Tropes/Key Points:
✨Sports/College Romance
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Warped Love Triangleish
✨Dual POV
3.5⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Blurb:
Anastasia is a junior in college on track to be an Olympic Figure Skater. It’s all that she has worked towards since she was five years old. She managed to get a full scholarship, but her pairs partner wasn’t interested in furthering his career. So, as a freshman she was paired up with Aaron who was in the same boat.
Stasis comes to win and nothing will get in her way. She has a meticulous schedule, regime and diet that will not be put off track for anybody or anything. Until she gets summoned along with the entire sporting department for a mandatory meeting that disrupts her day. This disruption continues when they are informed that Rink Two, the Hockey Teams Ice, is out for the count and they all have to share one ice rink.
Nathan is the captain of the schools hockey team. He has never met a problem he couldn’t solve, that is until his ice rink is flooded and they have to share with the figure skating team. He sees Anastasia arguing with her coach after the meeting, and his attempt to smooth things over backfires in his face.
Anastasia’s partner gets injured so Nathan steps in to fill the role. Swapping out a puck for a toe pick, the pair find themselves stuck together and closer than ever.
Review:
I don’t even know where to fully start here.
The premise is amazing and reminded me of the movie “The Cutting Edge”. It’s a semi-accurate comparison but only in certain spots. I give this author credit though as she made it her own and it didn’t feel like a rip off of a timeless classic. I’m not even mad at the execution of the story, as it kept me hooked.
One complaint though is the spice level. It comes out of the gate swinging and while it does calm down after chapter two until a bit later in the book, this was just too much for my personal preference. Not to mention that the first sexual encounter between Anastasia and Nate left much to be desired. She just used the bathroom dude and you knelt…. Well. You get it. 🤮
My second complaint is the epilogue. It just wasn’t needed. I got to the last chapter of the book and thought I was done only for there to be a very predictable epilogue. I think the epilogue actually ruins the story and rushes achievements for the Main Couple. It felt out of place from what we learned through the book, like the author wanted it so it happened. The lady chapter would have been the perfect ending.
One thing I absolutely loved about this story was the cast of characters. It wasn’t just about the main duo, it included such lovable hockey players on Nathan’s team and an amazing best friend for Anastasia. The author managed to flush out these characters and give them their own personalities and problems. It really felt like I could be in a room with a group of friends.
Banter is also my weakness. Coming in strong with not only enjoyable back and forth between Ana and Nate, the way the hockey team comes together and ribs on each other was so perfect. There were multiple spots outside of the main couple that had me laughing. The team even accepted Ana and Lola into their group and they joined in on the fun of driving Nate crazy.
I have to say that the way the author really delved outside of the romance to introduce complex backstories and emotions for these characters was really well done. Anastasia is in therapy and we see how her anxiety and obsessive planning became established. We see how it affects her daily life and even those around her. It wasn’t just a throwaway plot point, the author actually disperses it throughout the story in a great way.
We also get to see some healing in regards to how Ana looks at food. This is such a delicate subject and I think it was handled so well. Of course, I’m coming at this from someone who has (luckily — but no shame to anyone who hasn’t been so lucky — I support you) never experienced trauma with food. I hope that the author truly did portray it in a healthy way and if not, can someone please educate me?
The climax of the story was pristine but there were some moments that had me rolling my eyes. Development that we worked through only for it to be torn down to further the plot. But, that’s the way the stories are written so what can you do?
Overall there were some really great moments through the book but it wasn’t enough to overpower the ending. The ending really ruined it for me and unfortunately that’s a big ding taking away from the rating.
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Looking at her makes me want to be the funniest guy in the room, so I can be the one to make her laugh.Highlighted by 3,174 Kindle readers- I’m busy listening to them discuss theories when hands land on my waist from behind, and I feel breath on my neck. “You shouldn’t be drinking. You have a head injury.”Highlighted by 1,531 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher
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Frenemies to lovers, dirty talk, & perfect banter
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023
𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/5I saw this one circulating for a while but never really saw the draw. When it was up for an optional read for @hoedownthrowdown_bookclub I decided, you know what? Let's try it. After all, who doesn't love a good hockey romance?And this one was GOOD. Nate's intro was perfection. To see him start there to where he finished, that's what we call growth 🤌 Stassie at first I wasn't a huge fan of but she grew on me pretty quickly. Especially when they're forced to interact due to the hockey team and the figure skaters having to share a rink. The frenemies to lovers storyline has always been one of my favorites and I think it was done really well.It felt a little longer than necessary at some parts but I think it all helped to tell and finish the complete story. And the epilogue actually got me choked up. I'm definitely curious to see what else Grace has in store for some of the other characters you get to know in Maple Hills.All in all, I'd recommend. It's a cute storyline with some heavy topics that were dealt with in what I think was a realistic way. The back and forth between Stassie and Nate was fun and the spice was 🥵 (and the dirty talk was next level. Stassie gave just as good as Nate and I love that with female characters.)
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023
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