Off the Ice by Julie Cross Pages: 320
on February 28, 2017
Series: Juniper Falls #1
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance, Sports Romance
All is fair in love and hockey…
Claire O’Connor is back in Juniper Falls, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be. One semester off, that’s what she promised herself. Just long enough to take care of her father and keep the family business—a hockey bar beside the ice rink—afloat. After that, she’s getting the hell out. Again.
Enter Tate Tanley. What happened between them the night before she left town resurfaces the second they lay eyes on each other. But the guy she remembers has been replaced by a total hottie. When Tate is unexpectedly called in to take over for the hockey team’s star goalie, suddenly he’s in the spotlight and on his way to becoming just another egotistical varsity hockey player. And Claire’s sworn off Juniper Falls hockey players for good.
It’s the absolute worst time to fall in love.
For Tate and Claire, hockey isn’t just a game. And they both might not survive a body check to the heart.
Off the Ice is the first book in the young adult Juniper Falls series by Julie Cross. I have read a bunch of Julie’s books, and I love how diverse of an author she is. She can write all genres and moods of stories. I really enjoyed Off the Ice and I can’t wait to continue on in the series. It was a bit more drama filled than I was expecting. This is not a super light and fluffy young adult contemporary. This story has some grit to it.
Off The Ice is the story of Claire and Tate. I liked both Claire and Tate but it took me some time to warm up to them. I didn’t instantly fall in love with them. In fact, the whole story takes some time to warm up. Off the Ice has a slower, more deliberate pace than some of Julie’s other stories. I could even see this story appealing to both young adult and new adult fans. It is upper young adult in my opinion, and the characters bridge the gap between high school and starting college age. Claire and Tate each have their own issues and demons they are dealing with, and it takes them awhile to really get to know each other in a meaningful way. I liked that we were on their meandering journey right along with them. And when they did start to open up to one another, it was great!
Off the Ice was a good read. One I really enjoyed, and I the world of Juniper Falls is one I will enjoy traveling back to. I love Hockey romances, but a lot of this story does take place off the ice. (get it?) There are a lot of other issues falling on Tate and Claire’s shoulders, so there is a lot explored within these pages. At times, it felt like the story was trying to do too much and touch on too many things at once. It was a bit overwhelming at some points, but overall it was a very good read. Off the Ice is going to be great for fans of sports romances that like a healthy dose of drama and real world issues thrown in.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Sam
I thought this book was cute. I especially like the bromance portions. I love that I am seeing a lot of positive guy friend groups in YA, and I liked the feel of Juniper Falls. I am interested in more stories from this town.
Kim
I’ve actually never read any of Julie’s books, but love sports romances a lot! 2 of my recent favorites were Hooked and On the Line.
Victoria
I love a good sports romance! I’m currently reading Tackling the Tight End by Tara Lain… her Long Pass Chronicles series is amazing 🙂
Charlene Firlus
This is actually my first book by Julie Cross. The summary has got me hooked. I’m really looking forward to reading this.
Emily Endrizzi
I have not read any books by Julie Cross. I actually haven’t read any sports romance yet either. I’m not too much of a sports fan, but this book sounds good.
Emily Endrizzi
Here is a television suggestion: if you aren’t watching Colony, you should check it out. It is really great. I actually had a nightmare about it and it’s been in my head all day long. But I get nightmares about pretty much anything. It’s not really scary.