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bookishlyem's reviews
75 reviews
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
4.0
I would rate this closer to 3.5, but I *thoroughly* enjoyed it nonetheless!
Nate and Stassie are so cute together and their relationship went through so much throughout the book, starting form when they didn't even have a relationship to when they were both so committed to each other wholeheartedly. Their rivalry, their passion, their love, and their story is so swoon worthy and it definitely follows the progression and writing of a classic rom-com, so don't expect anything super transcendent.
If you're looking for a short, quick, lighthearted read this likely isn't for you (you never know, though!), but if you're willing to commit, I think it's definitely worth it. Yes, it was long--longer than it should have been to be completely honest. Did I still eat up every moment? YES!--yes I did. Icebreaker is over 400 pages, but could easily be cut down to muuuuch less if you take out all the smut and random, unnecessary moments between Stassie & Nate or Nate & the team or Stassie & the team etc.
Full of cliches, tropes, and classic rom-com banter, Icebreaker had everything needed to satisfy my tastes. I was in the mood for a classic romance filled with all of those things, and it definitely delivered those specific aspects. The multitude of smut was just an added bonus ;) At times, though, it was giving 2014 Wattpad (which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all! It can mean that the writing may come off as a little immature or somewhat lacking in depth at times). There were parts where I didn't even realize I was actually reading, and there were other parts that kind of snapped me out of that mindset with little nuances in the writing/writing style. But still, this satisfied me. It more than satisfied me; it thoroughly entertained me and had me hooked!
I have to ask, what is it with all these romance writers and their obsession with hulking, tall, strong men??? The amount of times Stassie had to remark about Nate's size (both body and...body part ifykyk) kind of annoyed me. Like... we get it! He's a big boy! That's what's so great about books--once something is written down, it doesn't have to be repeated more than 3 times (if even that) because it is canon! Also..."bub??????" BUB????? I genuinely love Nate and Stassie with my whole heart, but some of the lovey-dovey jargon and interactions had me cringing.
One thing I also really admired about the book was the casual diversity. Diversity doesn't just mean diversity amongst the characters' ethnicities, but it also means diversity in ability, social class, neurodiversity, etc. The casual integration of Robbie's wheelchair, JJ's ethnic background, I suspect there is a character on the spectrum but it is not confirmed nor denied so I'll just leave it at that. Hannah Grace has proven that she doesn't shy away from the more sensitive topics of the world. I would like to list a bunch off but I fear those would be considered spoilers. But I will say one thing: I am so glad consent was always brought up and so smoothly, too! Grace didn't sandwich it in just because she felt like she had to. It totally worked with Nate's character as well as adding to the casual incorporation of sensitive topics that most people would usually tiptoe around or approach heavy footed. I also LOVED the pop culture references. Cruel Summer, The Kiss Quotient, and more!
So yeah, I'll leave it at that for now :)
Nate and Stassie are so cute together and their relationship went through so much throughout the book, starting form when they didn't even have a relationship to when they were both so committed to each other wholeheartedly. Their rivalry, their passion, their love, and their story is so swoon worthy and it definitely follows the progression and writing of a classic rom-com, so don't expect anything super transcendent.
If you're looking for a short, quick, lighthearted read this likely isn't for you (you never know, though!), but if you're willing to commit, I think it's definitely worth it. Yes, it was long--longer than it should have been to be completely honest. Did I still eat up every moment? YES!--yes I did. Icebreaker is over 400 pages, but could easily be cut down to muuuuch less if you take out all the smut and random, unnecessary moments between Stassie & Nate or Nate & the team or Stassie & the team etc.
Full of cliches, tropes, and classic rom-com banter, Icebreaker had everything needed to satisfy my tastes. I was in the mood for a classic romance filled with all of those things, and it definitely delivered those specific aspects. The multitude of smut was just an added bonus ;) At times, though, it was giving 2014 Wattpad (which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all! It can mean that the writing may come off as a little immature or somewhat lacking in depth at times). There were parts where I didn't even realize I was actually reading, and there were other parts that kind of snapped me out of that mindset with little nuances in the writing/writing style. But still, this satisfied me. It more than satisfied me; it thoroughly entertained me and had me hooked!
I have to ask, what is it with all these romance writers and their obsession with hulking, tall, strong men??? The amount of times Stassie had to remark about Nate's size (both body and...body part ifykyk) kind of annoyed me. Like... we get it! He's a big boy! That's what's so great about books--once something is written down, it doesn't have to be repeated more than 3 times (if even that) because it is canon! Also..."bub??????" BUB????? I genuinely love Nate and Stassie with my whole heart, but some of the lovey-dovey jargon and interactions had me cringing.
One thing I also really admired about the book was the casual diversity. Diversity doesn't just mean diversity amongst the characters' ethnicities, but it also means diversity in ability, social class, neurodiversity, etc. The casual integration of Robbie's wheelchair, JJ's ethnic background, I suspect there is a character on the spectrum but it is not confirmed nor denied so I'll just leave it at that. Hannah Grace has proven that she doesn't shy away from the more sensitive topics of the world. I would like to list a bunch off but I fear those would be considered spoilers. But I will say one thing: I am so glad consent was always brought up and so smoothly, too! Grace didn't sandwich it in just because she felt like she had to. It totally worked with Nate's character as well as adding to the casual incorporation of sensitive topics that most people would usually tiptoe around or approach heavy footed. I also LOVED the pop culture references. Cruel Summer, The Kiss Quotient, and more!
So yeah, I'll leave it at that for now :)