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A review by pucksandpaperbacks
Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I was sent an e-copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own!
Icebreaker is a love letter to the hockey community. To hockey fans everywhere, you will feel so seen in this book. As a diehard hockey fan, I loved how much hockey culture is poured into the book from the fanfiction to mentions of LGBTQIA+ players who show BIPOC queer and trans* youth that they CAN play. This book just got it right and you can tell a fellow hockey fan wrote this.
I have not stopped thinking about Mickey, Jaysen, Zero, Dorian, Barbie, and Delilah since I finished this book almost a week ago. It's very rare for me to want to re-read a book right after I've read it. It had me laughing to being on the edge of my seat.
Mickey is hands down one of my favorite characters, ever. He is complex but a good friend, teammate, and partner too. Icebreaker has so many important conversations especially mental health. I love how much mental health is talked about and shown through Dorian and Mickey. I loved how everyone helped Mickey rather than mocked him. His teachers, coaches, family, and friends were there for him and that's all anyone wants when they speak up about their mental health struggles. Mickey deals with imposter syndrome from his depression and feeling abandoned by his own family. Mickey is such a complex character but his character development is slow and realistic.
This book will tear at your heartstrings and leave you craving more. If you're a hockey fan, you should read this book and if you don't know anything about hockey, you should still read this book.
Icebreaker is a love letter to the hockey community. To hockey fans everywhere, you will feel so seen in this book. As a diehard hockey fan, I loved how much hockey culture is poured into the book from the fanfiction to mentions of LGBTQIA+ players who show BIPOC queer and trans* youth that they CAN play. This book just got it right and you can tell a fellow hockey fan wrote this.
I have not stopped thinking about Mickey, Jaysen, Zero, Dorian, Barbie, and Delilah since I finished this book almost a week ago. It's very rare for me to want to re-read a book right after I've read it. It had me laughing to being on the edge of my seat.
Mickey is hands down one of my favorite characters, ever. He is complex but a good friend, teammate, and partner too. Icebreaker has so many important conversations especially mental health. I love how much mental health is talked about and shown through Dorian and Mickey. I loved how everyone helped Mickey rather than mocked him. His teachers, coaches, family, and friends were there for him and that's all anyone wants when they speak up about their mental health struggles. Mickey deals with imposter syndrome from his depression and feeling abandoned by his own family. Mickey is such a complex character but his character development is slow and realistic.
This book will tear at your heartstrings and leave you craving more. If you're a hockey fan, you should read this book and if you don't know anything about hockey, you should still read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcohol
Depression, Anxiety, scene where character takes meds with alcohol