Icebreaker

Happy book birthday to Icebreaker!

Mickey James III is a college freshman in a family of NHL legends, working toward the league's top pick in the upcoming draft. His top rival for the spot is Jaysen Caulfield, Mickey's teammate in college. When their rivalry turns into something more, Mickey is faced with decisions both on and off the rink.

I won this book from a sweepstakes and know nothing about hockey, but I ended up absolutely loving this sporty romcom.

The themes in this book really shone. There's some great commentary about privilege, where Jaysen is a great foil to Mickey in this regard. I loved the queer rep, as there were quite a few queer relationships portrayed, including a polyamorous triad, which we don't often see in YA. The book also addresses toxic masculinity, sexism in sports and sports media, and parental relations where the parents didn't necessarily do things wrong but still caused a lot of pain.

Finally, there was an amazing portrayal of mental health - Mickey has depression, and his journey towards dealing with it and asking for help was really great to see, especially paired with the commentary of privilege - Mickey's battle with his depression and him berating himself for it when his life seems perfect on paper and the assurances that depression can happen to everyone was great to see.

I absolutely loved all the characters - Mickey and Jaysen's relationship was great to see, but I found myself falling in love with all the side characters as well - Dorian, Delilah, Jade, Zero, Bailey, Nova, Barbie, all of whom are nicely fleshed out.

A thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), NetGalley, and NYCC Fierce Reads Recommends Sweepstakes for this ARC.