Book Review: "Icebreaker" by Hannah Grace

4/5 stars 

*Spoiler alert!* 

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace is my latest entry into what I consider the wilds of the romance genre. It was a cute and very spicy college romance between a hockey player and a figure skater, both looking to make names for themselves post-graduation.  

“‘It’s not porn. It’s a romance book that happens to have a little bit of sex in it.’” 

A little bit, Hannah Grace? Haha. This one had a lot of spice to balance out the sweetness and heartbreak. Mind you, these are all consenting adults, and it’s none of my business, but let’s just say my college experience was very different. Therefore, I spent most of the book with my cheeks beet red, but I enjoyed the genuine respect and care Nate and Anastasia developed between them over the course of the book.  

“I'm in love with her determination and her commitment, her soft side, the way she manages to tell me exactly how she's feeling and why, no matter how uncomfortable it might make her at first. 

 
She's taught me communicating doesn't mean everything is perfect, it doesn't mean we don't disagree. It means we work through the imperfect bit together, and if we don't agree, we at least know why the other feels that way, even if it's not going to change our minds. We're still individuals, but we're individuals together, and I never knew relationships could be like this.” 

(By the way, all the romance books I’ve read so far have made my standards for men sky high. Sorry fellas.)  

Anastasia is an aspiring Olympic figure skater, looking to win the nationals with her longtime skating partner, Aaron. It’s the first step to prove herself to Team USA and to get her gold medal. She’s fierce and determined and unwaveringly loyal to those close to her. A big fan of planners, Anastasia is pissed when the figure skaters and the hockey team, led by Nate Hawkins, must share a rink after a prank gone horribly wrong.

 

Captain Nate Hawkins, the bane of her existence, eventually becomes not her enemy, per the law of romance novel tropes. It was a cute and mostly sizzling evolution for them in which Nate was both frightened and not by her temper. If you know what I mean. 

Anyways, back to Anastasia, who is one of the most relatable characters of all time. Pushing herself too hard mentally, emotionally, and physically. I’ve seen reviews critical of the characters in the book, Anastasia particularly, and feel compelled to point out no one’s prefrontal cortexes are completely online until age 25 (although some, I feel, never reach this stage). Rather than stressing out about winning nationals as a student athlete, I pushed myself too hard and beat myself up in the service of getting top marks in my classes. I too bowed under the weight of self and societally imposed expectations around my grades, my appearance, even my own personality. Anastasia recognizes she needs help and goes to therapy.

 

“‘You’re my favorite,’” I whisper, leaning in to kiss her flushed cheek.   

“‘Even if I had crab hands?’”   

“‘Even if you had crab hands, Anastasia.’” 

However, there is no amount of therapy in the world that can prepare either Anastasia or I for the gaslighting of the dickhead Aaron (who would also benefit from therapy), who resents having to share Anastasia with Nate. Throughout the book, we see Aaron being controlling about who Anastasia spends time with, her diet regimen, his disdain for Nate (c’mon, Nate is a cinnamon roll). How Anastasia makes so many excuses for Aaron throughout the book was beyond me, but I understood why she continued to put up with Aaron’s bullshit for the sake of her professional athletic future. (Until Aaron goes way too far at nationals.) 

As you can see, a book is successful with me when I am defending fictional characters who don’t need defending from unhappiness. Icebreaker is one of those books for me. It’s a cute, escapist, and yet very real story. A nice break from my latest writing project and the news as of late.  

Guys, be a Nate, not an Aaron.

 

Happy reading! 

--BookOwl