The Parent Playbook
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eeeekk I think we can pass on this one. It was really really wholesome, which is okay, but I felt like not much was happening, there was no tension or connection between the two main characters, I honestly found our main gal Angel really annoying lol and the moments we were suppose to feel that spark felt really juvenile to me 🤷🏻‍♀️ I did end up skimming a lot at the end and I normally don’t do that unless I’m really not enjoying it! I did like that it was dual POV and overall it’s a really short book, so nice if you need help reaching your reading goals, but it was very predictable and left me wanting soooo much more…I don’t really have much else to say! ⭐️
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Thank you NetGalley, Elsie Wood, and Puppy Love Books for this e-arc that is out now!

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Loved this quirky/fun romance in a perfect setting. Single parent trope with small town vibes and hockey themes.

I found myself chuckling at Angel and her dialogue and then Scotty comes in and he just adds to their banter. Great small town with celebrity hockey players storyline in which even the kids get in on the romance setup.

Great, fast, and easy read that will bring a smile to your face.

Angel is the owner of Happy Horizons Ranch, a charity that helps underprivileged kids and has been selected to receive the proceeds from the Ice Breakers hockey team to build Happy Horizons community outreach. When she arrives at a high profile charity event for the Ice Breakers, she mistakes the assistant coach and former high profile hockey player, Scotty McFarland, as the coat check guy and proceeds to say a few things as to how she really feels about hockey players - open mouth, insert foot.

Even though the two initially have a rocky start, their kids hit it off and love hanging out together. The four quickly become close and the kids are ready for their parents to make the jump to being a couple, but can the adults read the signs and jump in or do they have cold feet?

This was a sweet read and I enjoyed how the kids played a factor into the love story. There were moments when Scotty thought he was making “the right” decision for his daughter, Lily, but really he was using her to deflect his true feelings. I also liked when the kids got in trouble at school and saw the dichotomy of parenting between Angel and Scotty. Most single parent love stories I’ve read have a younger child in them so this story with young tweens brought a different vibe that I really liked, where the kids were working in the background to bring Scotty and Angel together - very Parent Trap-esque.

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Parent Playbook is the 5th book in the Love on Thin Ice series, which is a series of small town romcoms with each volume being written by a different romance author. This one is by Elsie Woods.

The Parent Playbook features two characters we’ve been seeing as background characters in the start of the series: coach Scotty and Angel (the woman who runs the charity the Ice Breaker hockey team is playing for.) Both Scotty and Angel are single parents, each of them having a preteen kid, with Angel’s son being quite the character. This story has a genuine meet-cute, with Angel mistaking Scotty for something other than a hockey player and then accidentally letting it slip just what she thinks of them. Hint: she doesn’t seem to think too highly of them, lol. And he sets out to prove her assumptions wrong, naturally falling for her at the same time. I really liked Angel and Scotty, not to mention the interaction with their kids, including the minor ‘parent trap-esque’ subplot. And besides who doesn’t love a book featuring a mischievous goat? This was the first time reading one of Elsie’s books, but looking at her catalogue and how she talks about Scotty’s previous job I believe there may be some connection here to another of her series. (Finding Love at the Doggy Spa) And I intend to check that series out at some point down the road. I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Parent Playbook.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R230GL43W3ZISN/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Angel and Scotty are both single parents through different circumstances, raising their strong independent kids on their own. Scotty is a former NHL player turned assistant coach for a charity hockey tournament being hosted for Angel's charity.

This was a cute romance featuring small town, single parent and hockey. I didn't feel a lot of a spark between Angel and Scotty and wish there had been more there. They were back and forth on their feelings for each other a lot and unfortunately I didn't feel the connection or tension that much between them.

This was such a sweet read. It gives off Hallmark vibes and I could picture this as a cozy fall movie.

Scotty and Angel had one of the best meet-cutes I've read. It made me laugh at the confusion. I enjoyed the instant attraction between them and all the sweet moments.

This is a sort of slow-burn story so be prepared for that, but no steam. So if sweet, clean romances are your jam, this is your cup of tea.

I loved the kids in this story. Their 'mischief' and matchmaking was cute.

I recommend and will be checking out the rest of the books in the series.

The Parent Playbook is book 5 in the Love on Thin Ice series by Elsie Woods.
I’ve definitely enjoyed these sweet small town hockey rom-coms.
Every book is written by a different author and features a new couple, so they can all be read as standalones.

The characters are so real that it’s so easy to relate to them.
The characters have depth and you really grow to love them. I could NOT put this book down, it's one of my fav rom-coms now!
The setting in the small town Maple Falls and the hockey games are all really well described.
This book has the BANTER, friendships, sweet romance and laugh out loud moments you want in a rom-com! Seeing Angel and Scotty really get to know one another and fall in love was so great!

I can’t wait for the next two titles.

Thank You NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Single parent, closed door, hockey romance.

Angel is a single parent. She is determined to give her son and other children experiences that she never had growing up with a single parent herself. She runs the Happy Horizons charity for underprivileged children. All of her prayers are answered when the local hockey team picks her charity for donations.

Scotty hung up his skates to take care of his wife before she passed away leaving him as a single dad. He decides to take a coaching job with the Icebreakers and move his daughter to Maple Falls.

Angel and Scotty meet when Angel confuses him with the coat check valet, and they continue to run into each other when their children decide to become friends.

This was a really cute quick read, with some hockey thrown in. I love when authors put hockey into their "hockey" romances. The matchmaking kids where my favorite part of the book. Those two were so cute and obvious in their efforts to matchmake their parents. The banter between the two main characters was great and very funny. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this title. This is my honest review.

Scotty is the sweetest! He jumps right into help Angel and wants to be the best dad he can for Lily. Angel might be a little jaded against rich hockey players, but I want to be like her when I grow up. She is so calm in the face of hard parenting situations, she’s filled with so much drive to get things done, and she has so much love and compassion for the kids of Maple Falls. I love watching their love story unfold along with all the silly antics of Edgar and matchmaking schemes of Andy and Lily.

The Parent Playbook is the fifth book in the Love on Thin Ice series and it's a story of single parents, parent-trapping (ish), and professional comebacks. Angel and Scotty made for a cute pair, but I feel like the characters could have been better developed. Angel made a really quick about-face from her initial distaste for hockey players, and Scotty seemed to quickly forget about his widower's grief. The story had a slow start and I struggled to get hooked, and the ending felt abrupt and simplistic, like any issues the characters had been grappling with suddenly didn't matter. This book can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend checking out others in the series, too!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

I’m sure others will enjoy this book, but it’s not for me. It’s too saccharine, and there’s too much telling instead of showing.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The Parent Playbook is the fifth book in the Love on Thin Ice series. This is a multi-author series centered around the same charity hockey team, and follow the same timeline, but can be read in any order or as standalones. There are also some characters from the author's Finding Love at the Doggy Spa series who make an appearance (and Scotty was first introduced there too), but you definitely do not have to have read those either.

This was such a cute read. Angel and Scotty drew me in right from their very first awkward meeting that had me laughing out loud. That certainly set the tone for the rest of the story! Despite that initial awkwardness, these two had a really sweet chemistry. Both were single parents to preteens, and I thought their children added so much fun to the story with their plotting. I actually don't know that I can recall reading any books where both main characters were single parents, so that definitely set it apart too. Having read the previous books in the series, I enjoyed getting to know more about the charity behind the team (and seeing glimpses of these characters I've already come to love in previous books).

The Parent Playbook is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language.

**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a very cute single mom, meets single dad hockey romance. It was a quick read, with likeable and believable characters who seemed to fit really well together as a whole.
They brought out the best in each other and made the other better.
My only criticism is that I couldn't see how these 12 year Olds were just wandering around the town all the time unsupervised.
Its was such a sweet story though, perfectly fine to read as a stand alone without the rest - but is a great add on to the series.

The Parent Playbook by Elsie Woods is a lighthearted read following two single parents as they navigate work and new relationships while their kids conspire to bring them together. This was a fun, slightly cheesy story that shows charity founder Angel open up to Hockey coach Scotty. This is the fifth book in the Love on Thin Ice series that follows the other players in the Ice Breakers team but can be read standalone. Overall a relatively short read for when you want a light rom-com. Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and the author for the ARC.

My favorite of the series thus far!

Read if you like:
-Single Mom and Son meet Single Dad and Daughter
-Parent Trapping
-Soul Mates and Soul Siblings
-Sweet Romance (Not Spicy)
-Small Towns

I really liked this dual single parent romance. Scotty and Angel were just so sweet together.

Scott is single dad to Lily. Angel is single mom to Andy. Their worlds collide and the crowd roars. Andy and Lily become instant friends who see right away how perfect their parents are for another. Their parent trap is adorable and oh, so sweet!

I received an ARC of THE PARENT PLAYBOOK; I was not paid for my review.

This is a cute story of 2 single parents starting a blended family. The romance is very sweet and naturally blossoms between the story. The plot is a little slow placed but it was nice to read a romance that doesn’t centre on loads of drama unfolding.

TLDR; This book had good bones but it felt unfinished.

The relationship felt like it somehow both jumped from zero to 100 and at the same time I was bored with the way the slow burn played out, I never had a good sense of time throughout the book, the stakes and rules of the charity hockey league were never defined, the scene to scene transitions were unclear or abrupt, important moments were either completely missing or very short, and the conflicts had teeth to them nor did they have satisfying conclusions. I know it sounds like I hated this book but I didn’t, I just don’t think it did justice to the characters or the story. All in all it lacked detail and definition which made it hard to really get invested in the stories and characters.

The Parent Playbook is a sweet rom com that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. From the moment Angel meets Scotty, I found myself laughing and rooting for them. Angel runs the charity that the Ice Breakers are representing, and Scotty is one of the coaches. They are both single parents and of course, their kids hit it off and become great friends. First of all, both kids are amazing and endearing! So mature, yet curious and mischievous in their preteen years. Angel has quite the calm the head on her shoulders, despite all the chaos that surrounds her (not calling out any names…Edgar!!!). Scotty shows up, day after day, and just brings a calming presence and a hand of help in the midst of the crazy ranch shenanigans. He also happens to bring all the dad jokes, which keeps the laughter genuine. The story is fast paced but remains so very realistic. I enjoyed all the friendly and romantic moments, not to mention when Scotty finally steps up to do what needs to be done! I love this crew! If you’ve been following the series, you will enjoy seeing glimpses of some of the other characters. If you have not, it’s totally fine. You can enjoy this one as a standalone (and have something to look forward to).
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

The Parent Playbook is a cute edition to this series. The thing I loved the most was the found family and family dynamic that emerges between Scotty, Angel, and their kids. I think that the unique juxtaposition that is used to contrast Scotty and Angel's past love experiences allow you to grow with them. I also love the decision to not have them immediately jump into a relationship and instead like parents would in real life prioritize their children even if they want to be with someone. While I did find Angel at times a little clueless when it comes to running the foundation I really did like the story and the relationship that grew over time.