Icebreaker
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-18 08:52:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：A.L. Graziadei
- ISBN：1250777119
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Summary
A。 L。 Graziadei's Icebreaker is an irresistible YA debut about two hockey players fighting to be the best—and the romance that catches them by surprise along the way。
Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman， a brother to five sisters， and a hockey legacy。 With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history， Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot。
The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield， a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey's infuriating （and infuriatingly attractive） teammate。 When rivalry turns to something more， Mickey will have to decide what he really wants， and what he's willing to risk for it。
This is a story about falling in love， finding your team （on and off the ice）， and choosing your own path。
Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman， a brother to five sisters， and a hockey legacy。 With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history， Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot。
The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield， a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey's infuriating （and infuriatingly attractive） teammate。 When rivalry turns to something more， Mickey will have to decide what he really wants， and what he's willing to risk for it。
This is a story about falling in love， finding your team （on and off the ice）， and choosing your own path。
Reviews
polaris ✨
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *thank you netgalley for providing me with an audio book arc of this book in return for a honest review*well， I don’t know how I feel about this。 The audiobook was okay， the voice was maybe a little too。。 I don’t know， without emotion for me？ I had to speed it up to actually stay interested。warning！ there might be slight spoilers from now。 Now， there are three things I absolutely adored in this book。 The relationships between Mickey and his sisters + the friendships / closeness of the hockey tea *thank you netgalley for providing me with an audio book arc of this book in return for a honest review*well， I don’t know how I feel about this。 The audiobook was okay， the voice was maybe a little too。。 I don’t know， without emotion for me？ I had to speed it up to actually stay interested。warning！ there might be slight spoilers from now。 Now， there are three things I absolutely adored in this book。 The relationships between Mickey and his sisters + the friendships / closeness of the hockey team。 but also the mental health representation; mainly Mickey his depression。 It felt so honestly raw and relatable that it became one of the biggest reasons I kept reading。 Now one that may shock some people who did read the book， I have no idea how I feel about Jaysen and Mickey their relationship。 Don’t be fooled， even though they’re rivals， the two absolutely despise each-other at the start of the book， making this more ‘enemies to lovers’ I agree， they’re cute。 Especially the last few chapters of the book where I feel like their relationship was the most healthy。 BUT I have no idea at what point the two stopped hating each-other。 Maybe I missed it， but for me the relationship felt extremely undeveloped （mainly the enemies -> friends part。 The two basically start being attracted to each-other completely on the others looks。 There was no prior friendship before the start of the attraction and sometimes they go from ‘he’s attractive’ to ‘I hate him’ in one chapter）。 Maybe it is because I have a small dislike for enemies to lovers， that I’m biased。 But as cute as the relationship was， in the end， I missed something in their relationship。 Another thing was a very specific scene， the scene of their first kiss。 And then I don’t mean the time they *almost* kissed， I mean their actual first kiss you will come across if you read the book。 Something about the way it surfaced didn’t sit right with me， maybe some people find it attractive， the way it happend， but the only thing it did to me was make me uncomfortable。There’s one other thing， the ending。 I was genuinely caught off guard by that the Epilogue was already happening？ I felt like we had only surfaced a slight part of Mickeys unresolved business， I wish it would’ve been either with more chapters， or more detailed。Overal this book wasn’t the worst， there were certain points where I loved listening to it， but every time I enjoyed it， there was something that brought it down /for me/ I think it really depends on the person who’s reading this book if they’ll like it or not， but I just didn’t enjoy it enough to actively recommend it。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Overall a good book， although I had some difficulty with some portions， it is nothing too bad， It was the first sport book that I have read， but based on this it is a genre that I'd enjoy to continue。 Overall a good book， although I had some difficulty with some portions， it is nothing too bad， It was the first sport book that I have read， but based on this it is a genre that I'd enjoy to continue。 。。。more
Kat
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was so good！！！！！！ The only thing that kept it from being 5★ was that epilogue…I wanted to see more of a conclusion here， whereas the final pages being spent on the draft and not even announcing the first pick felt like I was cheated of a full story arc。 Before that though， the book was amazing - enemies to lovers， bi MC， diverse side characters， hockey college teams…it had all the tropes I’ve really been into recently， and it did them so well！！ Mickey and Cauler’s chemistry was unreal， the This was so good！！！！！！ The only thing that kept it from being 5★ was that epilogue…I wanted to see more of a conclusion here， whereas the final pages being spent on the draft and not even announcing the first pick felt like I was cheated of a full story arc。 Before that though， the book was amazing - enemies to lovers， bi MC， diverse side characters， hockey college teams…it had all the tropes I’ve really been into recently， and it did them so well！！ Mickey and Cauler’s chemistry was unreal， the slow burn that quickly ignited into a super hot physical thing and then developed into something more。 The friendship that Mickey and Nova has is goals， and I loved how he opened up to Dorian too。 I loved the exploration of familial expectations， mental health， toxic masculinity， the immense pressure of social media， and more。 。。。more
may ✨
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3，5 rounded up。RTC！loved the depression rep and mostly enjoyed this， though i usually need a bit more plot to keep me invested but the romance was really sweet and the mc's development was interesting！thank you so much to the publisher and to netgalley for the ARC <3 3，5 rounded up。RTC！loved the depression rep and mostly enjoyed this， though i usually need a bit more plot to keep me invested but the romance was really sweet and the mc's development was interesting！thank you so much to the publisher and to netgalley for the ARC <3 。。。more
Leah
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Sometimes my ratings are based on a carefully weighed factors of characterization， style， theme， execution， etc。 This one was mostly based on "did I like it？" and the answer was yes。There were definitely some flaws - sometimes the game or practice scenes got a little too play-by-play or filled with terminology that I didn't know/wasn't explained （my familiarity is about two notches above "as they say in hockey。。。'let's do that hockey'"）; the FwB piece and the self-medication through alcohol didn Sometimes my ratings are based on a carefully weighed factors of characterization， style， theme， execution， etc。 This one was mostly based on "did I like it？" and the answer was yes。There were definitely some flaws - sometimes the game or practice scenes got a little too play-by-play or filled with terminology that I didn't know/wasn't explained （my familiarity is about two notches above "as they say in hockey。。。'let's do that hockey'"）; the FwB piece and the self-medication through alcohol didn't feel like it was delved into enough; Nova in particular but many of the other side characters felt somewhat underdeveloped or as if they didn't have personalities separate from their jobs/relationship with Mickey; and the ending might have technically wrapped up the plotlines but didn't necessarily feel emotionally satisfying - for example， I would have loved for the part about Mickey getting help for and learning to live with his mental illness to have gotten emphasis alongside his struggles - and the time skip especially didn't help。 However， the portrayal of depression， family relationships both strained and strong， and the pressure that comes with sports stardom （or any sort of pigeonholing） at a young age were all well done， the writing flowed along with a good bit of humor mixed in， the rivals to romance was both fun and intense， and was just generally enjoyable。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC。 。。。more
Lila （derricoreads）
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I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I want to preface this review by saying two things: I do not know anything about hockey and I do not usually care for romance or realistic fiction。 With that out of the way， this was an absolutely wonderful novel。 I was a little worried this would be glorified fanfiction， but I think the author did an incredible job not centering on the romance itself and focusing on their character developmen I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I want to preface this review by saying two things: I do not know anything about hockey and I do not usually care for romance or realistic fiction。 With that out of the way， this was an absolutely wonderful novel。 I was a little worried this would be glorified fanfiction， but I think the author did an incredible job not centering on the romance itself and focusing on their character development。 On the surface， this is a gay romance that centers on the enemies to lovers trope and hockey。 Through Mickey's eyes， we enter into discussion on mental health -- ESPECIALLY mental health in professional sports -- and depression。 Jaysen talking about how Black men interested in sports get nudged towards football or basketball was so relevant， and both boys struggling with being LGBTQ+ in men's professional sports was a huge part of this story。 Was this incredibly cheesy？ Absolutely。 Did I cringe a couple of times？ Admittedly。 But overall， I am so glad this book is about to exist in the world。 It comes out tomorrow， and I am so excited to tell my school librarian friend about it so we can get it into student hands ASAP。 。。。more
moon
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cw: underage drinking， alcohol abuse， depictions of depression and dissociation， trichotillomaniaI've had Icebreaker on my tbr for a little while， so when the opportunity to listen to an audiobook ARC arose I couldn't miss it！ Gay sports romance？ Enemies-to-lovers？ Slow-burn？ All For The Game comparisons？ I had to read it！I'm usually quick to dislike the privileged， white， cis， athletically successful， rich mc。 But Mickey， our mc， shows full awareness of his privilege and shows evidence of dismi cw: underage drinking， alcohol abuse， depictions of depression and dissociation， trichotillomaniaI've had Icebreaker on my tbr for a little while， so when the opportunity to listen to an audiobook ARC arose I couldn't miss it！ Gay sports romance？ Enemies-to-lovers？ Slow-burn？ All For The Game comparisons？ I had to read it！I'm usually quick to dislike the privileged， white， cis， athletically successful， rich mc。 But Mickey， our mc， shows full awareness of his privilege and shows evidence of dismissing his depression because he has "nothing to be sad about"。 And this immediately cut deep。I wasn't expecting the realism of depression to be where Icebreaker proves itself。 The way Graziadei writes about dissociation， depression and anxiety is so genuine and almost uncomfortably graphic。 But they also write the importance of a good support system perfectly。It's definitely a slow-burn and the balance between romance and sport is pretty on point and good for someone （me） who knows absolutely nothing about sport and is just here for the queer teen angst， but the author made sure to use research or knowledge to make the characters lives and careers realistic。If you're in search of a character driven YA nearing on NA book filled with sports gays， angst and realistic mental illness rep that isn’t fixed by love？ This is it and it's out tomorrow！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC。 。。。more
Online Eccentric Librarian
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More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Icebreaker is a well written slow burn romance that deals with issues of hereditary depression。 The story is told from one viewpoint but the characters are all distinct and interesting。 The hockey aspects are informative but not overwhelming and provide nice world building for the romance。 This is not a humorous book nor light and quirky but neither is it oppressive or difficult to to read。 I listened to the audio ver More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Icebreaker is a well written slow burn romance that deals with issues of hereditary depression。 The story is told from one viewpoint but the characters are all distinct and interesting。 The hockey aspects are informative but not overwhelming and provide nice world building for the romance。 This is not a humorous book nor light and quirky but neither is it oppressive or difficult to to read。 I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent and did the book justice。Story: Mickey James is hockey royalty - a third generation hockey pro with a father and grandfather who were top draft picks。 That he will secure the top pro pick in the upcoming draft is nearly guaranteed。 teammate Jaysen Caulfield is his greatest rival - and also gunning for the top spot。 Mickey knows Jaysen despises him for all the advantages and opportunities Mickey takes for granted; for Jaysen， without connections and being African American， it has always been an uphill battle to get where he is。 But Jaysen does not know that Mickey has had a lifelong battle with depression and dealing with people。 That Mickey is also dealing with abandonment issues from a family that pretty much put him in hockey boarding schools since his early teens。 As the two battle it out over the ice for the top spot， fate will cause them to realize they have both underestimated and misunderstood each other - but how can reconciliation be possible when the top draft spot hangs in the balance？The book takes place over a brief period leading up to the top draft pick。 Jaysen starts out antagonistic and resentful of the 'your highness James III' and Mickey himself is unable and unwilling to make friends with a team he knows he will soon be leaving anyway （as he has had to do with all the people he met in the past as he moved from new team to new team）。 Mickey isn't sure any more what he wants in life （even hockey） and Jaysen picks up on that and resents him more for it。 As the book progresses， we learn more about why Mickey is so withdrawn and apathetic。 The two boys （and teammates） get to know Mickey better as he eventually opens up， often with the help of his horde of older sisters。 While there are no melodrama scenes that make your eyes roll， there are many scenes of pathos， nicely written。 Although I would never believe either character was real， the author does manage to stay nicely grounded throughout the story。 The hockey aspects are well written and add so much depth and context to the story。The audio version of this book is very well done。 The narrator did a great job of giving emotional resonance to many scenes that really required deft acting or they'd fall flat。 He had a good voice and did a great job of making all the characters sound unique and distinct without needing to do crazy accents。 I highly recommend the audio version for this reason。In all， I enjoyed Icebreaker。 I was worried that the depression aspect would be overplayed but the author did a good job of exploring the condition as well as the main character's response to it。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Nora
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The story: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The audiobook: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐It's so nice to find a new favourite book this early in the year。 If you know me， you probably also know that I love me some great audiobooks or audiodramas。 There's nothing better to keep you company while cooking， cleaning， or running errands。 And I absolutely ADORED this one。I loved the narration， we could feel all the different emotions of the characters and the narrator tried and most often succeeded giving the characters their own voice。 I The story: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The audiobook: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐It's so nice to find a new favourite book this early in the year。 If you know me， you probably also know that I love me some great audiobooks or audiodramas。 There's nothing better to keep you company while cooking， cleaning， or running errands。 And I absolutely ADORED this one。I loved the narration， we could feel all the different emotions of the characters and the narrator tried and most often succeeded giving the characters their own voice。 It definitely wasn't plain or dull， which was awesome because the narrator can definitely make or break even a great book。And this book was awesome。 We have Mickey James III and Jayson Caulfield projected to be the top two picks in the upcoming NHL draft。 Mickey was bred for hockey success while Jayson stumbled upon the sport when he was nine and gave everything to be where he is now。 They're the biggest rivals， on the same NCAA team。 On the same damn line。 That rivalry slowly gives way to reluctant friendship and then romance。I myself am a hockey fan by proxy。 I know a lot of things about the NHL， about the teams， about the sport itself but that's only due to my roommate and best friend。 It's hard living with a Leafs fan。 All that heartbreak。 He's also the one who introduced me to hockey fiction and consequently made me fall in love with it。 I think it is safe to say that Icebreaker is the perfect mix of Check， Please！ and the works of Taylor Fitzpatrick。 We have collegiate hockey， a hockey prodigy destined for success but who's struggling with depression and anxiety。 Initial disagreement and animosity between the two main characters one of whom is a disaster bisexual - his words。 An awesome crowd of supporting characters who sometimes voice the thoughts of the readers， sometimes offer comic relief， all the while being their own person， with their own problems and their own life。I also heard people comparing this book to the All For the Game series and while I can see the resemblance， I think that's a bit of a stretch。 It was fun and entertaining， heart-warming but also heart-rending。 I wanted nothing more than wrap these boys up in a fluffy blanket and give them some hot cocoa。And I'm sorry， but can we please talk about THAT ENDING？ ARGH。 I completely understand why it had to end the way it did， there was literally no other option， but that doesn't mean I didn't mutter a "You little shit。" when it ended。Also， there was a prefect opportunity to use Gretzky's "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take。" which would've been a nice little wink for those familiar with the hockey world and I was disappointed when it didn't come。I am so immensely grateful for NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC - or I guess the ALC in this case， but that doesn't mean 'face' in Hungarian， so it's not that fun - and for giving me the chance to get to know Mickey and Jayson。 。。。more
Molli B。
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Somehow I hadn’t heard of this book until I saw it at the bookstore yesterday。 Thankfully the cover artist drew a perfect cover and it caught my attention！ I’m not sure how a book could be more up my alley。 I guess if they’d solved a murder along the way， maybe。 Although， as much as I love hockey books， I have a very hard time not nitpicking the hockey details to death。 Luckily， this one stood up well to the nitpicking！ 😊 Not that anyone cares about the itty bitty details but me。 While this is m Somehow I hadn’t heard of this book until I saw it at the bookstore yesterday。 Thankfully the cover artist drew a perfect cover and it caught my attention！ I’m not sure how a book could be more up my alley。 I guess if they’d solved a murder along the way， maybe。 Although， as much as I love hockey books， I have a very hard time not nitpicking the hockey details to death。 Luckily， this one stood up well to the nitpicking！ 😊 Not that anyone cares about the itty bitty details but me。 While this is modern， contemporary fiction， the book’s version of the NHL is almost like a fantasy version we all dream about :） Lots of diversity—my fingers are crossed this is the near future。 Whatever the case， I really enjoyed it。 Write the world you wish to see， right？？I loved pretty much everything。 The angst， the main characters， their backstories， their team。 Even Mickey’s sisters were a positive part of the story and not annoying， like so many female characters。 Same with Nova。 There are bi， gay， lesbian， poly characters。 Black， White， Latino， Asian。 It’s all just…。great。 I thought the focus on and handling of Mickey’s depression （the heart of the story） was very well done。 I appreciate that the author hasn’t become so embittered by being a Sabres fan that they couldn’t write a good hockey book 😃I would happily have read another 500 pages of these dudes， but I appreciate that the story included exactly what it needed and wasn’t dragged out。 Even if I wanted it to be！！！Highly recommend。 SO HAPPY I found this book。 I imagine it would have popped up on a recommended list for me at some point， but I am happy to have read it all in one sitting today while the Caps lost and it snowed 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 。。。more
JR
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4’5/5 💫Review will be up soon！！
Emeline
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4。5 / 5 starsHow am I？ Emotionally distraught！I received this ebook ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Do I know anything about hockey？ No。 Do I love to read about it？ I sure do。 This book was so good。 I really felt for Mickey the whole time I read it。 At first， I had wished that it was a dual POV， but then you hit the midpoint， and I was so invested in the storyline so much more than I had been。 At one point I did not know what Mickey was going to do and how the story was g 4。5 / 5 starsHow am I？ Emotionally distraught！I received this ebook ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Do I know anything about hockey？ No。 Do I love to read about it？ I sure do。 This book was so good。 I really felt for Mickey the whole time I read it。 At first， I had wished that it was a dual POV， but then you hit the midpoint， and I was so invested in the storyline so much more than I had been。 At one point I did not know what Mickey was going to do and how the story was going to end。This story deals with heavy topics like depression， but there were still these moments sprinkled in that did have me smiling。 There was a good balance between the heaviness of the topics and the developing friendships between the characters。 Also， Jaysen is such a fantastic character。 His relationship with Mickey develops in the best way。 One day I would love even just a bonus chapter exclusively from Jaysen's POV。 。。。more
Daniel
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I really enjoyed this rivals-to-lovers romance！ Thanks Netgalley and Recorded Books for the advance audiobook！Mickey and Jaysen are the top two hockey players on the NHL draft list。 Mickey， the son of a legendary hockey pro， is destined for the NHL， but all that pressure combined with his abandonment issues， his depression， and his closeted bisexual status have him wondering if professional hockey is what he really wants。 Jaysen， on the other hand， doesn't have any of the inherited notoriety and I really enjoyed this rivals-to-lovers romance！ Thanks Netgalley and Recorded Books for the advance audiobook！Mickey and Jaysen are the top two hockey players on the NHL draft list。 Mickey， the son of a legendary hockey pro， is destined for the NHL， but all that pressure combined with his abandonment issues， his depression， and his closeted bisexual status have him wondering if professional hockey is what he really wants。 Jaysen， on the other hand， doesn't have any of the inherited notoriety and has worked hard as a Black， queer player in a predominantly white， heterosexual sport to get where he is。 But whatever rivalry and resentment exists between them， it doesn't stop them from catching feelings for each other when they end up playing for the same college team。The story is well-written， and both the hockey world and the experience of depression are described so well， the author is clearly experienced and/or well-researched。 They've found a perfect balance between depicting these experiences with clarity and detail without isolating a reader， such as myself， who isn't familiar。 Mickey's relationships with his parents， sisters， friends， and fellow players all feel realistic and nicely developed。 The central romance is also sweet， adorable， and full of angst that feels earned and authentic。I also really appreciate the range of sexualities and relationships depicted on the page。 We see various queer identities and relationships， including a polyamorous romantic relationship and a friendship between two straight guys who aren't afraid to show their affection。 Toxic masculinity begone！ICEBREAKER is a quality read for anyone， and I think hockey folks and those who live with depression will especially love it。 。。。more
Oliwier
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I'm not really （or even not at all） interested by sports， and I don't know anything about hockey。 So maybe someone who knows more about the topic would be even happier to find this book。But anyway， this is a great take on the "rivals to lovers" trope！！ And the MC （as well as other characters） deals with depression and anxiety。 Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review I'm not really （or even not at all） interested by sports， and I don't know anything about hockey。 So maybe someone who knows more about the topic would be even happier to find this book。But anyway， this is a great take on the "rivals to lovers" trope！！ And the MC （as well as other characters） deals with depression and anxiety。 Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review 。。。more
Megan
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[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]It should surprise no one that a rivals/enemies to lovers story line with sports would be my jam。 And oh， is it my jam。 Icebreaker tells the story of Mickey James III， a hockey prodigy who has hockey in his blood。 It’s a birthright。 It’s a legacy。 And he’s almost ambivalent about the sport due to depression， family expectations， and not being fully out as bisexual。 But Mickey is tapped for the top draft pick against his rival and now college teamma [ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]It should surprise no one that a rivals/enemies to lovers story line with sports would be my jam。 And oh， is it my jam。 Icebreaker tells the story of Mickey James III， a hockey prodigy who has hockey in his blood。 It’s a birthright。 It’s a legacy。 And he’s almost ambivalent about the sport due to depression， family expectations， and not being fully out as bisexual。 But Mickey is tapped for the top draft pick against his rival and now college teammate， Jaysen Caulfield。 The problem is that Cauler （as Jaysen prefers to go by） is extremely Mickey’s type and the two find themselves not hating each other as much as they， and the rest of the hockey world， thought。 I went to a college near Buffalo， NY so I absolutely adored all the talk of winter sports， college， and a Sabres reference！ Hockey is such a big deal for cold weather schools。 I went to a D3 school so I can imagine the hype surrounding a D1 school with NHL draft prospects and it would pretty much mirror this book。 Add in that the two top draft picks are longtime rivals and on the same team *and* have some of the most crackling chemistry and tension I’ve read in a while？ Delicious。 Just delicious。 The discussion of depression and the different forms it can take was stunning。 Mickey talks about wanting to feel *an* emotion about something。 It seems like the only thing that can inject life into his veins is Cauler， but he recognizes that this isn’t enough and slowly starts to open up to more teammates。 These conversations can be so hard to navigate and watching Mickey do this felt so realistic， especially for a college freshman who’s trying to find their way。 It’s funny。 When I finished the book， I felt positively about it。 Gave it 4。5 stars and rounded down to 4。 Then I sat on the book for a few days before writing this review and now I’m just filled with such contentment and satisfaction that I’m rounding it up to 5 stars。 What a book。 4。5 stars rounded up 。。。more
Alexis （TheSlothReader）
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There are definite pacing issues and the ending felt rushed， but I really liked this one。 It perfectly captures how messy it is to be a young adult trying to decide the trajectory of the rest of your life， adding in the pressures of being a sports prodigy and queer and depressed。 This book was definitely a little heavier than the blurb suggested since so much of the novel is focused on Mickey's depression and the relationship with his parents， but all of it felt so authentic and relatable。 There are definite pacing issues and the ending felt rushed， but I really liked this one。 It perfectly captures how messy it is to be a young adult trying to decide the trajectory of the rest of your life， adding in the pressures of being a sports prodigy and queer and depressed。 This book was definitely a little heavier than the blurb suggested since so much of the novel is focused on Mickey's depression and the relationship with his parents， but all of it felt so authentic and relatable。 。。。more
Kasey Marie
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All the love for Icebreaker by A。L。 Graziadei！！ This has been everything I have been craving to read lately。 The enemies to lovers story was a little fast-paced but I was so caught up in everything going on that I listened to the audio almost in one sitting。 What I loved most was that this book is bursting with so much representation and it is done so well （you know， none of that super cringe stereotypical slang writers tend to use to let you know that their characters are diverse， yuck）Icebreak All the love for Icebreaker by A。L。 Graziadei！！ This has been everything I have been craving to read lately。 The enemies to lovers story was a little fast-paced but I was so caught up in everything going on that I listened to the audio almost in one sitting。 What I loved most was that this book is bursting with so much representation and it is done so well （you know， none of that super cringe stereotypical slang writers tend to use to let you know that their characters are diverse， yuck）Icebreaker is very much YA， fade to black and so perfectly tells the story of someone who is struggling with literally who he was breed to be and someone who he wants to be desperately。 Is this a sports story， yes。。。do you need to like sports stories to enjoy this book？ Absolutely notTriggers covering topics of mental health， family trauma， and alcohol as a copying mechanism 。。。more
Phobos
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Story: ★ ★ ★ ★ Audiobook: ★ ★ ½Tropes: enemies to lovers， forced proximityContent Warnings: underage drinking， alcohol abuse， graphic depictions of depression。** Please heed this depression warning！ My depression is well managed， but the pressure， the spiraling， the anxiety was so realistic that had to take breaks and that’s completely ok。 Take care of yourself！ ♡When I first started reading （listening to） Icebreaker， I wondered if I would ever come to truly sympathize with our successful， rich， Story: ★ ★ ★ ★ Audiobook: ★ ★ ½Tropes: enemies to lovers， forced proximityContent Warnings: underage drinking， alcohol abuse， graphic depictions of depression。** Please heed this depression warning！ My depression is well managed， but the pressure， the spiraling， the anxiety was so realistic that had to take breaks and that’s completely ok。 Take care of yourself！ ♡When I first started reading （listening to） Icebreaker， I wondered if I would ever come to truly sympathize with our successful， rich， white， cis main character。 It’s funny how often that comes up- Mickey， our main character， is in full acknowledgement of his own privilege to the point where he dismisses his own depression because he has nothing to be sad about。 It’s actually such a great opportunity to prove how much you brain and your depression give less than one entire shit about how good your life technically is。 Your brain says you’re miserable now because it can’t do its job right and has decided to make that your problem。 So did I ever sympathize with Mickey？ No， not really。 He’s completely unrelatable outside of his depression and anxiety。 But empathize？ I most certainly did。 And here’s why。Detail and realism is where the story shines most brightly。 The way the author writes about dissociation， anxiety， depression- that’s handled in such a genuine and graphic way。 You can feel their personal experience in their writing and that’s what makes it so good。 Depression freaking sucks and the fact that it can even take down a rich white boy with a killer support system AND is in the running for the top NHL pick is really important。 So yeah， it’s an angst fest and I love it。Beyond that Icebreaker does a commendable job of balancing the romance and the sport。 Hockey is a huge part of our main characters’ lives， and the author made that intrinsically believable with their well-researched （or personally experienced）game detail。 If you’re into YA straddling the line into New Adult territory， this is it。 If you want realistic mental illness rep that isn’t magically cured by love， but is instead something that’s tackled in a pragmatic and accessible way， here it is。 You want character driven queer romance with character development and love interests whose path to where they met couldn’t be any different， pick the book up dang it！A note about the audiobook— it was fine！ I don’t feel like my reading experience was enhanced because it was read to me aside from the fact that I was able to get some laundry done。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this audiobook ARC for me to review。 。。。more
Victoria I
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"Icebreaker" is a queer college hockey enemies to lovers book。 Fans of Ngozi's "Check Please！" web comic should definitely check this debut out。The two main characters have great development and blur the line from the beginning of hate and love。 Graziadei has a talent of capturing the passion of love/hate enemy/lover dynamic me and many others love。 I was surprised this was considered YA instead of NA。The depiction of depression， anxiety and how those can spiral via the main characters lens felt "Icebreaker" is a queer college hockey enemies to lovers book。 Fans of Ngozi's "Check Please！" web comic should definitely check this debut out。The two main characters have great development and blur the line from the beginning of hate and love。 Graziadei has a talent of capturing the passion of love/hate enemy/lover dynamic me and many others love。 I was surprised this was considered YA instead of NA。The depiction of depression， anxiety and how those can spiral via the main characters lens felt extremely authentic。 I love the focus on portraying being not okay but still trying to handle everything yourself。 Even the side characters had very full personalities and things to deal with。I also loved the diversity in this book with numerous queer people， a Black love interest as well as diverse teammates and even a polyamorous relationship。 The handling of all of these identities was well done and accepted as well as not being made a big deal but also acknowledging the disadvantages faced。 The main character also often acknowledges some of his privileges of being a white man。I like how the ending was done， I had guessed it would be different than what readers were expecting。 I expect this book to be extremely well received due to the writing and lovable characters。 A stunning debut。 。。。more
Sydney
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First off， I want say thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this book to review it。 This book follows Mickey James as he enters college and tries to live up to the hockey legacy that follows his name。 Jaysen Caulfield is the biggest competition that Mickey has for the #1 spot in the NHL draft。 And then， obviously， things happen between the two。 I thought this book was really cute and was so intrigued when I found it！ I think that the story and the concept were really fun and I had a rea First off， I want say thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this book to review it。 This book follows Mickey James as he enters college and tries to live up to the hockey legacy that follows his name。 Jaysen Caulfield is the biggest competition that Mickey has for the #1 spot in the NHL draft。 And then， obviously， things happen between the two。 I thought this book was really cute and was so intrigued when I found it！ I think that the story and the concept were really fun and I had a really nice time reading this book。 Overall， I was a little underwhelmed by the book， but still really enjoyed it。 I kept finding myself expecting more from different scenes and interactions between the characters。 The ending also left me feeling unsatisfied and it seemed like。 it ended a little abruptly。 I would still recommend this book because of how cute it was。 One thing that I really loved about this book was the way that the author talked about mental health， specifically depression。 I have never read in which the author so accurately describes what depression can feel like。 It was really encouraging to read about a character that was going through the same things that I have gone through and understanding that we are not alone and that others are dealing with their struggles in similar way。 As with any book， there were things that I loved and things that I wasn’t as big of a fan of， but I think that overall the book was really fun and a perfect read to life spirits。 。。。more
lily
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this book was so good AHHHAKZKSKthe only thing i didn’t like about it is that the ending felt kind of rushed but i still loved every second of this book and i don’t think i’ve ever been so sure about giving a book 5 stars。 i will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future :）
amy
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gays？ sports？ haters to lovers？ found family？ this book has my undivided attention
Imbi
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This book was heartwarmingly sweet！ I listened to the audiobook while doing chores and I ended up organizing my closet because I didn't want to put it down。I know absolutely nothing about ice hockey but the book was easily readable。 Mikey was a wonderful character， and my favorite part of the book is basically every single time he talked about his friends or sisters。 There were so many characters that it took a while to remember them all， but at the of the book， I loved every single one。 None of This book was heartwarmingly sweet！ I listened to the audiobook while doing chores and I ended up organizing my closet because I didn't want to put it down。I know absolutely nothing about ice hockey but the book was easily readable。 Mikey was a wonderful character， and my favorite part of the book is basically every single time he talked about his friends or sisters。 There were so many characters that it took a while to remember them all， but at the of the book， I loved every single one。 None of them felt one-dimensional plot devices and I loved that they formed strong bonds with each other even outside of Mikey。 The mental health rep was also a very big part of the plot， and I think the author handled it well。 Huge props to the author for acknowledging the discrimination BIPOC face in the sports field （ha） with the main character， on page， and Mikey being conscious of it more than a single conversation。I wish we had more scenes with just Jaysen and Mikey， instead of just being told they were getting closer， but the only thing I really disliked about this book was the ending。 I have no problems with NFL decision thing， because I get what the point was supposed to be， and I'd already guessed it a quarter of the way in。 My issue was with Mikey's decision。 （view spoiler）[It felt uncharacteristic and underdeveloped for him to abandon all his friends and the team when we spent the whole book watching him make and learn to depend on his support circle， only to leave to change most things he likes about his life。 （hide spoiler）] I'm hoping the authors will change it， and I'll be keeping a lookout for this book when it comes out。 ⇻ Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review。 ⇺ 。。。more
Aly
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I've enjoyed sports romance for a long time and now I'm seeing more queer sports romance and I love it。 This was a well written book， that delved into mental health， addiction， and family。 I thought it was well paced， with likeable characters and a cute enemies to lovers romance。 The ending was lacking， with no real conclusion and felt too abrupt for me。 Mickey is a hockey prodigy， expected to go number one in the NHL draft。 Along with the pressure from his father and fans， he suffers from untre I've enjoyed sports romance for a long time and now I'm seeing more queer sports romance and I love it。 This was a well written book， that delved into mental health， addiction， and family。 I thought it was well paced， with likeable characters and a cute enemies to lovers romance。 The ending was lacking， with no real conclusion and felt too abrupt for me。 Mickey is a hockey prodigy， expected to go number one in the NHL draft。 Along with the pressure from his father and fans， he suffers from untreated depression and copes by binge drinking。 On his college team is Jaysen， the one guy who may steal the top spot from Mickey。 Though Jaysen and Mickey fight constantly， they also push each other to be better and toe the line between love and hate。 I didn't expect the book to be so emotional and a couple of parts really broke my heart。 I was glad to see Mickey get help and be surrounded by people who cared about his wellbeing。 I'm hoping for a sequel， so we get answers to the questions left open。 I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own。 Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for the copy 。。。more
Katie
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Add this book to your TBR now！ If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would。 This is one of my favorite enemies to lovers books I have ever read so if that is your thing you are sure to love Icebreaker！ I would rank this book up with Red， White & Royal Blue and The Extraordinaries in terms of how much I enjoyed it and I did go and buy the January rainbow crate box so that I could have a physical copy of this book with a signed bookplate。I went into this book knowing nothing about Hockey， Add this book to your TBR now！ If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would。 This is one of my favorite enemies to lovers books I have ever read so if that is your thing you are sure to love Icebreaker！ I would rank this book up with Red， White & Royal Blue and The Extraordinaries in terms of how much I enjoyed it and I did go and buy the January rainbow crate box so that I could have a physical copy of this book with a signed bookplate。I went into this book knowing nothing about Hockey， but I am a big fan of sports animes so this was right up my alley and everything I love about a sports anime。 The rivalry， the tension， but make it romance！ Also important to note， I read this book by listening to the audiobook and I am kind of picky when it comes to audiobooks but the narrator did a wonderful job！ I enjoyed the plot， the hockey， the romance， the characters， complicated family dynamics， and most importantly the depictions of depression so much。 I personally related to a lot of Mickey's explanation and guilt he felt about his depression so it was very nice to see my struggles represented in a book like this。 Thank you so much to Netgalley and Recorded Books for the audiobook ARC！ 。。。more
Keanna Jasmine
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Ah！ I really liked this book。 I listened to the audiobook in one day as I walked around New York City and it was the perfect soundtrack。 The narrator was really great！ The queer representation was so great to see in this！ It was refreshing to read about individuals who were comfortable with their sexuality。 I also love reading about sports and romance， so this was right up my alley。 The mental health representation was also really great。 The main character， Mickey， has grown up with the weight o Ah！ I really liked this book。 I listened to the audiobook in one day as I walked around New York City and it was the perfect soundtrack。 The narrator was really great！ The queer representation was so great to see in this！ It was refreshing to read about individuals who were comfortable with their sexuality。 I also love reading about sports and romance， so this was right up my alley。 The mental health representation was also really great。 The main character， Mickey， has grown up with the weight of his family's legacy of being first pick for the NHL draft。 When he ends up on a college team with his number one rival， Jaysen， his anxiety about being the best takes over。 It was really interesting to see his ups and downs。 I just wish that the book didn't end on such a major cliffhanger！！ While I understand that whomever the draft picks first was never really what the book was about， I still wanted to know who got picked and how Mickey and Jaysen dealt with it。 I also would have liked to see them interact more together， moments where they were just having fun。 The build up was great but I feel like their romance began to plateau a bit。 If it was 100 pages longer， I think the ending would have also been more developed。 Nonetheless， this was a really fun book。 The side characters were so lovable and I even teared up at some moments。 I really enjoyed listening to this！Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the audiobook arc of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Caitlin Siciliano
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To start with， I'm a HUGE fan of the webcomic Check， Please by Ngozi Ukazu， and that's 90% of the reason I picked up this book - the synopsis sounded very similar to Check， Please， - I can't get enough of stories about queer hockey players， apparently。 This book delivered: Mickey is a hockey legend who is crumbling under the pressure。 He's living with depression and anxiety （hard same）， and just trying to do his best while he waits for the NHL draft picks to be announced。 His number one rival fo To start with， I'm a HUGE fan of the webcomic Check， Please by Ngozi Ukazu， and that's 90% of the reason I picked up this book - the synopsis sounded very similar to Check， Please， - I can't get enough of stories about queer hockey players， apparently。 This book delivered: Mickey is a hockey legend who is crumbling under the pressure。 He's living with depression and anxiety （hard same）， and just trying to do his best while he waits for the NHL draft picks to be announced。 His number one rival for first pick， Jaysen， is now his teammate and the two have to keep their rivalry off the ice。 Things get complicated when they catch feelings for each other; there aren't many openly out hockey players， and despite the You Can Play campaign， hockey has a long way to go before they are actually accepting of queer players。 I was disappointed in the ending of the story， which felt rushed。 I also wanted an actual conversation to happen between Bailey and Mickey because his text to her apologizing for "being a brat" even though he is COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED in his abandonment issues wasn't enough for me。 All in all， a very interesting and fun book！ 。。。more
Angela Y （yangelareads）
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I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by RB Media。Icebreaker is a YA debut about two hockey players fighting to be the best and a romance that catches them by surprise。 Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman， a brother to five sisters， and a hockey legacy。 With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history， Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot。 he only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfi I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Copy provided by RB Media。Icebreaker is a YA debut about two hockey players fighting to be the best and a romance that catches them by surprise。 Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman， a brother to five sisters， and a hockey legacy。 With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history， Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot。 he only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield， a contender for the number one spot and Mickey's infuriating teammate。 When rivalry turns to something more， Mickey will have to decide what he really wants， and what he's willing to risk for it。I honestly didn't know what to expect after getting this ARC。 I always wished there was more sport related fiction and a hockey book just made me more interested。 I really liked how depression was portrayed here。 I also loved the bond between Mickey and his sisters and how they were able to talke about their mental health issues with each other。 The only reason I couldn't rate this higher is because I felt the ending was rushed and so many unexplained parts。 There was so much that could have been expanded on or explored more， like Mickey rebuilding his relationship with his dad or more of a natural lead up to Mickey and Cauler。Rating: 3。5/5 。。。more
Andi （Andi's ABCs）
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There was so much of this book I loved and so much I needed more focus on。 The background characters were truly amazing and some of my favorite parts。 So many of them could have books of their own。 All in all I liked it and it was a super quick read。
Karis
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~Thank you Netgallery and Fierce Reads for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！~I didn't know what to expect when I got this ARC。 I don't read many sports books and the blurb didn't really grab me。 But I figured I might as well read it， since I won it and all。 And I'm glad I did。I really liked how depression was portrayed here， especially how it the stigma in the professional sports world severely affects him and prevents him from seeking proper treatment until near the end of the book。 It's ~Thank you Netgallery and Fierce Reads for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！~I didn't know what to expect when I got this ARC。 I don't read many sports books and the blurb didn't really grab me。 But I figured I might as well read it， since I won it and all。 And I'm glad I did。I really liked how depression was portrayed here， especially how it the stigma in the professional sports world severely affects him and prevents him from seeking proper treatment until near the end of the book。 It's not just in sports， but in his personal life， too， where he can't find joy in anything because of his feelings of emptiness and self-hatred。 Those parts were especially relatable for me。And the relationships Mickey has throughout the book are a joy。 I loved the bond he had with his sisters， the friendships he eventually develops with his team， and the romance with Cauler。 I'm normally not one for enemies-to-lovers in fiction， but the interactions between them had me giddy at some points and smiling like a goofball。But the biggest thing holding me back from rating this higher is the ending。 It kind of dropped the ball and was too sudden。 I really didn't feel like the story was ending until the epilogue hit。 There was so much that could have been expanded on or explored more， like Mickey rebuilding his relationship with his dad or more of a natural lead up to Mickey and Cauler finally getting together。 This probably could have been a hundred or so pages longer; maybe Graziadei could explore more in a sequel， but it's hard to tell because the book hasn't even come out at the time of this review。Overall， a good debut that just needed a bit more to be a great or excellent one。 I only hope for Graziadei to improve as time goes one。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Icebreaker
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Icebreaker&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Icebreaker&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0