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A review by ashley_mrose530
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was... really disappointing. I feel like this could have been really good and it started off that way, but it really didn't end that way at all.
I liked the beginning. I did. I thought we were settling into the characters and their personalities and stories pretty well, but then it didn't really go anywhere from there. I liked the dynamic between Stassie and Nate at first. She really didn't like him but when I thought about it, I didn't really understand why. But it was fine, sometimes we really hate someone without a real reason. But then other kings like that started to creep in.
I started noticing that there wasn't much of a plot. First the second rink breaks down so they are all forced to use the same one. Realistically, as someone who grew up on the hockey team, I know this shouldn't have put them in contact with each other very often especially since there was only the boys hockey team (maybe there was a girls team but they were never mentioned), the one set of figure skaters (again I would assume there's more but they were also never mentioned), and the learn-to-skate kids that Stassie teaches for work. This didn't seem like too much to be navigating on one rink, so I was surprised that they were forced together so much just from that.
And then Aaron gets hurt and Nate offers to take his place for the time being. I don't know what hockey player in their right mind thinks they can ever skate in figure skates, but apparently he did, so I was looking forward to seeing him fall on his ass many, many times because he would basically have to relearn how to skate. That toe-pick makes it a completely different motion that you have to do with your feet in order to push yourself forward compared to hockey skates. I know that and we didn't even have a figure skating team when I was growing up. But, though it was mentioned in passing, that was never put in scene and that was really disappointing to me. In fact, most of their training together was only in summary and I thought that was going to be a big part of the book.
But other than that and the Aaron thing, the plot was very stagnant. I think the main issue was that the book is too long, trying to cover too much time. These things would have felt like significant plot points if the book had been edited and shortened, but as it was the pacing was way too drawn out.
We didn't even get very much significant romantic interaction between our two leads besides all the sex scenes. It seemed like the author only knew how to show chemistry and relationship development by having them fall into bed together. The sex scenes were good, don't get me wrong. The spice was probably 10/10, but this was supposed to be more than an erotica.
I did like how well they communicated their feeling for one another and in general. That was probably the only good thing that came out of Stassie's need to mention the fact that she goes to therapy all the time. I felt like she mentioned it way too much and yet she didn't really show any signs of it. I remember noting at the beginning that she's gone to therapy since she was nine but she hasn't realized that her parents only talk to her about skating so much because they want to show her that they are interested in what she's interested yet? After like 15 years of therapy? That makes no sense. I didn't even need to go to therapy to realize that for myself.
Anyway, I think this book could have benefited from more developmental editing to pair it down more in some areas and build up others. It was a great idea and the plot could have been really good, but unfortunately the overly stuffed prose ruined it overall.
I liked the beginning. I did. I thought we were settling into the characters and their personalities and stories pretty well, but then it didn't really go anywhere from there. I liked the dynamic between Stassie and Nate at first. She really didn't like him but when I thought about it, I didn't really understand why. But it was fine, sometimes we really hate someone without a real reason. But then other kings like that started to creep in.
I started noticing that there wasn't much of a plot. First the second rink breaks down so they are all forced to use the same one. Realistically, as someone who grew up on the hockey team, I know this shouldn't have put them in contact with each other very often especially since there was only the boys hockey team (maybe there was a girls team but they were never mentioned), the one set of figure skaters (again I would assume there's more but they were also never mentioned), and the learn-to-skate kids that Stassie teaches for work. This didn't seem like too much to be navigating on one rink, so I was surprised that they were forced together so much just from that.
And then Aaron gets hurt and Nate offers to take his place for the time being. I don't know what hockey player in their right mind thinks they can ever skate in figure skates, but apparently he did, so I was looking forward to seeing him fall on his ass many, many times because he would basically have to relearn how to skate. That toe-pick makes it a completely different motion that you have to do with your feet in order to push yourself forward compared to hockey skates. I know that and we didn't even have a figure skating team when I was growing up. But, though it was mentioned in passing, that was never put in scene and that was really disappointing to me. In fact, most of their training together was only in summary and I thought that was going to be a big part of the book.
But other than that and the Aaron thing, the plot was very stagnant. I think the main issue was that the book is too long, trying to cover too much time. These things would have felt like significant plot points if the book had been edited and shortened, but as it was the pacing was way too drawn out.
We didn't even get very much significant romantic interaction between our two leads besides all the sex scenes. It seemed like the author only knew how to show chemistry and relationship development by having them fall into bed together. The sex scenes were good, don't get me wrong. The spice was probably 10/10, but this was supposed to be more than an erotica.
I did like how well they communicated their feeling for one another and in general. That was probably the only good thing that came out of Stassie's need to mention the fact that she goes to therapy all the time. I felt like she mentioned it way too much and yet she didn't really show any signs of it. I remember noting at the beginning that she's gone to therapy since she was nine but she hasn't realized that her parents only talk to her about skating so much because they want to show her that they are interested in what she's interested yet? After like 15 years of therapy? That makes no sense. I didn't even need to go to therapy to realize that for myself.
Anyway, I think this book could have benefited from more developmental editing to pair it down more in some areas and build up others. It was a great idea and the plot could have been really good, but unfortunately the overly stuffed prose ruined it overall.