My Thoughts:

Mickey James III is supposed to be the golden child in hockey with a father and a grandfather who were National Hockey League legends. But this college freshman has so many pressures on his small shoulders from media, from other players, from his family, from himself. So when Jaysen Caulfield shows up as his teammate and largest rival for the number one slot in the draft, Mickey is full of rage that hides his fear as well as his lust for this boy that he cannot stop pushing away at the same time he wants to pull in.

However despicable Mickey gets, though, the readers will try to hold on to him and cheer for him to find some kind of emotion between his rage and his feeling nothing at all. It is obvious to the reader that Mickey is severely depressed and we cannot wait for him to get the help he needs. It comes in the form of teammates, his sisters, and even his parents who he feels estranged from. I love how he gets to really talk to his father about the feeling of abandonment and it opens up for more conversation about what will make Mickey happy. The fact that it does not have to be hockey was the opportunity for Mickey to start on the path to healing.

The enemies to lovers trope in here is obvious from the cover and the description, but what makes this better than just ok is both Mickey's very real and complicated struggles, but also Jaysen's ability to use his passion and ferocity on the ice but also be very different off the ice. Yes he is still passionate about taking Mickey down a notch, but he is also funny, soft, and invested in trying to make a relationship work.

For those readers who like a good bro/enemies tussle to love interest book, this one is for you.

From the Publisher:
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.

Publication Information:
Author: A.L. Graziadei
Publisher: Godwin Books (January 18, 2022)
Print length: 316 pages

The first thing that intrigued me, as the opposite of a sports fan, was the sexism and homophobia in the hockey world. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised, but the entire hocked aspect of this book was entirely new to me. I loved reading about the training and the hockey shots – it felt kind of like a battle scene. Then I fell into the rivalry between Mickey and Jaysen. Icebreaker is perfect for fans of rivals to romance. This thick smog of tension in their barbed comments and on the ice.

Great romance that also has a distinct focus on mental health all on the backdrop of hockey. Mickey and Jaysen were a very believable and well written couple. I look forward to more from this author.

This is extremely hockey heavy for about the first 20%. I don’t dislike hockey, but I’m also not really that interested in having it take over my literature either. Once you get past the initial play by play sports stuffs, there is a cute “enemies to lovers” sort of romance and some sweet friendships that start to shine through, and then more hockey (thankfully I found these bits more tolerable). One thing this book does well is representation - with mental health, specifically depression, locker room tolerance, and coming out as a sports star. While this wasn’t necessarily a book well suited to my usual tastes, it was enjoyable overall, and definitely will be loved by others.

This book was just sadly not for me! I was hoping for something different but it turned out to be something I was not expecting, which is okay and I'm sure someone else would love it!

I'm a sucker for any kind of romance that involves hockey. I was worried about this one at first, as the dynamic between the two male main characters seemed almost toxic in the bullying. But they quickly come together in surprising ways, shifting the dynamics while building a steamy romance. This book doesn't shy away from difficult subjects. It's one of the few romances that I've read lately, and thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Who doesn't love a enemies to lovers romance? How about a rival hockey player romance? And make it YA!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt the characterizations of the main character fit well with a young adult battling depression. The main focus of the story centers around his inner turmoil and the impact of outside influences. I enjoyed the friendships that were created and the team sports, although I actually would have enjoyed it more if it had more hockey!

My only complaint is the sudden and incomplete ending.

CW: depression, homophobia, drinking as a coping mechanism, underage drinking, non-explicit sexual content

Well, I just loved this. My knowledge of hockey begins and ends at the webcomic "Check Please", so I was often lost during the actual game play descriptions but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the book without any prior hockey knowledge. I loved the characters and their relationships, the exploration of masculinity, mental health, and sexuality in a hyper-masculine sport, and the family/found family dynamics. This was such an amazing, heartfelt read.

A super solid debut! It's like Fence and Check Please! tackled a few more difficult issues, and those issues are handled well and realistically. And, actually, it's not a love story where they happen to play sports, hockey is a very important part complete with analysts and narration about plays and skills. I enjoyed it! The only thing I can say is that the ending comes a bit too quickly and abruptly, but that's a small quibble. I hope Graziadei writes more books.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. It's clear that the author is a fan of hockey (I found out later that they are a Sabres fan), and that comes out clearly in the descriptions of games and other aspects of hockey life. Mickey is struggling with depression and hiding his bisexuality, while dealing with his feelings of abandonment by his parents, the legacy of two generations of hockey stars before him, his own white privilege and financial privilege, and the question of whether he even wants to continue playing hockey. This could all feel extremely heavy, and it is weighty at times, but the book is still a joy to read. The love of hockey, the camaraderie of the team, Mickey's amazing and loving five older sisters, and of course his rival-turned-love interest, Jaysen Caulfield. Even though YA romances aren't usually my thing, Mickey and Jaysen's relatable struggles (and of course the abundance of hockey) made this a book I couldn't put down.

This was such an amazing read. Mickey and Jaysen are strong leads and are surrounded by a cast of lovely friends and family, I loved their friendship and relationship. I also loved how the author handles mental health and sports. It’s a fun and sweet and important read. Would recommend.

I found Icebreaker to be a very enjoyable YA book. I enjoy reading about hockey and the culture that surrounds the sport is very interesting. I enjoyed the main characters and I think fans of YA romance will love this one.

Hockey rivals who fall in love. What's not to like? One of those cute sports LGBTQ books that you should add to your list of books to read!

Loved this hockey romance. My only complaint is I wish there was more at the end. After all that work, I wanted more to be there.

I also wanted to say that as someone living in a town that recently had their high school hockey team in huge trouble because of racial and homophobic activity in the locker room, it’s so important to be able to read stories like this. With supportive and uplifting teams and black and brown hockey boys who fall in love. Will definitely be recommending this and getting a copy for our library.

I adored all the characters and felt myself rooting for all of them. I would highly recommend it to people that like sports anime/stories since it gives off a similar vibe of hope, intensity, and self-discovery. It's a very good book for a debut.

Mickey James III is a hockey legacy. His father and grandfather were both pro hockey players and he is hoping to follow in their footsteps. Now a freshman on the same college hockey team as his father, Mickey is struggling. Mickey is a strong contender for the number one draft spot, but the only thing standing in his way is his teammate, Jaysen. Jaysen may be his rival, but he’s also his teammate, and the two must find a way to get along for the sake of their team. But what starts as a truce turns into something much more, and Mickey has to decide where his priorities lie.

Icebreaker tackles gender discrimination and homophobia in sports, specifically hockey. Mickey is struggling to live an authentic life. He is doing his best to hide both his sexual orientation and his depression from the public eye. There is so much scrutiny placed on him, both because of his talent and because of the legacy of his father and grandfather. Mickey has a lot of self-doubts stemming from the legacy of his father and grandfather, former NHL hockey players.

I loved watching Mickey progress as a character, as he slowly starts to bond with his teammates, and begins to open up about himself.

I loved the relationship between Mickey and Jaysen. They start as bitter rivals but quickly develop an attraction toward one another.

Thank you to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

Oh my god I loved this book so much!!!! I loved everything about it and the romance was just *chefs kiss*. I have been chasing the high this book gave me since I finished it!

Icebreaker is a YA/NA cusp novel about Mickey, who is on the path to be the third generation in his family to attend the same college and get drafted to play in the NHL. But first, he has to get through his first year at college, playing alongside Jaysen Caulfield, who wants his number one spot at the draft. Mickey also has a few secrets—he’s bi, and he’s dealing with depression and anxiety that threatens to derail his dream of professional hockey. This is a fantastic, fast read that is PERFECT if you love great mental health rep and a not too slow burn enemies-to-lovers story. I'm a huge fan of queer sports romance and while this one is not steamy like much of what I typically read, it delivers on the story of young people struggling with how their own sexualities and mental health will come together with life as a professional athlete. This one embraces the enemies-to-lovers trope and doesn't burn too slowly. Mickey and Jaysen come together as teammates, rivals, then hookups, reluctant friends, and ultimately more.

I love hockey romance novels. So, this YA one was perfect. Jaysen and Mickey are rivals on the ice...but will they be more off the ice? This book was incredibly sweet and very readable. I loved how the author handled the mental health issues in the book, and I loved relatable it was. The best part about this book was how much it covered. In addition to romance, it covered homophobia, friendship, family, and how toxic masculinity still permeates sport.