Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (★★★☆☆)
Print • From a Friend • YA Romance • 2022
Short synopsis: Anastasia Allen is laser-focused on making Team USA, but a rink mishap forces her to share ice—and tension—with hockey captain Nate Hawkins. When her skating partner’s future is jeopardized, she must consider the unthinkable: teaming up with the one guy she swore she’d never like.
Oh, goodness gracious. This book was both compulsively readable and so damn silly (and not in a good way). It’s not well-written, and it’s entirely too long (it was originally self-published before a publisher picked it up after it gained popularity), and it needed a strong editor. There’s so much passive voice. So many things that just don’t make sense. I don’t believe for a second that Anastasia is an elite figure skater. She barely practices, spends far too much time partying, and isn’t doing any sort of other conditioning work to be at the elite level. And somehow I’m supposed to believe she’s training for the Olympics? While going to college full-time and having a full social life? Nah, man. Still, I decided to just go along for the ride and not think too deeply about this very obvious plot hole. The romance in this story was adorable and I truly couldn’t get enough of Anastasia and Nate. They had such chemistry! I love the ups and downs of their relationship—it very much read like a college relationship—but how they were mature and talked through things every time. The author brought up a ton of important topics in this book: disordered eating, gaslighting and abuse that is not from a romantic partner, adoption, expectations, female friendship, and toxic masculinity. Essentially, this is a book where you need to suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride. It’s a lot more fun that way! Will I read more from this author? Probably not. I think I have aged out of these types of romances.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Libby • Mystery • 2024
Short synopsis: When a series of cryptic clues and a sudden murder shatter the calm of Three Pines, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team uncover a looming threat far more sinister than a single crime—one with consequences that could ripple across nations.
I had seen a lot of disappointing reviews of this book, the 19th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series (and yes, you absolutely have to read this series in order!). So maybe it was because I had lowered expectations but I ended up loving it! I wish more of the book had taken place in Three Pines, but I still loved following all the different plots and seeing how they wove together in the end. More than ever, this book made me think about the relationship between Gamache and his second-in-command, Beauvoir, and how much I adore their relationship. It is a hard-fought relationship that had some very low lows at times, but there is something inherently good and abiding about it now. Maybe the real love story isn’t between Gamache and his wife, but between Gamache and Beauvoir (and I don’t mean that in a romantic sense, but in a platonic life partners sense). Anyway, I enjoyed this book a lot, and the final few chapters had my pulse pounding! I’m very curious as to what comes next in this series. (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.)
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (★★★☆☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Thriller • 2025
Short synopsis: After his wife vanishes without a trace, author Grady Green is consumed by grief—until a year later, on a remote Scottish island, he sees a woman who looks exactly like her.
Sigh, this book just wasn’t very good. I’ll give the author credit: the story hooked me—I was curious about what was happening from beginning to end. But once everything was revealed, it was a big letdown for me. I just didn’t find any of it to be all that realistic. It was hard to be in Grady’s head—he was so miserable and sad, and made very questionable choices—and I don’t think the author breadcrumbed the eventual plot twists enough. This thriller has a pretty low rating on Goodreads despite only being out for a few months (3.65), and I can totally see why. (2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.)
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Totally agree on Icebreaker! I remember she was hitting quadruple lutzes in practices, and I was thinking aren’t those very rare even at the Olympic level? LOL. It bothered me so much! Agree on writing and YES there was no need for it to be that long!!
I give Beautiful Ugly some kudos because I can honestly say I’ve never read anything with that plot before. It was just weird and there was no payoff! Agree on Grady, he was hard to stick with for such long periods of time. I had to make myself pick up the book because he was just so sad I didn’t want to hang out with him LOL, but on the other hand, I was so curious on where the heck this was going.
YES – the quadruple lutzes was crazy! And then she suddenly switches from being a pairs skater to being a singles skater (which I have to believe isn’t as easy as the book made it seem!), and… what do you know? She’s an Olympic gold medalist! So much eye rolling.
Beautiful Ugly had such a unique plot! I was really hoping for a better payoff, too. It had such potential!
None of those books appeal to me!
I’m currently reading Caroline, which is actually a reread for me, but my friend Laura was doing it for her book club so I thought, why not, I need a bit of Little House fanfic in my life right now. I’m pretty tired after a busy couple of weeks so I need a simple read!
I LOVED this book. I may need to reread it soon too…
I’m glad you’re leaning into the simple, easy reads right now. You need that after such a busy April!
I wish I had liked Grey Wolf as much as you did! It just didn’t work for me. I feel like the plot lines of the last couple of books have been so involved that I get a bit confused about what is happening. And I miss the backdrop of Three Pines. It was still an enjoyable book overall, but not as great as the books earlier in the series (for me).
I finished my June book club book – the Seven Skins of Evelyn Wilding. I liked it overall but it was just way too freaking long at 600 pages. Next I will read “Where the Forest Meets the River” which is a sequel. It’s by an Irish author and I remember really liking the first book (but cannot recall the name of the first book!).
Meredith from Currently Reading mentioned in one episode that she’s really worried book 20 will be the last in the series. But I think that might be a good thing?! I’ll miss Gamache and the gang, of course, but it feels like the plots have been getting increasingly over-the-top—kind of like what happens to TV shows as they drag into later seasons. Maybe it’s time to let the series end…?
I am so impressed your book club read a 600-page book! Whew!
I felt the same way about beautiful ugly! And Penny can do no wrong, IMO
I’m glad you agree! Phew!
Same as you for Beautiful Ugly. I was there for the island and the “oooh I found someone else’s manuscript so let’s see if I can get away with passing it off as my own” and ended up totally losing interest in everything else. At least it was entertaining enough.
Beautiful Ugly had such potential! But it really did not work for me. And I think we’ve had enough books about former writers trying to pass off other manuscripts as their own by now, sheesh.
I haven’t heard of any of these books, but I enjoy reading your reviews.
Thanks, Julie!
Thanks for sharing what you have read, Stephany. I think you’re quite consistent in sharing what you’re reading almost once per week.
I try my best! I love writing these reviews. 🙂 Thank you!
Oh… my book club friend just raved about ice breaker and this author. And now you say its meh… I wanted to pick this up at some point but now I am not so sure anymore.
If you want a book where you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the silliness, then this is the book for you. But I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for these days!
Ugh, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief for Icebreaker- plot holes like that drive me CRAZY! I really have to get back to the Louise Penny series- I read six or seven of them. Eventually I’ll read the rest.
I went very slowly through the Louise Penny series until I caught up. There’s no reason to read them quickly – they’ll be there when you’re ready for them. 🙂
Your review on Icebreaker is so fun. Sometimes we just need a book like that, LOL!