ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emmy spends her days working at the local book store, Falling for Books, and her nights helping her aging grandmother. But she is hiding a secret. During her free time she runs an anonymous BookTok account. After going viral for her latest post she inadvertently opened the floodgates.

Dawson is heading to the NHL. But before he can go pro he will playing on a charity team, The Ice Breakers. Thanks to his love for reading he reconnects with Emmy. The two met years ago via Emmy’s brother Dan. While Dawson has always felt something for Emmy, he could never tell where she stood.

Will reconnecting lead to more or will they once again drift apart?

Grace Worthington’s The Friend Face Off is the third book in the Love on Thin Ice series. This is a multi-author, interconnected series. While each of the books are intended to be standalone novels, it is recommended that readers read them all and in chronological order.

I can always count on Worthington to write a love story that not only entertains me, but upholds my morals. As a clean/ closed door romance author she has perfected her writing so that readers never have to sacrifice good storytelling for modest content. As a result Worthington has come to be one of my favorite authors. I love sharing her content and recommending her to others.

The Friend Face Off is her best book to date.

This book features:
-small town
-hockey
-brother’s best friend
*As well as many more!!!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Poets and Saints, and Grace Worthington for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

OMG THIS BOOK!! - THIS! BOOK! HAD! ME! GIGGLING! AND! BLUSHING!! I read this in one sitting their chemistry is off the charts!! This is also set in a small town which is my favourite! i love the trope and this book did it justice. I just wanted to keep reading about Dawson and Emmy!!

Perfect read this autumn, during a rainy day with some nice hot chocolate and a warm blanket this is all you need to bring a smile to your face!!

So this is what happens when someone loves a place like Star Hollow so much, or a show like Girlmore Girls.
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And I don't find a fault in this, especially when a group of writers get together and create this beautiful dream and cosy small town for many fans and add a hockey team, because sport romance is another pinch of this delicious book with pumpkin spice and fall vibes
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I have three books in the series and I started with this one, why would you say?...the cover obviously and the title promised to be a friends to lovers, who can resist?
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Emmy is the manager of the small bookstore in town, and in addition to being a romance reader, she is a very popular bookstagrammer and booktoker, at least under an alias that no one knows about. There she writes her most debatable and unpopular ideas about the books she reads and sometimes ends up exchanging DMs with someone willing to change her mind, like the strange fan of dogs with the funniest comebacks
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But her world is changing and is hard to stay a float, with local businesses struggling daily the only breath and hope is the town's fall festival and a the big charity hockey event that brings famous players to town and with them turist. And when those changes bring back her brother and his best friend, the shift is impossible to avoid.
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Dawson Hayes is not only one of the most important goalies and has a great future in the NHL, he is also the crush that Emmy could never forget and from all the hints and meetings it seems she is not the only one. But with life so different and a protective brother there is no future for both of them, or so it seems
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I really enjoyed this book, especially the DMs part, the banter and each chapter from Dawson's point of view, I love when a man falls first and is willing to do whatever it takes to win the heart of the person he loves. Emmy...she is so Rory Girlmore that it hurts, she is not my favorite character in the series and in the last rewatches she exasperated me. But Star Hollow and its inhabitants... yes, sign me up for each book in the series, for each book inspired by or with hints towards it.
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Thanks to Grace Worthington and Expresso Book tours for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

I am just loving this series! this is such a sweet romcom, a hockey player who love romance books? YES PLEASE. if you love small town and hockey i highly recommend this one! Once i started i couldnt put it down, these two had such a fun dynamic. I loved the pacing of the story, Dawson was the sweetest man and exactly what Emmy needed. i just loved these two and their story

The Friend Face Off
Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 0/5

Special thanks to NetGalley for giving me this e-book in exchange for an authentic review!

"I wanted to read the book because you liked it and I wanted to know why. When I got halfway through it, I saw the other side of this tough hockey guy. All the little ways he won his girl over. Then I wondered, Is this what women want? Is this what you want?"

Plot:
Emmy, a romance reader, has challenged anyone to change her mind that men like the books she read about did not exist. Little did she know, Dawson, her brother’s best friend and hockey player, has decided to take her up on her challenge. Emmy accepts his offer with the idea that their relationship will come to an end once he is drafted onto an NHL team in Seattle but before he leaves, Dawson still has one secret to tell her.

Thoughts:
THIS! BOOK! HAD! ME! GIGGLING! AND! BLUSHING! It’s been a minute since this has happened to me! Overall, I loved the feeling this book gave me! The rom-com cheesiness really made me love it even more! Also, with the author mentioning TikTok and Booktok, I did not cringe as much as I usually do when those things are mentioned. Y’all the way Dawson was just confessing left and right to Emmy!! He was so straightforward with his feelings without pushing her!! HE READ AND ANNOTATED A BOOK FOR HER BOOKCLUB!! omg I’m not sad about this at all!! And their little “argument” (not the right word for it) literally had me wanting to throw my kindle because THAT SHOULD BE ME!! I just loved them both so much and it seriously had me wanting what they have! I think this is a sign to check out the other parts of this series!

The Friend Face Off is book three in the amazing Love on Thin Ice series by Grace Worthington.
I am so excited about this sweet rom-com series!
So far these three books have amazing!
I absolutely adored the chemistry between these two characters.
I loved the story line was really cute. Definitely would recommend this book, it’s well written and its a great read.
A sweet small town hockey romance that I believe readers will just love!
I can’t wait to read the rest of these.

She loves rom-coms and works in a bookstore. However she's a cynic when it comes to true love. How is she to know her brother's best friend and fellow hockey player will want to prove her wrong? Will she give him the chance? What happens when it's time for him to leave?
I received a copy of this book from the author. Review voluntarily given.

This book was so far cute!!! I loved the growth in both characters and the small town vibes and just how beautiful wholesome it was. No one even had to change completely for the other! Super cute and fairly short.

I have so many mixed emotions about this book. Dawson was an absolute sweetheart and I loved him so much. He is quite literally every girl’s dream man. I enjoyed that Emmy’s family was supportive including her brother, instead of how usually the brother’s best friend trope goes. I also really appreciated that there was no third act break up.
Unfortunately, Emmy was insufferable. She came up with excuses that didn’t even make sense and she almost seemed embarrassed to be with Dawson. He’d do sweet things for her and she’d get mad. And honestly she just treated him badly throughout the entire book. It was such an odd way to portray her character since she was really nice in the other books. Also the conversations with Gold Dog just continuously made me cringe. I wish that wouldn’t have been part of the book at all. Also there were way too many references to Travis Kelce and TikTok.

I can’t wait to get back to Maple Falls when the next book releases but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me.

Thank you Grace Worthington and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars

I had conflicting feeling for this book. Let me explain.

I had high hopes for this one. I liked Emmy and Dawson from the previous book and couldn’t wait for them to get together. I 100% loved Dawson (he will be added to my Book Boyfriend list). However, Emmy was not a good character.

Dawson was the perfect romantic partner. He didn’t just tell Emmy he loved her, he showed her by remembering her favorite food, reading her favorite books and attending her book club, and showing up when she needed him.

How did Emmy respond? By getting mad at him for trying to be romantic. When he goes to her book club and makes some good points, she runs out and then yells at him for showing her up.

I did like how the hockey was better represented in this one. I also love the brothers best friend plot, especially since the brother was supportive and not aggressive and against it. I also appreciate that there was no third act breakup. Those are the worst.

I will keep reading this series, but this wasn’t my favorite.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

A dream, main male character. I want to meet a Dawson! This is a really cute romcom. Emmy is manager of the hometown bookshop in Maple Falls, she doesn’t take time to date much. But with the charity hockey tournament in town and one of her brothers, good friends from college shows up to play, the wheels start turning. This is a fun, sweet and charming romcom. The characters are entertaining, I love how attentive Dawson is, he’s just a nice all-around good guy. Emmy is skeptical, but I love that she doesn’t give up and trusts her instincts. There are plenty of charming and swoony scenes. White billowing puffy sleeve and all! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sprinkle a little history with a reunion in their small home town and you have yourself a beautiful romance. The characters were fun and the romance sweet. It’s a short and sweet read so would recommend if you are in the mood for a hockey romance.

Good book! First book by this author for me and it was a good “eye catching” read. I’ll check out more by the author in the future!

4 🌟 |  "𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘳. 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵."

Okay book girlies, let's get real: the one who never thought that fictional men are better than real ones throw the first stone. There you go, that's basically the premise of this book. And I loved it!

I do not think the book synopsis describes the book accurately. This is more of a brother's best friend, anonymous texts, bookish girl-hockey player, small town, fall romance. But please do not think this is a faithful summary either. There is a lot more about this story.

"𝘈𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧: 𝘞𝘞𝘌𝘉𝘋?
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘞𝘞𝘌𝘉𝘋 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳?
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰?"

One thing I loved was the texts between their anonymous profiles. I love when books have text threads between characters but the fact that they don't know they are talking to each other just takes this romance to another level.

"𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵, 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦."

This book is great! I loved how Dawson showed up for Emmy, and how he spent the whole book showing her how important and love she was. But honestly, I wished we get to see more of their relationship. The book has an epilog and a bonus one, but I think it would have been great to see more of them.
Another thing that didn't exactly annoyed me but could be better explored was the subplots. There are just too many layers: the romance, the NHL thing, her dreams to become a writer, the tiktok, the texts, mimi, family issues... it feels like for all these topics to be well developed the book would need an additional 50 pages.

With all of this in mind, The Friend Face Off is a love letter to all the hopeless romantic girls trying to be realistic and cynic when it comes to love in real life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book and all the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Be still my heart! Emmy and Dawson hit all the sweet spots for me. Emmy is the quiet book lover who is loyal to her family and not afraid to stand on her own. She leads a simple life. She loves Maple Falls, the bookstore she manages, as well as her successful BookTok site. She is also convinced that real guys cannot be as romantic as her book boyfriends. Her brother’s best friend, Dawson, is determined to prove her wrong. I don’t normally prefer brother’s best friend tropes, but this story pulls it off. Partly because the big brother, Dan, is occasionally mentioned, but does not have a huge part in this story. Dawson sets out to show Emmy that he sees her and he’s taking notes (literally!!!) for how to woo her. Despite falling hard and fast, Emmy has to confront her fears that Dawson may be the real deal. Seeing him sweep her off her feet in so many sweet ways was just glorious! While this is part of a series, and you do get some glimpses at other characters, it is a standalone. It’s more enjoyable, in my opinion, to read all the stories and see how all the HEAs are occurring, but even if you pick just one, this is a great one. This is a sweet, closed-door romance that will give you all the feels. Bonus, it happens in the fall season, so all the romantic fall vibes are capitalized on!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Another cute romance that I was lucky enough to read. I liked the way characters from previous books make cameos in this one as the characters are all linked. Seeing past main characters through another’s point of view was sweet.

Our main goalie had some lovely qualities and I loved the way he really went out of his way to understand her world. The book club romance book choice that he popped in for had me chuckling.

A goalie giving anyone their jersey to wear is ridiculous because they are always a 2XXL plus so that wasn’t very believable. An easy read and I could confidently give this to my niece knowing she would enjoy this series (she’s 19).

If you're in the mood for a lighthearted, quick and easy hockey romance with some fall vibes, I definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoyed the premise and plot of this book. It was also refreshing to read a straight romance book (aka no spice) that still had me invested in the couple reaching their happily ever after.

Emmy felt real with her concerns about dating and being in a relationship with a pro hockey player, Dawson. Her anxiety over the press and what people will think is valid and was written well. I will say at some point it got a bit repetitive and frustrating for her to not open up to Dawson about her feelings.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend for those who love small town, hockey, and no spice romance novels!

I got this as an ARC that I devoured in less than a day. I originally gravitated toward this book because it was a hockey romance. A couple chapters in and it felt more of cute fall, second chance rom com. I loved Emmy’s love for Jane Austen and loved Dawson wanting to be a real life Mr. Darcy for Emmy. I loved this small little town and really lost site that hockey was even involved in this book because there were other characteristics that shined brighter. Nice feel good fall rom com.

An amazing story . Emmy is Dan's little sister and she is working at the Maple Falls bookstore , while she is anonymously creates videos to booktok and talks everything about books . For the charity games Dawson Hayes is in town as the teams goalie . Dawson is Dan's best friend from college and she and him had a pact that when she would turn 25 and needed a date she would ask him . Emmy doesn't believe that real men are romantic and sweet but then she gets a message fron golden boy who always talk to her heart and became friends . Dawson want to have a relationship with Emmy but she is having second thoughts . She will only date him for the three months he will stay for the games . Will he make her change her mind ? Which man Emmy will chooce at the end ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington - A Sweet, Clean and Predictable Small Town Romance

The Friend Face Off is an addition to Grace Worthington's Maple Hills series. This short and sweet read follows Emmy and Dawson, her brother's hockey playing best friend. A pact they made as young adults —to be each other's "buffer date" if they're both single at 25—takes centre stage when Dawson returns to town.

The story's premise is familiar, offering a classic friends-to-lovers trope. While the plot is somewhat predictable, the characters are likable and well-developed, making it easy to root for their happiness.

The pacing of the story is a bit uneven. There are moments when the plot feels slow, particularly as the subplot involving Emmy's TikTok friend unfolds. While this subplot adds a layer of complexity, it can sometimes detract from the main focus of the story.

One minor criticism is Emmy's tendency to judge other women. While this is a common character flaw, it can occasionally feel a bit overdone.

Despite its predictability and a few minor flaws, The Friend Face Off is an easy read. Fans of small-town romances and friends-to-lovers stories will likely enjoy it.