Icebreaker

Rivals to lovers I love you

4.1 ★
oh, this was so good, i saw so many people saying they were disappointed by the ending, but i liked it! there were soms stuff that felt like they could've been more developed, and i wish cauler and mickey had better communication on page, as in i wish we could see more conversations between them about their issues.
either way, this was adorable, and it could've been higher if it wasn't for those small choices that just weren't for me. i really enjoyed it, and i'd recommended this to more people

okay but why does it end so abruptly?

M/M rivals to lovers set in the collegiate hockey world. The author obviously knows her hockey. Unfortunately, the narrator, Mickey, is a complete pill for most of the book, either whining, binge drinking or otherwise alienating his teammates. So it's hard to understand why Jaysen is so attracted to him. The transition from hookup to real relationship comes very late in the story and is unconvincing, based on the MCs interactions up to that point. I did like Mickey's older sisters and his teammates, and the complex dynamics of being part of a “royal” hockey family felt very real. There are lots of compelling relationships in the novel; sadly the romance between Mickey and Jaysen is not one of them.

And yes, a lot of Mickey's behavior can be attributed to his untreated depression, and his character arc is all about getting over his feelings that he doesn't “deserve” to be depressed and seeking the help that he needs. But that doesn't let him off the hook for being an unsufferable ass for so long.

Nothing like a good enemies to lovers story, and this one goes beyond a simple read and brings with it a lot of hockey therms, love, well developed characters and a lot of the good kind of drama. I loved it

I really enjoyed this book for how real it feels. We may not all be 3rd generation college hockey players fighting to live up to a pressure of a family legacy but many of us are familiar with the strong hold of depression and how it can affect every aspect of your life. The main character, Mickey is constantly blocking his own blessings, not letting himself enjoy the few things in life that actually make him happy in order to appease others. But in his defense, it's hard to see the blessings for what they are when everything inside is saying the opposite.

I was a bit worried browsing some reviews of the book about how the ending wasn't very satisfactory. I can see where people are coming from. It did feel a bit rushed and I'm sure a lot of us wanted Mickey to enjoy college more with his friends and continue to explore his relationship with Jaysen. However, Mickey's whole relationship to hockey just changed and it seems like he's going to give a pro career a shot for himself. Not to please his parents and the family legacy. Not to beat Jaysen. Just himself. And that I can respect.

4.5/5 stars from me and very happy I keep reading

I got approved for this really close to publish date so here is my lightning-fast review!

• The enemies to lovers seemed REALLY fast and also kind of tame!
• I arbitrarily wanted this book to be more like The Foxhole Court and it was not, but also that's the only other sports romance I have ever read!
• The voice in this was super strong!
  I barely have any thoughts because I read it so quickly! It comes out this Tuesday! I'll probably check this out of the library and read it again then! Four stars!