Book Review: Icebreaker

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Quote: "We have both read enough romance novels and watched enough bad romance movies to know we love a she's mine type of man"

Blurb: Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California at Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.

Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. 

Nate's focus as captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team- including Anastasia, who clearly can't stand him. 

But when Anastasia's skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look too Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn't worried... because she could never like a hockey player, right?

My Personal Views: When I first posted "To be honest, this is not looking like my cup of tea" on my Goodreads account when I was13% finished with the book, I should have trusted my instincts and stopped there because, frankly, the book turned out to be a major disappointment for me.

When I say I'm being lenient with a two-star rating, I truly mean it. Finishing this book was a struggle, and if it weren't for my habit of completing every book I start, I would have given up on it much earlier.

I find it hard to believe the hype surrounding this book within the bookstagram and booktok communities. Personally, I failed to see what the excitement was all about.

Although the story had a few redeeming moments, they were few and far between. The chemistry between the main characters, Anastasia and Nate, could only be glimpsed in one or two scenes, and even those were ruined because of Anastasia.

When I say I disliked Anastasia, who is our very own Female Lead, by that I mean, the dislike was so real that it almost could have transformed to hate if there had been one more chapter of her. Girl was so selfish and overdramatic, man it was hell! Did not like that girl even one bit.

In my reading experience, if I can't connect with the main characters, the book usually gets a low rating, maximum three stars. When both the main characters and the plot fall short, as was the case with "Icebreaker," the rating drops to one star, or two if I'm feeling particularly generous, which was the case this time.

Turning to Nate, the male lead, he was decent, but something about his character fell short for me. It's not that I disliked him, but the lack of chemistry between Nate and Anastasia made it challenging for me to appreciate his character fully.

As for the plot, "Icebreaker" left much to be desired. What was the story line? Nothing exciting, nothing new. Heck, half of the storyline, I couldn't even understand, to be honest. There was Aaron, who was kind of the villian in the book, I guess, but WHY WAS HE MADE A VILLIAN??? WHO WOULD EXPLAIN THAT ???  

Even the side characters were not that fun that they could even carry the book. And the book was so long, I don't even know, what for?? There was no reason for this book to be this long. 

Overall, the book was a major letdown, overrated, lacking chemistry between the main characters, and devoid of a compelling storyline.

Ratings: ⭐⭐/ 5