Book Review: ‘Icebreaker’ by Hannah Grace (spicy booktok made me read it)
It's not secret that we love our college sports romance books here at BBB. There's also a hierarchy to these, as some sports will get preferential treatment over others when choosing what to read next. Ice hockey sits firmly at the top of that list, always and forever. Enter ‘Icebreaker’ by Hannah Grace.
I didn't know much about ‘Icebreaker’ when I spotted it at my local supermarket. It had the kind of cover that I gravitate towards, and clearly this was about ice hockey in some way. But it wasn’t until I got home and looked it up that I realised it was another title taken into the open, eager arms of Booktok.
Being deep into a Kindle Unlimtied kick (see my recent post on whether KU is actually worth it) ‘Icebreaker’ fitted perfectly into that reading streak.
Here's the summary:
“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?”
Content warnings (courtesy of TheStoryGraph) include: Sexual content, eating disorder, toxic friendship, body shaming.
What I like the most about ‘Icebreaker’ is that it adds a fresh element to it, in that both protagonists have a sport that they are passionate about. I thought that having Anastasia’s focus pulled towards her figure skating was a really fun and interesting element. It makes a change, as often the girl has a very different interest. This was similar enough that it allowed the characters to have some crossover potential, but also created conflict.
Does ‘Icebreaker’ reinvent the wheel? No. Is it satisfying to read? Absolutely.
It's packed with all your favourite tropes and wish fulfilment. There's a enough drama and stakes to keep you turning the pages, and the spice-to-action balance is spot on.
Spice level? Well, considering this is masquerading on the shelves of TESCO as a kind of fluffy romance… It gets a 6/10 for having balls. Heh. And plenty of pucks. Hehehehe.
I didn't gel with Nathan. He's very much the golden retriever boyfriend here. I wished he had a bit more to him, but he's harmless, and seeks consent, and we love a considerate and moral king.
I do understand the hype over this book. It's a very neat package. I liked it enough that I'm really keen to read ‘Wildfire' and Hannah Grace is now firmly on my radar as an author to watch.
In the end I gave it 3 stars, only because 4 stars feels like we're getting into “altered my brain chemistry” territory, and while I enjoyed the heck out of ‘Icebreaker', I'm not going to be obsessing over it for weeks to come.
Do I recommend it? If this is your genre, absolutely. It's so much fun, and takes on a lot of contemporary issues with ease and careful responsibility. ‘Icebreaker' is a great addition to the genre.
Written by Sarah
