You’ll have to take my word on this and read Icebreaker, it’s truly far greater than I could ever describe it.

Sometimes books are hard to put into words. I loved how they understood each other’s needs beyond words.

Jaysen was so soft and tender with Mickey, and their chemistry was superb. The relationship he had with his family, particularly his father, was very complicated, and I loved how that was explored. Mickey was an authentic protagonist, and I really engaged with his struggles. Everything progressed so slowly, and they hit all the right milestones in their rivalry before finally getting together. Jaysen and Mickey had the perfect romance. I liked how several characters openly discussed their mental illnesses and helped each other cope. I particularly appreciated the descriptions of dissociation and depression. It had all the good rivals-to-lovers action you could wish for, and excellent representation of mental illness. When I read romances, I always look for a good combination of fun and lighthearted, and serious and thought-provoking. The writing was so breezy and easy to read. This is the sort of book you know you’re going to love right away. I was really hoping this would be good, and apparently there is something about hockey romances that just satisfy me. I remembered reading the Check, Please graphic novel series, which follows a hockey team, and was excited for the release of Icebreaker when I first heard of it. I’ve tried reading sport romances before, and none of them ever felt right, even though I loved the idea of them. Icebreaker has awoken something inside me. It puts into perspective what is important. Maybe I wished for a different outcome and I wouldn't have minded a couple more sentences, but I get why it ended the way it did. The ending might seem a bit rushed and the epilogue unsatisfying, but I'm actually quite happy with how the story ended. I feel they were all well written and well balanced with the rest of the story. The story focuses a lot on hockey, so there are a lot of scenes that take place on the ice. While realistic, it did feel a bit too much at times. The only thing I could have done without is the excessive drinking. The friendships were really wonderful in this one. I also have to mention Mickey's sisters who are a big part of this story, too, and Mickey's friend Nova. I loved their whole team, especially Darian and Barbie. I absolutely loved Jaysen and I liked the connection between him and Mickey. The side characters are really great in this story. While I didn't fully understand the reasons behind the decisions made by some family members, I appreciated how everything worked out in the end. I liked how his issues with depression and anxiety were handled and I loved watching him grow throughout the story. Mickey's character was very interesting to read about. For a debut novel, I think this was really good.

Icebreaker al graziadei