A review by bribreez
Unsteady: A Novel by Peyton Corinne

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

5.0

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ATRIA FOR SENDING ME THIS AMAZING BOOK! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

*Check Trigger Warnings before reading.

5⭐️/ 3-4🌶️

You would think with the amount of hockey romance books I’ve read, I would finally get around to watching the sport for real, but I digress that’s for another time haha. This gem of a book was another hockey romance, and full of amazing tropes! From reverse grumpy/sunshine, she’s a black cat, he’s a golden retriever, sports romance, college romance, he’s a hockey player, she’s a figure skater, found family, and more! I kid you not, from the moment I started reading this book, I was instantly hooked and became a big fan of Rhys and Sadie! Any sports romance reader will enjoy this story from the raw vulnerability of the characters to the found family. A must read, and highly recommended in my opinion!

What’s a girl to do when she stumbles upon the popular hockey player from her university who’s experiencing a panic attack?…obviously help! Sadie wasn’t expecting to see Rhys as she went for her morning skate, but thankfully she was there at the right time especially when Rhys had no one around to help him. Sadie wasn’t a soft and sweet type of girl, she was tough, strong, and didn’t cave easily especially when said hockey player tried to charm her. Rhys was struggling to get back into the mindset of hockey, but after a traumatic accident while playing, he couldn’t get past the anxiety and fear. That is until, Sadie offered a way to help Rhys out through sharing the ice rink together. I really liked the way Rhys and Sadie got into the routine of skating together especially with the added element of Sadie’s playlist, and how Sadie even created a special playlist for Rhys! So sweet! The way Sadie was tough, but warmed up to Rhys was good as well as seeing Rhys start to look forward to being around Sadie on and off the ice. 

Not only was this book holding my attention captive, and I was fully immersed in Sadie and Rhy’s story, but my goodness the ANGST GOT TO ME! If you want to read cute, lighthearted hockey romance…babe this won’t be that book. I felt like the angst added depth to the plotline and gave more backstory as to why Sadie and Rhys were the way they were considering what they were dealing with individually. For Rhys, after his accident getting back into hockey was difficult with his anxiety and fear coming back at all full force which made it harder on him to get back in the swing of things (hockey related). My girl Sadie was doing the most not only to ensure her figure skating future was still a strong possibility, but maintaining two jobs to take care of her younger brothers, a not so good home life, and school were a lot of responsibilities for a young twenty one year old to deal with. My heart went out to both Rhys and Sadie, but in some instances I felt more empathetic towards Sadie. I’m in no way dismissing Rhys’s struggles because, I truly did feel bad for him, but seeing everything that Sadie did in order to protect her little brothers, and make sure they had everything they needed while trying to maintain a strong front amongst all the things she had to deal with made me want to hug her and let her know she was the best big sister and I just wanted her to know she was loved and appreciated!!!

OMG I LOVED RHYS! This man was wholeheartedly a golden boy to his core from being an actual sweetheart, and charming! Rhys struggled getting back to his roots of playing hockey as well as trying to maintain control when it came to his panic attacks, and fear, but seeing him slowly get back some of that happiness in his life was great. In the moments that Rhys would smile, laugh, or just enjoy himself made me realize that he was starting to feel alive again especially when it came to spending time with Sadie. Obviously I know Rhys was a fictional character, but…I DON’T CARE! To me, Rhys was an incredible man to fall for! The way Peyton wrote Rhys made me love him so much and the depth to him as well as his vulnerability made me see that even the most seemingly put together people have their struggles. I also loved seeing how Rhys started to fall more and more for Sadie, (sigh) our sad golden boy met his match with the grumpy black cat girl, THEY WERE PERFECT TOGETHER!

I could go on, and on about how fantastic Sadie and Rhys are so… I WILL! The relationship between them was deep, sentimental, and much more than their initial friendship (despite Sadie not admitting they were friends haha). The chemistry between Sadie and Rhys was palpable and ELECTRIC THE WHOLE TIME! As a reader, I could feel the connection growing stronger between Rhys and Sadie, and it was phenomenal! I loved the romance even more when Rhys and Sadie opened up to each other about their struggles especially with Sadie’s circumstances. Regardless, Sadie and Rhys became each other’s support system, friend, and lover. 

THIS BOOK DESERVES INFINITY STARS FOR HOW PHENOMENAL IT WAS! This was by far the best hockey romance book I’ve read in quite a while. The depth and raw emotion that came from both Sadie and Rhys really highlighted the importance of their relationship. I also really appreciated seeing the reality of what each Rhys and Sadie went through behind closed doors. Sadie was a powerhouse, she was constantly working and striving to give her brothers the best life possible even under not so great circumstances. If you’re an older sibling, maybe in some ways you’ll find yourself relating to Sadie’s responsibilities and determination to care for her younger siblings. Oliver and Liam were the best little brothers, and majority of the time I just wanted to hug them too! Rhys, our sad boy golden hockey captain had a lot to work through both mentally and physically. Rhys managed to find his way back to hockey, but also found a greater happiness when a snarky figure skater came into his life. The angst in this book really tugged on my heart strings, and multiple times I just wanted to reach inside the book and reassure both Rhys and Sadie things were going to get better. The friendship, the romance, and the chemistry between Sadie and Rhys was absolutely incredible, and I was living for every single microscopic second of them! The way this story progressed kept me wanting to read, and I was very much addicted to Rhys and Sadie! I loved the highs and lows, and more importantly I loved that Rhys and Sadie got their happy ending. As we all know, I’m a huge fan of epilogues so, to see even more of Rhys and Sadie in their happily ever after and thriving in the best way possible made me very happy. I’m kind of hoping this becomes a series because, with certain characters in this book make me think there could be potential for even more interesting stories. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY! RHYS AND SADIE ARE THE BEST! 
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