this book is about to exist in the world. It comes out tomorrow, and I am so excited to tell my school librarian friend about it so we can get it into student hands ASAP.