Review: Icebreaker

Title: Icebreaker

Author: A.L. Graziadei

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: January 18, 2022

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Summary

Mickey James III is a college freshman and expected to be the next pick for the NHL. With five older sisters, Mickey is considered the heir to the hockey throne. The throne set by his father and his grandfather. But it’s a lot to live up to. And as he starts college classes, Mickey isn’t sure he wants it.

Enter Jaysen Caulfield, the only guy standing in his way. Currently teammates, their rivalry might just turn into something more. It turns out, once they get to know each other, they have more in common than they thought. As their relationship evolves, Mickey will have to decide if it’s worth risking his future for. Or if he wants a different future instead.

Review: Icebreaker

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advanced copy of this to review! The summary of Icebreaker reminded me a bit of Check, Please! so I was excited to get started. I am happy to announce that it didn’t disappoint!

From the beginning, Graziadei’s writing is extremely engaging. I don’t know that much about hockey, but I was able to follow along for the most part! Maybe that’s from my reading of Check, Please. You can also feel the chemistry between Mickey and Jaysen almost immediately, even if it takes them a bit to actually like each other. There’s one scene towards the beginning where you can just feel the romantic tension coming off the page–you just have to wait for them to realize it.

There is also a lot of discussion about mental health. Mickey struggles with depression throughout the book. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health (especially in professional sports), Mickey doesn’t reach out to get the help he needs until it gets to be too much for him. One of his other teammates also struggles with depression and they have some great conversations about it.

The only reason this isn’t getting a full five stars from me is the ending felt a little lacking. The open ending isn’t necessarily what bothered me, but the overall resolution felt like it came too quickly. It made the ending feel a little too abrupt. We get closure, but it definitely happens way too quickly.

All in all, if you’re a fan of things like Fence or Check, Please, you’ll deifnitely enjoy this one when it comes out in January!

4.5/5 stars