Thrown for a Loop was a cute, well done second chance romance. I found both the present and past timelines to be very engaging and neither of them felt like they were breaking the momentum of the other, which I find is usually the case in dual timeline narratives. I do wish that Chase and Zoe interacted in more meaningful ways in the present timeline sooner in the story because for me it felt like they mostly had passing interactions up until the 60-70% mark. Once we did reach a point where they were connecting in the present though, Chase and Zoe were really adorable and I was all in on rooting for them, despite the fact that it was a bit rushed since it was so late in the book. Overall though, this book is a pretty good time and it left a smile on my face!

Old enough to fall in love, too young to face the challenges of life! These two epitomized that, and ten years later, have a chance to meet again. Things aren’t easy, old hurts linger, and pain still radiates. The attraction, the pull to each other, that is still front and center, and after a while, they start to have cracks in their resolve. They start to open little pieces to each other. They start to capture some of what they had before. Maturity brings clarity, and after a few more mishaps, they get to solid standing, and the HEA they are finally ready to fully enjoy <3 and one more thing…. “toe pick!!!!”

I got this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first got this I wasn’t sure that I would read and finish it since the first paragraph didn’t hook me in. As I kept reading I got more and more hooked and now it is one of my favourite books that I’ve read this year.

Slow burns aren't always for me, but this second chance romance, it worked so, so well! Zoe is a figure skater turned coach that has joined the staff of the Legends. On this team is Chase, who she had connected with years ago at a skating camp. Things ended badly almost ten years ago, and they haven't talked since. So, with Zoe now coaching they've got to find a way to work together. I loved that this had flashbacks to explain what happened back when - That's what really drew me into their relationship. And I loved how the present day story unfurled. There was lots of skating/hockey throughout as Zoe figured out how to help the team, and I loved that layer of the story. And given it was a romance, there was obviously also some ebbs and flows on Zoe and Chase's journey, and I really dug that. Also, Wicked Game is such a solid choice to choreograph a routine to. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this November 2025 release - The perfect read as the Winter Olympics draw near!

Thrown for a Loop features Zoe, a figure skater turned hockey coach, and Chase, a hockey player on the Legends--the team that Zoe is coaching. Ten years prior to the events of the book, the two have a relationship, but after they break up, they don't speak for a decade. The coaching situation facilitates their reunion, and the two eventually get a second chance at love.

Overall, I enjoyed this romance. Sometimes I have a difficult time getting into sports romances if I'm not too familiar with the sport in question, hockey being one of them. The author does a good job contextualizing the behind-the-scenes aspect of the hockey world as well as what goes on in the figure skating world. This makes the contrast between the two leads and their sports backgrounds more interesting.

This book is written in a dual timeline. In the beginning, every other chapter is written in first person POV for the "current" scenes, whereas the throwback scenes are written in third person. This was a little jarring to me at first to get used to, especially because the timeline changes so often with it being every other chapter. However, later in the book the flashbacks are more spaced out, which helped me settle into the thick of the story.

As for Zoe and Chase's relationship, I found that--despite some early distractions with the dual POV I felt as a reader--the dual POV ultimately works to tell their story well. It adds a layer to suspense that really makes you want to read as fast as you can. The banter between the two is fun to read, and I appreciated that the two work on figuring out their past before getting back together in present time. I do wish there was a little more depth to their present day relationship, especially with the ten year hiatus, but it wasn't something that really turned me off from the story.

This is my first book from this author, but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this before publication!

SEEING A NUMBER ONE ALONGSIDE THE SERIES OMG THE RUSHHHHHH!!! Anyway – Zoe and Chase were two of my favorite characters in any recent read. There was so much authentic love and growth between them and the chemistry was GOOOOOOD. I'm always a fan of a dual timeline, and I really loved the way that the stories flowed back and forth. Very very cute, looking forward to the next one!

Adequate but forgettable

This second chance romance was entertaining enough to pass the time, but not something I’d go out of my way to recommend. The writing felt a bit childish at times, which made it hard to fully connect with the characters. That said, the storyline was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. It’s not a bad read… just not one that stood out.

A great second chance romance. The love Chase and Zoe can’t keep buried is the driving force for the understanding and forgiveness that must happen for a HEA. Decade old flashbacks are sprinkled throughout the present day to provide the background needed to fully appreciate their reunion. It was like two stories in one. The flashbacks are in a different POV, which took a bit of adjusting for me at first. I enjoyed the mix of young love, humor, personal growth, and determination. There were several inspirational quotes highlighted in this one. Highly recommend.

Sarina Bowen delivers a heartfelt, romance full of slow-burn tension and emotional payoff. Zoe and Chase are thrown back together a decade later, now navigating professional hockey and unresolved feelings. The dual timeline adds depth, showing how their past shaped their present.

The chemistry is strong, and the skating/hockey setting brings a fun, fresh dynamic. Great for fans of sports romance with heart.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a second chance romance which is always a fan favourite. It was written well and an easy read. I liked that the mfc was very strong and not crying all the time about her life and choices. I liked that the mmc was willing to talk about his feelings.

I’ve read one other book by Sarina Bowen and will definitely pick up another one.

Read this book if you like books with:
Hockey player/figure skater romances
Second chances
Co-workers hooking up
The song « Wicked Game »
Strong MFCs
Ladies supporting each other
Strong MMCs who talk about their issues rather than avoiding them

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book! My heart! Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen was a sweet and swoony second-chance hockey romance that did crazy good things to my heart. I can always count on Bowen to deliver the heart and the tension in this deliciously addictive, slow-burning romance. Zoe and Chase’s journey to HEA was filled with truths about their heartbreaking past and reconnecting ten years later to an undeniable bond that had been there all along. I loved Zoe’s passion and tenacity to go after what she wanted and desired in life in a male hockey-dominated world! Chase’s guardedness and bitterness are warranted at the beginning. However, once the truths from the past are revealed, he is simply swoony and irresistible. If you love an “it's always been you” type romance, then you will love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Thrown for a Loop, all thoughts are my own after reading.

Chase and Zoe met 10 years ago at a skating camp and fell in love, but Chase left camp and never reached out again after a dramatic end to a great night. Now Zoe is the new skating coach for Chase’s NHL team, and they are forced to work together and talk about their past.

I was really excited when I saw that Sarina Bowen was releasing a new hockey romance because I have read and loved her Brooklyn Bruiser series. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me.

There are flash backs heavily in the first half of the book and they are written in third person while the present day is written in first and are Zoe’s POV. The third person chapters really took me out of the story, and I wish they were in Chase’s first person POV to get more context into his life, or we just got his first person POV somewhere. The whole story felt very surface level and I wish it went deeper emotionally; I was finding myself getting a little bored.

Overall, this is a good book and well written, I just didn’t connect with it as much as I wish I did.

Long time reader & lover of Sarina Bowen’s writing so I was super excited to read Thrown for a Loop and also because it’s the start of a brand new series!

Chase Merrit and Zoe Carson are reunited ten years after they had intense summer together, while they were still teenagers, then a dramatic breakup.

Zoe is a former Olympic figure skating medalist whose life has imploded and she needs to start over again which seems she’s taking a job as the new skating coach for the New York Legends hockey team. Zoe has a lot to prove and a lot on the line. And all that seems incredibly hard given Chase is now back in her life. Chase is the teams star hockey player who is completely off his game, and he’s not exactly happy Zoe is back in his life except she does seem to be able to fix his skating issues and improve his game. No one saw coming that Chase the broody hockey hero secretly knows how to figure skate or that he and Zoe used to skate together many years ago. What’s more surprising is that these two seem to be able to get back in sync, just like they had in the past. And then it’s revealed that Chase has spent 10 years trying to forget Zoe but just couldn’t do it…

Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen is a second chance, slow burn romance between a figure skater and a hockey player and yes, while hockey romances are all the rage right now, Sarina Bowen writes them so well. This is a fresh take though, as I have only read her MM hockey romances. 👏💙⛸️🏒

Zoe and Chase have history. Like, serious heartbreak and miscommunication history. But when a viral skating video brings them back together, sparks (and ice) start flying all over again. The chemistry? It was and is still very much there. 😮‍💨

The story flips between past and present, which adds all the feels as you see them grow and mess things up but also try to fix it. Chase becomes way more lovable as an adult, and Zoe is strong, talented, and determined. She is a queen. 👑

I did feel somewhat frustrated with the flashbacks and how the past was written in third person and the present was in first person. I really didn’t like this aspect and felt it would have been better without this structure. I also had an issue with the bullying storyline (did not feel it was necessary) and some of the pacing was off, as well as the dialogue was a little weird. However, I did enjoy it aside from those.

If you love sports romance, emotional reunions, and a little angst mixed with sweetness, this one’s for you. 💯✨

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarina Bowen, and Forever for the eARC of this book.

Thrown for a loop is a second chance hockey romance, two of my favorite types of books to read. I really liked both Chase and Zoe though I do wish we had seen more relationship development between the characters, It threw me off that the present day was written in first person and the past was written in third person. Overall, this was a fun sports romance. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen totally scored a hat trick for me 🏒🔥💙⛸️

Chase is an NHL star trying to fix his game. Zoe’s a former Olympic figure skater, now coaching for the Legends — and also the girl he left behind ten years ago🥺. Their chemistry is still explosive. Their past? Playing on repeat. Especially when a viral video of their Wicked Game skating routine brings everything back to the surface.

This second chance romance hit all the right notes — sweet, steamy, and full of that slow-burn intensity I love. If you like your sports romances with heart, heat, and just enough drama to make you ache (in the best way), grab this one. Legends series is off to a fire start 🔥

Thrown for a Loop is a hokey Romance! Zoe has hung up her figure skates and taken up hokey skates as she becomes a skate coach for a major league hokey team. During the summer when Zoe was eighteen, she met Chase a nineteen year old boy that is assisting to coach at a camp. They don’t see each other again for years until they meet again at the major leagues.

I have to start off saying I enjoyed the book and I looked forward to reading it every time I put it down. This was a fast read and I think I finished in a day. Although there were problems… The characters had some awkward dialogue. I’m sorry I can’t get into a character saying “bro” or “dude” more than once. Now I did read a ARC so anything can change for the final publication. While young Chase felt relatable and easy to read. Adult Chase felt stilted and distant, this could be because readers are reading his POV when he’s eighteen. But as an adult, readers are reading the book through Zoe’s POV. I think I needed adult Chase POV. This is a second chance romance!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I loved Thrown for a Loop. The character growth, the second chance romance, the found family - this book was great. I really liked Zoe! I liked that we discovered the backstory via flashbacks. Chase was a great MMC and I really cannot wait for the next book in this series! The spice was lighter than other books I’ve recent read but it was a welcome reprieve!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.

I was excited to read this title because my daughter has been an ice skater for the last 17 years. I really enjoyed the ice skating terms and parts of the story. I was also pleasantly surprised that I really liked both of the main characters and was rooting for them throughout the book. This was the perfect summer romance read for days on the patio and at the beach, even though it takes place on the ice! I’m looking forward to reading the second title in she series when it is released.

Thrown for a Loop b Sarina Bowen was my first book by this author, but it most definitely will not be my last. I enjoyed this book so much.

When skating coach, Zoe Carson, walks into her new job for the Legends, a professional hockey team, she knows that her life is going to change forever - not just the amazing opportunity she has with the team, but confronting her first love, Chase Merritt, who her summer romance from ten years ago ended horribly and without an explanation.

The book uses flashbacks to tell the tale of what happened when they met at skate camp and them falling in love. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks, but Ms. Bowen uses them well and it gives the back story entirely. While I think the two of them fell for each other pretty quickly in the present, I was able to overlook that because the characters - both main and secondary (I'm talking about you, Darcy!) were excellent. Each main character had great support from the secondaries, and it added a great depth to the storyline and set them up for their own books.

The author acknowledges that both Zoe and Chase did things wrong in the past without making either of them "the bad guy", and instead let their age and circumstances lead the way on their behavior, as she should have. Too many books play the blame game when sometimes life just happens.

I look forward to the other books in this series and have already saved the author's website to get information on the new books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.