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A review by wintersorbit
Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei
3.0
I was really looking forward to a fun university sports romance with strong discussions around mental health, and while this book has some of the most relatable depictions of depression and anxiety I've ever read about, I found the romance to be kind of lackluster at times, especially in the second half.
If you're going to market a book on a rivals-to-lovers sports romance premise, I expect there to be a good development arc from, you know, rivals to lovers? I wasn't personally convinced by the shift from rivals to lovers, though. Once the characters finally realize they've got the hots for each other they're kinda like "Oh I know [the other person] has feelings/attraction/whatever for me as well, but we can't do anything about it because..." of no good reason? The entire romantic development arc felt unconvincing and boring to me. Also, I don't really know where else to fit this in, but did we really need to have the main couple read RPF of themselves and pretend like it's not disturbing? Did we really?
You might be wondering now, why give it 3 (really 2.5) stars then? The depiction of anxiety and depression in the main character was deeply relatable to me, and as always, I loved Mickey's connection with both his hockey team and his sisters. The (found) family bonds in this book are written in a way that really warmed my heart and actually made me care much more than the central romance, which is saying a lot because the basic romantic set-up of this book should be exactly my thing. If you don't mind somewhat clumsy romantic development and like strong family bonds and accurate mental illness representation, maybe you'll like this book more than I did.
Content warnings: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, themes of parental abandonment
If you're going to market a book on a rivals-to-lovers sports romance premise, I expect there to be a good development arc from, you know, rivals to lovers? I wasn't personally convinced by the shift from rivals to lovers, though. Once the characters finally realize they've got the hots for each other they're kinda like "Oh I know [the other person] has feelings/attraction/whatever for me as well, but we can't do anything about it because..." of no good reason? The entire romantic development arc felt unconvincing and boring to me. Also, I don't really know where else to fit this in, but did we really need to have the main couple read RPF of themselves and pretend like it's not disturbing? Did we really?
You might be wondering now, why give it 3 (really 2.5) stars then? The depiction of anxiety and depression in the main character was deeply relatable to me, and as always, I loved Mickey's connection with both his hockey team and his sisters. The (found) family bonds in this book are written in a way that really warmed my heart and actually made me care much more than the central romance, which is saying a lot because the basic romantic set-up of this book should be exactly my thing. If you don't mind somewhat clumsy romantic development and like strong family bonds and accurate mental illness representation, maybe you'll like this book more than I did.
Content warnings: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, themes of parental abandonment