BOOK REVIEW: Icebreaker - Hannah Grace

"Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.

Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him.

But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried… because she could never like a hockey player, right?"

Read Date - June 2024

Length - 435 pages

Genre - Sports Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Rating - 8/10

Notes - I already love how it's begun. The set up of introducing the characters is really cute, and i love the dynamic between Aaron and all the other men in Anastasia's life. It's good drama. I think setting Aaron up as someone who doesn't really care for Anastasia is smart, because there's so many other people who are. It's a good plot to play with. i also love the connection between Nathan and Anastasia. It’s so catty and frenemies and its ADORABLE. i genuinely ADORE the way the plot is slowly filtered in, and you get to meet all the characters before all the drama starts. It makes it incredible when Anastasia and Nathan finally get together as partners. I think Aaron is a perfect antagonist who’s written in a way where his actions could be written off one way or another, but as you read further, you realize how toxic he is. It’s really well written. i think the parts with the disordered eating are done really well too for a romance novel rather than one that focuses on mental health as the topic. the way the relationship dynamic between Anastasia and Nathan grows over time is really cute, and i connected heavily with it. I think Henry and Anastasia’s friendship together is so stinkin cute and i cant get enough of it. i love the outcome of Aaron and Anastasia’s relationship in the end, but i could've done for a little more drama in the book. the characters were all relatable and its a good book!