“Love shouldn’t be something that holds you back. It should be the thing that pushes you forward.”

Dear diary,

This is the epitome of ice skater and hockey player romance. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers story. Anastasia is the “I can do it myself” kind of fiercely independent girl, while Nate is the “I know you can, but let me help” kind of charismatic guy.

Anastasia Allen— or ‘Stassie’— worked her entire life for a shot at the Olympics, and everything seems to be going according to plan when she gets a scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills, and secures a place on their competitive figure skating team. Nothing will stand in her way, not even the charming, naturally confident captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate’s focus as captain is keeping his team on the ice, but that turns out to be tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share the rink with the figure skating team— including Anastasia, who just can’t stand him. But when Anastasia’s skating partner, Aaron, faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate in order to take her shot at the games. Forced proximity and Nate’s genuine and caring nature make sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried… because she could never like a hockey player, right?

While I liked Nate’s caring nature and supportive nature—how he actually respected Anastasia’s ambitions, I found the story a bit toxic from Anastasia’s side. She treated the people around her as disposable while on her journey to ambition, almost as if she was doing them the favor by giving them the time of her day, even though at the end of the day she came back to them just to get that sense of familiarity that she never had before. The plot also seemed to go on forever, and there were too many side characters. There were so many things going on that it almost seemed like there was nothing going on. In the end, however, their love story wasn’t just about attraction—but also about growth, and while this book did feel quite toxic and their relationship felt more physical, it made me realize the importance of being with someone who respects you.

read-o-meter rating: 3.2/5

Age rating: 16+

Until next time… dear reader of my book diary:)