While I love that this book starts off with lots of hockey (my biggest pet peeve is a hockey romance with no games or hockey events), I really couldn’t get into this because of the third person POV. I think this would have done great for me written in first person with only our FMC thoughts and feelings. I just felt like I was being told everything instead of figuring it out on my own. I read 10% and couldn’t keep going but was actually interested in the story itself.

Unfortunately was not a hit for me. Started really slow… and remained slow. The writing wasn’t my favorite, and it was really hard to get into the plot. Not a single character I cared for.

This book hit every mark for me, especially as someone who loves sports romances with sharp, spirited heroines and messy, real emotions. The push and pull between Anna, Blake, and Charlie kept me turning pages late into the night, feeling all the heat and tension. It’s a fiery, emotional ride that I absolutely adored.

This was… not great. It felt like the author decided it was time to jump on the hockey romance bandwagon and hastily put this together. I couldn’t find a single character with a redeeming quality, and I found it impossible to connect with anyone. There were too many plot points, too much back-and-forth, and too many failed tropes. Unfortunately, the book’s description is extremely misleading, which made for a very frustrating reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

After seeing other reviews on this addition, I chose not to read it. I did request the newer edition & will read & review that one if I’m approved!

This book started a lot more slowly than expected for something marketing as high stakes.

The characters majorly lacked communication skills needed to build an effective relationship (even while ironing out their feelings).

The dialogue is clunky and there are so many phrases that are just not how people speak to each other. Fiction or otherwise.

They did not seem to trust their reader to remember what was going on. At multiple points there were recaps of what had happened prior.

As more of a side note - the author mentions the city the story takes place more in this book than is even remotely relevant. AND calling your dad coach is honestly crazy.

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and honestly the ingredients are there.. it’s just not fully cooked. The third person POV kept me disconnected and I ultimately had to DNF.

HOWEVER- there is a new edition with 1st person POV now available that I would love to give another shot.

I Don’t Date Hockey Players had all the ingredients for a great sports romance—high stakes, a sassy heroine, and a love triangle set against a fierce rivalry. I was totally on board with the premise and loved the behind-the-scenes look at the hockey world. But while the setup was solid, the story didn’t fully land for me. The love triangle brought the drama, but I struggled to connect emotionally with either Blake or Charlie. And while Anna had her strong moments, I wanted a bit more depth and growth from her journey.

That said, there were definitely some fun, flirty scenes and moments of tension that kept me turning pages. I think readers who enjoy fast-paced, banter-heavy romance with a sporty edge might enjoy this more than I did.

This had the setup for a fun, tropey sports romance—rival hockey teams, a tense love triangle, and an FMC caught between loyalty and attraction. I was hopeful, especially with such a charming cover and a promising blurb. But unfortunately, the execution just didn’t work for me.

The writing style made it hard to stay engaged. The constant POV switches—sometimes mid-paragraph—were jarring, and the third-person narration created a distance from the characters that I couldn’t quite bridge. Anna, the protagonist, felt underdeveloped and passive, more of a placeholder in the story than someone with agency or depth. As for the two male leads, they didn’t have enough contrast or chemistry to make the tension believable. Blake was too grating, Charlie too smug, and neither made a compelling romantic lead.

The core conflict—romance threatening careers—had potential, but it didn’t feel grounded or emotionally earned. Add to that some pacing issues and under-edited sections, and I found myself skimming rather than savoring. I really wanted to like this, but I couldn’t connect with the characters or the stakes enough to stay invested.

I requested this book as I was really looking forward to reading it. My approved request email (dated April 14) stated the publication date is July 22, 2025 and the archive date as Oct 15, 2025. However, this title archived on April 18, 2025 before I was able to download it. I"m really disappointed that I will not be able to enjoy this book. In the future it would be nice if we were warned about a change in archive date before it happened. Thank you for your consideration.

I’m so sad to say I had to DNF this 5 chapters in. The so called MMC was absolutely insufferable, I don’t immune a grumpy egotistical man but as long as he’s written well, he was coming across as an idiot. The FMC was about as interesting as a wet cardboard box and the jumping between character POV was extremely confusing at times and would happen in the middle of paragraphs. This had such a good plot but it definitely needs better editing

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a fun read and a great debut book for the author. Parts of it were predictable, but still very enjoyable..

1.5 stars.
I wanted to love this book but I just didn't love it. I even struggled not to DNF the book if I am being totally honest.
I think for me, the biggest hurdle is that it was written in third person POV - I never much enjoy reading books written and structured this way because I can't engage enough to make connections.
The characters were developed - but I had a hard time connecting to the FMC, Anna, and the MMC's - Black and Charlie, got on my nerves so much that it made them unlikeable for me.
I really am struggling to give this book 1.5 stars only because it wasn't the hockey romance that I expected.
More like two individuals who could lose their jobs for having a relationship.
I don't know, it was just really hard for me to get anything out of this book unfortunately.
Again, I wanted to like it, but just couldn't.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was a loose love triangle and love triangles are typically a trope I try to stay away from, but this one was loose enough I still enjoyed it. Overall this was a good read, took a bit to get into, but once I was in it, I enjoyed it, even had me tearing up at one point.

Charlie was amazing throughout, a true golden retriever MMC, and so supportive of Anna. Anna was a strong FMC and I loved how she stood up for herself towards the end. Blake was a horribly selfish and self absorbed character and I did not like him one bit in the beginning, however he did have some decent character development, but felt his team mates forgave way to easily.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
I'm afraid, it never took off for me. I did read it all the way through but just found it a struggle.
There are certain to be those who lap this up, it just never grabbed my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!!

This was not for me… I couldn’t not get into the storyline, i didn’t really care about the characters or their relationships especially the main character. I felt absolutely nothing and so I decided to DNF halfway through!

I never DNF books but the I didn’t realize it was a love triangle… ans the MMC’s were insufferable one just seemed to lack critical thinking and I guess it was supposed to come off “golden retriever-esque” but it just annoyed me.

Maybe it’s just a me thing but I don’t care how interesting a plot is… if I don’t care about the characters I won’t care about the story :/

3 🌟 's. Really enjoyed this book, was well written and loved the characters. Had no complaints with it at all. Would like to read more from this author

A fun premise with a lot of promise, but ultimately not a match for me. 🏒💔

I was really excited to dive into I Don’t Date Hockey Players—especially after falling in love with The Sanctuary of Fate & Fire by the author, which was one of my favourite reads of the year. The cover is adorable, and the blurb hooked me right away with the promise of a sizzling love triangle set against a high-stakes hockey rivalry.

While I enjoyed the concept and setting, the story didn’t quite deliver the emotional tension or character dynamics I was hoping for. The romantic plot felt a bit forced at times, and the love triangle didn’t unfold as the description suggested. That said, there’s a lot of potential here, especially for readers who enjoy sports romance tropes and behind-the-scenes team drama.

Looking forward to seeing what Lolu Sinclair writes next—I’ll always be excited to pick up her future work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5!

Sadly had to DNF this one, I just couldn’t get into it and it became annoying to read. I liked the idea of the book and could see the vision of what the author was going for but it really just fell flat and the 3rd pov turned into she did this and then she thought this.

Thank you netgalley and Lost Lust for the arc!

While there was some plot potential here, the execution was sorely lacking. First, I would absolutely not market this as a “sizzling, high-stakes love triangle with all the tension of a sudden-death overtime”. It isn’t the least bit a love triangle. Anna thinks Blake is cute and Blake (who is one of the worst MCs I’ve ever read) is delusional and ridiculously obsessed with her after like 2 conversations. There is a clear MMC in this book from start to finish. The only tension is between Blake and Charlie as hockey rivals. The highest stake is Anna and Charlie losing their jobs. The sizzle was doused when Anna said “goal” after their first time together. Second, the third person POV was all over the place, switching characters out of nowhere, making it hard to connect to the characters. Third, this really just comes across as the author attempting to capitalize on the popularity of hockey romances and putting no real effort into actually researching and including hockey. Sure they play a game or two on page but it’s kept very superficial. There are better written hockey romances that actually feature the gameplay.

Overall, I really struggled to finish reading this and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.