This was a decent read, I did find the beginning a bit slow and struggled to keep my attention.

I liked the message the story was putting out but I did have a hard time with how much Amy was pushing Caro, I understand that she was comfortable with her situation but it felt like she was just pushing Caro to far to fast.

Decent book though happy I read it and would read from this author again

I was excited to listen to the audiobook for Out on the Ice, which was originally published August 2020. I’ve previously read and enjoyed the two sequel books in this series Unexpected Goals (Nov 2021) and Calling the Shots (Nov 2022). All of them are tied to female hockey players but can be read as stand alone novels. In this book Caro Cassidy is a retired hockey legend and former Olympian. She now runs a girls hockey training center in the Chicago area. Amy Schwarzbach currently plays hockey professionally for a Boston team. She accepts an off season job helping run summer camp for Caro as it will put her near her parents while her dad recovers from a surgery.

The pair couldn’t be more different. Caro is almost closeted to her homophobic family and around work, fearing potential problems. She is in therapy and does what she can to battle depression. I really like that therapy moments are included in the storyline. Amy on the other hand is out and proud and actively supports LGBTQ causes. I love how the author shows her hyperactive squirrel brain. And I appreciate her frustration at Bi stereotypes and erasure. The story is more about building a relationship and trying to work and compromise together. I love how Amy helps Caro find a supportive friend network when her family is not there for her. And I love Doug the dog and how Amy talks to him.

This is very much a book about adults still dealing with personal issues and logistics as a couple. It is great to see Caro’s change over the story and find inner strength. And I appreciate that the pair bring out the best in each other. I knew from reading the author previously the story would be closed door. But she still shows the longing and chemistry, especially in the first half of the book. I enjoyed the narration and voicing of characters by Chelsea Stephens.

I DNFed this book at 40%.
I wanted to like this book, but Caro is really stubborn and annoying. I thought she'd get better as the story went along, but when homophobic language came up, it was enough of a reason for me to stop.
I reviewed an audio version, so I want to be clear that this was not an issue with the audiobook production or narrator.

Cute & fun Sapphic hockey romance?! Sign me up! Definitely there were some bumps in the road but overall I enjoyed this cute rom com.

✨️💚✨️Audio Book Review✨️💚✨️

Book: Out On The Ice
Author: Kelly Farmer
Rating: 4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

Such a good book!

Doug 😍💖 the best character in this whole book. You definitely want to pick this one up to figure out why.

I found this one to be super deep and also very relatable. There were times where I wanted one of the FMC's to recognize what she was doing quicker, but at the same time I know everyone has their own journey and have to come to their decisions on their own.

I loved that this was a sports hockey romance that involved women, as you don't usually get that perspective and I was really happy that the author didn't shy away from any of the negative aspects that the LGBT+ community go through.

You get:
• Dual POV
• Contemporary Romance
• FF
• Sports Romance
• Family Drama
• Mental Health Representation
• You Make Me Better

I highly recommend this book! Available through ebook and audiobook (Dec 24th).

Out on the Ice is the first in a series of three books and I had the audiobook version. The narrator was well chosen and voiced the characters nicely. I am a fan of sports romances and love hockey so I definitely wanted to give it a read. I really liked the LGBTQ+ representation in this book and the careful way that it handled the sensitive issue of gay hockey coaches being careful with their relationship and balancing that with providing a safe space for the teenagers that they worked with to be themselves. The hockey element of the book took a backseat to the relationship issues and I think it could have been focused on more to push it closer to a five star read for me.

I have yet to read a bad book from Kelly Farmer! Although it took me a few chapters to get into this, once I did, I was so invested that I finished it the same day. I LOVE the mental health representation so freaking much in this! Caro is in therapy and actively working on herself, and Amy is super clear about communication. And there's a very prominent dog!

This one was just okay for me. It felt forced and had too many bumps in the storyline. I felt like it dragged.

I loved the representation of not only females but of LGBTQ people in the world of hockey! It was cute little romcom but did have some pacing issues that took away from my enjoyment at times. Narration was done well with no complaints. Overall a good (but little too spicy for me) read.

Thank you Netgalley and Spotify for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I really enjoyed the narration the spice was for the angst was great. The plot felt like it worked.

4.5/5☆

This book had a cute concept and a fun start, but it suffers from some pacing issues. It started to drag so hard around the 75% point and I almost didn't finish.

This is a lovely, fluffy little Sapphic sports romance. Caro is a hockey legend who retired early due to a bad hip. She now runs an all-girls' hockey school while working through a ton of trauma and taking care of her dog. Amy is a current hockey star who lives her life out, proud, and fully on display on social media. She's also the newest coach at Caro's school, and she's going to be definitely totally cool about working with her old crush. Sparks fly as Caro tries to work on a life outside of work and Amy realizes that her crush is even cooler than she could have imagined.
The characters were good, and they balanced each other out pretty well. Caro is deep in the closest to Amy's activism, Amy is bright and excited to Caro's grounded calm. It's a relationship that's believable and has its ups and downs and also it was really balanced in their growth. Sometimes it feels like one character has to make all the growth or concessions, but they both have to adapt. It was nice.
The audiobook narrator did a good job, as well.