Icebreaker

By: A.L. Graziadei

Narrated by: Tom Picasso

Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league’s top draft spot.

The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield, a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey’s infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) teammate. When rivalry turns to something more, Mickey will have to decide what he really wants, and what he’s willing to risk for it.

This is a story about falling in love, finding your team (on and off the ice), and choosing your own path.

©2022 A.L. Graziadei (P)2021 Recorded Books

Authentic mental health depiction

Loved the realistic portrayal of depression & the struggles it presents. The family of both main characters are amazing and the detail the author provides paints such a vivid picture. I almost felt like I was standing on the dock or sitting with one of the James siblings or Royals players.

Easy to follow

Wish the spicy parts were more detailed but overall good gay romance. I love the tension in the beginning. Very good transition from enemies to lovers.

Standout and Unexpected

I loved the idea of hockey and diversity in the book. It was really refreshing all around. Spoiler…. I also appreciated topics of mental health with the characters (very important) the ending was nice and I hope for more out of this story in a possible sequel.

Surprising

At the beginning, I REALLY did not like the characters. Honestly I was a little put off almost at being introduced to a gay character so early on, but that was mostly because it kind of caught me by surprise. I was worried that the characters were going to be like that the whole book, and I wasn't about that life but once I got more into it... I couldn't stop listening. Every character had a relatable quality to them, and it didn't feel forced. Even the background characters quickly grew on me. especially their teammates. This book really does show a raw view of what it's like to have what I would call high functioning depression; it doesn't depict it as nothing more than feeling sad all day and crying yourself to sleep at night. As someone who has high functioning depression, it felt so raw. I could see myself in Mickey. Which also lead me to being annoyed by him. Then there was him struggling with his feelings for Jaysen. I've never had to deal with truly coming out (aro/ace, no one believes I exist) so it was difficult to truly understand his reasoning. Or it would've been had he not been an athlete. It's so hard to watch the heteronormativty of sports, even today, and that's what really made his character, his struggles, real to me. The only bad thing I could really say about this, and it's hardly on the author seeing as it's clear as day what this book is about, but the hockey. references. When you've never played, it's easy to sort of zone out during the play by play sections.

As for the narrator, phenomenal job. The one thing, as others have said, though was that it would've been nice to have a little bit more differentiation netween characters. Sometimes it was very ... deadpan.

I always get nervous reading LGBTQ+ fiction because a lot of it falls into the same stereotypes and tropes, but I honestly feel like this managed to stay away from that. It was a solid book through and through for me.

Literally one of my favorite books I’ve ever listened to

I’ve re-listened to this book about seven times, I absolutely love this book with all of my heart.