If you haven’t heard of Icebreaker by Hannah Grace then, without wanting to sound rude, where have you been?
With a promotional quote from indie publishing, and Bookstagram sensation, Elena Armas (author of The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment) adorning the front cover, Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker has taken the social media book world by storm, and rightly so, with Icebreaker having already spent a number of weeks on the NYT bestseller list.
Set in Maple Hills in California, the story follows sassy, grumpy, commitment-phobe Anastasia Allen, a figure skating Olympic hopeful, and swoon worthy, ‘man who was most definitely written by a woman’ college-soon-to-turn-pro ice hockey captain, Nathan Hawkins, as they go from enemies, at least on Anastasia’s part after the hockey team are forced to invade her ice rink and infringe on her precious skate time, to lovers, to friends who end up spending A LOT of time together, and again to lovers.
If you could write the perfect college Rom Com series (Netflix, looking at you here), this would be it. Despite the extensive character list, the plot doesn’t feel crowded but rather, encourages you to really invest in this world. I wanted Lola to be my best friend, I wanted to hang out with the hockey guys, I wanted to meet (and love) Henry Turner (if you haven’t already read it, you’ll quickly know what I mean). For a British author, Hannah Grace did a great job of making the American setting feel authentic.
I particularly loved the way hard hitting themes were handled (I should note that this book does come with trigger warnings), and the way Hannah Grace tackled what is a typical fantasy romance plotline where as well as having your hero and heroine, there is also a very clear (and very despicable) villain. It was a refreshing addition to the contemporary romance genre.
I also loved the way that consent was a key theme in this book, but not overbearing in the slightest. Hannah Grace made consent sexy with lines from ‘I don’t joke about consent,’ to the occasional ‘May I?’ and ‘Drunk people can’t give consent.’ – she handled the whole concept beautifully.
However, sadly, there were a few cons for me, and perhaps these are a consequence of all the hype and accolade the book has been receiving. It’s worth noting that there really aren’t many of these, and frankly, they are no comment at all on the author, it’s simply personal preference.
Firstly, there is a lot of spice in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for an open-door romance, but at times it felt a little overdone, and didn’t add to the story line. Some scenes were fantastic, demonstrating the chemistry and heat between Anastasia and Nathan, but some felt like it was simply a page filler, and it kind of detracted from the dramatic plot line regarding Anastasia and her skating partner, Aaron. I felt there could have been a few more fade-to-black scenes to keep the story line moving whilst still demonstrating the two characters need for each other.
Also in the early scenes of the book, there was kind of a sexual fluidity and explicit involvement of other characters, which although hyped up the jealousy trope and was a great medium to display the main characters’ (especially Anastasia’s) later commitment to each other, it’s personally not my vibe. I don’t mind a reference or two but having detailed open door sex scenes with a guy who is not the MMC and also a long-standing pining for another woman on Nathan’s behalf made me a little confused as a reader. Although, it is probably an accurate representation of college and no-strings flings.
In terms of writing style, it’s hard to fault Hannah Grace. She punctuates her fast-paced, humorous dialogue with the occasional address directly to the reader, as well as a fair few references to romance books and tropes in general, a sure winner to make her key demographic of readers feel seen.
Although I’ve only rated this book four stars, Hannah Grace is one to watch, with her second novel coming out autumn 2023 and set in the same universe. Sadly, it doesn’t follow Henry (his story is a NEED, not a want at this point), but instead Russ who, as a member of the hockey team, we meet briefly. After a brief interaction between Russ and Anastasia at a bar where he steps in to rescue her, safe to say I’m excited for his story.
Icebreaker should be on your TBR list if your favourite tropes are:
Frenemies to Lovers
Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine
Spice (and a LOT of it)
Sports romance
College romance
Men in grey sweatpants
Star Rating: 4/5
Fav Quotes:
‘Do you meet a lot of people who don’t have names?’ – Anastasia Allen
‘Shut up, Anastasia. You’re not even half my warm-up weight.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘You have no idea, do you? The lengths I’d go to if you’d let me. What I’d do to make you happy.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘…you’re worth defending. Every cut, bruise, every single pang of anger or frustration. It’s all worth it. I’d throw my last punch defending you because you deserve to have someone be that person for you, and there’s no one more qualified for the job than me.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘...even next year when Nate and JJ are gone, I’ll still be here to look out for you.’ – Henry Turner
‘Let it all out. You’re safe. I’m here.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘Do you know how amazing it is? How lucky I feel to know you? You make me want to be the best I can be.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘I promised you I’d never drop you or let you drown Anastasia. I will always be there to save you.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘There isn’t a version of me that is better without you by my side.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘I love a woman who enjoys reading.’ – Nathan Hawkins
‘My existence doesn’t make sense without you by my side. For the rest of our lives, in the next life, in every alternate reality, I’ll be yours if you’ll have me.’ – Nathan Hawkins
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