Eian M., Old Mill High School
Icebreaker is the perfect hockey book for those who know nothing about hockey! This is a perfectly sweet and soft, rival to lovers' book that will draw anyone out of a book slump. Icebreaker follows a college freshman Mickey James III as he struggles with mental health, parental and personal expectations while dealing with the shining light that is teenage romance and sexuality, all captured within the lens that is his sport: hockey. Despite the strong concepts, unlike other YA character driven novels, hockey plays a very heavy role in the novel, with multiple, well drawn out hockey scenes that do not alienate the unathletic. The hockey field is where Mickey finds his top rival and crush, Jaysen.
I loved this novel not for complex action and plot twists, but for its realism and how it accurately portrays the issues of any teen trying to grow into adulthood. While a little cliché in its genre, the seriousness and accuracy with which Graziadei discusses depression and other causes for Mickey’s negative mental health is greatly refreshing. The side characters and family are surprisingly dynamic, providing dimension and complexity that could have been greatly diminished if only discussing the starkly negative that is mental health and positive that is a crush. As with any amazing YA novel, the found family and slow burn are done correctly, ensuring you never want to put Icebreakers down.
Click here to check out Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei.